Bill’s on 4th — Restaurant in Leavenworth

I moved out of state about eight years ago, and every time I come back to visit, I find myself chasing that classic KC BBQ flavor I grew up with. It’s not easy to find anymore close to my dad's house... until I found Bill’s.

Bill’s is the definition of a “hole in the wall” in the best way possible. We stopped in on a Wednesday evening with our kids for some BBQ. There aren’t many tables, but that only adds to the charm. It feels like you’re eating at someone’s house; like a grandmother's house that is laid-back, unpretentious, and inviting.

We ordered brisket, pulled pork, and ribs, plus sides of mashed potatoes and gravy, coleslaw, beans, and mac and cheese. Our toddler had the mac and cheese and fries. My 11-year old tried the fried chicken and we had fried pickles as an appetizer. Everything was excellent. It took a little while for the food to come out, but that just confirmed that it was made fresh to order.

The ribs were coated with a flavorful rub and the meat practically fell off the bone. The brisket and pulled pork were both tender and packed with flavor. The fried chicken? Perfectly crispy on the outside, juicy and tender inside. The fried pickles were made with cornmeal batter and had that ideal pickle-first bite, not just fried crust with a whisper of pickle. Big win there.

If I had one small critique, it’d be the cooler full of store-bought sauces and dressings. It undercut the “everything from scratch” vibe just a bit, but honestly, it didn’t take away from the food at all.

Bottom line: Bill’s delivers seriously good, comforting, home-style food at a price that doesn’t sting. If you’re tired of fast food and overhyped chain BBQ, this is your spot. Bring your friends, bring your family, bring your dog...it doesn't matter, just make sure you go. And then go again. Places like this deserve to...

I moved out of state seven years ago, so when I visit, I like to try new and different things that have popped up in town. We ate a late Sunday brunch. I am sad to say we were pratically ignored and got horrible service. We waited 45 minutes after we ordered, watching other tables being sat, fed and go while we never had our drinks refilled, communicated with on the wait, anything. When we were remembered, our food order was wrong. Our waitess never smiled, only said 'sorry' to us when we polietly tried to fix the mixups. We almost walked out during the wait, just wanting to put money down for the drinks and go somewhere else. My mother who was with me was visibly upset. I am big on gratituity because I know what its like to wait tables, but we only left a penny. We know how to tip, and are big tippers even, but this was our first and last trip to Bill's. Its sad because I really long for bbq when I come home to visit. It seemed like everyone else around us got good service, but we were trying to give them...

It’s BYOS - bring your own seasoning. I’m not kidding, and I’m not usually picky about needing a ton of seasoning on food.

But I legitimately am not sure if they even salt their catfish, pork tenderloin, or chicken. The catfish is cooked to perfection - crispy and not fishy at all. But it just tastes like bread and nothing else. Not one iota of flavor outside of the cornmeal breading on the fish. I had to rifle through my spice cabinet and sprinkle the fish with Cajun seasoning. It was pretty tasty after that.

Same story with the pork tenderloin and the chicken. Even the red beans and rice was very lacking.

The shame of it? All the food was cooked to perfection. Why go through all the trouble of making such a crispy and wonderful catfish filet to then not touch it with any seasoning and leave it tasting of cornmeal cardboard?

Their cornbread is really good, though. Moist and delicious.

If they started putting salt and/or any seasoning whatsoever on their food, this place would be a...