Mom's Deli is a sandwiches restaurant in St Louis Hills, St. Louis.
A St. Louis Hills deli, Mom's stacks the locally famous Mom's Special and made-to-order subs, reopened in 2025 to hour-long lines of devoted regulars.
Must order: The Mom's Special with thousand-island dressing.
Tip: The Mom's Special is the order; the thousand-island dressing is the secret. Expect a line since the reopening.
Address: 5425 Hampton Ave, St. Louis, MO 63109
A James Beard America's Classics winner on The Hill, Gioia's slices its house Hot Salami onto fresh-baked bread, a sandwich St. Louis treats as a rite.
Order: The Original Hot Salami sandwich.
Tip: The Original Hot Salami is the order, made from Gioia's own fresh sausage. The line moves fast at lunch.
Andrew Trinh reopened his family's longtime South Grand Vietnamese in the old Pho Grand space, plating familiar pho and rice plates with a cocktail program.
Order: A large bowl of pho dac biet with a side of summer rolls.
Tip: Order the pho dac biet; the Trinh family ran Pho Grand here for decades before relaunching the room as Grand Bistro.
A Cherokee Street taqueria with a sheltered patio, La Vallesana serves tacos al pastor, tortas and aguas frescas, an anchor of the Mexican Cherokee strip.
Order: Tacos al pastor with a chicken chipotle torta.
Tip: The al pastor tacos and the chicken chipotle torta are the orders. The patio suits a warm afternoon.
An Art Deco soda fountain in Grand Center, The Fountain on Locust pairs retro sandwiches and salads with ice-cream martinis and over-the-top sundaes.
Order: An ice cream martini and a sandwich.
Tip: The ice cream martinis are the signature; pair one with a sandwich. A good pre-theatre stop.
Baileys' Range griddles grass-fed burgers and churns house ice cream for boozy shakes, a build-your-own burger spot that moved from downtown to the Shaw area.
Order: A grass-fed burger and a spiked shake.
Tip: Build a burger and chase it with a spiked milkshake. The house ice cream uses no artificial ingredients.
Sugarfire serves creative, award-winning barbecue across several metro spots, from brisket and burnt ends to daily specials, a casual counter-service chain.
Order: Brisket, burnt ends and a spiked shake.
Tip: Check the daily special board; the brisket and burnt ends are the staples. Save room for a spiked shake.
