Capitalist Pig

The most unique brunch location in St. Louis. It’s located in the old city jail by the brewery. We enjoyed house made bloody marys and house cut pork. I had the salted caramel French toast with strawberry compote. Our food was out so fast we barely had time to have a conversation before brunch. To top it off, there were 11 of us. We enjoyed our brunch in the confines of an abandoned jail cell which certainly comes with some creepy memories and interesting stories. I’d rate it a 5 but the acoustics in the jail cell make it difficult to have or participate in multiple conversations. I’ll be back soon!

This place is a travesty to BBQ. The brisket was so dry I could hardly swallow it. The only flavor the brisket possessed was that of actual prison food. No salt, no smoke just burnt.
I’ve never seen my girlfriend spit until she tried the beans.
The sauces were unique.
All in all it was so bad I felt I was part of a practical joke.

Had a great experience at the capitalist pig when I was home in STL for Christmas. Met some old friends there and was stoked to try some STL BBQ other than pappy’s. Ron did not disappoint! The combination of ex cop proprietor + ex police precinct location + art gallery + meal in a cell was awesome.
I got the brisket and was happy. It was nice and smokey, tender, and a solid portion size, but a would have liked a little more fat. The sides were outstanding! My favorite was easily the corn bread which was sweet, moist, and perfectly browned on top. The baked beans were unique and again very sweet and excellent. The sauces were impressive and ran the gamut from hot to sweet to savory.
I was most impressed by the ribs. I tasted my friend’s half rack and was blown away by the sweetnes of the rub and how tender and smokey the meat was.
Final thoughts: It’s a unique dining experience, and I can see from other reviews its not for everyone. However, I highly recommend trying it. Ron sat around with us after the meal and told fascinating stories about his life as a cop and shared his methods and plans for the capitalist pig. It was obvious this guy is SUPER PASSIONATE about what he does and he makes great food. If you care about eating local, sustainable, natural ingredients you should know they work very hard to get the very best local ingredients and source their meet locally unlike the other BBQ joints around.

Being located in an old jail building, it has an interesting ambiance. There’s 4 cells in one area and they’ve installed long tables in there so it would make for an interesting dining room. They also have other tables in the building. They did a nice job on the remodel. We live 90 miles north of St Louis so whenever my wife and I come down, we try to checkout new places to eat at. We were going to be in Soulard, so this seemed like an interesting place to eat at. We’ve done Pappys and Bogarts, so again trying something new was a good idea.
I really wanted the burnt ends, but when we got there on Wednesday, they didn’t have any ready to serve. So my wife ordered the corned beef sandwich and I had the brisket platter. First off, there was plenty to eat. At least a half pound of corned beef and 4 thick slices of brisket. The corned beef was tender and juicy. Not a lot of smoke flavor, but it was very good. When I smoke a brisket, I like a lot of course pepper as a rub, but that’s me. Both us would consider ordering it again.
The brisket was very tender and pulled apart easily with my fingers. My two complaints with the brisket was that it luke warm, not quite cold, but not warm either. Secondly, I found it to be dry. It had a great smokey flavor, excellent smoke ring and good spice in the rub. If it was warm and not as dry, I would have given it a higher score. We had the baked beans as a side, which were different, but very good; Cole slaw was good but needed a little more flavor; and also had the potato salad which was warm but I found it to have a lit more vinegar than I like.
The various sauces were good and many varieties which seemed to be home made.
We would certainly go back and hopefully get to try the burnt ends.

I came hete for the fist time with my wife and friends. The food was great. We had pulled pork and beef briskets. Relly like the wide choices in Sauces. Great sides and beer. We will be going back.

First time I went there I went back again within a week.
I also hate spicy foods but I couldn’t stop eating the ribs and mac and cheese so I just let my mouth burn.
Top 3 Bbq in Saint Louis.

Delicious! I got the bacon burger, some of the thickest bacon in town! He got the breakfast slinger. The burnt ends gravy is to die for. Amazing service, you can’t beat the capitalist pig for an amazing brunch!

DIS BE THE BEST MEAT EVER! the pickles and other sides were all tasty too.

If you are in St. Louis and don’t stop by here you have missed a treasure. I have attended several events at the Mad Art Gallery over the years. It is a great unique venue for parties or receptions.
A couple of years ago they undertook the challenge of opening a BBQ restaurant in Soulard. They have achieved success in this challenge. The BBQ here is fantastic. They are constantly trying and adding new selections to the menu. They will even have several off the menu selections to try for the adventurous.
My favorite is the smoked corn beef. I have never had corned beef as delicious as this. There are 10 – 12 different BBQ sauces to try offering a wide selection. The White Macaroni and Cheese is to die for. The Warm Potato Salad and Corn Bread are A+ choices to compliment your meal.
The Burnt Ends and Pulled Pork are delicious as well.
My only suggestion is call first so as to not be disappointed if they are closed.
I am looking forward to trying the Sunday Brunch.

