Winslow’s BBQ

We were one of three tables in the restaurant that had people at them and waited 20+ minutes before anyone said anything to us in regards to having our order taken.

I went here for lunch with some guests from out of town who were visiting Kansas City.
First the good, the restaurant is located right in the beautiful city market so there’s typically a lot of activity, weekend farmers market. In addition, they have a nice patio on the market perfect for grabbing a drink and some rays. Lastly, the service was pretty good during our visit, the waiter was attentive and helped us out.
The not so good, as far as Kansas City BBQ goes, this should not be listed as a go to spot. We had the pulled pork and burnt ends. The pulled pork seemed a bit dry and didn’t have much flavor to it. The burnt ends were definitely better, but nothing like you’d get at KC’s other iconic BBQ restaurants. The sides were okay. The cole slaw was nothing to write home about, and the baked beans were above average. Overall, our table left the meal less than impressed.
Lastly, the prices especially for lunch are pretty nice, so if you’re trying to eat on the cheap that aspect of the restaurant is nice. However, if you’re in the river market looking for some grub there a few better restaurants in the market and within the surrounding few blocks.

My family was in the area, which is rare. I decided to treat them to the amazing City Market. While we were there, it was decided that we needed to eat and Winslow’s interested my parents, so we stopped in.
We were a group of 10 and they were easily able to accommodate us. We sat out on the patio because it was good weather. Our server was very nice and enthusiastic. With the large number of split checks, he was able to handle us easily.
The food was decent, but not great. My wife and I both got a ½ rack of ribs and fries. She also got potato salad while I got beans. Honestly, the best thing on the plate was the fries, which were crispy and covered in seasoning. The ribs were a bit tough. I’ve been to places where the meat falls off the bone. I had to do a bit of tearing it off here. Plus, I’m always critical of the sauce. I prefer the sweeter sauces. Winslow’s sauce isn’t bad. It’s one of the better vinegar based sauces I’ve tasted. It’s just not my thing. The beans had a decent mustard-​y flavor to them, but I really didn’t care for them too much.
Asking around the table, the family all felt the same. The food was okay, not great. Service was good and the weather was nice. All in all, it wasn’t a bad experience, but we’ll probably visit somewhere else.

Burnt ends were awesome and make sure you get the «pug sauce» on the side… good stuff!

Salty food, overpriced, and the service is ridiculously poor, please don’t come here for your sake.

I think two stars is generous. I went here with my family, (husband, five small kids, bro-​in-​law, wife and one more small child). It was the in-​laws suggestion. First red flag was when the selling point on choosing this place was «there’s no wait!» I was not impressed, to say the least. The server was nice and attentive, and the bill was pretty cheap since we found out kids ate for free, and apparently, they use low quality meat. The one thing that was pretty good and worth ordering, if you happen to be forced to eat here like I was, is the chicken wings. They were slightly smoky and crispy.
I ordered the ribs, and they more fat than meat. We got the pulled pork sandwiches, It was chewy meat, lacking flavor. (I expect layers, rub, smoke, pork – there was no depth here.) I ate one French fry and it was soggy. The corn on the cob we sent back because it tasted like it had been soaking in oil. The baked beans we got to replace the corn were also not good and were left on the table.
My 7 y.o. boy’s review after commenting on the fatty rib and slamming a bone on the plate, «one disgusting rib done.» And eating the wings, «this tastes like bacon».
Ambiance is similar to a greasy diner, bathrooms are through the door to a public hall and disgusting.
Next time, go to Oklahoma Joe’s.

Not only did I watch a server place clean silverware on a dirty beer mat but I then witnessed the bartender take said wet silverware and dry them on his shirt and pants, then proceed to give them to three patrons. My wife and I were ignored for the first 8 – 10 minutes of sitting at the bar. I don’t believe I’ll be coming back. And the same bartender working service side, it’s his first day. Yeah he’s been drinking miller lite right out of your damn tap all day. Saying he’s checking to make sure the beer is still good. Haha right. Yeah right out of your pocket.

We’ve never tried this place bc of the reviews but thought, well we’re hungry and maybe it’s not as bad as they say. Well it is.
We had a party of 7 and sat down. It took 10 mins for anyone to acknowledge us and get drinks. Once we placed our order and the food came out, it was completely wrong. I orders a pulled pork sandwich, and sweet potato fries. The sandwich I was given was brisket. When I pointed this out to the food runner she said, no it’s pulled pork. Weird because it looks JUST like the brisket sandwich my husband ordered. Usually «pulled pork» isn’t sliced like beef.
The girl took it back to the kitchen and brought it back to me insisting the cook said it was pulled pork. If you work in a BBQ restaurant and you don’t know what the food looks like, you provably shouldn’t work there.
Every order at our table was wrong and the only «saving grace» was the waiter who brought us a free sandwich, after going back and making it himself. The French fries tasted like frozen store bought as well. Needless to say, we don’t have any plans on coming back.

Burnt end sandwich was very dry and had no flavor. Beans were okay potato salad was bland. Staff was very friendly though.

Very surprised at how mediocre-​average the food was. Got the triple meat combo with ribs, brisket, and pulled pork with Cole slaw and beans. Ribs were average, especially considering you’re in Kansas City where there are so many good bbq options. The pulled pork I thought was mediocre-​below average. The brisket was inedible to me. All of the meat was dry and too salty. The beans were a lot sweeter than I like… but that could just be a personal preference. Overall, I was pretty disappointed with the whole experience.

