Bates City Bar-B-Que

Ok, time to get the debate rolling. This is the best BBQ in Kansas City! (I haven’t had Joes yet, but I have had Jack stack,) beats Jack Stack, hands down and smacks it around! The meat just falls off the ribs so cleanly and effortlessly. The beef has a beautiful smoke ring to it and not overbearing. Oh! The potato salad! This is absolutely the best potato salad anywhere and everywhere!
The store was very clean, and the employees were actually active cleaning it. The cashier was polite; patient and knowledgable, couldn’t ask for more.

This place is so much better than I remember! Came here as a teenager, and thought it was just ok. They have either become better or I just remembered different.

My dad and I stopped in here on our way back to Texas for lunch. We each got a burnt end plate with fries. They had our order up in just 2 or 3 minutes. The fries were fresh and piping hot and quite delicious! The burnt ends were also quite delicious, although I felt mine were a bit over sauced, while dad only said the sauce was a bit sweet for him. The counter staff were very friendly when pops asked for directions back to the highway, asking us where we were from and about our trip. All in all, a great little spot with good food and atmosphere.

Bates is a great neighborhood BBQ place. My favorite is their full slab of ribs for $ 14.99, it’s very tender and smoky. The sandwiches meat portion are very generous, but on the bland side so extra BBQ sauce is a must. The fries are amazing, probably one of my favorite fries in KC.
The people are very friendly, the atmosphere is inviting, and there are lots of parking. The best part is there is no lines for good BBQ. Come by, you won’t regret the trip.
Cheers.

Please amend my review for the Shawnee Bates City BBQ. My negative review was for the BC BBQ in Bates City, Mo. I am sure the one in Shawnee is fine. Same owners but likely much better management in Shawnee. My Apologies Shawnee BC BBQ.
Bates City, Mo — your place was a 1 star at best

Thought I’d give it a try since it’s much closer than going to Kansas City. Let’s just say, it’s worth the drive to Kansas City.
Tried the burnt ends and was most disappointed. They were not only cold but also tough as nails. After drowning them in sauce they were at least edible.
Definitely will not be back.

Really cool atmosphere, love the layout and the look on the inside.
The fries are pretty good and they give you a gazillion. I had bbq briscuit which wasn’t bad, my wife had the pulled pork which she wasn’t a fan of. My beans were so-​so, however my potato salad had a dead, itty bitty gnat in it. Up until that point, the potato salad was very mediocre as well. I brought it to their attention and they offered me a new one which I declined. I did not ask for any kind of refund either, just wanted to bring it to their attention, and just thought everyone else should know as well — so watch out and look for bugs in your food.
I won’t be coming back to this place unless someone else is buying lol and I WON’T be getting the potato salad.

Do your self a favor and find another BBQ place to eat. Very mediocre food for the high price they charge. Greasy fries and I couldn’t even eat the Cole slaw. I know I’ll never go back.

This place charges more than other BBQ places and gives you less food. They actually charge for pickles! This place is bullshit. You would think they would have better food and service when they have as much competition as they do in Kansas City. The original Bates city BBQ in Bates city gives more food and free FUCKING pickles.

Nice people, below average bbq. Got their Tommy Boy sandwich with beef and pork. Second time I’ve eaten here but figured I’d give them another shot. Their beef is dry and doesn’t taste fresh, the pork is dry too. I really really want this place to be good because it is so close to where I live but it sucks. I don’t mean to be a dick about it, it’s just not good– and I’m not a picky person so it says a lot if I don’t like a place. Sorry Bates City but you gotta do bbq better– this is Kansas City for God’s sake!

Solid BBQ close to my work. Pulled pork and rib meat sandwiches are good as are the burnt ends. Fries are meh (and they charge a premium for them for some unknown reason). Catching whatever the lunch special is where the value is at, otherwise you could easily spend $ 12. But getting a slab of ribs and a couple sides will feed 3 people for $ 20 for dinner. Very decent place.

Really good bbq — kind of a well kept secret in Kansas City. Burnt ends are really good! Recommend!

