A Forest Park Southeast nightlife strip of breweries, bars and global kitchens, from Urban Chestnut's Bierhall to Grace Meat + Three.
David Choi's 2011 food truck grew into a small Korean-Mexican chain built on bulgogi tacos and kimchi-fried-rice bowls. The Chouteau kitchen is the original.
Order: The Seoul taco and the gogi bowl with bulgogi.
Tip: The gogi bowl feeds two if you are light eaters; add the chips and queso. Counter service, fast turnaround.
Rick and Elisa Lewis run this Grove meat-and-three around some of the best fried chicken in Missouri, ordered at the counter. Rick is a James Beard nominee.
Order: The fried chicken and a rotating trio of vegetable sides.
Tip: It is counter service; the half chicken plus three sides feeds two. Smoked meats sell through, so come early on weekends.
Sameem plates Afghan kabuli palaw, aushak dumplings and grilled kabobs in The Grove, an affordable kitchen that has fed the city Afghan classics for years.
Order: Aushak leek dumplings, kabuli palaw and sambosas.
Tip: The aushak leek dumplings under yogurt and meat sauce are the order to lead with. Plenty of vegetarian dishes too.
St. Louis's English tea room pours dozens of loose-leaf teas and serves a proper afternoon tea with scones and savouries. A change from the espresso bars.
Signature drink: Loose-leaf tea and English breakfast service
Tip: Book ahead for the full afternoon tea service; walk-ins are welcome for a pot and a scone. The tea selection runs deep.
Urban Chestnut's 400-seat Grove Bierhall is as much a bar as a brewery, pouring German-style lagers in a vast hall with Fordo's pizza, a go-to for groups.
Signature drink: German-style lagers
Food: Pizza and pub fare
Tip: It is huge and family-friendly; the Zwickel lager is the pour to start. Pizza comes from Fordo's in the same hall.
Rockwell's Grove taproom pours crisp house lagers and saisons with tavern-style pizza, a polished newer brewery bar near the Grove nightlife strip.
Signature drink: House lagers and saisons
Food: Tavern-style pizza
Tip: The tavern-style pizza pairs with the house lager. It is a good first stop before a night out in the Grove.
David Choi's Korean-Mexican counter griddles bulgogi tacos and kimchi-fried-rice gogi bowls, the brick-and-mortar original of a food-truck-born local chain.
Try: Korean-Mexican tacos and bowls
Tip: The gogi bowl with bulgogi feeds two; add the chips and queso. Fast counter service.
Urban Chestnut's Grove Bierhall pours German-leaning lagers and American ales in a 400-seat hall built in a 1920s warehouse, with Fordo's pizza on site.
Tip: The Bierhall is huge and family-friendly; the Zwickel lager is the flagship pour. Pizza comes from Fordo's in the same space.
Rockwell's flagship near the Grove brews crisp lagers and saisons and pours them with tavern-style pizza, a well-regarded newer name in St. Louis beer.
Tip: The tavern-style pizza pairs with the house lager. Rockwell also runs a seasonal beer garden in Francis Park.
David Choi's Korean-Mexican counter griddles cheap bulgogi tacos and kimchi-fried-rice bowls, a fast and affordable food-truck-born local favourite.
Try: Bulgogi tacos and gogi bowls
Tip: The gogi bowl feeds two lighter eaters; add chips and queso. Fast counter service keeps it quick.
Sameem plates affordable Afghan kabuli palaw, aushak dumplings and kabobs in The Grove, a generous-portion kitchen of Afghan classics for years.
Try: Kabuli palaw and aushak
Tip: The aushak leek dumplings are the order to lead with. Plenty of cheap vegetarian dishes round out the menu.