You walk in, they tell you to order at the counter, hand you a number, and for a split second you…read morethink "oh, this is gonna be a glorified Chipotle situation." Reader. It is not. It is a Trojan horse for one of the best burgers in St. Louis (my wife says I'm being dramatic for calling it THE best; I say I am not NOT going back for another). We enjoyed everything we order: the pork belly burnt ends and cashew chicken wings, and a coffee & cardamom old fashioned that sounds like a personality disorder but tastes like a vibe, smoky, a touch sweet, and very drinkable year-round. The Sam Elliott burger, BBQ sauce, bacon, crunchy onions, brioche, is named for a man who has never disappointed anyone, and neither does the sandwich. And the meatloaf is NOT your grandma's brick: tender, charred at the edges, laid over silky mashed potatoes with broccolini, perhaps closer to a chop steak than a loaf in the best possible way. Vibe is farm-chic: old church pews, repurposed interior doors, a proper bar up front, plus a patio and rooftop for when the weather cooperates. Fun fact -- it's named after the blue duck Billy Madison paints in elementary school, which is a fantastic piece of trivia and tells you absolutely nothing accurate about the actual restaurant. 4.7 Stars. Picking Nits: the counter-order setup is efficient, but it sets expectations in the wrong direction for the first 90 seconds, you brace for fast-casual and instead get something considerably more ambitious. Food comes out fast once you've ordered, which is great if you're hungry and slightly jarring if you wanted a slow, lingering dinner. And the Billy Madison naming is charming trivia but entirely misleading as a vibe preview, no complaints about the actual restaurant, just the branding expectations it sets. If The Blue Duck were a character: Ron Swanson. Hear me out. If Ron ate here, he'd be suspicious of the entire experience until his first bite of protein -- the counter ordering, the repurposed doors, a burger named after a fellow mustachioed American, all of it registering as potentially too clever. Then the Sam Elliott hits his plate, he takes one bite, and the skepticism dissolves into the quiet respect of a man who has found his people. Looks rustic. Has strong feelings about meat. Secretly sophisticated -- plays saxophone in a jazz club under a fake name, builds his own furniture, would 100% approve of the farm-chic decor once the protein has spoken. Presents as simple. Isn't.

I've been here many times and sadly I can say twice I had decent food and service…read more Saturday, March 14th we had awful food and the service wasn't any better.

I love Barbecue, which means when I travel around the country I eat a lot of over/under smoked,…read moresteamed, liquid-smoke-soaked, and just plain mediocre 'Cue. This place is the real deal. Pork hit the right temp, has great flavor, and was pulled well. Ribs have great bark and just the right amount of chew. Great choice of bread for the sandwiches. Really appreciate that they have both types of slaw. Service was delightful. Great back patio. Five stars all day long.

Some of the best bbq sauce in the area…read more I had an interesting experience. The service was very strange. I'll leave it at that. Maybe because I came at the end of the day and they were past the rush, but they seemed flustered and it was just me and the owner at the bar. In any case, the brisket is solid, certainly gets the job done. Good smoke flavor, salt content is great. No complaints. The beans are also good. Loaded with pulled pork? Interesting because it was almost like pulled pork with beans and not beans with pulled pork. Super smoky flavor as well. I think they either needed a bit more sweetness or a touch less smoke to make to the next level. Good, convenient option for bbq and to catch a game

* Ribs: comes w 6 bones. dry rubbed. tender, fall off the bone. well seasoned, slightly sweet…read more * Burnt Ends: saucey and sweet. not too dry, flavor profile tasted like jerky. * Pit Beans: saucey and sweet. vinegar (provided on the table) helps to cut the sweetness. - small parking lot or street parking - sells out early - limited indoor seating

We had the pulled pork sandwich and the burnt ends, along with pit beans. Both were very flavorful…read more, nicely smoked and tender. The sauces are good but really not needed. Ribs were sold out but we got a pound of brisket to go. Everyone there is very friendly and welcoming. Definitely a standout BBQ place, highly recommend.

Based on all the great reviews, I was really excited to try Gus's Fried Chicken. We ordered sweet…read moretea, three legs, a breast, fried okra, potato salad, and macaroni and cheese. The sweet tea was refreshing, and the fried okra was definitely a highlight -- perfectly crispy and hard to stop eating! The chicken wasn't quite what we expected. It was on the dry side, and we were hoping for a little more flavor in the batter. The potato salad leaned much sweeter than our personal taste -- almost like a dessert version -- which just wasn't for us. While this visit didn't win us over, we're glad we gave it a try. Taste is always personal, and others clearly love it. It just may not be the top pick for someone who prefers a more savory, boldly seasoned fried chicken experience.

So 3.5 Stars for atmosphere and sides very meh. 5 Stars for…read morethe delicious fried chicken !

First time here, and I really enjoyed it.We got "The SPB" pizza. The crust looks thick, but it was…read morelight and crisp. The sauce had a really fresh, slightly sweet flavor. The pork sausage was seasoned well and ground up so that it spread well in every bite. The pepperoncini and bacon filled out the flavor. It was really tasty. I got the Tamno Pivo beer to drink. It was a dark lager. It had a nice strong flavor, but not as strong as an Ale. We'll definitely be back. The staff helpful and patient, and the food came out surprisingly fast. It is a fun location and will be a great place to hang out in the nice weather.

