Best BBQ in Kansas City

25 years ago, Smokehouse Bar-B-Que opened their doors in Gladstone, Missouri with one goal- Provide Kansas City diners with the highest quality barbecue, along with unparalleled service. Smokehouse Bar-B-Que exceeds that goal on a daily basis offering only the best hickory smoked beef and succulent chicken as well as savory seasonings, delicious sauces and rubs. Today, Smokehouse Bar-B-Que boasts three locations in the Kansas City area. Smokehouse Bar-B-Que has also received high praise for their delectable sides, including: fresh-made coleslaw, smoky and sweet barbecue beans, and some of the smoothest, richest sauces you'll ever taste. A family-owned, Kansas City icon, Smokehouse Bar-B-Que is dedicated to delighting your family with mouthwatering meals, fall-off-the-bone tender meats, generous portions, and impeccable service. Whether you're craving ribs, chicken or brisket, see why Smokehouse Bar-B-Que has been a favorite for exceptional barbecue since 1987.

Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue was originally a part of the Fiorella family-owned chain of Smoke Stack Barbecue restaurants, with the original restaurant located in south Kansas City on Prospect Avenue. Founded by family patriarch Russ Fiorella in 1957, it eventually opened four more restaurants for the Fiorella family. One of these, Smoke Stack Barbecue of Martin City, was opened in 1974 by the eldest son Jack Fiorella and his wife Delores. Sometime in the mid-1980s, after a failed attempt to expand into a second location under the name of Hatfield’s and McCoy’s, Jack and Delores realized they needed to make some changes in order to stand out in the competitive Kansas City barbecue market. They set about expanding their menu selections. To the chagrin of barbecue purists, they also began offering a higher level of comfort and service than most people were accustomed to experiencing at a barbecue restaurant. They added non-traditional barbecue menu items like hickory-grilled steaks, lamb ribs, Crown Prime beef short ribs, and an extensive wine and bar selection. Inspired by their travels along the Yugoslav coast, they also started offering fresh seafood grilled over a hickory wood fire.

The restaurant can trace its descent from Henry Perry, the "father of Kansas City barbecue", who in 1908 began serving smoked meats to workers in the Garment District in Downtown Kansas City from an alley stand. Perry moved to the 18th Street and Vine neighborhood where he sold barbecue for 25 cents a slab from a trolley barn at 19th and Highland.

Charlie Bryant worked within the restaurant and was soon joined by his brother Arthur Bryant. In 1940 when Perry died, Charlie took over the restaurant. Arthur in turn was to take it over.

The restaurant was located for many years at 18th and Euclid Streets in the inner city neighborhood of 18th and Vine. Bryant moved the business to its present location, 1727 Brooklyn, in 1958. In the 1950s and through the early 1970s, it was visited by fans and players visiting Municipal Stadium, home to the Kansas City Athletics (1955–67), Kansas City Chiefs (1963–71) and Kansas City Royals (1969–72). The stadium was located five blocks south of the restaurant before being razed in 1976.

Gates Bar-B-Q is a Kansas City original family restaurant that started in 1946. It has grown from a single store front at 19th & Vine to a family of six up-to-date restaurants throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area. This neighborhood saw the rise of the famous Henry Perry restaurant as well as the 18th & Vine Jazz District. Gates was founded by George and Arzelia Gates, their three children (Winnifred, Gwendolyn, and Ollie), and the cook, Arthur Pinkard, who had been a cook for Perry.

Rob Magee got hooked on cooking at an early age and took his skills to the highest level with a degree from the acclaimed Culinary Institute of America. Working his trade in some of the finest kitchens across the country, he would always make it a point to honor the tastes of whatever region he was in. So when he moved to Kansas City, he naturally became obsessed with mastering the glories of KC barbeque.

For a BBQ joint in a town known for its BBQ, it pays to have experience. Trendy new restaurants come and go, but one thing has remained constant: Danny Edwards is serving up smoky goodness with a heaping side of tasty. Growing up in a BBQ joint, he’s practically made it his entire life. And you pick up a few things in that time: the art of slow-smoked meats, an appreciation for friendly conversation and a concrete pig.

If you’re lucky, when you come in you’ll meet Frank and maybe hear some of the myths and legends that make Kansas City BBQ the king of BBQ and make Woodyard the best place to get it!! Woodyard Bar-B-Que started with Frank Schloegel II working his grill at lunch, feeding his customers and his friends for free, while he sold wood deliveries over the phone. Frank Schloegel III kept it going in the same spirit of generosity and started smoking for charities and church fundraisers. Eventually he gave in to multiple requests and opened the restaurant. We’ve always been a family business. And we’ve always been a big family, quick to welcome anyone willing to work. Through the ages Woodyard and Southside have employed countless cousins and second cousins. Today we have partnered up with the Molloy family, Ciaran, who runs day-to-day operations and his father Fintan, along with cousin Dave Schloegel, round out the family affair. Together we make Woodyard the best BBQ Kansas City has to offer. We moved to Merriam Lane in the 50s and started selling wood – hickory, oak, apple and cherry. I could find the exact date somewhere, but the history of Woodyard bbq is a lot like the history of Kansas City BBQ in general, it is a history of people and it is best told one story at a time with a little myth and no exact dates. Stories like the time when Frank sold a cord of wood to a guy that dialed the wrong number or the time when he had three friends over for lunch on February 2nd, and now, 55 years later, we still have a Groundhog Day party.

BB’s Lawnside BBQ combines two great Kansas City traditions – Barbecue and Blues. For more than 20 years, B.B.’s has served slow-smoked meats (sausage, beef, chicken, pulled pork and ribs) from its 60+ year-old pit, Plus, B.B.’s menu includes signature Louisiana dishes like gumbo, jambalaya, red beans & rice and goulash. And, when you combine that with world-class blues entertainment, you get a unique Kansas City experience only found at B.B.’s Lawnside BBQ.

This is the story of Jeff and Joy Stehney and their company, Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que. In many ways, it is a quite ordinary story. People start successful businesses every day, after all. But Jeff and Joy’s company is anything but ordinary. In 1990, Jeff and Joy attended a barbecue contest for the first time, at the invitation of a friend. “We had a great time,” Jeff says. “I loved everything about it. The smoke. The smell of it. The camaraderie. The competition. The passion. And, of course, the food. I was hooked. I knew then and there this was something I had to do.” The Stehneys soon bought a competition-style smoker and, together with a few friends, formed a barbecue team. They called it Slaughterhouse Five.