STL Toasted is an italian restaurant in The Hill, St. Louis.
Editorially verified May 28, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Why locals love it: In the old Mama Toscano's space with weekend-only hours, STL Toasted is a single-minded toasted-ravioli counter most visitors never time right.
Tip: Open only Friday to Sunday; order the t-ravs by the dozen with marinara. It carries on the Hill's ravioli tradition.
Address: 2201 Macklind Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110
Adriana's On The Hill is a sicilian room in The Hill. Get the Sicilian sub and split it; it is huge. Lunch only, so plan a midday Hill visit.
Why locals love it: Overshadowed by the Hill's marquee restaurants, this family sandwich shop builds foot-long Sicilian subs that regulars rate above the famous names.
Tip: Get the Sicilian sub and split it; it is huge. Lunch only, so plan a midday Hill visit.
Crown Candy Kitchen on St Louis Ave in Old North is the 1913 soda fountain known for hand-made malts, the BLT challenge, and chocolate-coated treats.
Why locals love it: Tourists rarely venture to Old North, but this 1913 soda fountain is the oldest in the metro, worth the trip for hand-made malts and a towering BLT.
Tip: Take the malt challenge or split the BLT. The neighbourhood is sleepy, so it feels like a discovery despite its age.
Taqueria Durango is a taqueria room in Overland. Order the chile-drowned torta ahogada. It sits next to a grocery in a plaza most visitors never find.
Why locals love it: Tucked in an Overland strip mall far from the tourist map, Durango plates a torta ahogada that locals drive across the metro for, under ten dollars.
Tip: Order the chile-drowned torta ahogada. It sits next to a grocery in a plaza most visitors never find.
Balkan Treat Box on Big Bend Blvd in Webster Groves is the Bosnian wood-fired counter from Loryn and Edo Nalic, known for somun and cevapi platters.
Why locals love it: A suburban Webster Groves counter rather than a downtown name, Balkan Treat Box bakes wood-fired somun and cevapi worthy of a James Beard nod.
Tip: The wood-fired somun-based plates are the way in; lines build at lunch. A short drive from the city centre.
Sump Coffee on S Jefferson Ave in Tower Grove South is the spare, no-frills roastery turning out precise light-roast filter coffee for serious drinkers.
Why locals love it: A spare, no-frills roastery far from the cafe circuit, Sump roasts some of the most precise light-roast coffee in the country for those who seek it out.
Tip: This is a place to taste, not to camp; try the filter flight. Buy a bag of the single-origin light roasts to take home.
Gus' Pretzels on Arsenal St in Benton Park is the 1920 bakery hand-twisting soft pretzels and salami sticks in the shadow of the Anheuser-Busch brewery.
Why locals love it: A 1920 pretzel bakery in the brewery's shadow, Gus' hand-twists soft pretzels and salami sticks that locals grab but visitors rarely know to find.
Tip: Get a fresh hot pretzel or a salami-stuffed stick. It is a quick snack stop near the Anheuser-Busch brewery.
Adriana's On The Hill is a sicilian room in The Hill. Get the Sicilian sub and split it; it is huge. Lunch only, so plan a midday Hill visit.
Why locals love it: Overshadowed by the Hill's marquee restaurants, this family sandwich shop builds foot-long Sicilian subs that regulars rate above the famous names.
Tip: Get the Sicilian sub and split it; it is huge. Lunch only, so plan a midday Hill visit.
