Joe's KC BBQ — Restaurant in Kansas City

I just moved to Kansas City. I moved from a couple states away which is close enough that I've heard accolades of Kansas city's barbecue for much of my life which made me excited to try it. I did a Google search and Joe's was one of the top places in the results. I ordered take out via the website. Ordering was simple enough and it gave me an option to send a request to others so that they can put their wanted items on the order and I didn't have to ask everybody what they wanted. That was cool. There were 3 people ordering. We all went with the ZMan on Texas Toast. I had onion rings. The others chose the BBQ beans and the 3rd had street corn. I included the banana pudding as a surprise. The BBQ sauce was definitely the star of the show. There's a nice balance of tangy and sweet playing nicely together. The onion rings were fine. They weren't spectacular but they weren't horrible either. They were a decent size but could have had a little bit more crunch to them. The street corn was good. They balance the flavors well and it had just enough kick to it to keep it from getting boring. There was disappointment. That came from the sandwiches, specifically the meat they used. When I read the menu description I figured the beef was going to be like a pulled beef or brisket. That was not the case. It was sliced and highly processed lunch meat. For decades, I've done the shopping and meal prep for my house so I can recognize sliced package lunch meat when I see it. My guess would be they got it across the street and the neighborhood Walmart. The BBQ beans were also a source of disappointment. The beans were undercooked and firm. The sauce was thin and did not stand up or balance the flavor of the undercooked beans. I expect barbecue beans to be slow cooked over a long period of time to allow the flavors to blend in homogenize and facilitate a softened Bean. This was as though the quick cook some beans and didn't strain the water before spooning them into a bowl and pouring a small amount of sauce over it. The banana pudding was acceptable although it was underwhelming when compared to the description on the menu. The banana was the star, however there were no toffee pieces sprinkled on the top. I imagine that would have set it off nicely. With regard to the service while I wasn't greeted at the door and felt a bit confused on where to go. I heard a random voice shouting about a counter from somewhere in the kitchen. They had to do it a couple times before I noticed that was direction for me to go up to a counter. Of course I felt weird because I went up to the wrong area of the counter. Two minutes after I gave my name and told them I was picking up, I was given my order with a thank you and sent on my way. The atmosphere inside the place was bustling. It was surprising to see so many people there in such an energetic atmosphere with only a few minutes left before the place closed. Overall: I was reminded of the axiom "good is the enemy of great". They have a good sauce. Having a good sauce doesn't equalize cutting corners in other areas. A good sauce can provide a good flavor, but relying on that alone prevents what could be a great experience. After this: I feel like I haven't yet experienced KC BBQ worthy of the hype. My search...

I went to Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que with my family for a mid-day dinner yesterday for an celebration for my birthday (which is really October 9), and I would like to say that Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que is my family’s second favorite Kansas City-style barbecue restaurant behind Scott’s Kitchen and Catering at Hangar 29 near the KCI Airport. It was uncommon, but cool that the original Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que location was in a Shamrock gas station. When a customer walks, in they will see a shelf of automotive fluids, a shelf of sauces and rubs from other restaurants found in the Kansas City metropolitan area, and a small selection of T-shirts. To be honest, the first time I tried food from Joe’s KC BBQ was when I was about 10 or 12 years of age and I thought it was pretty good at that time.

The menu at Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que has a wide variety of specialty barbecue sandwiches, dinner plates with certain barbecue meats, meats by the pound, salads with BBQ meats, and unique side dishes as well. The sandwich I ordered was called the “Z-Man”, which named after a guy named Mike Zarrick who was a regular customer at Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que. The Z-Man sandwich has been on the menu ever since Mike Zarrick’s idea for his sadnwich named after him once entered a contest and won. I ordered a Z-Man sandwich with a cup of Red Beans and Rice, and I would like to say that I enjoyed eating the Z-Man sandwich along with the Red Beans and Rice. My mother and father decided to share some French fries and a little bit of creamy coleslaw with me, and they tasted delicious too. For a little dessert, my father got a little bit of the seasonal banana pudding, and I liked the taste of it as well.

If customers are looking for a gas station that has its own barbecue restaurant inside of it, I would say that Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Q near Westwood, KS is the place to visit. There was quite a long line for the restaurant part of the gas station, but my family & I were able to stay calm about it. The place is very relaxed, but busy. If customers just want to get gasoline or other stuff for their car, they have the option to go up to the gas station desk inside and pay to fill up...

Amazing food! We have nothing like this in Wichita. We went to Joe's after the Royals 2024 opening day baseball game! The food was absolutely amazing! My mom and I both had Z-Man sandwiches, I had dirty rice for my side, she had onion rings. They were delicious!!! Perfect amount of meat, the smoked provolone was so tasty, the onion rings gave it an amazing taste, and the kaiser buns were fresh, fluffy, and held that sandwich together perfectly. My dirty rice was very good. Her onion rings, which they gave her a huge amount of, were great! I usually don't like onion rings, but these were awesome! My brother got the 2 meat dinner with brisket, turkey, and bbq beans. They gave him a lot of food! It was all good! Then we all shared some mac n cheese after another customer told us "If you've never been here, at least try the mac n cheese!" We got a pint to share and we were glad we did! It was piping hot with an amazing smoked provolone cheese sauce that you could tell was absolutely homemade! The noodles weren't mushy and overcooked, but perfect! The cheese was so flavorful and melty and gooey! The best part was their special seasoning on top. Yum!!! We all enjoyed it! Friendly staff, and friendly patrons! When we left, I purchased a bottle of the Joe's meat seasoning. I talked to the cashier for the front, and told her we really enjoyed the place, and how we wished we had good food like this back home, and I will have to come back when I run out of the seasoning. She said "Oh we can ship to you!" I said "Oh! Thanks! Too bad I can't get some brisket shipped." She said, "Honey, that's what I'm talking about! We can ship food too! Here, take this card and give us a call! We will take good care of your cravings! You won't have to worry about eating that flavorless bbq down in Wichita now!" We had a nice laugh and she wished us a safe ride home, and told us to come back again soon. I loved Joe's and will definitely be back next time...