St. Louis Restaurants: Reviews & Recommendations

[emilyr]

Thanks RyuShihan! I'd heard some good things about Morgan Street Brewery and we'll definitely check that out. We seem to be running into the "not a lot downtown" problem. We may be heading out to Clayton. Thanks for your help.

[Rehovot]

Hodak's!

(Great greasy spoon, but maybe not exactly what you're looking for. And, since my command of St. Louis geography was never good, I can't remember where it even is.)

[bilrus]

I just stumbled across this topic and thought I'd add my two cents in case some future eGer looks for the same information. The two biggest spots for Irish Revelry are the aforementioned McGurks in Soulard and Seamus McDaniels in Dogtown (the Irish neighborhood across 40 from Forest Park).

Seamus' is a particularly good place to get an early start, as the "Parade" (really just a bunch of Irish people walking down the street) goes through Dogtown around noon. McGurks is a bit of a zoo but is ground zero for St. Patrick's day in St. Louis.

As for the Landing it has been too long since I wasted a good portion of my youth drunk at Harpo's and Sundecker's to give any useful advice.

[coda]

Hello,

I am looking for recommendations for places to eat in St Louis. Somewhere either within walking distance or easy public transit from the Convention Center would be ideal. I like ALL food, and am interested in the best St. Louis has to offer.

Thanks!!!

[bmj]

Chef Joshua Roland is the best chef in St. Louis hands down. I'm not sure if he has opened his own place yet, but you would do well to look it up. I'll take a look and post it if I find it. Hope you get some of Chef Josh's cookin!

[ronnie_suburban]

You may also want to check out these threads -- some relatively current -- about St. Louis dining.

=R=

[snekse]

I am looking for recommendations for places to eat in St Louis. ...  I like ALL food, and am interested in the best St. Louis has to offer.

←

Ditto. I'm leaving tonight. Looking for some varied places. Something fine dining and something hole-in-the-wall, but to die for. And of course something that is essential STL.

Chef Joshua Roland is the best chef in St. Louis hands down.  I'm not sure if he has opened his own place yet, but you would do well to look it up.

←

Last I read he was sous chef at Jean-Georges Restaurant in the Trump Tower.

You may also want to check out these threads -- some relatively current -- about St. Louis dining.

←

Hey Ronnie, I think your link is broken. Do you have the topic ID's?

Thanks,

snekse

[ronnie_suburban]

snekse, try this:

St. Louis threads

I've also gone go back and repaired the link I provided above.

=R=

[snekse]

I didn't realize you were just linking to search results for threads with the term "Louis" in the title. Thanks though, a little bit better results then I was getting from my searches.

[ronnie_suburban]

I didn't realize you were just linking to search results for threads with the term "Louis" in the title.    Thanks though, a little bit better results then I was getting from my searches.

←

I'm tricky that way.

=R=

[Michael M]

I'll be going to St. Louis for not much more than 36 hours. We'll be visiting the Botanic Garden, and staying at a hotel just south of Forest Park. I know St. Louis, or knew it as a youngster, but am not sure where I want to "hang out" as an adult. I'd prefer the free time we have to be spent at the best bakery in the area, the best coffee shop, the best bookstore, the nicest neighborhood breakfast place, etc. A walkable hood.

Going over the archives reveals a small sampling of passionate St. Louis entries, but with no focus on neighborhoods. We have, basically, an afternoon, a dinner, post-dinner and breakfast. We are passionate wine lovers, so a wine bar would be great, with knowledgable servers, a list that goes beyond Kendall Jackson, etc. We love good breakfasts, fine pastries, good coffee. Where should we go?

Thanks!

[moosnsqrl]

I'll be going to St. Louis for not much more than 36 hours.  We'll be visiting the Botanic Garden, and staying at a hotel just south of Forest Park.  I know St. Louis, or knew it as a youngster, but am not sure where I want to "hang out" as an adult.  I'd prefer the free time we have to be spent at the best bakery in the area, the best coffee shop, the best bookstore, the nicest neighborhood breakfast place, etc.  A walkable hood.

Going over the archives reveals a small sampling of passionate St. Louis entries, but with no focus on neighborhoods.  We have, basically, an afternoon, a dinner, post-dinner and breakfast.  We are passionate wine lovers, so a wine bar would be great, with knowledgable servers, a list that goes beyond Kendall Jackson, etc.  We love good breakfasts, fine pastries, good coffee.  Where should we go?

Thanks!

←

Central West End or Delmar Loop (U City) would provide you with most of that in a walkable format.

Edited to add: consider Riddle's Penultimate for a meal (lunch or dinner); wine-friendly, good food.

Edited June 26, 2006 by moosnsqrl (log)

[RyuShihan]

I will second central west end, but also add in Clayton, because I know there are 2 wine bars, one does tastings every sat and cheeses. You also have a about 14 rest in a 2 block radius. I also know there is a french bakery can't member the name but we get some pastries from them, he makes pretty good croisants.

