While downtown and other neighborhoods in the city offer many Instagrammable restaurants, bakeries and bars, there are plenty of other hip St. Louis eateries located outside the city line. Dig into this collection of hip foodie restaurants located in St. Louis County. From Maplewood to Clayton to St. Charles (yes, we included St. Charles, too) […]
While downtown and other neighborhoods in the city offer many Instagrammable restaurants, bakeries and bars, there are plenty of other hip St. Louis eateries located outside the city line.
Dig into this collection of hip foodie restaurants located in St. Louis County. From Maplewood to Clayton to St. Charles (yes, we included St. Charles, too) there are plenty of spots to sample great food without having to worry about how to parallel park.
Mabel Suen
Pizza Champ
(2657 Lyle Avenue, Maplewood; pizzachampstl.com)
Riverfront Times food critic Cheryl Baehr says that what makes Pizza Champ one of the hottest spots in town is that it serves up quality without preciousness. “The Triple Pepperoni, for instance, is the Platonic form of a New York-style pepperoni pie,” she writes. “The sauce is zesty with hints of oregano, the cheese is orange from the pepperoni’s glorious paprika-laden grease, and the sausage curls up around the edges to form little cups that contain this savory red-tinged nectar.” Heavenly.
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Mabel Suen
Bar Moro
(7610 Wydown Boulevard, Clayton; 314-296-3000)
The restaurant is not simply evocative of Spain; Ben Poremba has masterfully captured the actual experience of dining in La Piel de Toro, in all of its rustic, sexy glory. The space is tiny, with roughly 20 table seats and room for about eight more at the bar, which means that Bar Moro is a very small space with a very big reputation. And not for nothin’. The food here can’t be topped. The must-try dishes range from gazpacho to caviar to eggplant dip to all the fish and meat you can handle. Plan to visit more than once.
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Tom Hellauer
Balkan Treat Box
(8103 Big Bend, Webster Groves; 314-733-5700)
Foodies flip out over the flavors served at Balkan Treat Box in Webster Groves. Known for its wood-fired pide (flat bread), the restaurant fuses flavors from the Balkan region with Turkish, Croatian and other influences showing up on the menu. Most of the items here can be made vegetarian or vegan, too, so foodies of all types can get in on the fun.
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Mabel Suen
Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria
(two locations including 9568 Manchester Road and 14171 Clayton Road, katiespizzaandpasta.com)
These restaurants in Rock Hill and Town and Country are easily in the conversation for the best spots for Italian food in all of St. Louis. Not only is the pizza perfection of the form, but dishes like “Katie’s Famous Fried Artichokes” also dazzle.
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Mabel Suen
Taco Buddha
(two locations including 11111 Manchester Road and 7405 Pershing Avenue, tacobuddha.com)
Though the dining room of the original U City location is small, it has a distinctively Southwestern point of view, and the food is all vibrant flavors and deeply satisfying dishes. Don’t miss the succulent shredded beef barbacoa that offers hunks of rich beef the consistency of pot roast, which fills a warm corn tortilla to the point you’d think it might burst.
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Mabel Suen
Chicken Out
(multiple locations including 6197 Delmar Boulevard, Glendale; 314-384-1010)
Chicken Out might just serve the perfect chicken sandwich. It features a plump, tender piece of meat that, when pierced, reveals its juices. It has breading that is crunchy enough without taking over and subtly seasoned with a little something special. And it’s hugged by a fluffy, butter-griddled potato bun that is so soft you want to nuzzle up to it.
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Mabel Suen
O+O Pizza
(102 West Lockwood Avenue, Webster Groves; 314-721-5422)
After you’re done taking selfies at O+O Pizza, order their “O + O Original” pizza and be dazzled. The famous pie is topped with subtly sweet, rustic tomato sauce, Fior di Latte (a type of fresh mozzarella) and pecorino cheeses. The quality ingredients are simple but powerful, and show why just a few well-prepared and sourced components can really make something magical.
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Mabel Suen
Jalea
(323 North Main Street, St. Charles; 636-493-1100)
Even before you take your first bite, the painstaking effort Andrew Cisneros puts into preparing each dish reveals itself in the form of a gorgeous presentation. At Jalea, the framing of each Peruvian seafood dish is just as stellar as the food. The restaurant nails the classic cevicheria experience and brings much-needed culinary diversity to Main Street St. Charles.
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Mabel Suen
Noto
(5105 Westwood Drive, St. Peters; 636-317-1143)
Foodies know that some of the most stunning Italian fare in the area is hiding just off Highway 94 in St. Peters. Noto is thrilling from start to finish, a stunning portrait of southern Italian cuisine as authentic as you’d get if you were sitting on a veranda overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. And if you only try one pizza at Noto, you must get the margherita. Cheaper than a flight to Naples but no less transportive, this pie is a light-bulb moment for anyone who wants to know why Neapolitan pizza is so beloved.
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Mabel Suen
The Benevolent King
(7268 Manchester Road, Maplewood; 314-899-0440)
This Maplewood hotspot offers the full foodie experience courtesy of James Beard semi-finalist chef Ben Poremba. Reflecting the richness and romance of Moroccan nights, the Benevolent King is as beautiful as it is delicious. The sultry dark space is highlighted with gold, giving the dining room a vintage, swanky feel. The food honors Poremba’s Moroccan-Israeli heritage. Guests go crazy over dishes like his stewed eggplant, kalamata tapenade, exquisite falafel and delicate lamb meatballs.
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Google Maps
Tiger Soup Dumplings
(98 Gravois Bluffs Circle Drive, Fenton; 636-678-7180)
Operated by the family behind Soup Dumplings STL, this Fenton restaurant takes its sister spot’s signature dish as a jumping-off point, offering different ingredients and the ability to have your dumplings pan fried in addition to just steamed. Expect dumplings that are a feat of engineering; the wonton wrapper is so delicate you wonder how it holds such steaming hot jus and fillings, yet it somehow does until strategically pierced with a chopstick, revealing mouthwatering savory nectar and meat.
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