13 editor picks in St. Louis.
13 restaurants in St. Louis, editor-picked for restaurants open sunday. Where to eat a sit-down dinner on sunday. All restaurants in St. Louis.
Pappy's smokes Memphis-style ribs over apple and cherry wood in Midtown and lands on national BBQ lists. The ribs are the order, and they sell out daily.
OrderDry-rubbed ribs smoked over apple and cherry wood.
TipArrive before noon at weekends; they smoke a fixed amount each day and close when it is gone. Cash and card both work.
Loryn and Edo Nalic bake somun in a wood-fired oven and turn out cevapi and lahmacun, a James Beard-recognised take on Bosnian and Turkish street food.
OrderWood-fired somun bread with cevapi and a lahmacun flatbread.
TipThe bread comes straight from the oven, so the somun-based plates are the way in. Lines build at lunch; go early or late.
James Beard winner Gerard Craft's Clayton Italian runs on handmade pasta and wood-fired pizza in a busy room. The most reliable Italian table off The Hill.
OrderHandmade pasta of the day with a wood-oven pizza.
TipIt books up at weekends; the bar and the patio take walk-ins. The next-door Pastaria Deli & Wine handles takeaway.
This DeMun bistro pairs a fiery pizza oven with a tight Italian menu, and its wood-oven roast chicken is among the best in the metro. A neighbourhood room.
OrderThe wood-oven roast chicken and the Ramon gnocco.
TipIt does not take many reservations, so come early or settle in at the bar. The gnocco fritto is close to mandatory.
Opened in 1985 and credited as the first Vietnamese restaurant in St. Louis, Mai Lee runs a vast menu of pho, bun and canh chua that sets the local standard.
OrderSalt-and-pepper calamari, pho, and canh chua sour soup.
TipThe menu runs to hundreds of items; the salt-and-pepper calamari and the sour soup are the orders to anchor a table around.
Salt + Smoke smokes brisket over post oak for 16 hours in the Delmar Loop and pairs it with a deep bourbon list. The city's leading new-school BBQ name.
OrderPost-oak brisket with the fried pimento-cheese balls.
TipBrisket sells out, so save a spot on the waitlist or come early. The bourbon and beer list is as much the draw as the meat.
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.
OrderThe fried chicken and a rotating trio of vegetable sides.
TipIt is counter service; the half chicken plus three sides feeds two. Smoked meats sell through, so come early on weekends.
Hodak's has won Riverfront Times reader polls for best fried chicken since the 1990s. The family-run Gravois corner room is a no-frills temple to the bird.
OrderThe fried chicken dinner with sides.
TipThe fried chicken is the only thing most regulars order; pair it with the slaw and a cold draft. Expect a wait on Friday nights.
A Hill institution tied to the toasted-ravioli origin story, Charlie Gitto's plates red-sauce Italian classics in a clubby room. The t-ravs draw first-timers.
OrderToasted ravioli, which the restaurant claims to have popularised.
TipReserve for dinner; the dining room fills with regulars and out-of-town pilgrims. Start with the toasted ravioli and a Caesar.
Lu Lu has run cart-rolled dim sum and Cantonese seafood on the Olive Boulevard Chinese strip for years. The weekend dim sum draws regulars to University City.
OrderCart-rolled dim sum at lunch and the salt-and-pepper shrimp.
TipCome for weekend dim sum before noon for the fullest carts. Salt-and-pepper dishes and steamed fish are the standouts off the menu.
Open on The Hill since 1989, Gian-Tony's serves Southern Italian veal, chicken and seafood from a chef-owner who still runs the kitchen most nights.
OrderVeal and pasta plates from chef-owner Tony Catarinicchia.
TipReserve for the small dining room and ask after the night's veal preparation. Closed early in the week, so plan a Wednesday-to-Sunday visit.
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.
OrderThe Seoul taco and the gogi bowl with bulgogi.
TipThe gogi bowl feeds two if you are light eaters; add the chips and queso. Counter service, fast turnaround.
STL Toasted took over the old Mama Toscano's space on The Hill and built a counter entirely around toasted ravioli, the breaded-and-fried dish born here.
OrderToasted ravioli, the dish the shop is built around.
TipHours are limited to the weekend, so plan a Friday-to-Sunday visit. Order the t-ravs by the dozen with marinara.
