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The 100 Best Restaurants in St. Louis

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The best restaurants in St. Louis, according to the experts: James Beard Awards, Bon Appétit, and AAA have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Balkan Treat Box comes out on top, and the good stuff runs deepest in Saint Louis.

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Vicia and Little Fox hold the next two places. St. Louis Magazine shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with Eater next.

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Departments

  1. The glowing copper-clad wood-fired oven at the center of the open kitchen tells you everything about priorities here. This lo-fi Balkan canteen in Webster Groves started as a food truck and kept the chaotic energy, with lines outside and regulars still debating what to order. Smoky kebabs, brown butter hummus, spectacular flatbreads. Chef Loryn Nalic holds a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest.


    Address
    8103 Big Bend Blvd, Saint Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–8 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  2. Vegetables get top billing here, not as an afterthought but as the whole argument, with meat from the wood-fired grill playing a supporting role. This is fine dining from a team with Blue Hill at Stone Barns roots, and it shows in the precision without the stiffness. The airy, linen-white room suits the cooking's restraint. A James Beard Outstanding Restaurant nominee, Vicia has been a reason to fly into St. Louis for years.


    Address
    4260 Forest Park Ave, St. Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–9 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  3. A small neighborhood dinner spot in Botanical Heights where the menu pivots with the seasons, pulling from French, Spanish, and Italian influences without making a fuss about it. The patio draws a crowd, the bar turns out a martini people talk about, and regulars fill seats before the specials are even recited. The New York Times put it on their Restaurant List, and the chef earned a James Beard semifinalist nod.


    Address
    2800 Shenandoah Ave, Saint Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–8:30 PM

    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  4. The wood-roasted chicken at this Clayton neighborhood restaurant arrives with rapini and an immaculate jus, nowhere to hide and nothing to prove. Louie is the kind of Italian-leaning spot where the room feels luxurious without feeling stiff, and the seasonal pastas and pizzas do quiet, confident work. A 2026 James Beard nominee for Outstanding Hospitality, it draws regulars who treat it like a standing reservation with old friends.


  5. Tucked into a strip of drab storefronts near a hair salon called Bouffant Daddy, Robin is a tasting-menu restaurant that somehow feels like a warm secret. The room is soft-lit and earthy, and the four-course format leans into Midwestern ingredients with enough wit to keep things lively. Land on the New York Times Restaurant List and earn a James Beard nomination in the same year, and the mille-feuille of amaro chocolate mousse starts to make a certain kind of sense.


    Address
    7268 Manchester Rd, Saint Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closes soon, 10 PM, in 41 min

    Tuesday 5 PM–10 PM

    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram


  6. Address
    7734 Forsyth Blvd, Clayton, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–3:30 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  7. El Molino del Sureste is a Yucatecan restaurant where deep jade walls and patterned benches make you briefly forget you're a few minutes from Lindenwood Park. The namesake molino sits front and center, grinding nixtamalized corn into the tortillas that show up with nearly everything. The chef was a James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef: Midwest, which tracks for a place that treats a turkey-and-sausage relleno as a weeknight option.


    Address
    5005 S Kingshighway Blvd, Saint Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–9 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  8. Rank 8. iNDO

    Southeast Asian

    The sashimi that put this small Botanical Heights restaurant on the map layers Japanese technique over Southeast Asian flavors, which is basically chef Nick Bognar's whole project in one bite. Forty seats, no wasted space, and a menu where the fish does the heavy lifting. A James Beard semifinalist with a following that was national before the neighborhood caught on.


    Address
    1641D Tower Grove Ave, St. Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Open now, until 11:59 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–11:59 PM

    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  9. A food hall inside a converted industrial complex, The Kitchen Bar draws a crowd that comes less for the putt-putt course next door and more for the rotisserie chicken, wood-fired pizza, and the kind of African Caribbean cooking, including Senegal's thieboudienne, that you don't find everywhere. Celebrity chef Gerard Craft is often behind the counter at his own pizza stall, which makes the whole setup feel a little less mall-ish than it sounds.


