Bear’s Smoke Shack

Me thinks not because they are CLOSED. OUT OF BUSINESS. No more. Never got to try them.
Went there today for lunch, walked up, door locked. Some people working next door said they just suddenly announced they were out of business effective March 30. Updated the business info on Unilocal as non-​owner but until then, no sense in driving there. Admins feel free to remove this listing once the business is listed closed.

This places is the best BBQ in Kansas City. It may be that I am partial to Ozark Style BBQ, which Bear does the best I have eaten. The Burnt Ends are the best in the City.

I took a couple of business partners here for lunch and we all ordered different things.
Rib tips (aka feather bones)… Good bark and a bit dry. Medium smoke and lacking seasoning.
Spare Ribs… Moist and a little under-​rendered. Medium smoke and lacking bark and seasoning.
Sadly, I did not try the burnt ends.
The Man Killer sauce is awesome… I loved it!
I would come back here and try the burnt ends. I hope they begin to season their meat, especially pork, a little heavier.

I checked this place out, because I have a friend who raves on it and talks about how wonderful it is.
I just wasn’t impressed. I had the burnt ends. The portions were small and I wasn’t crazy on the sauce. My husband ordered the ribs and I was jealous of his plate. The ribs looked good. I’m not much for «spicy» sauces, but he said they were good, though he wasn’t impressed with the «names» he had come up for them.
The waitress we had, I think it was her first night and I don’t think she had ever been a waitress before so there was a lot of giggling and apologizing.
Not a place that I’ll probably go back to. I did notice that there seemed to be a lot of «regulars» there though, because the owner was out talking to them. Or maybe they were just the owner’s friends. :)

The smoked turkey was good, but I didn’t care for the BBQ sauce. Oh — the fries were wonderful. LOL.

Two barbecue reviews in one week? You bet your sauce I did.
I went here sort of on a bet. I have a friend who literally raved and went on and on about how good this place is. Reluctantly, my lunch ladies and I (who meet about once a month to eat somewhere together) agreed to go. We were short on time and one of us wanted BBQ, the others of us wanting something a little out of our ordinary. We agreed that if it was no good, she would buy us dessert — somewhere else.
The place is definitely no-​frills. And it definitely smells good.
There didn’t seem to be a lunch menu, unless there are completely different menus for lunch and dinner, and from the looks of the menu, that wasn’t the case. Two of us ordered the pulled pork sandwich, fries, and cole slaw. The other two ordered the chopped brisket sandwich and fries. I asked for burnt ends, but apparently those are only available on Fridays.
My sandwich (pulled pork) was the driest most lackluster sandwich I’ve had. I literally had to pull both sides of the bun (more on that later) off and drown the thing in sauce, and it just still wasn’t great. The sauces were good, but for me, it’s kindof hard to mess up sauce. Now for the bun. I guess I expected some kind of buttery, warm bun, or even something sweet and light like just plain ‘ol white bread. Not the case. It was cold, rubbery and dry. Boo.
My friend that ordered the chopped brisket said it was «an over-​priced sloppy Joe».
Fries are hard to mess up. But they were good.
Cole slaw was trying too hard to not commit to being vinegary or mayo-​y (is that a word?).
$ 11 + tip (and I drank water) for lunch is a little much (though I did order an extra side — because I wanted to try something other than fries).
Now, where’s my dessert?

Saw the good reviews and recommendations for the burnt ends so my son and I thought we would give it a try while visiting KC. Disappointed. They were out of burnt ends and ribs… at 6:00 on a Saturday night. Friendly and prompt service. But how could it mot be, there was only one other table in the place that had anybody seated. People aren’t exactly busting down the doors to get in. I ordered the spicy sausage. Had good flavor and texture but was served cold in the middle. Sides were decent but not memorable. My son had the pulled pork, which was OK… I’ve easily had better. Being from out of town, we wanted to get some of that good KC BBQ we hear about. This was NOT it. Not worth the extra 10 min we went out of the way before leaving town.

Uncle! Alright I give up. You win! I’ll try beef, AKA Burnt Ends. This is a historic day… the Pig Prude ordered the Burnt Ends… and loved it! Tender — check, juicy — check, smokey — check. And for the bonus round… spicy — ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! Give the «Happy Meal» to the red head down front!
They offer a choice of 3 sauces: Raging, Bear’s, Man Killer. The crazy thing is… they are all good… the «Man Killer» — exceptional! Bold spice, slightly sweet, with just the right amount of heat.
Next, in order of importance, Beans — meaty, smoky, slightly sweet. A must do! Sweet potato fries — crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. $ 1 extra as a side. And for the Pièce de résistance…a fabulous, made from scratch cake! Chocolate Orange. Extremely intense orange flavor in a moist cake, with silky butter cream frosting. All made in house by the same talented fella. I am in awe… the perfect combo… a man who can smoke and bake. Don’t let this Northland treasure slip from our grasp! If you want great food up North… support his business. It will truly give any BBQ joint in town a run for the money!

