Five Ace's Smokestaq Lightning — Restaurant in St. Louis

Finally ate there after many attempts but the hours posted on the door don't always match when they will be open. It's a roll of the dice so buyer beware.

After a couple of attempts I finally had lunch at Five Aces and while I had hoped for more, I got a very average meal that was forgettable as soon as I finished the last bite. As a runner, I pass their frequently and can sell their smokers so a 1/2 rack of ribs and some sides were in order.

The restaurant is small so I ordered carryout. There were very few people around but my order took a lot longer than expected. After 10 minutes I asked if everything was okay and got an "I'll check" reply. A few minutes later I received my order and headed home.

The ribs were "okay" but didn't compare to Pappy's, Bogarts, or Adams. Overall they had too much fat and equally too much sauce. There were six ribs in all and after 4 I was done with them. Both the sides were cold which seemed strange since I waited 12 - 13 minutes to get my order.

I thought about giving them a second chance but encounter the same issue with the hours when I returned. Hours on the down clearly indicated they should be open but the door was locked so food for me.

I would like to seem them make it in Shaw but they need to keep regular hours and improve on the quality and temperature...

Decided to try 5 Aces for lunch and ordered the large brisket sandwich for carry out. 19$ after tip got me 2 slices of toast, about 6 thick cut slices of brisket covered in a thin BBQ sauce, and a generous side of the potato salad. Everything BUT the brisket and the value of this lunch was good. The meat itself was cut too thick and was tough and fatty. Places that do brisket well don't require a steak knife to cut through the meat. I was very disappointed that the best part of this lunch was the potato salad and bread. The potato salad was above average. Also I'd recommend the owners clean up the place a little. Aside from the neat artwork on the walls, the rest of the inside dining room was not pleasant. The door to the kitchen was wide open where I could see a pile of dirty dishes and the mop bucket next to the sink. The iPad that was handed to me to sign the credit card was crusted in some weird nastiness. The cable receive was hanging by its wires and balancing on two chairs next to a 2-top table. A little attention to reducing the clutter could make the dining/waiting for takeout experience better. I want to give this place another try and get something other than the brisket, but based on my experience today it's not going to be high on my...

My first visit was two years ago and the food and service was so good that I had to return. This time it was an epic fail. They didn't have a menu(we had to go online to see one). The meat was flavorful, though it seemed like it was boiled before grilled. I had one bite of the yams and couldn't take another. I know good food, which is why I drove 5hrs to go there. The man on the grill was playing music from his phone but his phone kept ringing. It was not a good atmosphere at all! Not to mention I had to wait 55 minutes for my food! We were told the wait was approx 20mins. They probably made some changes over the years to make things move faster since it's family-run but in making those cuts, the quality went way down. I'm so disappointed. I don't think I will go back a third time. I give two stars for the flavor of the meat and the...