St. Louis, Missouri, MO, Where to eat, Where to drink, Where to shop, Eating, Drinking, Shopping, Restaurants, Bars, Shops, Chef’s Recs, Where Chefs Eat In St. Louis, Chefs Feed, Where Chefs Eat, Insider’s Guide, Insider Recommendations, City Guide, Travel Guide, Insider’s Tips, Travel Tips, Chef Kevin Nashan, Sidney Street Cafe, Chef Josh Galliano, Joshua Galliano, The Libertine, Chef Gerard Craft, Craft Restaurants,
April 1, 2014
Gateway to the West, this city on the mighty Mississippi will keep you busy exploring the different neighborhoods with plenty of choices for eating and drinking.
Here is a sample of places from our St. Louis guide in the Find. Eat. Drink. iPhone app, recommended by local chefs. To see the rest of the guide, download the app.
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A Chefs’ Guide To St. Louis
Where To Eat, DRink, & Shop
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Chef Gerard
Craft
Chef Josh
Galliano
Chef Kevin
Nashan
Chef and owner of Sidney Street Cafe, his cuisine is inspired by his Spanish heritage, his childhood in Santa Fe and his classic French training. He worked at Daniel in New York before opening his own restaurant in St. Louis. He has been named a semifinalist for the James Beard Award multiple times, won the 2013 Cochon 555 Barbecue competition in St. Louis and has cooked for President Barack Obama.
Chef and owner of four St. Louis spots: New American restaurant Niche, casual pizza and pasta place Pastaria, Parisian-inspired Brasserie and cocktail bar Taste. Craft has been nominated for a James Beard Best Chef: Midwest Award five times and was named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs.
Chef and co-owner of The Libertine. A Louisiana native, he moved to St. Louis after working at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans and Daniel in New York. Named one of Food and Wine’s Best New Chef: Midwest and nominated multiple times for the James Beard Best Chef: Midwest award.
The Mai Lee Pho Donut by Strange Donuts
Photograph courtesy of Strange Donuts
Strange Donuts
You'll get your glazed, fritter, custard, jelly, Long John and the rest of the classics. But don't overlook their unique creations like chicken and waffle, pizza, hog burger, strange bacon, and gooey butter donut. Chef Kevin Nashan loves that they work with local restaurants. “They collaborate with the restaurants all over the city to create weekly donuts inspired by favorite dishes of those restaurants. They recently did a pho donut with Mai Lee’s!”
2709 Sutton Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63143
T: 314.932.5851 | www.strangedonuts.tumblr.com
Salume Beddu | Salami + Guanciale and Roasted Chicory Bruschetta
Photograph courtesy of Salume Beddu
Salume Beddu
Josh Galliano calls this “one of the best salami shops in town.” Kevin Nashan recommends you come here “for their charcuterie. This is a pork lover’s paradise. They make delicious salumi utilizing the pigs in our backyards.” They also make sandwiches.
3467 Hampton Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63139
T: 314.353.3100 | www.salumebeddu.com
Schlafly Maplewood Farmers Market
Josh Galliano recommends this farmers market, which is affiliated with Slow Food St. Louis. “It’s on Wednesdays and the farmers here are really awesome. It’s at Schlafly Bottleworks, which is one of the biggest craft brewers in our city. You can literally come here, grab a beer and keep walking and shopping.” The vendors sell everything from baked goods to chocolates to fresh produce and prepared foods. They also have live music.
7260 Southwest Avenue, Maplewood, MO 63142
T: 314.241.2337| www.schlaflyfarmersmarket.com
Breakfast | Brunch
Half & Half
Kevin Nashan recommends you come here to start your day with a hearty breakfast and your choice of espresso, pour-over, or cold-brew coffee. For lunch, you can order sandwiches, burgers or salads. They also serve tea, beer, wine and cocktails.
8133 Maryland Avenue, Clayton, MO 63105
T: 314.725.0719| www.halfandhalfstl.com
Winslow’s Home
Photograph courtesy of Winslow’s Home
Winslow's Home
“This is a good place for brunch or early breakfast,” recommends Josh Galliano. “They have really good fried chicken.” They call themselves a New American General Store with a restaurant, grocery, a 500 bottle wine room, and gift shop all in one. The produce comes from their own farm in Augusta.