Do I really have to give a star? I’ve had their BBQ once before and thought it was ok. Service was not great but when your starving, bbq was ok.
Today, 2^nd time here, we walked into the bar and no greeting, nothing. Turns out, the gentleman that walked in after us WAS the bartender. We went straight into the dining room and no one was behind the counter. We hung around for a few minutes and still no one. We looked at a bunch of menus sitting on the counter and it was a very small lunch menu, no slabs of ribs on there but I know I had some when I was here last.
After looking over the measly menu and still no one to greet us, we left. On our way out, the bartender asked if he could help us, I had to respond, «not anymore.» Walked back in to tell him to have someone man the dining area. There is a reason many are giving this place a 1 star.

Great burnt ends sandwich. Fries were good, baked beans were so-​so. Not the best BBQ in town, but it’s not bad at all if you’re in the river market area.

Meh. Average. It’s not bad but it’s not great either. Sort of like the sandwich. It wasn’t hot but it wasn’t cold. The sweet potato fries weren’t bland and soggy but they weren’t crisp and well seasoned either. It was just mediocre. I don’t feel like I wasted my money but I also didn’t take the leftovers home for tomorrow either.

Great Bloody Mary! Smoky bacon flavored vodka, super spicy! You have to have one!!!

You never go wrong with bbq. I ordered the half slab of ribs and two sides. I got a huge serving which was awesome!

This is the worst low grade BBQ restaurant I have ever eaten at. The turkey is processed deli turkey and the brisket was reheated. The fried chicken wings weren’t even very good kinda slimy. My entire family ran straight to the bathroom when we got home. I don’t mean to be rude but our check was $ 88 and the food was nauseating. The only things that were good were fried. Fried pickles with the piggy sauce. Yum. Fried green beans and french fries. So if you go here to enjoy the live bands and the outdoor dining experience at river market, order appetizers and beer. That’s all that is good here.
The service was awesome. 2 stars because of that. Best waitress we’ve had for a while. She was fast, friendly, and efficient. Too bad the fare she brought to us was horrible.

Week 3 in «The KC BBQ Tour.» The pulled pork had great color but was a little dry and not as tender as I hoped. The sauce on the other hand was the perfect blend of spice and sweet. The fires were not ur typical fries a little over crisp and not very much flavor. All the food was not very hot. Great friendly service. Worth stoping by if you are by city market. They received a 78%.

I can admit that I am not a BBQ expert. All I can tell you is how my taste buds felt during that first bite of pulled pork sandwich: extremely satisified! I enjoyed my sandiwch and thought it was moist and flavorful. I spent most of the meal going on and on about the fries, though. They tasted just like Arby’s fries and Arby’s fries are my favorite.
We were the only ones dining in the resarurant so servide was natuirally attentive.
This girl was happy with her experience and has no compliants.

I don’t know where all these negative reviews come from unless we just got extremely lucky. I came down from Omaha for a law enforcement test and my dad and I stopped and ate here for lunch.
The main reason we picked Winslow’s was its location in the River Market. The River Market is amazing by the way, well above and beyond anything we have in Omaha, or markets I’ve seen in other cities (except for Portland of course). It was a beautiful day and around 80 degrees where we could sit outside in the shade and people watch.
We both ordered the burnt end sandwiches and two drinks ($ 2.25 for a drink, really? Just get water from now on). Our waitress was friendly and helpful. It took less than 5 minutes for our food to arrive as they weren’t terribly busy at around 1:30 in the afternoon. The first thing I noticed was their sauce is a lot like Gate’s in terms of taste, spice, and consistency. I’ve tried nearly every one of the big BBQ places in KC so I’m pretty familiar with most of it.
Their fries are amazing. Easily the best fries I’ve had in KC (In my opinion of course). I used them mostly for my leftover BBQ sauce. My burnt end sandwich was awesome. Great flavor, smokiness, and sauce. It was extremely tender. It blows my last trip to Gate’s out of the water. My only problem was it was very fatty. Much fattier than anywhere else I’ve had burnt ends but it didn’t hurt it at all. This is definitely a place I would come eat again, and I’m surprised by all the negative reviews.

There were lots of things wrong with Winslow’s, many of which I am just echoing from previous reviews:
1. Service was s… l…o…w… I came in around 5pm on a Thursday evening, and the place was dead (granted, it was snowing… in May… but still…). I stood around for at least 7 minutes (probably longer) before a guy from the kitchen asked me my order and got it started for me. Then another 2 – 3 minutes later someone rang me up. It took another 10 minutes for them to pull out dry pieces of ham and brisket and frozen crinkle-​cut fries and put them in a box.
2. The guy who rang me up, who seemed like the manager, was shaking his head at and speaking to the kitchen guy, who was getting my food ready, in a totally condescending manner right in front of me. It was awkward standing there.
3. They ran out of to-​go lids for the sauce, so they wrapped them up in plastic wrap. It was nice that they came up with a solution to that problem but unnecessary if they had just kept track of their inventory better.
4. The food wasn’t great. I thought that the sesame bun was a bit stale and was turned off by the thick slices of meat. The french fries had okay flavor but most of them were undercooked. My husband, though, who ate the rest of the food for lunch, said he liked the thick cut and also thought the fries were okay (but not horrendous) – his opinion probably saved Winslow’s from 1-​stardom.
You’d think with its location Winslow’s would step up their game and try to compete against some of the big BBQ joints here in town. Seems like they’re just happy with being subpar. If you’re in the Rivermarket area PLEASE save yourself the trouble and eat somewhere else.
EDIT: The manager contacted me and apologized for the behavior that I witnessed while I was waiting for my food (#2). Kudos to them for reaching out to an unsatisfied customer.