Harp Barbecue
Barbecue restaurant · Overland Park
12094 W 135th St, Overland Park, KS 66221
Highlights
Texas-style brisket, ribs, and unique sausages, sides, and desserts
Texas-style brisket, ribs, and unique sausages, sides, and desserts
"Harp does Texas-style BBQ, so if you’re looking for something uniquely Kansas City, head to any of the other spots on this list. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, this place is worth the 35-minute drive from downtown Kansas City into Overland Park. Get their three-meat plate with brisket, burnt ends, and ribs—the brisket is Flintstonian, tender and fatty, and their burnt ends are so juicy and smoky that they don’t need any sauce. Harp’s BBQ sauce doesn’t have the distinct sweetness, smoke, or vinegar notes of its competitors, but they have a good homemade hot sauce to punch up the flavor. All their sides are homemade, and we recommend the twice-baked potato salad, peppery yet refreshing coleslaw, and mashed sweet potatoes. photo credit: Jack Kapple photo credit: Jack Kapple photo credit: Jack Kapple photo credit: Jack Kapple photo credit: Jack Kapple Pause Unmute" - Ryan Bernsten
"Harp Barbecue is a relative newcomer to the local barbecue scene, but that hasn’t kept founder Tyler Harp from topping local best-of lists and earning national praise for his thick-sliced, fatty brisket and creative homemade sausages. A move to a new location at the end of 2024 added plenty of seating for dine-in customers. Know before you go: Fans of Texas-style brisket won’t find any better than the brisket at Harp, since Kansas City tends toward lean, thin-sliced brisket." - Liz Cook
"Harp Barbecue appears as another longtime local barbecue favorite, noted in the text alongside other staples and mentioned in the context of changing operations as the restaurant relocates." - Tim Newcomb
"Few pitmasters have had as big an influence on KC barbecue in recent years as Tyler Harp. Since coming on the scene in 2019, he’s launched a local barbecue festival and an educational podcast, and inspired a host of aspiring craft barbecuers to switch to offset smokers. Get here early to sample Harp’s incredibly rich sausages and meltingly soft, thick-sliced brisket. If you’re thinking that brisket sounds more Texas-style, you’re right. But Harp has never let regional expectations define his cooking, adopting techniques from across the country even as he pays tribute to the pitmasters that first put KC on the map. Note: Harp Barbecue plans to close for several weeks and reopen this fall at 12094 W. 135th Street, Overland Park, KS, 66221." - Liz Cook
"Harp Barbecue is a relative newcomer to the local barbecue scene, but that hasn’t kept founder Tyler Harp from topping local best-of lists and earning national praise for his thick-sliced, fatty brisket and creative homemade sausages. After operating as a pop-up for years, Harp moved into a permanent location at the end of 2022. The red-and-white sign on the building just says “barbecue” — deceptively humble branding for some of the city’s best smoked meats." - Liz Cook
