Under-the-radar Kansas City restaurant makes New York Times list: ‘Humbled’
It started as a favorite meal at family gatherings. Now Matthew Montgomery’s cooking has received national recognition as one of the top eating destinations in the United States.
The Kansas City native is the creator behind KC Turkey Leggman. This turkey-centered barbecue restaurant opened its brick-and-mortar spot in 2022 at 1916 Quindaro Blvd. in Kansas City, Kansas.
Before then, he was selling turkey legs through word-of-mouth, using his friend’s grill and then buying one of his own for $25. He later landed a food truck off Facebook Marketplace two weeks before the COVID-19 shutdowns.
He traveled to every spot possible in the Kansas City metro when the truck was officially street legal, and you can still see Montgomery inside the food truck at First Friday and at events like Tacos & Tequila.
The lines may be much longer now that more people know his name.
The New York Times unveiled its list of the top 50 restaurants in the country, and Montgomery’s creation was included. The news publication says that they made their selections based on the results of 14 reporters and editors, who took 76 flights to eat more than 200 meals in 33 states.
When Montgomery got the call from The Times that he would be featured, he thought it was fake.
“Honestly, I thought it was a scam,” Montgomery said. “Because last year for the Chiefs’ last playoff game, we got an email saying that (someone) wanted us to come out with the truck and all this stuff. And right at the last minute, they wanted my credit card information.”
Montgomery decided to focus on turkey legs during a family cookoff in 2017, when he, his brother and their cousins were having a competition to see who made the best ribs. He decided that he’d show up with turkey legs instead, and since the family loved them, he’d knew he had something to work with.
Turkey legs also became a focus since Montgomery found that they’re hard to come by in Kansas City. He’s filling the void if you’re not heading to the Renaissance Fair or Worlds of Fun.
He said it’s a secret sauce made using a family recipe that makes his turkey products stand out. The family atmosphere also helps keep his love for cooking going, since his kids and one of his cousins are with him in the kitchen getting the food ready.
Eight years later and the newfound fame has found him and the family-run restaurant running out of turkey legs in recent days. His phone, both work and personal, has not stopped ringing, and his social media accounts are flooded with comments and messages about the Times list.
He’s also no longer Matthew or his middle name, Ryan, in the eyes of the community. He’s simply “Turkeyleggman” whenever he’s out in the community whether he likes or not, but luckily he loves it, he said.
“I’m humbled by it,” Montgomery said.
What’s next? Acquiring more food trucks before the 2026 World Cup. He has one truck right now, and wants to have enough to get turkey legs to everyone visiting Kansas City during the month-long global soccer tournament.
What’s on the menu at KC Turkey Leggman?
You can get turkey legs along with traditional barbecue meats and sides inside KC TurkeyLeggman. Visitors can order online and pick up these items:
- Turkey Stuffed Bustdown, a turkey leg topped with macaroni & cheese: $27
- Loaded turkey fries: $18
- Burnt end nachos: $18
- Beef Polish sausage sandwich with fries: $18
- Nate Dawg, a smoked beef polish sausage topped with burnt ends and barbecue sauce: $20
The restaurant is open from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; 1 to 9 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. It’s closed Monday and Tuesday.
This story was originally published September 12, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
