Expat BBQ Brings Globally Inspired Barbecue to City Foundry STL

Pork shoulder marinated in lime, Thai basil, lychee, ginger and fish sauce, chopped and served with Hog Warsh (a Carolina-style vinegar-based barbecue sauce). St. Louis-style ribs brushed with mustard, rubbed with Chinese five spice, topped with chile crisp and served with baijiu barbecue sauce. A half chicken rubbed with berbere, smoked over mead and served with awaze (a sweet and spicy Ethiopian sauce).

At Expat BBQ, American barbecue meets global flavor.

Part of Niche Food Group, which continues to expand its culinary offerings under the guidance of James Beard Award-winning chef Gerard Craft, Expat BBQ is helmed by St. Louis native Sam Nawrocki.

After working as chef de cuisine at The 404 Kitchen in Nashville, where Niche Food Group opened a location of Pastaria in 2022, Nawrocki planned to open her own restaurant. “I was talking to an investor, I was shopping for real estate, and then my mom came to visit,” she says with a laugh. “She asked me to have a conversation with literally anybody in St. Louis before committing to Nashville. I decided to humor her, and one of the people I called was Gerard.”

In a stroke of serendipity, Craft told her that he needed someone to run Expat BBQ, which roughly resembled the restaurant that Nawrocki dreamed of opening, and now, here we are.

“Who likes barbecue?” Nawrocki asks. “Everybody, which is why this concept is so cool. We’re using a familiar foundation – a cuisine that everybody enjoys – to introduce them to new flavors. Everything on the menu, from the fried kimchi pickles to the Afghan lamb shoulder, eats like it has one foot in one world and the other foot in another world.”

The lamb shoulder, one of Nawrocki’s favorite dishes, was influenced by Sameem Afghan Restaurant & Catering in The Grove. “When I was in high school, I ate there all the time,” she explains. “At Expat BBQ, we use a rub inspired by Afghan char masala, which is defined by fresh bay leaf and black and green cardamom with notes of cumin, coriander and clove. In Afghanistan, the dish comes with a yogurt sauce; our version features a yogurt-based white barbecue sauce.”

You can taste similar twists throughout the menu. Before digging into the barbecue plates, Nawrocki suggests that you share the crab and chili cheese dip, which features nam prik noom instead of pimento cheese, paired with cucumber slices and puffed rice crackers that mimic pork rinds. Or dig into the Frito pie, which incorporates red red (a hearty West African stew made of black-eyed peas, palm oil and Guinea pepper).

Vegetarians will be happy to know that they can eat the Frito pie, and vegans will love the twice-smoked sweet potato glazed with sherry barbecue sauce, plated with a parsley-based sauce and topped with capers.

Located at City Foundry STL, a tastefully transformed 100-year-old Century Electric Co. factory in Midtown, Expat BBQ boasts two distinctive sections. The first-floor dining room seats 120 in a space that feels intimate despite its size. Under disused sand tanks, semi-private tables welcome up to 25 guests, while locally made travel posters color the wall behind a row of booths. Vibrant décor balances concrete elements, and diners can peer into the European-style food hall, where Nawrocki has drawn inspiration.

“There’s a strong sense of community at City Foundry,” Nawrocki says. “After I moved back to St. Louis, the first meal I had was at Chez Ali, and now, [chef-owner Alioun Thiam] keeps stopping by Expat to eat our jerk chicken wings.

“I’m also obsessed with Sureste’s sikil pak, a traditional pepita dip from Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula,” she continues, “and a conversation that I had with [chef-owner Alex Henry] greatly influenced our beef brisket [which is brushed with adobo sauce, rubbed with Yucatán spices and served with avocado salsa verde]. There are so many resources and opportunities for collaboration here – it’s amazing!”

Upstairs, Patty – a concrete sculpture of a pink elephant – greets guests, who can sit inside or outside. A wraparound bar centers the cohesive space and serves as a pick-up area for food ordered via kiosks.

The third-floor terrace menu leans into the fast-casual dishes on the main menu such as the Cowboy Burger, which layers two four-ounce patties, gochugaru barbecue sauce and fried kimchi pickles, and the Vietnamese spiced pulled pork sandwich served with a pickled vegetable slaw and fresh herbs. Scrumptious sides include smoked jalapeño mac ‘n’ cheese tossed with crispy chicken skin and topped with mole-poblano breadcrumbs; baked black beans made with Chinese sausage, black bean paste and black vinegar; and collard greens cooked in a smoked mushroom potlikker and topped with crispy ham.

“We want you to come in with a group of friends and feel comfortable,” Nawrocki says. “Reach across the table. Eat off everybody’s plate. Try everything and throw elbows while you’re at it. This is not a fine-dining restaurant; it’s a place where you can eat like you do with your family.”

In the spirit of St. Louis, Expat BBQ is remarkably fun. Every course, from cocktails such as the Sake Sodie to desserts such as the Tiger’s Blood Shaved Ice, is playful and lighthearted. Add a beat of live music and a warm, hospitable staff, and you’ll be making your next reservation before you leave the table.