St. Louis Foods
St. Louis Style Pizza
Imo's Pizza, St. Louis Pizza & Wings, Failoni's
St. Louis style pizza is one of those "you love it or you hate it" kind of things. Made with a cracker-thin, crispy crust, and covered with provel cheese (a local cheese blend made of cheddar, provolone, & swiss) cut in squares. It's diabolical or delicious, we'll let you decide which!
Toasted Ravioli
Anthonino's, Imo's, (really, most bars in St. Louis)
Originating on "The Hill" where we live, these breaded, deep fried raviolis are filled with either meat or cheese and topped with parmesan. You'll want to dip them in marinara or meat sauce, and you'll probably burn the top of your mouth, but they are so damn good it's worth the pain.
St. Louis BBQ
Pappy's, Bogart's, Adam's Smokehouse, Stellar Hog
St. Louis BBQ is defined by the technique of first grilling or smoking meat, and then saucing. Local joints will specialize in a sweet/tangy bbq sauce, and serve lots of brisket and burnt ends, pork ribs, pork steak, and rib tips. Pappy's is the local favorite and golden child, Bogart's has amazing burnt ends and sides, Adam's is the go-to for ribs, and Stellar Hog has some of the best brisket you can find. But really, any of the BBQ places in town will hit the spot.
The Slinger
Courtesy Diner, Southwest Diner, Hammerstone's
The slinger has become an iconic diner staple in St. Louis, so buckle in: this behemoth consists of a hamburger patty, topped with hash browns and two sunny side up eggs. Next, it's covered with chili and shredded cheese, with the optional pro-move to add on jalapeños and onions. You'll get heartburn for sure, but it'll be worth it.
Gooey Butter Cake
Park Avenue Coffee, Blueberry Hill, Schnucks
More than just a great name! Gooey Butter Cake is a flat dense coffee cake, about an inch tall, usually dusted with powdered sugar. It has a bottom layer of butter mixed with yellow cake, and a top layer of butter curd - it's extremely rich and worth the calories. You can find variations with cream cheese, or flavored with seasonal offerings like pumpkin, lemon, or lavender, but the classic is really the best version. You can find great slices at most local grocery stores, or exceptional versions at coffee shops and bakeries that have come up with their own variations!
Frozen Custard Concretes
Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, Andy's
While St. Louis has plenty of soft serve ice cream, we also have a strong local preference for frozen custard (ice cream made with milk, eggs, and honey). Taking that one step further, you have a frozen custard concrete, which is custard blended with any number of sweet ingredients. A tried and true concrete is so thick and delicious that you can put a spoon in the custard and turn the whole cup upside down without anything falling out - the ultimate concrete test.
Sandwiches
Gioia's, Adriana's, Blues City Deli, Gramophone
Who doesn't love a sandwich? You know Matt does. These are some of our favorite spots to get an undeniably good sandwich.