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 record was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record. 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.
The details, verified.
- 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
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.
Every award, on the record.
Each Centurion Award is its own dated annual record, and staying current means clearing the bar again each new year. The verification above is from the latest published award. Open a year for that year’s citation.
2025 Centurion Award
Best Barbecue Sauce in Kansas City Kansas City, MO · Awarded under the 2025 evaluation View the 2025 award →Awards run one calendar year and renew only if the business clears the bar again. Selection is by published criteria, never for sale.
Visit Gates Bar-B-Q
A signal you can check.
This page is the standing record for Gates Bar-B-Q (2025). It was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record; the business did not have to apply for it to appear. It wasn’t voted on or sponsored, and selection is not for sale. Owners can claim the listing or ask us to remove it. For hours, bookings, and live reviews, go straight to the business itself.
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 for free to manage it, correct it, or remove it. If you want the award kit (badge, certificate, and announcement), you pay after you claim. Through December 31, 2026, publishing is $99. The evaluation itself is free. The $99 covers the first year only. Renewals are $199/year. That fee never buys selection.
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.