This restaurant had great reviews so we decided to give it a try. Unfortunately the food had NO flavor. We tried the brisket, chicken, and turkey along with Mac n cheese and cheesy corn. I even tried putting salt to help out the taste, and nothing. No change.

First visit.. I was told that this place had the best BBQ in the town.. Not sure if it is or not, but it was pretty good. The brisket was nice and tender. The side were just okay.. The whole Top Gun scene was cool to see too!

Went to this restaurant on Monday for the first time. I was really looking forward to it because of Top Gun. Didn’t have to wait in line. As soon as we got there we got a table. The service was great. The waitress kept on checking up to see if we needed anything. I definitely suggest the fried pickles and the Mac balls to start off. I love how it’s all about Top Gun. I would definitely recommend this place to eat if you’re in San Diego.

Nice to see their ratings trending up. Honestly, after visiting for first time, I couldnt believe it wasnt more highly rated. I found my meal (ribs) to be great. Place had some character, service was great, servings were hearty, and prices were very reasonable. I cant think of anything to complain about. I will definitely go back.

It was delicious food! It was so nice to know we didn’t have to worry as much about our food while on vacation, and that we were able to order it and not have to bring a lot of food with us. Such a beautiful experience!

As soon as we arrived we got a table, did not have to wait in the line! The service was great.Awesome BBQ place.

Kansas City Barbecue, home of the sleazy bar scene in Top Gun. A definite stop by if youre by the harbor in San Diego. Im a die hard Top Gun fan, and they have Tank 7 on tap, so we were instant BFFs. The fried pickles were tart and crunchy, and the beans are a cool take on bbq beans, with pulled pork, onion, red pepper, and jalapeno. I had a brisket sandwich, husband tried the hot link and the beef hot dog, with cheesy corn and beer battered onion rings.The ranch is clearly homemade, and some of the best Ive ever had.Do not go here expecting Joes or Haywards. This is KC style, in San Diego. Not comparable, and not fair to do so.

Eh was about all I can say about the food. We went about 2000 and they had no fried pickles, not balls of fire took over 90 minutes to get our food, was cold and my daughters mac n cheese had absolutely no flavor. Had to walk up to the bar (bartender was amazing) to get a beer refill TWICE, had to ask a passing waitress for soda refills for the kids.Our server brought our food and disappeared...had to ask another server for our check after waiting another 20ish minutes got our check. I dont think we would ever go back even though the smell of the food is what got us in the door! If only it tasted as good as it smelled!!!

The food is OK, but you really go there for the ambiance. Its a pretty cool bar / restaurant. Nothing fancy but true to itself. Some scenes from Top Gun were filmed at this location.

Tri tip was phenomenal!!! Everyone so nice and welcoming!!! $11 dlls for a delicious sandwich. Great prices and great BBQ taste! My son and I grabbed our order to go and walked across the street to Seaport Village!!!! Will be coming back for more!!!! Yummmm

BBQ at this place - very tasty. I like it here, excellent food & service. The service was very welcoming and observant. It has a nice interior. Makes me feel like I am back in Sacramento.

BBQ and the setting at this place is great. Its so appetizing. The service was very friendly and attentive. The bill was well within reason for the quality.

My preferred spot for delicious BBQ. Got there about two, it was not packed. Service is typically good. If it wasnt far from my work I would come by more.

I ordered a chicken sandwich and it was not good at all. Also the waitress never came and checked on us. I had to send the onion rings back because they weren’t cold. I will not be going back. Customer service is suppose to good. She didn’t greet us. It was not a good experience.

One of my favorite spots for BBQ. Staff is always timely even when they have a full house. Next time Ill be back with my coworkers. It has a cool interior.

Wait was a bit. Had the rack of baby back ribs. Ordered the family meal with brisket, and wasnt disappointed. The beans are to die for. Outside sitting was quite nice, views of the Hilton SD. Good experience.

