Hayward's Pit Bar B Que - Shawnee, Kansas Hayward's Pit Bar B Que in Shawnee, Kansas is the oldest barbecue restaurant in Johnson County. it was founded by Hayward Spears Sr. in 1972, and has been in five locations, including a second location at the same time. Hayward owned the restaurant for the first 42 years. The previous locations were all in Overland Park and Lenexa and I dined at all but the very first. I feel the food has ebbed and flowed over the years. I enjoyed it a lot 40 years ago, but about 11 years it slipped and there was a period when I wouldn't have recommended Hayward's, but over time it improved and I am happy to recommend it today. My favorite meats include the pork ribs and smoked chicken, but I particularly like the wings tossed in Buffalo sauce, rub and spicy mustard sauce from Helga Fine Foods in Lenexa. My most favorite meat is only available 3 days a year. The beef in the Corned Beef Burnt End Reuben is brined for 6 weeks and smoked with hickory. The sandwich has a lot of tender, very nicely flavored meat. If you wish to sample multiple meats, there is a variety platter of the choice of three meats and 2 sides for $28. I recently selected pork ribs, habanero beef cheddar sausage, beef brisket, creamy coleslaw and steak fries. They came out in about 3 minutes! It was a very generous serving of meat, but then it was $28. They also offer variety platters for 2 people, but I think this would be enough for many couples. The pork ribs were my favorite part of the meal - smoky and quite tender. The meats were all served without sauce and they didn't need any added, though I did add some salt. It sounds spicy, but the sausage was actually mild and would have benefited from being served with some Helga's Mustard on the side. The brisket needed BBQ sauce. The creamy slaw was quite good, Hayward's does a pretty good job with their side dishes. Fries are usually my first choice, but the beans, potato salad and cheesy corn are good choices as well. We also appreciate their not charging an up charge for onion rings.
Hayward's
BBQ website
copyright 2009-2025 by Keith Stokes |
