St. Louis Restaurants That Have Been Featured on Reality TV

Charlie Gitto’s on the Hill

5226 Shaw Avenue; 314-772-8898

Featured on: Top 5 Restaurants and Delicious Destinations
There are few surprises the menu at Charlie Gitto's, but the kitchen handles its roster of Italian and Italian American classics — you know it well, of course: veal Parmesan, chicken spiedini, shrimp scampi — with aplomb. The saltimbocca (veal or chicken, take your pick) strikes a tasty balance between the meat itself, the Fontina, verdant sage and the salt and funk of prosciutto, all of it focused by a bright lemon-white wine sauce.
-Ian Froeb


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Photo: Eugene Kim / Flickr

The Fountain on Locust

(3037 Locust Street; 314-535-7800)

Featured on: Late Nite Eats
If you want great food with a side of style, stop into the Fountain on Locust. This retro restaurant is decorated in over-the-top Art Deco design and the food is simply stunning. Many patrons swear by the Fountain’s famous pickle soup, but we like the boozy ice cream treats for a late-night treat.


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Photo: Kristen Klempert

Bogart's Smokehouse

1627 S 9th Street; 314-621-3107

Featured on: Bizarre Foods America
Pork is the main attraction at this terrific barbecue joint from Pappy's Smokehouse pitmaster Skip Steele. Give the prime rib a try, though. You can order it naked, with sides, and enjoy the thinly sliced, impossibly tender, mildly smoky meat soaked in its own rich juices. But for the full effect, opt for the hoagie sandwich version, on which strands of smoked onion bring just the right amount of bite — and a bonus hit of smoke — to the party.
-Ian Froeb


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Photo: Jennifer Silverberg

Baileys Chocolate Bar

1915 Park Avenue; 314-241-8100

Featured on: Drinking Made Easy
With its dark, hushed atmosphere and surprisingly strong martinis, the bar is one of St. Louis' premier date venues. It's the perfect romantic destination for cozy little table for two. (Or a cozier table for three, if that's your preference. We don't judge.) Located in historic Lafayette Square upstairs from its original location, Baileys' Chocolate Bar has long held down the same block that now hosts neighbors like Square One Brewery. The menu offers options for every type of gluttony: savory snacks, rich cheese plates and delicious deserts.
-Jaime Lees


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Photo: Eric Frazier

Blueberry Hill

6504 Delmar Boulevard; 314-727-4444

Featured on: Drinking Made Easy
When it comes to low-key fare like chili dogs and loaded baked potatoes, you can’t beat Blueberry Hill. Joe Edwards’ temple to twentieth-century nostalgia has been serving up diner-style classics in the Loop since 1972, and for many customers, there’s no better item on the menu than the grilled cheese sandwich. You pick the cheese and the type of the bread; the only complication from there is whether to add a slice of tomato. Feel like a cup of soup? Pair it with tomato for $8.75 or upgrade to chili or French onion for $9.25.
-RFT


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Photo: Micah Usher

C&K Barbecue

4390 Jennings Station Road; 314-385-8100

Featured on: Delicious Destinations
C&K has been around for almost 40 years. A slab here is served very wet, so most of the overall flavor comes from the sweet-and-spicy (and unavoidably messy) sauce. The meat is full-bodied, moderately dense near the bones but especially chewy down around the left-intact flap piece, making this a good choice for those who gravitate toward this unique style of sauce or toward the gnaw-the-bones style of meat.
-Joe Bonwich


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Photo: Google Maps

Dressel's

419 N Euclid Avenue; 314-361-1060

Featured on: Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
This cozy Central West End spot is one you can count on when your evening calls for a chill place with great food. A number of our staffers swear by the Dressel’s Burger, which is made with Ridgeley Farms Missouri beef, aged cheddar and onion jam, all on a brioche bun. Dig in and enjoy.
-RFT


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Photo: Mary Mangan

Donut Drive-In

6525 Chippewa Street; 314-645-7714

Featured on: Man vs. Food Nation
This south city joint will give you a traditional donut shop experience — just check out its distinctively retro sign. Closed on Mondays, the Drive-In is a cash-only donut dive that serves up homestyle favorites, but even the basic chocolate frosted and buttermilk will leave you panting for more. (Insomniacs take note: On Friday and Saturday, the doors stay open until midnight.)
-Danny Wicentowski


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Photo: Brittani Schlager

Eovaldi's

2201 Edwards Street; 314-771-5707

Featured on: Food Paradise
When your deli is located inside the Oldani Brothers Salami factory, chances are you make a mean Italian sandwich. Sure enough, Eovaldi's nook-like location on the Hill can pile on the salty cured meats with the best of them — favorites likes Genoa salami, mortadella and coppa are available, as well as the more pedestrian deli meats. We recommend the "Sicilian Bomber": hot roast beef, cold salami, pepper cheese and a special housemade gravy.
-RFT


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Photo: courtesy of Justin Bruegenhemke

Frida's (owner Natasha Kwan)

622 North and South Road; 314-727-6500

Featured on: Guy's Grocery Games
Natasha Kwan, the owner and chef at St. Louis’ beloved Frida’s Deli, appeared on Guy Fieri’s show “Guy’s Grocery Games” on the Food Network. It was the first-ever vegetarian food-themed episode of the show. Kwan is a superstar in the St. Louis vegetarian food scene. Her restaurant, Frida’s Deli, has been serving up plant-based delicousness since it opened in 2012. In addition to being one of the first places in town to offer the Impossible Burger, customers can always count on Frida’s to bring them new and tasty dishes, like Kwan’s jalapeno soup or her raspberry-chocolate avocado mousse.
-Jaime Lees


