Taking a fall color sightseeing trip headed southwest from KC? Why not time your travel to one last bite of great barbecue on your way out of town at Guy and Mae’s in Williamsburg, Kansas?
This rural gem has been a haven for in-the-know barbecue fans for decades, and it’s still well worth a short detour off I-35. (It’s roughly 60 miles from the I-635/I-35 interchange, exit 170 from I-35.)
The vibe is come-as-you-are, classic small-town taproom. The draft Bud is served cold in mason jars with handles, sides are served in foam cups with a handy plastic spork, and their famous pork ribs come wrapped in foil with sheets of newspaper underneath. Cash only, a sign on the door warns, with the helpful tip that there’s an on-premise ATM.
Those ribs are irresistible in both directions—the quintessential fall-off-the-bone, melt-in-your-mouth experience. They arrive unsauced and minimally seasoned. Tips are pre-trimmed, St. Louis style, leaving lean meat with little or no cartilage to work around. If you want to taste meat and smoke with not much else getting in the way, Guy and Mae’s is your jam.
Lori Thompson is the owner of the restaurant, which was founded by her grandparents, Guy and Mae Kesner, in 1973.
“We kind of evolved from a tavern, pool hall kind of place,” Thompson says. “The food hasn’t changed all that much because grandpa had it all figured out. Grandma came up with the sauce recipe. We still cook over the hickory fire in the pit,” which, Thompson says, has been rebuilt four times over the past five decades.
Guy Kesner was originally from southern Missouri, where he learned to make barbecue with “whatever he caught hunting,” Thompson says. “He tried everything.” The family moved to De Soto, where Guy met Mae. The couple later moved to the Williamsburg area when they bought a dairy farm.
“Then he got a job managing the truck stop in Ottawa,” Thompson says, but the barbecue bug was in his blood. “That was a wild hair of grandpa’s, and grandma kinda got swept up in it.”
We found an almost full house on a recent early Wednesday evening. In addition to the ribs, Guy and Mae’s offers sandwiches with a choice of four meats: brisket, ham, turkey and Polish sausage. The brisket was moist, tender and smoky, with a saltiness that hints of Texas influence. The Polish sausage was the one choice where the just-smoke-and-meat approach disappointed; I wanted some garlic and spice. The sauce was sweet but not overly so. The double meat sandwich was hefty, served on a burger bun with pickle slices and a bag of chips.
The beans were the best of the sides, with well-balanced elements of smoke, spice and vinegar providing a nice kick. The potato salad was well-flavored with firm chunks, and the standard-issue slaw was inoffensive. The apple butter cheesecake was a unique, well-executed dessert. Table service was prompt, friendly and just attentive enough.
“People come from all over,” Thompson says. “People going from Wichita to KC and vice versa, people camping at Lake Pomona or Melvern (Eisenhower State Park). We have a lot of people who just enjoy the drive coming down here. That’s part of the draw.” It’s good to note that, if you do plan on making the trek, Guy and Mae’s (119 W. William St., Williamsburg, KS) is closed Sundays.
