St. Louis, Missouri - Eat & Drink

Eat

Try St. Louis original foods

• Barbequed Pork Steaks, St. Louis Style Boston Butt sliced into steaks, basted with Maull's Barbecue sauce.

• Gooey butter Cake, a type of coffee cake with a bottom layer of buttery yellow cake and a top layer of either egg and cream cheese, or butter and sugar.

• Gus's Pretzels, great hot LARGE pretzels about 1' long and 1" diameter!

• Maull's Barbecue Sauce, a spicy, semi-sweet tomato-based sauce unusual for containing pepper pulp and anchovies. Eight varieties.

• Provel Cheese, a soft, white processed cheese made from cheddar, swiss and provolone. Mainly found on the pizzas at local favorite Imo's Pizza. You either love it, or you hate it; either way, it's worth trying!

• Red Hot Riplets, a super-spicy variety of potato chips made by local firm Old Vienna with St. Louis-style barbecue sauce.

• St. Louis Style Pizza, made with Provel cheese on a super thin crust.

• St. Paul sandwiches, a fried egg and vegetable patty on white bread with lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. Unique to the Chinese-American restaurants in St. Louis.

• Ted Drewes Frozen Custard. Something that every St. Louis resident has had. Ted Drewes has two locations in St. Louis, and features dozens of flavors of its famous frozen custard. A wonderful treat in the warmer months.

• Toasted Ravioli, or really, breaded and deep-fried. Is found on the menu of most St. Louis restaurants, including several upscale ones.

The Hill

If you are a fan of Italian, head over to a neighborhood known as "the Hill", [1]. Home of Yogi Berra, the Hill has more Italian restaurants than any other area in the city.

• Adriana's, +1 314 773-3833. Sicilian. Not open for dinner but can boast one of the best Italian veggie sandwiches out there. Lines are long but move quickly.

• Cunetto's House of Pasta, +1 314 781-1135 [2].

• Favazzas, +1 314 772-4454, [3].

• Zia's Restaurant, +1 314 776-0020, [4]. One of the most popular restaurants on The Hill, Zia's pastas stand out in St. Louis.

• THEHILLSTL, [5]. TheHillSTL.com is the ultimate guide to The Hill, showcasing restaurants, stores and history of this unique Italian neighborhood.

Central West End

• Bar Italia, +1 314 361-7010, [6]. Italian. Delightful venue for parties, drinking, picking up lovely ladies and happytimes. Refreshingly, ID's are rarely checked, although this tends to be a bit of a secret, so the crowd is actually happily devoid of drunken teenyboppers.

• Coffee Cartel, 2 Maryland Plz, +1 314 454-0000, [7]. 24 hour coffee shop with free wi-fi.

• Dressel's, 419 N. Euclid Ave, 314-361-1060. Possibly St. Louis's only Welsh pub, Dressel's features wood panel walls, original artwork from floor to ceiling of literary and jazz legends, and a central bar that makes this quite a cozy establishment. Try the homemade pretzel, anything with their beer and cheese sauce, Ruben sandwich, or Welsh rarebit.

• Eau Bistro and Cafe, 232 North KingsHighway, 314-454-9000. Trendy, avant-garde cuisine and a great wine list, this place is great for a date or night out before a movie or the nightlife options in the CWE. Located in the historic Chase Park Plaza hotel.

Delmar Loop

The Loop features award-winning dining, and has everything from sidewalk cafes to upscale restaurants. This is a great street to walk and find something that appeals to your palate. Many ethnic restaurants, including Lebanese and Thai, are on the Loop.

• Brandt's, 6525 Delmar Blvd, "+1 314" 727-3663, [8]. A bustling cafe and market during the day, turns into upscale dining with live music at night. Outstanding outdoor patio in the warmer months, and home to the best crab cake burger in the city.

• Riddles Penultimate Cafe and Wine Bar, 6307 Delmar Blvd, +1 314 725-6985, [9]. A place to eat, drink, and listen to music on the Loop. A constantly changing menu features only food from local farmers and producers.

• Blueberry Hill, 6504 Delmar Blvd, +1 314 727-4444, [10]. A true landmark restaurant and bar, open till 3AM. Chuck Berry frequently on the calander to play. Absolutely filled with pop-culture memorabilia spanning decades, including lunchboxes, concert posters, toys, sports trading cards, and other Americana. This place is definitely not one to miss.

• Fitz's Rootbeer, 6605 Delmar Blvd, [11]. American Bar and Grill, Family friendly, watch the bottle factory go to work as you dine.

