ST. LOUIS — Popular food news and dining guide blog Eater has picked what it says are 20 "essential" St. Louis-area restaurants as part of a guide to the best restaurants across the country.
The list of restaurants was curated by Holly Fann, a St. Louis-based food writer. Fann selected restaurants from Ballwin to Lafayette Square, touching on everything from delicious cocktails to a small Asian bistro inside the Pan-Asian Supermarket.
"If good food exists anywhere in the 314, St. Louisans will come," Fann said of the area's food scene. "Perhaps it's a reflection of the breadth of the city's culinary talent, bolstered in recent years by chefs with impressive resumes from high-profile restaurants in New York and Los Angeles who have opened their own places in St. Louis, where the cost of launching a new venture — not to mention the cost of living — is markedly lower than on either coast."
Here's a sampling of the restaurants you'll find on the list:
Nudo House: A fast-casual Asian fusion restaurant with two locations, in Creve Coeur and University City.
Olive + Oak: A Webster Groves restaurant owned by Mark Hinkle and Greg Ortyl that features American classics and cocktails.
Balkan Treat Box: Edo and Loryn Nalic opened Balkan Treat Box in Webster Groves after running a successful food truck by the same name.
Casa Don Alfonso: Italian restaurateur Mario Iaccarino opened his first U.S. restaurant inside The Ritz-Carlton in Clayton earlier this year.
Gioia's Deli: This sandwich shop, owned and operated by Alex Donley, produces St. Louis' favorite hot salami sandwich at locations on The Hill and in Creve Coeur.
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