    Address
    3730 Foundry Way, St. Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 10 AM

    Tuesday 10 AM–9 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  10. Address
    6120 Shoger Dr, Edwardsville, IL · Edwardsville
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 7 AM

    Tuesday 7 AM–5 PM

    Online
    Website

  11. Address
    910 Geyer Ave, Saint Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 7 AM

    Tuesday 7 AM–3 PM

    Online
    Website
  12. The Cuban bread comes from La Segunda Bakery in Tampa, shipped in specifically to get the crust right on the sandwiches. This is a Cuban restaurant where the team cooks from scratch the way they did back home, and that intention shows up in the ropa vieja and the arroz con pollo as much as the pressed sandwiches. The flan is the quiet closer nobody skips.


    Address
    12 S Euclid Ave, Saint Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–9 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  13. The amber glow through the windows at night is the first thing you notice, and then all the people inside, clearly mid-splendid-time. This is a neighborhood restaurant done with genuine ambition, the kind where the cowboy rib-eye with cracked pepper butter sits on the same menu as Dover sole and creative cocktails. Webster Groves is a quick drive from the city, and regulars treat it like their dining room, which is a compliment to everyone.




  14. The pilau arrives under a dome of golden filo you crack open at the table, releasing fragrant basmati with almonds and pistachios underneath. Sultan is a Mediterranean restaurant in the Grove neighborhood serving a menu that runs from lentil soup and beef dumplings with garlic yogurt to kabobs. The room filled up fast when it opened and has stayed that way, which in a neighborhood already stacked with good options is its own kind of argument.


  15. Rank 19. Cleveland Heath

    Seasonal American


    Address
    106 Main St, Edwardsville, IL · Edwardsville
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–9 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  16. Rank 19. Madrina

    Italian


    Address
    101 W Lockwood Ave, Saint Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 4 PM

    Tuesday 4 PM–9 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  17. The upstairs Bullock Room, named for Tom Bullock, the first African American to publish a cocktail recipe book, tells you everything about how seriously this Lafayette Square bar and restaurant takes its history. Seasonal cocktail menus have drawn inspiration from roller derby and Dolly Parton, which is either chaotic or inspired depending on your mood. The burger, loaded with chorizo jam and pub cheese on a challah bun, holds its own alongside the drinks.


    Address
    1000 Mississippi Ave, Saint Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closes soon, 10 PM, in 41 min

    Tuesday 4 PM–10 PM

    Reserve
    Tock
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  18. Address
    1923 Park Ave, St. Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Open now, until 11 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–11 PM

    Reserve
    Tock
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  19. The dinner-party vibe is not an accident: Scout's grew out of an apartment pop-up, and the casual energy, upbeat music, and focused menu still read that way. Both chefs came up through fine dining around St. Louis, and the cooking shows it without announcing it. Vegetables get the same attention as the pasta, and the menu stays short enough that everything on it clearly earned its spot.



  20. Address
    7823 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 11:30 AM

    Tuesday 11:30 AM–1:30 PM, 5 PM–9 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  21. Rank 25. ELAIA

    Mediterranean

    The awards


  22. The twice-cooked pork here is the thing to order first: thin, crispy cutlets in a glaze that toggles between sweet wine and sharp vinegar, a signature dish of China's Dongbei region. This casual Chinese cafe in University City has become a go-to for regional cooking that doesn't smooth its edges for anyone, with bold Chengdu chicken and hot crisp fish rounding out a menu that makes the drive from anywhere in St. Louis feel like a reasonable life choice.



  23. Address
    5226 Shaw Avenue, St. Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–9 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  24. Northern Thai cooking in a city that already loves Thailand but tends to stop at the central-region classics. Chiang Mai focuses on the distinct traditions of the north, and three aunties running the open kitchen with unhurried precision are the main event. The bronzed pork sausages and green papaya salad are there for the familiar, but the menu goes further than most St. Louis Thai spots dare.


  25. The charcoal smell hits before you've found your seat, which is a fine way to set expectations at this intimate dinner spot on Delmar. The open kitchen keeps things honest, the lighting keeps things romantic, and a dessert cart actually wheels around the room like it's 1974. Dishes are stripped back on purpose, a few components, no fuss. The clay pot Negroni is a good place to start deciding you'll come back.


  26. A server in a druidic robe strikes the floor with a staff, lifts a smoking lantern, and produces your cocktail from inside it. The theatrics are a genuine feature, not a phase. Frazer's is a comfortable neighborhood restaurant in Benton Park, the kind that holds steak frites and pork schnitzel alongside a rotating specials board and a serious seafood selection, while the bar is clearly having the most fun in the room.


