This place is a Kansas City staple so if you're visiting, you have to check them out. There are a bunch of locations all over the city. This location was in a strip mall with a parking lot. It's exactly what you would expect of an old school barbecue joint. It gives a little bit of a diner feel meets cafeteria. You order your food at the counter and pay. Your order is given to you on a tray and then you go and find a seat. There is a waitress there to take drink orders and anything else you might need. The waitress was very kind and hospitable. I ordered the barbecue chicken and you get to choose from different types of sauces. I had the sweet barbecue sauce and for my sides I had coleslaw and potato salad. The starting portions for the sides are really small, but the protein portions are quite large. I really enjoyed my potato salad and coleslaw. If I wasn't staying at a hotel, I would have ordered more to go. The chicken I had was juicy and well seasoned. It was a little on the saltier side than I would've liked, but once I added the sweet barbecue sauce, it helped to balance out the flavor. You were really able to taste the smokiness of the meat and you can't leave there without the smoky scent getting into your clothing. You really felt like you were at a barbecue. read more

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Loved the feel for this bbq joint. The wood smoke smell wafting through the seating area. So good. I wanted to order a sampler plate of just Meat. It was impossible. The gal working the counter (yelling) would only let me order what was on the board. I wanted to taste the burnt ends, brisket, sausage, and chicken or turkey. Oh well.. they wouldn't do that. I ended up ordering the burnt end sandwich and discarding the large bun. Pretty good rating on the burnt ends. Tasty. I then had to order the sliced beef sandwich - and discarded the bun again. The beef didn't seem to have any smoke. 2.5* rating. Neat bbq location off of downtown. OK experience with the meat. I now understand yelling at the customers for their orders is their thing. Fine. Didn't work for me. read more

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Go to another location or a different popular KC BBQ place. This place was mediocre at best. Food was dry, onion rings seemed like they were from a frozen bag. It was just not the best for what everyone had said. Service was horrible, I get that it's their thing but yelling at someone first second they walk in the door is overwhelming. Ambiance was ok, it just felt like a normal restaurant. read more

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I don't understand why there's so many negative reviews.. I just got the ribs and burnt ends fries.. that sh*t was f**king delicious. I'm trying not to eat it all but man. Originally I thought the bird end fries were going to be mid but the meat was really rich and the thickness of the fries really helped. I wish I had more. I was told when you get the meat you supposed to drown it and sauce and I thought that it was going to be like that for the ribs but they weren't I was disappointed at first. The meat was very flavorful and you can tell they put some real love in the meat. Bold, spiced, savory and salted perfectly. I came from recommendations from a Lyft driver but he told me there was mac and cheese but there wasn't mac and cheese on the app. I was sad about that only. Everything else was perfect to the touch. I'm going to sleep like a big baby bear tonight lol. You need some sweets though. I ordered on insta cart. So I'm guessing I probably missed The full experience but next time I'm in town I'm heading in to sit. Also didn't know this was a franchise. I totally understand why. I don't need fancy looking I just need good flavored food and this deliveries!! Appreciate it. This was a great last meal from KC. I'm no Queefs fan but I bet this would be excellent for a football day. Last thing this is way better than Texas barbecue. KC is definitely 5X better read more

Gates Bar-B-Q - Ribs FULL - Barbeque Near Me - Independence, Missouri

The food is mostly top notch. The service. Different. You order and get your food at the counter where one women takes and calls out your order to the cook, hands it over to you and rings it up. Then another women gets your French fry order while another kind of stands there. Efficient it's not but it is interesting. The ambiance. Also interesting. You have to see it to understand it. But it's fine and it's actually what I think a bbq joint that's not a trailer should kinda look like. Now for the food. In my opinion probably the most authentic burnt end sandwich out there. Why, because it was probably the first burnt end sandwich I ever had at this same location over 15 years ago. On a hoagie roll and more end of shreds where most others just chunk cut the last inch of the end. A very nice smoke flavor and a good sauce from sweet to hot choices. The fries are tied for our top two picks. Tip, get them fried hard (crispy) and add the seasoning. It's not salt but it is spicy. The beans, good but not great. Overall if you're nearby give it a try and tell me what you think. read more

