Five Ace's Smokestaq Lightning

Reviews

• NS

  Natalie Seiler

  Aug 11, 2026
  5.0
  If I could give this place 6 stars I would. Best ribs of my life and the owners/cooks are great people. If you looking for a way to spend a day grab some BBQ to go and walk around the st. louis arch for a picnic. 10/10
• DD

  Dalton

  Jul 10, 2026
  5.0
  Great food & amazing service. We’re from KC & we’re impressed by the BBQ!
• CM

  cathi Moore

  Jul 1, 2026
  5.0
  Absolutely delicious BBQ!! Cole Slaw and Mac n Cheese were also fantastic.
• BJ

  Bart Jacobs

  Jun 22, 2026
  3.0
  I tried these guys when I was in the lou last week. They have limited hours, but I made it around 2pm. They are only open 6 hours a day for a few days of the week. I placed an order at the front. The menu is on a tv that scrolls too fast to read it properly. Ordered brisket with hot water corn bread and mac. The order took almost an hour to come to the table. The man who im assuming is the owner, came up to some people and asked if he could give us pulled pork nachos while we waited. That seemed odd, but everyone, who also waited longer than me for food, accepted. Nachos are not on the menu. While waiting, I noticed the condiment tray on the table only had toothpicks, pepper and crumpled up ketchup packets. The tray was also really dirty. It was missing the staples you'd see at a BBQ joint (salt, bbq sauces, etc). That made me kinda nervous. The brisket finally showed up. It was cut razor thin, was very chewy and they sauced it in the kitchen, which is always a sign that you're covering something up. Not sure if the brisket was cut the wrong direction or undercooked. The hot water corn bread was dry and not edible. The mac was ok, and lacked the amount of cheese you'd expect. Im giving 3 stars because the restaurant is minority and family owned. Definitely great people, very friendly and apologetic for the wait time. Ive cooked tons of bbq, including in contests, so I know what bbq should be. With limited hours, the meats should be ready to serve during a 6 hour open time. Definitely shouldn't take almost an hour. The smoker probably shouldn't be running outside as nothing youre cooking will be ready except maybe chicken. I think the family is probably great at cooking bbq, but needs a lot of help running the restaurant. The setting is great, and this could be a huge success with the right management at the front of the store.
• JF

  Jules Friday

  Jun 14, 2026
  5.0
  My partner and I both LOVED Five Ace’s through and through. We found them online and absolutely went for the menu (which is EVEN BETTER than you could imagine we went for a second order). howeverrrr we will be going back because of the amazing staff and management that run this beautifully community oriented, family owned restaurant. one of the owners came to our table to personally check on us, asked for feedback on the food, ambience, and service. They served us heaping portions and we were left feeling so incredibly happy and full. i do wish they had a bar. my partner and i are in our 20s and tend to like to have some mixed drinks on our nights out. with all the space and good vibes to hang out at smokestaq, i’d really love to be served a fresh made drink at their bar!

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