BBQ is such a complex enigma it’s had to even define the term. Is it anything over fire? Must there be smoke? Long and show, or does grilling count too?
With that in mind, when you eat KC BBQ you know your getting a distinct meal usually heavily sauced and a vinegary sweet bite. So how can we distinguish all these BBQ joints from one another? What makes Bates City BBQ stand out? Not a lot.
Burnt ends are my go to comparison, because in KC if you can’t make great burnt ends you’re not making great BBQ. The burnt ends at Bates City was served on a bun or sliced bread. The meat itself was tiny, dry, little cubes no bigger than a half inch may even smaller. Heavily sauced in a traditional KC sauce. The meat was intensely smoked. The sauce had a smokey taste too. None of the items really stood out.
Very friendly staff. The cliché BBQ environment to make the place feel down home like a corner BBQ joint, lots of wood and old licensed places covered the one wall where you order. Clean environment.
Nothing really stood out and in KC something needs to really stand out to justify the drive.

The BEST BBQ in the world! Awesome service, they are nice and helpful! The food is just amazing, their BBQ sauce can’t be beat!

It’s great for fast cheap BBQ. The ribs are really good. Is it the best BBQ in Kansas City… not even close. But it is good and again it is very cheap and very fast if you are close by go ahead and stop by!

Awesome service, great food, beans just like my grandma used to make! I had the burnt ends platter and found the meat top notch, the spices and sauces had just the right amount of heat and the portions were plenty good sized. I loved the fries but my buddy didn’t care for them. Personal opinion I guess.
But really, beans just like grandma used to make. A little sweet and a little spicy perfect.

It’s KC, you have to have great BBQ to play in the BBQ game. This is just so-​so. The fries, however, are amazing.
My sandwich with turkey and sausage had ½ a sausage link and virtually no turkey to speak of. The sauce has a weird undertone that I couldn’t place but didn’t like.
My husband thought his burnt ends were good and my kids like the ribs but again, in KC there is much better bbq so I won’t be back. Unless I get a hankering for those fries!

A Carolina BBQ guy in Kansas working and looking for some good BBQ. After trying a couple of «famous» locations in Kansas City I was starting to get a bit disappointed. I was staying in Shawnee and working in a local manufacturing plant for the week. So I asked the locals where I should go. This was the popular vote; but I admitted I didn’t want to drive back into Kansas City.
Normal for me is to try as many different meats as I can if I am at a location that might not get to return to. So I tried Ribs and Sausage.
First my complaint… too many fries. The plate was loaded with fries, more than I could possibly eat. I let them put them on the plate because the kid behind the counter said it was «one of their things». The fries were good but certainly not outstanding or worth the space they occupied on my plate. Ok that is past me…
Pickle, I like pickles. Check.
Peppers, yes I love peppers check.
Now to the meats. I am a big fan of sausage and their sausage was awesome. I was very pleased with them and believe they were better than ribs. So yes, if you like sausage then do not pass this by.
The Ribs were very good too. The ribs were recommended by the locals that suggested the place. I was not disappointed with them and would have left pleased if all I had eaten were ribs. So if you are a rib fan, I think you’ll like these ribs.
March 16, 2014

Friendly staff is where the compliments stop. I was the only person here at 5pm, which is maybe a sign. I just ordered a sandwich they had on the chalkboard since the menu is barely legible behind all the decorations. It was Shawnee… something or other… pork with slaw and a side. I got a couple cans of soda and potato salad as a side since fries are extra. A lot of things seemed to be extra charge… why not adjust the portion size for pricing?
Anyway, it came to about $ 12. I went home to find a slaw sandwich with a few bites of pork. It was swimming in sauce and just barely edible. The bun had turned to absolute mush (I only live a few blocks away, so it’s not like it was a long time before I ate it.
The potato salad was fine, but I’m not sure they make it. It tastes and looks like the kind you buy in the tub at the grocery store.
When the soda is the highlight of the meal, you’re doing something wrong.

This is a working man’s BBQ. Prices, presentation and offerings are basic, and you aren’t encouraged to linger. Clean and functional. Ambiance comes from a lot of visuals from past decades while country/​folk/​rock music soundtrack unfolds.
Two sauces are offered. One is the basic sauce, and if you want it hotter ask for the hot one. It’s not significantly hotter than the basic one.
I had the burnt ends (served with white bread slices) and a side of beans. The ends are lean and well cooked with a nice smoke flavor. I’d go again! The beans are unremarkable and while prepared from non canned bean basics are in a sauce not dissimilar from the basic BBQ sauce offered on the tables, I enjoyed encountering the occasional cooked onion slice and green pepper slice in the beans but would have loved some meat in there too.
Only bottled beers are offered along with sodas.