I have been to capitalist Pig a few times and the food is just spectacular! My most recent visit I tried the smoked corned beef. It was the best corned beef I have ever tasted and I am having dreams about having it again! Lol!
Looking forward to trying the Sunday brunch soon! Well done capitalist pig!

My partner and I ate here when we stumbled across it while going to the Anheuser-​Busch brewery. We immediately loved the name and decided to check it out.
The staff member who greeted us was very friendly. We let another group order while we looked at the menu. We overhead the staff say that they run out of burnt ends every day, which sealed my partner’s decision to get them. They did not disappoint! Very nice flavor and burntness. I ordered the pulled pork combo. Both of our orders came on a delicious, toasted bun.
We tried four of their BBQ offerings: the house, sweet & smokey, ancho-​blackberry (maybe? Definitely a berry and pepper combo), and espresso. All were very good, but my favorites were the sweet and smokey and the fruit one.
We also had the pork belly baked beans (amazing!), coleslaw, and Mac and cheese. The Mac and cheese had a nice spiciness to it (probably from pepper) and the baked beans were pleasantly sweet with great texture.
The service was prompt – no sooner had we chosen our sauces and a seat, and the staff was delivering our food! Had it not been raining, we probably would have sat outside. Instead, we opted to eat in a jail cell.
Overall, a very cool environment with fast, friendly service and excellent food.

Ms T joined Mr D and me for Barbecue Wednesday, this time on a Thursday, due to Capitalist Pig’s hours. Mr D and I had been here once before only to find out that they are not open on Wednesday. Note to self; call ahead, especially for barbecue joints.
We made a pretty good run at the menu as is our norm. I want to be able to judge a range of what they do with regard to the meats. Ms T went for a pulled pork sandwich, Mr D had a half slab and I ordered a dinner plate of half brisket and half smoked corned beef as well as a bare half rack.
Pulled Pork — the broken record get’s played again. Ms T and I agreed (we occasionally do) that this was not very good pulled pork. It really had very little flavor at all. It was dryish, not smoky, unsalted and showed no real evidence of having a rub. If there is a purpose for having barbecue sauce, this would be it. 1 to 1−½.
Ribs– CP serves back ribs. On the plus side, they were well cooked. That means they were done, tender, juicy. They were not chewy or on the other extreme, mushy. The negative is that they were not smoky in a good way, regardless of being quite darkly blackened and they also had no salt. I don’t know how to say this, but again, Ms T and I agreed (mark your calendars) that they tasted weirdly fishy. What is that? I really think they are using the wrong wood or cooking too hot or starving the fire of oxygen. As I said they were not smoky in a good way. But really, give them credit for being properly done. Now add a better rub that includes the proper level of salt and the smoke/​fishy thing would probably fade into the background. My ribs at home used to be black like this until I figured out that I really did not know the temperature of my smoker. Mr D’s ribs were even blacker than mine. I fixed that issue at home and now they are a beautiful mahogany color. 1−½ to 2 star ribs.
Brisket — I had both regular smoked brisket and smoked corned beef brisket. The common theme here with the regular brisket is again, no salt. It was decent, maybe a little dry, but not bad and not overly lean. It does not come up to the standard currently being set by Salt + Smoke. Improve the rub and this is pretty good. 2−½ star brisket.
The best thing I had was the Smoked corned beef. I am just guessing here, but I think they smoked it, then braised it. It was very moist, dead tender and very flavorful. As you would expect, being corned beef, it did not lack salt. We all liked it the best. Easy 4 stars. We did not sample the Amish Chicken, but the photo looked wonderful. I may go back for the smoked corned beef and to try the chicken.
As to sides — Potato salad was the clear winner. It is chunky with a creamy mayo and dill dressing and the potatoes were cooked done. I have been getting a lot of undercooked potato salad lately. The slaw (unlike one Unilocal photo) is now finely ground, which I like, but almost totally undresssed. I doused it with pepper vinegar that was on the table and added (yes, same theme) salt. Don’t bother with this slaw. None of us cared for the baked beans. They are tangy, missing something to round them out. They need a little salt. They are dominated by a very dark almost bitter, molasses or caramelized sugar flavor, but are not really sweet.
They are close to having good ribs and brisket if they can improve their rub. The smoked corned beef is excellent as is the potato salad. I still want to try the chicken. The pulled pork is forgettable. Overall, this is the best 2 star barbecue I have had but still no better than 2 stars. It would be so easy to fix. The judgement was unanimous.

Love this place! The corned beef is incredible! Crisp homemade pickles, great warm potatoe salad. The burnt ends are very flavorful but could be a bit dry. Love the jailhouse seating.
Super friendly staff.

