At the beginning of 2021, Dempsey’s Biscuit Co moved from their College Hill location and merged with Crutch BBQ which opened in 2020 at 550 N. Rock Road. I have not been back to Crutch BBQ since they opened their dining room and had yet to visit Dempsey’s new digs. So, this review allowed me to kill two birds with one stone and try two different genres of food.
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550 N. Rock Road, Wichita, Kansas 67206
316-796-5076
Crutch BBQ Hours
Tuesday – Thursday: 11am – 8pm
Friday: 11am – 10pm
Saturday: 9am – 10pm
Sunday: 11am – 8pm
Closed on Monday
Dempsey’s Biscuit Co. Hours
Sunday – Thursday: 9am – 8pm
Friday & Saturday: 9am-10pm
Website | Crutch BBQ Facebook
Website | Dempsey’s Biscuit Co Facebook
Cash/Card Accepted
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As you can guess, Crutch BBQ serves all things BBQ. Meanwhile, Dempsey’s Biscuit Co serves scratch Southern fare. With the merge, the restaurant offered menus from both Dempsey’s and Crutch all in one. It was like having access to two restaurants all through one building, one menu, one server, etc.
My original intention of visiting Crutch BBQ was to check out their huge beef ribs that were available on Saturday. The big cuts of beef ran $20.99 for two beef ribs and came with two sides. I asked for smoked mac & cheese and pickled red cabbage slaw. The size of each rib was probably the size of each of my forearms which I’m not sure is a compliment to the beef ribs or an insult to myself. Bottom line, they were jumbo-sized with plenty of meat on them… OK, so maybe not like my forearms but someone bigger. My first bite was literally heaven. There was such a smoky beefy flavor to it that I loved. My favorite of the sauces to dip it in was the hot BBQ but I could have easily gone with zero sauce.
Between the two sides, the smoked mac & cheese was pure bliss. I’m by no means a mac & cheese connoisseur but for those looking for the best ought to consider checking out Crutch BBQ.
And since it had been a while that Dempsey’s Biscuit Co has been in my belly, I placed an order for some biscuits & gravy and topped it with some “hot hot” Nashville hot chicken. A while ago, they changed their recipe to tone down the hot hot option and it had a nice buffalo heat to it that was toned down by the gravy. I’m long been a big fan of Dempsey’s Biscuit Co and this was one of the most filling plates of biscuits & gravy I’ve had in quite some time.
Did I finish both meals? Oh, hell no. But did I enjoy both meals? Oh, hell yeah!
I remember when the announcement was made of the merger that it was weird to see a combination of these style of restaurants. To me, it made no difference at all. A restaurant could offer street tacos and pho in one and if they did it well, that’s all that matters. The marriage between the two places works out and I should know as I’m an ordained minister with 13 weddings under my belt.
My original visit to Crutch BBQ wasn’t exactly a glowing one but these big beef ribs sold me from the first bite. Add in some awesome Nashville hot chicken and it’s probably a guarantee I’ll be back soon.
The only issue this blog may be incorrect on is hours. The corresponding websites and Facebook pages had different hours so I posted the ones on their Facebook page.
Here’s their menu:
Happy Dining,
Eddy
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Dempsy’s at the College Hill location had a wonderful salad. i believe it snow pea sprouts.. always enjoyed the service and food.. not so much the parking