The 10 Best New St. Louis Restaurants of 2023

10. Bagel Union

Last year around this time, St. Louis bagel lovers were lamenting the loss of what was considered the last great bagel shop in town, the Bagel Factory. Now, we are awash in the wonderful, boiled delicacies, with fantastic shops having sprung up all over town this past year (Deli Divine, Lefty's, C&B Boiled Bagels), as if there was some sort of culinary zeitgeist that inspired such a pursuit. Leading the pack is Bagel Union (8705 Big Bend Boulevard, Webster Groves), the sophomore effort from the brilliant bread minds of Union Loafers, which demonstrates the simple joy of a bagel done right.

The shop is, of course, anchored by its classic bagels, which nail the chewy interior and crispy exterior that defines an exceptional (and classic) product. However, just as Union Loafers dazzles as much for its cafe fare as its wonderful bread, Bagel Union's delicious, composed bagel sandwiches are where it shines the brightest. These include a delicious spicy tuna salad, great egg salad and the outstanding open-faced salmon roe, which consists of pea-sized salmon eggs, luscious cream cheese, fresh dill and pickled shallots — a beautiful array of flavors befitting such a great bagel foundation.

9. Deli Divine

Ben Poremba's restaurants are wonderful. He serves delicious food and drinks and always offers great hospitality. However, what makes them so special — as in the case of Deli Divine (5501 Delmar Boulevard) — is that he puts his heart and soul into making immersive experiences, creating little worlds that tell a rich story of food, yes, but of who we are as a people. This is what I found most striking about Deli Divine.

Granted, I had some wonderful items — bagels, schmear and lox are as traditional as you'd find in a New York City Jewish deli; fat-slicked, peppery pastrami on rye with mustard is the quintessence of the form; and the souffle-like kugel feels like you are eating at Grandma's house — but what impressed me most about this vital restaurant and shop is how perfectly Poremba and his team are able to bring to life such an important part of American Jewish food culture. This is not a take on a New York-style Jewish deli. This is a New York-style Jewish deli, through and through. That we have such a place in St. Louis is testament to his undeniable gift, not simply as a restaurateur but as a storyteller.

8. My Marie

Marie Louis-Jeune has been cooking since she was five years old and living in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, first as a way to help out around the house after her mother passed away and eventually as a way to support her family through her obvious culinary gifts. You can taste this deep experience and undeniable, inherent talent in her cooking at My Marie (3147 Cherokee Street), which opened in south city this September after a four-year run in Cape Girardeau.

Louis-Jeune makes the sort of soul-stirring food that feels passed down through generations. Oxtails come off the bone with just the slightest fork prod and bob in a jus so rich it's as if you distilled the entire idea of how beef should taste, while handmade patties embody Haiti's quintessential street food. Every last dish tells the story of the country's rich culinary traditions — one that Louis-Jeune has made a page-turner.

7. Vicini Pastaria

Part of the charm of Vicini Pastaria (1916 Park Avenue) is in the space itself. Tucked into a gorgeous Lafayette Square storefront, the small, counter-service restaurant feels equal parts Venetian salon and Tuscan farmhouse kitchen. It's a stunning setting for chef and owner Dawn Wilson's wonderful, pasta-focused Italian cuisine — something she has been perfecting for decades, ever since she fell in love with the Italian way of eating while honing her craft in that country's slow-food-focused establishments.

Pasta is the backbone of everything she does at Vicini; all of her noodles are handmade so that they have the perfect texture and chew, just as it's done in the old country. Her specialty is pici, a hand-rolled Tuscan-style noodle similar to a thick spaghetti. Used in either cacio e pepe or, when she has it, slicked with verdant pesto, it's a soul-stirring reminder of why small-batch, simple Italian cuisine is one of life's biggest thrills.

6. Fleur STL

A lot of eyebrows raised when chef Tim Eagan announced he would be turning the beloved St. Louis greasy spoon Eat-Rite into an elevated diner concept. It seemed like sacrilege, but any doubts flew out the window once Eagan started putting out his marvelous food. The new Fleur STL (622 Chouteau Avenue) still has that classic diner feel, though now it's polished.

This also applies to Eagan's wonderful service — on any given day he's cooking, serving and chatting with guests as he goes — as well as the food, which includes an artful (but still satisfying) rendition of a slinger, excellent biscuits and gravy and a double cheeseburger that will knock your socks off. There isn't a more worthy successor to such an iconic place.

5. 1929 Pizza & Wine

Not all that long ago, Wood River's historic downtown was little more than a collection of buildings in various states of disrepair — including the burnt-out shell husband and wife Matt and Amy Herren were talked into taking over and converting into a pizzeria. Thanks to their skill in creating both delicious food and a community gathering place, the Herrens have turned that once-forgotten district into one of the bi-state area's essential destinations for wood-fired pizza.

