Gates Bar-B-Q

When there is a line out the door at 2PM on a Saturday (well after normal lunch time), you know it’s going to be great. Having eaten at all the Gates locations, the quality of the meal is always perfect. The turkey is the coup de grace, though you can’t go wrong with the beef. Still think the burnt ends are more like smoked/​sauced/​chopped bacon… but it’s still tasty as all get out. The pickles are the perfect counterpoint to the peppery original sauce. Be forewarned that if you order a combo and a half or a double decker with fries; you may have a case of your eyes being bigger than what your stomach can handle :). The only thing that is a very mild annoyance at this location is that the parking «lot» is smaller and wonky, so if you come when it’s busy, you may have to park on the street.

«Hi! May I help you?!» is synonymous with Gates. The thick accents, buzzing staff, and smoky aroma all create a down home environment that signals that customers would be in for some good cooking. Indeed, the cooking is fantastic! The «meats,» or brisket, pulled pork, and turkey, are are always tender and well-​seasoned. The chicken is incredibly robust and juicy, and the sauce adds just the right zing. The beans are amazing! They may be a little sweet for some, but I found the sweetness to be a perfect contrast to the smoky meats. The steak fries are a tad large, but they are always prepared well and made even better by a dollop of the sauce.
Gates is definitely my favorite local bbq spot. The meats are moist and well-​balanced — not as dry or salty as its competitors. The friendly and very attentive and helpful staff also make for a great dine-​in experience.

BBQ is all about the sauce. Gates has the best sauce in KC! I love this place. I am not a fan of overly sweet bbq and gate delivers. They do have a sweet sauce option if that is your thing. Not a fancy place but the food is so good. The regular sandwiches are the best on white bread, also burnt ends come on a hoagie. Best sauce in the country!

I eat here quite a bit. I still think Gates has the best Turkey sandwich in town. Delicious smoke flavor with their signature sauce. Their beans are the best too with chunks of smokey brisket.

Super tasty ribs, but not a lot of meat on the bones. The place was really loud and very busy on a Saturday evening. The ordering process can be a bit nerve-​racking sometimes and this evening was definitely stressful (for going to dinner).

The last few times I have been to Gates it has been horrible.
The owner of Gates needs to go grab a slab a ribs from Joes, Jack Stack, Q39, and one of his put them all on a table to take notes.

Had dinner here tonight. Love the combo sandwich and beans! This has been a long time favorite! One smell when you walk in the door and you know you are in the right place.

You know a restaurant has been around forever with a slogan like «Hi may I help you?» and from the moment you walk in from the street (which at this location was right on the state line) to Gates you can tell it is steeped in tradition. This was the first of three barbecue restaurants I ate at out on my first trip to Kansas City and well worth the trip.
I ordered:
The burnt ends sandwich
BBQ baked beans
Coleslaw
Coming from Western KY where pulled pork is king, I’d never heard of burnt ends until I came to KC and it was clear that I needed to try this staple the first chance I got. I haven’t made the rounds to all the local BBQ joints so I didn’t have much to compare to, but the burnt end sandwich was a hearty lunch portion of fatty and flavorful moist pulled brisket with just the right amount of crispy charred tips. If you’re not a fan of sauce with a strong tomato base, request no sauce and choose your own from a selection available at the condiments bar. This saucy, almost ketchup-​like sauce isn’t really my bag, I prefer sweet, spicy, and a little tangy to more tomato or vinegar-​based sauces, but that’s just my preference and it may be because that’s what I grew up with. The beans weren’t anything to write home about but they complemented my sandwich well enough with a spicy, smoky flavor. The slaw wasn’t too sweet or too vinegary. Gates is a classic for a reason, and well worth checking out if you want a healthy dose of nostalgia to go with your meal. You’ll feel like a local in no time.

Nothing not to like. Had the ½ chicken. Nice smoke. Good sauce. Sweet atmosphere. Slaw was way to mayonnaisey for my liking but all in all 4 star yum.