  27. Rank 26. Jalea

    Peruvian

    Roasted corn lands on the table before you've even opened the menu, which is a good sign at this Peruvian restaurant tucked into Old St. Charles. Chef Andrew Cisneros runs a menu built around ceviche, fried seafood, and slow-cooked pork, with shortbread alfajores from a local bakeshop closing things out. The room draws a crowd that looks genuinely happy to be there, which in St. Charles on a weeknight is its own kind of achievement.


  28. Yunnan province cooking, where the flavor map runs spicy and sour rather than rich and savory, is the whole point at this fast-casual spot. The chef grew up near the borders of Thailand and Vietnam, and her handmade dumplings, chile eggplant, and lime-ginger peanut salad taste like it. A veggie sampler lets you graze across most of the menu in one go, which is lucky, because narrowing it down is hard.


  29. The mini cheese empanadas arrive flaky outside and molten within, and the sampler plate is basically the menu's argument for ordering one of everything. Mayo Ketchup is a casual Puerto Rican and Dominican spot on Olive Street where the tostones come topped with avocado and pickled onion, the taquenos are cheese pulled through pastry dough, and the sauces range from guava to herbaceous cilantro. A good place to lose track of time deciding what to eat next.


    Address
    3135 Olive St, Saint Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–8 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  30. The main dining room of this old-school red-sauce Italian spot is encrusted in crystals, which tells you everything about the vibe before you've ordered a drink. Leo at the bar will talk you into a sambuca shot, Isabella will remember your order from last time, and the owner himself is probably seating you. The menu hasn't changed in years, and nobody's complaining.


    Address
    800 S Geyer Rd, Kirkwood, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Open now, until 11 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–11 PM

    Online
    Website

  31. Rank 36. Mai Lee

    Vietnamese

    Mai Lee is a family-run Vietnamese restaurant in a Brentwood strip, and it has been around forever. The menu runs past 300 numbered, made-to-order dishes, so ordering feels like a long-form exam you can't fail. Regulars will point you to the St. Paul sandwich, a St. Louis oddity involving egg foo young and white bread. Casual, unfussy, and priced so you can try several numbers.


    Address
    8396 Musick Memorial Dr, Brentwood, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–9 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  32. The awards


  33. The awards


  34. The awards


  35. The awards


  36. Rank 37. Mainlander

    Taiwanese

    Mainlander is a Taiwanese tasting-menu spot dressed like a midcentury tiki den, all orange-tinted light, Polynesian-style art, and vintage furniture that clearly cost someone a lot of weekends. The menu changes monthly and borrows freely from German, Sichuan, and Missouri pantries. Esquire put it on its best new restaurants list, and reservations open on the first of the month at noon, so set an alarm.


  37. Rank 37. Napoli 3

    Italian

    The awards


  38. Rank 43. Akar

    Modern Malaysian

    Akar is a Malaysian fine dining room in Clayton with concrete walls, sparse decor, and the lighting of a place that expects you to lean in. There's no menu online and reservations happen by phone, which in this economy counts as an aggressive commitment to mystery. The curries run rich and layered, the roti arrives in flaky sheets, and the plates cost real money, so dress like you made the call on purpose.


    Address
    7641 Wydown Blvd, Clayton, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 4 PM

    Tuesday 4 PM–9 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  39. Mestiza is a counter-service taqueria with orange booths and blue walls, and the angular windows make lunch feel like a slightly cheerful boat trip. It grew out of the taco nights at sister restaurant Malinche. You order at the register, get a free potato taco, and then spend a while negotiating with the tray of salsas. Spit-roasted pork and a cheesy alambre are on the menu, and so is a cactus option for vegetarians.


    Address
    3279 Hampton Ave, Saint Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed noon

    Tuesday Noon–9 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  40. Noto is a Neapolitan pizzeria built around a glowing white oven parked dead center in the dining room, which everyone treats with the reverence usually reserved for a small chapel. It started as a food truck and grew into a certified restaurant in St. Peters, where the crust comes out leopard-spotted and the pasta list gets a fair hearing. Families and pizza devotees share the room, and the burrata upgrade tends to go unquestioned.


