The nation’s biggest restaurant rivalries? Two Kansas City barbecues make the list

Mashed, an online site for national food news, has published a new list on restaurant adversaries, including two Kansas City barbecues.

Mashed says every region has its own distinctive specialties that are must-tries for any visitor. The problem is when locals can’t agree on who makes the “best of the best.”

The list, “These Are The Top US Restaurant Rivalries,” pits regional favorites for cannoli, cheesesteaks, Coney Island hot dogs, deep dish pizza and more. In Kansas City, it’s barbecue.

“Barbecue battles tend to center around which regional style is best, with Texas, North Carolina, Memphis, and Kansas City among the main contenders. We’re not going to get into that particular debate right now. Instead, we’ll focus on which barbecue joint makes the very best ’cue,” Mashed said.

While Kansas City is home to numerous near-legendary barbecue restaurants, it said two of the most famous “must surely be Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque and Gates Bar-B-Q.”

It gave Bryant’s props for longevity — dating back to 1908. Gates was founded in 1946.

“They’re still running neck and neck. Bryant’s has a 4.0 Trip Advisor rating and is rated the No. 51 restaurant in town, while Gates, still playing Avis to their Hertz, also has a 4.0 rating and comes in at No. 113,” Mashed said.

Another regional rivalry: Chicken Annie’s vs. Chicken Mary’s in Pittsburg, Kansas.

“Popeye’s, KFC, et al., do turn out a decent product, but nothing compares to real, fried-on-the-bone chicken — even if you do have to journey into the heart of the Heartland to find it done just right,” it said.

Chicken Annie’s Original and Chicken Mary’s “serve up the crispiest, juiciest chicken you’ve ever tasted.”

Mashed said Chicken Annie’s has been in business just a bit longer as it got its start during the Great Depression. Chicken Mary’s opened in the early 1940s.

“Amazingly enough, BBC Travel reports that both restaurants are still run by the same families, while a Chicken Annie’s offshoot is run by both, as one of the Chicken Mary’s clans married into the Annie’s family — kind of like the Romeo and Juliet of fried chicken, only minus the hostility as the rivalry has never been anything other than a friendly one,” Mashed said.