St. Louis-style pizza has a cracker-thin, unleavened crust topped with Provel, a processed cheese unique to the city, and is cut into squares known as the tavern cut.
Where to eat it: 1 restaurant across 1 city.
The style took shape in the city's Italian and tavern kitchens in the mid-20th century, but it was Imo's, founded in 1964 on The Hill, that made it the regional standard. Its defining feature is Provel, a processed blend of cheddar, Swiss and provolone with a low melting point, gooey and buttery rather than stringy. Locals are fiercely divided on Provel, but the cracker crust cut in squares is the version St. Louisans grew up on and order by the dozen.
Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy
Tip from the editors. Provel is hard to find outside the Midwest; a mix of cheddar, Swiss and provolone is the closest substitute.
The chain that made St. Louis-style pizza a city standard, Imo's tops cracker-thin crust with Provel, cut in squares, a cheap and essential local taste.
Try: St. Louis-style Provel pizza
Tip: Order it tavern-cut into squares to eat it the local way. A large feeds a group for not much money.
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