Chef J BBQ

Got a recommendation for the cheesy corn here and they were right! You can really taste the wood, it was incredible! Not much else to say here, just great BBQ!+Nice thick cut brisket with crunchy bark-The sandwich bun was poor quality

I finally made it to Chef J BBQ. I ordered the MVP sandwich which consisted of pulled pork, burnt end & a piece of sausage on a potato bun. I ordered the $5 combo which consisted of 1 small side & small drink. I added another side as well. My side choice's were hickory smoke beans and cheesy corn. The meats on the sandwich were moist and tender. The sausage had a bit of a kick. I added the sweet bbq sauce to the sandwich. The cheesy corn was awful, not sure what it tasted like, but after 2 bites I tossed it! The beans were Smokey and just ok, nothing to brag about. Overall I'll never return.The staff were very accommodating.The dining room could have used a wipe down of the tables after each use.

Phenomenal. Best BBQ in the city and it isn't particularly close...If you like moist brisket this is the only place in town that I have found it as most BBQ places use the fattier ends of the brisket for burnt ends. Jalapeño sausage also very solid and the Banana Pudding is to die for. Their BBQ sauces are also all fantastic. Highly recommend!

Fantastic end to a KC BBQ trail adventure!There was already a line at the opening time of 11:30, but the smoky meat smell had been permeating through West Bottoms since early morning. I was wandering around an hour earlier and the smell had my mouth watering, totally reminding me of the reason I came downtown.The line moves quickly and soon enough you will have to decide on your order. I decided, reluctantly, on the two meat plate...despite the idea for a sandwich on this visit...let me tell you I would not be disappointed.The potato salad was amazing. The bacon and bleu cheese had the perfect balance of traditional ingredients but then boom pow with blue cheese flavor and creaminess. Of course, the bacon makes it yummier.The hickory baked beans were thick with molasses-y flavor, smokey even. I like the beans, but maybe next time the chipotle helotes (spicy corn)...no, maybe not. I don't know that it would live up to the flavors of the real West or Southwest...but the cucumber salad looked interesting too. Don't miss out on that potato salad though.Now...the meats. I was super impressed with their burnt ends. If they were the best ones I had during the trip. They had a good balance of rich sweet smokiness. These ones are made with pork belly and you can tell as I sliced them up how rich in flavor and juiciness they were. Chef J's is my new KC burnt ends standard bearer. The pork ribs were also done very well. It was fall off the bone, full of flavor. The ribs of which you got three meaty costilles that were crispy yet melted in your mouth. The outer was caramelized like. I was happy with my meat choices.This was an amazing end to my visit to KC. I don't think you would be disappointed coming to West Bottoms and trying anything that is smoked at Chef J's.A must visit.

Chef J BBQ might just be the best BBQ in KC! From the thick-cut brisket to the amazing sides and desserts, this place has everything. The brisket was perfectly tender with just the right amount of smoky flavor, but what really surprised us were the sides and desserts. The banana pudding was unreal--definitely save room for it!The staff is super friendly and easygoing, making the atmosphere laid-back and fun. Seating is comfortable, but heads up: be prepared to wait in line at peak times, especially on weekends. It's totally worth it, though! We can't wait to come back and work our way through the rest of the menu!

DELICIOUS! Very friendly staff that are quick and efficient. I had the bacon burnt ends, smoked elote, and Mac & cheese. Phenomenal quality!

Chef J BBQ was my brother's number one choice to go to for BBQ based on the recommendation of someone who moved into Kansas City years ago. We made our first stop here for lunch about 1pm and the smell was making us full. We parked and got to the door. A handwritten "Sold Out" sign was taped to it. Not a good start to our vacation. We had to go somewhere else.Of course, we decided to make a return trip the next day. The restaurant opens at 11:30am and we got there this time at 10:45. This time, we were first in line! By the time the restaurant opened, the line was about 30 deep. Turned to be definitely worth the second trip as Chef J was so much better than the other BBQ place we went to (although that was also pretty good). You enter and walk straight to the ordering counter. The large chalkboard menu was hanging from the ceiling. Some written specials were posted on the front of the counter. Today's included a blueberry dessert. I ordered the Beastmode sandwich. This monster sandwich had multiple types of meat including turkey, house made sausage, brisket, pulled pork, and was topped with two ribs. You can also upgrade to a combo which has one side and a drink. They have Coke products here. Yea! My side was smoked elotes (corn). I also had the difficult decision to make for dessert - the everyday served banana pudding or the special blueberry. I went banana. My brother also got the Beastmode and my brother-in-law went with the MVP. This sandwich featured brisket, sausage, pulled pork, and burnt ends. We also ordered bacon burnt ends.The food was amazing. Smoked flavor came popping through, the ribs were tender and so calling my name. The bacon burnt ends were about 1/2 lb of one inch cubes of some of the best BBQ I've had. The banana pudding was good but I've had better. My family had the blueberry which was huge! It was like a smoked blueberry compote and muffin mashed into a pie and smoked again. So good when I tried one of theirs. My smoked elotes had some lime and cheese in there and was a nice complement to the sandwich. Had to have a veggie in there somehow besides the pickles and "slaw" that comes with every plate. All meals come with three small ramekins of three different sauces. One was vinegar based, one mustard based, and one more BBQ saucy. I asked and had the BBQ saucy for all three.I could've eaten at Chef J for every meal and not been disappointed.When we finally left, the line was still going strong. They stay open until sell-out or mid-afternoon, whichever comes first. As I already said, we found out the hard way the first time.We checked out the huge smokers on the side of the restaurant outside. Wish I had one of these bad boys at home!Total just for me was about $38 for the Beastmode with upgrade to a combo and the banana pudding.Definitely make the trip to Chef J for at least one of of your BBQ stops in Kansas City.

