Watch out world: 20-year-old Nico Patton of Nico’s Gyros has gas in the tank and, weather permitting, will be bringing his mobile kitchen trailer to area events throughout the winter. Actually, his dad, Eric, will be the one at the wheel since Nico and his mom, Penny, will be busy doing more important things – like cooking and assembling gorgeous platters of Greek food, the kind his Yiayia (grandma) used to make.

This is not Nico’s first rodeo in the food business. In 2023 when he was just 17 and still in high school, he launched Nico’s Pico – his line of fresh salsa with a distinct Mediterranean twist. The zesty condiment was sold at farmers markets; primarily Fenton’s. 

The success of this enterprise sparked a stronger flame. During and post-high school, Nico worked at Walmart, squirreling every nickel and dime toward the cost of his very own food trailer. It was purchased in March 2025 and, after numerous appearances in and around St. Louis and Franklin County (at corporate and private events, and places like Nine Mile Garden and Good News Brewing Co. in Wildwood) it has garnered a solid following of people clearly hungry for more. “It’s been a whirlwind year,” Eric Patton said. 

There may be a couple of secrets that separate Nico’s Gyros from the pack. For instance, Nico deviates from more standard gyro recipes (which often combine lamb and beef and various fillers) to tender, pot-roasted lamb seasoned with dill, oregano and other herbs. “It’s a completely different method,” he said, crediting his Greek heritage and cache of authentic family recipes. “My mom made this food when I was young.” 

Nico is also keen to stress that – bar, perhaps, the small selection of sodas – everything they offer is fresh and healthy. To that end, there are no fries on this menu, but things far more sublime: Greek-style potatoes – slow-braised in olive oil and lemon until – as Penny Patton puts it – they “cut like butter.”

While the Pattons specialize in gyros and platters of lamb and chicken souvlaki (scattered with Kalamata olives, feta and pepperoncini, etc.), there are other treats to be had: Lamb- or chicken-trimmed Greek salads, Greek nachos, lamb orzo made with lamb broth, and, yes, that food of the gods – baklava. (Another Yiayia recipe).

Nico and his parents continue to dream big and have their hearts set on owning a brick-and-mortar one day – somewhere near their home in Pacific, they said. Considering the formidable passion of youth and Nico’s clear commitment to quality and hard work, you get the sense it won’t be long.

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Good news: After a few building-related snags, Sando Shack is now operating at full throttle in the former Boardwalk Waffles space at the corner of Manchester Avenue and Sutton Boulevard in Maplewood, having moved from its first brick-and-mortar location in Tower Grove South earlier this year.

The Japanese-style katsu sandwich concept is owned by Amy Guo and husband Daniel Jensen, who returned to St. Louis from Seattle in 2020 to open Hello Poke at City Foundry STL. That plan hit some bumps, as well: The pandemic was in full swing and the opening at the Foundry was delayed. Unbowed, the pragmatic duo came up with another idea for the interim: They took to the road serving their brand of Japanese katsu sandos at pop-up spots about town, and eventually from the hatch of their very own food truck.

The sandwiches were well-received, and why on earth wouldn’t they be? What’s not to love about crispy, panko-breaded tonkatsu pork or crackly chicken karaage bound in soft brioche with things like pickled peppers and yuzu aioli? Or a crustless sandwich of egg salad turned sublimely Japanese with Kewpie mayo, wasabi and green onions? In addition, how much do we adore fries tossed in an Asian sweet curry blend or speckled with a feisty togarashi mix of seven spices? And what could be prettier, more all-around delightful, than a sando of strawberries and cream on Japanese milk bread? To boot, Guo and Jensen have recently expanded desert offerings to ice cream sourced from Sugarwitch which has worked its usual magic with customized flavors like matcha, red bean and black sesame. The ice cream serves as a filler for little fish-shaped waffles called taiyaki, or may be ordered by the scoop in cups.

There are also rice bowls on the menu: Chicken katsu, pork tonkatsu and mushroom.

