John’s Shamrock BBQ

This place is either hit or miss. Their sandwiches are priced well and taste great. Their entrees are pricey and average at best. I feel the same way about their sides. One minute it is tasty and satisfying the next it really doesn’t taste all that great. Id stick to the sandwiches for a good price and stay away from the overpriced entrees

Love, love, love this place. Friendly people and awesome food. Homemade BBQ sauces like plum, cranberry and sweet. Mmmmmmm…
Their speciality is the sweet potatoe casserole which just a dish of brown sugar and nut heaven.
Tried the apple crisp a la mode which was also done perfectly with crunchy topping and soft apples.
Highly recommend finding this place on any trip through southern Iowa.

Found this on Unilocal on our way home from Florida to Minnesota. I should have read all the reviews saying you need reservations on the weekend… they were right! Luckily we had our camper with us and we were able to order to go and eat in the camper. Very fast service and pleasant people. Food was great! We especially loved the homemade applesauce! We had ribs and the sampler dinner. The kids loved it too. Stop by here, you won’t be disappointed!

I visited here with my family and we were all pleased with our selections. We ordered the smoked turkey, brisket and whiskey steak. Everyone had the delicious applesauce as a side and our second sides varied but were all good. We were comfortably full without being stuffed so we had room to split a dessert among three of us. The apple crisp is delicious! Reasonable meal prices and inexpensive beer served in a chilled silver cup, it stayed cool for the entire meal! The ambiance is casual and the people are friendly. I called ahead for a reservation since it was the weekend and I’m glad I did! Will visit again when I’m in the area.

The food is fantastic and the service is something that can’t be beat. Will be making the trip here from Cedar Rapids more often just for the ribs. The sides were great and don’t get me started on the Apple Crisp!

This is the BEST restaurant in the area surrounding & in Iowa City/​Cedar Rapids. We drive from North Liberty just to have a fantastic meal. And the service is amazing which the restaurants in Iowa City should take direction from.
The food is outstanding! The appetizers, pig ears & fried pickles are incredible! The smoked meats are delicious. They have some of the best ribs I have ever tasted. The Tico Chicken is beyond phenomenal! I wish I could buy the spices that are used. The homemade BBQ sauces are amazing. They offer a variety, something for everyone: sweet, spicy, cranberry, plum, jalamango, etc. I have not had a homemade side that was not delectable. Don’t forget the toad bellies… mouthwatering pieces of unique bread.
If you have the chance… definitely stop or drive for dinner. They open at 4pm. It is absolutely worth it!!! You will not be disappointed.

Two visits in less than a month — this place is well worth the trip from Iowa City. The first on a Thursday, I made but didn’t need reservations. The second a Friday, I’m glad I made them as they were quite busy. Full rack of ribs is so large, I took half home after eating my fill and sharing 1^st half with my friends. All their smoked meats are quite tasty. Pig tails — great (think pulled pork fries cheese jalapeños). Sauerkraut soup I love it! Applesauce and most other sides are delish. We weren’t crazy about green beans with bacon. They serve draft beer in hammered aluminum cups which stay cold for your entire beverage. Owner will tell you the story of that if not busy. Quite interesting. Friendly happy staff. Not a fancy building or interior but it’s a nice homey place. I so enjoy this place.

Make reservations otherwise you will have to wait. The flat iron steaks are unbelievable. The toad bellies are a sweet/​salty treat. The sweet potatoe casserole and the corn are delicious. Try the cranberry BBQ sauce with the steak as it enhances the flavor. We drive 1 ½ hours to visit John’s Shamrock. However, make sure they are open before you drive that far.

First: I’d rate it a 3.5 if I could, but will go up a half point because of the quality of the meat served at dinner.
This rating based off two separate visits; one for lunch and one for dinner.
Lunch = 3 stars. Had the chopped brisket special which included a side and drink for (I think 6.99). A great value. They were out of my first choice of side, but had pickled beets, hey, I like pickled beets. The sandwich came and unfortunately the meat was already completely and overly sauced. The sauce was quite sweet and I really didn’t care for it. Please let your patrons decide if they want sauce and how much they want by letting them sauce the meat. The bun was nothing great nor bad, just your average store bought hamburger bun.
Dinner = 4 stars. Had the sampler plate (Brisket, Pork Loin, Turkey) $ 12.95 with sides of Sauerkraut Soup and Sweet Potato Casserole. Sauerkraut soup was excellent, highly recommended. I guess I was expecting the sweet potato casserole to be a savory dish, instead I got a cup of mashed sweet potatoes loaded on top with melted brown sugar and nuts. The meat was superbly done. Very moist, good smoke flavor and you could see the smoke ring. I guess I was surprised at the smallish portion size: Two slices of pork loin about a ¼ inch thick each, two slices of turkey breast about ³⁄₈ inch thick each and one slice of brisket no more than ³⁄₁₆ inch thick. I wouldn’t say I walked away hungry, but I was less than 30 minutes down the road before looking for that bag of almonds in the console of my car. The dinner could easily have been 5 stars with a little more meat on the plate.
They have a bunch of sauces to choose from but I never understand how a place could have more than one fruit flavored sauce.
Bottom line is it is worth a stop or even going slightly out of your way for. I’d just make sure to ask if the meat is pre-​sauced before ordering a sandwich. And, be prepared to order more than you normally might… Maybe they could add an «extra meat» option for a few extra $s.

Having heard a few rave reviews about this place, we decided to brave the cold and trek out to it’s remote location. Totally worth it!
All the food is homemade and delicious, the servers were friendly, helpful, and charming and the atmosphere was very authentic and quaint.
Very clean.
We went to lunch and definitely plan to make it out to sample their dinner menu. They also cater and sell their food in bulk if you are throwing a party.
They take dinner reservations too, which is wise because on the weekend it can get so crazy they turn people away! The food is that good. Definitely worth a drive to sample this roadside diner!