Famous Dave’s

In Kansas City for a wedding, I had two goals for the long weekend: get hard drunk with college friends once more, and get some Kansas City barbecue. These both seemed like sure things upon my arrival. I ended up going 1-​for-​2.
I got into town early on Thursday and met up with my aunt and uncle for the first night. «Dinner’s on us,» they said, «what do you feel like?»
I scratched my head. «Well, I’m not too picky (lie), but how about some KC barbecue? I’ll bet you’ve got some good places.» (I actually had about three in mind after, earlier that week, spending about two hours of company time reading up on KC’s best regarded cue joints).
My uncle gave me a wink and a smile. «Oh, I think we can arrange that.» Ten minutes later we were walking in here. I thought to myself. Outside of a select few Internet paysites, I’m not really a celebrity, so why am I being Punk’d?
My poor aunt and uncle apparently don’t get out much. I did my best to cover a wince that would shame Larry David, and it took a lot to keep up the charade for the whole meal, which was terrible. The brisket had the smoke ring that we all look for, but it tasted like it had been microwaved, and not all the way. Garlic red-​skin mashed potatoes were similarly lukewarm. The green beans were alright, but you usually don’t want your vegetable to be your most memorable dish when you’re going out for pig meat.
Highlight of the meal: my weizen glass had a directive, in very small print, reading, «put fruit here.» So even the glassware manages to be mediocre.
B&T, if you’re reading this, I’m sorry you found out on such a public forum. I’m taking you to Arthur Bryant’s next time I’m in town, and it’s going to be so good that we’re going to forget all about the last meal we had together.

Tried Famous Dave’s in NY and wasn’t impressed but cause my colleague said this was her favorite, we decided to try it. Glad we did. The beef brisket was amazingly tender and delicious and the corn bread was really good especially with more butter! The pork ribs were really great too. The slaw wasn’t great but loved the bacon/​fat bits in the string beans. The Mac & cheese was ok. Guess the Midwest meats are better than the ones sent to NY!

Dave’s will do when you’re in a hurry for lunch. Its usually not crowded since the locals go to nearby Arthur Bryant’s, Gates, or just across the river to Smokin’ Guns, but Dave’s food isn’t too bad either.
My only fear is that the travelers staying around the Power and Light District will think Dave is famous in Kansas City. If you want a quick lunch and you are in the area, Dave’s is ok. If you want great BBQ, drive a couple miles to the aforementioned spots.

Took mom, dad, hubby and my 2 girls here for Father’s Day (Saturday, the day before). Everyone had an awesome lunch. Kids got a cheeseburger and chicken strips both with fries. Mom got beef brisket, dad got brisket and sausage, hubby got rib tips and chopped pork and I got ham and brisket. Sides we got were fries and green beans. Everything tasted great (we all shared!) and service was excellent. I love how they have all their sauces on the table for you to try. This was the 2^nd visit for me & the hubby and we will go back. Had a nice stroll around Power & Light afterwards, it’s beautiful down there, great location!

Shhh, don’t tell anyone but I kind of like Famous Dave’s. You get a lot of food for the money and with the dazzling variety of sauces they can please any palate. My enjoyment of Dave’s could also be because it is the only barbecue restaurant in KC (that I’ve found) with hot links. In Wichita, where I’m from, every barbecue restaurant has hot links and I grew up eating the wonderfully spicy little sausages. But every barbecue restaurant in KC has sausage which is usually just a smoked Polish which is fine, but it’s no hot link.
With the disclaimer out of the way, this Dave’s sucks. The hot links are frequently burnt, the pork is dry and tasteless and the corn muffins are awful. Unfortunately, there just aren’t many (read as any) barbecue choices in the greater downtown area so if you want smoked meats, you’re going to go to Dave’s. It’s worth getting in your car and driving to Bryant’s or Danny Edwards’ Boulevard BBQ, you can probably get served quicker and have a more enjoyable experience. But if you’re all hopped up on Bud Light from one of the P&L douche factories, you probably won’t notice that this Famous Dave’s is awful.