Guo said she is excited about the new location in the thick of the bustling Maplewood strip, and believes Sando Shack fits right in. “We wanted to give it a chill colorful vibe. Nothing fancy. Just a fun family feel.”

Indeed, it’s a pretty cool cat: Picture an exposed industrial ceiling, bursts of neon here and there; and a huge, blisteringly red mural which – stamped with Sando’s brand logo – says this place means serious biz. There are seats for 30.

Though the season has ended this year, between April and October, the Sando Shack food truck will continue to be a presence at events about town such as Red Lantern City Night Market and Japanese Festival.

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Cove Cafe – a short jaunt down I-55 South to 6060 Telegraph Road, Suite B – is very busy building community. In the nine short months since it opened, this sunny coffeeshop has quickly become a thriving neighborhood hub. The cafe inhabits the spot formerly occupied by That’s Sip, whose owner Jennifer Lunsford sold to Mirna Zukanovic and Zerina Gredelj in December 2024. In short order, this young pair, who are best friends, had put their own stamp on the space – renaming, refiguring and repainting it, and bringing in the star of the show: a beast, a high-end, Oxford-blue (custom painted) La Marzocco espresso machine purchased as soon as sales allowed. “We did really well, really quickly,” Zukanovic said. “It was all because of the support that people gave us.”

They also changed the beans which are now sourced from the local Kirkwood roaster Teleo. The house espresso is made with their Brazil bean (decaf with a Columbian bean); and brewed coffee is made with Teleo’s “Neighborhood” blend. And there are an astonishing number of possible drinks to be had on this menu. Foam things and drizzled things, lattes dusted with spice, coldbrews boosted by protein powder and collagen and heavy whipping cream. Teas, as well – made of jasmine or red berries, lavender and chamomile. The list goes on and on.

“We want to make sure everyone has what they want,” Zukanovic said. But the top two sellers, and now Cove’s signature drinks, are July’s Joe, a white chocolate caramel latte; and That Girl, which is a latte crafted with brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.

For now, pastries are supplied by Cake House Design Bakery in South County. “We want to support local business,” Zukanovic said. But in a few months, she said Cove will be adding sandwiches and other bites made in-house.

“They have changed the whole vibe of the shop,” said customer Larry Bader. “They have transformed [it] into a very comfortable and inviting space.”

Gredelj had spent some time working at That’s Sip and studied business at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Zukanovic was lukewarm about her biology classes at Maryville University. “I didn’t want to be stuck in a lab forever,” she said. When Lunsford said she was moving on, it sparked a little flame. “We breathed the idea once, and it wasn’t even two months before the shop was ours,” Zukanovic said.

There’s no doubt these two women have the benefit of youth. They live and breathe Cove Cafe. So much so that they are in need of help and are looking to hire more staff as soon as possible. Currently, they have one employee and seasonal help. Their families jump in as well.

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Set your alarm clocks! The Ultimate St. Louis Breakfast will begin sharp at 9 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 27, at Cedars Banquet Hall at 939 Lebanon Drive just outside downtown St. Louis.

While all six participating chefs may be familiar to many, one name may ring a slightly louder bell. Fr. Dominic Garramone (aka The Bread Monk), was host of the PBS show “Breaking Bread with Father Dominic” from 1999 to 2001, and is the author of six cookbooks. Father Dom says he will be bringing his brand of scone which – we assure you – will bear zero resemblance to the miserably dry varieties found in chain coffeehouses these days. For one thing, Father Dom’s (for this particular event) will be made from a crushed bushel of homegrown tomatoes, and herbs from the Saint Bede Abbey garden in Peru, Illinois, where he lives.  “Scones are my forte,” he said. “I have thoroughly explored this category [of baked good] … and have even been known to churn my own butter.” Coupled with his gravy made with homemade Italian sausage (light on the basil, heavier on the oregano and perfumed with fennel seed) and this, for sure, will be a breakfast of the gods. And that’s even before you’ve paid a visit to the five other notable local chefs. 

