I don't eat any dishes made with ground meat, but I am fine with meet that has been shredded/chopped after having been cooked. I know traditionally things like Bao Buns and Dumplings are made with ground meat, so I don't have high hopes, but I thought I'd just check anyway.

I moved here three years ago and have been making it my mission to find fantastic versions of all my favorite foods. Here are my 10/10 spots so far.

Pizza

• Detroit style - Nicky Slices Pizza Club (The Hill)
• New York style - It WAS Pie Guy (RIP)...
• St. Louis style - Farotto's (Rock Hill)
• Chicago style deep dish - ??? TBD
• Neopolitan style - Fordo's Killer Pizza (Foundry)

Nicky Slices Detroit style pizza is absolutely fantastic. For NY style, Pie Guy was amazing, but the latest reviews lead me to think it's finally gone for good. I tried La Pizza but it wasn't close. Bud's Pizza and Beer is an honorable mention.

For STL style pizza, which is a taste I eventually acquired, I would rank the places I've tried as: Farotto's, Pirrone's, Faraci's, Salvage Yard, Firehouse, Imo's, Elicia's, Cecil Whittaker's, Nick & Elena's. Sorry, I know it's contentious.

J.J. Twig's is the only Chicago thin-crust place I've seen, and it's pretty good but not 10/10. Haven't tried any deep dish yet but none look like the cornmeal crust style I like, but more of a Giordano's stuffed pizza.

For Neopolitan, Fordo's Killer Pizza surprised me with how amazing the crust was - fluffy, chewy, flavorful, and the sauce was bright and fresh, and the ingredients were high quality. Louie was also great. Katie's was not good.

I want to try Blues Fired Pizza, Union Loafers, Failoni's, a few more.

Steak Taco

• El Jarocho (Ballwin)

El Jarocho has excellent steak tacos, California burritos, and green sauce.

Finding authentic Mexican food has been the most challenging task for me in STL since most spots here are Tex-Mex. I tried a lot of spots - El Toluco (RIP), Taqueria El Bronco, La Tejana, La Vallesana, El Maguey, El Indio - and my experiences ranged mostly from okay to quite bad. Mestiza was very good.

There are a lot of places I'm still excited to try, like El Morelia, Fonda La Poblanita, Locoz Tacos, Tacos la Jefa.

Ramen

• Kishimoto Mendo (University City)

Menya Rui is fantastic, but tonkotsu ramen is my favorite, so the shoyu ramen they serve never quite scratched the itch for me. Now that the owner of Menya Rui has opened a new joint for tonkotsu ramen, I couldn't be happier. One of the best things I've ever eaten.

Middle Eastern (various)

• Sultan (The Grove)

Sultan is our go-to spot. The lentil soup is amazing, the keftah kebabs are juicy and delicious, the hummus and baba ganoush are really good, and the homemade bread is great.

Taste of Lebanon in Central West End also has very good hummus, baba ganoush, and falafel.

I want to try Sameem, Majeed, Ehsani, I'll throw Balkan Treat Box here, too.

Sandwich

• Reuben - Blues City Deli (Benton Park)
• Salami - Gioia's

Absolutely perfect Reuben, 10/10! Based on how good it is I'm sure some of their other sandwiches are always amazing, I just can't stop myself from getting the Reuben. I was very impressed by the Hot Salami at Gioia's, it was special.

I've also had Mom's, LeGrand's. Want to try Gramophone, Zlatno Zito.

Hot dog/Smash burger

• Woofie's Hot Dogs (Overland)

Perfect, authentic Chicago-style hotdog with all the fixings in the proper size, shape, and quantity (mustard, pickles, relish, tomato, onion, sport peppers, celery salt, poppyseed bun, Vienna Beef dog). Woofie's also had possibly the best smash burger I've ever had.

Carl's is an honorable mention for a great smash burger plus that IBC Rootbeer float with the classic vibes. Mac's Local Eats was pretty decent but too smashed for me. I've tried Hi Pointe at many locations and have never enjoyed it. Stacked is good for a regular burger but I'm not much of a burger person.

Butter Chicken

• Tikka Tangy (Chesterfield)

The butter chicken at Tikka Tangy has been incredibly flavorful and consistent in my experience. Still on the search for excellent Lamb Korma.

