New ranking says this Kansas City barbecue restaurant is the city’s best
A popular restaurant near Kansas City International Airport was named the top barbecue spot in the city, according to a new ranking.
Stacker created a list of the highest-rated barbecue restaurants in 50 major cities throughout the United States using September 2025 data from Yelp. The list includes cities like Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Atlanta, New Orleans, New York and Kansas City.
With 799 reviews totaling 4.7 out of 5 stars, Scott’s Kitchen and Catering at Hangar 29, 11920 N. Ambassador Drive, claimed the top spot in Kansas City.
The restaurant owned by Scott Umschied opened its doors in 2017, but he had a background in barbecue long before. He entered his first barbecue competition in 2009 under Buckwood Smokers with family and friends.
The restaurant serves brisket, burnt ends, pulled pork, chicken, sausage, ribs and turkey in a variety of forms. Visitors can order them as a plate meal with sides like baked beans, cheesy potatoes and jalapeño apple slaw. They can also have the meats in a sandwich, taco, burrito or bowl.
This isn’t the first Yelp list that Scott’s Kitchen has been included on. They were ranked No. 4 on Yelp’s best restaurants in Missouri list in 2025. In 2024, the review site released the top 100 U.S. barbecue spots, where Scott Kitchen’s came in at No. 35.