7213 Delmar Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63130
T: 314.725.7559 (Book a Table) | www.winslowshome.com
Lunch
Sandwiches at Gioia’s Deli
Photograph courtesy of Gioia’s Deli
Gioia’s Deli
“For their hot homemade salumi de testa sammy,” recommends Kevin Nashan. This is an Italian deli with lots of sandwich options, hot and cold. You pick the bread, next the cheese, the filler, garnish, condiment and the side dish.
1934 Macklind Avenue, St. Louis 63110
T: 314.776.9410 | www.gioiasdeli.com
Old St. Louis Chop Suey
Josh Galliano recommends this Chinese restaurant to enjoy the local delicacy, the St. Paul Sandwich, “It’s egg foo young on white bread with pickles. A lot of places serve it, but I like to come here and also get their Hot Braised Chicken, which is kind of like sweet and sour chicken.”
4600 Chippewa Street, St. Louis, MO 63116
T: 314.481.2641
BBQ
Cooking ribs at Pappy’s Smokehouse
Photograph courtesy of Pappy’s Smokehouse
Pappy’s Smokehouse
Memphis-style barbecue that is always top of chefs’ lists of where to eat. “For ribs. It is life changing,” says Gerard Craft. Josh Galliano loves the ribs and the smoked turkey, “The quality is unbelievable and the consistency is just unreal, especially when they’re serving thousands of people every day.” Kevin Nashan agrees, “The ribs are a must try. This is one of my favorite restaurants, because the food makes you want to give somebody a hug afterwards.”
3106 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63103
T: 314.535.4340 | www.pappyssmokehouse.com
Smoki O's
A counter and carry out barbecue joint that opened in the late 1990s. Known for their pig snouts, locally called “snoots,” as well as their rib tips. They are cured with cayenne pepper and salt. They aren’t fried, but they are doused with lots of barbecue sauce.
1545 N Broadway, St. Louis, MO 63102
T: 314.621.8180 | www.smokiosbbq.com
Bogart’s Smokehouse
Photograph courtesy of Bogart’s Smokehouse
Bogart’s Smokehouse
Josh Galliano picks this smokehouse because, “they’re thinking about barbecue very much outside the normal stuff.” He also loves the barbecue pastrami made in their smoker. “They’ll do cool things like make their own ham and use it to make a Cuban sandwich. Their beans are phenomenal. I love the sides, which is where most barbecue restaurants fail.”
1627 S 9th Street, St Louis, MO 63104
T: 314.621.3107 | www.bogartssmokehouse.com
Dinner
Vietnamese at Mai Lee
Photograph courtesy of Mai Lee
Mai Lee
“Head here for the 'St. Paul Sammy' and the best darn pho ever,” says Kevin Nashan. “This is an everyday desire and the pho is really special.” Owner Lee Tran left Vietnam in 1980 and moved to St. Louis where she worked as a waitress in a Chinese restaurant. Five years later, she opened Mai Lee, but originally only served Chinese food. Slowly, she introduced Vietnamese dishes on her menu and today you'll find an extensive list of classic Vietnamese dishes and a few remaining Chinese ones. They are all cooked by her son, chef Qui Tran. Josh Galliano describes the food as “phenomenal” and strongly suggests ordering the Salt and Pepper Calamari.”
8396 Musick Memorial Drive, St. Louis, MO 63144
T: 314.645.2835 | maileerestaurant.com
James Beard Nominated Chefs’ Restaurants
Chef Kevin Nashan and dinner at Sidney Street Cafe
Photograph courtesy of Sidney Street Cafe
Sidney Street Cafe | Chef Kevin Nashan
“This is one of those blow-out restaurants where, from start to finish, you’re well taken care of,” says Josh Galliano about fellow chef Kevin Nashan’s New American restaurant. Nashan calls his place “fun, delicious, and no fuss.” and says, “It's thoughtful cooking using our Midwest ingredients. We hear from a lot of people that they’ve celebrated every anniversary or special occasion with us, yet it’s also somewhere you could just walk in and grab a quick bite at the bar. I love our Rabbit & Waffles dish served with sorghum/mustard ice cream, and Pad Thai Sweetbreads.”
2000 Sidney Street, St. Louis, MO 63104
T: 314.771.5777 (Book a Table) | www.sidneystreetcafe.com
Chef Gerard Craft finalizing a plate at Niche
Photograph courtesy of Niche
Niche | Chef Gerard Craft
Chef Gerard Craft is creating destination dining and his restaurant is considered one of the top in the country. You can order à la carte or the tasting menu. Kevin Nashan puts this New American restaurant on his recommendation list because, “it’s where I'd take a visiting chef for inspiring and delicious food.”
