Best BBQ Restaurants In Missouri

If you thought that Texas was the center of BBQ culture, you’re in for a treat when you visit Missouri. If you weren’t aware, Missouri is famous for its barbecue cuisine, especially in St. Louis. But how do you know what is a genuine high-quality place to eat, or where you’ll find authentic St. Louis BBQ sauce? So you get to taste the best, we’ve done the hard work for you and found the best BBQ in Missouri to enjoy full flavored, mouth-watering BBQ food. Whether you go RVing or have a hotel-based stay, read our list so you eat the best BBQ in Missouri.

What’s Special About Missouri BBQ?

There’s barbecue, and then there’s Missouri-style BBQ. In Missouri, the meat is grilled and not slow-cooked. It’s also heavily sauced. In fact, the people of St. Louis are said to consume more barbecue sauce than anywhere else in the country. Typically, a St. Louis BBQ sauce will be tomato based and sweet, yet it tastes acidic. However, there’s a reason people can’t get enough of the stuff: it is truly delicious.

Kansas City also has its style of cooking BBQ. Kansas City cuisine was developed by Henry Perry in the early 1900s. Meat is slowly smoked, rubbed with spices, and cooked over a range of woods for flavor, before being coated in a tomato-based BBQ sauce. So, with those kinds of flavors, tasting barbecue cooking in Missouri is a must.

Pappy’s Smokehouse

Pappy’s Smokehouse is named after the late Jim “Pappy” Emerson, who liked to keep things simple and create a lovely atmosphere for people. However, Pappy’s is also known as the place to get the best BBQ ribs in America. Everything is fresh and slow smoked for 24 hours using cherry wood and other woods. With a selection of barbecue sauces, Pappy’s Smokehouse is a must when visiting Missouri. You’ll find it in Midtown St. Louis and in St. Peters, Missouri.

Address: 3106 Olive St, St. Louis, MO 63103

Arthur Bryant’s Barbecue

Arthur Bryant’s is considered to be the most famous barbecue restaurant in the United States, and is legendary in Kansas City. They use hickory or oak to smoke their BBQ meats and have their famous secret Missouri BBQ recipe sauce. Choose from the Original flavor, or the Rich and Spicy Sauce. Arthur Bryant’s is also famed for its “burnt ends.” If you’ve never tasted the crispy pieces of smoked beef brisket, you’re in for a treat at this amazing restaurant.

Address: 1727 Brooklyn Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64127

BBQ & Whiskey Saloon, St. Louis

If you like a mix of live music and good-quality barbecue food, the BBQ & Whiskey Saloon in St. Louis is ideal for you. It has an excellent selection of rubbed meats and salmon, all cooked, Missouri BBQ style and full of flavor, as well as BBQ alligator. You’ll find a great selection of spirits too (it is a saloon). 

If you want to eat the best BBQ in St. Louis area, the BBQ & Whiskey Saloon is an excellent choice. Pair your BBQ with a Smoked “Old Fashioned”. 5 shakes of Angostura Aromatic Bitters, and Orange Bitters with simple syrup and muddled orange and a Luxaro cherry and orange zest with your favorite whiskey, like Proper 12, Monkey Shoulder, Jameson, or RedBreast, or Buffalo Trace. Then to top it off, use a cocktail smoking kit to smoke either cloves, or allspice, or cinnamon to enhance the flavors of the drink.

Address: 4900 Laclede Ave, St. Louis, MO 63108

Sugarfire Smokehouse

The Sugarfire Smokehouse in St. Louis is an award-winning restaurant specializing in barbecued food. Among its specialties is the legendary Cuban Reuben Sandwich — folks travel miles for a taste. There’s juicy pulled pork and beef brisket too, all freshly cooked and mouthwateringly good. If you are RVing in St. Louis, you can order food online from this restaurant.

