C Withers Restaurant & Catering

A very elegant lady I know had this place cater a party she through for the men who remodeled her house. High marks from everyone.

Ive mad better mac & cheese on my worst day, still they have some good things on the menu. My fav is the asian catfish!!! Amazing. The shrimp alfredo would be better if he didn’t use spaghetti noodles

I’ve lived in KC for a bit now and I’ve been to Bryant’s, OK Joe’s, Jack Stack, Gates, RJ’s, Smokin’ Joe’s and while those are all awesome, top notch (some of them even legendary) places I would have to say that C. Withers is my favorite. I look at some of the so — so reviews and wonder what people are thinking. When you eat BBQ it’s about the food. The fact that the staff is nice and very generous (I’ve been given prime rib samples, corn bread samples, etc). The thing to really get here is the mix plate — it was only $ 12.80 last time I went. it comes with a heaping pile of glorious rib-​tips, 3 apple smoked wings (or smoke/​rub of your choosing), and smoked pasta with andouille sausage and peppers — yes the pasta is smoked. I had leftovers for two days. Mr. Withers knows food and knows what he is doing. I expect there to be a line out the door in the coming years once people catch on.

OK, Prior to going to C. Withers, i was confused on the wide range of reviews, but after dining there yesterday afternoon, i have a better understanding.
Yes, this was my first visit and had no idea what i would be ordering until i arrived. I chose the chicken and shrimp alredo minus the shrimp :-) Yes, i agree it did not come within the three minutes you would expect from a fast-​food establishment, but then again, this is not fast-​food. The wait was well worth it and you can tell it was not scooped out of a big bowl like many fine dining restaurants do.
This was by far the best chicken alfredo i have eaten. I would like to add that some of the negative remarks i have read are mis-​represented. I am a health-​conscious person and would not touch nor tolerate grease on anything. The pool of liquid that accumulates on the dish is a mixture of sauce and spices. Lets be honest here and call it what it is. For those who like straight american style dishes, then this place is not for you. Stay with Cinzitti’s or a commercial restaurant. On the other hand, if you like a chef that puts pride in what he does by making each dish special, then your in for a delightful treat.
No, i am not affiliated with anyone working at C. Withers and i always give honest reviews. Lets give C. Withers credit for wanting to make something out of the ordinary and keeping his business family oriented. (The waitress is not a professional, but i was curious and asked if she was a relation to the family. It is her brother, C. Withers who is the chef)
I will definitely be returning to this establishment.

Big food for big people.
It’s always my pleasure to see these small restaurant owners talk about their big plans in their tiny spaces.
El Pueblito is another owner operated ‘traunt like this.
Whatever the smallnes of the joint, the insane amount of food thrown at you makes up for any small problems I would have had, had there been any.
RIght accrosss from the Metal Fest venue, ‘The Uptown’, C. Withers is located to sell.
His face is right on the menue, ask him about desert.
Catfish, yum
Wings, yum
Cornbread…outta site (our CB of the day was Butter Rum)
Cake … well, let’s say you could do the same with Betty Crocker, but tasty.
This is no fancy night out. This is eat and shut up, eat some more. Even then your delicate tummies will shut down before you even seem to make a dent in the POUNDS of food.
Exsessive EATERY!!!
With luh,
Dirty Shame

I went here order the special that day catfish with 2 sides I got the cabbage and Mac and cheese… Not sure what people were saying about this food. because the Mac & cheese was super spicy, so hot that you could not really taste it. As for the fried catfish, it was just ok… I also order the cornbread, which was additional cost of $ 4.00.. ridiculous. when i bit into it. it tasted more like CAKE than cornbread. I also did order the strawberry cake. that was pretty good. but my totally cost for what I ordered came to $ 18.75, very expensive.

