Walking into Kansas City Barbeque, there is a history of San Diego that cannot be seen anywhere else. Walls are filled with military memorabilia, the ceiling is full of hats from different military commands from all over the world, and the bar is decoupaged with hundreds of photographs from the restaurant\u2019s 35-year history. There are special sections dedicated to the movie \u201cTop Gun,\u201d for the scenes filmed there in 1985. The piano, jukebox, and some remarkable displays from the movie still stand, and the sweet smell of Kansas City style barbeque fills the air. With all of this, Kansas City Barbeque is more than a mom and pop restaurant that has survived the up rise of Downtown San Diego \u2014 it is a destination.<\/p>\n It was a week of celebration as Kansas City Barbeque celebrated 35 years of business, opening on May 15, 1985, and also the release of \u201cTop Gun,\u201d which was released on May 15,1986, on the restaurant\u2019s third-year anniversary. Owners Martin and Cindy Blair said Kansas City has stood the test of time and that they have loved watching Downtown San Diego grow up around their small business.<\/p>\n \u201cThis has been important for us,\u201d said Martin Blair. \u201cThere is more Downtown, the Gaslamp has grown. So much has grown since we\u2019ve lived and worked here, it\u2019s been fun to see. That [\u201cTop Gun\u201d] has really changed and helped the complexion and enabled us to stay here while the city built around us. Nothing over two-stories was here when we opened up, there was a single train that went to Tijuana.\u201d<\/p>\n The Blairs both grew up in Kansas City, went to the University of Kansas and met at their first college job in Topeka. Cindy works in architecture and Martin in property management. They moved to San Diego professionally in 1981, when they saw the building was up for sale.<\/p>\n Martin and Cindy met at a \u201cdive\u201d in Topeka. Martin Blair said that they were looking for a hobby investment and that when they looked at this building, they knew it was the right place for them.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re a proud dive, we like those hole in the wall places that have good food,\u201d Cindy Blair said. \u201cWe were looking for something for an investment. We were not looking for something that we would be full time at it. I thought we could do it. I was working next door and I could pop in and look around, and Martin worked Downtown as well.\u201d<\/p>\n They both started as the nighttime staff, coming in after work and closing the restaurant at 8:30 p.m., and were closed on Sundays. Today, 35 years later, staff starts coming in at 8 a.m., the restaurant opens at 11 a.m. and closes at 2 a.m. It is one of the few places in Downtown where people can come in and get a full menu at 1 a.m.<\/p>\n Martin Blair said it has always been and still is a mid-western barbeque joint. They make their own Kansas City style sauces, smoke the meats throughout the night, and with the exception of a few side dishes, the menu is the same as the day they opened shop.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of our dishes are homemade,\u201d Martin Blair said. \u201cBeing from Kansa City, we missed barbeque when we came out here and there were no really good barbeque restaurants around. We were fortunate in hiring a barbeque chef [Bob White] from Mississippi who knew barbeque very well and helped us get the restaurant up and running.\u201d<\/p>\n Cindy Blair said Bob White had been cooking barbecue longer than they had been alive. \u201cHe was the right person, a little crusty on the outside, but he knew his barbeque,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cTrue Kansas City style, it\u2019s not about the sauce, it\u2019s about smoking the meat,\u201d Cindy Blair continued. \u201cThe meat should have flavor, even without the sauce. Even though our sauces are different, we still believe the secret is cooking low and slow. We only have five major side dishes, so we try and make them great, so each is different, and it complements the meat.\u201d<\/p>\n Beyond \u201cTop Gun,\u201d Cindy Blair said the restaurant is a collage of history from what people have brought in.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why we did this. We missed hometown barbeque, we missed a hometown place to go to,\u201d she said. \u201cIt looks like a good ole\u2019 joint, the places we love to go to ourselves. That\u2019s what we were shooting for, that\u2019s what we are trying to thrive with. We are what we are.\u201d<\/p>\n Martin Blair said they refer to their bartenders as our curators most of the time, \u201ctaking care of all the items that are here in this joint.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have become a destination\u00a0 with reasonable priced food and probably one of the last non-corporate restaurants in Downtown San Diego,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are still a mom and pop place. The trolley is right at our back door, so as far as convenience, that\u2019s as good as it gets.\u201d<\/p>\n For more information about Kansas City Barbeque visit kcbbq.net<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/kansas.jpg\")
![\"A](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/inside-e1527873219580.jpg\")
history that makes this small mom and pop business a popular destination.
(Foto por Albert H. Fulcher)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n