• The Melting Pot, 6683 Delmar Blvd., +1 314 725-4141, [12]. Fondue. Reservations are essentially required here.

South City

• The Bevo Mill, 4749 Gravois, +1 314 481-2626, [13]. August Busch, of the Busch family and brewery, built this giant windmill as his private dining room in the early 1900s. Today it serves traditional German cuisine and amazing breakfast. Look for the giant windmill - you can't miss it if you're in South City.

• Eleven Eleven Mississippi, 1111 Mississippi, +1 314 241-9999, [14]. Consistently on critic's Best Of list (if not at the top), Eleven Eleven features an interesting fusion of American and Mediterranean/Tuscan cuisine and the city's finest wine selection. Exposed brick walls, an open kitchen, and a busy dining room has made this place a St. Louis favorite for the past several years.

• Sidney Street Cafe, 2000 Sidney St., +1 314 771-5777, [15]. In a 100+ year old brick building, the inside features exposed brick and street lamps to be reminiscent of a New Orleans sidewalk cafe. The attentive wait staff always gives a verbal presentation of the entire menu, which has many tried-and-true favorites and seasonally changing newer items. A great place for a first date or anniversary.

• Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company, 6740 Chippewa St., +1 314 832-2639, [16]. Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company is an award-winning chocolatier founded in St. Louis, Missouri. The company was founded in 1981 after the founding chocolatier spend over a decade training with the finest chocolatiers in the world. They specialize in fresh, chocolate covered Strawberries, Premium Truffles, Gourmet Boxed Chocolates, holiday chocolates and chocolate molded novelties all made fresh daily.

Downtown

• Broadway Oyster Bar 736 S. Broadway, +1 314 621-8811, [17]. Cajun Creole cuisine with live jazz and blues.

• BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups 700 South Broadway, +1 314 436-5222, [18]. Name says it all.

• Hannegan's Restaurant and Pub, 719 N. 2nd St., +1 314 241-8877, [19]. On Laclede's Landing, uniquely St. Louis in nature.

• Harry's Restaurant and Bar, 2144 Market St, +1 314 421-6969, [20]. Adjacent to historic Union Station, serving fine food and hosting local live music on the patio.

• The Gelateria, 1327 Washington Ave, 314-621-8838. The best Gelato outside of Florence, Italy, this small storefront on Washington Ave is sophisticated and a great place to stop in for an inexpensive treat after a long day of touring Downtown. All flavors are made fresh in-house same day.

• Kemoll's, 1 Metropolitan Sq., +1 314 421-0555, [21]. Superb Italian cuisine in a stunning setting atop 1 Metropolitan Square.

• Kitchen K, 1000 Washington St. +1 314 241-9900, [22]. Fine dining at night, with lighter fare for lunch. All about contemporary American food with a twist. Swanky decor inside from local artists in an open concept space.

• Mike Shannon's Steaks & Seafood 620 Market St. +1 314 421-1540 [23] On Market Street within eyeshot of Busch stadium, overlooking Keiner Plaza. Worth the visit for the aged steaks alone. Outdoor patio dining available, comprehensive wine list, and a pretty good chance to meet a local legend.

• Mosaic, 1101 Lucas Ave, 314-621-6001 [24]. One of downtown's more recent hotspots for food, festivities and fun, Mosaic is a fantastic modern fusion tapas-style restaurant featuring more than 40 wines by the glass.

• Robert E. Lee Riverboat restaurant docked beneath the Gateway Arch.

• Rooster, 1104 Locust St, 314-241-8188. A small European-style cafe with great crepes, sandwiches, and salads. On the inexpensive side, this place is ideal for breakfast or lunch - or a weekend brunch.

• Schlafly Taproom, 2100 Locust St., +1 314 241-BEER, [25]. Surprisingly good "European inspired pub food", and great microbrew beers on tap in a remodeled brick warehouse. Many tables have views of the beer being brewed in action, and as the building is quite old, you can feel the hum and vibrations of the brewery process through the floor.

• Tony's, 410 Market St. +1 314 231-7007. Opens 5PM. The only AAA rated five-diamond fine restaurant in the State of Missouri, this is considered by most to be the city's finest steakhouse. Make reservations, look nice, and appreciate the fine cuts of meat and outstanding service.

• Top of the Riverfront, 200 South 4th St. at the Millennium Hotel, +1 314 241 9500, [26] 28 stories up on top of the Millennium Hotel the restaurant revolves 360 degrees around while you eat. A wonderful view of the city and riverfront.

Clayton

• BARcelona, 34 N Central, 314-863-9909. One of the best places in St. Louis for tapas, this place is great for large parties and hanging out with friends. One of the louder places in the city, expect a long wait - but it's worth it.

