ST. LOUIS — Craving Southeast Asian food?
Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the best affordable Southeast Asian restaurants around St. Louis, using both Yelp data and our own secret sauce to produce a ranked list of the best spots to satisfy your cravings.
1. Thai 202
Topping the list is Thai 202, located at 235 N. Euclid Ave. in Central West End. The Thai spot is the highest-rated budget-friendly Southeast Asian restaurant in St. Louis, boasting four stars out of 248 reviews on Yelp.
Yelper Sandie B., who reviewed Thai 202 on July 19, wrote, 'I really liked my chicken satay bowl, though the chicken tasted a little like curry and not so much like peanut sauce.'
Yelper Grace B. wrote, 'Thai 202 is definitely on the top of my list of Thai places in St. Louis. The price to value ratio is on point. Crab Rangoon are great, yellow curry is fantastic and the Pad See Eew is delicious.'
2. Pho Grand Restaurant
Next up is Tower Grove South's Pho Grand Restaurant, situated at 3195 S. Grand Blvd. With four stars out of 608 reviews on Yelp, the Vietnamese spot has proven to be a local favorite for those looking for an inexpensive option.
Yelper Frank W., who reviewed Pho Grand Restaurant on Oct. 28, wrote, 'Our family came here. We enjoyed it thoroughly. We comment on how good everything is, fresh, flavorful and moderately priced, served with by a friendly guy who chatted with us.'
Zandy C. noted, 'We thoroughly enjoyed this restaurant. We travel year-round for work and sample Vietnamese restaurants in every city we visit, and this pho was among the best I've ever tasted.'
3. Guerrilla Street Food
Tower Grove East's Guerrilla Street Food, located at 3559 Arsenal St., is another top choice. Yelpers give the affordable food truck and Filipino spot four stars out of 377 reviews.
If you're hungry for more, we found these details about Guerrilla Street Food.
'Guerrilla Street Food started as a pioneering St. Louis area food truck in 2011 by local owners Joel Crespo & Brian Hardesty and has gone on to include two brick and mortar locations and a mini location inside 2nd Shift Brewery with plans to expand further,' according to the history section of the business's Yelp profile. 'We have won numerous awards including over 20 Best Food Truck awards locally, as well as Best Food Truck in America by Andrew Zimmern's Munchies Awards. GSF has been featured in Forbes, Zagat and various other national and international publications.'
Curious about who's behind the business?
'Joel Crespo & Chef Brian Hardesty started Guerrilla Street Food as one of the first food trucks in St. Louis,' per the bio section of its Yelp profile. 'After both national and international recognition, they went on to expand their brand to 2 brick and mortar locations and a mini location inside of a local brewery 2nd Shift Brewery & Tasting Room with plans for further expansion. They have been featured on the Food Network's Diner's Drive-In's & Dives, The Cooking Channel's Late Nite Eats and the Travel Channel's Food Paradise.'
Furthermore, we found this about the business's signature items: 'Guerrilla Street Food is a St. Louis area Restaurant, Food Truck and Catering Service featuring a rotating menu of Filipino-American cuisine - authentic Filipino flavors presented in a non-traditional way,' it writes on Yelp in the section highlighting specialties. 'Ingredients are all natural, local whenever possible and seasonal. All the dishes are made from scratch daily.'
4. Banh Mi So 1
Banh Mi So 1, a Vietnamese spot in Dutchtown, is another budget-friendly go-to, with four stars out of 233 Yelp reviews. Head over to 4071 S. Grand Blvd. to see for yourself.
Yelper Bill W., who reviewed Banh Mi So 1 on Dec. 8, wrote, 'We love this place and have for years! Of late, we don't always know if they are open or closed. The food is the best around, but little staff, only the married couple and they work hard.'
Yelper Billy K. wrote, 'Nice low-key spot for lunch. I had the Joe B banh mi and an iced coffee. This is the first time I've had a vegan banh mi, which was delicious, baguette was fresh, decently-sized portions, and reasonably priced.'
5. Truc Lam
Over in Tower Grove South, check out Truc Lam, which has earned four stars out of 153 reviews on Yelp. Dig in at the Vietnamese spot by heading over to 3737 Gravois Ave.
Yelper Julia L., who reviewed Truc Lam on Dec. 11 wrote, 'I really recommend this place if you're looking for delicious and affordable Vietnamese food! The inside definitely looks older, but that doesn't take away from their great food.'
Zandy C. noted, 'We're traveling through St. Louis and wanted to eat some hole in the wall Vietnamese food, and this place fit the bill and got good reviews, so off we went.'
This story was created automatically using local business data, then reviewed and augmented by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
