Johnny’s Original Rib Shack

Amazing! The ribs were awesome, all of the sides were delicious and you definitely get ALOT for a really reasonable price. Also our waitress and owner were two of the nicest people we’d met since moving here. Love this place! Also a must try-​The Brisket Cheese Fries

Ribs are like rubber — not how the waitress described which was meat falling off bones. When she came back to ask how everything was, we told her abiut the toughness and she offered no replacement; just looked at us… Now while every employee there was very friendly and the décor country, the food is just not great and that’s why we went. We won’t go back.

Not impressed. Slow but friendly service. Bland food, people not familiar with the area might think this is what Okies have to offer, bad representation. Take the sign down. I assume being close to an interstate is the only reason it’s still open.

I don’t understand how they claim to be famous. Ribs tasted like they were cooked in an oven and jerked. The «brisket» tasted like crappy sloppy joe meat. My okra was thrown onto my styrofoam plate and melted through. My service was ok. At noon on a Wednesday, it was me and one other table yet it took awhile to get refills. I will never come back

If you want fantastic BBQ stop in. No waiting the waitress was Awsome and ribs are wonderful

OK; not sure how to review totally. Food was good; portions adequate… BUT how can you serve ICE COLD barbecue sauce with it? I know they worry about sauce spoiling if left out too long at room temperature but instead of serving it in smaller portions at least at room temperature (or warmed… even better) they bring you big squeeze bottles straight out of refrigerator. Sorry, I don’t like to use my food to warm up my sauce.
Service friendly but very mediocre; forgetful, seemed preoccupied and it wasn’t that busy. My experience was not as good as in past.

If it weren’t for the «hot links» this meal would’ve been a total disaster!
The place had the right look. Right off the highway, old looking exterior and the right kind of interior décor that gave it a divey type of feel.
I decided upon the sampler platter. Ribs, pulled pork, ham and sausage links. Came with toast and two sides (I chose corn on the cob and green beans). And I also chose to go with mild sauce.
Now, i’m a big fan of thinking your sides should compliment the main course. The corn was soaked in water and obviously for way too long. The green beans were your standard fare.
I’m not sure how they cook the ribs but I took one small bite and did not eat the rest. Absolutely no flavor, very tough, very fatty! These were indeed the worst tasting ribs I had ever tried! The pulled pork was very greasy and it took away any flavoring that might have possibly been hiding behind it.
At this point, I’ve lost all hope for this meal. I decided to try the hot links next. You get two (One of which is spicy). I drenched the spicy hot link in mild sauce trying to mask whatever non flavor disaster was lurking and took a bite.
That one bite changed the destiny of time! Ha, seriously, it took me from being very angry to just slightly angry with this establishment. The hot link was very delicious, full of flavor, very nice texture, nothing bad to say about it. I instantly ate the ham (which was standard). I had to let my taste buds savor the remaining portions of the deliciousness Hot Links prior to leaving.
I will never come back here. The staff was nice and the hot links were great but overall, this is not a barbecue joint.

Very nice staff, the ribs are good. Anyone can slow cook ribs but hard to get great flavor and tender but not falling off the bone. These ribs are good and worth a stop and try.

Sunday afternoon dinner was just right.
Prompt and courteous service from the nicest possible waitstaff. In fact, the sweet young lady-​in-​waiting who served us couldn’t have been more helpful if she’d been twins.
Clean comfortable interior. Prices right in the reasonable department. And pretty damned good food.
I had the sliced brisket and it was excellent. I like to judge a place by their brisket, because I am a judgmental ass, and theirs was good. Tender, juicy, cooked well. Sauce was just right; a little sweet and not obnoxiously hot.
Had the beans, which were damned good as well.
And the fries, which look to me to have been cut on the premises: I love that.
Served with a slice of toast, as BBQ should be served. Overall very good.
My son and bride had the cheeseburgers. While the patties looked to be pre-​formed they were well-​prepared and quality beef. Not a fatty pile of grissel and bone.
My super-​picky daughter dug through her chopped brisket and declared it «pretty good.» From a finicky 11-​year-​old critic of all things not covered in sugar this is high praise.
Overall it was an excellent meal. We left full and happy with plans to return.

