Food & Drink >>

• Best New Restaurant
  Chez Leon
  It certainly took a lot of Gaul to open up a restaurant like this in the Central West End. If you're not privileged enough to pop over to France on a regular basis, at least now you can stroll the Avenue Laclede whenever you feel like it and experience many of the same sights, sounds and smells... More >>
• Best Restaurant District
  Central West End
  Perhaps you recall sipping a sweet, bracing iced coffee as you studied the menu at a Thai place on South Grand. Or letting a tangle of onion rings cool as you shouted over the bleating saxophone at a joint in U. City. Maybe you remember tasting your first black truffles at a white-napped table... More >>
• Best Chef Tandem
  Jim Fiala and Cary McDowell, The Crossing
  Jim Fiala and Cary McDowell are seasoned craftsmen who can concoct an evening special in five minutes when they see what their fishmonger and produce supplier have brought them that morning. Give them, say, a whole bluefish, a few sprigs of fresh parsley and thyme, a side of bacon and an onion,... More >>
• Best Waitperson
  Jay Jackson, Delmar Restaurant & Lounge
  Jay Jackson -- this man could sell a plate of fried fleas. But he now manages and waits tables at the Delmar Restaurant & Lounge in the U. City Loop and instead handles carefully designed plates of culinary accomplishment. Jackson, a waiter and bartender for most of his life, has worked... More >>
• Best Flapjacks
  South City Diner
  If you're looking for a pancake of pioneer proportions, you'd be hard pressed to match the plate-sized slabs from the grill of the South City Diner. For more than 60 years, the South City Diner has been a South St. Louis landmark. But in 1992, when Peter Spoto reopened it, the diner had been... More >>
• Best Breakfast (34 Comments)
  First Watch
  For the breakfast connoisseur, a recently opened First Watch restaurant stands out like an oasis in the Sahara. True, St. Louis has no shortage of dining establishments that offer a decent breakfast, but there are few standouts here. Fans of a couple of the large national chains regularly form... More >>
• Best Luncheon Buffet
  St. Mary of Victories Church
  Attending the luncheon buffet at St. Mary's of Victories Church is like going to an urban parish picnic in the middle of the workday. Situated just south of the Arch, it has become popular with downtown workers -- lawyers, civil servants, judges and anyone else in search of home cooking. There's... More >>
• Best Mexican Breakfast
  Taqueria Azteca
  You can check and recheck the desayunos board at Taqueria Azteca for migas, which can rightly be considered the breakfast of the gods, but what you'll find is huevos è la Mexicana. Simplicity itself, the dish is practically elemental: eggs, scrambled with tomatoes, onions and peppers.... More >>
• Best Mexican-Restaurant Ambiance
  Tienda El Ranchito
  Most Mexican restaurants, including many that serve delicious food, look like little theme parks of Mexican culture. Hey, a few miniature sombreros and corny clay pots never hurt the mole sauce, so who cares, really? But if you want a genuinely Mexican environment as you eat your ceviche or... More >>
• Best Guacamole
  Babalu's
  Guacamole is as controversial as politics, religion and barbecue. Purists favor the strapping California avocado over its puny Florida cousin. Dogmatists spurn creamy versions of the dish and endorse chunky ones. Rival factions quarrel about ingredients: Tomatoes or tomatillos? Serranos or... More >>
• Best Fast-Food Mexican (and More)
  Del Taco
  Let's say your buddy says to you, "Hey, how 'bout some Del Taco for dinner?" Your response is: (a) "I never tried that before. That's like Taco Bell, huh?" (b) "No, I'm sorry, but I have a sensitive stomach and I'm only allowed to eat Mueslix with Lactaid." (c) "Hell, yes!" The... More >>
• Best Quesadilla
  Nachomama's
  You're young, spirited, full of life, lusting for laughter, love and -- above all -- lunch. In your heightened state of ardor, you sense that your heart's immortal thirst is too big for moderation -- you aspire to sticky fingers, to sumptuous calories from fat, to the sort of meal after which... More >>
• Best Grilled Fish
  Bar Italia
  There are plenty of fish stories, but of those that pertain particularly to dinner, perhaps none is so poignant as that of the great Vatel, maître d'hôtel of Louis XIV's cousin, who in 1671 fell on his own sword when a seafood shipment failed to arrive in time for an important... More >>
• Best Scrambled Tofu
  MoKaBe's Coffee House
  It's Sunday morning, and once again your thoughts drift fondly toward soy products. The media is swamped with reports of how this wunderbean prevents or alleviates practically any malady against which it is pitted, and you've been meaning to crank up your personal intake to the recommended... More >>
• Best Coffeehouse
  Shaw's Coffee Ltd.
