Barbecue Restaurants in Kansas City: Smokehouse Bar-B-Q

Our recent road trip to Kansas City was planned for several days of visiting barbecue restaurants and listening to blues music. Kansas City style wood-fired barbeque is slow-smoked; sauces are tomato-based with sweet molasses notes. Out of several barbecue restaurants in Independence, where we were staying, we chose Smokehouse Bar-B-Q on our final night in town:

Smokehouse Bar-B-Q – A 25 year old company that bills itself “best of Kansas City” should be challenged on that boast. With 4 locations in the Kansas City Metro, you can get your fix from Smokehouse Bar-B-Q in all kinds of ways: dine-in, carry out, nationwide shipping, and personal local delivery. The Independence location is a free-standing rather nondescript building on a shopping mall frontage road. Inside was surprisingly elegant – a Rat Pack vibe, classy without the kitsch. It works with Kansas City style barbecue.

I happily ordered my new addiction, corn nuggets, and they arrived with great speed. Pete ordered the ribs and I got a sliced chicken sandwich with baked beans. We knew Smokehouse Bar-B-Q would have its work cut out to beat The BBQ Shack in Paola, where we’d dined the night before. But you just don’t always want to drive all over hell’s half acre for decent barbecue. Smokehouse Bar-B-Q didn’t disappoint: the service was friendly and the food was very good. Prices weren’t significantly higher than other barbecue restaurants, either.

Overall Rating: Solid!

We’d love your recommendations in the comments!

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.