Turkey Legg Man

Turkey Legg Man (styled KC Turkey Leggman on its ordering site) is a small takeout barbecue stand at 18th & Quindaro in Kansas City, Kansas, built around one thing: hickory-, cherry- and pecan-smoked turkey legs, sold whole or slashed open and stuffed with four-cheese mac and cheese as the “Bust Down.” Owner Matthew Montgomery started selling legs off a $25 grill in a salon parking lot around 2017, ran a food truck from 2020, and opened the Quindaro storefront in May 2023. In September 2025 The New York Times put it on its list of the 50 best restaurants in America — the only Kansas entry — and the line has wrapped the block since. Open Wednesday–Sunday from noon; closed Monday and Tuesday.

Description

The stand sits in a low storefront at 1916 Quindaro that was previously the Mexican restaurant Gallardo’s. The walls are black, the counter is trimmed in corrugated aluminum, and the main decoration is a cartoon mural of Montgomery’s own grinning face in sunglasses.¹ The Pitch’s Liz Cook, reviewing it in October 2023, described the standard leg as “crisp-skinned but never charred, moist but never greasy,” smoked over hickory with some cherry and pecan after a dry and a wet rub.¹

The signature is the Bust Down (the ordering site spells it “Turkey Stuffed Bustdown”): a smoked leg slashed and packed with a four-cheese mac and cheese of Parmesan, Havarti, white American and white cheddar. Montgomery told The Pitch the name came from customers who kept asking for a Houston-style stuffed leg — “I be bussin’ down for that” — and that he built his own version because the Texas original “didn’t look appealing to me.”¹ Visit KCK now lists it as the local favorite to order.² Around the legs the menu runs to turkey ribs, turkey wings, smoked chicken wings, burnt ends (on a sandwich, over fries, or alone), turkey nachos and loaded turkey fries, and a short soul-food side list — mixed greens cooked with turkey, mac and cheese, yams, okra, BBQ beans, potato salad — plus a breakfast menu (chicken and waffles, croissant sandwiches) and a holiday menu of deep-fried turkeys, lamb chops and family dinners.³ Cook singled out the greens, a mix of collards, kale and red and green cabbage studded with smoked turkey, as possibly the best thing on the menu after the leg itself.¹

The New York Times included the stand in its September 8, 2025 Restaurant List; Brett Anderson’s 113-word entry read in part: “The turkey legs at this exceptional-if-niche barbecue joint in northwest Kansas City demand your full attention — and then reward it.”⁴⁵⁶ It was the only Kansas restaurant on the list.⁷ Montgomery told KCTV he hung up on the first call, assuming it was a scam.⁷ The restaurant’s own franchise pitch claims a 4.5× sales jump after the press.⁸

Ownership and history

Matthew Montgomery is a Kansas City native (“Being born and raised in Kansas City, just trying to put an innovative spin on BBQ,” he told KSHB).⁵ He has said the idea started when he brought turkey legs to a cousin’s barbecue and people asked where to buy them; his grandfather, born 1908, was known for mutton barbecue in New Bloomfield in central Missouri, and Montgomery has talked about adding mutton to the menu in his honor.⁵¹

The business began around 2017 with a case of legs sold every weekend from the parking lot of Suite 39, a salon at 39th and Paseo, on a grill that cost “maybe $25”; the next summer he moved up to a barrel grill.¹ The company’s own site tells the origin two ways — “what started in the parking lot on 18th and Vine” and “from a single grill on 39th Street” — and the press kit dates the founding to 2016 in Kansas City, Missouri.⁹¹⁰ In March 2020, weeks before the pandemic closures, Montgomery bought an offset smoker and trailer off Facebook Marketplace and launched Turkeyleggman as a food truck.¹ After selling out at a 913 Day event he met a realtor who helped him land the Quindaro Boulevard space; the storefront has been open since May 2023, initially on loose hours announced day-to-day on Instagram.⁵¹

