THE REVIEW - Gates Bar-B-Q, Kansas City, Mo.

Gates BBQ – www.gatesbbq.com - in Kansas City is one of the more popular bbq restaurants on the trip so our expectations were high. They have multiple locations throughout KC and we did lunch on Tuesday at the location nearest the Country Club Plaza. The fantastic aroma of smoke pit bbq immediately hit your nostrils upon walking in the door. It was order-at-the-counter style like a few previous places, but Gates was more expensive than others; I guess the popularity allows them to charge more. Although the smell was delightful and the restaurant was fun and active, we were slightly disappointed by the food; perhaps the hype had us expecting a lot more.

Outside Gates BBQ in Kansas City, Mo. - We went to the location nearest Country Club Plaza

Inside Gates BBQ - It was order-at-the-counter style joint

Inside Gates BBQ had a terrific smoke pit aroma

Smoke pits at Gates BBQ

A look at the vareity of food we feasted on at Gates BBQ in Kansas City, Mo.

Sauce – 3 –Gates had four sauces – Original, Mild, Sweet & Mild and Hot – and all were on the spicy side. Although they were all tasty and packed with flavor, there was no option for something regular.

Sides – 3.5 – All sides were freshly made on site. The veggies were crisp, tasty and had a seasoning that added a little kick; the veggies were my favorite part of the meal. The beans were sweet and complimented the spicy meat nicely. Potato salad was rich with a dill flavor. Solid all around.

Gates BBQ sandwiches with sides of potato salad, veggies and beans

Slabs – 3 – Expectations for the ribs were high and although a 3 is good, it’s not what we hoped for such a popular place. Definitely tasty with a nice dry rub and smothered in the mild sauce, but they didn’t blow us away. They were a little dry and tough. They lacked the moist-fall-off-the-bone characteristic that has made other ribs stand out.

Before - Full rack of Gates ribs

During - Me enjoying Gates ribs

After - Polished off the full rack of Gates ribs

Steaks – Did not order steak.

Sandwiches – 2 – We ordered beef and pork sandwiches. The beef was served in slices on a standard packaged white bun and it was a bit dry. It needed heavy sauce which made it a bit spicy. The pork sandwich was similar to the beef in its lack of moistness and it was served on standard white bread. Both very ordinary.

Beef sandwich at Gates in Kansas City, Mo.

Pork sandwich at Gates in Kansas City, Mo.