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Photo: Eric Frazier

Farmhaus

3257 Ivanhoe Avenue; 314-647-3800

Featured on: Bizarre Foods America
Damn good food is damn good food, whether you're a restaurant critic or some guy off the street who doesn't know or care who Cher Kevin Willmann is, whether it's served on fine china, paper plates or Kate Winslet's naked torso. And at Farmhaus Willmann is cooking damn good food. It's high-end comfort food.
-Ian Froeb


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Photo: Jennifer Silverberg

Eclipse at the Moonrise Hotel

6177 Delmar Boulevard; 314-721-1111

Featured on: Drinking Made Easy
Here you will find glassed-in displays of moon- and space-related tchotchkes, paintings of ray guns and rocket ships and even tiny green lights hidden in the ceiling tiles that evoke the glow-in-the-dark stars kids stick on their bedroom ceilings. Order a drink from the swank cocktail menu, and you can almost imagine yourself at a glamorous party to celebrate John Glenn orbiting the planet or Neil Armstrong walking on the moon. I recommend the Blood & Sand, a classic but long-forgotten Scotch-based drink infused with citrus and herbs. The lengthy wine list offers a range of varietals for most budgets.
-Ian Froeb


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Photo: Stew Smith

Frank & Helen's

8111 Olive Boulevard; 314-997-0666

Featured on: Pizza Cuz
Frank & Helen’s, which opened in 1956, has long been a staple for pizza. It’s a thin, St. Louis-meets-New York style — and while it’s cut in squares, it’s made with mozzarella rather than Provel. Also be sure to try the restaurant’s famous broasted chicken. You’ll quickly understand why generations have become dedicated customers.
-RFT


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Photo: Cheryl Baehr

Gioia's

1934 Macklind Avenue; 314-776-9410

Featured on: Bizarre Foods America
You've probably heard of Gioia's hot salami sandwich. Made from scratch each day from beef and pig snout, the salami is served in thick, warm slices nearly as tender as pâté. The flavor is earthy, meaty, peppery -- everything you'd want from top-of-the-line lunchmeat. The sandwich itself doesn't get in the way of the meat, adding only cheese (pepperjack, in my case, or Provel), lettuce and tomato.
-Ian Froeb


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Photo: Ian Froeb

Schottzies Bar and Grill

11428 Concord Village Avenue; 314-842-1728

Featured on: Bizarre Foods America
They don't make 'em like Schottzie's Bar and Grill any more — a one-room bar that manages to be both totally bar and also, during daylight hours, remarkably family-friendly. First opened in 1947, the place is nothing fancy, with a long bar running the length of a room positively stuffed with seat-yourself tables. While the regulars are mostly a bit older, on some nights you can also find three generations of families tucking into the pizza here. The menu is vast, and the truly adventurous will surely want to try the pork brain sandwich, a house specialty that summoned a visit from no less than Bizarre Foods host Andrew Zimmern. "It's got that crispy chicken-fried thing on the outside," he reported to viewers. "It's creamy, it's not very gamy or organ-y." High praise?
-RFT


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Photo: Sarah Fenske

Gooey Louie

6483 Chippewa Street; 314-352-2253

Featured on: Food Feuds
In addition to being for sale in various locations around town, Gooey Louie is also sold at an eponymous storefront in St. Louis Hills. There you can choose from thirteen flavors of gooey butter cake, with St. Louis-specific names such as Hwy 40: Driving Me Nuts. They come in a variety of sizes, including full-size, bite-size and personal-size, the last of which is served with a tiny spoon so you can start eating as soon as you get in the car. Why wait till you get home?
-RFT


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Photo: Annie / Flickr

La Patisserie Chouquette

1626 Tower Grove Avenue; 314-932-7935

Featured on: Cake Wars
Simone Faure of La Patisserie Chouquette was featured on Cake Wars, and if you're into that show, you'll love her charming patisserie in Botanical Heights. It transports customers into a pastry fantasy land: Jewel-toned macarons are displayed in glass cases, ornately adorned cakes fit for Marie Antoinette decorate the space, and designer shoes and purses made out of chocolate look good enough to wear -- but are too good not to eat. There's no question that pastry chef Simone Faure is a artistic genius.
-Cheryl Baehr


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Photo: Mabel Suen

Tiny Chef

4701 Morganford Road, 314-832-9223

Featured on: Cheat Day USA on the Cooking Channel

Described as "Korean food with a real kick," Chef Robert Irvine featured Tiny Chef on his show with the episode leaning on those who want some spicy food for their cheat day. The episode aired November 28, 2021.


Watch the preview here.

Photo: Andy Paulissen

Mama Toscano's

2201 Macklind Avenue; 314-776-2926

Featured on: Best Thing I Ever Ate
Originally a neighborhood market on the Hill, Mama Toscano’s now rolls out countless handmade ravioli for all of St. Louis to enjoy. Their “little pillows” of meat and dough can be purchased online in two varieties, one for boiling and the other for toasting, which in St. Louis speak is another word for frying.
-RFT


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Photo: RFT file photo

Ms. Piggies' Smokehouse

10612 Page Avenue; 314-428-7776

Featured on: Delicious Destinations
The sauce at Ms. Piggies' Smokehouse is on the sweet side, with a mild heat, but so thoroughly mixed in with both the pork and the chicken that there isn't a hint of smoke.
-Ian Froeb


Read more here.

Photo: Ian Froeb