Family works the counter — Montgomery’s children, brother and cousins, per KSHB.⁵ A $25,000 G.I.F.T. KC growth grant is listed among the company’s funding achievements, and since the Times listing the company has published a franchise program (food truck, restaurant or both), a catering arm starting at $25 a person, and plans for a food truck at the 2026 World Cup matches in Kansas City.¹⁰⁸¹¹⁶ In August 2026, after a storm knocked out power along Quindaro, Montgomery gave his last ten legs to the Capital Electric crews resetting poles outside; the restaurant was running a limited menu until its gas line was reconnected.¹²

The space

1916 Quindaro is the former Gallardo’s, a Mexican restaurant.¹

Links

• Website: https://turkeyleggman.com/
• Ordering / menu (Menufy): https://www.kcturkeyleggman.com/order
• Catering: https://turkeyleggman.com/catering/ · Franchise: https://turkeyleggman.com/franchise/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/turkeyleggman.kc
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kc_turkeyleggman
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/turkeyleggman

Menu

Last verified: 2026-08-28 · Source: the restaurant’s own Menufy ordering site (kcturkeyleggman.com/order, linked as “Menu” from turkeyleggman.com) · Confidence: High for items and prices as listed; the page also displays an “Online Ordering Coming Soon!” banner, so treat as a carryout price list. ”+” marks items with priced options.³

Food

• Turkey Legg ($18.80) · Turkey Stuffed Bustdown (mac & cheese only) ($28.20) · BYOB Turkey Legg combo ($31.30+)
• Turkey Ribs Dinner ($28.20) · Loaded Turkey Fries ($18.80) · Turkey Nachos ($18.80) · Nachos ($12.50)
• Burnt End Sandwich ($15.50; w/ fries combo $18.80+) · Burnt Ends Bust Down Fries ($18.80)
• Bernie Mac ($15.70) · Nate Dawg ($15.70; combo $20.90+) · Beef Polish Combo w/ Fries ($15.70+)
• 6 pc Wing ($10.50; combo $18.80) · 8 pc Wing ($15.50) · all flats or all drums +$1.50
• Shrimp Dinner w/ Fries ($15.70+) · Fish No Fry ($12.50)

Sides

• Fries ($5.30) · Potato Salad ($5.30) · BBQ Beans ($5.30) · Mixed Greens with turkey meat ($7.30) · Mac and Cheese ($7.30) · Yamz ($7.30) · Okra ($8.00) · Onion Rings ($8.00)
• Extras: Buffalo, Jerk or BBQ sauce ($0.60), sour cream ($0.50), jalapeños ($0.60), extra ranch ($1.00)

Breakfast

• Chicken & Waffles ($15.70) · The Classic #1 ($10.50) · The Classic #2 ($12.50) · Waffle Meal ($14.10) · Croissant Sandwich ($10.50) · Classic Breakfast Sandwich ($9.90) · add-ons: waffle $5.30, egg $2.10, bacon (2) $3.20, sausage $3.20, hash brown $2.10

Drinks & dessert

• Strawberry / Crush Pineapple / Sprite / Coke / Ginger Ale ($2.10) · Big Watermelon ($10.50) · Pecan Rum Cake ($7.50)

Holiday menu

• Holiday Leggs 4-pack ($52.10) · Holiday Wings 4-pack ($52.10) · Holiday Lamb Chops ($78.20) · Holiday Turkey Ribs ($78.20) · “Jerky Turkey — we deep fry your turkey” ($57.30) · Family Holiday Dinner, feeds 4+ ($156.30+) · holiday-size cornbread ($20.90), potato salad ($36.50), beans ($46.90), mac ($67.80), yamz ($67.80), mixed greens ($67.80), banana pudding ($36.50)

Catering menu highlights (no public prices; “starting at $25 per person”): smoked turkey legs, KC BBQ platters, mac & cheese, greens, cornbread, sauces in Original, Sweet Heat or Spicy.¹¹

Sources

Footnotes

1. Liz Cook, “I Am The Leggman: Quindaro’s Turkeyleggman has wacky presentation and deadly serious good bird,” The Pitch, 2023-10-16 — Confirms: six years of turkey legs as of 2023; Suite 39 parking lot at 39th & Paseo, $25 grill, barrel grill the next summer; March 2020 offset smoker and trailer, food-truck launch; “This May [2023], the Leggman found a permanent home: 1916 Quindaro, the KCK address previously claimed by Mexican restaurant Gallardo’s”; interior description; woods (hickory, cherry, pecan); Buss Down Legg origin and four-cheese mac; 2023 prices (legg $15, Buss Down $25); greens; grandfather’s mutton barbecue in New Bloomfield, Mo.; Douglas Lemonade and Handmade with Love; @kc_turkeyleggman. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

