Herman's Meat Smokehouse - Topeka

Herman's is my favorite barbecue spot in the Topeka area. Herman's has been a Topeka institution for over 60 years. At their current location, they have a barbecue restaurant, a deli, and a full-service meat counter that sells various meats and cuts for you to take home to cook or grill yourself. They grind their own hamburger and the steaks are cut in house. Also, Herman's is my family's go to place around the holidays as their whole turkeys and hams are top notch. My favorite menu items are pulled pork, brisket and the burnt ends. The burnt ends are only offered on certain days of the week, I believe. There are many delicious side dishes too, including cheesy potatoes. My favorite barbecue restaurant in the world is Kansas City Joe's, but Herman's is THE place to go in Topeka for BBQ! So give Herman's a try the next time you are in the area.

Delicious!! We really appreciate high quality bbq, and we were thrilled to find it here!! Great place to eat, and will definitely return when we visit Topeka!

I went Saturday 14 jan., 3.30pm to get something for family lunch, stand there for 7 minutes front of register [at the food court] and non of 5 people [3 inside and 2 outside kitchen] didn't even look at me.There was a one lady standing on my wright side also traying to get their attention but they were too busy talking who did what then to see that somebody waiting to order.I was the only one at the register. So I left because this is second time happening to me and you are private business ,hard to keep customers if you work this way.These people were so arogant ,not for this kind of work.Lady at the door register was nice and polite.I guess you dont need my 150$ which I spend in your shop.

One major drawback of Herman's is its limited hours; they are only open from Wednesday to Saturday, leaving three days a week when they are closed. However, the brisket is usually quite tasty, though there are times it can be slightly dry. The side dishes tend to be excellent. While the service can be a bit slow at times, it’s generally reasonable. Another issue is the parking situation, which can be scarce. The restaurant shares a large building with a grocery and meat market, making it difficult to find parking during busy hours. Pricing is about what you'd expect for quality barbeque, possibly a touch higher than average. I rated them five stars, but if half-stars were an option, I might have gone with four and a half. I visit a few times a year, but there are several BBQ joints in Kansas City that surpass Herman's, indicating there’s certainly room for improvement.

EDIT: I rate the meat at 4 out of 5. We order brisket and sausage by the pound for a party. The brisket was tender and delicious. Most importantly, it was not at all fatty. The smoked sausage was delicious and perfectly smokey. My Polish mother-in-law scoffed when I told her it was kielbasa, but it passed my southern need for smokey flavor. Most at our party paired the meat with Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce, and we all agreed that it was far better than the house BBQ sauce.The sauce and beans are what bring the overall rating down. But, if you’re buying meat by the pound, I would recommend Herman’s.Original review:I ordered the brisket sandwich with baked beans. The meat was very appropriately smokey and tender, which I enjoyed. The BBQ sauce was—in my opinion—horrid. If you enjoy tomato-ey and vinegar-ey BBQ sauce, you would really enjoy this BBQ sauce—it just wasn't for me. The beans were also very tomato-ey. However, the BBQ sauce was palatable when paired with the meat—truly, the meat did all the work here.All in all, I can absolutely see how people like this BBQ joint, especially because the meat was very good and tender. The BBQ sauce was just a huge miss for me.