Beef on bun and ribs fries and Dr pepper. Mmmmmhmmm great service great food. There was a guy mad about his food I seen the manager tell the cook to get it right now they are serious about their guests. I ate in house awesome old-​school style restaurant. Great food too!

Love love. I’m a gates regular. Have been to several different locations and none have yet to disappoint.
I love BBQ and I think Gates does it as well as anyone else. I use to love other better than but the heavy cumin BBQ sauce has me hooked. I’ve come to prefer it over all others. The combo ½ sandwiches with ham and beef are my go to. The service is what I love most. They demand to help you.

It is not the best BBQ in KC (that title belongs to Joe’s) but it is still very good and better than most other cities’ BBQ joints. The beef on bun (brisket sandwich) is the way to go. Make sure you know what you want by the time you reach the counter, or even get close to it, because if you do not know what you want when they ask «How may I help you» then you’re in for a small embarrassment for holding up the line. Tourists be warned.

Ribs were outstanding, fall off the bone. Three people had burnt ends — two were perfect and one was REALLY burnt… Always enjoy going.

Fast, simple and delicious. Clean, but loud! Adds to the vibe!

Man I guess I came on a good day cause that burnt end sandwich and potato salad was so good! Being from Texas and visiting I was sceptical but what I heard about this place so far is all good. The meat and potato salad was seasoned just right and the barbeque sauce was very tasty and it’s hard to find a place with good meat and good barbeque sauce. Will try again next time I’m back it here…

I was craving barbecue and didn’t want to drive far. I was deciding between Gates and another place near my apartment. I decided on Gates because I have heard a lot about it, and I’m really glad I did!
I was intimidated to come here with all the talk about «Hi, May I Help You?» as their trademark. I am from the Northeast, so overly friendly people frighten me. I was expecting someone to literally shout at me as soon as I opened the door, but was pleasantly surprised that did not happen. I got in line behind about 5 other people, and the lady at the register asked for my order a few minutes after I got in line. Although other reviewers find this strange, I did not think it was too abnormal. I have seen this technique at other popular places, and I think it is a good idea. I decided to go with the burnt end sandwich, since that seems to be a popular item, and a side of fries. The woman taking orders and the young lady at the register were both friendly enough, but not in-​your-​face friendly (as I was expecting). I got my order to-​go and was on my merry way.
I arrived home and took my first bite. I heard a few people in line order «heavy» on the sauce, and I was wondering if I should, too… but I am glad I did not. The sandwich had plenty of sauce and was delicious. I am by no means a barbecue (or burnt end) expert, but I really enjoyed my sandwich. The meat was a bit fatty, but since it was mixed together with other cuts, I did not mind it. I think the bits of fat actually added flavor to the sandwich. The fries were fine, I have had better and worse.
I would definitely come back. I now understand why Gates is mentioned so often in BBQ conversations, but I can also understand why it is rarely deemed «the best». Gates is 4.5 stars in my books, so I will round up to 5.

I probably should have tried the burnt ends that everyone raves about, but I’m a «ribs» kind of girl so I went with the center cut slab. They were heavily coated in sauce. The sauce was good, but too overbearing. I prefer to savor the taste of the meat itself. The ribs came with bread only — no sides (unless you paid extra).
The workers were not friendly at all. In fact, someone from behind the counter would yell out to the associates working in the dining area & they would yell back, «I’m working!» It was definitely not a relaxing & enjoyable dining experience.

I just drove nine hours from Texas to try this incredible barbecue. Truly the very best in the world. Granted there are other barbecue restaurants in Kansas City that are good. Oklahoma Joe’s truck stock Arthur Bryant’s to name a few but this place rocks