Ordered to go, was giving a free drink while I waited. Food came out fast, good place

Friendly staff with quick, courteous service (4:00 on a Saturday). We ordered ribs, hot links, potato salad and BBQ beans. The ribs were tough and fatty with very little smoke flavor. Hot links were good, potato salad strong and mustardy, and BBQ beans were baked beans in straight BBQ sauce. All strong flavors that will appeal to some, but not to all.
We ordered sweet tea and exchanged it for sodas because it tasted like algae. I’m not sure if this is a Guthrie water issue, or a restaurant issue. The diet coke still tasted bad even though we opted for no ice.
The restrooms had an odd smell to them but were more rundown than dirty. The soap dispenser dangled from the wall and there was no soap to be found. Scary, considering this is obviously the restroom employees use, judging by the mandatory health department posters hanging on the walls.
I would just skip this restaurant if possible, there’s not much good about it, definitely nothing to be «famous» for.

Waited 15 minutes to order. Asked at window if anyone was working. I got a dumb look. Went to Arby’s across the street.

Friendly people, but the food is. well, it’s decent. It’s not going to scare off the timid, but don’t expect anything particularly fancy either.
I really would like to be more descriptive, but the ribs I had were really just remarkably unremarkable, as nonsensical as that may sound. If you are in Guthrie and want a taste of small town food that’s honest and unpretentious, drop by Johnny’s. If you want something unique, something that’s really a local specialty, or something that’s small town but memorable, there are better options. If you’re the sort who wants a Chili’s or an Applebee’s anywhere you go, don’t bother. In fact, don’t bother with Guthrie dining in that case because there’s nothing along those lines in town.
It’s not a place for foodies and it’s not high on my list, but it has merit for the right people. You’ll know if you’re that type.

it is an ok place if you are not a BBQ freak or anything. Nothing special,

Don’t stop here because the sign says they are famous. The food is not good.

Gross. Food was beyond gross (mind you, I love BBQ) and service was horribly slow. Avoid this place like the plague.

Horrible. Probably the worst ribs I have ever had. In Texas we smoke our ribs, here they cook theirs in an oven. Not good. Plus the waitress was not very friendly. I will stick with Texas ribs!!!

BBQ. The Chicken was fantastic! The service was Great. If we are ever in the area again, we would make a stop here.

Over a year later (than the previous review), and Johnny’s is just the same. I was there around 7 on a Tuesday evening. The place was fairly empty, with 1 waitress and 1 waitress in training on duty, with one other teenage girl behind the counter. The gals were all quite friendly and sweet. Popcorn is served as you decide on what to eat. I had a sandwich called Engine #9: a layer of smoked sausage covered by a slab of ham, covered with chopped beef. The flavor was smoky and tangy, just the way I like it. All in all this is a great place to stop if you’re on the way to OK City from the north. If you have time, downtown Guthrie is worth a look as well.

Coming from California, you have a sheltered idea of what Oklahoma is going to be like. When I got to Oklahoma City, it felt just like any mid size city in California. I went to a client that was at a university about an hour northeast of the city. What a completely different world it is outside the city limits.
After a long morning of working, my clients and I decided to take a lunch break. We drove a few miles into the next town to try out a BBQ place that they had heard about. As we arrived I noticed this little shack behind a gas station. Stereotypes of the deep south started to swirl in my mind. I don’t know if you could have set this up any better:
«Two African Americans and an Asian American walk into an Oklahoma BBQ shack…»
As we entered we were greeted by a waitress with a slight southern drawl. The room had a very farm building/​barn feel to it. Wooden tables and chairs. Red checkered tablecloths. Metal pails on the tables carrying condiments and utensils. As I surveyed the room… farm folk and truckers were the main patrons. Boy did we stick out like a sore thumb.
Instead of bread we were offered a basket of popcorn while we looked at our meal choices. After perusing the menu I opted for the combo of sliced beef brisket, links, with a side of fries and an ice tea to wash it all down. The food came out pretty quickly, since adhering to southern standards, the meats would have spent many an hour in the smoker. As I sampled my lunch I noticed the brisket was pretty tender while the links were firm but not tough. Both had the lingering smoke contrasted with the slightly sweet and tangy sauce. Not bad for a place off the freeway behind the gas station.
It’s funny when your pre-​conceived stereotypes come true. This place was every bit of backwater south I thought I’d find. In all fairness though, the service/​patrons were quite friendly and I definitely felt that we were taken care of. The place was laid back with a definite down home feel. I don’t imagine many of will ever find yourslef out in the middle of nowhere in Oklahoma, but if you are, drop into Johnny’s for some slow cooked Q and friendly local service.