‘This is so sad’: Kansas City area barbecue is closing — but another will replace it
A favorite Northland barbecue restaurant is closing.
Liberty’s Jousting Pigs BBQ, inside 3Halves Brewing Co. at 110 E. Kansas St., posted a notice on its Facebook page Wednesday saying it will close at the end of business Nov. 27, “with a heavy heart.”
“Our time with 3HalvesBrewingCo has ended and we tried to find a new location in Liberty for a stand alone location but were unsuccessful. … We can’t thank the Liberty and surrounding communities enough for their amazing support the last 3 years. We are very proud of everything we accomplished given all the challenges the past few years, and hope to return to the area.”
By Thursday morning the post had more than 620 comments.
▪ “Well this is just one of the saddest things I’ve heard in a long time. You have been a tremendous addition to the Liberty Square area.”
▪ “This is so sad. Your burnt ends will always be the best I’ve ever had.”
▪ “The city of Liberty needs to step up and help find a location for you. I felt so lucky to have this quality of BBQ right here in Liberty.”
▪ “NOOOOOOOOOOOO! Truly our FAVORITE place for BBQ in the city! We recommend it to everyone!”
Jousting Pigs opened with the brewery in September 2019.
John Atwell, owner of Jousting Pigs, said 3Halves wanted to offer more menu items than barbecue, and he wanted his own restaurant space. He lives less than a mile from the current location and got close to signing leases for a couple of area spots.
“There are not a lot of spaces that are ‘restaurant ready’ or they want rents that are more than we are willing to pay. It sucks,” he said. “We love the Liberty area, they have been unbelievably good to us in that community, how they have supported us through COVID. This is our home and where we want to be.”
3Halves will take over the kitchen for a new operation, 3Halves Brew Pub & BBQ, opening in early December. Then it will add rotating seasonal menu items to the barbecue menu starting in early 2023.
“They decided not to renew their lease so we decided to move forward. I’m very passionate about barbecue,” said John Kennebeck, owner.
A year ago, Jousting Pigs opened a second location, taking over the former Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque building in the Legends Outlets Kansas City in Kansas City, Kansas..
The menu includes brisket, pulled pork, ham, chipotle pepper jack sausage, ribs, pork belly burnt ends, green chili cheesy corn, vinegar coleslaw and bacon ranch potato salad.
Jousting Pigs BBQ also has a couple concession stands in Arrowhead Stadium, where it offers such items as pulled pork sandwiches and barbecue brisket nachos.
This story was originally published November 17, 2022 at 11:27 AM.