Herman's Meat Smokehouse - Topeka

I've eaten at Herman's several times, most recently this past week. I typically get brisket and sometimes hot links. I've also had the ribs. They have a lot of meat choices and a lot of choices for sides, as well. Generally speaking this is a really good (though not great) Barbeque place. It's one of the best in Topeka, though it doesn't quite measure up to some of the better BBQ places in KC. My biggest complaint about Herman's is the hours. Only open Wednesday through Saturday. That's three days a week that they aren't even open. That said, the brisket is generally quite good, although at times it can be a little bit dry. Sides are usually top notch. Service can be a bit slow at times, but not unreasonably so. Also, parking is often limited. This is a large building with both a restaurant and a grocery/meat section and during busy times, you can have trouble finding a place to park. Prices are about what you'd expect for good BBQ, maybe a little on the high side. I gave them a 5 star rating, although if 1/2 stars were allowed, I might have dropped to 4 1/2 stars. I come back here a few times a year, but there are a half a dozen BBQ places in Kansas City that are better, so there is room for improvement.

Great BBQ. Nice selection of fresh meat and sides in the meat market section.

The ribs was great! But all the sauce had a strong strong vinegar aftertaste… You can see the sauce separated in the little cup, I brought that up to a couple of the employees! It just tasted like the it was OLD! Please fix.

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!

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.