Dining and Drinking

St. Louis, which began experiencing an influx of immigrants from Europe in the mid-1800s, offers a variety of fine ethnic fare, including some of the best traditional Italian cuisine on this side of the Atlantic. While St. Louis may not be as widely known for its restaurants as some other American cities, it contains a wealth of good eating options—from elegant to casual—for the hungry traveler to discover.

Downtown

Downtown St. Louis offers an exciting and eclectic mix of dining choices. If you're in the mood for French fare, head for the elegant, yet comfortable ambience of Cafe de France. This is the kind of place you'd expect to see more of in a city named after a French king. Faust's serves inventively prepared wild boar and venison as well as a fabulous Sunday brunch. For a breathtaking view of downtown St. Louis you can't beat Harry's Restaurant & Bar, a favorite stop for business professionals.

The Loop (University City)

Brandt's Market & Cafe is known for its gourmet food and fine selection of wine and beer. Cicero's specializes in traditional Italian cuisine, and also has a popular bar and game area. Riddles' Penultimate Cafe & Wine Bar is a bistro-style restaurant with a warm, inviting interior. The menu at Vietnam Star is long and impressive, and contains many dishes from the country, many of which are also vegetarian. For something unique, stop into the Red Sea, where plates are brought to the table sans utensils. Shu Feng fuses Chinese and Korean to form inventive creations that appeal to many diners.

The Hill

The neighborhood known as "The Hill" is the place where baseball legend Joe Garagiola grew up (right down the street from Yogi Berra), and it is still largely populated by descendants of the Italian immigrants who began settling in St. Louis in 1857. The lawns are well-manicured, the community is close-knit and the food is world class. Cruise through this area in the southwest quadrant of St. Louis and you'll find fine formal dining and mom-and-pop eateries with red-checkered tablecloths. St. Louisans celebrate special occasions with the elegant Northern Italian cuisine at Dominic's. Crowds flock to Gian-Peppe's for arguably the most delicious Marsala sauce in town. LoRusso's Cucina regales diners with seafood pasta specialties, while patrons often wait one or two hours for dinner at Cunetto House of Pasta.

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