St. Louis eats with a stubbornness that has produced a food vocabulary found nowhere else. Provel, a processed cheese blend of cheddar, Swiss and provolone, blankets the cracker-thin, tavern-cut pizza that Imo's made the city standard. Toasted ravioli, breaded and deep-fried, were born in the Italian kitchens of The Hill in the 1940s. Gooey butter cake came out of a baker's mistake and never left. The slinger keeps diner griddles busy past midnight, and pork steaks grilled in Maull's sauce define a backyard summer. Beyond the canon, the city carries the largest Bosnian population outside Bosnia, so cevapi and burek in Bevo Mill are as local as anything. A new generation, Vicia, Indo, Sado, has pushed St. Louis onto national lists without abandoning the toasted-ravioli soul of the place.

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Where to eat in St. Louis

All 19 restaurants

  1. Pastaria

    Order Handmade pasta of the day with a wood-oven pizza.

  2. Acero

    Order House-made pasta and a glass of an obscure Italian varietal.

  3. Louie

    Order The wood-oven roast chicken and the Ramon gnocco.

  4. Mai Lee

    Order Salt-and-pepper calamari, pho, and canh chua sour soup.

  5. Frazer's

    Order The cioppino loaded with mussels, clams, shrimp and squid.

  6. Charlie Gitto's On The Hill

    Order Toasted ravioli, which the restaurant claims to have popularised.

Fine dining

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Signature dishes in St. Louis

All 12 dishes
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Where to eat by neighborhood

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Map of St. Louis

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Plan your St. Louis trip

Pick your dates: we line up the festivals on, what is in season, where to eat on the days you are in town, and experiences you can book for those dates.

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Browse St. Louis

When to come hungry in St. Louis

Peak food season
April to June and September to November, when patios on The Hill and in the Grove are open and farmers markets run. Summer brings pork-steak season and frozen-custard lines.
Local dining hours
Lunch 11:00-14:00, dinner 17:00-21:00. Many Hill rooms and delis close Sundays and Mondays; BBQ joints sell out by mid-afternoon.
Tipping
Tipping is expected: 18 to 20 percent at sit-down restaurants and bars, a dollar or two per drink at the counter. Counter-service spots have a tip jar; rounding up is welcome.

St. Louis food, FAQ

What food is St. Louis known for?

St. Louis's signature dishes include Toasted ravioli, Gooey butter cake, St. Louis-style pizza, The slinger, Frozen custard concrete. See our signature dishes chapter for where to eat each.

What are the best food neighborhoods in St. Louis?

TableJourney editors map St. Louis by district. The Hill, Central West End, Botanical Heights, Benton Park are among the strongest for food, each with its own guide.

Where should I eat fine dining in St. Louis?

Editor picks in St. Louis include Vicia, Pavilion, Sidney Street Cafe, plus the full fine dining chapter on TableJourney.

Are there food tours in St. Louis?

TableJourney covers 5 editor-picked food tours in St. Louis, with what each shows you and how much to budget.

Does St. Louis have good vegetarian or vegan food?

TableJourney's St. Louis dietary chapter covers vegan, vegetarian, gluten_free, halal venues, each editor-picked with what to order and how to ask.