Food and atmosphere was terrific. The brisket will cause you to question all other brisket youve ever had. Onion rings, chicken wings, and fried pickles, mmm.Server, Kelsey, is the best. Shes taking care of you without you having to ask.Only issue is a surcharge that wasnt explained on the check. But well go back for the food and service for sure.

This place is definitely one of the tastiest restaurants in the neighborhood. Anytime I go there I am incredibly pleased. They manage their high standard service and the topmost level of cooking they offer. You no doubt will love this restaurant. Very recommended.

One of my fav places for BBQ. Got there near six, it wasnt packed at all. Certainly worth a return visit. Prices are reasonable I would say.

Went because of top gun. The food was good, but there is definitely better bbq. The servers seemed too busy for us even though there wasnt many folks eating. Was expecting better service and food.

Great service here. Friendly people. And home of the sleazy bar from top gun. The piano still in here. Very cool.

What a fun, unplanned stop this was! We had been exploring the neighborhood for a bit and then decided to stop for a break and a cool beer. The food smelled so good, we had to share a plate of brisket. Wow, terrific and a super sauce! Chris the bartender was a hoot and made it fun for everyone there. And the top gun connection is cool too.

BBQ, mmm, very tasty. A preferred evening place. Ill return with my relatives. It has an awesome feel to it. If it wasnt far from my work I would come by more.

Beware, 3% surcharge is added to all bills. This is listed on the menu at the bottom right in small print. It is to cover various California and San Diego costs on restaurants. I asked why they wouldnt just increase their menu prices and they had no good response. These random fees are BS. Increase your menu prices so we know what we are going to pay.Food was good, servers were nice.

We had never tried this place because we felt it was too touristy and that people just go because part of Top Gun was filmed here. We finally went and man, it was good. Being from Texas, we know BBQ. This place is legit. The meat was smoked perfectly. Cant wait to go back!

Chris behind the bar is an absolute legend. Hell tell you all about the bars history and brighten your day with his awesomeness while doing it. The ribs are absolute dynamite, the servers are super friendly, and the beer selection is fantastic!

I have been to KC BBQ almost every time Ive been to SD the last couple years. So many great things! The staff is awesome, especially Jen M and Michelle. Outdoor patio is such a great place to relax and enjoy good food and a drink. The burnt ends were amazing. Hopefully Ill get to watch a Chiefs game there this season. Five stars for everything!

Top Guns fans will enjoy the BBQ and atmosphere. The BBQ was nice, with a sauce you will enjoy. I enjoyed the outside dining.

Ok ok, Ive been dying to come to this cool little bar stuck in the middle of all of these beautiful but massive sky scrapers downtown San Diego. Why? Because its a restaurant that was used in a scene in Top Gun of course!Theres a whole, incredibly fun story behind the scene in the movie, but ill let the bar tenders or wait staff tell it to you themselves.Its a really fun little bar (would you call it a dive bar?) and while I had fun stopping in, I left feeling a little...wanting.The food is good, dont get me wrong, and maybe its just because we are in the middle of a pandemic or maybe its because I ordered the wrong thing....but I have had better BBQ pulled pork sandwiches elsewhere.BUT, the conversation with the staff, the environment and the stories make it absolutely worth the visit.Try it out for yourself.

One of my fav locations for tasty BBQ. great location to meet with friends. service is typically above par. menu is like a cafe in boston i loved.

So,far was delicious food! I recommend it for sure!

Love this place the nostalgic atmosphere is the best. Wait STAFF IS GREAT!! food is good!

BBQ and the scene at this place is great. Got there about three, it wasnt crowded. I will be back with my coworkers. It has a cool interior.

BBQ and the setting here is better than most. The staff was very helpful and welcoming. This place has a great design.

Bbq and the setting at this spot is excellent. Looking forward to coming back with my relatives. Prices are appropriate.

Plentiful amount. Beans are to die for. Waitress amicable. Ill be going back.

My preferred location for tasty bbq. super place to meet and chat with coworkers. this place has a nice feel to it. food is like a restaurant in jacksonville i liked.

