13 Missouri BBQ Joints That Locals Say Serve Fried Chicken As Good As The Brisket
Barbecue joints in Missouri have spent decades perfecting brisket, ribs, and pulled pork, but something interesting happens when those same pitmasters fire up the fryer.
Locals across the state have started whispering about fried chicken so good it rivals the smoked meats that made these spots famous.
We tracked down 13 Missouri barbecue restaurants where the fried chicken earns just as much love as the brisket, proving that smoke and sizzle can share the spotlight.
1. Char Bar – Kansas City, Missouri
On weekend afternoons in Westport, smoke hangs over Char Bar like a neon sign you can smell.
Pitmasters pull brisket from the pits while the kitchen sends out cast-iron skillets piled with crunchy, juicy fried chicken that locals plan their Sundays around.
That bird shows up with fluffy biscuits and rich sides, so plates look like a church potluck met a competition barbecue spread.
Lines stretch across the patio whenever fried chicken and burnt ends share the menu, which tells you exactly how seriously Kansas City residents take both.
2. Q39 Midtown – Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City barbecue fans treat Q39 like sacred ground, and it is hard to blame them once a tray lands in front of you.
Brisket arrives with textbook bark and smoke ring while the kitchen sneaks in a different kind of showstopper, a smoked-then-fried chicken that fans rave about whenever it appears alongside mac and cheese and pit beans.
People talk online about that chicken as if it were a seasonal drop from a hyped streetwear brand, checking menus and specials so they do not miss it.
Sit in the bustling dining room, and you can hear first-timers arguing over which is better, the brisket or the bird.
3. Irma Jean’s Neighborhood Restaurant & Sports Bar – Florissant, Missouri
North of St. Louis, Irma Jean’s feels like the neighborhood living room, televisions humming quietly while huge plates of food hit the tables.
Smoke curls from the pit out back, turning pork steaks and brisket into the kind of tender meat locals brag about to out-of-towners.
Regulars will tell you to come hungry for one thing, though, that famous fried chicken, served crisp, peppery, and impossibly moist under the crust.
House marketing leans into both claims, calling Irma Jean’s home to some of the best BBQ in town and proudly advertising its famous fried chicken all week long.
4. Bandana’s Bar-B-Q – Missouri Locations
Walk into a Bandana’s anywhere in Missouri and the first thing that hits is the smell of hickory smoke, not the bright chain signage outside.
Platters of sliced brisket, pulled pork, and ribs come out fast, stacked high on oval plates with classic sides.
Fried chicken happens in two forms that locals chase: crispy chicken tenders that show up on sandwiches and plates, plus fried wings that carry just enough crunch before you dunk them in sauce.
Families lean in over plastic-lined baskets, arguing about which sauce belongs on what, while someone inevitably declares that the chicken tenders taste like drive-thru food in hard mode.
5. Smoking Barrels BBQ – St. Louis, Missouri
South St. Louis diners roll into Smoking Barrels for rib tips and burnt ends, yet just about every table has something fried glistening under the overhead lights.
Pit-smoked meats headline the menu, but the fryer stays busy with crisp chicken wings and tenders that sit right beside the brisket and rib plates.
Reviewers call out the wings specifically, praising the seasoned crust and juicy interior before they even get to talking about the pulled pork.
Sit among the paper-towel rolls and sauce bottles, and it feels like a mash-up of game-day spread, backyard cookout, and old-school chicken joint.
6. Hendrick’s BBQ – St. Charles, Missouri
Down by the riverfront in historic St. Charles, Hendrick’s leans into St. Louis-style barbecue with smoked ribs, pulled pork, and fat slices of brisket.
Menu boards promise slow-smoked meats, yet comfort dishes like country-fried chicken make as much noise as the pit in the back.
Plates arrive smothered in peppery gravy, flanked by mashed potatoes and vegetables, so you get that Sunday-supper feeling even if you stopped in on a random Wednesday.
Locals slide the fried chicken plates into their mental ranking right beside the burnt ends, which is about the highest compliment a Missouri barbecue joint can get.
7. Big R’s BBQ – Joplin, Missouri
On Joplin’s south side, Big R’s is the kind of place where the parking lot fills with pickups and minivans long before noon.
