Is Joe’s still worth the wait? + Weinermobile rolls in
By Rachel Schlueter
Welcome back to Let’s Dish — your one-stop shop for all things eats in Kansas City. I’m Rachel Schlueter, an audience intern at The Star.
This week, I tried the Z-Man at Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que, which has drawn a cult following — even amongst big names like Patrick Mahomes and Barack Obama. But is it still worth the hype?
And, we want to hear from you — which KC-area spot has the best pad thai?
Let’s dig in.
This week’s taste test
Last winter when I told my friends and family I’d be spending the summer in Kansas City, they all told me the same thing: “You have to try the barbecue.”
Even during my first week in the city, my dad would message me nearly every day: “What barbecue have you eaten yet?”
And while I’ve eaten at various barbecue joints around KC during my internship, I hadn’t yet tried what is possibly the city’s most famous barbecue dish: the Z-Man brisket sandwich at Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que.
Named after a local radio host, the Z-Man has become a KC celebrity in its own right, garnering gushing reviews from the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Barack Obama and Paul Rudd.
Getting my hands on this sandwich came at a price: an hour-long line.
But, even if it wasn’t part of my job to wait in line for the sandwich, I’d gladly do it for the chance to taste the 17-hour-long smoked brisket.
The Z-Man sandwich is Joe’s most popular menu item. The restaurant sells about 250,000 per year. Rachel Schlueter
Opening soon in KC
✴️ Do you wish you were an Oscar Mayer wiener? Probably not — but it’s this KC-area native’s full-time job. She drives the aptly named Weinermobile across the U.S., recently stopping in KC.
Oscar Mayer Hotdogger Reana Sinclair, known as RelishRaena, stands for a portrait beside the Wienermobile as it visits a local Hy-Vee on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025, in Lee's Summit. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com
✴️ Live out your European summer at this new Olathe coffee shop, which serves macchiatos, lattes and cappuccinos — plus traditional desserts like burek, croissants and macarons.
✴️ This new West Bottoms nightclub aims to bring global flair to KC with vibrant performances, chic cocktails and velvety pink booths. “We are bringing East meeting West,” one owner said.
Laila Lounge is now open in Kansas City’s West Bottoms. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com
Local spotlight
As Lee’s Summit faces expansive development in its downtown district, this small Italian bistro reminds locals to slow down, savor and stay awhile.
The restaurant, which can only seat 25 people, offers a rotating seasonal menu with fresh ingredients, like summer tomatoes for the scallop amogio dinner or lemons for the limoncello torte cake.
The bistro’s chef, who learned to cook through watching her grandmothers, incorporates a bit of that trademark nonna love in each dish.
We’re on the pursuit for the city’s best pad thai — the quintessential “I don’t feel like cooking tonight” meal, complete with a sweet-sour sauce and crushed peanuts.
