7-2 going into the bye week is great. The ceiling for this team is so high and we have a lot to be excited about. But because its a bye week, I’d like to hear your opinions on something besides football. What’s the best BBQ in Kansas City? If you were to compare BBQ spots to current chiefs players, what would they be closest compared to?
I divide the BBQ in KC into two categories: Best known and my favorites.
The classics are Joe’s (which Anthony Bourdain put on his list of 13 Places to Eat Before You Die), Jack Stack (the best sides and location for tourists), Arthur Bryant’s (Ted Lasso’s favorite), Gates (a mainstay where the employees yell at you to order), Q39 (a more upscale spot with great BBQ chicken), and LC’s (divey and with some incredible burnt ends).
As an active downtown resident, my favorites are some of the newer spots that have a different take on traditional KC BBQ styles.
Wolfepacke in Columbus Park, Chef J in the West Bottoms, Buck Tui (Thai/BBQ fusion), Night Goat in Westside (a ghost kitchen from one of the most well-known chefs in KC), Harp in Raytown (a KC take on Texas BBQ), the Smoke N Seoul food truck (Korean/KC BBQ), Slaps in KCK (the best BBQ turkey in KC), Scott’s Kitchen near the airport, Char Bar in Westport, and F325 in NKC all fall in this category to me.
This sounds like a lot, but the city has over 110 of them in the metro area.
Mahomes is Joe’s (most well-known and consistent), Kelce is Jack Stack (versatile, reliably great, and an easy entry spot for newbies), Chris Jones is Gates (loud, always around, and spicy), McDuffie is Wolfepacke (new, no-frills, and quietly one of the best on the team), Bolton is Chef J (thick boi that packs a punch), and… this post is long enough to stop there.
If you guys wanna get angry check out this post by a smooth-brained cowboys fan who says Texas bbq is better than KC. All because one blogger said the best KC bbq is Harps (never heard of it), which uses Texas style recipes.