As a Kansas City native I am embarrassed that this place has my cities name on it and that people might think THIS is Kansas City BBQ.The pulled pork is dry, even with sauce piled on top, the chicken sandwich was just chicken on a bun (no veggies, no onion ring, nada), the cheesy corn had no cheese, it was literally canned corn.The service was just as bad, dont expect midwest hospitality here, our waitress spent our entire visit complaining to coworkers about family issues. I even walked in wearing my usual Chiefs hat and shirt, no one cared.The only star this gets, is because it has some nostalgia from the greatest movie ever made, and its blatantly obvious they are riding that horse into the ground as well.This place isnt Jack Stack good, its not Joes KC good, its not even Arthur Bryants at Legends good. Its barely fast food quality, sad and an embarrassment to the Kansas City name.

If you have had good smoked bbq in the southeast, avoid this place. The ribs were fatty and dry, the brisket moist but was not lean. Neither had pink color expected of slow smoked meat, or smoked flavoring. The beans were bland and the dominant flavor was of green peppers. The onion rings needed another minute in the fryer as they were soggy and not crisp. Definitely living off the movie. You can get better ribs at the Outback, and that is a poor comparison at best.

Had the beef brisket and it was so tender. Husband had pulled pork and it was also really tender. Not a fan of the slaw, but I was warned it was different before I ordered. Really good food.

This was the best! Good food, good sauce, and their KC Mac Balls are so crisp and yummy! Perfect for a day after the beach, or if youre on an adventure!If you are a big fan of Top Gun, then this is your restaurant!Enviornment is awesome and cool!

Was pretty average and actually quite expensive for what you get. Had the pulled pork and brisket. Just over $25 for 1/2 lb of each. Definitely grocery-store tier bbq sauce despite what they say.

A favorite location for BBQ. super appetizing. i can see why they have so many great reviews.

TL:DR if youre looking for a kitschy tourist trap with disappointing luke warm BBQ, this is the place for you.I have lived in San Diego on and off for years and have seen this place a number of times. Finally curiosity got the best of me and decided to give it a go with the missus on a Saturday night. Turns out their outdoor seating area is pet friendly so that is a plus. We ordered the fried pickles to start and they were very good. A sign of whats to come we thought but boy were we wrong. I ordered the rib sandwich with coleslaw and baked beans. My wife ordered the pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw and potato salad. We got a side of mac and cheese as well because were both suckers for mac and cheese.The menu said the rib sandwich was served open faced.to me that means theres 2 pieces of bread and the sandwich contents are on either piece of bread with the option to add your own pickles or other accessories. I received a single slice of plain white cold sandwich bread with bone in ribs on top and a tiny lump of cole slaw. First of all, who serves a rib meat sandwich with the bone still in? In trying to get the bones out of the ribs the bread totally fell apart and the rib meat was reheated from i dont know when. It was tough, a bit dry and lukewarm. The baked beans were actually quite good and hot.I dont know how they did it but my wifes pulled pork sandwich was dry. Ive had better pulled pork from a plastic pouch at Vons. Seriously, that Jack daniels pulled pork pouch made this stuff look terrible, which says a lot.Unless you are a huge fan of top gun, fried pickles, baked beans and hate good BBQ, Ive got 2 words. Tourist trap. I dont know if we came on a bad day or something but The 2 stars are for our very kind server, she was sweet and attentive despite the quality of food. Its a bad time to let the quality of your product slide so far.

We had a great day but there is something that needs to improve!

So glad to see KC Barbecue is open. If you are in San Diego stop by and have some!

I feel the need for speed..... and great food from Kanasa City BBQ

Good, but not as good as the one in Kansas City, and thats for sure!

Great place for BBQ and fans of the 1985 movie Top Gun. Film location and across from Seaport Village makes it a perfect stop when visiting downtown San Diego.

2014 Reserved half the patio area to celebrate girlfriends birthday(currently single now) me that is since 2014.lol Will add pixels later. XO to all.

