Photo by Christian Gooden (Post-Dispatch)
J. Smugs Gastropit
J. Smugs GastroPit has moved to a new location at 4916 Shaw Avenue on the Hill. When I reviewed J. Smugs GastroPit in October 2017, I said the pork ribs at this small Hill barbecue restaurant owned by Joe Smugala of Smugala’s Pizza Pub, his wife, Kerri, and his brother and sister-in-law John and Linda Smugala could stand against any other ribs in town. In March 2019, I’ll go even further: J. Smugs’ ribs, aggressively seasoned and smoked over cherry wood to a perfect texture, are the best in St. Louis right now. The compact menu overseen by pitmaster Carlos Hernandez is impressive throughout, with very good brisket, pulled pork and chicken alongside fun sides and starters — especially the pit beans, mac and cheese and bacon-wrapped street corn — as well as the unique Dr Pepper barbecue sauce. As St. Louis’ barbecue boom enters its second decade, J. Smugs is one of the upstarts catching up to the big names.
Hours: 11 a.m.-midnight Tuesday-Saturday (bar open until 1:30 a.m.), 4 p.m.-midnight Sunday
Last year's ranking: New this year
Opened: 2017