Photo by Hillary Levin (Post-Dispatch)
Jerk Soul
Jerk Soul is a carryout-only restaurant, which turns an order of its signature jerk chicken into a kind of game. Can you make it back to your home or office before tearing open the takeout container? Can you make it back to your car? The chicken is a juicy, smoky marvel. The sauce suffuses you with warming spices and chiles' fruity flavor and pungent heat. Jerk chicken appears across Zahra Spencer and Telie Woods' smart menu, which features both traditional Caribbean fare (saltfish, braised oxtails) and riffs (jerk-chicken pizza and tacos). The duo doesn't neglect the meat-averse, with jerk jackfruit available in several dishes.
Hours: Noon-8 p.m. Sunday-Friday (closed Saturday)
Last year's ranking: Rest of the Best
Opened: 2018