Best of St. Louis, 2013: Food & Drink

With more than 275 winners crammed into this year's Best of St. Louis issue, there's again a lot to see in St. Louis, which is sort of our point. Inside the Food & Drink section of this year's edition, we have plenty of places worth scoping out. Here's a sort-of random sampling of the 2013 Best of St. Louis winners in the Food & Drink category. Congratulations to our winners. Now make your reservations at, or just walk-into, any of these places.

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Jennifer Silverberg

Best Chinese Restaurant - Famous Szechuan Pavilion

A onetime snow-cone stand, Famous Szechuan Pavilion now draws crowds eager to experience authentic dishes from China's Szechuan province as prepared by owner and chef Xin Lin.

Read full story: Best Chinese Restaurant in St. Louis - Famous Szechuan Pavilion

Pictured: The chicken noodle salad.

Mabel Suen

Best Cupcakes - Whisk: A Sustainable Bakeshop

Flashy, giant, goo-filled cupcakes with increasingly wacky flavors have been all the rage lately, but they can turn off even the sweetest of teeth.

Read full story: Best Cupcakes in St. Louis - Whisk: A Sustainable Bakeshop

ennifer Silverberg

Best Barbecue - Sugarfire Smoke House

Sugarfire Smoke House may be the new kid on the block, having opened just last September, but it now stands at the very summit of the St. Louis barbecue kingdom.

Read full story: Best Barbecue in St. Louis - Sugarfire Smoke House

Pictured: A display of the brisket, baby back ribs, housemade jalapeno sausage, baked beans and potato salad.

Jennifer Silverberg

Best Deli/Sandwich Shop - Salume Beddu

Does anything more need to be said after the words "guanciale BLT"? This alone makes Salume Beddu worthy of some sort of award, yet it's only one of the opportunities patrons have to sample the housemade cured meats good enough to make an Italian artisan shake in his scarpi.

Read full story: Best Deli/Sandwich Shop in St. Louis - Salume Beddu

Pictured: Speck sandwich with Fontina Val d'Aosta and preserved lemons.

Jennifer Silverberg

Best Local Chef - Cassy Vires

This is Cassy Vires' moment. With a second successful restaurant under her belt and a nomination for Food and Wine's "People's Best New Chef-Midwest," 2013 has been a very good year for the Illinois native.

Read full story: Best Local Chef in St. Louis - Cassy Vires

Pictured: Husband-and-wife owners of Home Wine Kitchen, Josh Renbarger and chef Cassy Vires.

Jennifer Silverberg

Best Italian Restaurant (Inexpensive) - Filomena's Italian Kitchen

Filomena's Italian Kitchen, the charming, fast-casual restaurant housed in a former Wolf Camera shop, combines convenience with the satisfaction of a home-cooked meal.

Read full story: Best Inexpensive Italian Restaurant in St. Louis - Filomena's Italian Kitchen

Pictured: he Meatball Sub is prepared with housemade meatballs, simmered in marinara sauce, topped with provolone and parmigiano cheeses.

Jennifer Silverberg

Best Beer Selection - Bridge Tap House & Wine Bar

The number of excellent craft-beer bars in St. Louis continues to grow, but with 55 taps and more than 200 bottles, Bridge Tap House & Wine Bar sits atop the list.

Read full story: Best Beer Selection in St. Louis - Bridge Tap House & Wine Bar

Best New Restaurant - Elaia and Olio

Who would've thought that an abandoned gas station and former drug house in one of the city's most notorious neighborhoods would transform into St. Louis' mecca of gastronomy?

Read full story: Best New Restaurant in St. Louis - Elaia and Olio

Pictured: Owner Ben Poremba in the kitchen.

Jennifer Silverberg

Best Food Truck - Cha Cha Chow

Try one of Cha Cha Chow's seasoned french fries. Maybe two? Oh, you've been so good, why not? Get that hand in there and do what your heart tells you.

Read full story: Best Food Truck in St. Louis - Cha Cha Chow

Jennifer Silverberg

Best Pizza (Thin Crust) - Pastaria

Leave it to Gerard Craft to bring his Midas touch to a beloved St. Louis institution like thin-crust pizza.

Read full story: Best Pizza (Thin Crust) in St. Louis - Pastaria