From traditional Italian fare to contemporary southern vittles, St. Louis, MO, serves up just about anything. Unfortunately, sorting out the dives from the diamonds in the rough is easier said than done.
Hoping to save you the legwork, we have curated a list of the 20 best restaurants in St Louis, MO. These eateries were selected for their five-star reviews, creative offerings, and proximity to the heart of the city.
We also selected a wide range of eateries. As you will see, some restaurants dish up wood-fired pizzas, others specialize in eclectic omelets. But all are undeniably delicious.
1. Carmine’s Steak House
$$$ | 314-241-1631 | WEBSITE
A St. Louis cornerstone, Carmine’s Steak House has been serving Mound City since 1934. Today, nearly a century after its founding, the Italian-inspired eatery still dishes up a toothsome selection of savory dishes.
Appetizers range from high-brow offerings like prime strip medallions to more laid-back finger foods like strip steak nachos. For the main course, patrons can select from lavish entrees like aged, hand-cut steaks and chicken gorgonzola. To truly elevate the experience, add a lobster tail (or two) to any plate.
2. Juniper
$$$ | 314-329-7696 | WEBSITE
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If you are looking for a taste of the south, look no further than Juniper. A mainstay of Laclede Avenue in St. Louis, MO, Juniper dishes up traditional southern fare like crispy fried chicken and waffles, vinegary collard greens, and buttery cornbread.
For sipping, the bar’s mixologist prepares unique cocktails like Violet Precipitation—a blend of elderberry liqueur and lemon—and I Left My Purse in El Segundo—a slurry of tequila, lime, and Suze. Of course, in true southern style, there is also RC Cola.
3. iNDO
$$$$ | 314-899-9333 | WEBSITE
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Featured in GQ Magazine in 2020, iNDO is a can’t-miss spot serving southeast Asian cuisine. Curated by James Beard Semi-Finalist Nick Bognar, the seven-page menu is creative and whimsical. Victuals include the likes of crispy tofu made with fermented black beans and vegetable crunchy rice with pickles, avocado, tare, crispy shiitake, and furikake.
The pièce de résistance is a $75 koji aged ribeye with crying tiger sauce, candied rice, and Thai chili. Wash this hulking entree down with miso banana upside-down cake and you will be in love.
4. Brasserie by Niche
$$$ | 314-454-0600 | WEBSITE
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St. Louis might be thousands of miles away from France. But that is easy to forget when you sit down to a meal at Brasserie by Niche.
Inside this warm and comfortable eatery, you will find traditional French fare ranging from gougères (cheese puffs) to steak tartare with crostini. Other plats, or dishes, include pan-seared trout, braised beef, and confit duck leg. If you want a truly European experience, you can pay $57 for a lavish, three-course meal.
5. Charlie Gitto’s On the Hill
$$$ | 314-772-8898 | WEBSITE
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Charlie Gitto’s is all about providing an upscale experience. Hence, the business casual dress code, white tablecloths, and artfully-crafted dishes.
A landmark for fine Italian dining in The Hill neighborhood of St. Louis, Charlie Gitto’s provides authentic entrees like homemade lasagna and seafood risotto. But the restaurant is also a great place to grab a brick oven pizza or nosh on some garlic cheese toast while sipping red wine.
6. Vicia
$$$$ | 314-553-9239 | WEBSITE
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A meal at Vicia is less of a meal and more of an experience.
Upon your arrival, the masterful chefs will prepare a vegetable-forward, farmer-driven menu based on available ingredients. In the autumn, this may involve hakurei turnips, amazake, and orchard-sorrel jus. Or, a Newman Farm Berkshire pork plate with smoked beef fat vinaigrette. No matter what is placed on your table, expect unparalleled freshness and surprising flavors.
7. Eleven Eleven Mississippi
$$ | 314-241-9999 | WEBSITE
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Inspired by trips to the wine regions of Tuscany and Northern California, owners Paul and Wendy Hamilton founded Eleven Eleven Mississippi in a defunct shoe factory in 2003.
In the years since, the restaurant has emerged as one of the only places in St. Louis where you can get a taste of authentic Tuscan cuisine.
Using produce grown in the restaurant’s very own greenhouse, the executive chef whips up savory staples like poached pear and fig flatbread and braised pork hind shank with butternut squash mashed potatoes. The result is fresh and delicious.
8. Lombardo’s Trattoria
$$$ | 314-621-0666 | WEBSITE
Specializing in signature pastas and hand-cut steaks, Lombardo’s Trattoria is the place to go when you have a hankering for authentic Italian food.
Start your meal with flash-fried spinach or grilled portobello mushrooms. Then, dive into a plate of linguine Lombardo—housemade sausage and vegetables in a sherry wine sauce.
Also, don’t forget to bring your friends. With private banquet rooms for groups of 10 to 100, this restaurant is perfect for your next big work event or family get-together.
9. Sugarfire Smoke House
$$ | 314-797-8485 | WEBSITE
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St. Louis has a BBQ addiction. As legend has it, this midwestern city consumes more BBQ sauce per person than any other place. Sugarfire Smoke House is partially to blame.
Named Best Barbecue by the Travel Channel, St. Louis Magazine, and Feast Magazine, Sugarfire Smoke House is the place to grab a pulled pork sandwich while you are in town. Pair that sandwich with a side of pork belly hushpuppies and a pie milkshake, and you’ve got yourself a mighty fine meal.
10. Farmhaus Restaurant
$$ | 314-647-3800 | WEBSITE
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Chef Kevin Willmann is all about community. You can see—and taste—that at Farmhaus Restaurant.
From locally-grown produce to locally-made cheese, the chef’s ever-changing menus feature a long list of ingredients sourced just miles from the eatery on Ivanhoe Avenue.