My wife and I took advantage of the Fourth of July and decided to continue our Kansas City BBQ tour by stopping by Chef J. We came expecting a long line and wait time to get served but we thankfully we arrived early enough and were able to pretty much walk straight up to the counter. The location is pretty no frills but it sits in a very aesthetically pleasing reclaimed warehouse in the West Bottoms. The man that served us at the counters was kind and knowledgeable and pointed us in the right direction for how to order and the lady who checked us out was very kind and talkative.We decided to split a four meat platter with sides of mac and cheese and smoked elote. We ordered the bacon burnt ends, pulled pork, cheddar jalapeño sausage, and brisket! We found that the four meat platter was plenty of food for two and we ordered the perfect amount and walked away full with no leftovers. We wish we could have gotten the Ribs but they were sold out when we arrived. The meal itself was absolutely to die for and I definitely get the hype! The pulled pork, sausage and bacon burnt ends were among the best I've had in KC if not THE best. I will say I wish the brisket was more moist, the mac and cheese had some salt and maybe some other cheeses, and they provided more generous cups for the sauces for dipping and pouring, but they are relatively minor complaints when the meal was near perfect as a while.Some more in depth notes on the meat and sides:- Bacon Burnt Ends: Near perfect and might be my favorite burnt end that I've had in the city, great bacon flavor, bark and seasoning profile were next level. Melted in my mouth. I would have gotten a double order and gotten more of this instead of the brisket they were that good -Pulled Pork: if the ribs were available we wouldn't have ordered this and swapped them out, but I am very glad we had it, because this is easily the best pulled pork I've ever had, well seasoned, cooked perfectly and made me wish we had more, this is definitely worth your time and I can't recommend it enough- Sausage: nearly perfect, good amounts of jalapeño and cheese and carried great seasoning and flavor, was a highlight for me and one of my favorite sausages that I've had in KC.- Brisket: not bad but also the pieces we were served were unfortunately dry and there wasn't a ton of fat content to make up for it. When everyone else says the brisket is perfectly moist and melts in your mouth when they ate there, I'll just write it off as us getting the end of a piece or it sat for a bit due to it being slower because of the holiday. Sides: - Elote: very good and had a good kick!- Mac and Cheese: Just ok, wish it had some more salt and maybe a more robust cheese mixed in to make the flavor pop, but it wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination.All in all this is a must try, easily on my Mount Rushmore of BBQ that I've had and tried during my tour of the BBQ scene here in KC, this will absolutely be a must visit spot in the future and I'm already getting excited for it!

We've been wanting to try this spot for a while and it lives up to the hype. We got the Frito boat which has pulled pork and brisket and one of the sandwiches. The only side we tried were the beans, and they're on par w jack stacks. Everything was delicious, they nailed the perfect KC BBQ flavor and their sauce selection is great. I particularly loved the spicy mustard. It's located right next door to The Beast and there are a lot of cool thirty stores in the area. There's plenty of parking under the overpass. This is on my top 5 BBQ places now, I need to come back and try the burnt ends.

I LOVE the location for Chef J. It's in the West Bottoms, which feels like an area that people often forget about until it's the time of year to visit the Beast or Edge of Hell again. I know there are other stores and such in the area as well, but it seems that they are often overlooked. With any luck, places like Chef J BBQ can drive more traffic to this historic area of Kansas City. The staff were extremely helpful as they offered recommendations for a first-time visitor to the restaurant. I got the MVP sandwich that comes with brisket, pulled pork, sausage, and a single burnt end to top it off. I will say that there were some very hard bits in the pulled pork that were missed when making my sandwich as these pieces shouldn't be served. However, the sausage and brisket were very good and the mustard-based sauce was AMAZING. If you get the street corn, make sure you mix it up before eating because they put all the spice right on top. I can't say this is the best BBQ I've ever had in Kansas City, but it made a good enough impression that I fully intend to visit again soon.You can see more of our experience on our YouTube travel channel: https://youtu.be/PVGDpfXN4nU