Results Are in and Grand Rapids Is a Top BBQ Spot in Michigan

Show of hands, who DOES NOT like barbecue?

I don't see many hands. Most all of us like barbecue whether it be ribs, brisket, pork, chicken, whatever. There is just something about some delicious barbeque that I would almost call comfort food.

When you think BBQ you probably think Kansas City, St. Louis, the entire state of Texas, and more. Yes KC has always been ranked as the #1 spot for killer barbecue.

But what about the rest of the country? What about here in Michigan?

Well, on a national level, 14 Michigan cities show up pretty well in the top 500, with three cities breaking into the top 100 top barbecue cities.

I'm proud to say Grand Rapids was ranked #80 in the U.S., Lansing #92 and Detroit #100.

However, if you net down just the state numbers from 2024, Grand Rapids ranked #2 in Michigan , with Detroit ranking #3 from last year survey on lawnstarter.com.

But who was #1?

Westland is ranked at the number one city in the Michigan survey for barbecue according to sister radio station WITL.

I'll have to admit, here in Grand Rapids you can find barbecue everywhere. You'll find great restaurants, food trucks, caterers, you name it, seems everyone is serving barbecue.

👇 BELOW: INVITED TO A BBQ? WHAT SHOULD YOU TAKE? 👇

And why not. After all we have had barbecue in some form since "Christopher Columbus discovered the island of Hispaniola and the tribes had developed a unique method for cooking meat over an indirect flame, created using green wood to keep the food (and wood) from burning," Smithsonian magazine says.

Barbacoa, as the Spanish originally called it, is now a staple on American plates everywhere. I'm drooling!