7. BB's Lawnside Barbecue

Great Atmosphere
I went here on a Tuesday night and man this place was packed wall to wall for the Blues music...The ribs great, the pulled pork great, the sausage, pretty darn good, the brisket was average...gumbo was pretty good...all and all great place to drink beer and get decent food..my bill was abotu $60 but hey not that bad for a great time :-)

Bad service, hit and miss bbq.
This place is running on a gimmick: live music. If you go there, don't sit on the patio. After 10-15 minutes you'll get your drinks and after that you'll probably see your server two more times in the next hour. 30 minutes later you'll get your order taken, then another 30-45 minutes later you'll have your food. Good luck washing the food down by the way, because you won't see your waiter again for another 1-1:45 minutes when he/she brings the bill. As far as the food goes,the sides are good, especially the fries and beans. The meat is hit and miss. One time I had decent ribs: tender, fall off the bone, just the right amount of smoke. That was just one time though sadly. The other times I went I got tough, jaw-stressing jerky to go along with the terrible service. The briscuit is pretty much the same story. The pulled pork was so-so. Buyer beware, eat at your own risk (of dissatisfaction.)

Awesome BBQ
This place has both Kansas City style BBQ as well as some Cajun offerings. Live music every night. The meats are always pretty lean, so you dont' get a big clump of fat with your pulled pork or brisket. Good lunch deals Mon - Sat.

Come for the music not the bbq. The bbq is not terrible, however, there are other choices if you're looking for kc's best. Meats are your typical oversmoked variety in which the smoke overpowers the flavor of the meat. Best dish is the bbq beans with a spicy jalapeno flavor.

I've been trying to find this place as I heard it was quite good. Signs to the west did not indicate it was east of 85th street. But I found out I had to go just East and finally it was right there just to the south on the strreet.. I was not quite sure of the setup but my friend said to come at 4pm. We got here just after 3:30 Sunday though, the place was so jammed packed we were not allowed to enter. It was "Battle of the Bands" and you could the bands from outside. They were excellent. And I thought, I just have come here years ago. But nevertheless, I got a menu and decided to get something to take home to eat even if we could not get in. I decided on the bigger beef sandwich called "The Big One",(my wife was turkeyed out as of late). The line was a little long but I did not mind at all waiting some 10-15 minutes for the order to come as I just listened to the excellent blue music. When I got home, then the feasting began. The sandwich (on white bread) was pretty big . I gave my wife one half and I took one half with another portion of meat and another piece of bread left for next time. The meat strands were a little thicker then I thought they would be and were not as succulent as i thought the meat would be. Still we liked it and it had the smoke ring on inside edges and had good smokey flavor. I got a mild and hot forms of the sauce. Very mild, runny with a hint of maybe paprika or something. I am sorry to say it is one of the worst BBQ sauces I have ever had. Little flavor, lacking a true sauciness rich flavor. But the meat is the real deal here and it was good, for some reason maybe not the best I have ever had. The order came with a few nice crisp coin- like pickles as well as 3 nice big slivers of crunchy potato type fries (I did not expect this and added bonus). The price was quite good ($7.95) for the size of the sandwich. There are many other entrees, sides, appetizers that look good including cajun and other dishes. I definitely like this place for the music, the menu and funkiness of the place. I was very enthused about the nice music and took copies of the calendar what music will appear in the future. Now that I know where this place is , I will have to come back for sure to sample the burnt ends and other meals deals and to make a final judgment about the BBQ and the food in general. There is much that I like about the place. I just have to put the finishing touches on the BBQ and food conclusions when we come back which I would say would be in the very near future. I want to listen to more blues and eat here again soon.

My buddy and I came to KC for opening day (Chiefs/Raiders), from Florida. Chiefs lost, but we won when we found BB's. We'd been eating BBQ all weekend, this was the best all round place we found. Great roadhouse, great food (try the smoked chicken wings) ribs fell off the bone, great sauce, tried a bunch of stuff. We just sat and kept eating and drinking PBR's. Guy that waited on us was top notch, never waited for anything, always there when you wanted him. Now to the music. Lee McBee is one of the best harmonica players ever. Band was sensational! Kept bringing up guest players from the audience. The blues was right to your soul. Can't recommend BB's enough. Trying to think of a reason to go back to KC.

thursday nights a b.b.'s are a must when in town. they've got a great rib and beer special and john pauls flying circus band play every thursday night. this band is absolutely awesome. we moved here 2 years ago and found bb's through friends of ours. we've enjoyed taking all our out of town guests here for a great time. this place on a thursday night embodies the soul of kansas city.

Some of the best burnt ends I have ever had. The battered fries are of the broasted chicken house style and really hit the spot. Nice atmosphere and great people. The Sunday afternoon blues show was the first non-smoking show and was really a great idea that I hope catches on. My wife and daughter thought the overall exterior appearance was somehow reminiscent of a certain establishment in the movie “From Dusk Till Dawn” except without the vampires. The only thing this place may make bleed is your ears. If you like your blues good AND loud then you will not be disappointed. If you have ever worried about hearing loss then you may want to sneak in some ear plugs to take the edge off, believe me you will still be able to hear the music as well as the folks on the deck outside. You probably won’t be alone; the bass player was wearing a pair when we were there. Be prepared to pay a cover charge if you plan to stay for the live music. If blues and barbeque sound like a marriage made in heaven then this could be the perfect honeymoon for the senses. Download the map from the website to get around the road construction, contrary to some reports you can get there from here.

Atmosphere is great, they bring in some great musicians. BBQ is a 3 stars in my book, but the overall experience is well worth the visit. Cheep beer, good BBQ, and great music make it a must destination.

Great pulled pork, and the best battered fries ive ever had, great blusey atmosphere, i can't believe the owner would ever have made a comment like that, they are always kind as can be when i go in on wednesdays for lunch. i think the person who made the previous comment must have been having a bad day when she went in there. check it out and decide for yourself!!

I was not only insulted by the waitress for the amount of my tip (as I was writing out the credit card receipt, I had actually planned on adding cash until she acted so unbelievably rudely), but then the owner walked up to me, actually POKED me, and asked me why I didn't tip the waitress better. First of all, I pointed out that tipping is optional, and that we were NOT aware that the cover charge would apply to the three of us since we were there since 6 pm and the band didn't start until 9 pm. He then proceeded to kick me out of the establishment, which I agreed to and then told him me, my friends, and family would NOT EVER be back. He then said something to me that was VERY unprofessional and un-businesslike, and my party and I left.

If you like real pork bar-b-que and blues, this is a must visit.