First time here and we were impressed. We loved the pizza! The crust was just perfect, thicker on…read morethe outside but nice and crispy on the inside. They have a really nice patio that you can sit on to have your pizza and a craft beer and it is dog friendly. They also have a drive-through if you don't even wanna get out of your car and pick up your pizza. Lots of good beers that they make themselves to choose from. We will definitely be back!

As a restaurant, not too bad. As a BBQ place, there are others much better locally…read more Despite the smoker in front of the door, smoked chicken and brisket had no discernible smoke ring or smoky taste. The chicken could have been roasted, and the brisket was inconsistent with some tender pieces next to extremely tough, overcooked pieces. Sides also varied. A side of creamy coleslaw started fine, but ended with a heavy mayonnaise taste by the bottom of the container. The stand outside was crispy, fried okra. Service was attentive and pricing was fair. Smoking Barrels has a comfortable, cozy dining room with outside seating available for those rare, comfortable St. Louis days

My husband and I decided to give Smoking Barrels BBQ a try despite seeing the mixed reviews -- and…read morehonestly, I get why opinions are all over the place. A real chef or BBQ enthusiast can tell the difference. We ordered 2 lbs of rib tips, two boxes of pulled pork mixed with brisket, fried okra, and potato casserole. I'll start with the positives: the okra was fried perfectly -- nice and crisp -- and the potato casserole truly made me smile. It tasted exactly like the one my mother makes for Thanksgiving and Christmas every year, so that was a sweet surprise. However, the rest of the experience was just average at best. The rib tips had a good flavor but were extremely dry, and they didn't seem grilled at all -- more like they were baked, just as other reviews mentioned prior. Long time customer's can also tell the difference because people mentioned the brisket and chicken being baked also .. hence why the food is greasy and dry. It's obvious. The pulled pork mixed with brisket honestly tasted like the Jack Daniel's microwaveable pulled pork from the grocery store -- not something I expect when paying restaurant prices. Potion size for the potato casserole was small. As for the garlic bread, it was just okay -- not memorable. Tastes nothing like garlic. Overall, it was an underwhelming experience. I wanted to love it, but there are too many better BBQ spots in St. Louis to roll the dice again here.

Brisket toasted ravioli were perfect! Lightly breaded with generous portions of brisket. The…read morehomemade marinara is so tasty. We split an Italian chopped salad and it was plenty for the two of us. Spring mix was fresh, toppings of meat and olives were delicious. The rib eye and mashed potatoes were cooked perfectly to order and it was a good quality cut of meat. The grilled salmon with chili sauce was lovely. Honestly it was so good, it would have been amazing without the chili sauce! We finished with the port wine chocolate cake. Rich and delicious. Overall, the food quality to cost was very very good. High quality food for less than many other restaurants. Well done!

Very friendly staff. Service was excellent. The patio was a nice area to relax & enjoy a long…read moredinner with friends. The food was tasty. We loved the appetizers. Pastas were good & we had a favorite- the bucatini. The tomato sauce was delicious. We ordered for happy hour. Wine flight was $12. What an amazing deal. And the waitress brought the 2 of us flights with 8 different wines. Was a great way to try so many.

We have never been disappointed by food or service. Top notch all around with easy going vibes.read more

I am so sad it took us so long to visit this place. Over the last week, we have been 3x! We mostly…read moreorder online and pick-up but we have really loved meeting Aaron the owner and he has been so warm and helpful each time we've stopped in. We have tried their brisket, pulled pork, fried and smoked chicken wings, fried okra, Mac n cheese, potato salad and green beans. I am truly obsessed with their fried chicken wings! My partner loved them and their brisket and pulled pork. The sides are solid but the real star is the meat. Although we have not dined in, the restaurant is spacious, clean and well decorated. Check out their Instagram for their specials. They will sellout so it's best to plan ahead.

Food is really good, portions are really good. Place is very aesthetic. Deviled eggs are a must…read moreget. Service was very fast, went during lunch

Salt and Smoke has the food for the mood…read more Solid bbq. I ordered the pulled pork, wings, and brisket. Sauces were on point. Lots of seating upstairs, downstairs, inside and outside. Quick service even with lots of people around. Great food with great vibes. What more can I say. And they have a parking lot.

Came by the Revel Kitchen for the first time today, and I know I'll be back. I am all about finding…read morehealthy options, and I know the menu here has options to make me feel good about what I eat. Reviews say that the food is bland, but with the sauce on the side, it's a perfect balance! The portion size was perfect too. Only thing is with the chicken breast add-on, I paid closely to $18. Parking lot is great too!

I forgot to bring my lunch to work so I placed an online order at Revel. I ordered the Miso Sesame…read more(Organic greens, purple cabbage, carrot, edamame, cucumber, fresh herbs, sesame seeds, and peanut miso) with no cucumber and added grilled chicken. It was $17.51 before tip. I thought the portion was small and the chicken was dry. I love healthy but I'll agree with the other reviewer who says it's bland.