Lia Holter, owner of Made. by Lia and winner of TLC’s “Next Great Baker” will be serving a variety of baked things that spell Delicious. (Her scones are no joke either, btw, and she plans to bring her No.1 seller – the blueberry lemon variety. “The best part is, it’s gluten-free and you’d never know it.”

Meanwhile, Mathew Unger, co-host and author of “Missouri Comfort” will partner with Anne Carpenter, author of “You Had Me at Pie” and “Soup for You!” to dish chicken and waffles to the crowd. Bethany Budde-Cohen, owner SqWires Restaurant and Market is planning on bringing a veggie strata to the party, drizzled with homegrown basil pesto olive oil.  She said she will be using local vegetables which will be layered with cheese and a thick savory egg custard. “Perfect for this time of year,”  Budde-Cohen said.

And Matt Sorrell, mixologist and author of “Matt’s St. Louis Food Story” will be popping corks for mimosas, mixing up bloody marys, and doing his best  to tell everyone that an espresso martini is a perfectly fine way to start the day. (Limit two per ticket). Sorrell’s bloody mary mix will be his own creation – made with michelada spices, sriracha and chile paste; and he’ll be squeezing the oranges for the mimosas by hand. 

The $50 ticket buys you tastings from six chefs and a chance to mingle. Chat them up, twist their arms for culinary secrets, then call an Uber. (Where to? The couch). Books, where applicable, will be available for purchase. A portion of each ticket will benefit St. Louis ArtWorks.

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It’s a rollicking ride through Melanie Hye Jin Meyer’s list of favorite restaurants. Like the flavors at her micro-eatery Tiny Chef (located inside The Silver Ballroom in Bevo Mill), Meyer’s dining tastes are also varied – beautifully influenced both by her Korean heritage and her many friends in the local restaurant industry.

Meyer grew up in Missouri, the adopted child of white parents, and found her Korean birth family much later on. “For a long time, I didn’t cook Korean food because I didn’t feel Korean enough,” she said. “I felt like a fraud.”

Thankfully, times have changed. In the five short years since Tiny Chef opened, Meyer has made a name for herself in this discerning epicurean city. And in doing so, she’s defeated imposter syndrome comprehensively. While talking about her favorite St. Louis restaurants, Meyer couldn’t help but mention Tiny Chef. “Am I allowed to say myself?” she said. “It’s just that I’m proud of what I do, and I want to share.” Aside from her own place, then, here are some of the St. Louis restaurants that inspire Meyer most.

Akar
“Chef Bernie Lee is so talented. He’s always creating new items, adding different things to the menu. And everything is so beautiful.”
7641 Wydown Blvd., Clayton, 314.553.9914, akarstl.com

Eat DuckBill
“I like this place because they run their shop like I do – inside a bar [at Platypus]. Great fried chicken and fried tofu nuggets. My favorite thing to do on Mondays when we close early is take some of my food there for the crew and then do a bit of karaoke.”
4501 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314.799.0662, Instagram: @eatduckbill

La Patisserie Chouquette
“You can taste the passion in absolutely everything [chef-owner] Simone Faure makes. Her croissants, her macarons. … Plus, this is a woman who works her ass off.”
1626 Tower Grove Ave., St. Louis, 314.932.7935, simonefaure.com

Taberu
“This is not a restaurant, but a sushi business run by Heidi Skye Hamamura. Not only is her sushi completely gorgeous, but it takes so much time to make. She’s booked out months in advance. Be sure to message her!”
taberustl.com

Brasserie by Niche
“Oh, God. A St. Louis classic.”
4580 Laclede Ave., St. Louis, 314.454.0600, brasseriebyniche.com

Indo
“Love it. Love it. You need to charge what you are worth, and everything is worth it for this talent. I say get everything!”
1641D Tower Grove Ave., St. Louis, 314.899.9333, indo-stl.com

Wudon Korean BBQ Restaurant
“Wudon has a small menu, but it hits every time. It really smacks.”
1261 Castillons Arcade Plaza, Creve Coeur, 314.628.1010, wudonkorean-bbq.weeblyte.com

