Fifth-generation Cabool business owner Spencer Roberts’ newly opened restaurant, Native Son Grill and Brewhouse, gives the rural community a relaxed atmosphere to watch a sports game with friends while also providing upscale bar and grill food.
The restaurant is at 500 Ozark St. in Cabool, next to Missouri Gun Co. Opened in April of 2026, Native Son’s menu provides a variety of traditional sports bar and grill favorites like the bestselling honey sriracha crispy chicken sandwich and the popular six-ounce brisket and sirloin blend burgers.
On weekends, specials like a brown sugar maple glazed pork chop with mashed potatoes, honey glazed grilled salmon and sea bass and mushroom risotto are served.
“I had a couple customers say they would have to go to Springfield to get something like that and that’s what I want to hear,” said Roberts.
Who is Spencer Roberts?
Roberts graduated from Cabool High School in 2007 and then attended Ozark Technical Community College’s Culinary Academy in Springfield, Missouri. While attending OTC, Roberts worked at Ocean Zen, a sushi and seafood restaurant in Springfield, and then ran the kitchen at another restaurant owned by Ocean Zen called Flo.
In 2014, Robert worked for the executive offices at Bass Pro and cooked for Johnny Morris and other executives.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to open a restaurant,” said Roberts. That dream is what he has wanted to do for 30 years, and it’s now coming true.
“I was told in culinary school to go into business with things you enjoy cooking and eating. I enjoy watching football and basketball, and eating upscale bar food, so that’s what we are trying to do here.”
What is Native Son about?
The name for the restaurant, “Native Son,” came from Roberts being a fifth-generation business owner born and raised in Cabool. Roberts, through this business, is sharing his passion and experience with food in the heart of Cabool.
“I have always kind of pulled to come help the community a little bit and offer something new and different to the community.”
I really wanted people to come in here and look at this place and go, oh wow this is really nice. With the atmosphere, the food and the quality of service, I wanted people to think, ‘Oh, we’d have to go to Springfield, Rolla or St. Louis for the same atmosphere and food quality.’”
What about the building at 500 Ozark St.?
Back in 2019, Roberts purchased another property planning for a restaurant but the COVID-19 pandemic put things on hold.
In 2023, Roberts started the Native Son food truck. With a limited menu, the food truck was only a stepping stone to Roberts’ next project.
“The goal was always to transition to a restaurant.”
Roberts’ parents owned Missouri Gun Co. for many years and owned the property that the current restaurant is on. Then they bought the extension. They had intentions of expanding the shop but the plans were never executed. After his parents retired, Roberts threw around the idea of renting the property and turning it into his restaurant, and his parents absolutely loved it.
The renovated building, which was once a grocery store and a pet store, now can seat about 56 people, with an extension to the building for kitchen-use and a rental party room seating about 40.
“Now that I have a brick and mortar, I can do pizzas from scratch, offer more barbecue items because I have a bigger smoker and I can do more pasta since now I have the ability to cook pasta. I have more space, a bigger grill and a bigger flat top, which improves the ability to serve steaks, salmon and pork chops. It really opens up and broadens the horizon for my menu.”
What’s on the menu?
With the ability to now have a broader menu, Native Son’s upscale bar cuisine is still evolving. Expanding the menu in June, the restaurant is going to offer more pastas, pizza all the time, three to four different salads and try to expand the special to sushi on the weekends.
Offering sandwiches, traditional bar food, pizza and upscale weekend specials, Native Son has something for everyone. Two items on the menu that are particularly important to Roberts are his smoked ribs, which he has been perfecting for 10 years, and his pizza dough, which he has worked on for five years. He says his favorite item on the menu is the meat lover’s pizza.
Native Son also has 16 Missouri craft beers on draft and sells domestic bottles. Eight of the draft beers are from Piney River Brewing in Bucyrus, and the additional eight are from all around Missouri. On weekends, they also have domestic and craft beer bucket specials.
When is it open?
Currently Native Son’s hours are Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. In June, Native Son will be open on Sunday for Father’s Day (June 21), and plans to be open on Sundays after that.
Native Son offers on-site catering, curbside pickup and to-go options for customers, but does not offer online ordering, a feature they plan to add in the future.
The restaurant does take reservations if needed and asks for prior notice for groups of more than 15.
You can find Native Son Grill and Brewhouse’s website at nativesongrill.com and follow its Facebook page for menus, weekend specials info, phone numbers and other additional information.
