Bootleggin’ BBQ

I was in St. Louis last month for the Urbana15 Conference, and was really hoping to try some Kansas City-​style BBQ while I was in town. As I was researching before my trip, I was sad to find out that there were no BBQ joints close by (i.e. within ten minutes walking distance from the America’s Center), where the conference was taking place. Our schedule was pretty jam-​packed and we knew it’d be near impossible for us to go during the conference. Thankfully, some of my friends and I got to St. Louis a few hours before Urbana15 began, which gave as the opportunity to check this place out!
The five of us got to the restaurant a little after 12:30, and it was empty except for a few guys sitting at the bar. We seated ourselves and our waitress Jennifer came by with menus and ended up taking our order there, even though technically we’re supposed to order at the bar. We wanted to try some of everything so we got the Boss Tom sampler (pulled pork, brisket, wings and ribs) with the Pick Two (half chicken and rib tips). Unfortunately, they were out of wings which was kind of surprising since there were barely any people there, but getting a substitution was no problem.
The food came out quickly and was also gone… pretty quickly haha. Everything was really good, especially the brisket and chicken. I didn’t love the rib tips but they were still tasty! We ordered smoked beans, coleslaw, housemade chips, cheesy taters and cucumber salad as our sides — my favorites were definitely the cheesy taters and the chips. Wish the side portions were bigger. Their BBQ sauces were great as well!
Really enjoyed my experience here. The BBQ was excellent — we were all happily full and it only came out to $ 10 per person including tax/​tip! Service was amazing as well, shoutout to Jennifer for taking such good care of us!

Just spent nearly twenty dollars getting their $ 10.00 rib tip platter delivered… only to wish I felt like driving over there to take it back. The meat is over cooked and mostly gristle. The two sides are greasy and bland and the portion size is RIDICULOUSLY small. I ordered the regular size thinking my mother and I could share it, just to give this place a chance. Needless to say we won’t be ordering again. Their delivery girl was nice though, only upside to this situation.

BBQ was just ok, it would be my last resort for BBQ in St. Louis. #Fatty #WhoMessesUpBakedBeans? #CheesyPotoatosAreGood

Very solid BBQ with bar & tv to watch sports. Smoked baked beans were tasty. Sample platter for 3 is a good way to go. Reasonable prices.

Great atmosphere and good food. I tried the quesadilla (with pulled pork, cheese, and BBQ sauce, served with a green chili salsa and bottle of more BBQ sauce). I like BBQ, but I hate being messy, so this was a great delivery system– still get tons of BBQ meat and don’t get covered in sauce. My husband ordered the nachos. The half order was still a HUGE order for one person, but if you plan on sharing as an appetizer with 3 or more people, get the full order.
There are about 5 beers on tap, but there is a fridge full of canned and bottled beer.
Every Wednesday night at 7 begins «game night» where board games are provided. You can play with your own group, or join another person/​group.

This place isn’t too bad if you’re craving decent BBQ.
Portion sizes are huge here! Ordered a small order of ribs with a side of cheesy mash and I was pleasantly surprised by how many ribs I received. The flavors weren’t too bad at all. It doesn’t compare to an actual smokehouse but for the price this place is pretty decent. The ribs weren’t as tender as I wanted them to be. You can tell that they weren’t cooked for a long amount of time because of the chewy texture.
They offer a lot of entertainment such as darts, arcade games and foosball! Atmosphere and size of the restaurant is very normal so feel free to bring some friends here.

This place is great. Our waitress was sweet and speedy with everything. My fiancé and I both got the Billy Bootlegger sampler with ribs and burnt ends and they were delicious. We loved all of the sides, including the green beans with bacon, cheezy taters, cabbage, and baked beans. They weren’t very busy because we came early but this would be an awesome place to go later at night with friends. Amazing atmosphere!

A pulled pork slider with kickin slaw and some home made chips, that’s what these guys did for us at the Unilocal Winter Wonderland Christmas part last night. It was my first bite of the evening and I have to admit, I went back for seconds. The pork was so tender and the slaw on top made it perfection. The side of crispy home made chips made it a wonderful combination. Thanks for being a part of the Unilocalibration last night and I look forward to coming in for more of your BBQ excellence.

Yum yum yum! This review is based on their food only, as I ate it at a local Unilocal event I went to and haven’t gone into their restaurant yet.
Their pulled pork was awesome! Flavorful and juicy, not dry at all. The two sauces I tried were their traditional hot bbq and their mustard sauce. So different and both so good. The two mixed together are even better than separate! !
I can’t wait to stop by to try your other delicious bbq!

Picked up some smokin’ meats from Bootleggin BBQ at a fancy Unilocal party and woah did it blow my socks off! I was served a delicious smoked pulled pork with their signature coleslaw on top and nestled into a sweet Hawaiian bun. They also offered two different signature sauces (of course I chose both) that featured a mustard base with a bit-​o-​sweet and a tomato base with molasses and hint of heat. Oh yummo! I can’t wait to visit the restaurant and see what other goodness they have to offer.