2. Visit Kansas City, Kansas — listing “Turkey Legg Man.” Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: NYT 2025 listing; menu summary (turkey ribs, wings, burnt ends, turkey nachos, loaded fries, watermelon juice); “The Bustdown” as the local favorite. Lists phone as (816) 603-8034, a transposition of the number on the official site. ↩

3. KC Turkey Leggman — official Menufy ordering site. Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: every item and price in the Menu section; carryout and business hours Wed–Sun noon–7:35 p.m., closed Mon–Tue; phone; address; “Online Ordering Coming Soon!” banner; © 2026. ↩ ↩²

4. Brett Anderson et al., “The Restaurant List 2025,” The New York Times, 2025-09-08 (paywalled; quoted via the restaurant’s site and local coverage) — Confirms: inclusion of the Quindaro stand (“a storefront barbecue spot in Kansas specializing in turkey legs,” per the list’s introduction as reproduced at turkeyleggman.com). ↩

5. Rachel Henderson, “KC Turkey Leggman restaurant in Kansas City, Kansas, named in New York Times list,” KSHB 41, September 2025 (photo captions dated 2025-09-10) — Confirms: owner Matthew Montgomery; family (children, brother, cousins) work there; grandfather born 1908 smoked mutton in central Missouri; cousin’s-barbecue origin story; 913 Day sellout and realtor leading to the Quindaro space; NYT quote by Brett Anderson; “born and raised in Kansas City” quote. Note: this piece dates the brick-and-mortar to 2022, which conflicts with The Pitch’s May 2023. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

6. “KC Turkey Leggman Lands on the New York Times’ Best Restaurants List,” Kansas City Magazine, September 2025 — Confirms: “takeout barbecue stand” at 1916 Quindaro; NYT list published 2025-09-08; Brett Anderson’s 113-word entry; woods and secret seasoning; other menu items; “No ad lib. Just stick to the script”; World Cup food-truck plan. ↩ ↩²

7. Jiani Navarro, “Turkey Leggman in KCK makes New York Times list of America’s 50 Best Restaurants,” KCTV5, 2025-09-10 — Confirms: only Kansas restaurant on the list; borrowed $25 grill; “I hung up on them. I thought it was a scam”; Bust Down as the top seller. ↩ ↩²

8. Turkey Legg Man — official website, “Franchise.” Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: franchise program (food truck, restaurant or both); “$35 average ticket”; “4.5× sales jump after major press.” ↩ ↩²

9. Turkey Legg Man — official website, home page. Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: name; “My name is Matthew Montgomery, AKA TURKEYLEGG MAN”; “what started in the parking lot on 18th and Vine”; “From a single grill on 39th Street to a New York Times featured sensation”; hours closed Mon–Tue, Wed–Sun noon–8; footer phone (816) 603-0834 and address 1916 Quindaro Blvd, Kansas City, KS 66104; social links; © 2026. ↩

10. Turkey Legg Man — official website, “Press & Media” (press kit and fast facts). Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: “backyard smoker and a Facebook post” origin; fast facts — Founded Kansas City, Missouri; Established 2016; average ticket $35; 300+ weekly customers; $25,000 G.I.F.T. KC Growth Grant; press list (NYT, KCTV5, KSHB); World Cup 2026 and franchising plans. ↩ ↩²

11. Turkey Legg Man — official website, “Catering & Private Events.” Retrieved 2026-08-28 — Confirms: catering service types (food truck on-site, drop-off, full-service); menu highlights and sauce names; “Starting At $25 Per Person” (home page). ↩ ↩²

12. “Nationally acclaimed KCK restaurant feeds utility crews working to restore power,” KCTV5, 2026-08-21 — Confirms: restaurant operating in August 2026; Montgomery donated his last ten legs to Capital Electric crews near 18th & Quindaro; limited menu pending gas-line reconnection. ↩