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This ain't the place. Is that BBQ sauce or hot sauce? How are these fries so dry? Waiting in line for 30 minutes and being asked SIX times what you ordered? Wait staff eating off plates at dirty tables. Slamming dishes around. This is just not the place folks. This is Kansas City-instant supposed to be home of the BEST BBQ? This does not represent well. Hard pass here. read more

I am giving 5 stars based on the service I received and the food while visiting this Gates location. Ms. Tally was such an amazing dining room hostess !! Not only was she very welcoming as guests came into to place their order but super helpful with making sure we had what we needed, that tables were cleaned and available, etc. Although I am not sure if I am spelling her name right, I wanted to be sure to give a shout because great staffing at a restaurant is bet hard to find. Mr. Gates of you should read this, please know that you have a gem on your staff at the Independence location. Now on to what I ordered. The turkey tasted fresh, and the fries were made as crispy as I like them upon my special request. If you like a little spice, you have to try them with Gates seasoning sprinkled lightly over them as soon as they come out of the greased . The beans for me are always a compliment to the turkey sandwich. And how could I forget the sweet & mild sauce on the side. This day at Gates was great all the way around from the food to the service. read more

Gates Bar-B-Q - Barbeque Near Me - Independence, Missouri

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I really want to like this location, but it keeps letting me down. The service is always bad, and the food just doesn't measure up, like it should. This time I ordered the short end and it wasn't good at all. Not to mention part of one was missing. I'm still a fan of Gates, but I'll be going to a different location from now on. read more

We ordered the burnt end sandwiches, fries and ribs. The burnt ends are chopped up fine, not the cubes, full of fat. The ribs are drenched in sauce, sauce imo was highly tomato based, I'm more of a vinegar and molasses style, I'd never get the ribs or sandwiches. Fries were decent, not imo not saying much for a bbq place. Nice people but won't go back as I just didn't like the food. I prefer my Q with less sauce. read more

KC BBQ at the worst. Counter girl was bitchy and got order wrong then bitched about fixing it. Meat was dry. Sides were average. Second time trying them and results were same both times. The McRib was better BBQ. read more

Three of us ate lunch here. We each had a sandwich (meat was fatty), fries and drink. One ordered an individual-size of baked beans, it was $6.50! The bill came to $89! Wow! Never again. Almost $30 a person for a fast food bbq place?!? I know there is inflation, but come on! Use to love this place, but their prices have gone up way too high and the quality has gone down hill in my opinion. read more

I grew up on this bbq. It was once the affordable standard. The "how may I help you!" novelty has grown old. The problem is that now there are MANY bbq joints around. The pricing and the quality and service don't mesh with the competition. Pricing is comparable with Q 39 and Jacks Stack. But the quality and service is not. If they lower prices or upscale service and quality and consistency they win. Every time I go to Q it's the same. And it's good. It is not true of this location. 12th street is better. But overall rebranding is needed. read more

It has been awhile since I've had Gates BBQ. They have several locations throughout the metro. The staff here was wonderful! They were very nice and they divide the lines for pickup/takeout and dine in. Gates should be on your list as one of the many bbq to try when visiting KC! read more

Confused service, poor quality meat and food. I have held Gates in some regard in the past--our family didn't eat there often, but it was considered pretty good. We recently visited and found that the quality of the food and service has plummeted. It took an extended time to get our orders out, and once we had it, half was so unpalatable that several people simply decided not to eat it. We got ribs, which were cut across the bones leaving sharp pointed bits of bone, with gristle preventing much of what was left to be edible. My daughter ordered the burnt end Mac and cheese, but retched when she found half an inch of greasy oil at the bottom of the container. My wife's burnt end on a bun was so greasy it got left on the plate. The only thing that was consistently good was the French fries, and you don't goto a BBQ joint for the fries. read more

Call the cops I've been robbed!!!Today Gates lost me as a customer. I paid $11.59 for three slices of meat and fries. Horrible to even sell a sandwich. read more

