St. Louis Restaurants: Reviews & Recommendations

[nathanm]

I will be in St Louis for a couple days and I want to experience the best food available there.

That includes local specialties: Barbecue or fried chicken, catfish or other local dishes. I seem to recall that pig snout sandwiches are a St Louis specialty but maybe I have that wrong.

I am also interested in any other great dining experiences - including high end or haute cuisine.

I would really appreciate any recommendations!

[Pontormo]

Deep-fried ravioli and frozen concrete.

There are pre-existing threads with recommendations. Just gotta hunt.

Fried chicken is Kansas City.

[ronnie_suburban]

There is a somewhat well-known fried chicken restaurant in St. Louis called Hodak's. Their chicken is hot, fresh, crispy and as bland as the day is long. I wish I could recommend it more highly but what I remember most about the place is being let down by their food after waiting in line to eat it. FWIW, we also tried their fried ravioli and found them to be nothing more than gummy, mass-produced nuggets which gave every appearance of having been made in a factory somewhere, possibly St. Louis.

There is an area called 'The Hill,' which is known for its Italian food and is spoken of very highly by many. We never made it there but, looking back, wish that we had. I'm sure there's good food in St. Louis but while visiting there last summer, we never found it.

=R=

Hodak's Restaurant & Bar

2100 Gravois Ave

St Louis, MO 63104

(314) 776-7292

Edited March 13, 2007 by ronnie_suburban (log)

[Jaymes]

But for breakfast, do try a St. Louis Slinger at one of the many great diners.

You just order whatever is your favorite breakfast plate - maybe eggs over easy, bacon, sausage, hash browns, whatevever.

And then they sling chili overall.

Sounds awful, but it's very, very tasty.

[tim]

Nathan,

You should take a look at the Readers Choice awards from Sauce Magazine.

Sauce Magazine Reader's Choice Awards

St. Louis is known for Italian food and Trattoria Marcella is wonderful.

Tim

[ghostrider]

If you can find a place that has genuine channel catfish on the menu, go for it. It's completely different from the farmed stuff - sweeter, more tender, whiter flesh.

Michael's Bar & Grill, 7101 Manchester, does a decent deep-fried, previously frozen whole channel cat, as well as a good Greek salad. If you find a place that does fresh pan-fried channel catfsh, so much the better - and please post it here!

[jesteinf]

2100 Gravois Ave

St Louis, MO 63104

(314) 776-7292

Please remember that when in St. Louis, the name of this street is pronounced:

Grav (like in gravel) - oys (like the plural of a yiddish exclamation)

The French pronunciation will get you run out of town.

[Jaymes]

2100 Gravois Ave

St Louis, MO 63104

(314) 776-7292

Please remember that when in St. Louis, the name of this street is pronounced:

Grav (like in gravel) - oys (like the plural of a yiddish exclamation)

And that the interstate highway that runs through town is pronounced "farty-far."

[Pontormo]

St. Louis is known for Italian food and Trattoria Marcella is wonderful.

Tim

←

Italian-American food, judging from the menu. Putting couscous into artichokes seems original rather than a nod to any particular tradition.

When I lived in St. Louis I just don't remember anything truly remarkable about either Italian or Italian-American restaurants. There is--or was--one elegant Italian restaurant that I understand was worth a visit for a special occasion, but I don't recall the name. The best food I had when dining out was simple and unsophisticated: barbeque from a shack at an outdoor market across the street from Blueberry Hill (unremarkable burgers) or Chinese food at places a Chinese friend introduced to me. Nothing truly special or remarkable to report.

If Drewes is open, it's worth trying concrete to say you've had it even though you won't be able to get fresh peach at this time of year.

I just tried an advanced search, requesting posts with "Louis" in the title only, specifying The Heartland as the only forum to check.

Two pages came up, most inspired by upcoming trips, so you might take a look.

Here are a couple of links to get you started:

Looking for recommendations in St Louis

or this older one with links.

Edited March 13, 2007 by Pontormo (log)

[Pontormo]

I would also like to point out that the movie from which the title of this thread is taken is poor as well.