Deep fried burnt end burrito/​chimmi style. Excellent sweet tater fries. Nice and friendly ownership. Stop in and check it out.

Great BBQ! This place is one of the best in KC and definitely the best in the Northland.

The boyfriend and I ate here today for the 3^rd or 4^th time. It’s right down the street from home and his work. I have enjoyed everything I’ve eaten here. Today, Wednesday, I had the fried wrap special, Bear’s Hug, with meat and beans in a fried flour tortilla. My bf had it with pork and to be different I had beef. Pork was better in my opinion, but the beef was good, had a very smoky flavor (it was a good thing.) He finished his and I have about half to finish later.
In the past my boyfriend has had a sort of Fritos pie. It’s a big BBQ mix (meat, beans, etc.) on top of fries or Fritos, we decided it would be good with half and half. All fries would be too soft, all Fritos just wouldn’t be as good. Actually, I think it’s one of the pictures shown on here.
I’ve had the pulled pork sandwich and it was quite good. I’ve always had fries as my side and they are decent steak fries, nothing out of the ordinary. The sauces are all great, in my opinion.
Very well-​priced, décor is blah, what you might expect. I wonder if they’ll serve alcohol here anytime? Margaret, owner’s wife? is a good server and very friendly, as is Bear, who seems genuinely concerned with your satisfaction.

You don’t just go to Bears for the food even though it’s delicious! You go to Bears for the FOOD and the HOSPITALITY! I don’t think I’ve ever been to a friendlier place! I came here during my first few weeks in KC. I needed lunch, wifi and a place that would let me hang out for a while to get all that stuff done that you need the internet for when you first move, you know like ordering internet! :)
Everything on the menu looked good so I ordered a combo place with wings, pulled pork and burnt ends, sweet potato fries and beans (I had two meals worth of left overs)! Let’s be honest, I’m not a big fan of wings but WOW they were so tender, meaty and delicious that I ate all of then in the first setting! The burnt ends were the best I’ve had yet (Ryan A. knows what he’s talking about). The pulled pork was extremely flavorful even without the sauce! And the sauces were just wonderful! Biggest mistake I made was forgetting to buy a bottle on the way out!
Since I literally table sat for 4 hours (did I mention the hospitality?) I splurged for dessert. Yes, that’s right I’m the girl with a giant to go box AND still finds an excuse for desert. I got the bear sized mountain of ice cream with homemade cinnamon syrup and a cute cinnamon teddy graham on top. Yes, I realize this dessert was designed for children but you should embrace your inner child and dive in! Trust me!
But what really made this experience for me was Bear and his wonderful family and staff. By then end of my extremely long lunch I had gotten to know a wonderful group of people who were so welcoming and went out of their way to be welcoming. Now only did I get lunch, but I got lunch, local advice and a free sample of Bear’s BBQ meatballs (just when I thought I couldn’t eat another bite). Many places would have been hinting at me to leave. Bear and family where leaving me pitchers of iced tea and offering assistance frequently! I felt like this was my Cheer’s after just one visit! You can’t missed this place! Amazing affordable food but more importantly amazing people!

OH MY GOODNESS! The BEST BBQ I have EVER had!!! We stumbled upon this place by accident, looking for something else, but I am so glad we did!!! I am not a burnt ends kind of gal, but I took a bite off my husbands plate and wanted to wrestle him to he ground for the rest! FANTASTIC!!! You could taste the delicious smoked flavor and the meat was so tender! I thought I died and went to heaven! I ordered the brisket, and it was wonderful too! The sauces are also to die for! And, the warm apple dumpling drizzled in Bears very own cinnamon sauce, omg!!! Bear and his wife are so friendly and welcoming! PLEASE, give this place a try-you’ll be happy you did! We can’t let this place go!!!

I can say with a straight face that this is my new favorite BBQ place, based on just one thing: the best damn burnt ends in the history of burnt ends. Lean, intensely smoky, and mind-​blowingly moist and tender. I have never had better, and to get their equal at that other place (the one inside the gas station) is such a pain in the ass. I can never remember what days they actually have burnt ends, and then of course there are the lines. I don’t want to call ahead and take my food elsewhere to eat, I want to sit down civilized-​like and have lunch!
Bear makes burnt ends every day, so there’s no guesswork. And, somehow, there are no lines. In fact, the place has practically been a ghost town of just one or two tables every time I’ve been, which surprises the hell out of me. Bear’s ‘cue puts the smack down on almost everyone else in town. Solid brisket, excellent chicken wings, and divine ribs. The only real miss in terms of ‘cue would be the pulled pork, which is still good but can’t quite stack up to its siblings. Seriously, there should be a line out the door for this stuff.
I’m not much of a sauce guy (unless it’s Bryant’s) but Bear even scores with his sauces. The standard sauce is way too sweet for me, but the «Man Killer» is fabulous, not too sweet, and with a nice steady heat that builds in intensity as you eat. Awesome.
That said, while the barbecue is top notch, the sides are fairly boring. Beans are decent, nothing amazing. Fries are standard frozen steak fries. Cole slaw and potato salad are both alright, pretty average. But the barbecue is what I’m most interested in, and this place brings it.