Then you have the coveted Grand street, where all the cool asian rest are on one street. Sushi, Thai, Vietnameese, Cambodian, Chineese...ect.ect

[coda]

Is there anybody out there with more recent dining experiences?

[snekse]

We just got back from a 4 day trip, but unfortunately there wasn't much that impressed us enough to recommend other than an opulent brunch at Nadoz and some descent late night desserts at Baileys' Chocolate Bar.

Nadoz Cafe

Baileys' Chocolate Bar

You might, however, have better luck. Sauce magazine just released their 2006 reader's choice list.

Reader's Choice Results - 2006

[jesteinf]

I was just down there in April and had some wonderful sushi at Wasabi in Clayton. Granted I went in with pretty low expectations, but I thought the quailty of the fish was quite good.

[marieannaV]

I'm relatively new to St. Louis. I worked in Chicago (Tru) before coming here, Canada and Europe before that. Now I'm working in the Central West End, cool and trendy nieghbourhood where you can walk around and people watch.

In the past 3 years working here, I've learned St. Louis is a different kind of dining town, and it was pretty hard to get used to. The local magazines and readers polls tend to be tunnel visioned too. The places people told me were FANTASTIC! were mediocre to say the least.

The best restaurants are kept hidden and unfortuately lack in the service department. Maybe I've just got much too high expectations, but swimming across the current here in St. Louis is a hard feat. Frustrated? yes, will I keep trying to cook great, fun food for people who still don't appreciate it? of course I will...

[RyuShihan]

OMG marie Ann, ....I worked with you at the Ritz

Ask Shane who I might be

as for sushi if you thought wasabi was good you really should try San sui or Kenji's place I can't think of its name right now.

I was also told by a friend to check out Niche, Harvest is ok, but not extrordinary.

Truffles is another ok, red moon is ok...

I will say tho by my standards nothing in St. Louis is really great. Alot of ok's hopefully in a few more years.

Oddly Ronnie You were at alinea recently, I saw the pics.. I was also there the same night.

(ps let me point out, if you can figure out were marieann works it has pretty good food, definatly a good night life. )

Edited July 7, 2006 by RyuShihan (log)

[ghostrider]

I'm coming on this thread way too late for the originator, but, having just returned from StL, I will add another plug for Clayton, where we have stayed at least half a dozen times in recent years.

You won't find the absolute best of anyything there, with the possible exception of tapas at BARcelona, which is always mobbed, but you will find that "walkable 'hood" you're after, with a # of good restaurants and bars in a small area. India's Rasoi (for Indian) and Il Vicino (pizza from a wood-fired oven) are our favorites. Barrister's offers solid value if you want some good basic bar food. (I love their wilted spinach.)

Clayton is also just a very short drive from Forest Park, which has The Boathouse (average food, great views & ambience), and the Delmar Loop, which has more good food (Thai Country Cafe, Blueberry Hill for burgers, a Lebanese place whose name escapes me), as well as a solid candidate for that elusive best bookstore (Subterranean Books).

I don't believe that the Delmar Loop offers any lodging; I think there are some decent options in the Central West End, from what I recall of my last Net search for such. Clayton is a better option for us, though, for non-food-related reasons, so we've stuck with it and enjoyed what we've found there.

Edited August 13, 2006 by ghostrider (log)

[Michael M]

Thanks. We liked SL so much we'll be going back. We did end up in Clayton, and had the same feeling your experience has given you - that it was a place to check out the 2nd time through. Thanks for the restaurant and bookstore names!

[ghostrider]

I just read that House Of Wong was cited for Best Chinese in St Louis in "Sauce," the local weekly food newspaper. (Not clear if this is a readers' poll or critics' choice.) They're also right there in Clayton, across the street from Il Vicino. We never really looked at them because we eat so much Chinese food here in Jersey.

[Leonard Kim]

Not sure which St. Louis thread I should be bumping. This one will do, I guess. I am here. I get one dinner. I'm told I'm in Central West End. (I'm visiting Barnes-Jewish Hospital). I will be walking. Where do I eat? Replies within 24 hours would be appreciated. Thanks.

[tim]

Leonard,

You have some wonderful options in the Central West End.

Chez Leon (pronounced lee-on)

Moxy (Bistro owned by Leon and next door)

Bar Italia (inexpensive)

More expensive

Balaban's (Indoors)

Zoe Pan Asian Cafe

Good luck!

Tim

[RyuShihan]

Drunken fish if you like Sushi, not best but great atmosphere.

Vodkabar for a leisurly time afterwards.

Chase park plaze, try their bistro, tell Chef Mary Ann Matthew recoomended you.

too add to the others.

[Leonard Kim]

Thank you for the recommendations (though sadly the second set comes too late.) It was raining as I set out so I went to Moxy, which was closest. I enjoyed my meal (which the server selected for me) -- scallops with fennel appetizer, maple-chipotle glazed salmon with corn salsa and sauteed spinach, chocolate hazelnut torte with coffee ice cream, a glass of Joullian Chardonnay.

Edited September 22, 2006 by Leonard Kim (log)