Commanders fan visited seven KC barbecue spots in 70 hours. Here’s his favorite
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Commanders fans traveled to Arrowhead for Monday Night Football and tailgates.
- Arrowhead delivered strong stadium atmosphere despite Chiefs’ 28-7 win over Commanders.
- Visitors praised Kansas City barbecue, pickleball and friendly fan interactions citywide.
It had been eight years since Washington last played the Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, so a number of Commanders fans made the trip to Kansas City for the “Monday Night Football” game.
Although the Chiefs rolled to a 28-7 win, Commanders fans were blown away by what a great experience they had visiting our fair city.
An X user named Tailgate Ted wrote: “Had an absolute blast in Kansas City this weekend. The Commanders may not have brought home the win, but the trip was still a W — some of the best BBQ I’ve had, competitive pickleball matches, and some great conversations with Chiefs fans at the tailgate. Another stadium checked off the list — Arrowhead did not disappoint.”
Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan in Washington D.C. wrote on X: “I loved Arrowhead Stadium. The only stadium experience that has topped it for me was Lambeau Field and it’s close. Absolutely a must-attend venue for Commanders fans. The people could not have been nicer. Just a friendly, pleasant group.”
And X user Rally Captain posted a video of the scene at Arrowhead Stadium and wrote: “We may have taken an L. However, you’ll never be able to (take) this experience away from me! Don’t let anyone or anything steal your joy. STAND UP & REP YA SQUAD!!!”
Ranking KC BBQ spots
A TikTok user named Christopher Comerford came to KC to watch the Commanders and eat some barbecue. He ended up taking a mini-tour of what Kansas City has to offer.
After landing at KCI, he went straight to Slap’s BBQ in Kansas City. Kansas.
“I’ve been in Kansas City for 24 minutes, and I’ve already got myself some burnt ends and some brisket,” Comerford said in a TikTok video. “Don’t worry, we got the sauce too. This was the No. 1 place you guys recommended on TikTok and Instagram.”
That was just the start of his barbecue tour of Kansas City. Comerford, who lives in Fairfax, Virginia, said he visited seven restaurants in 70 hours and then listed his favorites.
“First of all, I thought all seven places were awesome, but apparently y’all want to know which ones were awesomer,” he said in another TikTok video. “So keeping in mind that I’m just a tourist that was living my best Kansas City barbecue life this past week, and that I have absolutely zero barbecue credentials, here are my final rankings.’
No. 7: Arthur Bryant’s
No. 6: Gates
No. 5: Jack Stack
No. 4: LC’s
No. 3: Q39
No. 2: Slap’s
No. 1: Joe’s Kansas City
Had Comerford left Kansas City when originally planned, Joe’s wouldn’t have made the list, as he explained in the video.
“Not only is it so cool that it’s in a gas station, but I thought it was just like a refurbished gas station. It’s still a gas station,” he said in the video. “The pump works. It’s crazy. The first time I showed up, there was a line all the way around. I pull up in the Uber, I looked at the line. I said, ‘How long is this line?’ The guy said, ‘It’s probably over an hour.’ I said, ‘I got to come back when it opens.’
“I actually canceled my flight home to D.C. just to go to Joe’s. And it was totally worth it. The Z-man sandwich will change your life. Thank you, Kansas City for joining me on the whole trip, but especially on the barbecue journey. I started the trip thinking I was going to go to like, two barbecue places, and then the comments were erupting. They like this one. They like this one. They like this one. There were seven more places at least that people recommended that I didn’t even have time to even come close to going.”
Yes, that is why Kansas City is the best place in the world for barbecue. There are so many incredible options.
“Most of these places are just neck and neck, and they’re all good,” Comerford said. “I don’t know what I weigh right now, but it’s not what I weighed before.”
In a message to The Star, Comerford said he loved Kansas City.
“This year I’m going to every Washington Commanders game so in each of the cities I’ve been to I’ve been doing social media posts, and they’ve randomly been taking off, and I’ve been enjoying the whole time meeting new people from online and visiting new cities and just having the time of my life,” Comerford wrote. “And Kansas City really took off and everybody was amazing, and I had the time of my life.”
This story was originally published October 30, 2025 at 8:31 AM with the headline "Commanders fan visited seven KC barbecue spots in 70 hours. Here’s his favorite."