So casual and so delicious .They have outdoor seating has street and hotels view.Good Kansas style BBQ, I loved the brisket the most, they have in the menus were it called works that you can pick 3 kind of meat and 2 sides I got the baby back ribs, chicken and brisket it was just perfect.They have draft beer and I loved the red trolly the most, however they have the list Abby and that is an awesome option too.Great place for big group of ppl, family friendly, and of course they have french fries and Mac and cheese for kids .

This is definitely California BBQ. Food was expensive and nothing to brag about, but the ambiance was great. This is a good place for a one time experience.

My chicken was cold like it just came out of the refrigerator. My sons mac and cheese was also ice cold. The rest of the food was OK. Service was on point. She was very attentive

Part of San Diego history. Great food and location. Plenty of noise from street and train tracks just behind building. All part of the ambiance.

This place is amazing. Best BBQ place Ive been too in a long time. Dont let the fact that it is in California to fool you. This place knows their BBQ. We had the brisket and ribs. Wow. Just wow. If I am ever in San Diego again, I will be here.

I cant believe as an owner you would have Mike Hill managing your business. Ive never met someone so negative and mistreated customers. Every single person that walked up to his bar he complained about. After an Hour of waiting me informed me and another customer that he lost our ticket and he doesnt think the kitchen will have time to make it. I have two kids and a wife waiting for food, this was not acceptable. Once I did get my order half of it was missing and grab someone elses to complete mine. As a bar manager for years I dont know how Mike Hill runs this place. I had multiple servers complain out him and was happy I spoke up. I will be perusing this with the owner.

Pretty busy place due to its Top Gun affiliation with the original piano from the scene of Goose playing and singing.The menu is pretty simple and the whole place is nothing fancy or anything like that. It has a plenty of tables to sit outside.Pulled pork sandwich was ok (a bit dry though) and the server was quick and friendly. Priced below average. Worth visiting once for movie kicks but definitely not for food.

Small no frills location with good service and good food.

If youre a Top Gun fan like myself, then visiting Kansas City BBQ is a must! Brisket was on point. Ribs were good. Loved the rings and the Mac n Cheese. The original piano from the scene in the movie is still there. They have a jukebox which OBVIOUSLY plays all the songs from the movie as well as others. Small but cozy. For you ladies, if you happen to have a bra to spare, make sure you let it hang from the fan in the bar!

Great food..nice place to visit. Friendly staff

Was here with friends from out of town. Had the family plate. Food was average, there was no kick to the BBQ sauce and chicken was a little dry. On a positive note service was very friendly.Cool place to take photos, structuraly this place has character.

I asked the hotel concierge about the food at this place and the reply was, its ok. This was correct or perhaps a slight overstatement. I had the best brisket sandwich. The meat had virtually no taste at all. It relied entirely on the sauce which was decent enough. Service was VERY GOOD and prompt. The claim to fame is that the bar scene in Top Gun where Goose plays the piano was filmed here. Its worth the visit for the memorabilia... Tons of autographed Top Gun photos. The food, at least the brisket, was nothing to write home about.

It was a wait but what do you expect when you are deep in SDCC weekend mode.. food was amazing, great flavors, staff was really friendly and helpful. Enjoyed my visit here. Shared drinks with friends and made new memories. Really close to the hotel too.

Poor quality food. Pulled pork was not good and Cole slaw was terrible. Only Onion Rings were good.

A great top gun experience. They serve good food, nice drinks and have an excellent staff. I highly recommend coming here.

Small no frills location with good service and good food.

Amazing food & service

Okay pulled pork sandwich, and the mac and cheese was completely tasteless $13

Be sure to eat here when in San Diego, outstanding barbecue sauce. - Had the potato salad, beef brisket, corn. Budget friendly too! Staff was polite and friendly. This was the place in 1985 top gun bar scene, so fun famous place too. Highly recommend!

