The 5 Best St. Louis-Style Pizzas, Chosen by RFT’s Staff
Sure, it gets a bad rap from outsiders, but when you’ve grown up with it, few things taste as great as St. Louis-style pizza. Piping hot from the oven, that combination of cracker-thin crust, tangy-yet-sweet sauce and generous blanket of Provel becomes something magical.
OK, it’s not quite pizza under the Italian (or even New York) definition of the term (you’d need mozzarella for that, not a “processed cheese product” that combines cheddar, Swiss and provolone), but this distinctly local fusion of nachos, flatbread and, yes, pizza, can satisfy.
Here are our favorite five places to experience this made-in-St. Louis treat.
ZACHARY LINHARES
Pirrone’s Pizza
This no-frills north county favorite is still going strong after 44 years — largely on the strength of its terrific St. Louis-style pizza. At Pirrone’s Pizza (1775 Washington Street, Florissant), the sauce has a distinct orange hue that only looks radioactive; it’s instead a tangy blend of slightly sweet tomatoes and zesty Provel. The squares here are positively carpeted with toppings, with so much sausage that the pepperoni has no place but to go atop it.
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SARAH FENSKE
Guido’s Pizzeria and Tapas
A mainstay on the Hill serving both Italian and Spanish cuisine, Guido’s (5046 Shaw Avenue) also offers a damn good St. Louis-style pizza. You can get your pie with mozzarella, Provel or a blend of the two, but we’d recommend sticking with Provel. Guido’s circular pies are topped with hand-pulled hunks of fennel-inflected sausage that are so big they’re practically meatballs, cheese scorched to a perfect golden-brown color and sauce with a delightful backheat. A classic.
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COURTESY PHOTO
Nick and Elena’s Pizzeria
Set back on a sleepy strip of Woodson Road next to a liquor store, Nick and Elena's Pizzeria (3007 Woodson Road, Breckenridge Hills) may not look like much from the outside, but there’s magic within those four walls. Its St. Louis-style slices are perfection of the form, with a cracker-thin, golden-brown crust that's sturdy enough to support the heft of the pizzeria's housemade sausage without losing its structural integrity. These pies are available in your choice of either mozzarella or Provel — but go with the Provel, obviously.
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ZACHARY LINHARES
BJ’s Bar & Restaurant
The charmingly old-school BJ’s Bar & Restaurant (184 West Washington Street, Florissant) has the distinction of having been honored multiple times for serving the best St. Louis-style pizza in the region — without actually using Provel. That’s right, the cheese here is mozzarella, but the sweet sauce and thin-crusted square-cut pies means we’ll still count it. The crust here is the star of the show, with a flaky crispiness reminiscent of a non-pizza pie. Delectable.
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JAIME LEES
Imo’s Pizza
St. Louis-style pizza didn’t originate with Imo’s Pizza (multiple locations, including 1700 Delmar Boulevard), but you could be forgiven for thinking it did thanks to all the homegrown chain has done to popularize it. From its humble beginnings on the Hill, Imo’s has grown to 99 locations, and while quality can vary, this is the pie that many transplants find themselves craving: the thinnest of crusts, the toppings that go all the way to the edge, the blistered bubbles of Provel. Yes, this takeout operation serves the Square Beyond Compare, and damned if we can resist a side order of toasted ravioli. Love it or hate it, Imo’s is St. Louis.
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