Kansas City tops national list of best barbecue cities in the U.S. KCK came in 3rd
Kansas City just celebrated BBQ Fest at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium last weekend, and now the city has another reason to celebrate.
A new ranking from LawnStarter named Kansas City the best barbecue city in the country for 2023.
St. Louis came in No. 2, and No. 3 was Kansas City, Kansas.
LawnStarter’s methodology started with determining the factors that are the most relevant to ranking the best barbecue cities in the country. They grouped these factors into five categories and calculated scores out of 100 for each of the 200 biggest cities in the United States:
Access
Consumer satisfaction
Competition awards
Elite BBQ memberships
Hosting
KCMO finished with an overall score of 52.68, six points more than St. Louis. Kansas City’s score was boosted by coming in first for hosting barbecue competitions and for having the most people with elite BBQ membership.
The city might’ve scored higher if it didn’t finish 85th in barbecue access. For this ranking, LawnStarter looked at barbecue vendors and smokehouses per 100,000 residents.
Missouri and Kansas are well represented throughout the list. Springfield finished No. 7, Olathe No. 17 and Overland Park was ranked No. 22.
Don’t believe Kansas City should’ve finished in the top spot? A look at KC’s barbecue guide might change your mind.
