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

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

Round #4, Stop #1 on my continuing quest of KC Q. Went back to Zarda's. It is close and quick for lunch. This time I ate in with a gaggle of my students. Had the pulled pork and sausage with a side of slaw and sweet potato fries. The pork was good, the slaw was good, the sausage was lacking and the sweet potato fries were tasty but not outstanding. Overall an OK lunch. read more

Went here trying to find a authentic BBQ place near my hotel while searching on Yelp. It was close, waited for it to open for lunch at 11am. Right on the corner of an intersection, plenty of parking, plenty of seating. Appears they have a rich family heritage to the place and menu. Typical menu options and sides. Kinda pricy for a quick lunch, but avg to BBQ. I got a platter of burnt ends and coleslaw and beans. Beans were awesome, cole slaw okay (stayed with me for hours), decent portion of end chunks on some toast. 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

I like all of their food. Normally I buy a beef and turkey with a side of fries, salad, and maybe some cole slaw or fried pickles... I like all of their sauces. Not my very favorite bbq, but this location is close to home with fast service. read more

Yummy yummy!! This is a BBQ staple for us! Always good and consistent. Hands down the best burnt ends...small chunks of brisket and ham cooked in sauce all day to give it a nice crunch. Mouthwatering goodness! Love the fried pickles, corn nuggets, and onion rings! All come with side of ranch and this is the GOOD ranch. Zardas offers their house BBQ sauce which is sweet with a little heat. But they also have 3 or 4 others to try too. Good news is they also sell their sauce in stores so you can take that liquid gold home. read more

Keep driving! I had craved BBQ all day. This was not a good experience. Fresh is not what I would call this food. The mac and cheese was overly processed. The corn on the cob smelled like plastic and had the texture of it-I couldn't eat it. I ate half of the ribs and my pickle because they were the only real foods on the plate which was $15. My husband's burnt ends were mediocre. read more

I called in an order for burnt ends and sliced beef with a side of sweet potato fired. The burnt ends were really tough and lacked flavor. Almost seemed like they came in frozen and were reheated. The sliced beef was super dry. I didn't care for it at all. Neither seemed fresh. I called in a crock of sweet potato fries and they goofed up and gave me a side. So even though the fries were good I didn't get the correct size which sucked given they were the best tasting part of the meal. I won't go back. The margin for error is so small in KC for BBQ. With so many great options around, I can't justify giving a second chance to a place that disappointed me this badly. read more

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

The wife and I started with Jack Balls and they were delicious. For the entree we had Billy Butler sandwiches also amazing. This will be our new goto place for great KC BBQ. Total with drinks was around $26 bucks. $10 bucks cheaper and an hour faster than the "other guy". Service was quick for late dinner. read more

I had the turkey plate with a salad and coleslaw for lunch. About 2.5 hrs later I had horrible stomach cramps and diarrhea. About another two hrs later I was sicker than I have ever been in my life and vomited uncontrollably for five minutes. Stay far far far away from this place. I am someone with a strong stomach and never get sick. I know something is seriously wrong with this place!!!! read more

Don't waste your time or money, they had a picture of their Hog Wild sandwich and mine looked nothing like it. My sandwich was about 1/3 the size of the picture and was mediocre at best. The frozen fries were the best part of the meal besides the fried pickles. The beans were very oniony. Q39 and Gates are on a whole different level. 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

I had the average joe sandwich and a side of cheesy potatoes. The side was good even though the potatoes were from a can. The sandwich was average at best. The brisket was dry and didn't have a whole lot of smoke to it. The portions were big but they should be for the price. $13 for a sandwich side and a drink was a bit high considering the food was average. I guess Oklahoma Joes has spoiled me for good Q!!! read more

Zarda recently catered a wedding reception for us and did an amazing job. The caterer was on time and brought more than enough food with him. He set up a very nice buffet and kept it well stocked. Packaged all the leftovers and cleaned up. Exactly what I expected. I thought the food they catered was actually better than what I've had in the restaurant, bonus. Good bbq, good price and great catering. They've earned my recommendation. read more

My favorite has always been the Large Beef and Ham combo on a hoagie bun with a side of those thick, meaty steak style fries. I usually douse on about a half bottle of Original sauce, a few shakes of Tobasco, some extra salt, and just chow down until it's gone 5 minutes later. Hard not to smile. The food always is the same and good, tasty, unique! The fat is always trimmed off, and the meat is sliced very thin. It's slow smoked and has good moisture retention. read more

If your from KC you know there are better BBQ joints then this. But if you're like me and not in KC anymore then you know its still better then most BBQ joints. I find it kind of bland but my wife finds it a little easier to handle overall a nice cheap BBQ joint read more

O-M-G. They claim no one does better BBQ than Kansas City, and they were right! I got the Sweet Carolina Pulled Pork, it literally was falling apart as I held it up. I'm counting the days until I can go back! read more