Texas-style Brisket

• ??? TBD

I've tried Stellar Hog, Salt & Smoke (multiple locations), Sugarfire (multiple locations), Beast BBQ, Pappy's, Adam's Smokehouse, and none of them have really had a brisket that tasted like Texas to me.

I think the ribs at Pappy's are excellent, and the wings at Beast and S&S are excellent. I don't really like anything at Sugarfire except the Sugar Pie.

I had Fourth City BBQ at the farmer's market, and that was definitely the best one I've had yet, but not something that is easily accessible.

Chai Tea

• Telva at the Ridge (Webster Groves)

Awesome vibe and Chai tea from the Balkan Treat Box owners. I'm excited to try more things on the menu.

Other

There are a few favorite foods I haven't found yet, but I either haven't tried many places yet or the places I have tried so far aren't good enough to make the list.

• Thai - pad kee mao/pad see ew/red or green curry
• Vietnamese - pho, banh mi
• Korean - bulgogi, bibimbop
• Indian - lamb korma, aloo gobi, paneer masala
• Italian beef (not Vinny's, not Woofie's)
• Fried chicken (Grace's Meat + Three was good, but not Nashville level)
• Shawarma (not Shawarma House)
• Gyro (Troy Mediterranean was decent)
• Sushi (I know I have to try Sado)
• Takeout Chinese (King Doh is good)

> Note: I only think the items I specified are 10/10 (like steak tacos are 10/10 at El Jarocho, but not Al Pastor)

Just wanted to share my findings! Always open to more suggestions!

Hello! I am going to be in your city for the first time on a business trip from Sunday May 17 to Friday am May 22.

I am looking for vegan restaurants or restaurants with great vegan options and maybe a few pals to join me 😊

I am a 40 year old cis hetero woman who has been vegan for over 15 years. I love arts and culture, and I do film photography as a hobby 📷

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Edit: thank you all for your answers! I really appreciate it. I'll report back after my visit and let you know what I ended up trying 😋

Hi everyone!

My boyfriend and I are visiting St. Louis from Cincy when the Cardinals are playing the Reds- and are looking for some food recommendations! We'll be in the downtown area- and would hope to stay around there- but definitely willing to drive 15-20 mins for something super awesome.

Recs I am looking for:

- a local coffee shop with good lattes + pastries (a bonus if they have a great breakfast sandwich too)
- a great carry-out lunch spot in the downtown area (ideally walkable from the gateway arch)
- best bbq place! (more mid-priced budget ideally ~$20-30ish pp)
- a vibey date night restaurant (italian would be amazing, but open to any and all suggestions around $60-70pp!)

Thank you so much in advance, so excited to visit!

I'm a big fan of drinking way too much soda every now and again.

I love getting the bottomless mugs from Fitz's, but imo that's the biggest draw of going to their restaurant.

I'm looking for places that make or have their own sodas!

Any recs for tasty local bottled options??

I went to the opening of Kishimoto Mendo in the Loop today, the new Ramen Tonkotsu restaurant by the owner of Menya Rui.

I got the classic Tonkotsu Ramen and it was hands down the best ramen I’ve ever had.

* Kishimoto Mendo I was so excited to evangelize I didn’t spell check

Hey all,

Celebrating a graduation in a couple weeks and trying to find a place that is a good balance between really good and kid friendly. The kids are adventurous eaters…but a place where it takes awhile to get food out or is small and quiet might be a challenge.

Graduation is at WashU but we are staying downtown so anywhere is fair game in between.

I want to take my wife out for a nice date night in June.

We're planning to visit the Missouri Botanical Gardens, and I would like to take her somewhere vegetarian friendly near there.

I'm looking for something kind of upscale, but not so upscale that it's fussy. Extra points if we can eat outdoors.

Thanks in advance.

Going to be with friends from out of town, I'm particularly interested in places near the Arch and touristy areas. (She isn't celiac or anaphylactic so we aren't worried about cross contamination, but her guts will be messed up if she says, eats a normal pizza or Chinese food that uses wheat soy sauce in cooking instead of tamari.)

The only place I've had before that is really gluten free friendly is Brick River, but everyone is an adventurous eater so I'm open to all suggestions.

Edit: thanks, guys! I'm going to make a big Google maps list and keep it close on hand.

Chill South City joint where regulars are welcoming. Good wings are a bonus. Thanks.