My carry-​out go-​to on Saturdays after a hard workout… The burnt ends are my favorite.
This says a lot for an establishment that competes in the STL BBQ Scene.
Neat atmosphere as it’s a converted jail that holds a ton of history… go here!

Sampled the Capitalist Pig during a craft fair. Brisket sandwich was quite nice and the sauces are all very delicious. The old jail building is interesting, if not bizarre, to eat in. Not quite Bogarts or Pappy’s, but definitely a nice BBQ option in STL.

I finally got to try Capitalist Pig yesterday for lunch – I say ‘finally’ because, though I work across the street, they are open only a couple days a week (and even close at random on days they’re supposed to be open), so the stars really had to align for me to try it out.
Now I’d like to give a nuanced review of the experience and the food, but the truth is it was just really, really bad.
When we walked in for lunch it wasn’t even clear that they were open; no greeter, no one at the counter, no patrons-​and this was just after noon, so should have been the lunch rush.
The only seating options were indoors, either in actual jail cells or in an awkward narrow corridor. Nothing had been done to update the cells, there was no tongue in cheek or camp to them; they were just ugly, claustrophobic holding cells that looked like they hadn’t been painted since the 70s. The whole atmosphere was gloomy, dark and low energy; in a depressing way, not in a sophisticated way.
The guy who took our order was friendly and helpful, he answered our questions and was knowledgeable about the menu.
I got the burnt ends, which were just that – charred bricks of meat. Like… charred, black. The only moist parts were the fat – and there was a lot of fat. One of the ‘meat’ chunks was 100% pure fat. The sauces didn’t help – they didn’t have any good olé bbq sauces, they were all fussy unique flavors that competed with but did not complement the meat (though, admittedly, I’m not sure what would pair well with scorched beef). The slaw was bland and lifeless, just filler. I ended up eating more of that than the charred ends, but left most of my food on the plate.
Although the proprietor couldn’t be bothered to create a pleasant atmosphere or edible food, for some reason the price was the same as or higher than Bogart’s. So if you’re in the mood for BBQ, go to Bogart’s, or go hungry, but don’t go to Capitalist Pig.

While recently visiting St. Louis hitting BBQ spots was a priority. The Capitalist Pig was recommended by locals and it did not disappoint. I want to make clear The Capitalist Pig is not to be compared to Bogarts, they’re completely different.
The Capitalist Pig is an under appreciated treasure in St. Louis. It’s different, hip and full of potential. Several years back the owner purchased an empty Police Station Building directly across from the Anheuser-​Busch Plant and about 1 ½ years ago he started started serving lunch. The owner has chosen to use local products and this is a plus in my book.
Langers Deli, located in LA, is nationally known for their corn beef and pastrami… after having the corn beef at «The Pig» I can now say this gem of a restaurant is the best I’ve ever eaten. First of all it’s not salty, the chef has toned down this frequently dominating flavor and brined it with a well balanced mix of spices, sugar and salt. Also the corn beef is smoked which provides a nice finish.
The ribs were also deliciously seasoned. The chef smokes the ribs with a light dry rub then finishes them with his blackberry sauce, both very good but next time I would try them with just the dry rub. The ribs were not falling off the bone and could have smoked a little longer but the flavors were there.
The sides are not typical of BBQ joints, the roasted potato salad, vinegar sauced coleslaw and the macaroni are clean, light and well thought out. And the sauces are all made on sight and fantastic.
The Capitalist Pig is a great location for a special occasion event. It’s also a place for those who are adventuresome in their BBQ and willing to try traditional foods with a twist.

Unilocal is weird. People are weird. Reviews are weird.
Often I am flabbergasted reading a review, because my own experience was so, so very different than others.
We absolutely loved Capitalist Pig BBQ. Fiancé and I were checking out Mad Art Gallery as a possible wedding/​reception venue, and were pleasantly surprised that we could get BBQ as we were starving. The set-​up isn’t exactly great as far as dine-​in, since there are only tables in the jail cells, but we were getting take out anyway.
Ordered a brisket sandwich w/​two sides and a pulled pork sandwich with two sides, which totaled ~$ 20.00. For the amount of food we got, that seemed like a pretty fair price and similar to other bbq joints.
The sides were absolutely fantastic. Mac and cheese, house made pickles, meaty baked beans and a corn-​bread muffin. The beans were the most unique — w/​a very good sweet-​chili like taste that was quite different from other baked beans I have had. The corn-​muffin w/​honey butter was our favorite. It was genuinely out of this world. It is what it sounds like — a corn bread like muffin, but something about it made it absolutely delicious.
The brisket was solid — as good as any I have had — and I think the pulled pork was even better.
They make all of their own sauces, though based on the reviews they may change it up a bit. We had house made sriracha, sweet jalapeño green sauce, blueberry, sweet and smoky, and vinegar based. They didn’t have the mustard based sauce, which was a bummer as usually those are my favorite. We really enjoyed all of the sauces, which were very unique and tasty.
We will absolutely be returning to Capitalist Pig and I will be recommending it to friends.

