The Dang's: Foodie Friday: Kansas City BBQ

Today is a very special edition of Foodie Friday as I’ve finally gotten around to writing our reviews of the three Kansas City BBQ places we tried.

1. Oklahoma Joe’s

Visited: Friday, June 3 at 1 pm

What we ordered-

Adam: Z-Man Brisket sandwich and side of creamy coleslaw

Stef: Pulled-pork sandwich

Shared: Fries, Barq’s Red Cream Soda

Thoughts

Line: We pulled up at 1 and the parking lot was full so we parked across the street. The line was out the door and down the side of the building. It’s like Disney where you think you’ve reached the front of the line, but then you get inside and it wraps around in the building. It took an hour to get through it. When we left around 2:30, the line was still out the door.

Atmosphere: It’s in a gas station, which seems really odd, but it’s very modern and clean inside with lots of seating.

Food: My pulled pork sandwich was great and I loved their BBQ sauce. The fires were good and a huge order, but slightly salty because they were covered in seasoning salt. Adam loved them. The pop was huge, which was great because I discovered the glory that is Barq’s Red Cream Soda. AMAZING! Adam really enjoyed his brisket sandwich and said it had a good smoke ring. They had really good quality meat.

Pulled pork sandwich and fries

Really good quality meat

Z-man Brisket sandwich and side of coleslaw

Verdict: Best BBQ food and experience we had despite the line. It was well worth the wait!

2. Arthur Bryant’s

Visited: Saturday, June 4 at 1 pm

What we ordered-

Adam: Brisket sandwich

Stef: Burnt ends open faced sandwich

Shared: Fries, Red Cream Soda

Thoughts

Line: We went to the original location by downtown Kansas City. There was plenty of parking in the lot. The line was pretty short, only halfway through the building. It took about 25 minutes to get through. When we left though, the line was much longer; out the door and down the sidewalk.

Atmosphere: Old, rundown, dirty and cramped. While we were waiting in line, we were constantly being asked to move, rather rudely, by the hostess cleaning up the tables. Her dish bin was right between the line and the wall. The kitchen area is visible through a window when you’re in line. It was really unappetizing as you could see random chunks of meat and juices all over the counters. Cooked ribs were just sitting out on the counter, with no warmers, waiting to be cut and plated as people ordered them.

Food: Not very good. The meat quality was definitely lacking. My favorite item was the red cream soda. I was really excited to try burnt ends, but was disappointed with them. They were chopped up and covered in sauce. They were REALLY fatty. The fries were cold. I did really like their original sauce though, but none of the others. Adam said his brisket was okay.

Fatty chewy burnt ends and fries

Adam's brisket

Verdict: You may be tempted to go here because of all the history, but skip it. It was kind of gross.

3. Gates

Visited: Sunday, June 5 at 11:30 am

What we ordered-

Adam: Burnt ends sandwich

Stef: Brisket

Shared: Fries

Line: Really short. It was kind of confusing to us though, because as soon as we walked in we were greeted by two different women bellering “How MAY I HELP you!” They were waiting on other customers, so it appears to be just something they do. It was slightly overwhelming though. There were 2 different lines to keep things moving. We were through the line with our food in about 10 minutes.

Atmosphere: Really dark and slightly rundown, but clean. It was annoying to hear all the “How may I help you” shouting while we ate.

Food: My brisket was really fatty and chewy, but Adam liked his burnt end sandwich. My favorite part was the fries. They were really hot and crispy. I also liked the BBQ sauce, but was disappointed they didn’t have red cream soda!