My husband & I have decided to try every BBQ joint in KC. Yes I said every one. This may take a while so please be patient as I review them. We started with Zarda, Wyandot and Bates BBQ tonight. I ordered one mixed platter from each joint & I will share in the reviews what each joint has on their mixed plate. I brought them home put a little of each item on our plates and the tasting began. We scored each item and then tallied up to see which one won. I will go into details about each item in the reviews. This is my review of Zarda if my husband wants his opinion heard he can get a Yelp account. Zarda was the most expensive. I ordered a #5 that has two meats that comes with bread, two sides and a drink. I ordered the beef, pork, beans and potato salad. I also ordered a Rib snack that also came with bread. This order came to $16.23. Of the three places we tried Zarda had the 2nd most food, but it had the best tasting pork, beef and beans. The pork melted in your mouth it had a great smoky flavor and a nice spicy BBQ sauce on it. The Beef had a sweeter sauce that played off the smoke perfectly and it was sliced nice and thin. The beans were smoky, with hints of onion and garlic and just spicy enough. The things I did not like about Zarda were the ribs and potato salad. The ribs were dry, over cooked and you had to pull them off the bone. A good rib will be one where the meat falls off the bone. The potato salad was runny and not very flavorful in my opinion, I like mustard in my potato salad and I could not taste any in theirs. Of the 3 we tasted today I like Zarda the best. So for now they rank #1, this will probably change as we eat at more places. Now we have eaten at these 3 places before but to be fair we will eat at all the places we have eaten at before plus new ones so they are on a fair standing. read more

Zarda - #5 and a Rib Snack - Barbeque Near Me - Lenexa, Kansas

I have been to Zaria many times over the years and it is very consistent. I can't say it's the best BBQ but I do give four starts because of that consistency. The ribs are good but I personally like a dry rub and there's has sauce all over it so I don't get a look of that beefy flavor shining thru but overall there not bad at all. The bbq beans are a real staple here very old west flavor and mixed well with the drippings Creamy cheese corn ... well hard to mess that up it's cheese and corn and these are well done together and you get exactly what it's called. Again they are consistent and reliable, so give it a go. read more

Rude counter worker. Bad customer service. Way overpriced for what you get. Rate food at 2/10.

This is one of my fave BBQ places in Jo co. It's in my top 5 at least. I love their onion rings and the way they thinly slice their sausage.

Zarda is a complicated place to review. This location has a huge parking lot, more than enough seating, 4 registers to take your order, and a drive through (having a drive through at a bbq place seems genius in my humblest of opinions). They have a few vans for caterings as well; so if you have a social event, keep that in mind. The cost is on par with the LC's, Arthur Bryant's, & Gate's of the area. But you'd like to know about the food... The pulled pork and beef are usually dry, but lean and tasty. Adding sauce is advised. The ribs are very hit and miss, but most of the time have a good amount of well smoked meat. Occasionally you'll get some chewy/grisly ones though. The chicken and chicken strips are both quite good. The turkey is always juicy and great. But the real winner? The Burnt ends are phenomenal. The sauce is seared into them and they end up as cubed sticky meat treats. Very rarely you'll get one that's virtually all fat (bleh), but most of the time they're just amazing. The sides are always great, huge fries, sweet potato fries, wedges, cheesy corn (guilty pleasure for sure), flavorful beans, etc. The only sides that really lack are the fried mushrooms, pickles, and cauliflower (sad little guys) and mac n cheese. The various sauces are kind of weak/timid and don't have or add a lot of flavor and that's a huge factor for me. Their hot & spicy stuff is just heat. The regular sauce is bland. The sweet hickory is a KC masterpiece knock-off. And the rally sauce doesn't do anything for me. All in all, it's good food, good service, and convenient with a drive through, but it's just not my favorite, mainly because of the sauces. If Zarda had Gate's sauce, I'd eat there twice a week. As it stands, it's an occasional tasty dinner when driving to the other side of the city doesn't sound appealing. read more

