Gates Bar-B-Q
Hi, may I help you? — The KC greeting.
Gates Bar-B-Q is a barbecue restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri.
This is the most Kansas City of Kansas City barbecue rooms—a Gates that has fed the city from Brooklyn Avenue since 1946, where the counter staff still greet every customer at full volume and the sauce recipe stays fiercely guarded. Few institutions wear their identity this loudly, or this well, and this is the branch where the whole empire took root.
The sauce is a Kansas City original: sweet, tangy, and spiced in a way you'll recognize on the very first bite. The ribs run fall-off-the-bone tender, a deliberate contrast to the bark-chasing newcomers, while the Yardbird—Gates' smoked chicken—keeps regulars ordering beyond the beef. The mixed plate is the wide order that shows off the full spread. Loud, fast, and unmistakable, it's a civic institution as much as a restaurant, and it has earned that standing across nearly eighty years.
- Style: Kansas City Style
- Price: $
- Neighborhood: Multiple Locations
- Serving since 1946
What to order
- Pork Ribs
- Yardbird
- Mixed Plate
How it scores — 8.5/10 overall
Visiting
- Address: 1221 Brooklyn Ave, Kansas City, MO 64127
- Phone: (816) 483-3880
- Website: https://gatesbbq.com
Hours: Daily 10am–10pm
368 words
Related Pages
American Way Smokehouse, Kansas City, Missouri
American Way Smokehouse in Independence brings Arizona-rooted Kansas City BBQ with ribs, rich burnt ends, brisket, and a standout chili verde sandwich.
Arthur Bryant's Barbeque, Kansas City, Missouri
Arthur Bryant's Barbeque in Kansas City has smoked since 1908—a famously gritty, tangy vinegar sauce, enormous beef ribs, and brisket piled on white bread.
Aunt Mildred's #10 Bbq Food Truck, Kansas City, MO
Aunt Mildred's #10 on Blue Ridge Boulevard in Kansas City smokes brisket, pulled pork, and house sausage behind a sweet, peppery three-generation family sauce.
Barbacoa, Kansas City, MO
Barbacoa on Troost Avenue in Kansas City is chef Roman Raya's wood-fire Mexican BBQ—brisket tacos, smoked-chicken taquitos, mole, and live-fire carnitas.
Bates City BBQ, Kansas City, Missouri
Bates City BBQ off I-70 east of Kansas City is a decades-old family-run roadside pit—glazed ribs, a hearty beef sandwich, burnt ends, and homemade sides.
BB's Lawnside BBQ, Kansas City, Missouri
BB's Lawnside BBQ in Waldo, Kansas City pairs nightly live blues with Cajun-tinged barbecue—glazed pork ribs, pulled pork, gumbo, and crawfish etouffee.