Address: 9200 Olive Blvd #114, St. Louis, MO 63132

Shaved Duck Smokehouse

The Shaved Duck Smokehouse is very popular in Missouri and has restaurants in St. Louis and Kirkwood. Just reading the menu will have you craving the food. Think pulled pork-smothered fries, burnt ends, and more. If you are feeling really hungry, the Pitmaster Combo (pulled pork, half rack ribs, burnt ends, tri-tips, meatloaf, and two sides) is a feast of the best BBQ in Missouri.

Address: 2900 Virginia Ave, St. Louis, MO 63118

Jack Stack Barbecue

Jack Stack Barbecue was started by Russ Fiorella in 1957. Today there are four restaurants in Missouri, including the original location in Kansas City. The fourth generation of the family is running the business. You’ll find some of the best hickory-smoked food in the United States at Jack Stack Barbecue, and it’s among the best Missouri BBQ restaurants in the region. Menu favorites include fire-kissed wings, burnt ends, and barbecue shrimp. You’ll also find some combos for those with large appetites, including The Taste of Kansas City.

Address: 13441 Holmes Rd., Kansas City, MO

Whole Hog Cafe

Springfield, Missouri, is home to the Whole Hog Cafe, another popular eatery on the BBQ trail. The Whole Hog is famous for pork (naturally) but has other items on its menu. Popular menu items include a full slab of honey-glazed baby back ribs and pulled pork. Whole Hog Cafe has its own brand of BBQ sauces ranging from mild to richer flavors, and hot in taste. The business started from a concession trailer and now has cafes across Missouri and New Mexico.

Address: 2731 North Glenstone, Springfield MO, 65803

Gobble Stop Smokehouse

The Gobble Stop Smokehouse is an award-winning restaurant that specializes in smoked BBQ chicken and turkey meat. The wings are very popular. The family business started when they developed an extraordinary recipe for turkey and has continued to focus on the best-quality food in the Missouri area. This restaurant is the ideal place for a pit stop when touring Missouri, or when you want a change from beef and pork, which dominate the BBQ scene in Missouri.

Address: 1227 Castillon Arcade Plaza Creve Coeur, MO 63141

Missouri Hick Bar-B-Que

If you are traveling on Route 66, the Missouri Hick Bar-B-Que is on the road so you can experience the flavors of BBQ in this part of the country. This restaurant in Cuba, MO, has hand-crafted furnishings, as the owner is a woodworker. So, once you have admired the woodwork, think about food — and here you’ll discover high-quality BBQ cooking. All the meat is seasoned before being smoked for 12 hours and then rested. After that, it’s ready to be grilled and then eaten, of course. Choose from St. Louis-style ribs, beef brisket, and more.

Address: 913 East Washington Street, Cuba, MO, 65453

Como Smoke and Fire

A family-run restaurant in Columbia, MO, Como Smoke and Fire has a wide range of BBQ smoked food, homemade sauces, and so much choice. They create their BBQ flavors using their personal touches, so you won’t find a generic St. Louis-style flavor here. It must work, as it’s a very popular place to eat out, and the food is high-quality. Choose from a range of burgers, wood fire salmon, and burnt ends. There’s even a sampler for those who can’t make up their minds.

Address:4600 Paris Rd Ste, 102 Columbia MO 65202

PS, Make a BBQ Road Trip And Rent An RV

Did you know that you can go RVing in Missouri and save around 30%? That’s right. Swap your rental property or hotel accommodation for an RV and you’ll discover one of the best-kept secrets in travel. You also get exclusive discounts from major retail, dining and entertainment venues and theme parks through RVnGOPerks.com. With all these restaurants to discover and many other attractions in Missouri, you’ll be able to enjoy a cheap and exciting vacation. And if you dine out on Missouri BBQ, you can save on washing up too.

Start planning your journey to Missouri or Route 66 so you can make the most of all the BBQ cuisine and have a relaxing time on the road. Call RVnGO today so you can reserve the vehicle that suits your needs.