ST. LOUIS — When you think of St. Louis cuisine, your mind probably goes to Provel cheese, toasted ravioli, thin-crust pizza and gooey butter cake. But there's another iconic dish from the Lou, despite what its name suggests: the St. Paul sandwich.
The St. Paul sandwich rose to fame at St. Louis-area Chinese restaurants. It's a sandwich that starts with two slices of white bread. Next comes a hot, crispy egg foo young patty, which is essentially a fried omelet. The patty, filled with your meat of choice, is then topped with pickles, lettuce, tomato and creamy mayo.
Why is it called a St. Paul sandwich?
According to local legend, the sandwich was invented in the early 1940s by Steven Yuen at Park Chop Suey in Lafayette Square. Yuen allegedly created the dish with Midwesterners' food palates in mind.
Yuen named the sandwich after his hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota.
Where to get a St. Paul sandwich
If you're looking to try the fried St. Louis creation, here are the top five places in the area to order a St. Paul sandwich, according to crowd-sourced review platform Yelp:
- Old St. Louis Chop Suey, 4600 Chippewa St., St. Louis, MO 63116.
- Mai Lee, 8396 Musick Memorial Drive, Brentwood, MO 63144.
- Park Chop Suey, 1321 Chouteau Ave., St. Louis, MO 63103.
- Chong Fah Restaurant, 7941 Page Ave., St. Louis, MO 63133.
- Delmar Lee's, 5162 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63108.
WATCH: Mai Lee's Qui Tran shares recipe for his St. Paul sandwich
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