Gates Bar-B-Q - Turkey on bun - Barbeque Near Me - Independence, Missouri

Excellent short end Ribs. Lightly sauced and the sauce was the best. Wife had sliced pork sandwich and said it was good. read more

Gates Bar-B-Q - Ribs - Barbeque Near Me - Independence, Missouri

Looking for a bbq place on way to Arrowhead and this was recommended by a couple people. The pork on bun was decent and the original sauce has a good bite to it. The problem I had was the ordering. It was very slow and seemed disorganized. read more

I always stop to get BBQ while in KC. There was a line almost out the door, but it moved quickly. The lady taking my order behind the counter was not very friendly, but she knew the menu items that I had questions with. I requested Pulled Pork, but they slice it, so I opted for Burnt Ends & Sausage. The Burnt Ends sandwich was chopped fatty meat-nothing like I've ever had before. I tried to separate all the fat & 1/2 way thru I gave up b/c there wasn't much meat left, so I returned it. I must say my big guy friend ordered the same & he liked it. I'm just not one who likes fat with my meat. Another table next to us liked it as well. They seemed like regulars. The sausage was coved in sauce & my husband said it's not worth ordering again. There's far too many better BBQ places to order at in KC. My #1 Favorite is Char-Bar! read more

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Gates has good food, but the atmosphere is nothing to write home about. You order your food at the counter, wait, and then find a seat. The lady behind the counter was so rude, so make sure you know what you want before you get to the front of the line. The food was a lot for what you pay, so depending on how hungry you are, you could share a plate. Oh, and you'll want to ask for Gates seasoning on your fries. read more

Gates Bar-B-Q - Beans...a must to dip your fries in! - Barbeque Near Me - Independence, Missouri

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I ordered the pork sandwich with a side of BBQ beans. I was surprised to find that the sandwich comes on two slices of white bread. Rather unusual. The meat was good, although it would have been better had it been served warmer. The beans had nice flavor. The service was very good. read more

Gates Bar-B-Q - Pork sandwich and BBQ beans. - Barbeque Near Me - Independence, Missouri

Two people we met in Kansas City enthusiastically told us the best bar-b-q around could be found at Gates so we wanted to try it. Initial layout doesn't promote a pleasant experience for first comers as one must pick up a tray that one likely doesn't notice. Staff seemed unhappy. Food was just nasty. My ribs tasted like lighter fluid smells. Not edible. They were disgusting. Friends got burnt end sandwich. No actual burnt ends at all. Sort of looked like poorly prepared pulled beef. So greasy, grizzly and gross. Truly I feel sorry for anyone who thought this was good. Just a yuck! Also I got sick from food. We ate at Char-Bar and Slap's and they were delicious! read more

I used to really like Gates BBQ but the last few times I've been there, they missed the mark. The service was so-so and the dining room needed attention. The food was good but skimpy and pricy. I've tried almost everything on the menu and my favorite is their beef and beans. Their ribs aren't anything special nor their burnt ends. Their sauce is unique, the regular has a little snap but it's salty. Sweet & Mild is good and so is their Extra Hot. I like to mix those two together. Their fries are good along with their potato salad and slaw but I question whether they're made in-house. They used to have the most delicious Yammer pie that served 2-3 people. However, it's been gone for decades and replaced with a hockey puck sized version, very disappointing. Anyway, I won't say Gates is the best but they seem to be falling down the rankings as newer and better players pop up. read more

We have ate her a few times. First time the food was really good. Hot and fresh. But every time since we have gotten. Otho g but old dried up chewy bbq. The beans are the best part but the rest of the food has been trash. Don't think I'll give them another try. Tired of paying for dried up chewy meat. read more

Can't get service. I have gone many times and they will not wait on me. I have gone their in the past and spent a lot of money. Is it under to management. I end up leaving and go to Smokehouse. read more

