By Vanessa Whiteside on October 30, 2026
Where to Sink Your Teeth Into Mouth-Watering Kansas Barbecue
Sliced, tender brisket. Burnt ends with crispy, caramelized edges. Ribs dripping with sticky, sweet sauce. Kansas barbecue pitmasters have mastered smoked meats along with classic sides like mac-and-cheese and baked beans.
Follow the aroma of hardwood-smoked meat to these independently owned restaurants to sink your teeth into some of the best-tasting Kansas barbecue.
Mercer BBQ
Soldier
Sometimes, the best barbecue restaurant sits off a less-traveled highway in a small town situated between the post office and the city park. Folks gather in Soldier at Mercer BBQ’s door as more people arrive by car for lunch or dinner. A handwritten sidewalk sign displays the day’s specials.
Award-winning pulled pork and cherry-smoked spare ribs are signature favorites, and regulars will tell you to order the truffle mac-and-cheese and cheesy ranch potatoes. To leave without ordering a scratch-made slice of pie or made-to-order beignets would be a crime. A family-operated restaurant, Mercer BBQ earned top honors in the Kids Q division at Smoke in the Spring, an annual Kansas City Barbecue Society-sanctioned competition.
Mercer BBQ
209 1st Street, Soldier
(785) 328-9949
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Station 8 BBQ
Wichita
Station 8 BBQ’s owner Alex Eftekhar knows how to keep diners coming back for smoked Wagyu brisket, burnt ends and jalapeño cornbread pudding. Customers wait in a line wrapped around the building for lunch, hoping to order before the meats sell out.
Inside the restored 1920s firehouse, lunch-goers can dine on stacked sandwiches or combo plates. Groups know The Yeti, a five-meat platter with four homemade sides, is the ultimate dig-in experience. The restaurant is a feast for the eyes, thanks to the owner’s love of antiques. Vintage Coleman Company lanterns and firehouse relics decorate the space. Across the street, Eftekhar’s soon-to-open second restaurant, a refurbished 1950s diner, awaits future customers.
Station 8 BBQ
1100 E. 3rd Street N., Wichita
(316) 841-8549
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We B Smokin’
Paola
People don’t just drive to We B Smokin’; they fly their airplanes there. Located at the Miami County Airport, the casual barbecue restaurant attracts hungry travelers and locals seeking fall-off-the-bone baby back ribs and sweet baked beans, served overflowing from a Styrofoam bowl.
Customers wait to be seated at red-and-white checkered tables with window views of arriving and departing planes, giving the place unique charm. Voted Best of Miami County for BBQ/Smoked Meat, the menu also includes hamburgers and sandwiches like a Philly Cheesesteak. Extra hungry? Order the Super We-B For Two with a choice of two sides.
We B Smokin’
32580 Airport Road, Paola
(913) 256-6802
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