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Day: July 10, 2025
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Best old school: Hayward’s
The secret to Hayward’s is one simple word: consistency.
Owner Eric Sweeney started working for founder Hayward Spears when the restaurant first opened in 1972. Asked what hedoes differently from Spears since he took over in 2013, Sweeney answers with another single word: “nothin’.” He bought the recipes for the rubs and sauce and has left them intact.
Sweeney hasn’t been at Hayward’s the whole time; he spent decades working in classic Kansas City institutions including Houston’s, Plaza III and Joe’s Kansas City (when it was still Oklahoma Joe’s).
Today, Hayward’s is a family operation, with Sweeney’s wife, son and daughter-in-law playing key roles. Bestselling items include burnt ends, pulled pork, the Hayward’s Hash sandwich (chopped beef brisket and pork rib tip meat on a toasted sesame hoagie roll) and DJ’s Mushroom & Swiss sandwich (sliced brisket, Swiss cheese and fried portabella mushroom caps with horseradish sauce). A recent addition is pork belly burnt ends that are cured in-house, then smoked and deep fried.
Eric Sweeney. Illustration by David Babcock. Meats are served unsauced. Items sampled on a recent visit included tender, smoky pork ribs; lean, moist and flavorful pulled pork; and absolutely delightful burnt ends—moist, tender, smoky and deftly seasoned. Deep fried sides such as onion rings and okra were crisp and non-greasy.
Hayward’s meats are smoked with 100 percent hickory wood, a practice many pitmasters frown on, believing it imparts a harsh flavor. Sweeney’s take: “Oh, you can over-smoke it, for sure.” To prevent that, he separates his briskets into flat and point cuts and smokes them separately so they don’t have to linger too long in the pit.
“I’m not really a patient guy, but I am with barbecue,” Sweeney says. “It tells you when it’s ready.”
Runners-Up
Big T’s Bar-B-Q
A quintessential BBQ joint that harkens back to the city’s East Side barbecue origins.
Jack Stack Barbecue
jackstackbbq.com, various locations
Founded in 1957 as a storefront joint, second-generation owner Jack Fiorella pioneered KC ’cue’s move to upscale settings and service, adding menu items such as fresh fish, steaks and smoked lamb ribs.
Gates Bar-B-Q
gatesbbq.com, various locations
A Kansas City institution with roots stretching back to 1946. Occasional inconsistency can be an issue, but at its best, it’s as good as it gets.
Rosedale Bar-B-Q
“Smoking since 1935.” Another classic counter-service joint offering brisket, ham, pork, turkey, ribs and chicken with traditional sides. In addition to the succulent smoked meats, it’s also known for its trademark super-crispy crinkle-cut fries served in a waxed paper bag.
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Best place for platters: Chef J BBQ
At Chef J BBQ, every day might as well be Picture Day.
Whether it’s an individual meat plate (one to four meats, plus two sides) or one of their gargantuan family platters, every tray that crosses the West Bottoms counter is dressed to impress, ready for its Instagram debut. “You eat with your eyes first,“ Justin Easterwood, the eponymous Chef J, says. “We know that when the food looks good, people are going to want to share it.”
Justin Easterwood. Illustration by David Babcock. And share it they do, both online and across the table. What makes these platters so special is they taste even better than they look. Thick-cut Black Angus brisket, melt-in-your-mouth pork belly burnt ends, succulent smoked turkey and a weekly rotation of artisan sausages anchor Chef J’s hickory-smoked meat spread. Flavorful sides, each intentionally distinct, along with three unique sauces and house-pickled items, turn every meal into a customizable experience that satisfies every sense.
As a 100 percent live-fire operation that lacks a traditional kitchen, nearly everything Chef J makes—the meats, pit beans and even the bacon for the potato salad—hits the smoker. “There’s something about a big appealing tray of barbecue that, when it tastes as good as it looks, really puts a meal over the top,” Easterwood says.
While these picturesque plates can be savored solo, they’re best when shared by a community. From Easterwood to his partner Terra Whipple to the rest of their team, it takes a community to create. “Nowadays,” Easterwood says, “we’re all Chef J.”
Runners-Up
Char Bar
charbarbbq.com, various locations
Unlike many barbecue joints, Char Bar encourages guests to linger with a mix of custom and pre-built plates. The Holy Trinity showcases their spare ribs, brisket and burnt ends. The towering WHOMP! Platter delivers a feast of seven meats, three sides and a jar of pickles to share.
3Halves Brew Pub & BBQ
This downtown Liberty brewery pairs craft beer with craft ’cue. One to three meat plates offer variety, but the Meat Mile—a tray of five meats and four sides—is built to feed the entire table.
Blind Box BBQ
13124 W. 62nd Terrace, Shawnee
Blind Box BBQ blends traditional barbeque with casual, upscale dining in Shawnee. Their Lightweight and Heavyweight Plates offer peak flexibility. The smoked chicken, burnt ends, sausage and cheesy corn bake are among their heavy hitters. (Blind Box has multiple locations, but this is the preferred one to visit, especially for platters.)
Jazzy B’s BBQ
320 S.W. Blue Parkway, Lee’s Summit
This Lee’s Summit staple blends Cajun fare and Kansas City barbecue with their Jazzed Platters that can contain as many as four meats and four sides. Famous for baby back ribs, sausage and wings, Jazzy B’s is also one of the more vegetarian-friendly BBQ spots in the metro.