St. Louis barbecue runs pork forward, and the city and county both bring real pits to the table. This list sticks to the smoke: brisket, ribs, pulled pork, rib tips, and the sides that back them up, from South City counters to a Delmar Loop-adjacent lunch line.
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The half-smoke sausage and the brisket sandwich anchor a menu built for a group that cannot agree on one order. Cornbread comes sweet and gets ordered alongside nearly everything else. The room runs casual and moves fast enough for a weeknight dinner without turning it into a production.
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Order at the counter, grab a tray, and find a table once the ribs, brisket, and pulled pork land on one plate. The line moves even at a busy downtown lunch, and the format works for a family meal as well as it does for someone splitting an hour between meetings.
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The pulled pork sandwich and catfish bites are the two dishes regulars order without checking the rest of the menu. Smoked chicken and a choice between sweet potato fries and steak fries round out a lunch built for families coming straight from church or errands nearby.
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A full rack of ribs here comes dry rubbed, tender, and slightly sweet, with burnt ends that lean saucy without drying out. The pulled pork sandwich paired with pasta salad is the move for a fast lunch, and the counter rarely runs a long wait even on a Friday afternoon.
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Pulled Pork Nachos are the reason regulars keep coming back, loaded with baked beans and salsa on top of a full plate of pork. The room sits in a strip mall between a pawnshop and a gun store, unpretentious inside and out, and the pulled pork sandwich holds its own against the nachos.
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Smoked wings come out large and genuinely smoked, not just sauced, and the brisket and ribs back up a menu that also covers a Philly cheesesteak for anyone in the group who wants off the barbecue track. A remodel opened up the entrance and the dining room. Call ahead when it is busy, which is often.
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Brisket, ribs, and pulled pork move fast enough that carryout regulars know to grab a beer and wait rather than plan around a quiet moment. The room has the feel of a place where the same faces show up weekly, and the smoke gets consistent marks even from people who stop in only for takeout.
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Smoked chicken and brisket come out of a smoker set right at the door in this South City spot, family run and family friendly. The kitchen has kept a steady local following for years, though the competition in town for brisket specifically is real, and this room does not claim to be the top of that heap.
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Turkey ribs are the dish that surprises first-timers who did not know a turkey could be cut that way, and a whole slab alongside rib tips makes for a serious plate. The room is spare and clean, counter service only, with prices that stay reasonable for the portion size.
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Fried gyoza and the Crying Tiger beef were the dishes people ordered for delivery and return trips alike, with tonkatsu rounding out the Japanese side of the menu. The restaurant closed in July 2026, and it no longer belongs on a current guide to eating in the city.
We start with the review record, not a press release. Every room here is a real kitchen with a strong rating across a meaningful number of reviews, ranked on our 10-point Insider Score. We weight consistency over time and the rooms locals return to, not the ones tourists pass through once. The list updates as the data does. How we work →
Staff Writer. Born in Sarajevo, raised in Bevo Mill, lives in Affton. Covers the guides and drives the whole metro to do it, from the Delmar Loop to the Metro East. Tells you the order, the price, the wait, and the parking, then makes the argument.
The new opening, the sleeper the score just flagged, and the one room worth booking this week. Free.