Grinders

Crossroads institution where BBQ shares a menu with Death Wings

Grinders is a barbecue restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri.

Grinders has anchored the Crossroads since 2004 as a gleefully eclectic hangout—pizza, Philly cheesesteaks, and the notorious Death Wings share a menu with award-winning Kansas City barbecue. The patio and back-lot music venue make it a downtown gathering point as much as a restaurant, and the barbecue somehow never gets lost in the noise.

The smoke holds its own in that crowd: burnt ends with a proper caramelized edge, pulled pork, and brisket that don't feel like an afterthought to the pizza oven. Order the Death Wings if you can take the heat—the challenge that made the place famous—then a plate of burnt ends to recover and a beer to cool down. It's chaos with a smoker attached, and against every odd the barbecue earns its share of the billing right alongside the wings and the bands.

• Style: Kansas City Style
• Price: $$
• Neighborhood: Crossroads Arts District
• Serving since 2004

What to order

• Burnt Ends
• Death Wings
• Pulled Pork
• Brisket

How it scores — 8.1/10 overall

• Smoke: 8.2/10
• Bark: 8.0/10
• Tenderness: 8.1/10
• Consistency: 8.0/10
• Value: 8.4/10
• Atmosphere: 8.7/10

Visiting

• Address: 417 E 18th St, Kansas City, MO 64108
• Phone: (816) 472-5454
• Website: https://grinderspizza.com/

Hours: Mon–Thu 11am–10pm, Fri–Sat 11am–12am, Sun 11am–6pm

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