Blissfully Popped Popcorn
“I love popcorn so much that I’ve been known to buy it at the movie theater and take it straight home without even seeing the movie. The butter! The salt! Blissfully Popped is a small, woman-owned business, and I love how [Janee Cawthon] does it.”
7318 Manchester Road, Maplewood, 314.495.5782, blissfullypopped.com

Soup Dumplings STL
“This is a small menu, but don’t be fooled by small menus. Everything is homemade, everything is delicious and everything requires hours and hours of prep.”
8110 Olive Blvd., University City, 314.445.4605, Facebook: Soup Dumplings STL

Mai Lee
“Qui Tran is kind of like the Asian community’s undisclosed big brother, always there to help out. He’s amazing. My favorite is his Vietnamese pancake (banh xeo), which you wrap in lettuce. I love anything wrapped in lettuce. Give me anything in lettuce.”
8396 Musick Memorial Drive, Brentwood, 314.645.2835, maileestl.com

La Catrina
“This family-run business has one of my favorites: Catrina’s Alambre is your choice of meat with peppers and onions and queso. Tortillas on the side.”
5220 Hampton Ave., St. Louis, 314.833.3357, lacatrinastl.com

Sushi Hana
“This is sushi run by a Korean family. It’s a No. 1 spot, and has a Korean menu as well.”
8809 Gravois Road, Affton, 314.257.9079, sushihanamo.com

China Bistro
“Pan-Asia [Supermarket] has everything – bubble tea, Chinese tea, Korean skincare, and also this: China Bistro. Go there to shop, splurge on skin products and then have some mapo tofu with fish and chile sauce. But don’t forget the skin products; Korean skincare goes hard!”
Inside Pan-Asia Supermarket, 14246 Manchester Road, Manchester, 636.220.3144

Joo Joo Restaurant & Karaoke
“Joo Joo also hits. Its menu is more extensive and it has a private karaoke room. Eat dinner, sing with a friend.”
12937 Olive Blvd., Creve Coeur, 314.469.1999, joojoo.us

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Ask anyone in town about Venice Cafe and chances are their eyes get really wide. Or, if they’ve known this Benton Park bar a long time, they may smile a warm but faintly sympathetic smile. It’s like you’ve mentioned an old, mutual friend who, like Peter Pan on a tremendous quantity of ’shrooms, has never grown up. On the other hand, any attempt to describe the place to a newcomer tends to fail dismally. But, on the off-chance that you’ve never been, we’re going to try.

It’s a wonder, at this point, that there’s any room to sit down, or even get inside Venice Cafe. Owner Jeff Lockheed has been decorating this space ever since he bought the Pestalozzi Street property as his residence in 1978. He and his friend, artist Paul Cuba (who died in 2002) opened Venice Cafe in 1988. “We didn’t know what we were doing,” Lockheed said. That clearly isn’t true. With an art degree and a resume as colorful as the walls and floors around him (he was both a teacher and a flight attendant for a time), he has – bit by tiny bit – created an institution. He credits his parents for his wacko, kaleidoscopic eclecticism: “They were very straight and I didn’t express myself much at home. So when I left, I took off,” Lockheed explained.

He admits he doesn’t stick to the rules. Yes, you can make a boat into a patio bar. Yes, you can suspend a pair of plastic legs from a ceiling. You can mosaic a wall with kitschy ashtrays or even trim it with “a thousand” cigarette (or doobie) lighters. Somewhere in here there’s a costume-wearing tortoise called Big Tiny. Somewhere there’s a Doric column topped with bunnies, a few Virgin Marys and (if I’m not mistaken) a palm-sized Maria von Trapp. Cow skulls and bird skulls are recurring themes, and so are tailors’ dummies, each stuck with a pirate’s chestworth of buttons and gems. “I’m an alley shopper,” Lockheed said. “I add stuff all the time, often in such small ways people don’t even know they’re not seeing it.”

Naturally, this slightly renegade party atmosphere has attracted a diverse crowd over the years. But the mood is a little more demure now than it has been in the past. “We’ve had our share of drunken idiots,” Lockheed said. “We were always this weird place in the city that people needed to check out.” For the first eight years, he had to employ a guard. Contributing in large part to Lockheed’s “private Idaho” are the open mic nights and the live hipster rock. The bar is, and always has been, cash only.