Here is the thing about Zarda - it's perfectly acceptable. It will never really be anyone's favorite BBQ in Kansas City, but it's a solid place to have as a "go-to" if in the area, or if it's Sunday and OK Joes is closed. The restaurant itself is clean, if not a big dark and run down. It could definitely use a renovation, but is not desperately in need of one. The staff are very friendly, and the menu has many choices. The food can take longer-than-it-seems-like-it-should to come out, which can be a bummer. So on to the food - like I said, it's perfectly accetable. Brisket and pork are good, the sides are OK, and the sauce is tasty. They have fried okra which is pretty neat...I'll give them that! The rib trimmin's for $3.95 are quite awesome, I'll give them that too. Lots of meat, albeit not of the best quality, for less than $4 is the perfect way to fill up on the cheap. read more

the saving grace of Zarda is their sides are pretty awesome. the actual BBQ however could use some loving. I also like the fact that they have 1/4 chicken plates, which is nice. they slice their beef so thin you can see through it. very hard to enjoy the meat that way. friendly customer service and a pretty convenient location on 87th & quivera, though if you're coming from south on quivera or from east on 87th, you'll have to flip around to get to em because of the concrete islands in the road. read more

Maybe being an out of stater I am not used to ordering before I sit down, but that seems to be the norm for barbecue here. I went for lunch and had a pulled pork sandwich, fries, and coleslaw. All of it was fine, nothing great, nothing, bad. Fact is, I can get better in Denver, and have a server and a real sit down lunch or dinner. read more

Wish I could give a 3.5. Zarda starts with a strike against it for being so far out into JoCo. While it was a good 20 minute drive out there for lunch, a BOGO coupon from the KC Star made it worth the drive. First, the restaurant is huge. Service is prompt with multiple registers to move the crowd through quickly. We split a burnt end sandwich and rib meal. Both were good, but not memorable. Fries were very good and well done. There were four or five sauces to choose from, but the original was the best. I'd return if I was in the area and in the mood for BBQ, but it is definitely not worth an out of the way drive. read more

The BBQ is fantastic. I love their brisket & turkey. The salad bar should be taken out or done right. It's a joke.

My 1st visit was OK so when I came back to Kansas I was looking forward to go a get some ribs. So I went at a dinner time and I was so disappointed, I got the half slab with mac n cheese and fries and everything tasted like it has been warmed in the microwave because after 3 minutes I was eating cold ribs. Also the rib where very dry and way over cooked. Very disappointed. Not coming back. The next time in Kansas I'll choose other place. read more

We just moved to the area and was out looking for some good Bbq had a friend that said this was a good pave do thought we'd give it a try. Overall I'm glad we did. Was a little thrown off, you order kind of like at a fast food restaurant, order at counter then you sit down and wait for your number. We had the variety platter Good: The flavor of all the food was good. Chicken and ribs were really good. I'd say their bbq sauce is prob one of my top 3 favs in town. The employees were all friendly. Fried mushrooms were great. Areas of improvement: The food was a little on the cold side. To us the ham tasted good but looked like is was pulled out of a deli package. And once again the brisket's flavor was good but a little dry. (Good thing the sauce was good) I'd probably skip on the mac and cheese. Overall I see us returning because the flavor was great! read more

The food is done with love, kids meal & the meat is just as tender & sweet as it can be, fresh potato's cooked just beautiful & fresh brewed tea. Thank u read more

The McRib is fine dining compared to their over sauced over cooked ribs. McRibs have a touch of flavor too. McRibs suck. That's how bad the food is here. A crap McDonald's thing is better than anything Zarda had to offer! read more

Had not been to Zarda BBQ for a long time. I heard on the radio a $5.99 burnt ends sandwich special. Decide to give it a try for lunch. Great burnt ends on a bun. A generous portion. Will have to try some ribs the next time. read more

I love the smoky, lean burnt ends! The turkey is good here too. Without specials like kids eat free on Wed, the pricing seems high for the portion sizes. Service in restaurant is good! read more

Love this place. Their sauce is awesome and you can dip your crispy French fries into. Love their beef on bun and their corn nuggets.

Decided to order thanksgiving dinner for my family this year because my mom wasn't coming to help. This was by far the best thanksgiving dinner ever (don't tell mom!) The turkey had an very tasty flavor they called apple harvest! The cornbread dressing was AMAZING! Everything was so good! I'm never making a boring turkey again! read more

Bro if u want some good BBQ Zarda is the place to go u cant find anything better than this.