My brother and I stumbled in here needing a late night food stop after a few cheeky beverages elsewhere. After stashing our Bird scooters behind some convenient dumpsters we seated ourselves at the bar and ordered wings and rings.Eventually the penny dropped that this was “the Top Gun bar”. And yeah they trade on it a bit, but in a knowing kind of way. But the beer was cold, and they were open late and the wings tasted hot and salty and right.Of course we made complete tools of ourselves trying to play “Great Balls of Fire” on the piano. The barman and clientele were remarkably understanding.

Mike is an awesome guy. Great service

Ribs and chicken, tasteless, and dry. The BBQ sauce is on the side and nothing to write home about. They are definately no famous for the food, still riding on a Top Gun scene once filmed there.

Worth a visit for the connection to Top Gun alone but a more than worth while visit for the food. I generally opt for the triple plate with pulled pork, baby back ribs, hit links, chips and mac n cheese. Delicious

Food overall was good (not great). Decent sized portions and decent service. The chicken wings were some of the best I’ve ever had! Brisket was good but nothing noteworthy. Full bar but not a huge variety of beers. Their bathroom was DISGUSTING AND DIRTY!! I’m a firm believer that if your bathroom is gross usually your kitchen is too!! They should have a separate entrance for people taking pictures of the “Top Gun set” it definitely did not help the experience overall to have people constantly taking pictures around you.

I was expecting to be disappointed. Some Top Gun scenes were filmed here, the prices seemed to be a bit high, just what you would expect to find in a tourist trap. But we decided to give it a try anyway. And Im glad we did because it was probably the best barbecue sandwich Ive ever had. And the service was very friendly.

Tried the ribs, chicken, coleslaw & cheesy corn. All good. Would recommend.

I tried the brisket sandwich with Mac-n-cheese as a side. Brisket was dry but had some flavor. Mac was below so-so. The server was friendly and the food came out really fast. I enjoyed sitting in the sunshine while dining. Some navy pilots came in while I was there and sat right in front of me. They dropped F bombs loudly the entire time and told stories over beer... I didnt so much bother me as I was wearing my headphones and I get the vibe of the place. I suppose it just kind of proves the point that its more of an iconic place to grab a beer and a quick sandwich and take in an experience than it is to make it a barbecue destination.

MOVIE BUFF!!! Okay so I love the movie Top Gun and I had no idea this is the place where they filmed the final bar scene and the scene when goose was playing the piano. Maybe I was caught up in the moment and a little star struck but I loved this place. The food was good I have had better BBQ this was about average. EXCEPT their coleslaw! It was vinegar based (which is getting harder and harder to find) it definitely made the meal for me.We ordered the sampler with all the different meats and four sides. Since we were all doing low carb we doubled up on beans and slaw so I cant comment on the other sides.If you are a fan of the movie Top Gun you need to stop in here. If you have ever seen the movie you should stop in here. If youre looking for something close to the hotels that is a little more laid back you should go here.Its kind of tight inside but go prepared for that and there wont be any surprises. There was seating outside but it was a little to cold for that.

I think they lost that love and feeling. The bbq is subpar but I guess Top Gun was filmed here

Iconic restaurant due to the movie top gun, heard Tom cruise is filming the ep.2 in San Diego now.Standard US style meal, super huge and sufficient volume for adult, couldn’t finish at all.This place may have various stories for all the memory on the wall and ceiling.

Great place to visit If you are in San Diego. Food was OK the spare ribs arrived a Little bit cold at the table. The service was really nice

Should be 6 stars! This place has savory barbecue foods. The location is ideal and the restaurant stands out since it is not a typical snobby eatry like everything else you find in the area. Check it out. Relax and grab some good food!

Went for lunch. Top gun. The brisket was delicious. The ribs and corn and cheesy Mac were good too. It’s something to experience while in San Diego.

Food was really good and it where Top Gun was filmed so that makes the food even better.

Its was good/decent BBQ. Maybe Im just not a fan of the KC style.