«Sanity is a full time job.» — Greg Graffin, Bad Religion
I have kept quiet over the past month and a half, but it doesn’t seem like some of these issues will go away. On November 3^rd, I wrote a review for this establishment, which I respectfully gave three stars for the effort, and have received weird harassment from the owner on and off since then. First, it came in a bogus five star Unilocal review from Ron Buechele himself, who felt the need to address several negative reviews against his Capitalist Pig. Once that review was taken down, a random comment appeared in my Unilocal messages to be approved and made reference to several of the issues that I raised in my own review and that Ron mentioned in his dummy review. Jokingly, I let the «compliment» post just as proof of the childish behavior Ron and his constituents have shown to not only me but other Unilocalers who have voiced their opinions.
And that’s what it is, an opinion.
While browsing Twitter yesterday, I came across an article written by Evan Benn, a guy that I admire greatly for his food/​drink reviews and feedback that he has given me personally. Capitalist Pig is under scrutiny for its name, something that doesn’t bother me or most Soulard residents, I would assume. However, something tells me that this complaint stems from something more than its name’s Communist connotations.
At the end of the article, Evan writes that Ron Buechele has gone off the handle over a couple of Unilocal reviews, and he mentions my review and how Buechele called me out on Facebook just this week for a review that I did nearly a month and a half ago:
«Hey gang, were servin up our controversial Mac and Cheese all week! While your at it, come on in and try the ribs that some guy called the „worst“, „saddest“ and „meatless“ ribs he’s ever seen. You’ll dig em. Get some to share! Just look for the foodtruck without wheels.»
No, I didn’t enjoy the ribs, but again, this was only my opinion. Who knows? I might have caught them on a bad day or at the end of a batch. A lot of things could have gone into play. However, the ribs were pretty awful. I’ve never prepared ribs, but I’m pretty sure that my first effort would be more promising than what I had.
Did I poke a little fun at the setting? Absolutely. Did it alter my overall rating in any way? No. I reviewed Capitalist Pig on the food only, some of which I truly enjoyed.
I know what you’re thinking. I’m going to tell you not to patronize Capitalist Pig. Instead, I urge you to give this establishment a try. Ron Buechele has been talking up his product, making a ton of noise, but I believe that his words have undoubtedly outweighed his product thus far.
Be a judge for yourself.
Just a note: This page’s reviews have been filtered and then unfiltered, which leaves me to wonder what exactly is going on with this place. I fully realize that my follow up might not fall under the guidelines of review. If Unilocal chooses to filter or take down my review, I completely understand.

I am not impressed. Cool concept and kind of fun ambiance being located in the back of an art gallery, but beyond that everything else is pretty much a miss. Food is way overpriced for the quality received. They truly need to rethink their menu and pricing if they want to succeed. Can’t believe they haven’t even been open a month and have already raised their prices for food that isn’t that good.
We had two platters today for lunch, Pulled Pork ($ 15) and Beef Brisket ($ 17). They claim their beef is Certified Angus and wet aged 21 days. Could have fooled me. Wet aged beef is suppose to be incredibly tender because the process prevents it from losing juices. The CP’s was so far from being tender, we had to request a knife. I agree with critics of wet aged beef, that the process (may) tenderize the beef but prevents the meat from developing much flavor. Dry aged beef is more flavorful.
The pulled pork was more tender then the beef, but lacked any flavor. If a dry rub is good I will totally skip the sauce, but here I was eager to try them all. Their Blackberry Ancho was the best, with the Sweet & Smokey a close second. The House Sauce was bland.
Their platters come with two sides, so we each ordered differently so we could experience more. The White Baked Beans with Root Beer were actually red, so major disappointment and nothing spectacular. Crispy Cole Slaw was bitter and could have been chopped a little smaller to be bite size. You can make their White Cheddar Mac & Cheese at home by buying Kraft White Cheddar in a box and adding nutmeg. Then there was their Crispy Potato Salad that was seasoned well with dill, capers and tarragon making it a winner. The corn muffins served with whipped honey butter were huge, moist and had kernels of corn inside like a chocolate chip muffin.
I commend them on using containers and utensils that are compostable and providing a container for those who dine in house to recycle them. However, all their beverages are served in glass or plastic bottles and they do not have a receptacle to recycle them. Why be earth friendly one way and not the other? Staff is friendly taking your order, but they kinda make it obvious they’d prefer you to leave and not eat at the tables provided. They really want it to be take out only, but still charge you prices equal to sit down dining with waiter service.