←

This comment about a revolutionary classic enjoyed by sappy, sentimentals and knowledgeable film scholars alike just shows you how different personal taste can be!

While food is not a highlight by any means, there is an interesting scene that takes place at dinner, demonstrating how much the ritual has changed.

[gfron1]

That special occassion restaurant I believe is Tony's. I've always been pleasantly surprised at the ethnic restaurants. My last visit (Dec) I went to Himalaya which was pretty good (not special).

Do like the locals do and pick up a RFT (River Front Times) and see who they're pushing these days.

Edited March 13, 2007 by gfron1 (log)

[jesteinf]

St. Louis is known for Italian food...

By whom? Any Italian food I had in St Louis (even going to the Hill) was pretty mediocre.

[tim]

St. Louis is known for Italian food...

By whom? Any Italian food I had in St Louis (even going to the Hill) was pretty mediocre.

←

Hi,

Sadly, I was quoted making a statement that I cannot defend without wincing.

It is true that St. Louis is KNOWN FOR ITALIAN FOOD! The restaurants on the Hill are famous for serving red gravy with dried out heavily breaded overcooked veal. Then there is ravioli, served dried, breaded and deep fat fried. Finally, pizza with Provel, a combo of mozz, provelone and CHEDDAR. Pizza with Cheddar!

Nevertheless, Trattoria Marcella (Not on the Hill!) is wonderful!!! If you have not been, don't criticize.

The elegant Italian, special occasion restaurant is Tony's. For reasons that escape me, Tony's is the most revered restuarant in the city. They do serve wonderful Italian wines. Their food is not wonderful - the demi-glace was corn starch thickened. The one word that embodies the restaurant is "OBSEQUIOUS". The tuxedo clad waiter moves your wine glass 2 inches back to the proper position EVERY TIME you take a sip and then refills the glass. EVERY TIME you set your butter knife down, it gets moved back to its proper position. (I was truly afraid to take a leak!) The doorman at the exit wishes you a good evening, BY NAME!

Yes, St. Louis is known for Italian food, terrible, good and mediocre.

Tim

PS: Ted Drewe's Frozen Custard stand at 626 Chippewa may be the best custard stand in Missouri. The CONCRETE'S are wonderful.

[ghostrider]

PS: Ted Drewe's Frozen Custard stand at 626 Chippewa may be the best custard stand in Missouri.  The CONCRETE'S are wonderful.

←

And this time of year, you probably won't have to stand in line for 1/2 hour to get one.

Gravois - I grew up in St. Louis, & I agree with the pronunciation guide above, except the "s" was silent in the 1950s & 60s - it was always GRAV-oy. Apparently things have gone downhill since then.

Back to food - that "Harvest" place mentioned in the Sauce guide was also featured in an episode of "Culinary Travels With Dave Eckert" and it looked pretty iinteresting. I have no idea where in town it might be though.

[babern38]

for non-italian, more fine dining I recommend

NIche - http://www.niche-restaurant.com/

- 3 courses for $30 - I think they've also started a 7 course tasting for ~$50-60

Savor - http://www.saucemagazine.com/savor/

- enjoyed my one visit there. Lots of variety

Monarch - http://www.monarchrestaurant.com/

- we did a tasting menu here where the chef personally comes out to plan the menu with you depending on your likes/dislikes.

1111 Mississippi - http://www.1111-m.com/

- great atmosphere and really enjoyed everything on my 2-3 visits here

Chez Leon - http://www.chezleon.com/

- the only quality french restaurant I've been to in St. Louis. Great foie gras appetizer and sweetbreads.

[gfron1]

This may become the Tony's experience thread if we're not careful, but Tony's was my first "nice restaurant" moment when I was just 17 (22 years ago). I did dare to go to the bathroom, and when I returned my napkin had been carefully re-folded, much of my serviceware had been replaced, and I thought they had already reset for the next guest. Even back then I thought the food was just ok.

Now, back to defending the Hill. Yes, Rigazzis and the rest are over-rated, but each has gems. My favorite part of the Hill is exploring the bakeries - especially in the holiday season.

[tim]

Hi,

The suggestion of bakeries on the Hill is excellent. On the hill, you should also visit DiGregorio's Italian Grocery and Volpe Sausage.