It’s important to note that much of the real art here – in particular, the human forms carved from limestone and other materials – is Lockheed’s own work. It’s hard at times not to feel like it’s a bit of a shame this more serious beauty is lost in the shuffle. But if we remember the essential, symbiotic relationships between play and creativity, and creativity and joy, we begin to understand that a trip to Venice Cafe is much more than a wacky night out on the town. It is – more importantly – a peep inside an artist’s mind, and a glimpse of its potential.

1903 Pestalozzi St., St. Louis, 314.772.5594, thevenicecafe.com

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Hot sun, sizzling grills and saucy fingers: It’s barbecue season, folks, an area St. Louis excels in. We’re picky here about our ‘que which, traditionally, isn’t dry-rubbed and smoked, but grilled then sauced. This means – believe it or not – our city, per capita, is said to get through more barbecue sauce than anywhere else in the country. Isn’t that a notch in our (tightening) belt? Here, then, are a few recently opened and forthcoming options — both saucy and smoky — to tuck your bibs in for.

Fourth City Barbecue
Anyone who’s in the mood for some brisket-smothered fries, raise your hands. Can it get any more delicious than this, or is there a more glorious twist on meat-and-potatoes dining? Located on Cherokee Street in Fortune Teller Bar, this scratch-made, all-wood craft barbecue tells it like it is: There’s nothing like white oak or hickory smoke to flavor meat. The sad thing is, the aforementioned meat and potatoes is not on the regular menu (no, you can’t have it every day), but it is one of the specials which change weekly. The mainstays here are things like barbecue meat platters, sandwiches on Damn Fine Hand Pies buns, and sides like small salads and cornbread with hot honey butter. Slabs of brisket smoke for 12 hours, rest for another 12, and result in succulent meat with just the right amount of juicy fat.
2635 Cherokee St., St. Louis, 314.669.6505, fourthcitybbq.com

Smoke & Kettle
Out in Fairview Heights and O’Fallon, Illinois, it’s all about fish, chicken and barbecue. Opened earlier this year, Smoke & Kettle is the latest concept from pitmaster David Sandusky of Belleville’s Beast Craft BBQ Co. Here, Sandusky is concentrating on beasts of sea and field, specifically battered cod, shrimp and cornbread-crusted catfish; perhaps even some snoots. But there’s a surprise element to all of this, because Sandusky says he’s not quite ready to divulge the specific details of his menu. Know that you’re in good hands, with a chef whose reputation for quality barbecue precedes him, and make the trip.
Multiple locations, smokeandkettle.com

DeeBeeQue Barbeque & Catering
Although Darnell Banks has yet to operate his business from a brick-and-mortar, he is becoming known across the city for some pretty excellent barbecue. With his trailer, he has catered events large and small, from the Saint Louis Zoo’s Zoofari to backyard cookouts. Banks and his wife Brukelle launched DeeBeeQue’s in 2019. He is best known, he said, for chicken wings, rib tips, potato salad and his fromscratch, tomato-based sauce. “I’m a blend of smoking and grilling,” Banks said, adding that he’s been told his pulled pork is some of the best around.
deebeequestl.com

Expat BBQ
The latest concept from Niche Food Group is aiming to open its split-level space at City Foundry STL by mid-August. Executive chef Sam Nawrocki explained the concept as being “like culinary Mad Libs.” This (sort of) means Expat will offer an avant-garde take on barbecue by combining flavors and techniques from around the world. “Think of it as a pitmaster cooking barbecue in someone else’s pantry,” Nawrocki said. If this results in the kind of creative artistry that can come of “making do with what you have,” then we are pretty excited about all this. Nawrocki threw out a few examples: A Midwestern barbecue sauce becomes far more interesting by switching out molasses for black bean paste, and a rack of ribs becomes 1,000 times more delicious by adding Chinese five-spice to its rub. Yeah, I think we’re getting it. “Food naturally evolves with travel,” Nawrocki said. “Authenticity is a moving target.”
3730 Foundry Way, St. Louis, expatstl.com

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There’s a mixing bowl in the middle of the floor big enough to hold a sleeping child – and it once did just that. The bowl belongs to a seven-foot industrial Hobart mixer, and it easily accommodates 78 pounds of sugar, 22 pounds of shortening and 23 pounds of butter. It’s a busy week at Helfer’s Pastries in Florissant – and there are a lot of cakes to be made. 

