Gates Bar-B-Q
Best Barbecue Sauce in Kansas City · MO
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.
Customers said it first.
A Centurion Award verifies the public record that’s already there. Read the reviews yourself on the platforms below.
Public-record snapshot as of July 2026. Live ratings are always current on each platform.
Why this business cleared the bar.
This page was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record. Founding cohort: evaluated in 2026 on public evidence available then, labeled 2025. Selection follows the published criteria; Gates Bar-B-Q met them on that evidence. The business can claim the listing or ask us to remove it.
- ✓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 specific data behind this award, and the exact thresholds, stay internal so the standard can’t be gamed. Read the methodology.
This page was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record; the business did not have to apply for it to appear. Own this business? Claim the listing to manage it, or ask us to remove it.
Award record
2025 Centurion Award
Best Barbecue Sauce in Kansas City Kansas City, MO · Awarded under the 2025 evaluationVisit Gates Bar-B-Q
The details, verified.
Clean, checkable facts about Gates Bar-B-Q.
- 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 reviewing public evidence for Gates Bar-B-Q against the 2025 criteria for its market and category. The business did not have to apply for this page to appear. It wasn’t voted on or sponsored, and selection is not for sale. The criteria are public. Owners can claim the listing or ask us to remove it. If an award stops holding up, we may revoke it. For anything current, like hours or bookings, go straight to the business itself.
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.
Run a business like this one?
If you’ve put in the years, you may already qualify. Evaluation is free, private, and never for sale.