OH MY, this was some of the worst BBQ I have ever had. The description given of the Burnt Ends being all caramelized had my mouth watering. What I got was undercooked fatty ends. I was extremely disappointed. When the bartender/​waitress asked what I thought, I told her of my dismay. She then seemed to switch gears and down played the burnt ends as being fatty and raved about the Brisket? I found the Smoked Beans and Vinaigrette Cole Slaw each contained an odd unrecognizable flavor, and it was not to my liking. The meal was rounded out by a slice of buttered toast, and only one choice of BBQ sauce.
The bartender/​waitress brought me a couple slices of Brisket to try. Hard to say what I would have thought about it if it was my original order, but it was a welcome taste from my meal, which I did not finish, or take home.
The catchy name is about all it has going for it.

The BBQ is average for STL because it has such stiff competition. The place has its own charm and they serve really good local beers. Not a place to write home about but will satisfy your BBQ fix with tender meet and a good variety of sauces.

Yum. I walked from the Union Station Hotel. About 10 minutes.
The burnt tips were outstanding. I had to try the ribs so I got a sides of 2. More yum
If you are staying at the Union Station this the best close rib joint

I was visiting a friend in St. Louis and he boasted about the BBQ here. Originally we were going to go to Shaved Duck but the wait was over 2 hours and my stomach was growling. So we decided to go across town and I was brought here and I don’t know if it was because it was talked up so much by my friend or what, but I wasn’t really impressed. I got the pulled pork and rib tips with a side of cheesy taters and coleslaw. Since the business supports Unilocal,I also got 2 smoked wings for checking in.
The pulled pork was very fatty and salty. It tasted like it was from a crockpot rather than smoked. There wasn’t any bark which really holds all the flavor. The rib tips were better. The bark on them had a nice spice but again, a little too salty for my taste. The smoked wings though, those were on point! They had a nice heat and you could taste the smoke. Very well done. The sides were disappointing and soggy. My friend got the green beans which tasted a lot better. The BBQ sauce to pour over everything was pretty good. It was a nice dark sweet taste with little heat, but overall made that pork better.
Overall it was just meh.

Part of pour house now. We have gotten take out. Nothing special. Sides are a joke! A tiny ramekin of baked beans? Sides to me are the make or break of bbq! I will to go pappys 5 minutes further from my place and get great bbq, huge sides, at the same price! Sorry!

Absolutely the most random bbq place I could have found at like 10pm but it was worth it! The service was better than most bars and quick, the food was really good. The meat fell off the bone and me likey… Haha. The bar was small but the cornhole was fun and the girl who took our order answered all of my questions considering she had a few people trying to place orders and I was asking away lol. If I’m ever back in STL I’ll make sure to come back. I will say that STL bbq is… In fact… Absolutely delicious. Good job guys.

This is a neat little sports-​bar-​esque BBQ joint — the menu is posted above the bar and the fellow behind it was cheerful and engaging. They have decent seating and a handful of beers on tap.
You order at the bar and they bring your food out… My burnt ends were nicely done, the cucumber salad had a nice spice and the coleslaw was hands down the best I’ve had in a long while (vinegary and nicely balanced). My companion’s half chicken was moist, though a bit spicy for his tastes, and his smoked cabbage and green beans both fell a bit flat. The house sauce is nicely balanced between sweet and spicy.
Overall, I’m a big fan. I’ll definitely visit here on my next visit to the city…

We had Bootleggin’ cater our wedding where we had about 100 people. We thought the food was amazing and our guests did, too. So many compliments! They worked with us to find the right options that suited our tastes.
Definitely recommend them for any event. And such a great group of guys!

Stumbled on this after Cards-​Padres. Open Sunday huge help for us. Very good pulled pork. Try the blue cheeses buffalo chips. Side of creamy potatoes so good. Great beer choices. Galaga/ms.pacman.
Fine for kids. My 12 and 13 year old loved it.

I first learned about Bootleggin’ BBQ from a Unilocal Elite Event offering a sneak peak before the official grand opening and I enjoyed it so much I had to come back the following weekend. Bootleggin’ BBQ is actually a co-​lo business located inside The Pour House which allows them to extend their hours and offer a lunch menu.
I arrived for a late Sunday lunch to find several others enjoying some beer and bbq, I took a seat at the bar and was greeted by a friendly barthender who took my order. I went with the Burnt Ends and Cheezy Taters, well actually two sides of Cheezy Taters… but we will get to that in a minute. The Burnt Ends here are very tasty, and the spicy bbq sauce is a welcome addition without being too overpowering. Now, the Cheezy Taters are a treat in itself delicious, creamy, and just downright perfect! I highly recommend the Cheezy Taters during your visit, while I didnt get to try the slaw, but I was told that it was just as good and was recommended.
In addition to the quality bbq you can enjoy some great beer in a fun and festive atmosphere, there are dart boards, video games, and a shuffle board table to help you make the most of your time here. I can easily see this being a perfect casualy weekend hangout with friends.