  "We're coffee fanatics," proclaims Walt Boyle, referring to himself and Gail Maher, co-owners of Shaw's Coffee Ltd. on the Hill. And what else would you expect from a pair of java junkies other than the richest, most savory cup this side of Bogota? In fact, the far wall is piled with burlap bags... More >>
• Best Sweet-and-Sour Tofu
  Thai Café
  Probably the least advisable thing to do in an Asian restaurant is to order sweet-and-sour anything. And although this is the kind of hard-won wisdom that we don't often dispute, it's a rule proved by its exception, which in this case is the vegetarian pad sweet-and-sour at Thai Café. The... More >>
• Best Moo Shu
  Shu Feng
  The secret's in the Chinese pancake: It has to be fresh. The frozen ones get all stiff and crumbly, and the true moo shu headz can spot them a mile away. They've got to be made with the right flour (rice) and should melt in your mouth. Shu Feng knows: They spread the thin, crê pe-esque... More >>
• Best Use for a Lemon
  Dropped Into a Schlafly Hefeweizen, St. Louis Brewery and Tap Room
  You're thirsty. A beer would taste good right about now. Why not pop into the St. Louis Brewery and Tap Room and see what they have to tempt you? Hey, what's this crazy word? Hefeweizen? If it's half as much fun to drink as it is to say, you'll have hit the jackpot. The bartender draws the... More >>
• Best Signature Dish
  Soufflés, Fio's La Fourchette
  A chef aspiring to invent a signature dish is like a speechwriter setting out to coin a hot political catchphrase: The effort is futile, because it's impossible to predict what will tickle the public's fancy. Instead, like Pokémon, SUVs and Survivor, a signature dish inexplicably... More >>
• Best Pad Thai
  The King & I
  Pad thai is Thailand's street food, a one-dish meal peddled on the sidewalks of Bangkok by kiosk vendors who season each order to the customer's liking. The Thai people eat it at any meal -- even breakfast -- washed down with tea, iced coffee, beer or lime juice. Ingredients in the dish vary,... More >>
• Best Beef Jerky
  Banh Mi So (Number One Sandwich)
  Gourmet beef jerky? This stuff is usually considered a guilty pleasure, if a pleasure at all. It might be better regarded as a compulsion, a weakness like salty potato chips and smoky coffee that overcomes people on long road trips. But take Grand Boulevard south almost to Meramec, and look on... More >>
• Best Hummus
  Aesop's Cafe
  There are as many varieties of hummus as there are sun-lit villages in the Middle East and Mediterranean. At Aesop's Cafe, you get close to what must be the mother and father of all hummus. Prepared fresh every other morning by Mohamod Abadi, Sherry Rouhani or Mohsen Rouhani, this hummus is no... More >>
• Best Underrated Italian
  Talayna's at the Park
  First of all, you will encounter a problem. Every single time we have eaten at Talayna's, there has been a problem. The waiter has no idea that our party was seated in his section 10 minutes ago, the drinks never arrive, the salads come out after the food, and so on. Yet the restaurant exerts a... More >>
• Best Pizza
  Vito's
  Vito's is a pizzeria -- not a trendy, upscale bistro version thereof but the real thing: a place that takes pizza seriously but doesn't get too snooty about it. Takeout is popular, but we like to plop down in the dining area -- especially when The Simpsons is on the big-screen TV -- and take... More >>
• Best Place to Eat Junk Food
  Barnes-Jewish Hospital (BJH South) Cafeteria
  Your favorite Uncle George just got wheeled off to the OR, and you're keenly aware of his -- and your own -- mortality. Balling up soggy Kleenex, you trudge down to the hospital cafeteria to while away the nine-hour open-heart surgery. Luckily, the cafeteria's the only destination in the complex... More >>
• Best Cheap Eats
  Hodak's
