Food was salty and meat was nothing but fat. The sauce taste like straight vinegar. The only thing that was good was the Bake Beans and Potato Salad. Not even a great choice for my first KC BBQ experience 😕

Hands down!!!! The best bbq Ive ever had! It was smoked to perfection. I chose the sweet and smokey sauce which was delicious. But the smoked meats stand on their own. DEFINITELY WILL BE BACK! I had enough for 2 days. Thanks guys

Loved it. Fantastic BBQ. Can’t decide, get the mixed platter. Don’t need anyone to hold my hand. If you’re hungry you’ll figure it out. The staff were fun and friendly. To all you Karen’s out there, do everyone a favor and go elsewhere.

We read reviews and thought they might be rude but had good food. Well we had both, really great food and service. The portions were really large (a bit pricey) and the the food was great. What really surprised us was how nice everyone was. When we sat down after getting our food from the counter they came by 3 times to check on us (there is no wait staff) and we're super personable and helpful. Yup IMHO it a definite place to go.

Well…… so, when you go to this restaurant, even if it’s your first time, you will be yelled at for your order, not friendly. They don’t help you even if your are first time, and the whole time they are yelling at each other…… very unprofessional, very unorganized……… didn’t like the way the they treated paying customers, especially for the prices. Pretty expensive for what you get. I am from Texas, make BBQ all the time, I judge places by their ribs. This was not good…… my ribs were burnt, couldn’t eat several parts of it. The Sauce……. Was not a fan. Tasted like chili was the only ingredient. Chili powder. Not a fan. The rest of my family enjoyed their meals. Brisket sandwiches, fries, turkey sandwiches. They enjoyed them, BBQ baked beans were good as well. Will not go back again, the experience was not good for me, and wayyyyyy to expensive.

My return visit to this Gate’s barbecue location was based on a visit three years ago. I remember the food being good then. I was very disappointed in my visit this time. The staff behind the counter was surly, unfriendly, and was unhelpful with questions about the menu. When I asked what the difference was between the long bones, the medium bones in the short bones, the person waiting on me said the long ones are long, the short ones are short. I understand that businesses are shorthanded and understaffed these days. I try to take that into account when I am the customer. However, this behavior is uncalled for to a customer who has not presented a problem. The meal I had, as well as my two traveling companions’, were inedible. My slab of ribs was dried out and too spicy. The pork sandwiches that my companions ordered both were extremely fatty and they couldn’t eat them. The ambience was noisy and confusing. A most disappointing experience.

Edit: The service has been getting worse and worse at this locale recently. We repeated our straight forward order at least a dozen times and to 4 different cashiers. It has gotten so bad we may avoid going for a while. Transcendent brisket and pork sandwiches, ribs. Great baked beans, fries, and onion rings. I dream of this when I’m away. If you could bottle a scent… The quality of the food can vary quite a bit depending on the day (and location), but when it’s good, it’s so so good.

Was not very busy. There were 6 people in line behind the 2 of us. We had ordered a slab of ribs with a few sides. Surprisingly there was no "Hi! May I help you?" Workers seemed disgruntled. Especially the cashier. She did not ask what type of sauce or dry rub we wanted. I have never been given ribs smothered in sauce without having asked. We wanted it on side. But was not asked. When we got home, the ribs were covered in hot liquid sauce. Had to wash them off to eat them. I don't eat at this location very often. May have been the difference. Usually go to the 103rd & State Line location.

As a KC native, we know how important good BBQ is important to our city and visitors. Gates is one of the longest standing joints in town. Quick tip:read the menu before walking in the door! Something they are less famous for but still cool is how they YELL “Hi may I help you?!” Or be skipped until you are. The seating area goes back much further than it looks, and when the sun is just right…you can see wisps of delicious smoke waft through the dining room. So good!!!

Visited from out of town - all the locals we ran into insisted that we try it. I was super intimidated at first, but the manager was up front helping, and he was super friendly and advised us on how to order (we were trying to buy extra sides, not realizing how enormous the portions would be!) The cashier was super sweet as well. The food was AWESOME. we got a platter for 2 and we still couldn't finish it and had to get a to-go box. The atmosphere was so cool. Very old-school, but clean and charming. 10/10, would recommend, and everyone who saw my pics on social media were so jealous.

I know it's part of the show. But, when the person at the counter yells at all the guests over and over again to find out what they want and makes them repeat it. I think there's something wrong with the system. That said, I had the burnt ends. They were really good. Really good Kansas City BBQ. It was excessively hot the night we were there and the air conditioning wasn't working. Anyway, I recommend it. But definitely no smile here.

AMAZING!!! This is a old style restaurant serving up flavor! As an out of towner the yelling of “Hi,my I help you” was not only classic but funny! It’s apart of the history, after getting my order in I did ask for mayonnaise that was followed by “we only have red sauces” she clearly knew I was from out of town. The portions where nice for the price, food came up fast and the over all restaurants was clean and staff was friendly. My meal was $26 The Turkey sandwich was Smokey and amazing with a hint of spice from the BBQ sauce, the chicken was fall of the bone soft but fully cooked and the sauce did have a nice kick! The pickles where Good, my side was the potato salad that was good but such a small size side. I’m dreaming of that chicken! And also the yelling of “hi, May I help you” The other side of the restaurant also has a bar, it was clean as well as the bathroom. It’s not fancy but if you want good food and a laugh please stop in! Gates is the only reason I’d return to Kansas City to eat here! The best food of my entire trip.