That child who actually did nap in this giant “bucket” is all grown up. Jamie Lewis took over the family business with her husband, Cameron Lewis, three years ago. But Helfer’s got its start back in 1977, when it was just a one-room shop on Manchester Road in Ballwin. Jamie’s parents ran the business there until 1992, when they moved Helfer’s to its present location, a 3,000-square-foot space in Florissant. Helfer’s is now among the oldest businesses in town. 

“I grew up here, I know this,” Jamie said. She’s standing at the long counter looking down through the glass. These are the kinds of pastries dreams are made of. There are cupcakes and cream cakes, cheesecakes and custard cakes. There are Danish pastries, strudels and lattice pies with fillings dictated by the season’s fruit: strawberries and peaches in summer, apples in fall. 

It’s safe to say that Cameron turns out hundreds of items each day – not bad for somebody who, prior to taking over the business, had no formal baking experience besides working in a sandwich shop. A lot of Cameron’s work is done through the night: He arrives at work at one o’clock in the morning, not knocking off until 10 a.m. “I think I’m good at this,” he said. There’s a wisp of hesitancy in his voice, but among all the other fruits of his labor, the cherry edelweiss stollen, ladled with gooey butter, tells it like it is: Cameron is a master at this.

Considering the dizzying choice of confectionery, Helfer’s is not a large store. Most of the space’s square footage is taken up by the behind-the-scenes areas where people like Darlene Markovich get to work. “I randomly decorate however I want,” she said. There’s a little cake spinning on her work bench. As it spins, she deftly drags a scraper around it, smoothing its sides to meet the top at a sharp 90 degrees. All of this happens in a matter of moments. “I’ve got to be fast,” Markovich said. After this, she’ll start on the shelves and racks around the room. “This is last night’s work,” she said, pointing to yellow cakes and white cakes, red velvets, German chocolates and marbles. “This is prime decorating season.” Cameron concurs: For graduations alone, he recently made a whopping 500 pounds of cake, including 27 full sheets and 87 eight-inch rounds. 

On the way to this “factory floor,” there’s a small office where a few photos are pinned to a board. One is an old black-and-white shot of a woman (Jamie’s mom) decorating a wedding cake with a baby (one of Jamie’s three older sisters) strapped to her chest. “Now I get to raise my three girls in the same environment I was raised in,” Jamie said. She looks dreamy for a moment, lost in a sweet memory – something about childhood and the Sunday before Christmas when the baking and packing of Christmas cookies took place. “It’s by far my fondest memory,” she said.

It’s true that at 10 o’clock in the morning Cameron looks a little weary. He has flour on his beanie and his apron is dusty. “I’m thinking about ways to respect the past while bringing us into the 21st century and investing in the things we are good at,” he said. “And I’m learning about work/life balance.” 

380 St. Ferdinand St., Florissant, 314.837.6050, helferspastries.com

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Rob Connoley wasn’t always a chef. He has a doctorate in sports psychology, and spent some years working for nonprofits, which included three years at a meth treatment facility in New Mexico. However, over a five-year run as chef-owner at Bulrush, Connoley amply demonstrated his gifts in the kitchen, notching up successive James Beard Award semifinalist nominations in the Best Chef: Midwest category in 2022 and 2023. This year, he went a step further, receiving a finalist nomination in the same category. However, Connoley is now at a crossroads. In June, he announced his decision to close Bulrush, citing growing unease over what he described as “election-year hate politics” targeting LGBTQIA+ communities in Missouri. Connoley hasn’t announced what his next move will be – he said nonprofit work may be a part of his future – but the closure of one of St. Louis’ very best restaurants has sent shockwaves through the industry. Connoley is a champion of a broad range of cuisines, and we spoke to him recently about some of his own favorites. “I have developed my entire culinary career around the quote from Jiro Dreams of Sushi, where Jiro says, ‘To make great food you need to eat great food,’” Connoley said. These are the places he says feed him great food in St. Louis.

