Kansas City Treats Football Fans to Barbecue, Comfort Food, and Midwestern Hospitality

For 34 years, Kansas City Chiefs’ season-ticket holder Scott Garber has welcomed fans of football to Arrowhead Stadium’s pre-game tailgate and done so with his signature bacon-wrapped shrimp barbecue. In true Midwestern style, he welcomes fans from all over the country. One time he unknowingly invited and hosted the family of the opposing team’s quarterback.

“We try to make it a good experience,” Garber says. “It is all fun; it is just a game. I really enjoy having the best tailgate in the NFL, and I’d like to keep it going.” 

Arrowhead Stadium food

“Kansas City is far more than just barbecue,” says Matt Kenny, executive vice president of Arrowhead Operations and Events. “We have plenty of KC-style barbecue options in-stadium to satisfy those who want to taste that local smoked tradition, but we also know that our fans want — and expect — optionality in their culinary experience.”

That takes shape in inviting local chefs to the venue, whether via curated cocktails or special-edition dishes. In The Huddle club, a guest chef from Kansas City serves a creation before kickoff, launching a game-day event that flows throughout the game (and even well after). On the general concourse, the Chiefs say the barbecue mac and cheese is an ode to a cold-weather comfort food with a beloved flavor of the city to make this a signature dish of the venue.  

Tailgating in Kansas City

The tailgating scene is alive and well across the parking lots of Arrowhead Stadium. Garber, who lives in Oklahoma, arrives in town the day before the game and pulls up to the lot before the gates open to ensure he gets the same spot every time, eager to welcome up to 80 fans at his tailgate. For Garber, the tradition started when he visited a game with his brother and was invited to a tailgate. Now he carries on the practice, with folks from nearly a dozen states making up the regulars.

Garber works with another long-time tailgater to form the weekly menu, all punctuated by the group’s grilling. While he’s known for smoking baby back ribs for five hours, Garber’s specialty is his bacon-wrapped shrimp. He lets the shrimp marinate overnight, then wraps them in bacon and drops them back in the marinade before cooking on the grill. That marinade is the secret sauce. If you’re around, he’ll share a taste of the menu, just not the secret concoction that makes it happen. 

Where to eat in Kansas City

The Midwest is about more than tailgating, and a restaurant called Rye celebrates that culture. Megan Garrelts, proprietor and executive pastry chef, calls the Rye experience “humble and comfortable,” serving food from the “celebrated region of comfort and homespun recipes” — the Midwest. Choose from fried chicken with quick pickles and ham gravy, duroc pork chop, roasted rainbow trout with buttered green beans, almonds, and lemon, and produce-filled pies, such as Dutch apple in the fall and blueberry streusel in the summer.

Of course, the cinnamon roll is a top-flight experience, and the famous Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is just one of many NFL players who have come in pre- or post-game for a meal. Garrelts says they always hold a roll back for Kelce, just a piece of the football tradition at Rye, which has also included hosting countless tailgating events at the stadium. “There are very few cities in America that represent like KC does with pre-game cooking at their stadium door,” Garrelts says.

The atmosphere is paramount at Heather White’s restaurants Tailleur, Cheval, and Enchante. Tailleur is known for an exquisite locale and French-inspired dishes, while you’ll find handcrafted cocktails and shared plates at Cheval and baked-from-scratch goods at Enchante, each focusing on personalized Midwestern hospitality and local ingredients. “We aim to make every item, whether food or drink, feel both memorable and approachable,” White says. “That’s what brings Kansas Citians back — it’s never about the price but about how the atmosphere and food makes you feel each time you visit.”

With a football culture about community and celebration, White says they take pride in being a gathering place on game day, sourcing locally raised beef or hand-batching bourbon cocktails aplenty during football season. “Our ambiance resonates with the enthusiasm of KC’s passionate fanbase for both football and Kansas City beef,” she says. It all gets highlighted with the bacon-wrapped filet mignon from Creekstone Farms.

But you can’t go too far in Kansas City without going back to barbecue. Every local has a favorite, whether Q39, Gates Bar-B-Q, or Harp Barbecue, which you can order online as the restaurant relocates. Kelce and actor Jason Sudeikis are known to frequent Joe’s Kansas City BBQ, which is known for ribs and the Z-Man sandwich, featuring slow-smoked beef brisket. The gas station-plus-restaurant is one of the world's top barbecue spots, including for plenty of Chiefs players.

“We want customers visiting for the first time to experience all of what Joe’s and Midwest barbecue is about,” says Eric Tadda, the restaurant’s director of marketing. “On game weekends we want our lines to be filled with out-of-town visitors and locals supporting the city’s annual Red Friday tradition.” Tadda says the gas station location (the pumps are still active) has become an iconic place for KC barbecue and the Z-Man is a top seller — over 200,000 annually — thanks to the toasted Kaiser bun, sliced smoked brisket, provolone cheese, onion rings, and Joe’s original sauce.

Joe’s may even have its own stop at the recently announced March 2025 opening of the Museum of BBQ, an immersive Kansas City experience where visitors can go in-depth on the history and culture of the elements of barbecue across American regions.

Fans can grab a little more of that history with their drinks at The Peanut. Opened in 1933, the city’s oldest bar and grill was once a speakeasy during Prohibition. Another old-time icon is the 1937-opened Town Topic, a downtown diner that features the Town Topic hamburger, which originally sold for 5 cents and still serves up Kansas City history. The American plenty of traditional diner fare from a hamburger to hand-dipped malts. 

The Antler Room takes that Kansas City history and modernizes it. Paying homage to a saloon that operated in the 1930s, The Antler Room now serves up a Midwest menu inspired by the East-West trade routes, changing regularly to match the seasonal ingredients (or a fresh preparation style). 

When in Kansas City, you’ll never be far from barbecue, but you’ll also get to experience Midwestern hospitality with comfort food favorites.