• City Coffeehouse and Creperie, 36 N. Brentwood Blvd, 314-862-2489. Always busy and crowded for a reason. Best crepes in the city - and about two dozen of them. A Clayton landmark.

• Harvest, 1059 S Big Bend Blvd, (314) 645-3522, [27]. Outstanding and unique seasonal menus, a great wine list, amazing foie gras appetizer, and perhaps the best bread pudding in the midwest. If you're kind to your server, they may provide you a photocopy of the recipe on request.

• J. Buck's, [28]. Jack, Joe and Julie Buck broadcasting family restaurant.

• Kaldi's Coffee, [29]. St. Louis's finest coffee roaster. Delicious vegetarian food, bottomless coffee cups, and a relaxed atmosphere.

Suburbs

• Bellaluna Ristorante, 451 S Kirkwood Rd, Kirkwood, +1 314 909-0455. Fine Italian cuisine.

• Kobe Steak House of Japan, +1 314 434-2600. Japanese Steak house.

• Woofie's, 1919 Woodson Road, Overland, +1 314 426-6291. Chicago-style Hotdogs.

• Olympia Kebob House & Taverna, 1543 McCausland Ave, +1 314 781-1299. Greek food near University City.

• Imo's Pizza, multiple locations. St. Louis style thin crust pizza. Locals favorite.

--Webmaster 15:34, 29 July 2008 (UTC)

Drink

Most tourists will be familiar with St. Louis' world famous Anheuser-Busch brewery, especially its signature variety Budweiser, or their best-seller Bud Light. However, unless you are accustomed to American style pilsners, it is unlikely you will find these and other Anheuser-Busch brands suit your palate. For those more familiar with European brews or who have been caught up in the domestic microbrewery explosion interested in sampling a local brewery's product, the Saint Louis Brewery's Schlafly microbrews are more likely to satisfy.

If you are would rather explore rather than choose one specific establishment, two areas in St. Louis are great for wandering from location to location: The Central West End (featuring Sub-Zero Vodka Bar, the Drunken Fish, Tom's Bar, the Loading Zone, Mandarin Lounge, and Bissinger's Chocolate Lounge all off Euclid Ave), and Downtown centered around Washington Ave (featuring Kyo, Home, Pepper Lounge, Lucas Park Grille, Plush, Nectar, and rue13). St. Louis's MetroLink system is great if you prefer not to drive, but much of the line will stop running by 1:00am.

St. Louis is also home to a number of gay and lesbian friendly nightlife options. From busy bars to energetic dance clubs, make sure to stop by rBar, Atomic Cowboy, Novak's, and the Complex. Much of these are on Manchester Rd in Forest Park Southeast.

• Bailey's Chocolate Bar, 1915 Park, 314-241-8100. A chocolate lover's wet dream, and home to the martini voted best in St. Louis - the Signature Chocolate Martini, served hot or cold. Rich red walls, dark woods, and a rose on each table make this a great after-dinner date or a cool hang out for friends. The Chocolate Bar serves dozens of original chocolate-infused drinks, but also has an assortment of phenomenal desserts, cheeses, wines, gourmet pizzas, and crepes.

• The Big Bang, 807 N. Second St. Laclede's Landing, +1 314 241-BANG [30]. Two dueling piano players lead the crowd in a rock 'n' roll sing-along show.

• Blueberry Hill, 6504 Delmar Blvd, +1 314 727-4444, [31]. Restaurant, darts, bar open till 3AM. Located on the Delmar loop.

• Cicero's, 6691 Delmar in University City, +1 314 862-0009, [32]. Cicero's probably derives the bulk of its income from the pizza joint upstairs, which is fair, because the pizza is good. That said the main interest for the traveler is the well equipped bar and the venue downstairs, which hosts touring indie and rock bands.

• Halo Bar, 6161 Delmar in the Music venue The Pagent, [33].

• Hair of the Dog, 1212 Washington - Downtown. Wahington's only dive bar; great atmosphere and cheap drink prices. Cheers-type environment, where everybody knows each other's name, and strangers are warmly welcomed. Service is a strong point, and this place is perhaps St. Louis' best watering hole.

• Pinup Bowl, 6191 Delmar, [34]. Bowling alley and martini lounge open till 3AM.

• Sub Zero Vodka Bar, 308 N. Euclid Av. in the Central West End, +1 314 367-1200,[35].

• Venice Cafe, 1903 Pestalozzi St South City area, +1 314 772-5994, [36]. A mosaic-covered bar with outside sitting features nightly music.