24 Hip Foodie Restaurants in St. Louis County

Cate Zone
(8148 Olive Boulevard, University City; 314-738-9923)
This perpetually packed Chinese cafe serves food that is authentic, but it's not traditional — at least not in the stereotypical way you might imagine. Eager diners endure the wait times for a table because of what they’re rewarded with on the other side: Tender lamb served on skewers, Hot Crisp Fish (buttery white fish that melts in your mouth) and “Honey Crisp Sweet Potatoes” (battered hunks of deep-fried potatoes, candied with melted sugar, then crowned with spun sugar).
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Curry Club
(1635 Clarkson Road, Chesterfield; 636-778-7777)
Designed to be a “fast food, takeout place for Indian food lovers,” Curry Club offers a variety of traditional curries made in-house twice daily, along with rice and three types of naan. They also serve the dosas popular in Andhra Pradesh, the state in southern India where the owners immigrated from. They’re still industry novices, but with west county's growing Indian population, they may have hit on a winning formula. Everyone who tries Curry Club loves it.
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Corner 17
(6623 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-727-2402)
Often recommended as the best Chinese noodle restaurant in the area, Corner 17 is also a noodle bar and a bubble tea bar. You’re missing out if you haven’t tried the mala tofu or the hong shao pork, but you absolutely must not skip the fantastic noodles: They’re hand-pulled fresh in the restaurant and serve as the base of many of the fantastic dishes here that keep the restaurant’s sizable fan base returning for more.
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Nudo House
(11423 Olive Boulevard, Creve Coeur; 314-274-8046)
For full-flavored ramen and rich and hearty ingredients, local foodies head to Nudo House on Olive Boulevard. It’s not just the ramen that makes the trip to Creve Coeur worth it, though. Their pho and bánh mì sandwiches are also divine. And if you’re craving something sweet, their house-made soft serve ice cream comes in unique flavors like black sesame and coconut.
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Diego’s
(630 North and South Road, University City; 314-553-9906)
The moment you walk through the door at Diego’s, you are awestruck by the design that makes you feel as if you are in an upscale, coastal Mexican eatery. Flowering vines hanging from the ceilings and potted palm trees give the feeling of being in an indoor-outdoor courtyard. It all helps to compliment the coastal vibe of the food. You’ll want to sample everything from the costra tacos, to the enchiladas and the silky queso flameado.
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Honey Bee's Biscuits + Good Eats
(200 US-67, Kirkwood; 314-650-0762)
This little Kirkwood spot is begging to be featured on your Instagram account. Their signature honey-glazed biscuits are even more tasty than they are photogenic, though, so make sure to get a good picture before you dig in. Once you take that first bite, you’ll be so lost in biscuity heaven that you’ll forget all about your influencer aspirations.
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Tai Ke Shabu Shabu
(9626 Olive Boulevard, Olivette; 314-801-8411)
For crazy-good Taiwanese street food alongside shabu shabu and other rotating specials, stop by Tai Ke Shabu Shabu in Olivette. You can’t claim to be a St. Louis foodie until you’ve had their ginger duck wok, beef hot pot or their gua bao (pork-belly-filled buns) and Three-Cup Chicken.
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Yolklore
(8958 Watson Road, Crestwood; 314-270-8538)
There’s a reason why everything at Yolklore tastes so good: It’s all made in-house. This breakfast spot specializes in the kind of made-from-scratch breakfast items that you’d never put the time into yourself. From buttery biscuits to roasted breakfast potatoes to fluffy eggs, Yolklore has it all and you don’t even have to change out of your pajamas to get it — they even have a drive-through window where you can pick up your order.
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The BAO
(14 North Central Avenue, Clayton; 314-899-9098)
The trendy bao bun finds many new lives at the BAO in Clayton. Here, it’s not just a small steamed bun stuffed with meat, it’s a new way to eat practically anything. Don’t believe us? Stop into the BAO and get a burger on bao or try the version filled with a fat slice of green tea ice cream. Here, the buns are made daily from flour flown in from Thailand and the taste is soft, almost sweet. Don’t forget to charge your phone, though. These cuties are just begging to be photographed.
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