  With the most expensive item on the menu, a steak dinner, costing $8.45, Hodak's is the place to go if you're hungry and near-broke. It's cheaper than most fast-food joints, plus they sell beer. And the service is excellent. You never have to wait more than a few minutes for your order to... More >>
• Best Fast Food
  Steak n' Shake
  Odd that we can think of Steak n' Shake as fast food but not, say, Applebee's. It must be the drive-through window and the emphasis on burgers, shakes and fries -- it can't be the quality of the food, because Steak n' Shake kicks every kind of ass. Takhomasak if you must, but dining in is... More >>
• Best-Looking Fast-Food Joint
  Del Taco
  Is anyone else disappointed with the way this new millennium is shaping up? C'mon, it's A.D. 2000! Where are the floating cities? Where are the flying cars? Where are the shiny silver unitards? Where are the damn robots? Science fiction promised us a brave new world, but we're still stuck with... More >>
• Best White Castle Decor
  Collinsville, Ill.
  Admit it. You've gone to White Castle more than once in your life. You love those little bits of ... meat, right? Part of the joy of downing a bunch of White Castles is the hint of illicitness involved. This is not a real meal; it's a quick fix, a temporary desertion of all you know about... More >>
• Best Liquor Store
  Corral Liquors
  The independent liquor store is a fading remnant of the past, but don't go to Corral Liquors out of nostalgia. On Nameoki, a mile or so north of the gargantuan smelts of Granite City Steel, a sign announces the largest supermarket of liquor in metro St. Louis. That it apparently is. Corral... More >>
• Best Store to Buy Wine
  Wine Merchant
  There's no more daunting experience to a wine novice than entering a quality wine store. It's hard to fake your way through the process of picking out a wine, and the snobs can spot you a mile away as your eyes dart helplessly around the room. Face it -- you need the help of an expert, but the... More >>
• Best Winery
  Mount Pleasant Winery
  Because atmosphere, accessibility to the metro area, amenities and quality of product are all important criteria on our winery scorecard, we just don't think you can beat the experience at Mount Pleasant in Augusta, Mo. (5634 High St., 636-482-4419). There's the charming estate and rolling... More >>
• Best Hotel-Lobby Bar
  Stratford Hotel
  When patrons first enter the Hilltop Lounge, just off the lobby of the Stratford Hotel in Alton, Ill., their eyes are immediately pulled toward the six large murals of stampeding buffalo, runaway wagon trains and wild-eyed cowboys riding wild-eyed broncs. No pastoral scenes, these -- in fact,... More >>
• Best Peach Daiquiri
  Kinder's Restaurant
  To find the best peach daiquiri, you must cross many rivers: the Missouri, the Mississippi, the Illinois. Take the best route: Follow Highway 367 north, over the new chiffon-yellow suspension bridge, down into Alton, Ill., then north up the Great River Road to the Brussels free ferry over the... More >>
• Best Place to Buy Coffee
  Kaldi's Coffee House & Market Bakery
  Kaldi's, a one-of-a-kind coffeehouse in the DeMun neighborhood, roasts its own coffee daily at a location at 21st Street and Washington Avenue downtown -- and what a difference it makes! Bring a pound home, whole-bean or ground, and you may end up lingering near the pot for hours. Owners Howard... More >>
• Best Late-Night Cafe
  Coffee House
  The Coffee House is probably the most no-bullshit social destination in the bi-state area. There's a vibe there that's just down-to-earth -- not fake or rowdy or snotty or even too jubilant, just quiet and friendly. There are a couple of pool tables and trivia machines and dartboards, and plenty... More >>
• Best Grocery Store
  Gewinner's Market
  If you suffer from sensory overload, hypothermia near the dairy aisle or incapacitating panic attacks in those big, fluorescently lit, glaringly tiled grocery stores like Schnucks, try Gewinner's Market in Dogtown. It's a four-aisle, single-checkout-lane business owned and operated by the... More >>