7734 Forsyth Boulevard, Clayton, MO
T: 314.773.7755 (Reserve Here) | www.nichestlouis.com
The Milla Alta Cocktail and Pigtails at The Libertine
Photograph courtesy of The Libertine
The Libertine | Chef Josh Galliano
Josh calls his restaurant “a neighborhood place.” He serves everything from hamburgers with caramelized onions and bacon to crispy pigtails. He recommends ordering the beer braised potatoes, “they are incredibly stick-to-your-ribs delicious.”
7927 Forsyth Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63105
T: 314.862.2999 | www.libertinestl.com
Dessert | Ice Cream
Ted Drewes Frozen Custard
Photograph courtesy of Ted Drewes Frozen Custard
Ted Drewes Frozen Custard
Ted Drewes opened his first ice cream store in Florida in 1929 and in 1931 he opened in St. Louis. The custard is different from traditional ice cream because of the butterfat, egg yolk and amount of air which gives it a more silky and smooth texture. Kevin Nashan loves their ultra thick milk shakes, “The concrete always puts a smile on my face.”
4224 S Grand Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63111 | T: 314.352.7376
6726 Chippewa Street, St. Louis, MO 63109 | T: 314.481.2652
Cocktails
Cocktails at Taste Bar
Photograph courtesy of Taste Bar
Taste Bar
“Taste is probably first and foremost a bar, but the food here is really spectacular,” says Josh Galliano. “The cocktail list is superb. I always get the Barbacoa, which is braised beef on top of little masa cakes that are just blow-your-mind-good.” In addition to cocktails, they offer beer and wine.
4584 Laclede Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63108
T: 314.361.1200 | www.tastebarstl.com
Planter's House
Eat a duck burger, goat spaetzle or rarebit while you sip a myriad of cocktails. They have a long list ranging from aperitifs to shaken and citrusy to stirred and boozy to served over ice. Josh Galliano describes this cocktail bar as “a very unique setting with different bar rooms and each one has its own feel. It’s always awesome to leave yourself in their hands. You never know what you’re going to get, but it’s usually something that they’re super proud of and excited to show you.”
1000 Mississippi Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63104
Beer
Beer from Perennial Artisan Ales
Photograph courtesy of Perennial Artisan Ales
Perennial Artisan Ales Tasting Room
“They also do a killer stout with Sump Coffee,” recommends Josh Galliano about this small-batch craft brewery that focuses on locally sourced ingredients, farmhouse releases and barrel-ages varieties.
8125 Michigan Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63111
T: 314.631.7300 | www.perennialbeer.com
Coffee
Sump Coffee
Photograph courtesy of Sump Coffee
Sump Coffee
“The coffee is spectacular,” says Josh Galliano. “The owner Scott is a perfectionist. He wants you to be engaged with the whole process, to know what you’re drinking, why you’re drinking it, why he bought that coffee bean from this small roaster.” Kevin Nashan agrees, “I love Sump. They've changed the coffee game forever in the Lou, it's amazing.”
3700 S Jefferson Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63118
T: 917.412.5670 | www.sumpcoffee.com
Espresso at Kaldi’s
Photograph courtesy of Kaldi’s
Kaldi’s
Josh Galliano also likes multi-store Kaldi’s, “They’re a good roaster with a lot of farm single origin beans.” Get coffee drinks, house-made pastries, panini sandwiches, breakfast burritos, and vegetarian offerings as well.
700 DeMun Avenue, Clayton, MO 63105 | T: 314.727.9955
187 Carondelet Plaza, Clayton, MO 63105 | T: 314.726.2900
270 N. Skinker Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63139 | T: 314.862.4447
120 S. Kirkwood Road, Kirkwood, MO 63122 | T: 314.821.0087
17211 Chesterfield Airport Road, Chesterfield, MO 63005 | T: 636.536.6624
More St. Louis Recs
Download the F.E.D. iPhone app and get more St. Louis recommendations from other chefs, bartenders, sommeliers, and food artisans.
Photo Credit: Daniel Schwen
What: A city with no county, one of only 41 in the US.
Where: Located on the west bank of the Mississippi River.
Nickname: The Gateway City.
Local Eats: BBQ ribs and crispy snouts calls “snoots.”
Local Sweets: The concrete at Ted Drewes.
Local Drinks: Craft Beer.
Bring home: Locally-made charcuterie from Salume Beddu.