After my week long KC BBQ tour I rate gates as my 2^nd place finisher overall, but if you remove Beef Rib from the submissions I would rank it first (since it has no beef rib it can’t compete with Jack/​Stack).
Everyone I know would not stop talking about the sauce at gates and I have to say it did not disappoint. it had a much deeper level of flavor than the other KC sauces I tried, and access to dispensers allowed me to unabashedly drown all of my food items in said sauce.
I got the Burnt Ends sandwich– which IMO was the best Burnt Ends I had in KC hands down. The thing about Gates is they really chop up all the meat into tiny little pieces which makes for a much better texture and much less chewing– I am not looking to chew a bite of sandwich upwards of 5 times– I’ll go to the gym if I want to work out. The sandwich was also enormous. At several places I got a Sand which and ½ rack of Ribs and was able to eat maybe 3 or 4 ribs before exploding. At Gates after the sandwich I was dreading eating even 1 rib– but like the american Heroes in Lone Survivor I kept pressing on.
The ribs– these were pretty good– but probably the second best pork rib I had in KC (Behind Oklahoma Joes). The meat was very good but the rub didn’t really have any distinctive taste. Sure, when I drowned them in sauce they were still delicious, but that is a pro of the sauce not the rib.
Make sure when you go to order that you know what you want and what it is actually called on the menu or there will be blood.

Gates is a Kansas City institution, and while I’ve had the barbecue sauce often, I’ve only been in a restaurant a couple of times. Unfortunately, this was a mixed experience.
This location has that «feel» of Kansas City barbecue shack — the glossy brick behind the counter with the smoke-​stained grout, the cattle-​line leading up to the registers, menu boards with pictures of sandwiches that were taken during the Reagan administration. When you get up to a point in the line where you are recognized by the staff to get an order in, you are met with the trademark Gates «Hi, may I help you?». Orders are barked to the kitchen which responds in-​kind with a repeat of the order. Through the window into the kitchen you can see the cooks preparing food and occasionally get a glimpse inside the smoker when it’s opened to take out or move some meat.
We made our way through the quickly-​moving line and ordered a couple of burnt end sandwiches, onion rings, and fries. We also picked up some extra pickles (Mrs. R loves a good tart dill) and stopped by the sauce depot to get some of Gates’s sauce — available in the original, hot & spicy, and sweet & mild. The dining room is interesting — as if put together by piecemeal (which it may have been) there are 4 – 5 different areas where tables are located that are separated by doorways. We sat in a back room, directly adjacent to a pot-​bellied stove (though only for show).
The good: The onion rings and fries were great. The onion rings were large, and crunchy, but the breading had enough adherence that the onion didn’t side out of the inside when you bit down into them. The fries, while I thought they were a little underdone, were thick and potato-​ey steak fries, and made and excellent vessel for sampling the barbecue sauces.
The unfortunate: The burnt end sandwiches. When I typically order burnt ends, I usually expect chunks of charred brisket, brisket that has been through the smoker at least twice, once when cooked atop the brisket, and once cut up (usually cubed) and sent back through for an extra char and caramelization. Instead, our sandwiches featured a very chopped meat. While this could have been good (because half of the basis for getting burnt ends is the flavor, and the form is a secondary concern) it was further complicated by being very fatty. Not a solid or chewy fat, but more of a rendered and liquid greasiness throughout. While I enjoy pork fat, and I will eat bacon and fresh side and pancetta and hog jowls and all kinds of forms of pork fat and be fine with it, beef fat occupies that special place of being o.k. to eat and is tasty while you are eating it, but when you have too much you afterward acquire that feeling of dread of «oh, shit, I shouldn’t have done that.» And, that is unfortunately what was wrong with the sandwiches. The bottom bun of the sandwich was soaked through and nearly falling apart as I tried to pick it up. The greasiness was o.k. on the front-​end, and very filling (we each only finished half a sandwich) but the sheer heaviness of that beef fat took me down. Even now as I write this review 15 hours later, I still feel the effect of that sandwich; I still feel a lasting effect of that heavy greasiness; I still taste it in an occasional burp.
Maybe we came at the end of service and the fatty and chopped burnt ends were all that remained, maybe it’s just the style and the burnt ends weren’t rendered down or drained as much as they should have been. Whatever the case, I don’t see myself going back for the burnt end sandwich at Gates, and I’m going to throw out the other half of the sandwich that is in the fridge.