q39

outstanding!

this may be the best bbq in kansas city. i hit it for lunch again today. the ribs were the best in kansas city. superb. the meat was just right and it fell off the big bones. the ribs were extremely meaty. where do they buy these slabs? the onion straws are the best - onion ring type item in kc. this place has wonderful service in addition to the top notch bbq.

excellent! my friends and i are on a bbq tour. we hit q39 for lunch and found the food to be very good! the food was also very expensive for lunch. i had an excellent medium sized brisket sandwich, beans, onion straws & a tea. after a tip, my personal bill was $28!!!!! (1 person)
the service was good, and our waiter was busy with plenty of tables.
ribs were very high priced for kc. they had a small 4 rib lunch portion for over $8.
the food is good, prices are high, as the sit down service and ambience are fancy.
if you are in the mood for fancy, good, expensive bbq, this is a good spot to hit.

it's on my favorites.... a few years ago we made the bbq pilgrimage to lockhart, tx. the brisket and sausage ruined me for what was available in kc... ruined me! q39 has brought some brisket and sausage redemption to kc. to be honest, with the food quality, service and setting, q39 is a contender for destination kc bbq.

this place is okay, and i liked the food, but it felt like style over substance. prices definitely reflected this. for an entire entree, they gave me a cup of bbq sauce that was the size of one of those paper cups you pump ketchup into at mcdonald's. unacceptable! again, food itself was good, but just did not feel like a legit bbq joint.

great bbq. if you are a bbq fanatic, and you pride yourself on being a great bbq cook, and you did not like this food, then you are simply jealous because you cant produce this kind of bbq yourself. hands down the best brisket i have ever eaten. peace!

q39 scratches in the corner pocket.... today i took a friend, for his birthday, to q39. we are both bbq fanatics; eating and cooking. the dining room is nice, spacious, and rustic in a neo-industrial way. you are greeted at the door and taken to a table by the host and seated. the place filled up very quickly, with mostly a more corporate clientele.
we started off with "best wings on the planet," which were fried, baked, and grilled and came with a chipotle bbq sauce glaze. the texture was quite appealing and the flavor was nice. we thought this was a good sign... careful what thinking will do...
we then each ordered, the birthday boy ordered the judges plate pick 3, with pork, sliced brisket, and 2 ribs with a side of beans, i ordered the burnt end burger, medium rare.
when the food arrived it looked good and we split everything up to try it all. we went after the pork first, it was pre-sauced, and only about a 3oz portion. the only discernible flavor was celery salt, we were both shocked by the utter lack of any smoke flavor. this pork reminded us of fsp (food service pack) pork.
moving on to the smoked(?) sliced brisket, which was only 3 slices with just a bit of sauce drizzled on it. it was sliced thin and had a nice smoke ring. once again tender, well cooked but this had no flavor at all, nothing. how can such a nice smoke ring provide no flavor whatsoever?
finally, the ribs, 2 spares with the tips (knuckles) still attached (not a st. louis cut). the ribs were cooked very nicely, if but not just a touch too long as the meat came off the bone rather easily. the smoke ring was nice, not to deep. finally, a hint of smoke flavor, but that is it.
we split the burnt end burger, which is a burger (in this case medium, ordered medium rare) with burnt ends over the top and spicy pickle slaw (which was not spicy) on a bun with the basic (classic) sauce. the flavors here a jumble, and had no direction until the zesty sauce was applied. the burnt ends, which should be the focal point are hardly noticeable, and had only about as mush smoke flavor as the ribs.
all of these items came with the basic (classic) sauce, which is as it sounds basic. we asked for some of the zesty sauce, to which we received a 1/4 full small ramekin, it had a bit of a bite, but nothing truly special.
in order best to worst; wings, ribs, burnt end burger, brisket, puled pork.
we discussed our meal while waiting on the check, and were in complete agreement; for what this meal cost, and the portions, not worth it. if you like real kansas city style smoked meats, this is not the place for you. if you care for uninspired, generic bbq that takes no risks, this place is all you.
i have added three photos of the meal to urbanspoon.

cool atmosphere and good service. burnt ends, ribs, brisket were all good

i compete with bbq and i am a snob. q39 has raised the bar in kc with the quality and consistency of their q. i recommend to anyone esp out of towners, you must try it. warning: will ruin all other bbqs for you. must get the burnt ends here. it’s like candy made from meat. will melt in your mouth. place is always packed but i have never waited more than 5 min. to get in.

excellent bbq. i ordered the burnt ends burger which is exactly that, a burger topped with burnt ends (roast beef tips that are super smokey tender). the fries came with delicious seasoning. for a bbq joint, this is a higher class place then normal. it was a great atmosphere. they had a good beer menu too. we started with an appetizer of corn dogs made of two varieties: sausage and pulled pork (no hot dogs). it comes with maple syrup to dip the pork and bbq sauce for the sausage. the syrup was a great combo.

stopped by with some friends for lunch before the baseball game. had been wanting to stop by here for a long time and finally made it work and it did not disappoint. one of the absolute best bbq joints i’ve ever eaten at. no knives required. the brisket was tender and juicy, the ribs were perfectly smoked and pull off the bone tender, but not falling apart. the burnt ends were like meat desert. ate at the bar and took the bar tender’s recommendation and was extremely glad i did. make sure you try this top 25 kc bbq joint!

always ask a local. q39 did not disappoint.... friendly & attentive service, awesome flight of local ipas, short rib corndog starter and a combo plate featuring the best rib i've ever had. kc bbq at it's finest.

best bqq in kansas city!!!! their onion straws are amazinggg!! must try the mr. burns sandwhich! first bqq place i’ve ever said is better than oklahoma joe’s!

i love the food,staff, and atmosphere, but.. it's way too busy. you have to make a reservation a long time ahead before you go because it is really good and yes, it's rightfully deserved it's busyness but it gets obnoxious. (sorry if i didn't spell right i did this when i was tired.)

this is a really cool place. love the decor, attention to detail everywhere. gives you the impression of modern but an old school appeal as well. this has to be close if not the best bbq i have had in a long time. i ordered ribs and brisket. the ribs were really well prepared and seasoned well. the brisket was very tender, moist and had awesome flavor. the bbq sauce, which was not really needed was amazing. to top it off, the service spot on as well a lady named bella was the server behind the bar. really can’t ask for much more....

a busy place with great smells and beer. i had the brisket dinner that included both sliced and burnt ends. the brisket was tender and full off flavor.