Smokehouse Barbecue - Kansas City, MO (Zona Rosa)

Reviews 5

GT

gT comer

Our first visit to this location was not exactly the best dining experience. It started with a rude greeting from a childish and rude host, and ended with smaller than normal portions. In between, the server was pleasant enough and friendly, as was the manager. The food was good too, but it did little to make up for the other two points. The first might have been forgotten about, had the portions not been significantly small than the N Oak locations. It all started when we were asked to wait to be seated by the hostess, who with multiple seating options behind her, stood and dutifully organized a few pamphlets at the host desk. 10 minutes into the wait, observing the empty tables available, we inquired about the delay and the abundantly available seating. We were informed that she could not seat our party of 5 at a table meant for 4; that is, in spite of the fact that in two different places in the room, two tables for four were right next to each other. We pointed this out to her. She told us that she would have to move the tables together and with an attitude, informed us that it had only been 9 minutes anyway. She returned to organizing the same 4 pamphlets she had been when we arrived. After 15 minutes, she led the 5 of us to a corner table barely suitable for 3 people. She tossed the menus down and sashayed triumphantly back to her post to continue organizing the pamphlets that suddenly somehow became disorganized again. We requested a Manager. She set it straight and moved us to appropriate seating, which put us at the table(s) we originally identified as suitable. All was well there, until our meals arrived. All of the portions were half what they usually are at the N Oak location, including the sides dishes. I am not sure if that was follow-up for the earlier rude behavior, but do not intend to take another opportunity to find out. There are plenty of other better BBQ spots in Kansas City, where the meal is equitable to the price charged, and the staff not quite so rude.

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AL

albert babendreier

Went in the evening before the eclipse, so the 50-minute wait was acceptable/predictable. Nice decor, and well-lit. Food took way too long(~ 30 minutes). It seems that youd be able to just carve/scoop/fry from existing stock at a bbq place. The meat and fries did come out hot, but the potato salad and slaw were warm when they should be ice cold. They do use high quality meat here. If you are from the East, or an adopted Texan, you will HATE HATE HATE the sauce and the sides. Its on me for not asking to try it before deciding to go slathered or on the side. If you are not a local, ask for sauce on the side. Or better yet, just skip it. It tasted like tomato soup; no tang/no sweet/no spice/no bite/no personality. AWFUL. Also, it had not been heated, so it cooled off the meat. I felt like they ruined really good meat, and was sorely disappointed. I hate to rag on a place like this; maybe its just a cultural misunderstanding. The locals probably love it, as they are used to/expect it, and would probably think the TX or East Coast approaches to BBQ miss badly. Our waitress was very good from greeting until food delivery. I didnt expect her to come over and say "please forgive us sir for having our own take in BBQ in KC, we should abandon it and let out-of-towners tell us how to do it right." But when you see fat people whove waited nearly an hour and a half for their food just kind of pushing it around on their plates, BRING THE CHECK PROMPTLY so we can all put it all behind us/get over it. I cant remember the last time I didnt tip at least 20%, but she got 15, on the nose, of the pre-tax total. KC was a very good host to us, and I was raised to know it is unseemly for guests to criticize/nitpick, but this is BBQ, and this is important. If you are from TX or the East, go to the Dickeys right around the corner; youll thank me later.

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RO

Ron Everett

So I drive by the Zona Rosa location frequently during my treks to the airport. Ive been looking to try Smokehouse for some time. I stopped in during the holidays and the atmosphere was fine but I was most delighted to see an actual smoker in the kitchen (open for viewing). We were pleasantly greeted and seated next to two ladies that were having burnt end sandwiches called super crispy. I took a line straight from When Harry Met Sally and said, I will have what shes having. The sandwich comes with friends and pit beans. The pit beans were tasty but lacked the hint of bbq sauces and smoky flavor in which I have become accustomed. I bit into a French fry and it was good enough and the to the guest of honor....my sandwich. I bit into this beautiful specimen of burnt ends chopped and placed atop a sub-like piece of bread and lightly adorned with BBQ sauce. The texture was perfect but was lacking kick from the sauce and smoky flavor from the meat. Had I been duped by smokehouse? It was like the hot woman on Tinder that you finally meet and the beauty that made you swipe right was the result of fancy filters on the camera. This place is solid and I will return to try the ribs in hopes that the smoky flavor that was missing in the super crispy might be there. Gates still remains tops in BBQ with Jack Stack and LCs and Joes of Kansas City (Oklahoma Joes) completing my top 4. If youre hungry and one of those places isnt around try Smokehouse.

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DO

Donovan Gilpin

Absolutely awful. I decided I would have a change of pace and try Smokehouse. I normally eat at Joes KC BBQ, or Q39. I wanted to go outside of my comfort zone, and I certainly did so. The mint julep I had was amazing. It and the baked beans were the only items that were decent. Their ribs were undersized, overdone, and poorly picked. The ribs bones themselves were all broken and splintered in the ribs. The brisket was flavorless. It looked and tasted like it had been boiled. The absolute worst part was, funnily enough, something that should have been impossible to ruin. I ordered a side of mac and cheese. When I tasted it, I nearly gagged, as did the others at the table with me. I did not think it was possible to screw up mac and cheese. To think that this establishment is a large chain in KC of all places, and they charge prices on par with MUCH better restaurants, is astounding. Im seriously surprised they have managed to stay open with the poor quality of the food. That said, the service was good.

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SH

shannon brandau

My family went to smokehouse bbq for dinner tonight and when we walked in it smelled delicious. We sat down in a beautiful dining area and were waited on quickly. I ordered the $15.95 burnt ends platter and everyone else ordered a brisket sandwich. When I received my burnt ends they were huge! I normally order burnt ends at bbq places so I figured they would be like all the others, maybe with a tad different taste. Boy was I wrong..... The burnt ends were mostly fat and there wasnt anything burnt about them. When I took a bite I was disgusted and the fat made me sick. What I thought was burnt colored meat was actually only dark colored pieces of fat. The two sides I ordered were just ok and not worth 3-4 dollars a piece. Needless to say I only placed one piece in my mouth and spit it out on my plate. The waitress appeared not to even notice I ate nothing and refused to take it home as a leftover. I paid the full cost, but I wasnt happy. I wont be returning to this bbq place!

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