On entering Withers I was greatly suprised that it was a BBQ joint that was trying to be fancy with fancy plates, cloth napkins, fancy framed art, oh yeah and even fancy ketchup. Really, I asked for ketchup & the waitress/​cashier brought me ketchup packets that said fancy ketchup. Kind of ironic if you ask me.
So once I got over the fanciness, I sat down to order but then had to use the fancy cloth napkin to wipe my brow because the ac was not up to the job of cooliing this small resteraunt. So sweating I tried to order the brisket sandwich, sorry were all out, ok how about the turkey sandwich, sorry all out of turkey. Really out of primary meats for BBQ at a BBQ joint at 3 in the afternoon. Ok, do I dare ask for the ham sandwich? What, OMG they do have ham. Lol!!! Ordered the ham sandwich, blackened chicken pasta, & smoked potatoes. Then had to take my daughter to the mens restroom because the light was out in the womens restroom. Got back to the table to our food still not there. Sorry if this reviews getting a little negative, but believe me the dining experience was much worse.
Ham sandwich was pretty tasty, smothered in a thick sweet BBQ sauce. Reminded me of Carolina BBQ. Sweet sauce is not really a Kansas city thing in my opinion. Smoked potatoes were nothing great. Lastly the blackened chicken pasta was bland, which I had to drown in salt, & raise my blood pressure. Help Unilocal!Unilocal help!
The bill arrives. I look at the damage as a drop of sweat drops on it. Only $ 15 for this unforgettable experience. Well I guess there’s the bright side. Never again.

After reading some of the praise this place has been given in other reviews, I went here with the highest of hopes, looking forward to a delicious meal. I didn’t get it.
I LOVE smoked brisket, and was thinking about it all morning. Low and behold, they were out. The server even told me that they hadn’t sold it for a couple of weeks now. So instead i got smoked turkey w/​a side of mac and cheese. The mac and cheese was tasty, though i was so hungry i feel like i could have appreciated anything cheesy and macaroniey. THe smoked turkey was just painfully average. I felt like i had bought deli meat from the grocery store, slopped some BBQ sauce on it and put it between two soggy slices of wonderbread.
I’ll go back and give the place another shot, because i feel like my experience simply CAN’T be typical. If it’s better next time i’ll update, but as far as this visit goes I was certainly disappointed.

So I guess I should prefact this by saying that I’m from the coasts and never before have had anything that would be labeled proper soul food.
That being said, I do know great food when I have it and this place is great. Went here for lunch today with a group of my coworkers, and we ended up getting a mix of the smoked turkey, smoked ham, and asian catfish all with a bunch of sides.
To be fair to Michael B., the potatoes are a tad bit greasy, but oh so delicious. Never have had smoked potatoes before and these are amazing. The catfish was perfectly breaded and fried and the interior was moist and succulent. The mac and cheese was everything I dream southern style mac and cheese should taste like, cornbread is moist, richly flavored and perfectly textured and the prices cannot be beat. You can get out of there for under $ 10 and be ready to loosen your belt a few notches.
If I had to give them any knock is that while our server was helpful and got us our food quickly and accurately, it did take a while to pay and get out of there. However, while we were waiting to leave they came by and allowed us to try a «sample» of jamaican chicken which was incredibly juicy with a great kick of heat and spices at the end (I put sample in quotes cuz the sample portions ranged from one to two bites to half of a chicken leg).
I am incredibly excited to have found a great place (that also does take out) where I can get some rib sticking delicious sould food when the time is right. If you want a good meal and enjoy eating in real community locations, this is the place for you.