ChiliSpot
“There is no restaurant even close to ChiliSpot in my heart. I eat here at least once a week, and the staff knows better than to bring me a menu because I know it inside and out. My love affair is a result of my best friends introducing me to Sichuan hotpot a number of years ago. It’s the reason I’m learning Mandarin – to order my meals in Chinese.”
7930 Olive Blvd., University City, 314.925.8711, chilispotusa.com

Sueño Latino Restaurant
“This family-run Honduran spot is great for lunch or dinner, and I can eat their chuleta asada (grilled pork chop) over fried plantains any day of the week! I would put their empanadas against any in town.”
2818 Cherokee St., St. Louis, 314.899.0777, Instagram: @suenolatino.stl

The CurryClub
“I love unrestrained spice. Not spice for spice’s sake, but for the burn which helps flavors to linger and dance in your mouth. Curry Club does that for me with dishes you don’t find at the majority of Indian restaurants. But it’s their dosas that make me swoon, especially the fruit and nut dosa.”
1635 Clarkson Road, Chesterfield, 636.778.7778, stlcurryclub.com

Pizzeria da Gloria
“This Neapolitan-style pizza house on the Hill is always bustling, and the orange glow from the oven is a beacon. I am not discerning when it comes to pizza. Just give me yummy toppings, a sauce, and dough that has some chew.”
2024 Marconi Ave., St. Louis, 314.833.3734, pizzeriadagloria.com

The taco truck outside El Volcán Discoteque
“El Volcán is the Mexican discotheque at Interstate 44 and Kingshighway Boulevard. It features live music a couple of times each week. That’s when you’ll find an unmarked white truck sitting outside. This family business is putting out some of the best tacos in town. Typically, the choice is beef or pork – both are good – but for me the star of the show is the salsa they set out. It’s open very late for us restaurant workers.”
4920 Northrup Ave., St. Louis, 314.954.9876, Facebook: El Volcan Dicoteque 

EAAT
“EAAT (Easily An Awesome Time) is one of the most exciting pop-ups around right now. Chef Ben [Brennan] grills skewers and other Asian-inspired light dishes, perfect for hanging out with friends over a few cold ones. Big on flavor and technique without ego or high prices.”
Instagram: @eaatstl

Grand Pied
“I often nutritionally deplete myself through the long restaurant work hours, and when I get to the weekend it is time to refuel. Grand Pied is hearty, flavor-packed and soulful. Small neighborhood feels with strong New Orleans leanings. The slinger or burgers get the job done.”
3137 Morganford Road, St. Louis, 314.974.8113, grandpied.com

Black Salt
“Black Salt has slightly elevated takes on traditional Indian dishes. You can see the chef is very proud of his food and wants to engage the diner who is tired of the same old tikka and curry.”
1709 Clarkson Road, Chesterfield, 636.204.6441, blacksaltstl.com

Upper Crust Bread
“Jeffrey Moll is making some of the best bread in town. I’m the baker in the family, so I rarely buy breads and pastries, but Moll has so many options of flavors and flours. If you can’t decide, just order a bag of pretzels and the damn-good rye chocolate chunk cookies!”
Pre-order and pickup only, 636.575.3224, uppercruststl.com

Levels Nigerian Cuisine
“The quality of this Nigerian cooking is definitely next level. Enjoy a sweet cocktail and a big spicy plate of egusi soup. Or if you’re less adventurous, grab a hearty burger or traditional jollof.”
1405 Washington Ave., St. Louis, 314.571.9990, levelsstl.com