  41. The Stellar Hog is a small South City barbecue joint with a hand-painted celestial ceiling, which gives you something to look at between ribs. It feels like a neighborhood bar where the Budweiser flows freely, then got a psychedelic makeover and let the kids in. The chipotle-honey ribs and brisket come out glossy and well barked. Sunday on the patio is beef rib territory, so clear your afternoon.



  42. Address
    3730 Foundry Way, Saint Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–8 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  43. Address
    4465 Manchester Ave, Saint Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 3 PM

    Tuesday 3 PM–9 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram


  44. The awards


  45. The awards




  46. Address
    7213 Delmar Blvd, University City, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 8 AM

    Tuesday 8 AM–4 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  47. Address
    622 North and South Rd, Saint Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 11:30 AM

    Tuesday 11:30 AM–9 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website









  48. Address
    501 Clark Ave, Saint Louis, MO · Webster Groves
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–9 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  49. Address
    5625 Hampton Ave, St. Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–9 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  50. Address
    110 E Madison Ave, Saint Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–9 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  51. Address
    6525 Delmar Blvd, Saint Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–9 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram


  52. Address
    9202 Clayton Rd, Saint Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 5 PM

    Tuesday 5 PM–9 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  53. Address
    10701 Watson Rd, Saint Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closes soon, 10 PM, in 41 min

    Tuesday 11 AM–10 PM

    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  54. Address
    8125 Maryland Ave, Clayton, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–9 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  55. Address
    2225 Macklind Ave, St. Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closes soon, 10 PM, in 41 min

    Tuesday 11 AM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  56. Address
    4175 Shaw Blvd, Saint Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Open now, until 11 PM

    Tuesday 11 AM–11 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram



  57. Address
    6504 Delmar in The Loop, Saint Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Open now, until midnight

    Tuesday 11 AM–Midnight

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  58. Address
    9025 Saint Charles Rock Rd, St. Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–5 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  59. Address
    11769 Manchester Rd, Saint Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closes soon, 10 PM, in 41 min

    Tuesday 11 AM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  60. Address
    14412 Clayton Rd, Ballwin, MO · Ballwin
    Hours

    Closes soon, 10 PM, in 41 min

    Tuesday 11 AM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  61. Address
    40 Old State Rd, Ellisville, MO · Ellisville
    Hours

    Open now, until 11 PM

    Tuesday 11 AM–11 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram


  62. Address
    12643 Olive Blvd, Creve Coeur, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 4 PM

    Tuesday 4 PM–9 PM

    Online
    Website

  63. Address
    100 Ash St, Wentzville, MO · Wentzville
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–7:30 PM

    Online
    Website


  64. Address
    1530 E Fourth St, Alton, IL · Alton
    Hours

    Open now, until midnight

    Tuesday 11 AM–Midnight

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram



  65. Address
    8135 Maryland Ave, Clayton, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 7 AM

    Tuesday 7 AM–2 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram



  66. Address
    2501 S 9th St, St. Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closes soon, 10 PM, in 41 min

    Tuesday 11 AM–10 PM

    Online
    Website




  67. Address
    9906 Clayton Rd, Saint Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–8:30 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram


  68. Address
    14426 Clayton Rd, Ballwin, MO · Ballwin
    Hours

    Closed now, opens Wed 11 AM

    Tuesday 11 AM–8:30 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  69. Address
    2030 Marconi Ave, Saint Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closes soon, 10 PM, in 41 min

    Tuesday 11 AM–10 PM

    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  70. Address
    7101 Manchester Ave, Saint Louis, MO · Saint Louis
    Hours

    Closes soon, 10 PM, in 41 min

    Tuesday 11 AM–10 PM

    Online
    Website

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Eat Score

The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

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    Drink Score

    The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

      How we score →

      Stay Score

      Four fifths of the score is the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin Key outweighs a listicle. The last fifth is where it is: the ranked places to eat and things to do around it, and how safe the country is. When you sort by what's nearby, distance from you changes the order, never the score.

        How we score →

        Do Score

        The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

          How we score →

          Best Place Score

          The Best Place Score rates the area around a point, not any one place. The places are 60% of it: the best of what's within reach, weighed by distance. The setting is the other 40%: how life goes in that country (how people rate their own lives, how long and how well they live, how safe they are) and what it's like right there (the air, and the weather). If the score looks low, we probably haven't found enough critics out here yet.