The meat is less than mediocre and hugely disappointing but the coleslaw is good. The ribs were dry and tough on the outside and my wife's pulled pork sandwich wasn't memorable. I'd be real surprised if they actually smoked the meat from start to finish. My guess is some sort of oven with woodchip smoke combo. The young staff was friendly enough, though, so that's a plus. I was hoping to sample some of the famous Kansas City BBQ but instead wound up at the Applebee's of BBQ. read more

I stopped by Zarda the other day to grab a sandwich. I hadn't been in since I was a kid. It was pretty disappointing. There are so many good choices for BBQ now. I'm really surprised these guys are still around. read more

Thank you Zarda! We were in town from Oregon visiting family and we wanted the amazing KC BBQ that we remember! Zarda's did not disappoint! The meat was excellent, smoked perfectly and not dry. The burnt ends nice and meaty and delicious, just the way KC burnt ends should be! The Zarda beans were perfect as we remember and the best in KC in my opinion. Potato salad and cole slaw were delicious as well. And what is KC BBQ without fresh Roma white bread and pickles?!?! The manager accommodated our 10 person carry out order to our specifications and it was ready, exactly as ordered right on time. Thank you for making our hometown trip one BBQ meal the best it could be. My wife and I have fond childhood memories of eating Zarda's in Blue Springs while growing up. It's still as good as ever, even in Lenexa! read more

NOT the best BBQ I have eaten, the quality has diminished over the years to the point of being almost uneatable. Tough meat, sour beans, over salted fries and the worst slaw I have tasted. read more

Mediocre at best... I'm surprised they can stay in business. Ducked into Zarda for a late lunch. Ordered a turkey sandwich with beans. Not a tall order... Very underwhelming! read more

Got the pulled pork sandwich, it was great, a little dry. My girlfriend got the burnt ends and they were amazing! The sides were awesome;cheesy corn, beans and Mac and cheese. The new sauces are killer too. Great meal, must try! read more

Some of the best BBQ. They have a wonderful selection of meats and even a salad bar. Their fries are crisp and hot and they have several varieties of BBQ sauces to choose from. read more

had the BBQ cater an event - tasty food with affordable pricing. We had the ribs, chicken and brisket. The beans are sweet and tangy - coleslaw was good and the potato salad was above average. Their sauce is zesty and great on the brisket read more

Not what I was expecting all! Although the staff was very friendly, our ribs were over cooked and did not taste great at all. I'll stick to Oklahoma Joes for ribs. If you're looking for simple BBQ, this is the place. There was nothing special about their food. read more

I would come here and order burnt ends and cheesy corn pretty much any day of the week! Food always comes out quickly, is piping hot and I've never had a complaint with any of it. read more

Most tender burnt ends I've had in KC so far. Brought to our site & everyone loved it!

As a lover of burnt ends and sweeter bbq sauce, Zarda is a winner! The ends are juicy with some nice fatty bits and covered but not swimming in sauce. The beans are nice and thick and sweet. I jazz them up with hot sauce for a little kick. Great casual and friendly atmosphere. Good for kids as they really can't disrupt or break anything. Also crazy good baked items for sale at the counter. A rarity at a bbq joint! read more

This was the start of my morning before i left KC. Im glad that we stop by here. We had the 2 meat platter with beef and sausage, with cole slaw and mac n cheese. The meat was ok. I actually enjoyed the sides better and they do offer a great variety of sides and non bbq. They also had many choices of sauce to pick from. I found that most of it was too sweet for my liking. Overall, it was ok, but i would come back to try non bbq items. read more

This place is SOOO good!! We just took home a dozen bottles of BBQ sauce back to california bc it's that good! We eat here at least 2-3 times per trip I KC. Highly recommend!! read more

I use to like this place. Got the turkey and it tasted like microwaved processed meat. Service is good but there are about 10 better barbq pages within a 15 min drive. Oh and they blast country music all the time, if you don't like country its kinda annoying read more

Sadly not as good as it used to be. :( Zarda's is close, and a convenient stop on the way somewhere. It's never been one of the KC greats, but it's been decent - the thin-sliced beef and sausage is a draw, given how often it's sliced thick around here, and the meat was good quality (if not seasoned as well as some of the classic places). Unfortunately, in the last year or two the base quality of the meat has been declining - fattier, and 'smoked turkey' that isn't a whole lot better than deli meat. Their apparent response has been to go all-in on a gimmicky 'Special Reserve' menu, which is the exact opposite of what I wanted them to do. To cite one example, I prefer fries that are fresh, not over- or under-cooked, and tasting clearly of potato - not fries that try to disguise an uninspiring lack of flavor by loading up with cheese and baconbits. read more

I love BBQ and this place always hits the spot. And I love the beans! With all the choices of BBQ in town. Zarda always has a place in my heart err belly. read more

expensive for no reason, I did not enjoy my very dry sandwich and the kids were not happy either. No good

The turkey was awesome the smoke was perfect. Was pretty good!