I'm not from around here, but I got treated like I was at home!! We visited after a Chiefs game, the line was out the door. We asked the locals what their favorite dish was and we got friendly responses like The Nooner, the Turkey Nooner, and the burnt ends. One guy said the beer and one guy said bbq. When I got the front the of the line, I beheld the glory of a sandwich unlike I have ever seen. The aroma was legendary, the presentation was immaculate, the plumpness of the meat sitting between the upper and lower regions of bread settled the matter of what I was having for dinner. The choice was made. I tapped on the patrons shoulder in front me, I felt like that guy in the commercial that would says: " pardon me sir, do you have any grey poupon?" So I tapped on shoulder, pretty sure I was droolin'. "Excuse me sir, what is that sandwich on your plate?" "It's the burnt ends. And this guy (pointing to the guy in front of him) said it was the best thing!" As the other guy is nodding his head like he knows the greatest secret of all time. The icing on the cake is when I got my order, and I was ready to take my meal to go and walk out, but the hostess said, " not uh! I'm not letting you walk out my restaurant like that without a bag. She proceeds to bag up my food with love and car and out the signature touch of Gates BBQ on the whole experience! BAM!!! You need to get here!!! read more

Gates Bar-B-Q - Onion rings - Barbeque Near Me - Independence, Missouri

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I hate leaving bad reviews if the establishment didn't agitate me or be mean to me. With that being said the people there were nice, the food was mean. I went in expecting a good texas bbq like terry black in lockhart, where i just blew in from. But instead i got something else, which is fine but it was not what i was expecting in the slightest. I got the sausage entree with onion rings. The onion rings would have been a 10-10 if the onion would actually separate when i bit but instead it just slid out of the crust. The sausage with whatever ghoulish sauce they put on it is foul. It sidnt taste bad at the time, just not what i was expecting. Fast forward 8 hours and my entire room smells like whatever it was. I coulnt help but light candles in hopes it would get the stench off the chap wallpaper. This is also after i scraped 95% of the sauce off, im glad i wiped as much off as i did. The sausage wasn't sausage. And the price was way to much. If i woulda went to the state fair and paid 10 dolars for the meal i would have been doing backflips and cartwheels. But instead i paid 30 dollars for sausage entree, onion rings and a drink. Not only did my stomach get flipped upside down but so did my wallet. Im sorry to leave this review on what seemed to be a nice place but im warning you id you go here for the first time you will need polly 6 tums and 1.5 bottles of pepto bismol. read more

I have folks in KCMO. My guy & I rolling through town in his Semi-Truck, stop at the truck stop, get cleaned up and bounce out to Gates BBQ with family. Mind you, we get there towards the end of the evening and order the Presidente Special which is hella meat. There were 3 of us. That part. So we proceed to order and find a seat. The special came out in a matter of minutes. It was a good and bad sign. Good sign because because we were hungry as fuq; bad sign because it came out quick as fuq and the food was cold, but hey.... End of the night, the ladies behind the counter tired, the young fella mopping floors....yeah, there were not fuqn with us. I have gone to several locations and they can be hit or miss, however, it is some original KC BBQ. You have to try Gates BBQ at least once when you are passing through and check it off of your list of BBQ Joints. read more

We got burnt ends , ribs, and fries. The burnt ends came chopped up on a bun. They were overcooked burned and the sauce was very very disgusting. The ribs were extremely nasty and the fries were not seasoned. Everything was incredibly disgusting and a total waste of money and time. I would not recommend this establishment at all. read more

Stopped in to check out the sandwiches. Memphis boy and know pork bbq. But beef is different for us So... Burnt end sandwich did not disappoint very tasty. I would do it again. Try it out. I didn't hate it. read more

Gates Bar-B-Q - Barbeque Near Me - Independence, Missouri

Everything was great!!! The people here work fast, friendly, and the place was clean. The bbq sauce lady lol was the best! She was so sweet, helpful and hilarious! The food was even better! I couldn't finish my three meat platter and it tasted even better the next day! Two times I've been here, and I can't wait to go again to Kansas just for this place! read more

