Best BBQ Spots in St. Louis

When you want some flavorful, meaty St. Louis-style ribs, there’s no better place to be than the delicacy’s namesake city. St. Louis has numerous spots where you can enjoy some barbecued ribs cooked to perfection and slathered in sweet barbecue sauce. Here are five of the best barbecue spots offering original St. Louis-style ribs.

Bogart’s Smokehouse

Bogart’s Smokehouse takes St. Louis-style barbecue to a new level. Since 2011, this restaurant in historic Soulard has created some of the best ‘que in the St. Louis area. Favorites on the menu include the pastrami, pulled pork, smoky beef brisket, and — of course — the ribs. You’ll probably have to stand in line when you come for lunch, but that’s only because the food is that good.

At Bogart’s, you can order a full or half slab of ribs or a combo plate with ribs and another meat. House-made sauces add the perfect flavor to your ribs, ranging from sweet to spicy to tangy. The ribs come with your choice of two sides, including favorites like the baked beans and deviled egg potato salad. Bogart’s Smokehouse also offers carryout family combos with ribs and sides, and you can order other meats in bulk by the pound.

Location: 1627 S. Ninth St., St. Louis.

Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Salt + Smoke

Salt + Smoke specializes in the city’s classic barbecue, smoking its ribs over cherry wood to bring out the sweetness of the meat. You can enhance your half or full rack with one of the restaurant’s house sauces, which include a classic sweet-heat, smoky flavor and tangy mustard barbecue. Rib plates come with a popover, which is a light muffin with cheddar and bacon, and two sides. Choose from favorites like pit beans with smoked bacon or sweet pepper potato salad.

Other meats on the Salt + Smoke menu include rib tips, pulled pork, smoked wings, and brisket smoked over post oak wood for 14 to 18 hours. For a true St. Louis experience, try the burnt end toasted ravs, featuring made-from-scratch ravioli stuffed with burnt ends and cheddar and deep-fried to perfection. In addition to its meats, Salt + Smoke offers an extensive selection of beer and bourbon to complement your barbecue. If you have room for dessert at the end of your meal, get a piece of house-made pecan, apple, or chocolate pie served a la mode.

Location: 6525 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, and four other locations in the area.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Smokee Mo’s St. Louis BBQ Restaurant

Why should carnivores have all the fun? Smokee Mo’s St. Louis BBQ Restaurant caters to meat lovers and vegetarians alike with a full vegan menu. This West St. Louis County restaurant serves traditional smokehouse barbecue, including ribs, smoked chicken, pulled pork, beef brisket, and smoked turkey. It also offers a variety of vegetarian and vegan options, without the meat but with the same smokehouse flavor. Some of its popular vegan offerings include the vegan “ribz,” the Notaburger, and the jackfruit nachos.

Smokee Mo’s has a variety of sauces for you to try, including the traditional St. Louis-style sweet barbecue sauce and a hot habanero sauce with a smoky finish. You can enjoy your barbecue with a delicious side, like baked beans, potato salad, a twice-baked potato, homemade applesauce, or seasoned corn. For dessert, choose from apple crisp, brownie cheesecake, or a rotating cookie selection. Smokee Mo’s also offers vegan chocolate chip cookies and cupcakes to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Location: 110 Old Meramec Station Road, St. Louis.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Monday, or until sold out.

Sugarfire Smoke House

The folks at Sugarfire Smoke House are working to put STL-style barbecue on the map, with nearly a dozen restaurants in Missouri and several out-of-state locations in Iowa, Colorado, Illinois, and Florida. Its hub in downtown St. Louis pays tribute to the National Blues Museum next door, with murals featuring some of the greats and music playing at all times. Sugarfire Smoke House smokes its meats in a slow-and-low style to create mouthwatering flavors. You can slather your meats in one of the restaurant’s seven sauces, ranging from sweet to hot to savory.

When you want a little of everything, try the Meat Daddy, which comes with ribs, brisket, pulled pork, turkey, and a jalapeno cheddar sausage link with two sides. You can also get a full rack of ribs or a half rack with meat only. Sides include baked beans, coleslaw, French fries, and potato salad. Pair your barbecue with a pie shake, a milkshake blended with real pecan, apple, or key lime pie.

Location: 605 Washington Ave., St. Louis, with other locations in the area.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Roper’s Ribs

This longtime St. Louis establishment promises the best barbecue in the universe, and it’s not much of an exaggeration. The family-owned Roper’s Ribs, established in 1976, makes quintessential St. Louis spareribs, hand rubbed with a special spice blend and smoked for hours with hickory wood. The result is flavorful, fall-off-the-bone ribs that keep many locals coming back for more.

At Roper’s Ribs, you can get a full slab of St. Louis-style ribs with potato salad and baked beans, or a smaller half slab with potato salad. Other menu items include rib tips, beef brisket, pulled pork, and burnt ends. You can also order snoots, another St. Louis delicacy. Snoot comes from the pig’s nose and has a flavor similar to bacon. When you have more mouths to feed, Roper’s Ribs can accommodate party orders of its popular meats and sides with at least 48 hours’ notice.

Location: 6929 W. Florissant Ave., St. Louis.

Hours: Noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday.

There you go — a complete guide to five of the best barbecue spots in St. Louis. The next time you have a craving for meaty, tender St. Louis-style ribs, where do you plan to go? If you’re an STL native, did we miss one of the local favorites? Contact us at AutoCenters Nissan with your feedback. In addition to serving our customers with a quality selection of brand-new Nissan models and quality used vehicles, we’re committed to being a resource for the St. Louis-area community. You can check out our other local recommendations by reading our past blog posts.

ribs by stu_spivack is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0