Diners come for generous slabs of ribs and thick-cut slices of smoked brisket, both of which show up on best-of lists around southwest Missouri.
Fried chicken sneaks into the spotlight here as chicken-fried chicken and chicken-fried steak, golden under creamy gravy, and sharing plate space with baked potatoes and green beans.
Reviews praise everything from pies to pulled pork, although you will hear plenty of folks at neighboring tables swear that the chicken plates beat everything else on the menu.
8. Flat Creek Restaurant – Cape Fair, Missouri
Some barbecue pilgrims hit Flat Creek for the lake views near Table Rock, then realize halfway through the meal that they accidentally discovered one of Missouri’s fried-chicken powerhouses.
The restaurant pushes award-winning catfish and ribs, yet house marketing and tourism blurbs go out of their way to brag about broasted fried chicken and all-you-can-eat fried chicken nights.
Platters arrive with golden, shattering crust that gives way to juicy meat, sometimes alongside pulled pork or smoked wings in combo dinners.
The atmosphere feels like a vacation, kids darting past tables while servers balance trays full of ribs and chicken, headed to the next hungry family.
9. Crosstown Barbecue – Springfield, Missouri
In Springfield, Crosstown Barbecue has been smoking meat long enough that multiple generations can point to the same spot on the map when you ask where to get ribs.
Pits produce slabs of baby backs and spare ribs, along with chopped pork and brisket that locals compare favorably to big-city competition.
Fryers back up the pit with Southern fried chicken wings served over fresh-cut fries, giving you that diner-meets-BBQ-shack energy.
I stopped in last summer and watched three generations of one family order wings, ribs, and brisket, then spend twenty minutes debating which deserved the top spot.
10. F325 BBQ – North Kansas City, Missouri
North Kansas City’s industrial edges hide a cozy little spot where smoke drifts out of metal stacks and the sidewalk smells like hickory and spice.
F325 BBQ keeps plates piled with brisket, ribs, sausage, and pulled pork, plus classic Southern sides like mac and cheese and collard-style veggies.
Crispy chicken wings show up as regulars on the menu, turning a standard barbecue platter into a mixed-meat feast that tastes like a backyard cookout turned up to eleven.
Regulars rave online about the balance, swearing that the fried chicken items belong on the same tier as the brisket and ribs.
11. Missouri Hick Barbeque – Cuba, Missouri
Route 66 travelers spot Missouri Hick Barbeque before they even park, thanks to the big wooden facade and classic roadside-roadhouse energy.
Inside, smokers send out ribs, pulled pork, and brisket that land on tourist guides and fried-chicken roundups alike.
Reviews and tourism blurbs praise broasted or fried chicken specials, describing crisp skin, juicy meat, and plates that barely fit on the table.
People roll off the highway just for that combination, ordering a rib platter for the table and a chicken dinner for themselves, then trading bites while old road signs and license plates stare down from the walls.
12. Chubby’s BBQ – Hayti, Missouri
Down in Hayti, Chubby’s BBQ has the kind of loyal following that usually takes decades to build. Smokers crank out ribs, chopped pork, and smoked chicken, while the fryer works on everything from fried pickles to crisp chicken tenders.
Menus and reviews mention salads and plates topped with crunchy fried chicken, all cooked in peanut oil for that extra-crisp texture, alongside traditional barbecue sandwiches.
Travelers rolling along I-55 duck in for a quick pulled-pork sandwich and end up staying longer, eyeing those fried chicken baskets as servers float them past on their way to nearby tables.
13. Branding Iron BBQ – Harrisonville, Missouri
Harrisonville’s Branding Iron BBQ feels like a small-town shrine to KC-style barbecue. The smokers handle brisket, ribs, pulled pork, and smoked half chickens, while the From the Fryer section of the menu makes fried-chicken fans light up.
Hand-breaded chicken tenders arrive hot and golden with Texas toast, pickles, and sides like pit beans or hash-brown casserole, all listed right beside rib plates and burnt end dinners.
Locals talk up both the brisket and the fried chicken in reviews, calling the breading crisp, the meat juicy, and the portions generous enough to feed a very hungry crew.