Pappy's Smokehouse — Restaurant in St. Louis

Pappy's seems to be the most popular BBQ joint in St. Louis. We were interested in getting a taste of St. Louis BBQ, so we figured this was the place to start. I wouldn't say it was bad, per se, but it doesn't hold up to Memphis, that's for sure.

Lines are a permanent fixture at Pappy's, but they move pretty quickly. We were behind 15-20 people but got through it in less than 10 minutes, I'd say. While there are long lines, we didn't have any trouble finding a place to sit. They bring the food out to you when it's ready.

Service was very friendly, helped us find our seats, had no problem finding us with our food (despite the crowd), and checked up on us midway through our meal.

I had the pulled pork, with sweet potato fries and applesauce. My boyfriend had the ribs with sweet potato fries and coleslaw. Overall, the sides were pretty good. The sweet potato fries seemed to have a light sugar sprinkle on them; they're sweeter than some that I've had, but still thin and crispy. I liked them. The applesauce seemed homemade, as it still had nice chunks of apple in it, with brown sugar sprinkled on top. Never been to a BBQ place that offers applesauce, but apples and pork are a match made in heaven, so that's a pretty good idea in my book.

My boyfriend did not like the slaw at all. He took about one bite and was done. Far too much vinegar. He said his ribs were "pretty good," but I'm not a huge rib connoisseur, so I didn't try them.

Unfortunately, the pulled pork was a huge low point. While it had decent smoke flavor, it was chopped too thickly (which is better than too thin, but still not ideal), was a little on the greasy side, and my word, it was so MUSHY. That was the biggest problem. It basically disintegrated on the tongue. It was really disappointing.

While I wouldn't go so far as to say the BBQ here was bad, I would say I probably wouldn't return, and would opt instead to experiment with one of the many other BBQ offerings...

Review Date: May 4th, 2017

Not like your Pappy’s BBQ!

Pappy’s Smokehouse has been on my travel list since it’s inception. A friend gave me a list of places to visit in St. Louis and this was on there and it was his #1 recommended place. So after 5+ years, I have finally made it there… and it was nothing like I expected.

Now, that usually has a negative connotation tied to it, but not in this situation. I was expecting it to be a upscale restaurant where the meals are $15 per person. Well, it’s not. The best way to describe it is a ‘fast food BBQ restaurant’. How fast? Fastest I’ve ever seen for any place I have been to. I placed my order, talked to my mom and brother about where we can sit and before I could even walk to the table, they were handing me my try of food.

Jimmy Johns, eat your heart out.

The staff was top-notch. They greeted us right away, handed us menus and helped us out with how to order since we told them it was our first time there. Also, there was a pig with a hat on near the register.

As for the food, it was mostly great. I tried two of the four sauces they offer. Pappy’s Original and Jane’s Sweet. Pappy’s Original was alright, but I really liked the Jane’s Sweet. It paired really well with my Pulled Chicken sandwich. You get two sides with your basket and I picked applesauce and sweet potato fries. The applesauce was great. Really can’t mess that up. But my fries were a downer. They were barely warm and kind of soggy.

My mom got the Pulled Pork sandwich and was in love. She is a huge BBQ fan. My brother got a Frito Salad and didn’t care for it (he had his heart set on McDonald’s). So I polished that off for him and it was unique and delicious.

Overall, Pappy’s was definitely worth the 5 year wait to try it out. I will actually be in St. Louis again in under 2 weeks from now, so it’ll be hard to try a different new place when I know Pappy’s isn’t far from...

Pappy's Smokehouse, particularly the one in this location, is a staple of St. Louis. I had the fortunate experience of eating here last October and it definitely lived up to all of its hype.

First off, if you are seriously considering eating at Pappy's, get there early. The line forms quite quickly. When I went, I arrived about an hour and a half after they opened and it was about a 45 minute wait.

While waiting in line, you can see all of the different celebrities and well known figures that have eaten here. There are pictures of them on the wall.

Once you get to the front, you place your order and are seated. Despite the long line, the system they have in place is quite efficient.

I ordered the ribs and brisket with coleslaw and corn. The ribs were some of the best I've ever eaten. The flavor was just so unique, in a good way. They had a hint of smokiness and bit of a BBQ taste. I couldn't pinpoint the wood that they may use. It could be mesquite. However, that is a wild guess. They also had a hint of sourness to them. They definitely could use vinegar at some point in this process. Nonetheless, the taste was excellent and I can definitely see why these ribs have won so many awards. And like many of the comments in the reviews stated, you don't need sauce, even though the sauce that was provided was very good. As far as the texture, they weren't falling off of the bone but they were quite tender. The vinegar coleslaw was my favorite side. The flavors just blended so well together.

The atmosphere was cool and the service was friendly and prompt. The prices weren't bad, considering the popularity of this place.

Overall, this place is a staple of St. Louis that is definitely worth checking out. The unique flavor of the ribs is what makes this place so special. The vinegar coleslaw is very...