• Best Supermarket Checkers
  Schnucks on the Hill
  The Schnucks on the Hill (5055 Arsenal St., 314-771-5008) soaks up the aroma of good food and goodwill that defines its famous location. The checkers push all the right buttons. Each is different in the way he or she negotiates the endless promenade of groceries that advances like a food army... More >>
• Best Ethnic Food Store
  Jay International Food Co./Global Foods Market
  Because both of these markets -- Jay's and Global -- are owned by members of the same family, we're treating them as, well, identical cousins and bestowing the "best" mantle on them jointly. Whereas Global adores a minuet, smoked sturgeon Russe and crê pes Suzette, our Jay's store likes to... More >>
• Best Soulard Market Produce
  Kruse Gardens
  In one familial permutation or another, the Kruses may or may not have the longest continued run at the Soulard Market, with a lineage that can be traced to Arlene Kruse's grandparents. It seems that's a tough claim to verify, but it's of little consequence in sorting the best from the better.... More >>
• Best Health-Food Store
  Natural Way
  Going down Aisle 7, your eyes dart from left to right, marking the presence of the enemy, its sodium and processing and preservatives. At the butcher's counter, you spot nitrate traces, antibiotics and steroids; in produce, the pesticides wait to poison you; in dairy lurk growth hormones and fat... More >>
• Best Place to See Celebrities Out of Their Element
  Wild Oats Community Market, Ladue
  America's founding fathers may have outlawed the ranks of nobility in this country, but that technicality has not stopped the common man from creating a distinctly American version of the peerage: celebrities. Celebrities are the U.S.A.'s No. 1 export, a burden on the working class we all... More >>
• Best Bakery
  Lake Forest Pastry Shop
  At Lake Forest Pastry Shop, even gooey butter isn't enough. They make deep butter coffee cakes, gooey butter on top of an all-butter pound cake, and it sits on the shelf, heavy and happy, next to Paradise -- which Lake Forest invented. "We're the only ones that can make it," a sixtyish lady in a... More >>
• Best Doughnuts
  Krispy Kreme
  At Krispy Kreme, it's almost always time to make the doughnuts. And when it is, they're more than happy to let you know with their neon "Hot Doughnuts Now" sign. If you happen to be passing by when it lights up -- or perhaps just lurking outside waiting for it to happen -- you can stop in for a... More >>
• Best Ice Creamery
  Bobby's Frozen Custard
  Plopped in a former cornfield in the drowsy hamlet of Maryville, Ill., Bobby's Frozen Custard seems an unlikely candidate for St. Louis' Best Ice Creamery, but its intense blue-and-pink neon and gleaming stainless steel act as a magnetically attractive light during the summer's hottest spells,... More >>
• Best Cookies
  Dad's Cookie Co.
  With its glass display cases and marble counters, this cookie store is a trip back in time. Dad's Cookie Co. has been at the same South St. Louis location since 1938, when Henry Renz Sr., a baker, bought the franchise from Carpenter's Ice Cream on Goodfellow Avenue. The business is now run by a... More >>
• Best Candy
  Crown Candy Kitchen
  This North St. Louis institution, which boasts that it is the oldest soda fountain in the city, packs a crowd at lunchtime for its milkshakes and malts and standard luncheon menu of roast beef, BLTs, chili dogs and other sandwich fare. Crown Candy Kitchen was opened in 1913 by two Greeks who... More >>
• Best Place to Buy Chocolate
  Cost Plus World Market
  If you've been to Germany, you may have seen her on supermarket shelves. You may have also spotted her on the knitted hat of Austrian Alpine skier Hermann Maier. Now, after years of only being marketed in Europe, you can find the purple Milka cow at Cost Plus World Market. Although the store... More >>