THE REVIEW - Arthur Bryant's, Kansas City, Mo.

We went for a late afternoon meal at Arthur Bryant’s BBQ – www.arthurbryantsbbq.com – at the original location near downtown. Like Gates BBQ, Bryant’s is one of the more popular restaurants on the trip. Bryant’s appeal is not only its food, but its mellow nonchalant character. It’s a massively famous spot, but you wouldn’t know it from the modest establishment – regular tables, old chairs, in need of a new paint job, dated décor, etc. None the less, when we walked up the line was out the door and every table was filled. It was an order-at-the-counter place and you had to order quickly because the seasoned bbq veterans running the place didn’t mess around; order and get out of the way. Our expectations for the food were lofty and fortunately, we were not disappointed.

Arthur Bryant's original location near downtown Kansas City, Mo.

The menu at Arthur Bryant's

The smoke pit at Arthur Bryant's BBQ - Note the loaf of wonder bread on the left; there were stacks and stacks of white bread because that's what they used for their sandwiches

Arthur Bryant's modest interior added to the place's nonchalnt attitude

Sauce – 4 – Three kinds – Original, Rich & Spicy and Sweet Heat. Impressive all around and something for everyone. We enjoyed the sweet heat the most. Nice sweet flavor with a slight finishing kick, nice combination.

Sides – 3 – Beans were sweet with a nice bbq flavor. Potato salad was creamy with a sweet dill flavor. Both were good, but not great.

Slabs – 4 – Some of the best ribs we’ve tried. It was a nice combination of moist meat and crispy glazed skin. The tender meat fell off the bone with ease. Only drawback is they weren’t super meaty. Tasty and full of flavor, but a bit small.

Steaks – Didn’t order steaks.

Sandwiches – 4 – We had a terrific juicy pulled pork sandwich smothered in sweet bbq sauce. It was full of a nice smoke pit flavor. Only drawback was it was made with standard white bread, which is a major tradition here in KC; they give you four or five pieces, but with all the sauce the bread gets soggy. None the less, it was by far among the top pulled pork we’ve had.

The pulled pork sandwich came with multiple pieces of wonder bread