I’d like to give them 2.5 stars, but it’s not an option at this point. I really wanted to like this place, and there is much to enjoy, but there are some issues.
First of all, the restaurant itself is nothing fancy, but it’s not bad. All I can say is that it appears the owners are trying. Props for having cloth napkins though!
I would eat in a laundromat, a gas station or a car wash… oh wait, I HAVE eaten restaurants in all those places, so I don’t really care about the space as long as the food is good.
So on to the food. Trying to continue my BBQ quest around the city, I ordered the brisket sandwich and a side of smoked potato wedges. My dining companions both ordered «Asian» catfish with sides of cornbread and beans.
A few minutes after ordering, our waitress, whose age I would guess to be about 11 or 12 (this is fine by me and shows a committment to a family business), came back and said they were out of brisket :(
On a whim, I ordered the ½ order of blackened chicken pasta. About the best thing I can say about this dish is that, even at a ½ order, it was huge. A ½ order was probably big enough to feed 3 people with sides. It was served over spaghetti noodles and was very greasy. The chicken wasn’t blackened and just was not tasty. Did I mention that it was very greasy? A not so nice little pool of grease formed at the bottom of the bowl. Again, if the food is awesome, I’d suck that up with a a straw, but it just wasn’t that great.
My smoked potato wedges were pretty good and very smokey, but they were also greasy. I can see some people getting turned off by both just how smokey they really are and/​or how greasey they are. I don’t really understand the grease. Maybe they are smoking them under meat drippings. But they come served in a little bowl and there is a pool of grease in the bottom.
On the other hand the «Asian» catfish was not greasy at all. I’m not a huge catfish fan, but I did try a sample. I have no idea what an Asian catfish is, but it was good and tasted nothing like catfish. So that can either be good or bad depending on how big a catfish fan you are. It was mild and sweet and not fishy tasting at all. I thought the breading was good, but there was not much spice to it.
The cornbread was offered in watermelon and cheesecake flavors that day. Seems strange, but the cheesecake cornbread was delicious, although the edges were burned a bit.
One small nitpick, they have no hot sauce, no Tobasco, no Crystal, no Louisiana Hot Sauce, etc. They have tiny packets of crap hot sauce that are next to impossible to open i might add. Places that serve blackened chicken or catfish need to spring for a couple bottles of this stuff and not just rely on plastic packets.
I’ll go back and maybe readjust my stars, but for now… just a 2.5. There’s room for improvement.

I am officially obsessed with their catfish. It is so delicious & I must have it every few weeks. Finger lickin’ good. Two large breaded filets with great a seasoning — crisp & not greasy at all. Comes with 2 sides of your choice, almost all of which are smoked… then again almost everything here is smoked (which is a great thing). Smoked mac & cheese, smoked cornbread (cherry, honey, peach or sweet potato)! My favorite sides are the smoked cabbage & the smoked potatoes (also green beans, baked beans, mashed potatoes, etc…)
As a pescaterian, I can’t tell you about the meat but my friends have always enjoyed it. Where else can you get a heaping helping of prime rib + 2 sides for under $ 10?! $ 5 gets you 3 wings (Apple, Jamaican or Mesquite flavored) + 2 sides. They are known for their strawberry cake.
My main complaint is that they close too early. 7pm :(I usually find myself ready for dinner shortly after that, then am bummed out because they are closed. Staff is always friendly to me. I am so glad that C. Withers is close to my house & happy that it has made me a catfish fanatic.

If heaven doesn’t serve C Whithers– then it’s not worth going…
Upon stepping to the counter we were immediately offered samples of the smoked prime rib. It was incredibly well-​seasoned and tender. I ordered the smoked briscuit while pops ordered the prime rib. Both meals were under $ 10 and together we got sides of baked beans, mac and cheese, and green beans. We sat down to receive partial table service as we waited in the smoky, small, front room.
Everything in the place appears to be smoked and because they occupy a storefront of a larger building on Broadway, much of the smoke wafts into the dining room and front counter. The food is based on homestyle soul food side dishes and smoked meats.
The food came out after a short wait… Oh Baby!
I really don’t even know where to start. My Dad and I sampled bits and pieces of each other’s meals and EVERYTHING was really good. Like lick your fingers dry, can’t stop eating it good…
There are a lot of restaurants I love in Kansas City, but I’m going to have to put C Wither’s at #1 on my list right now. I can’t think of ANYWHERE I’d rather eat (Sorry OK Joe’s + Bryant’s). This is a KC legend in the making…