Adding to the experience, the restaurateur partners each course with a carefully selected wine. Being the kind neighbor he is, Williams also smokes a mess of turkeys each year just in time for Thanksgiving.
11. Landry’s Seafood House
$$$ | 314-231-4040 | WEBSITE
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The nearest body of seawater is 12 hours south of St. Louis. Fortunately, you can skip the drive and get a taste of the ocean at Landry’s Seafood House on Market Street.
Established in 1947 in Louisiana, Landry’s prides itself on dishing up legendary Gulf Coast cuisine and hospitality. Menu mainstays include bayou fishman’s stew and southern fried fish. If you aren’t much of a seafood person, the restaurant has its fair share of turf too. Just don’t forget to wash it all down with a mocktail.
12. Al’s Restaurant
$$$$ | 314-421-6399 | WEBSITE
Al’s Restaurant opened 97 years ago in an old sugar house exchange building. At first, the establishment operated as a tavern, serving up egg sandwiches to dock workers along the Missouri River. Now, Al’s has upgraded to higher-class fare.
Today’s menu features upscale vittles like escargot, jumbo shrimp cocktails, and New York strip. But the restaurant is best known for its lengthy wine list. With more than 50 featured wines, ranging from Petrus Pomerol Grand Vin to Piper-Heidsieck, there is something for every patron.
13. The Bellwether
$$$$ | 314-380-3086 | WEBSITE
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When the weather is warm and obliging, there is no better place to grab Sunday brunch than The Bellwether’s outdoor patio.
Located in the former City Hospital power plant building, The Bellwether provides a trendy space to sip coffee and munch on bagels and lox.
If you are feeling a tad bit hungrier, order one of the eatery’s omelets. The animal farm omelet, for instance, is a satisfying blend of turkey sausage, Canadian bacon, house merguez sausage, bell pepper, green onion, and cheddar cheese.
14. Cinder House and Bar
$$$ | 314-881-5759 | WEBSITE
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Perched on the 8th floor of Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis at Lumière Place, Cinder House and Bar is one of the best places to grab lunch with a colleague.
Take a seat on the terrace and order the restaurant’s sweet potato soup with Brazil nut gremolata, pepitas, and sweet potato crisp. Then, if you are still feeling hungry, move on to the smoked pork carnitas tacos or grilled cedar plank salmon. No matter what you order, the expert chefs ensure it is balanced and flavorful.
15. Carnivore STL
$$$$ | 314-449-6328 | WEBSITE
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If you want a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs type meal, look no further than Carnivore STL.
As its name implies, Carnivore STL is all about high-quality meat. Accordingly, the eatery serves up 20-ounce bone-in ribeyes and 10-ounce filet mignons with your choice of glutinous, housemade butters. Come Sundays, Carnivore STL is also a popular brunch spot dishing up everything from avocado toast to steak hash.
16. Stacked STL
$$ | 314-544-4900 | WEBSITE
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There is no cheat meal quite like a dinner from Stacked STL.
Positioned on Ivory Road, this hole-in-the-wall whips up delicious delicacies like the seasonal grilled cheese—a decadent mix of ricotta, provolone, and peach marmalade on buttered sourdough. If you have room after that, try the deep-fried apple pie bites or caramel brownie with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.
17. Broadway Oyster Bar
$$ | 314-621-8811 | WEBSITE
Broadway Oyster Bar is one of the most happening places in St. Louis. From the annual Crab and Oyster Festival to Yuletide ugly sweater parties, this place knows how to throw a good party. Of course, the chefs also know how to whip up some tasty seafood.
While you are showing off your hand-me-down Christmas sweater, don’t forget to order the NOLA-style BBQ shrimp, naked gator tacos (yep—this dish features Louisiana alligator meat), or some of the restaurant’s famous bread pudding.
18. Olio
$$ | 314-932-1088 | WEBSITE
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Olio is marketed as the “cheapest ticket to Tel Aviv,” and with good reason.
Located in a renovated 1930’s Standard Oil filling station, the eatery dishes up a colorful mashup of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern fare.
Popular plates include the marinated beet salad with Israeli bruschetta and Jerusalem bagel with labneh, za’atar, and pomegranate molasses. Olio also brandishes an impressive list of alcoholic spirits, from vermouth to Amari.
19. The Tenderloin Room
$$$$ | 314-361-0900 | WEBSITE
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If you want to impress your date, make a reservation at The Tenderloin Room.
Complete with eye-catching chandeliers and glossy wood paneling, this St. Louis mainstay feels exclusive and posh. Even better, the food is delectable.
Start your meal with the senate bean soup—a restaurant classic since 1962—and then order a $72, 16-ounce bone-in ribeye. If you are hankering for a sweet finish, ask for the daily dessert menu.
20. Zia’s Restaurant
$$ | 314-776-0020 | WEBSITE
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Zia’s Restaurant is a mainstay of The Hill, a quaint and quiet Italian neighborhood in St. Louis. As such, you can expect Italian classics like calamari fritti, portabella asparagi, and capellini scampi in a homey, laid-back environment.
Luckily, Zia’s also offers catering—should you want to bring the savory smell of garlic and pasta to your next work function, rehearsal dinner, or family bash.
Summary
As you can see from the 20 best restaurants in St Louis, MO, this city is a mecca for epicureans. Whether you want to taste a traditional pulled pork sandwich or a contemporary twist on southeast Asian fare, The Lou has got you covered.
Hayden has been a digital director for years. He has five years of experience editing and writing about food, restaurant, and recipe review content. At Birch Restaurant, he’s in charge of scouting, showing up unannounced in different restaurants, and writing a thorough food guide!