Kitchen 95
“The founding chef from the original Tai Ke split off when Tai Ke moved locations and transitioned to Tai Ke Shabu Shabu. Lovers of the original Tai Ke can find many of the classics like beef noodle soup, as well as new favorites to please the neighborhood.”
2336 Woodson Road, Overland, 314.801.8895, kitchen8895.com

Umami Seasons Hotpot
“Umami Seasons is the hotpot we’ve been waiting for. Umami has the best sauce bar in town, solid meat offerings, a tasty base stock and excellent service. Yes, I know your auntie’s is the best, but I’d rather go somewhere with a people-watching scene.”
6602 Delmar Blvd., University City, 314.319.1146, Instagram: @umami_seasons

Sum Tea House
“I often grab a boba after a spicy meal at ChiliSpot. Sum Tea is less crowded than a nearby competitor, and they can talk me through choices in a way that is personal, fun and caring. You’re always with family when you come here.”
8501 Olive Blvd., University City, 314.222.1540, sumteahouse.com

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If you were on the Hill 40 years ago, it’s quite likely you would have seen an old baby blue Ford van weaving through the neighborhood, hitching up on curbs, idling while a man named Joe ran an order of sausages into a customer’s ice box. Those sausages hadn’t traveled far – just a few blocks from what was then known as Fassi’s Market on Sublette Avenue. They were beyond fresh, their casings stuffed just that morning by a hand-cranked machine. The sausages had been nipped with string by a lad called Tom who – because it was summer and school was out – was helping his grandpa with his rounds.

Tom Coll helped out in other ways as well. It was he who wrestled the pork butts onto the butcher block in back, and, once the meat had been ground, it was his job to stir in the spices. “My grandfather paid me and my friend with a sandwich,” Coll, 57, said. “We thought we were getting the world.”

Coll’s sausage isn’t hand-tied anymore, and the machinery is more modern these days, but he’s still operating as Joe Fassi Sausage & Sandwich Factory, and the sausages are still made in the very same building on Sublette where his great grandfather, “Papa” Paul Fassi, opened his grocery store in 1926. With a nephew potentially interested in eventually taking over, Coll is confident he won’t be the last in the family to own the business. 

During Prohibition, the store served as an ice cream parlor, and for a time it also ran a brisk trade selling sugar to moonshiners on the Hill. Coll’s grandfather and great uncles took over the business sometime in the 1930s. His mother, Rose Coll, was born in a room above the shop – delivered, as it happened, by a midwife who also had ties to sausage. “Mrs. Volpi delivered all the babies on the Hill,” Coll said.

Fassi’s may be a little apart, geographically, from other Italian sandwich emporia in the neighborhood, but it certainly leaves an impression. The inside dizzies with red and green signage, advertising things like Fassi’s “Marco Polo” and “lunch buster” meal deals. In the spaces in between, old family photographs tell the story of one of St. Louis’s oldest restaurants. Here’s one of Tom’s Great Aunt Mary, in a flapper-ish dress; there’s another of Great Aunt Jennie in a wedding gown. And up above the tables, on a high shelf, is that old hand-crank sausage stuffer, which looks like it could be a giant’s putty gun.

Even at three in the afternoon, customers come in at a clip. Choices abound, but most people seem to know what they want ahead of time. A freezer by the counter is packed with meatballs and three types of sausage. Behind the counter, putting up the odd lazy bubble, is a vat of deliciously herby tomato sauce (Coll’s dad’s recipe) that can also be packaged to go.

“I always get the meatball sandwich,” said a man in work overalls who was wrapping up a late lunch. “It’s a classic. When I want one, this is where I come.” Coll says the same, even though he’s been prepping them for others for 32 years. But sometimes he has a sausage which might be a salamete with red wine and garlic, or a luganiga flavored with sherry wine and nutmeg.

Customer Nick Traina, with an Italian mother and roots in Palermo, Sicily, was ordering the Vince Fassi Salsiccia Slam with roast beef and pepper cheese. “I know Italian food,” he said. Meanwhile, another man was coming through the door. “What’s it going to be, Jimbo?” Coll said.

2323 Sublette Ave., St. Louis, 314.647.5158, joefassisandwiches.com

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