Seafood$$$benton-parkMon-Thu 11:00-14:00, Mon-Thu 16:30-21:00, Fri-Sat 11:00-14:00, Fri-Sat 16:30-22:30, Sun 12:00-20:30
Gerard Craft's Benton Park seafood shack plates lobster rolls, oysters and a New England clam boil, a casual coastal counter in a landlocked city.
Order: Lobster roll and the New England clam boil.
Tip: The lobster roll is the signature; go Connecticut-style with warm butter. It is no-reservations and fills fast.
Italian$$the-hillMon-Sat 11:00-22:00, closed Sun
A family taverna on The Hill, Anthonino's blends Italian and Greek cooking, from toasted ravioli to spanakopita, a casual room popular with families.
Order: Toasted ravioli and the Greek-Italian pastas.
Tip: The toasted ravioli and the Greek-Italian crossover dishes are the draws. It fills with families at weekends.
Pizza$$st-louis-hillsTue-Sun 16:00-21:00, closed Mon
Onesto fires Neapolitan-leaning pizza and Italian plates in a small St. Louis Hills room, a neighbourhood trattoria that draws south-side pizza devotees.
Order: Wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizza.
Tip: The wood-fired pies are the order; the room is small, so reserve at weekends. A good non-Provel pizza option.
Italian$$$rock-hillMon-Thu 11:00-22:00, Fri 11:00-23:00, Sat 10:00-23:00, Sun 10:00-22:00
Katie Collier's Rock Hill osteria fires blistered pizzas and plates house-made pasta in a buzzy room, a polished casual Italian with several metro branches.
Order: Wood-fired pizza and house-made pasta.
Tip: The wood-fired pizzas and the burrata are the orders. Reserve ahead; the Rock Hill room stays busy.
Pizzeria$$downtownMon-Thu 10:00-00:00, Fri-Sat 10:00-01:00, Sun 10:00-00:00
The chain that made St. Louis-style pizza a city standard, Imo's tops cracker-thin crust with Provel cheese, cut in squares, an essential local taste.
Order: St. Louis-style Provel pizza, tavern-cut.
Tip: Order it tavern-cut into squares. Provel is the defining St. Louis cheese; this is where to try it.
American diner$old-northMon-Sat 10:30-17:00, closed Sun
Open since 1913, Crown Candy is the metro's oldest soda fountain, slinging hand-made malts, a towering BLT and chili in an Old North parlour frozen in time.
Order: A hand-made malt and the towering, bacon-heavy BLT.
Tip: Take the malt challenge or split the BLT. Expect a weekend line at one of the city's oldest counters.