First time coming here and I was amazed! Food was cooked to perfection and I was offered so many types of bbq sauce! The person taking my order recommended one of the spicy ones and the taste was flavorful! It had a nice great blend of sweet, smoky, and spicy! I truly wasn't ready for such a great taste. We ordered the pulled pork sandwich and the rib plate. The sandwich was so so soooooo tasty I can't wait to order it again. Also the ribs were so perfect! Marvelous! Yummy! Just so so gooooooood. Tender, sweet, smoky taste! Fall off the bone perfection! We also ordered fries and Mac n cheese for sides which of course were perfect! I can't wait to go back! read more

Very fast service . Great tasting bbq and best burnt ends in town the lil ghost sauce is good with the Ltd slabs

Amazing food and service. We drive from almost an hour away for this BBQ. Ordering and curbside pick up was fast and easy. My sliced brisket and beans were sooooo good. My kids love their ribs and Mac and cheese and my boyfriend loves their turkey. We also love their BBQ sauce. My family will always be back for more.. read more

On three early evenings i tried to order chicken at this so-called eatery. They claimed to have "runout". If I owned this operation the manager would be terminated. There is no excuse for not having a menu staple. read more

The food was good, but if your into thick fries then it's good but I'm not. Old theme, amazing sauces. Good dining experience.

Won't be back. Pork burnt ends and brisket both cold. Same with beans. My husband had ribs and chicken basket. Same cold. Brisket was very lean and good flavor but cold. My granddaughter had the waffle fries with cheese and bacon. Definitely canned cheese. We decided the best thing was the salad bar read more

Good BBQ if you are just looking for something fast. The drive through makes it easy to stop by on my way home from work. The main downside is the price, it can get a little pricey but if convenience beats quality then this place has you covered. read more

We arrived at 730 pm not realizing they closed at 8 to put it simply Staff was rude and unhelpful. Food was terrible from the ribs to the burnt ends. Fries were no fresh. Sorry Zarda had we known you close at 8 we would not have come inside. The way you treated us and fed us means we will not be back for a long long long tome read more

Zarda quotes various Yelp reviews on its website but I'm gonna guess mine won't make the cut. Let me just say that if your choice is between Zarda and somewhere else, take the second option. Today, in exchange for $25 hard earned dollars, I was served a giant plate of tough, fatty short ribs that slathered in somewhat tangy sauce. Fred Flinstone would be impressed by the portion, but what I had left much to be desired. I left half my meal on the plate and walked away disappointed. Maybe I'm spoiled because of the great barbecue in St. Louis and Kansas City, but this place is far below what most Midwesterners expect from the high standards of genuine KC BBQ. Anyway, the dining room is nice; it would make for a great pizza place. read more

I visited Zarda for the first time yesterday and was very underwhelmed. I ordered the Pulled Pork sandwich and a side of the Mac 'n' Cheese. My family members also ordered the same, one with Baked Beans and the other the Cheesy Potato Casserole (Can't recall the item's name). The sandwich contained bland meat, requiring extra seasoning/sauce, and was rather cold. The Mac 'n' Cheese was pretty tasty, but wasn't anything to write home about. I prefer my sandwich with sliced pickles and onions, but they don't offer onions with the meals. Luckily, I noticed red onions at the salad bar and the employee handing us the food allowed me to grab some. Maybe it's because I've been spoiled by Austin, Texas BBQ for the past couple years, but from my experience, renowned KC BBQ isn't served here. At least at the right price it isn't. Overall: Food: 2/5 Service: 4/5 Pricing: 2/5 read more

We are from Atlanta GA and this was a first time visit. A family affair - enjoyed a catered meal in the backroom with family and friends. We were curious what the difference might be in KC BBQ vs Southern style... well - it was terrific! Smoked meat very similar but the applewood sauce made the real difference! Loved the slaw as well!! Wait staff was very attentive for a large crowd. If we lived in the KC area this would definitely be a place to visit frequently. Thanks for a great evening... the food and service made a great evening even better!! read more

The food was pretty good but was disappointed at the size of the side I ordered. It was $2 for a small scoop of potato salad. If I wouldn't know it would be this small I wouldn't have bought it. read more

This was a place that we used to visit frequently when we lived and worked in Lenexa. Since we moved and found new employment we don't get as many opportunities, but try to squeeze in a visit whenever we can. I always go with the Average Joe (Beef, melted provolone, topped with two onion rings on a toasted Roma bun), the world famous Zarda beans, and the fried sweetcorn nuggets which never fail to hit the spot! I am not a big fan of the fries so tend to avoid them and choose other items from their large list of specialty sides. They also have a great salad bar available which is a steal at $6.99 for those who want something a little lighter to accompany their meat feast! Awesome staff, plenty of parking, and you can't beat the smell of smoke that hits you as you get out of your car. It whets your appetite and gets you ready for the deliciousness that you are soon to experience. read more

