St. Louis started out as a French settlement during the 18th century. The city, which is known as the "gateway city," has become a home for people of different nationalities, including African, Hispanic and Asian-Americans. The diversity of St. Louis is reflected in its food, as the city features Brazilian, Caribbean, Korean, Malaysian, Indonesian, Italian, Cuban, French, Indian, Greek and other restaurants. Many of the best restaurants in St. Louis offer superior service, food and dining experiences to food connoisseurs.
Touted as one of the top restaurants in St. Louis in 2009 by the "Zagat Restaurant Guide," Pueblo Solis is a Mexican food restaurant found in St. Louis' South City neighborhood. The family-owned restaurant is known for its homemade margaritas and beef, chicken or seafood fajitas.
Pueblo Solis
5127 Hampton Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63109
314-351-9000
pueblosolisstl.com
The winner of the 2009 Realfoodtraveler.com award for "best tapas and small plates," the Spanish restaurant Modesto is known for its tapas, or appetizer-sized dishes. The restaurant, which sits in an Italian neighborhood in St. Louis known as "the Hill," serves tapas dishes such as "manchego en adobo," a dish created with Manchego cheese, olives and bread with a tomato sauce, and "pimientos rellenos," a type of stuffed pepper with rice, Manchego cheese and tomato sauce.
Modesto
5257 Shaw Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63110
314-772-8272
modestotapas.com
Café Provencal, a restaurant that is located in St. Louis' Clayton area, received the "St. Louis' Magazine" A-List award in 2009. The French restaurant serves dishes such as the "pain bagna," a sandwich with tapenade, eggs, lettuce, tuna and a special relish; "soupe a l'oignon gratinee 6," a type of onion soup made with Gruyere cheese and "trio de provence 6," an hors d'oeuvre made with eggplant, tapenade and Montrachet cheese.
Café Provencal
427 S. Kirkwood Road
St. Louis, MO 63122
314-822-5440
cafeprovencal.com
The West End Grill and Pub sits next door to Gaslight Theater, a theater in the Gaslight square neighborhood that hosts plays, musical performances and comedic acts. "St. Louis Magazine" also gave the West End Grill and Pub one of its 2009 A-List awards. The restaurant has dishes such as a steak sandwich prepared with onions, green peppers, horseradish and provel cheese and scallops served with arugula and vinaigrette.
West End Grill and Pub
354 N. Boyle
St. Louis, MO 63108
314-531-4607
westendgrillandpub.com
Located close to Washington University on the University City Loop, Bobo Noodle House is a South-Asian-style restaurant that serves dishes such rice noodles prepared with squash, curry and peanuts and soba noodles crafted with duck and hoisin sauce. The "St. Louis Post-Dispatch" rated the restaurant as one of the top dining establishments in St. Louis in 2009.
Bobo Noodle House
278 N. Skinker Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63130
bobonoodle.com
Rated as the top diner in St. Louis by "The Riverfront Times" in 2009, the Goody Goody Diner has been around since 1948, when it served as a drive-thru restaurant. The North St. Louis diner is open until around 3 a.m. The restaurant serves foods such as a breakfast bowl made with scrambled eggs, sausage, hashbrowns, gravy and cheddar cheese and an omelet stuffed with green peppers, hashbrowns, onions, chill, tomatoes and cheddar cheese.
Goody Goody Diner
5900 Natural Bridge Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63120
314-383-3333
goodygoodydiner.com
Touted as the top steak and seafood restaurants in St. Louis by "The Riverfront Times" in 2007, Mike Shannon's Steaks and Seafood is a fine-dining restaurant with signed baseball and baseball bat displays. The restaurant sits on Market Street, a public area that features a variety of shops and often hosts musical acts. The steak and seafood restaurant serves foods that include a tofu dish crafted with spinach, red peppers, mushrooms, carrots and chili sauce and a scampi dish made with shrimp, white wine, capers and garlic.
Mike Shannon's Steaks and Seafood
620 Market St.
St. Louis, MO 63101
314-421-1540
shannonsteak.com
Rated as one of the top Italian restaurants in St. Louis by the "10Best" Web site, Cunetto House of Pasta is a family-owned restaurant that has been around since 1972. Located in "the Hill" neighborhood, the restaurant features dishes that include "linguini alla pavarotti," a linguini dish made with a special sauce that combines red pepper, tomatoes, parsley and anchovies.
Cunetto House of Pasta
5453 Magnolia Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63139
314-781-1135
cunetto.com
The "OpenTable" Web site awarded Aya Sofia, a Turkish and Mediterranean restaurant in "the Hill" neighborhood, its 2010 Diner's Choice award. The restaurant, which is named after a former Byzantine church, offers hot and cold foods such as the "imam bayildi," a dish made with eggplants, onions, seasoned vegetables, couscous, olive oil, garlic and tomatoes, and "izgara kofte," a dish made with beef, breadcrumbs and onions and served on a plate with rice.
Aya Sofia
6671 Chippewa St.
St. Louis, MO 63109
314-645-9919
ayasofiacuisine.com
"Sauce Magazine" gave Eleven Eleven Mississippi, a Tuscan-style bistro, Readers' Choice awards from 2004 to 2009. The restaurant, which sits in St. Louis' Lafayette Square neighborhood, allows diners to try five different wines during dinner. Courses at the restaurant include an oven-baked pizza prepared with kalamata olives, mozzarella cheese, bell peppers and a pesto sauce and a fettuccini dish made with shrimps, scallops, eggplant, a cream sauce, mussels, tomatoes and clams.
Eleven Eleven Mississippi
1111 Mississippi Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63104
314-241-9999
1111-m.com
