Photo by Robert Cohen (Post-Dispatch)
Spare No Rib
Spare No Rib has returned to its original location at 2200 Gravois Avenue in Benton Park. It shares the space with its breakfast spinoff, Egg. Spare No Rib's menu is available for dinner. The original Spare No Rib was such an unlikely success — both a Mexican restaurant and a barbecue joint, equally good — that its relocating worried me. Surely that alchemy couldn’t be replicated a second time? More than a year has passed since owner Lassaad Jeliti moved Spare No Rib, and the restaurant hums along as if nothing has changed, with excellent tacos (the cachete and carnitas are standouts) and barbecue (pulled pork, pork ribs) alike. Spare No Rib might as well be three restaurants in one: It’s a burger joint, too, thanks to its Honest Burger (salt and pepper the only seasonings) and hand-cut fries.
Hours: Spare No Rib: Dinner Tuesday-Sunday (closed Monday)
Last year's ranking: Rest of the Best
Opened: 2014
Must order: Cachete and carnitas tacos ($3.50 each)