I decided to step out of my bbq comfort zone and try something new. I got the variety plate so we were able to taste everything which was nice. Nothing was horrible but nothing was better than okay. The fries and macaroni were lacking any kind of seasoning. Will go back to my normal place. read more

Best ribs, brisket and turkey in the city. I've eaten zarda's on numerous occasions and I've even reccomended it to out of town vistors. In a city over saturated with BBQ resturants Zarda's stands above the rest with excellent food and world class service. A special thanks to the manager Suzanne Zarda for all her help with my catering needs she always goes above and beyond to please. read more

Don't know how we haven't been here before. We did the drive through which was perfect. We did the hog wild sandwich and ltd burnt ends sandwich, both were delicious! We got fried okra and fried cauliflower for sides and both were great! I'd never seen friend cauliflower before. read more

The pulled pork at Zarda is very good. It's a much better option than their thinly sliced meats, smokier and a better texture.

I was talked into going to Zarda after many years. I ordered the reserve Burnt Ends and reserve Burnt Ends beans. Absolute garbage. Burnt Ends tasted old, dry and flavorless. Seriously, a McRib would have been better. The beans were lots of sweet, bland sauce and a few beans with a little meat. Their original beans used to be good, but these were awful. read more

We've gone twice, first time it was mediocre, so we decided to give it another shot to see if they were having a bad night. second time food was worse. The regular fries are disappointing, wedged cut were better, haven't tried sweet potato fries. I remember thinking the ribs were pretty good the first time so I ordered the special tonight, a full slab to split w wife. It weirdly came with 6 slices of cheap white bread and 6 dill pickles. The first two ribs on the end were good, but then after that they got tough and fatty. They were huge, we shared and there were still 4 ribs left when we were done. Cashier charged us wrong amount, the receipt had multiple errors, but we didn't say anything. Food was ready very quickly both times. Mom had pulled pork, which she claimed had no flavor, but I didn't taste it. On the plus side the fried pickles were pretty good, and on Wednesday kids under 12 eat free. Probably won't go back for a third time unless we get despite. Update: while I was finishing writing this review, wife went potty which stunk out entire first floor of house, like Brussel sprouts. This is unusual for her and I'm not sure if it's from the zarda ribs or yesterdays dinner (which did include Brussel sprouts. She said her stomach does not ache, and I haven't had any gas. She also ate more of the fried pickles than me, so maybe that's what did it. read more

Horrible customer service. I had been wanting to try Zarda's for a while but after today, I'm never going back. I placed an order for pick up. I got to the pick up window at the time they told me it would be ready but ended up waiting another 10 minutes for my order. I did a quick look through of my order to make sure everything was there. Of course I didn't realize until I got home that one of my side orders was missing. I drove all the way back there to get the side and asked if i could get another side for free since they messed up my order. The boy behind the counter said they "couldn't give out free food just because I lost my side", accusing me of "losing" it. Usually restaurants will be very accommodating when things like this happen however they chose to accuse me losing my food and would not compensate me for having to drive back. The least they could have done is given me a coupon for my next visit however, they chose to do nothing which is unacceptable. read more

I was so stoked to finally try Zarda's based on the reviews of their burnt ends. Being voted the best burnt ends in the KC Metro is definitely a prestigious category to be in. I ordered the limited reserve burnt ends meal and was quite disappointed. I'm a firm believer in establishments having "off days" and I'm thinking my visit to Zarda's may have been one of those days. While the rub had good flavor, the actual burnt ends were dry which is downright wrong as far as burnt ends go. That in itself just about sealed my opinion. Also, when it comes to great BBQ joints, I'm always a fan of hand cut fries. Zarda's fries are frozen. Zarda's was the first place I took my nephew who was visiting from out of town. We went straight from the airport to Zarda's and unfortunately his very first tastes of KC BBQ wasn't what he was expecting. He said, "it's OK, but I think Rudy's (Texas BBQ chain) is better than this" and I 100% agreed with him. Likely a one and done deal and I would certainly not hype up KC BBQ to out of town guests and take them here. The third star is being somewhat generous, but I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt that it was simply an "off day" when I visited. read more