New Johnson County barbecue restaurant to open soon from same owners as upscale grill

The owners of Lenexa’s upscale Sierra Grill are opening a new barbecue restaurant on Tuesday.

The new concept, called Sierra BBQ, will open at 11099 Lackman Road in Lenexa, according to a media release.

If the address sounds familiar, that’s because the upcoming barbecue spot was once Sierra Grill’s original location, when it first opened in 2017.

But early last year, Sierra Grill moved to its current location at 8659 Penrose Lane in the Lenexa City Center.

Executive chef Ryan Edwards kept the old space for his new restaurant, which, in contrast to Sierra’s upscale menu of pasta dishes and steak, will serve more casual fare.

Some of the menu items at his new spot include baby back ribs, pulled pork, smoked sausage, burnt ends and homestyle sides like baked beans and potato salad.

Edwards is from Missouri, but he got his culinary skills working at restaurants in Las Vegas. He moved back to Kansas City with his wife, Mari-Cris Edwards, after deciding the area was a better place to start a family.

(Mari-Cris’ maiden name is Sierra.)

For now, the Sierra BBQ’s hours will be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.