Cox Bros BBQ — Restaurant in Manhattan

If I could leave 0 stars, I would.

This is, without exaggeration, the easiest 0 out of 10 I've ever given to a restaurant—hands down the worst barbecue I’ve had in my entire life (even after trying it 5 times across 3-4 years hoping for change)

I don't even write reviews. But let’s start with the brisket: dry, crumbly, and absolutely flavorless. I’ve had gas station jerky with more moisture and taste. The “original” barbecue sauce, which supposedly took 25 years to develop? That might be the biggest lie I’ve ever heard. It tasted like watered-down ketchup—bland, thin, and completely inedible. There's no world where that recipe took more than 25 seconds to ruin.

The smoked turkey sandwich? The turkey was dry, the “jalapeño mayo” had nothing special or any zest, and the whole thing was cold. For a smoked sandwich, it had zero smoke and zero flavor. The only remotely edible thing in the entire meal was the sweet potato fries, and that’s only because the fryer did the work—not the kitchen, and the hefty price you pay ($44.15 for two people just now) you expect something other than the fries to be decent.

Now let’s talk cleanliness. The floors looked like they hadn’t been swept in days. The barbecue sauce bottles on the tables were sticky and filthy, like they’ve never been cleaned. The whole place gave off an air of laziness and neglect.

I don’t know what Bobby and Bud need to do, but they seriously need to step into their restaurant and get things under control. I’m genuinely mind-blown that people in Manhattan, Kansas still eat here. If this is the best barbecue the town has to offer, then the bar is buried...

So I was here awhile ago but figured I would write a review as I am back in Kansas and have been driving past this place and was reminded of an odd experience I had about a year ago. I have a severe food allergy. I asked if they used anything with the allergen and the chefs said that they “didn’t know.” They l suggested that I just eat the meat instead since they knew the meat did not contain the allergen, but that’s not really how allergies work as there’s still a risk of cross contamination. I know this establishment does not claim or aim to be allergy friendly so I had no problem eating somewhere else. Unfortunately they were rather pushy and insisted that I purchase something since I was already at the register and, honestly, it felt like they wouldn’t really take no for an answer. All of the chefs behind the counter and the lady taking my order were partaking in this. I didn’t want to make a scene so I did buy one meal that I knew I wasn’t going to be able to eat lol so I ended up giving the food to a family member. Looking back I should’ve stood my ground and not purchased the food so maybe I’m at fault here, but if you have an allergy I would really not recommend this establishment. To Cox Bros BBQ: I recommend looking into what is exactly used in your products so that way if somebody has an allergy or even just a food intolerance they can know whether or not they can eat your food. That way you don’t have to pressure someone who doesn’t want to eat at your restaurant to get something. Severe food allergies can make people extremely sick or...

Do yourself a favor, save your money for another establishment. I had just returned from a deployment and wanted to go eat something I had missed - BBQ. I should have made a better choice, as the food was not good (and that is being polite). My wife and I ate here for dinner on a Saturday evening and it was a sad experience. I ordered their ribs, sides, and a dessert, my wife had brisket and sides. The food was brought to us by a snippy server, whom explained we were getting our food on "black plates" because they were out of red plates but it "was the same amount of food either way". Uh ok, thanks? I guess people complained. My ribs were tasteless, no seasoning, and dry. The BBQ sauce available on the table was watered down, as it flowed out of the bottles like water. I shook them up thinking maybe they had settled, nope they were thin sauces and tasted bland. We ate a few bites, then turned to the dessert for some glimpse of hope. It looked badly prepared, and poorly placed on the plate without much care. You can tell some workers in this establishment have given up. We decided to just leave and never come back. Very disappointing. Will...