In addition to the Gateway Arch, St. Louis is also well-known for its mouthwatering ribs. Here are the top 5 places in St. Louis with the best ribs.
1. Pappy’s Smokehouse
Google rating: 4.7 stars from 9,648 Google reviews (checked Nov 2026)
Located in the heart of St. Louis, Pappy’s Smokehouse is called to be home to America’s best ribs by the Food Network and #1 by many locals. Slow-smoked over apple and cherry wood for over four hours and dry-rubbed, these Memphis-style mouthwatering ribs are something you don’t want to miss out on when you visit St. Louis. This restaurant was featured on the Steve Harvey show and was visited by many celebrities including Jimmy Kimmel, Willie Nelson, and Flavor Flav.
2. Bogart’s Smokehouse
Google rating: 4.7 stars from 2,267 Google reviews (checked Nov 2026)
Part of the Pappy’s Smokehouse family and located in the historic town of Soulard, these apricot-bruleed Memphis-style ribs are also slowly smoked over apple and cherry wood and dusted with pepper. They also are known for their juicy pulled pork and their smoky beef brisket.
3. Salt + Smoke
Google rating: 4.5 stars from 4,442 Google reviews (checked Nov 2026)
Experience St. Louis ribs at this Texas-style BBQ restaurant. The St. Louis-cut pork ribs are smoky and dusted with peppery rub with a tad of sweetness from the cherry wood. Salt + Smokes also features a large variety of sides from creamy white-cheddar mac, apple coleslaw, sweet creamed corn with a side of bourbon to artisan cocktails and craft beer.
4. Sugarfire Smokehouse
Google rating: 4.5 stars from 4,795 Google reviews (checked Nov 2026)
With six locations around the St. Louis area and more around the nation, Sugarfire Smokehouse features its award-winning St. Louis-style barbecue with baby back ribs, juicy pulled pork, homemade sausages, signature sandwiches, and delicious beef brisket. It was named best barbecue by the Travel Channel and St. Louis Magazine. Snoop Dogg went here as well and complimented the food.
5. The Shaved Duck
Google rating: 4.5 stars from 2,974 Google reviews (checked Nov 2026)
Located in Tower Grove, its St. Louis-style ribs are smoked with cherry and hickory wood to provide a sweet and smoky flavor. They also feature chilis as well, including one that has the bhut jolokia chile (ghost pepper). It comes along with all kinds of craft beers and live music to provide an appetizing experience you will never forget. Guy Fieri even visited this restaurant himself in one of his shows.
How We Ranked These
Our method: Every Top Ten St. Louis list follows the same methodology. We verify each business’s published information, credentials and licensing where they apply, services, years in business and local presence. Google ratings and review counts are shown as published and count as one signal among several; they never set the order on their own. No business pays for placement (see our Editorial Policy). For this list, we picked St. Louis restaurants where ribs are a signature item, and each listing shows its Google rating and review count as checked in November 2026.