Ok lets be honest a majority of the people come here because of the Top Gun scene in the movie. It is centrally located on Harbor Drive and its not far from many of the area attractions like the Midway and convention center. We came on a Sunday when they were hosting a viewing for the Chiefs game which was pretty cool. The staff here were awesome and it was great to see such attention being paid to the patrons here but I feel the food missed the mark. Me and my wife both ordered brisket and while hers came out great, most of my pieces came out dry which is kind of disappointing because they werent open very long. I feel your not paying for good food but rather to experience where Top Gun was filmed and to see the different memorabilia inside the restaurant. For a bar this is probably a good location to go to but for genuine Kansas City BBQ its definitely misses the mark.

Sliced brisket was delicious. Atmosphere wonderful.

I loved the environment. It was very welcoming and the food was to die for.

Kansas City BBQ is the quirky kind of local place you that the locals love and you are lucky to find if you are visiting. It happens to be famous as the bar from the piano scene in TopGun. The walls are full of TopGun pictures and memorabilia. The one concern is that there are donated hats hanging from the roof which need to be dusted far more often than they are, so ambiance is great. The food was pretty awesome. Great smoke on the BBQ, home made sauce, hand dipped fried pickles all wonderful. I was disappointed to learn that they just stopped making their onion rings from scratch, I hope they reconsider and not become a place that frys from a bag.Great spot for late night and no pretention. Highly recommended

This is like a little hole in the wall but it is famous only because a scene from Top Gun was filmed there!!! Goose and Maverick playing the piano and singing Great Balls of Fire!!! BUT...... The food was awesome and very reasonably priced!!! Great Balls of Fire!! Im going back for sure!!!

I was told that Kansas City (the town) does a great BBQ. If it all tastes like what this place served me, I have no desire to go to Kansas City. The pulled pork and brisket were tasteless. No smoke, totally dried out, and just tasteless. It was too dark to see if there was a defined smoke ring, but I doubt it was present. I thought maybe adding some sauce would help. They provided one type of sauce and after adding it to the meat I could no longer eat either. Terrible example of barbecue. Im glad I was sharing the sample platter with 4 other people who were less particular about their ‘cue. They ate and I drank instead. The slaw wasn’t too bad...

I have been here 2x this week, so far, probably return once more... sat at the bar at both times, Jersey and Chris both provided excellent service. I had Burnt Ends both times : The plate option was more than I could handle in one sitting, but absolutely delicious, not over-smoked. The sandwich option was a perfect size for me and of course, excellent as well. (The ribs looked really good on a person’s plate next to me.) I will get a combo plate to share on my next visit in a couple of days. My only suggestion to management is to try to update the online menu prices on (Google Maps) ($8.95 vs $12.95 actual for Burnt Ends sandwich) - however, I find the actual menu prices are well-worth the quality and value of the service, and the meal I was served. (BTW, not that it matters to most folks, I am a full-blooded Texan and have a reasonably good command of my own smoker ;-) !!!)

Slow and poor services! and the staff are so lazy!

Im from Kansas City and this place was really good. The spicy Mac n Cheese balls are a must do. They were out of burnt ends, but everything else was AMAZING. Sweet potato pie was perfect too!!

The Restaurant with over 1700 reviews will attract any foodie, but when i went there i felt it turns into museum for Top Gun Movie, even the waiters will ask you to tour inside to see Tom Cruise pictures which frankly has no values related to food they are serving, the Brisket was cold and dry and i asked to change the Hot Dog was okay, the coleslaw was sourced and old the whole experience was bad

Delicious food starting with the wings. I recommend the brisket and the pulled pork. Excellent service and great prices.

The “Official” Bar of Top Gun. Overall the vibe has a Midwest feel to it even though it’s in SoCal. Overall some great home style barbecue!

Everything on their menu is so good!

I eat in this spot a lot since I work in the area. I must say the service is always awesome and they keep the spot well kept at all times. Prices are convenient and they serve big portions.

Beef brisket was amazing. The server was also very nice and got the orders right. If we visit SD again - we will stop by again. Thanks guys