I Ate At 3 Of St. Louis' Highest-Rated BBQ Spots, And This Was The Best

Short of the Gateway Arch, Josephine Baker, and T.S. Eliot, barbecue might be St. Louis' most beloved icon. As distinct from other location-specific styles like Kansas City barbecue, the St. Louis method, which dates back to the early 20th century, often stars grilled ribs (spare ribs, not baby back) paired with a sweet, ketchup-based sauce that runs comparatively thin thanks to the inclusion of vinegar. On a recent trip to Mound City, this California girl — a casual barbecue enjoyer seeking a regional education — tried and ranked three of St. Louis' highest-rated barbecue restaurants, as determined by customer reviews from Yelp, Google, and Tripadvisor.

The venerated spots in question? Sugarfire Smokehouse on Olive Boulevard, Pappy's Smokehouse on Olive Street (no relation), and Bogart's Smokehouse on South 9th. These three restaurants, all alike in dignity and customer enthusiasm, have each earned four or more stars from a minimum of 5,000 combined reviews, and you'll likely find at least one on any self-respecting list of the city's barbecue hotspots.

To determine my ranking, I sought out similar dishes at all three eateries and compared them based on food and sauce quality, as well as my overall dining experience. Price wasn't a major player in my decision-making; approximately $60 at each restaurant secured several entrées, plus sides and drinks. So, which smokehouse reigned supreme? That's for me to foreshadow and you to read about, but for now, let me remind the purists out there: These aren't necessarily St. Louis' oldest or most traditional barbecue spots — they're just a few of the most popular.

In a twist of fate both miraculous and loathsome, I found no line when I arrived at Sugarfire Smokehouse around noon on a Saturday. Why loathsome? Maybe because I hoped, in error, to prioritize ambience over business. The staff behind the cafeteria-style counter soon corrected me: My admiration of the dining room's beer-can decor, Food Network accolades, and meaty aromas could wait — Sugarfire had barbecue to sling. And sling it did.

My two-tray bounty sailed over the glass partition while I was still impulse-buying a beautifully caramelized slice of Sugarfire Cake (reminiscent of St. Louis' happiest accident, gooey butter cake). Guided by over 7,000 total reviews across Yelp, Google, and Tripadvisor, I selected ribs, pulled pork, turkey, and brisket for my mains. The first of these was fall-apart tender with a tantalizing crust, while the middle two were mildly smoky. Otherwise, however, they lacked any distinctive flavor. The brisket wasn't overly tender but did feature a nice layer of fat and a sweet, glazed exterior.

The slaw, beans, and potato salad were all serviceably tasty, but the cornbread? Downright divine. The hefty cube was dense, sweet, and moist enough to hold its shape without dissolving into a crumbly mess. My standout sauce from the six provided bottles in the tabletop rack was the White BBQ — a tangy, subtly spicy horseradish concoction — though the smooth, sugary, and more traditional St. Louis Sweet also held its own. Still, the 10/10 cornbread and swift service notwithstanding, Sugarfire's lackluster flavors and just-okay sides land this flashy hotspot in third place.

I was 20 minutes and twice as many bodies deep in the ordering queue at Pappy's Smokehouse when a ripple of dismay swept down the narrow hallway. An employee had just scribbled "Brisket" on a small whiteboard bearing a much-dreaded phrase: "Sold Out." This was a blow — a decent number of Pappy's 18,000 combined Yelp, Google, and Tripadvisor reviews recommended its take on this classic — but it had been self-inflicted: I didn't arrive until just one hour before closing. My brisket dreams dashed, I focused instead on the ribs, pulled pork, burnt ends, and turkey sandwich, plus four sauces and a bevy of sides.

Five minutes after placing my order and selecting a high-top in the noisy, industrial dining area, my trays arrived overflowing with smoked delights. The burnt ends earned my particular favor thanks to their light, sugary coating. The pulled pork, true to its name, pulled apart easily, as did the turkey, and the ribs featured a pleasant layer of fat beneath their crispy, peppered exterior. Pappy's Original Sauce — sweet but quite sour, maybe from an abundance of vinegar — paired well with all four meats, though my palate preferred the brown sugar profile of Jane's Sweet. 

Classic sides like the potato salad and beans were tasty, if unremarkable. Fortunately, this wasn't true of the crisp-yet-fluffy sweet potato fries — would Pappy's allow it, I'd down that salty-sweet seasoning by the unholy spoonful. The corn on the cob, fried to savory perfection with an undertone of natural sweetness, was another standout. Pappy's certainly has its meats down, but its hallway purgatory and overwhelming dining-room clamor place it as the fulcrum in this three-part barbecue ranking.

I suspect that when I sat down inside Bogart's Smokehouse at 11 a.m. on a Friday, my open notebook (fingerprinted with barbecue sauce) and pen collection (vast and colorful) clued the staff in on my profession. Perhaps the service is always so immediate, and the host always so attentive as to bring each customer a spare tray so they may achieve that perfect barbecue snapshot, but any special attention left this consummate professional unswayed. Fortunately for Bogart's, its delectable entrées and sides (as promised by 5,200 combined Yelp, Google, and Tripadvisor reviews) still impressed enough to earn it the top spot here.

Hog-themed decor and a wafting Stevie Nicks melody created a casual setting for the feast, which consisted of a half slab of apricot-caramelized ribs, the brisket sandwich, and four sides. The smooth interior of the ribs was lean but tender and contrasted nicely with the outside crust, while a subtle smokiness deepened the fattier brisket's decadent flavor. The sweet, undressed bun served as a welcome sauce vehicle, namely for my favored Cranberry Cayenne. In my estimation, its pleasing spicy-tart balance just barely edged out the molasses-heavy richness of the Pineapple Express.

The vinegary Sweet & Sour Slaw, piquant Fire & Ice Pickles, and well-seasoned Deviled Egg Potato Salad all held their own against the meats' main event. Bogart's Beans, however, could've singlehandedly won the barbecue crown. Tangy and sweet with an unexpected kick, the beans' thick, deeply rich sauce also paired beautifully with the ribs. Were I left unsupervised in Bogart's kitchen, that small paper cup would instead be a large, bubbling vat with my name on it.