Harvest is located in Richmond Heights (just west of the city) on Big Bend just south of Hwy 64/40. It can get noisy but the food is excellent.

Global Foods is located in downtown Kirkwood, a close-in suburb. This is one of the best international supermarkets in the midwest. It is worth a trip.

Other restaurants worth a look include Balaban's, Pomme, Bar Italia and Arthur Clay's.

Tim

Edited March 15, 2007 by tim (log)

[JohnnyH]

Hi,

The suggestion of bakeries on the Hill is excellent.  On the hill, you should also visit DiGregorio's Italian Grocery and Volpe Sausage.

Harvest is located in Richmond Heights (just west of the city) on Big Bend just south of Hwy 64/40.  It can get noisy but the food is excellent.

Global Foos is located in downtown Kirkwood, a close-in suburb.  This is one of the best international supermarkets in the midwest.  It is worth a trip.

Other restaurants worth a look include Balaban's, Pomme, Bar Italia and Arthur Clay's.

Tim

←

Balaban's! I broke up with a longtime girlfriend in their front room in 1990 when I was a junior at Wash U. Decent food, but I wouldn't have thought to include it on a list of places an out of towner should visit. St. Louis is really not a food town. You're best off sticking with mid-level local favorites -- try Llewellyn's in the Central West End for Welsh rarebit and a beer.

[shengcai]

I'll put in another word for Trattoria Marcella. I'm also suprised that no one has mentioned Modesto Tapas Bar which is located in the Hill. There, Chef Grace Dinsmoor cranks out fantastic Spanish food -- mussels steamed with chorizo and hard cider, hanger steak with cabrales and a port wine reduction, etc. I'm on vacation in NYC right now, and it's hard for me to talk about good food in St. Louis, because just about everything I've eaten here blows St. Louis eateries out the water. But I honestly think Modesto would be one of the few restaurants that would make it in New York.

There are some great Vietnamese and Thai places as well -- Banh mi so (a hole in the wall, mom and pop joint in the middle of nowhere), Pho Grand, and King and I all come to mind.

And one warning for you -- no matter what you do -- do not try St. Louis-style pizza (Imo's Cecil Whitaker's). It defies reason that so many St. Louis locals latch onto this dish and take pride in it. Provel cheese is an abomination.

[jesteinf]

And one warning for you -- no matter what you do -- do not try St. Louis-style pizza (Imo's Cecil Whitaker's). It defies reason that so many St. Louis locals latch onto this dish and take pride in it. Provel cheese is an abomination.

←

Amen to that!

[Shelby]

Have to go there next week for a few days--business trip. BUT, should have evenings and late afternoons to eat somewhere good!

[gfron1]

Born and raised in StL I always become sad when people talk about the lack of food in in town. My mom, a confessed non-foodie, has been raving about a new Ethiopian restaurant - she says the only one in town. I have enjoyed many, many good ethnic restaurants - use the Riverfront Times as a launching point for exploring. But in StL it all depends on what you're looking for as "good." Fancy would be Tony's - although I find them very old school and not up to par anymore. Exploring the Soulard District normally provides a good meal. Finish a night at Ted Drews for the experience. I've also been hearing really good stuff about the winery restaurants down near Ste. Genevieve and Herman, if you're up for an hours drive south. I'll stop and let those who live there defend themselves

Here's a couple of previous topics on the subject:

#1

#2

[tim]

Hi,

Her are the results of Sauce Magazines readers choice poll. St. Louis Restaurants

St. Louis is known for Italian food but has the worst pizza in the USA. Tony's serves wonderful wines, obsequious service and mediocre food at high prices. The best Italian restaurant is Tattoria Marcella.

Tim

[Daniel]

Edited July 26, 2007 by Daniel (log)

[gfron1]

I remember a recent post (may be in one of the links I placed above) that talked about Italian food in StL. I was raised thinking it was a great Italian food city because of the Hill, but in reality the vast majority of Italian food is just okay. It definitely leans toward old school Italian. I love exploring the southside ethnic areas that have just exploded in recent years.