According to Bear, he doesn’t want you to focus on the sauce, he eats his pizza with a fork and by god, you’d better be pullin’ that BBQ apart with your hands and leave a little in your beard, if you’ve got one.
This is a super clean good place to snack on some BBQ you’ll smell so much like smoked meats it’ll be hard to stay away from each other.
I had the pulled pork sandwich (it was ok) with THE BEANS (Phenomenal)! J had the 1\2 rack of ribs that I kept pulling the bark off of. Could I please have a bark sandwich? (droooooool.)
Bear came out and talked to us as we were the only people there besides the waitress, (who I’ll note was sassy but warm, lol.) He told us stories about his food and shows so much passion for BBQ and smoked meats. THEN he brought out a free sample of his smoked wings. They were so flavorful it was like smoked candy.
I liked the sauces but try that meat without anything on it first; you can’t get that smoked flavor just anywhere. Bear also runs specials in addition to his regular menu and on Wednesday (currently) he’s got a fried BBQ wrap, my imagination is salivating over the possibility of what this could be.

Finally, a decent BBQ place in KC North. The location and décor are nothing special, but it is conveniently located and very clean.
I dined in and had table service, but by the steady stream of customers ordering to-​go it looks like they also do a strong carry-​out business.
The waitstaff and the very large man, presumably «Bear», working in the kitchen were extremely friendly.
I ordered the burnt end dinner plate; which came with two sides and was about $ 9. Hands down, some of the better burnt ends I’ve ever had. The bite size morsels of heaven on a plate were very lean, but also very tender with a nice bark and obvious smoke ring. And while the portions weren’t huge it’s definitely a lot of food and you will not go away hungry.
On to the sides. I went with fries and beans. I was only offered steak fries; which I usually detest because they tend to never be cooked properly. I actually was of the opinion that it was impossible to cook a steak fry and have it turn out palatable. But, surprise… Bear’s steak fries were actually very good and were served hot and crispy. Now, a friend of mine dined there later the same day and sent a pic of his ½ slab of ribs with crinkle cut fries; which looked damn good. But, I never saw them on the menu. Although admittedly I got to burnt ends and stopped reading pretty much.
The beans were very good. Can’t say they were awesome, but they were solid. Less «barbecuey», if that makes any sense, then Smokehouse’s. And I think there might be a few pieces of diced jalapeño in them as well. A little hint of spiciness.
Speaking of spicy, there are three house bbq sauces on the table. The «Man Killer», the «Ragin’» and «Bear’s» I was told the Man Killer had jalapenos in it while the Ragin’ had a a healthy dose of cayenne and the Bear’s was more of an original KC-​style sauce.
All were very good in my opinion. I like spicy things and they weren’t HOT by any means but I had a pleasant burn in my mouth after using the two hotter sauces.
Bear also came out and offered me a free slice of sweet potato pie. Now, I was reluctant to accept because I was stuffed from my burnt end plate to begin with and I had sadly never had sweet potato pie before. Although I have nothing to compare it to, I thought it was delicious. Sort of looked like pecan pie and tasted like a better version of pumpkin pie for the uninitiated.
My one and only complaint is that the sandwiches and my dinner plate, and later I saw on my friend’s rib plate, were all served with ciabatta bread. In my opinion, ciabatta bread, while tasty, has ZERO place in a BBQ shack. They need buns, Texas toast or best of all plain white bread. Those are really your only options. No clue if Bear will read this, but BEAR… please bring on the Wonder Bread!
Definitely give this place a shot. Even if the BBQ was only half good, and it’s great, I would recommend Bear’s just based on how friendly he and his employees were.
Two big, sticky, bbq sauce covered, thumbs up!

Went in a couple of weeks ago after seeing the mention in the Star. I tried the burnt ends, and was really excited about a new home-​grown barbecue place. The burnt ends were tender, chunky (not chopped), and very flavorful. The sauce sweet and mellow. On the second visit, I decided to check out the brisket sandwich, and was disappointed. The meat was thick sliced, and fairly fell apart. It was not nearly as tasty as the ends. I did try the spicier sauce («Man-​Killer») which was tasty enough.
The service is good, with folks really trying hard. There’s a long list of good Q in the area. I hope these folks can make it work.

Wow. We just happen to be up north a few days ago and saw a BBQ sign and thought, «Yeah that sounds good!» Boy was it. The Smoke in the name is something you can taste and not just smell. Being a KC native, its hard to say any place is the best barbeque I’ve ever had but I must say it about Bears. The owner was so accomodating that we were given samples while we waited for our slab. We tried all 3 sauces and each is a little different not just in heat levels but in flavor. They all go great with the meat which is top quality. You’ll get your money’s worth. P. S. It heats up good the next day. Same smoky flavor.

Easily one of the best BBQ places in KC. Bear puts more time and care into prepping his meats. You have to try the burnt ends with the ragin’ sauce.