I had heard about Pappy's for years before I actually went, which is embarrassing because it's not like I live that far. You hear enough people talk about a BBQ place like it's a life experience and you start to think they're being dramatic. They're not. The line was long when we got there, moved faster than expected, and everything after that was just really good food. The baby back ribs are what this place is built on and they deserve the reputation. They come out dry-rubbed and slow smoked over apple and cherry wood, no sauce on them by default, and they don't need it. The bark has this slight sweetness from the wood and the rub and the meat underneath is tender without being fall-off-the-bone to the point of mushiness. There are four sauces on the table and you can go ahead and try them, but honestly the first rack I ate without any sauce at all and didn't feel like I was missing anything. The burnt ends were just perfect little caramelized cubes of beef that I kept eating until they were gone. The fried corn on the cob is a weird thing to talk about this much but I'm going to anyway because it's excellent, just a whole cob lightly battered and fried and it's hot and crunchy and a little sweet. We also got the baked beans which had plenty of meat mixed in and a good kick to them. Counter service, seats yourself after ordering, loud and fun atmosphere. The place closes when the meat runs out so there's a hard daily limit. They're not going to reheat something to serve you the next day and that's the right call. Show up when they open if you can. I went back the following morning for an early lunch before driving out of St. Louis and had the pulled pork sandwich this time, which was simpler and still really good. There's something about the consistency here that you notice across visits, nothing feels like an off day or a rushed plate. The whole operation runs like they take it seriously but nobody in there looks like they're stressed about it, which is a hard combination to pull off.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Max Santiago
Listed as the best Smokehouse but it's honestly average. The wait times are long too. The staff is amazing and service is quick once you order.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Giovanni Viscardi
The best 👌 in St. Louis, busy get in early
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lawrence Baca
Some of the best bbq tasted. Be sure to arrive early or you will be waiting in line. Great staff, comfortable atmosphere, and good pricing.
Aronwp
Great ribs and great food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
nutnicha srilamai
The food is delicious, but you'll need some patience if you have to queue for a while.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Travis Williams
Wasn't a long wait and the food was great. We had burnt ends, pulled pork, and a frito pie.
Let’s start with the meat, which had absolutely no flavor—no seasoning at all. It was probably the most well-cooked bland meat of all time. The turkey slices were juicy and well-seasoned, but everything else depended entirely on the BBQ sauce, which is actually delicious.
Then I ordered this Frito bowl mix that I had to put together myself, which was awful because I basically had to go look for the pictures to make sure I was doing it right. Who wants to do all that work just to eat? Not me!
I get it though—I know who the target demographic is, and we know they don’t know about seasoning, which is fine. But at least state that on the menu, because the food looked great—it just tasted awful. 😅 Customer service was great though! Definitely a great way waste 100$ I recommend it anyone looking to practice for the chewing Olympics!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
robert spruill
Astonishing! Combo plates plus added sides- can't go wrong!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Blake Smith-Bohnert
The ordering experience is odd. You wait in line to order, like a quick service, but then they seat you. They have beer, but it isn't listed on the menu.
The food was just pretty good. Anything about the flavor I didn't care for was compensated by huge portions.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Jason Boudreaux
Nice staff, good atmosphere, food there fast, and excellent ribs. Was in town from KC and glad I tried it.
Leah Spivey - McCormick
So so good. Very friendly staff. Tasted the ribs, chicken, brisket, burnt ends, and pulled pork. Would visit again.
Great food and service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I enjoy their ribs 😋
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I had heard about Pappy's for years before I actually went, which is embarrassing because it's not like I live that far. You hear enough people talk about a BBQ place like it's a life experience and you start to think they're being dramatic. They're not. The line was long when we got there, moved faster than expected, and everything after that was just really good food.
The baby back ribs are what this place is built on and they deserve the reputation. They come out dry-rubbed and slow smoked over apple and cherry wood, no sauce on them by default, and they don't need it. The bark has this slight sweetness from the wood and the rub and the meat underneath is tender without being fall-off-the-bone to the point of mushiness. There are four sauces on the table and you can go ahead and try them, but honestly the first rack I ate without any sauce at all and didn't feel like I was missing anything. The burnt ends were just perfect little caramelized cubes of beef that I kept eating until they were gone. The fried corn on the cob is a weird thing to talk about this much but I'm going to anyway because it's excellent, just a whole cob lightly battered and fried and it's hot and crunchy and a little sweet. We also got the baked beans which had plenty of meat mixed in and a good kick to them.
Counter service, seats yourself after ordering, loud and fun atmosphere. The place closes when the meat runs out so there's a hard daily limit. They're not going to reheat something to serve you the next day and that's the right call. Show up when they open if you can. I went back the following morning for an early lunch before driving out of St. Louis and had the pulled pork sandwich this time, which was simpler and still really good. There's something about the consistency here that you notice across visits, nothing feels like an off day or a rushed plate. The whole operation runs like they take it seriously but nobody in there looks like they're stressed about it, which is a hard combination to pull off.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Listed as the best Smokehouse but it's honestly average. The wait times are long too. The staff is amazing and service is quick once you order.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The best 👌 in St. Louis, busy get in early
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Some of the best bbq tasted. Be sure to arrive early or you will be waiting in line. Great staff, comfortable atmosphere, and good pricing.
Great ribs and great food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food is delicious, but you'll need some patience if you have to queue for a while.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wasn't a long wait and the food was great. We had burnt ends, pulled pork, and a frito pie.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fantastic burnt ends
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Let’s start with the meat, which had absolutely no flavor—no seasoning at all. It was probably the most well-cooked bland meat of all time. The turkey slices were juicy and well-seasoned, but everything else depended entirely on the BBQ sauce, which is actually delicious.
Then I ordered this Frito bowl mix that I had to put together myself, which was awful because I basically had to go look for the pictures to make sure I was doing it right. Who wants to do all that work just to eat? Not me!
I get it though—I know who the target demographic is, and we know they don’t know about seasoning, which is fine. But at least state that on the menu, because the food looked great—it just tasted awful. 😅 Customer service was great though! Definitely a great way waste 100$ I recommend it anyone looking to practice for the chewing Olympics!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Astonishing! Combo plates plus added sides- can't go wrong!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The ordering experience is odd. You wait in line to order, like a quick service, but then they seat you. They have beer, but it isn't listed on the menu.
The food was just pretty good. Anything about the flavor I didn't care for was compensated by huge portions.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Nice staff, good atmosphere, food there fast, and excellent ribs. Was in town from KC and glad I tried it.
So so good. Very friendly staff. Tasted the ribs, chicken, brisket, burnt ends, and pulled pork. Would visit again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Loading...