Photo by Hillary Levin (Post-Dispatch)
Salt + Smoke
It’s difficult enough for a restaurant to maintain a quality product over multiple locations, and I would be praising Salt + Smoke if I said its barbecue remains consistently excellent at both its original Delmar Loop location and its St. Louis Hills expansion. But Tom Schmidt and co-owner, pitmaster and executive chef Haley Riley haven’t merely kept Salt + Smoke consistently excellent — they’ve kept improving it. A couple of years ago, they switched to prime beef for their signature beef brisket. When the St. Louis Hills location opened, they introduced french fries cooked in beef fat; since then, they have added this upgrade to the Delmar Loop. This year gives Schmidt and Riley their next challenge: a third location, slated to open in spring or summer in St. Charles.
Hours: Lunch and dinner daily
Last year's ranking: Rest of the Best
Opened: 2014