Gates is the most wonderful BBQ! It's close to our house so we go 2 or 3 times a month - more than any other restaurant. It's always delicious. It's also great if I let myself get too hungry because it's fairly fast and all the sides are fabulous. I must mention that Mr. Gates supports amazing projects his and our community needs. He is generous and I am grateful. read more

I didn't like gates for a long time cause the service and food are not good. But I stand correct when it comes to the independence store only. I get great food amazing service. They have an amazing staff. They made me believe in gates BBQ again. But only the independence store. The other store need to learn some hospitality read more

My sister-in-law from Arizona was in town last week and on the last day she was here, we realized that we hadn't had any KC BBQ. After seeing the touristy stuff in Independence, I took her to Gates. Normally I gravitate to the ribs at Gates because as I've said in reviews of other locations - Gates offers the best ribs in KC. Period. Today we were here in the early afternoon so we were able to order the daily lunch special; "The Nooner": Burnt Ends on bun with a choice of a sliced meat and French fries for $9. A bargain we couldn't resist. I chose brisket as my second meat and my all beef large sandwich with pickles was fantastic. My wife and sister ordered a Turkey Nooner and enjoyed as well. I have zero complaints with Gates BBQ and really can't comprehend why Gates gets picked on with low ratings. Over the decades I've probably had over 50 visits to all the Gates locations combined and never left disappointed. I'm never ashamed to put Gates in my top tier when discussing KC BBQ. As a founding member of KC's rich history of BBQ dominance, Gates continues to strut with pride for the past 8 decades. read more

Gates Bar-B-Q - Brisket Nooner - Barbeque Near Me - Independence, Missouri

Ordered burnt ends and coleslaw. The coleslaw is ok, but the burnt ends ... disappointing. Taste is ok, too salty. Minced meat served up on a hoagie. Doesn't read burnt ends. More like a BBQ manwich. Oversold. Underdelivered. I ate half. That was enough. Glad I didn't get fries. I had to find better food. read more

Everything's delicious here served in delightful style and attitudes... great sauces and the meats were fall off the vine tender!

Presentation was nice, service was friendly BUT EVERY BITE WAS FAT!!! We ordered the beef "Nooners", which was brisket with "tips" on it but I learned that "tips" is code for fat scraps smothered in BBQ sauce. I thought maybe one plate would've been a fluke, but both of us ordered the same thing and they were both equally fatty read more

Gates Bar-B-Q - After - Barbeque Near Me - Independence, Missouri

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Ribs were not very meaty and only 2. The BBQ beef sandwich was a little too fatty for me. We ate at another BBQ place the next day and liked it much more. read more

I've been eating at Gates since I was a child. It's always delicious. Growing up eating them, you're used to the "Hi, may I help you?" that you hear when you enter the door. You know to rattle off your order and you hear them calling off to the kitchen. The food is always hot. Being in the BBQ Capital, there are options but Gates is always my go to. With locations around the city, you'll run into one of them. read more

Stopped in with a customer for a business lunch. We each ordered sandwiches. He had the double decker with ham and beef and I opted for the nooner special with sliced pork and burnt ends. We shared some ribs. It was an off day here as I like Gates BBQ. Our ribs were just charred and just not that appealing. The sliced pork on my sando was tough and hard to bite through. Overall, it sucks to pay $75 for an off day on the pit. read more

Gates Bar-B-Q - Nooner with pork and burnt ends - Barbeque Near Me - Independence, Missouri

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I enjoyed my full slab of ribs to go. It was easy to place my order on the phone. I still ended up waiting a good bit in line to pick up though. The carry-out section was not open so I was in the normal line. The worker pulled my already packaged order when I made it to the register. It was quick after that. I had to get my sauces from the pumps. They did not have lids for their solo cups.. maybe because it was the dine-in side or it wasn't restocked. The ribs itself were on the dry side, especially on the short end. The ribs were pre cut. The tips were pretty fatty. The spicy bbq sauce is so great. I think it may be my favorite sauce of the 5 or so places I have tried so far in KC. No complaints about slaw. It was tasty. read more

Gates Bar-B-Q - Barbeque Near Me - Independence, Missouri