The key to the success of 1929 Pizza & Wine (7 North River Avenue, Wood River, Illinois) lies in the beautiful marriage of Matt's baking prowess and Amy's culinary genius, which results in a crust that manages to get the thinness of a Neapolitan-style pizza in the center while remaining crunchy on the bottom; its outside edges are leopard-spotted and puffy like the classic version, but they rise a little higher and have a bit more heft and depth of rustic flavor. It's a perfect canvas for Amy's outstanding toppings, such as the fiery sausage and peppers, a fantastic pepperoni and a decadent masterpiece of a four-cheese pizza that should make all other cheese pizzas hang their heads in shame.

4. Levels Nigerian Cuisine

Ever since he moved to St. Louis from Lagos, Nigeria, as a teenager, Ono Ikanone dreamed of opening a place where he could share his country's cuisine and culture with his adopted hometown. That vision has been realized in the dazzling Levels Nigerian Cuisine (1405 Washington Avenue), a vibrant and transportive showcase of the pure joy that is the thrilling West African food tradition.

Ikanone, his wife and business partner Justice Johnson and executive chef Ruqaiya Adeyemo are fearless in their commitment to doing things just as they are done in Nigeria; though they say they have tempered the spice for the American palate, expect a heat that still electrifies your taste buds — in the best way possible. The jollof rice — a particularly special memory from Ikanone's childhood and a staple of Nigerian culture — is a standout, as is the glorious pepper soup with tender goat meat, one of the most soul-stirring stews you'll find in town. Enjoying these culinary delights as Afrobeats music videos play and West African art and photographs capture your eyes is nothing short of magical.

3. Sado

Six years ago, Nick Bognar returned to St. Louis and his culinary roots, recasting a beloved west county mainstay, the late Nippon Tei, as more than just a great sushi spot and transforming our idea of what is possible in this landlocked, Midwestern city. Sado (5201 Shaw Avenue) is the natural outgrowth of Bognar's vision — a restaurant that feels as if it's what the brilliant chef was always meant to be doing.

At this Nippon Tei successor (the west county storefront closed last December), Bognar shows us that, yes, it is possible to get world-class sushi in St. Louis, and he dazzles at every turn with melt-in-the-mouth, delectable seafood delights that set the bar for the form. However, Sado excels equally at its hot and cold tastings, including the chawanmushi, a luscious seafood custard that is one of the most decadent bites offered in the bi-state area — a magical offering from one of the country's brightest culinary stars.

2. Mainlander

I hesitate to call Mainlander (8 South Euclid Avenue) a time capsule. On the one hand, so much of its beauty lies in the transportive, nostalgic vibe of both the food and the space, which makes you feel as if you have stepped into a mid-century dinner party at your parents' friends' home. The decor alone — velvet nail-and-string ship art, vintage tiki glasses in a sleek hutch, low-lying couches and metal Jell-O molds — is positively immersive, and is matched by the beautifully executed food, which often winks at 1960s and 1970s classics like ambrosia salad and beef Wellington. While this nostalgia is a significant part of its charm, Mainlander simultaneously feels like the most modern restaurant to open in recent memory: The entire experience is unlike anything else offered in the area.

Credit goes to owner Blake Askew, a relative newcomer to St. Louis' dining scene but a veteran chef whose impressive background working at top restaurants throughout the country gave him the skills to pull off such a unique place. The mid-century motif is no gimmick to hide behind, but rather an organizing principle to pull off such magical dishes as a spaetzle mac and cheese with sweet potatoes and funky local cheddar that stirs the soul, or a char siu pork steak that is cooked so beautifully, you'll forget about the backyard Maull's classic. Askew's partner Gordon Chen is also a key component of Mainlander's success, serving as the consummate host and lending his Taiwanese culinary traditions to some of Mainlander's most thrilling dishes (those mushroom dumplings!). A throwback and one of the most innovative restaurants in recent memory — it takes a special touch to excel at both.

1. Wright's Tavern

Once in a blue moon, that rare restaurant comes along that becomes such a vital part of the St. Louis dining scene out of the gate, you have a hard time remembering life without it. Perhaps the last time that happened was with Matt McGuire's DeMun masterpiece, Louie. Five years later, the esteemed restaurateur has repeated that feat with Wright's Tavern (7624 Wydown Road, Clayton), an eatery that is nominally a neighborhood steakhouse but feels more like an epic dinner party where everyone is a treasured guest. McGuire's unparalleled hospitality could carry the place, but it stands on equal footing with the magnificent food brought to life by the brilliant Cary McDowell. If McGuire is the standard bearer for hospitality in St. Louis, McDowell is that for the culinary side of the business.

A veteran chef whose resume includes some of the most acclaimed restaurants in St. Louis — and the country — McDowell is unmatched in his skill, delivering the perfect form of each and every dish that comes out of the kitchen. His Caesar salad, onion rings, potatoes dauphinoise and flawlessly cooked steaks demonstrate his mastery of his craft. His crab cake is unquestionably the best in St. Louis — the only one you'd dare serve to a discerning Marylander — and the French dip sandwich, studded with garlic and served with mouthwatering jus, may be the menu's biggest sleeper. This is perfection on every single level.