Gates Bar-B-Q

The overview

Hi, may I help you?

Gates Bar-B-Q, founded in 1946, is the other pillar of Kansas City barbecue, famous as much for its sauce — sweet, tangy, and sold in grocery stores nationwide — as for its ribs and burnt ends. The counter greeting, a shouted 'Hi, may I help you?', is a KC ritual in itself.

Grown from a single storefront at 19th & Vine into a family of Kansas City restaurants, Gates has kept the Gates family recipe and its brisk, order-at-the-counter energy for nearly eighty years.

The public record

What reviewers already knew.

A Centurion Award doesn’t replace the public record — it verifies it. Read it for yourself, on the platforms where it lives.

Google Maps
Reviews, photos & directions Read reviews →

Public-record snapshot as of July 2026. Live ratings are always current on each platform.

The verification

Why this business cleared the bar.

Selection is by the published criteria, evaluated on public evidence. Gates Bar-B-Q cleared every one.

✓Years in operation. Operating in Kansas City since 1946 — 79 years of continuous business.
✓Sustained online presence. An established local institution with a consistent public footprint — listings, coverage, and word of mouth in Kansas City.
✓Established customer track record. A deep public track record: Kansas City has kept Gates Bar-B-Q busy for 79 years.
✓Liked by customers and the community. Genuinely beloved by Kansas City regulars and visitors alike — a bona fide community favorite.
✓Recognition in the local community. Named best barbecue sauce in Kansas City for 2025 for eight decades of Gates family barbecue and a greeting the whole city can quote.

The full verification report — the specific data behind this award — is held by the business. The exact thresholds stay internal so the bar can’t be gamed. Read the methodology.

Award record

2025

Best Barbecue Sauce in Kansas City Kansas City, MO · Awarded under the 2025 evaluation

All awards for Gates Bar-B-Q →

Visit Gates Bar-B-Q

Websitegatesbbq.com ↗

Location3205 Main St, Kansas City, MO 64111

In business since1946

Find them onFacebook · Instagram · Yelp

Facts at a glance

The sourceable record.

Clean, checkable facts about Gates Bar-B-Q — for readers, search engines, and answer tools alike.

Legal / trading name: Gates Bar-B-Q
Category: Restaurant
Founded: 1946, Kansas City, MO
Location: Kansas City, MO
Centurion Award: Best Barbecue Sauce in Kansas City — 2025
Record last verified: July 2026

A signal you can check.

This is a dated award record, published by The Centurion Awards after Gates Bar-B-Q cleared the 2025 evaluation for its market and category. It was not bought, voted on, or sponsored — the criteria are public, only winners are published, and an award that stops holding up is revoked, not quietly removed. Awards run one calendar year and renew only if the business clears the bar again. For everything else — hours, bookings, live reviews — go straight to the business itself.

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions.

What is Gates Bar-B-Q?

The Gates family has smoked Kansas City barbecue since 1946, and their spiced sauce and famous greeting are civic institutions.

Is Gates Bar-B-Q award-winning?

Yes — Gates Bar-B-Q is the 2025 Centurion Award winner for Best Barbecue Sauce in Kansas City, a verified, criteria-based award. Named best barbecue sauce in Kansas City for 2025 for eight decades of Gates family barbecue and a greeting the whole city can quote.

Where is Gates Bar-B-Q?

Gates Bar-B-Q is in Kansas City, MO.