For lack of a better term, this is the discount of barbecue. Typically it seems that the locals know where to go, but perhaps when I asked about alternatives to Arthur Bryant’s and Jack Stack (both excellent), Gates is where I was referred. Sadly, I would say that this place is missable. Although there seem to be quite a few staff, running around, one, poor lady was left to run the counter by her self, and take over a dozen people’s orders. One or may be two short order cooks in the back. Seem to be a decent bit of confusion and a lot of food was shipped the wrong way: fries instead of salad, sauce on meat instead of plain, etc.. I ordered a short end, rib and potato salad. Coming from the Midwest, where we know how to make potato salad, this one truly underperformed. Quite messy, and it just seem to be a day or two old. The ribs were of quite low quality, even for being a short end. Sauce is quite heavy on salt and vinegar, and the ribs also seem to be more than a day old. Normally I’m able to maul through some ribs. I’m attempting to finish this short stack as I’m writing this yet I honestly have to pause between each short rib simply because the sauce is so overpowering and the ribs is so underwhelming. Most often I trust locals to know the places good to eat however, this one was a miss.

Top 6 bbq places in Kc! Little more spices and pepper in the sauce! We got a mix plate entree and a burnt end hoagie. Ribs- fall of bone Brisket- no smoke line, thin slices but it soft and smacks Ham- typical Burnt end hoagie was slathered in sauce! They chop up the ends up a little too much too imo.

It’s great! Definitely not my usual type of place, but the other patrons were very friendly, the employees were extremely helpful and sweet, if a bit loud with the “Hi, may I help you?”, but the food was amazing. I highly recommend the Nooner. A must have if you’re in Kansas City.

Love the arts district and KC. Big city, small town feel. The hotel Indigo had amazing rooms that integrated a historical building. Great location close to James Beard restaurants. The hotel had convenient valet parking and staff were informative and cool.

This place is amazing! The staff is friendly and the food was amazing!!! I got the combo bun with fries my meat was beef and turkey!

Thanks to one of my best friends, who is originally from KC, I've been enjoying Gates BBQ sauce for years. But today was the first time I was able to visit their restaurant and actually try their food. I got the short end plate and a side of fries. Gates' ribs are one of the very few joints I can recall that actually makes ribs that don't need sauce. They're that good! But then add some of that Gates original BBQ sauce on top and it's enough to leave you in a food coma. This is by far the best BBQ sauce I've ever had, ANYWHERE. By the end, I was dipping my bread in that delectable sauce just to savor every bite. You won't be disappointed.

Okay so I am a Carolina BBQ girl. But man the burnt ends sandwich was phenomenal. Now we had a late lunch so we were hungry and did a huge mixed plate too. The ribs, yum. I am used to a vinegar based pulled pork, which this is not, but the beef was great. The sauce does have a kick, we did not need any extra. I maybe should have asked for light sauce on it with a little on the side. Staff was great and helpful as they learned it was our first time there. Seems like there is some cool history with the Gates sites too. The mixed plate was a little pricey but could way easily be split with no need for more.

I ordered the mix plate. First off the sauce, I’m not a fan. I found it too vinegary. The ribs were tender but the sauce ruined it for me. The brisket was also tender but the ones that escaped the sauce lacked seasoning. The ham was just way too salty. I felt like chugging a pitcher of water after a couple of bites of it. The fries were just thick cut fries, nothing special. Service was quick and seamless. I received my order within minutes of ordering it, hardly any wait. Also the floor in the dining room was like an oil spill. Do they clean it with canola oil instead of detergent and bleach? I won’t return because my ribs taste better.

Gates barbecue is at Kansas City staple and I would highly recommend at least going in trying at once I may help you make sure to look for a star on your receipt for a free gift also don't forget to order your gamma pies and always be nice to the ladies they're lovely and they deserve your respect because there are barbecue demands it. Not only that but this place does I believe require you to wear masks or inside so be aware other than that the food is delicious and I would highly recommend getting the nuner or if you are hungry or guy like me you can always Spring for the presidential platter And also try all the sauces and make sure to smell the wood going in the smoker and always season your fry

Wanted to try some KC BBQ and I have to say this must not be the place to get lol .The burnt ends where not good at all the people at the counter where not polite at all where arguing among themselves and only thing that I liked was the mild bbq sauce with the 3 wings but was very disappointed not a good first experience would not eat from here agin .

We drove from Omaha to KC to get Gates BBQ!!! We even got to talk with the owner, Mr Gates himself!!! What a pleasure!!! We ordered carryout ribs and chicken. When we finally got back to Omaha we couldn't wait to eat. The ribs were great!!! So was chicken!!! The staff who took our order was great, also! Can't wait to go back!!!

My favorite thing? Bring people who have never been. When someone says, "Hi, may I help you?" they don't know what to do. This is my personal favorite Gates. Everything I've had has been well-prepared, well-served, top staff, just... perfect. If you haven't had the yammer pie, GET TWO and save one for later because you'll start to crave more. Ask for some spicy sauce... or, better yet, buy a bottle. Happy bonus: steak fries. Love 'em.