Salt + Smoke is a bbq restaurant in Delmar Loop, St. Louis.
Salt + Smoke smokes brisket over post oak for 16 hours in the Delmar Loop and pairs it with a deep bourbon list. The city's leading new-school BBQ name.
Must order: Post-oak brisket with the fried pimento-cheese balls.
Tip: Brisket sells out, so save a spot on the waitlist or come early. The bourbon and beer list is as much the draw as the meat.
Address: 6525 Delmar Blvd, University City, MO 63130, St. Louis
Hodak's has won Riverfront Times reader polls for best fried chicken since the 1990s. The family-run Gravois corner room is a no-frills temple to the bird.
Order: The fried chicken dinner with sides.
Tip: The fried chicken is the only thing most regulars order; pair it with the slaw and a cold draft. Expect a wait on Friday nights.
David Choi's 2011 food truck grew into a small Korean-Mexican chain built on bulgogi tacos and kimchi-fried-rice bowls. The Chouteau kitchen is the original.
Order: The Seoul taco and the gogi bowl with bulgogi.
Tip: The gogi bowl feeds two if you are light eaters; add the chips and queso. Counter service, fast turnaround.
Rick and Elisa Lewis run this Grove meat-and-three around some of the best fried chicken in Missouri, ordered at the counter. Rick is a James Beard nominee.
Order: The fried chicken and a rotating trio of vegetable sides.
Tip: It is counter service; the half chicken plus three sides feeds two. Smoked meats sell through, so come early on weekends.
Lu Lu has run cart-rolled dim sum and Cantonese seafood on the Olive Boulevard Chinese strip for years. The weekend dim sum draws regulars to University City.
Order: Cart-rolled dim sum at lunch and the salt-and-pepper shrimp.
Tip: Come for weekend dim sum before noon for the fullest carts. Salt-and-pepper dishes and steamed fish are the standouts off the menu.
The Bahrami family has plated Persian kabobs, fesenjan and herbed stews on South Grand for decades, anchoring the restaurant row of Tower Grove South.
Order: Fesenjan and kabobs over saffron rice with eggplant dishes.
Tip: The vegetarian stews and the eggplant dishes are as strong as the kabobs. South Grand is best explored on foot before or after.
Sameem plates Afghan kabuli palaw, aushak dumplings and grilled kabobs in The Grove, an affordable kitchen that has fed the city Afghan classics for years.
Order: Aushak leek dumplings, kabuli palaw and sambosas.
Tip: The aushak leek dumplings under yogurt and meat sauce are the order to lead with. Plenty of vegetarian dishes too.
