The Barbecue Meccas of Kansas City and Wichita
Kansas City crowns itself as the Barbecue Capital of the World for having more than 100 places to savor slow-roasted meat in the metro area. Hungry visitors line up outside a former gas station to try the signature Z-Man brisket sandwich at Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Q. In a small house-turned-restaurant, Woodyard Bar-B-Que lists chili topped with burnt ends among its specialties. Black linen napkins set the tone for a classy night of pit-smoked ’cue at Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue in the suburb of Overland Park. Also in Overland Park, Q39 (opening spring 2017) serves a burger of brisket topped with sliced burnt ends and spicy pickle slaw.
Credit: Nate Luke
With more than 30 barbecue restaurants in Wichita, the intoxicating smell of meat cooking over smoldering wood is never too far away. Seasoned with 14 spices, the spareribs at Bite Me BBQ cook 16 hours for juicy, fall-off-the-bone tenderness. When Pigs Fly BBQ cuts a chicken in half, rubs on a homemade blend of seasonings and smokes it over pecan wood. Barbecue championship ribbons and trophies cover the walls at Pig In Pig Out BBQ, home to some of the state’s most succulent pulled pork, ribs and brisket. Try a variety of their meats by ordering a few sliders.
Credit: Ryan Donnell
While the KC metro area is famous for the huge number of BBQ restaurants you'll find there, you don’t have to be traveling through the metro areas to find our famous Kansas City-style smoked meats.
Doughnuts
Back to Top of List4 Doughnut Gems
Varsity Donuts, Manhattan
Kansas State students line up for Bacon Bomb fritters at the bakery’s food truck, open until 2:30 a.m. on weekends. The younger crowd opts for the Fruity Pebbles flavor as well as one decorated to resemble Cookie Monster.
Credit: Blaine Moats
Druber’s Donut Shop, Newton
Chocolate frosting and homemade peanut butter icing cover the wildly popular Peanut Butter Roll, a twisted raised doughnut.
Hurts Donut, Wichita
For around-the-clock cravings, this 24-hour bakery serves more than 70 doughnut varieties, some topped with pretzels or strawberries and others iced with brightly colored designs of mermaids and campfires.
John’s Space Age Donuts, Overland Park
Savor a cinnamon-infused apple fritter while on one of the swivel stools in this classic joint (celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2017).
Kansas means great homecookin' and homegrown goodness at plenty of local shops and eateries. Find your favorite flavor below – and see delicious recipes inspired by Kansas products and restaurants in KANSAS! Magazine.
Farm-to-table
Back to Top of ListFarm-to-Fork Favorites
Chefs around the state take full advantage of Great Plains farms and gardens for their seasonal dishes. Known for U-pick blackberries, Elderslie Farm near Valley Center serves beautifully plated entrees like short ribs in a balsamic-red wine reduction during its farm-to-table dinners. In an 1870s home in the shadow of the Capitol in Topeka, RowHouse Restaurant chef Greg Fox crafts berry-poached apple and kohlrabi salad using ingredients from the on-site garden.
Harvest Kitchen and Bar in Wichita sources beef from Creekstone Farms (50 miles south) and white cheddar from Jason Wiebe Dairy (65 miles north) to create its Angus burgers. Goat cheese from Goddard Farm fills pasta served with lamb sausage and fresh herbs at 715, a European-style bistro in Lawrence. At Renée Kelly’s Harvest (inside a Shawnee home resembling a European castle), Renée Kelly pan-sears duck breast and serves it with potatoes fried in duck fat.
Credit: Blaine Moats
Farm to table, farm to fork, locally sourced…whatever you call it, know that it will be farm fresh, local and keep you wanting more.
Fried Chicken
Back to Top of List4 Fried Chicken Classics
Chicken Mary’s, Pittsburg
Mary Zerngast started serving tender fried chicken to customers in her kitchen in 1942. It’s one of six long-standing fried-chicken restaurants in Crawford County.
Chicken Annie’s Original, Pittsburg
Down the street from Chicken Mary’s, this restaurant also has humble beginnings: Annie Pichler turned her living room into a dining area in 1934 after a coal mine accident disabled her husband.
Credit: Bob Stefko
Hays House, Council Grove
One of the oldest continuously operating eating establishments west of the Mississippi River (it opened in 1857) fries chicken to a golden brown in cast-iron skillets.
Legacy Kansas - Abilene (Formerly Brookville Hotel)
For 147 years, heaping platters of chicken fried in lard have remained the main attraction of family-style dinners that come with a side of homemade sweet-and-sour coleslaw.
Hungry for more? Whether you’re craving a leisurely dinner at a fine-dining favorite or a quick pit stop at a local dive, find restaurants near you at TravelKS.com/restaurants and check out the 2017 Kansas Official Travel Guide for more delicious inspiration. #ToTheStarsKS
Golden, buttery and fried – what’s better than fried chicken? Fried chicken in Kansas! A tradition dating back in Kansas history, fried chicken is a staple food.
