Barbecue restaurants are a Kansas City tradition. Our recent road trip tour of several Kansas City style barbecue restaurants was an opportunity to indulge our love of good blues music, and check out authentic atmosphere and recipes. Here’s our first stop:
Arthur Bryant’s Barbecue – Billing itself as a local Kansas City tradition dating back to the 1920’s, this was our first stop early Sunday afternoon. Arthur’s has three barbecue restaurants in Kansas City. The original location on 17th and Brooklyn Avenue is close to the historic 18th and Vine jazz and blues district. Lots of gritty atmosphere in this neighborhood. Filled with photos of the famous faces who’ve visited Arthur’s over the years, the place appeared to have the “authentic” vibe we were seeking.
We had high hopes for the rib tips special, but as we moved through the line, there were a couple of awkward moments. The most notable of these was ordering a Budweiser off the tap. The cashier was sufficiently distracted to confirm the order twice, but still poured me a mug of Boulevard. It must’ve been what I should have ordered, I guess.
Digging in to our rib tips, I was disappointed. The meat was tough and dry. I slathered more and more of Arthur’s Sweet Heat barbecue sauce on to make things edible. Fries were okay and this was my first introduction of barbecue being served on a slice of white bread, Kansas City style. Glancing around the dining area, things were pretty grimy. A heating vent next to my chair seemed as though it hadn’t seen a cleaning rag within the present decade. We later agreed Arthur Bryant’s Barbecue was resting on its previous laurels that day. If we’d gone nowhere else during our tour of barbecue restaurants, though, we’d have said this place was okay.
Overall Rating: Meh
Feel free to leave your recommendation in the comments; more to come in the remainder of this series!
Tips for Trip Success
Book Your Flight
Find an inexpensive flight by using Kayak, a favorite of ours because it regularly returns less expensive flight options from a variety of airlines.
Book Your Hotel or Special Accommodation
We are big fans of Booking.com. We like their review system and photos. If we want to see more reviews and additional booking options, we go to Expedia.
You Need Travel Insurance!
Good travel insurance means having total peace of mind. Travel insurance protects you when your medical insurance often will not and better than what you get from your credit card. It will provide comprehensive coverage should you need medical treatment or return to the United States, compensation for trip interruption, baggage loss, and other situations.Find the Perfect Insurance Plan for Your Trip
PassingThru is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
To view PassingThru’s privacy policy, click here.
Downtown Kansas City: 18th and Vine District | Passing Thru
Sunday 23rd of September 2012
[...] and Vine DistrictBy Betsy Wuebker on September 23, 2012 in Missouri, Travel On a Sunday morning around the corner from Arthur Bryant’s Barbecue, we found things understandably quiet on 18th and Vine. The historic 18th and Vine District in [...]
Barbecue Restaurants in Kansas City: Smokehouse Bar-B-Q | Passing Thru
Friday 21st of September 2012
[...] Barbecue Restaurants: A Kansas City Tradition – Arthur Bryant’s var dd_offset_from_content = 40; var dd_top_offset_from_content = 0; [...]
betsywuebker (@betsywuebker)
Monday 17th of September 2012
Barbecue Restaurants: A Kansas City Tradition – Arthur Bryant’s | Passing Thru http://t.co/aWqheI6G
betsywuebker (@betsywuebker)
Monday 17th of September 2012
Barbecue Restaurants: A Kansas City Tradition – Arthur Bryant’s http://t.co/sv3Fu1Ad