St. Louis may not be the most renowned food city in the country, but it definitely has some fan favorites. Imo's, Pappy's, and Ted Drewes are some of the most popular places to eat among St. Louis natives. These are places that, although may not be well known to people not from St. Louis, are absolutely incredible.
1. Bogart's Smokehouse. Bogart's Smokehouse is considered the sibling restaurant of Pappy's, but arguably it's just as good, if not better. Located in Soulard, the main difference between these two restaurants is the rub that the meats are cooked with, and from personal experience, Bogart's has shorter lines.
2. Mission Taco Joint. While you're in Soulard, this gem is located right across the street from Bogart's. Mission Taco, while having other great items on the menu, is known primarily for its food cart style tacos. Made a la carte, these tacos are reasonably priced and taste phenomenal, with types of tacos ranging from beef brisket to fried fish.
3. Modesto Tapas Bar & Restaurant. Although this is a great place to eat, it is sometimes overlooked because it is a Spanish restaurant right in the heart of the Italian food capital of St. Louis, The Hill. If you're in the mood for tapas, I highly recommend giving Modesto a shot.
4. St. Louis Pizza & Wings. When most people think of St. Louis style pizza, the place that first comes to mind is always Imo's. Don't get me wrong; I absolutely love Imo's. However, St. Louis Pizza & Wings makes awesome St. Louis style pizza and the best part about it is their buy-one-get-one-free extra large pizza deal that runs all day every day.
5. King Edward's Fried Chicken. Located in Crestwood, King Edward's is a very small restaurant that you'll probably miss initially if you're driving down Watson. Pretty self explanatory though, it has some of the best friend chicken around.
6. Sauce on the Side. A casual place less than a mile from the Scottrade Center, their primary dish is gourmet calzones. They do have the traditional pizza-like calzones, which are still incredible, but what sets them apart is their variety, ranging from a BBQ style calzone to an eggplant based calzone and everything in between.
7. Jilly's Cupcake Bar & Cafe. Jilly's is known for its humongous gourmet stuffed cupcakes that exceed a half-pound. Just to make your mouth water a little bit, my favorite cupcake is called the Chocolate Thunder, which is chocolate cake stuffed with dark chocolate ganache, topped with vanilla and milk chocolate buttercream, chocolate shavings, and chocolate bark.
8. Favazza's. I don't really consider Favazza's to be a hidden gem, but I had to include at least one Italian restaurant from The Hill on this list. You really can't go wrong with anything here, it's all fantastic. Plus they have an awesome patio that's open year round, and you absolutely have to try their toasted ravioli, tortellini, calamari, or all of the above.
9. Uncle Bill's Pancake & Dinner. Open 24 hours, this is one of the best diners in town. From a classic slinger to a Chocolate Alaska (basically a hot fudge sundae on top of two pancakes), Uncle Bill's does all things breakfast and they do it well, especially pancakes.
10. St. Louis Wing Co. Right off Manchester and to avoid confusion, this is an entirely different place from St. Louis Pizza & Wings. Wing Co has great wings, and a special that runs until 8:00 PM for all you can eat boneless wings, fries, and drink for $12.99. On top of that, they have awesome flavors like Cajun Alfredo and Rally Squirrel (caramel peanut sauce).
11. Seoul Taco. Located in Delmar, it also has a food truck. If you're looking for a type of food you've never had before, I highly recommend this place. Seoul Taco is a Korean BBQ-Mexican fusion concept that takes some of the best aspects of both types of food and blends them together deliciously.
12. Crown Candy Kitchen. Home to one of the best BLT's in the country and fantastic milkshakes, Crown Candy is a classic that you absolutely need to give a shot.