Still searching for what Dave is famous for…
I was in downtown KC for a work function, 6 PM on a Tuesday. Of course there weren’t many people in Famous Dave’s. I saw all of the trophies and medals on the wall so it looked like I was in a great place for BBQ.
The staff was helpful for our group of 6. We were served our drinks quickly. The kamikaze they made me was excellent — about as perfect as it gets.
I ordered up a few BBQ Rib Tips and some of the Boneless Chicken Tenders. Everything was brought to us with a big smile. The food was hot and looked delicious. The tenders were solid. I tried several of the signature BBQ sauces on the table, including the «Devil’s Spit». Thankfully it wasn’t as hot as Hades but it did have a pretty good kick.
The Rib Tips on the other hand were something I would recommend skipping. The taste was good but they seemed like chopped up ribs that were challenging to eat and really had very little meat to actually sink your teeth into.
Since I just had drinks and limited apps, I would def try Famous Dave’s again. I hope more stars will be awarded based on a full meal.

I ate here with my wife yesterday and was not impressed, the food was acceptable, but the service was really quite annoying. The server came up to the table and asked if we had been here before, we answered no. He then says he will explain the menu, my wife responds that she can read and doesn’t need help with this, he takes the menu from her hands and says «He’s proud she can read» and goes ahead and explains a menu (that really needed no explanation). We would have said something to the manager, but like most restaurants, no manager ever came around and asked how we were doing.
My advice would be to eat at any of the other restaurants in the Power and Light district.

Are you kidding me, not even at Mall of America is this crap good que

WHY go here when there are so many non chain BBQ in KC?
Place was dead. Waiter was nice and brought us refills on our drinks without asking. We went for the express lunch buffet for $ 7.99. Good deal. Chicken was really good. Beef brisket was ehhh. The only thing that made it ehh and not ick was ½ dozen choices of sauce. YES, I LOVE SAUCE. Also got a plate full of beans, apples and potato salad. The potato salad was not appetizing. I think it was full of egg. Apples I love, but they’re the same thing you’d get out of a jar. The beans had too much pork in it and were nothing special if you’ve eaten around here, you’d KNOW what I’m talking about. Buffet is NOT all you can eat, but rather they serve you and will get more stuff from the back if they are out. You won’t need a second serving. We were stuffed.
Anyway, I won’t be going here again as there is just TOO MUCH to choose from for bbq here. BETTER choices.
However, if this wasn’t the bbq capital of the country, perhaps I’d go again as $ 7.99 gets you a LOT of food and service is quick.

I was really surprised to see a Famous Dave’s here in KC. I mean, it makes sense anywhere else – but where BBQ is king? Maybe not the best business choice…
Walking in I remembered what this was all about. Sure it’s a chain, but I haven’t seen one since high school when I used to hangout in Uptown in Mpls. I remembered the pork pulled sandwich that made me appreciate hot bbq sauce on pork tender enough to melt in your mouth.
This time I got the chicken sandwich with some meaty beans and corn on the cob. I think it was the Texas sauce, had a kick of black pepper that came out nicely through the chicken slices. It wasn’t quite what I fondly savored back in high school, though I have been spoiled by good stuff here in KC. It was tasty stuff, but if you’re looking for authentic it’s better to go to Oklahoma Joe’s or Jack’s Stack. Sorry Dave.,

It was pretty good.
If I was out of town anywhere, this BBQ would do just fine. However, it doesn’t meet KC standards.
P&L needs a real KC BBQ local restaurant.

Went to the new Famous Dave’s in the Power & Light district on a Friday for lunch and surprisingly, it was pretty empty, even at 12:30 on a day when downtown restaurant traffic is usually pretty good. Famous Dave’s took a calculated risk in putting this restaurant in, as its the first chain BBQ place to be located in KC. Before this, the one out at Village West was the closest. In a city as fiercely proud and loyal to its local BBQ joints as KC, that was a big risk. Based on how busy it was the day I went, they’re not off to a great start but hey, it was just one day.
I love lots of local BBQ joints but man, Famous Dave’s is damn good too. I love the variety of sauces they feature and the fact that they tell you about each and give you fries for free to try each with while you’re waiting for your order. I ordered fried catfish and beef brisket, along with corn on the cob and baked beans and it was all delicious. Great service, reasonable pricing and a cool atmosphere — I’ll give it another chance, especially when its warm enough for the nice outdoor area.