Since opening in 2010, Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. has been combining innovative flavor with traditional, European-style beers. They’re among the pioneers that set the standard for the flood of new microbreweries in the 2010s, and their beers still serve to remind drinkers why St. Louis is the beer capital of this hemisphere.

Co-founders Florian Kuplent and David Wolfe honed their craft during tenures at Anheuser-Busch, the former as a brewmaster, the latter as a marketing director. No one does German beers truer to style than Urban Chestnut. Schnickelfritz, their Bavarian Weissbier, is a beautiful pour with a big, eggshell-colored head and unfiltered golden body. Bold banana, bubble gum and clove notes come alive as you sip, with a hint of vanilla in the finish. Many American breweries attempt this style, but few do it this well.

Multiple locations, urbanchestnut.com

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It’s hard to overstate Schlafly’s role in the development of craft beer in St. Louis. It’s not just that the brewery was making and selling its beers for a whole two decades before the craft scene really exploded. The brewery and its co-founder, Tom Schlafly, were also instrumental in reshaping alcohol laws in Missouri that set the stage for what St. Louis’ beer scene is today.

Although Schlafly also has a location in Maplewood, their Locust Street tap room in Downtown West is the best place to enjoy Schlafly’s hospitality, which blends influences from British, German and – of course – American tradition. Beers like the Pale Ale, Hefeweizen and the seasonal Pumpkin Ale are undisputed modern St. Louis classics, while the fish and chips or soft, chewy Bavarian pretzel sticks with white cheddar sauce are eternally satisfying accessories to your pint. 

2100 Locust St., St. Louis, 314.241.2337, schlafly.com

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A trip to Ted Drewes is a St. Louis tradition. Often credited as the creator of the concrete, Ted Drewes has been inverting bright yellow cups filled with thick, rich frozen custard before handing them over to our greedy little fingers for over 80 years. Their Dutchtown location claims to be the oldest frozen custard stand in the world still in operation, but the Chippewa location is equally iconic to generations of locals. Pick from their can’t-go-wrong menu of classics (available in either concrete or sundae form) like the Cardinal Sin with tart cherries and hot fudge or make your own ideal combination – we opt for coconut, chocolate chips and almonds.

Multiple locations, teddrewes.com

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Donuts, neon and Route 66 combine here for a timeless St. Louis experience, but the line of customers who congregate in anticipation of fresh donuts on weekend mornings tells you Donut Drive-In remains an addictively vibrant stop on the local food scene. You won’t find any “renegade” donuts here, just consistently exquisite renditions of classic cake and yeast donuts: long johns, jelly donuts and their essential apple fritter. On weekends, skip the line and stop at the takeout window behind the shop to pick up a dozen assorted donuts.


6525 Chippewa St., St. Louis, 314.645.7714, donutdrivein.com

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Crown Candy Kitchen has some stats to be proud of. Opened by Harry Karandzieff and his friend Pete Jugaloff in 1913, it’s one of St. Louis’s oldest surviving food and drink attractions. It’s also the oldest soda fountain still in operation in the city, at least by our reckoning.

Stuffed with bacon, the outsized BLT is the signature sandwich, but the sweeter sections of the menu are also stacked with winners, from the Ozark black walnut ice cream, housemade hand-dipped clusters and specialty chocolates to the Johnny Rabbit Special, a banana malt with whipped cream and nutmeg. If you dare, rise to the milkshake challenge: Drink five of these (13% milk fat) lovelies in 30 minutes and you won’t pay a dime – for any of them. Good luck! 

1401 St. Louis Ave., St. Louis, 314.621.9650, crowncandykitchen.net

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It’s impossible to talk about barbecue in St. Louis today without acknowledging the impact Pappy’s has had over the past 17 years. That legacy is evident not just at Pappy’s two St. Louis area restaurants, but also at the numerous Pappy’s-affiliated restaurants – Dalie’s Smokehouse, Adam’s Smokehouse and Bogart’s Smokehouse – that form an extended barbecue family.

Customers still eagerly wait in line at Pappy’s Midtown location for their dry-rubbed ribs, smoked for up to 24 hours over apple and cherry wood. Get the ribs, always, but also get the pulled pork and at least a couple of sides (the baked beans are our favorite, but take your pick). They regularly sell out, so if you’re visiting later in the day, call ahead to confirm what’s still available.

Multiple locations, pappyssmokehouse.com

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In a city of great sandwich shops, Gioia’s is elite. That’s in no small part due to the signature hot salami, used to great effect in sandwiches like the Spicy Daggett (toasted garlic pepper cheese bread stuffed with hot salami, hot coppa and capicolla, and spooned with intensely piquant giardiniera).

The bare bones little deli on the Hill dates to 1918, and they have grown to include locations in Creve Coeur, Valley Park and Maryland Heights. Gioia’s fame has also spread far beyond St. Louis: In 2017, they won the James Beard American Classic Award, and the Food Network named the hot salami sandwich “one of the best sandwiches in America.”

When we say, “bare bones,” we mean Gioia’s on the Hill has only what it needs and no more: a walk-up counter, a drinks machine, a few chairs outside in the sunshine, and a rack of chips. When you’ve got a tightly wrapped Daggett in your hand, and there’s a pocket park across the road, what else could possibly be lacking? 

Multiple locations, gioiasdeli.com

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Time stands blissfully still inside Carl’s Drive In. The tiny roadside space has remained largely unchanged since its first big remodel in 1962, when they added air conditioning and indoor seating for 16 at the counter.

The restaurant still seats just 16 diners, and the slotted menu board still displays a modest but eternally enjoyable menu: famous griddle-smashed burgers with irresistibly crispy edges; footlong and curly-Q hot dogs; tamales topped with Edmond’s Chile Co. chili; and housemade root beer served in heavy, frozen mugs. Change can be a good thing, but we say if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

9033 Manchester Road, Brentwood, 314.961.9652, carlsdrivein.com

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Yellowbelly is tropical, trendy and fun, with the bar and kitchen equally yoked. Seafood dishes such as the Moroccan-spiced grouper or halibut and seared scallops are great, but we love the street corn taquitos served atop black bean mole, as well as the chile-glazed pork belly with rice and local mushrooms. The mezcal-based Polar Bear is a smooth and sophisticated drink, and the eponymous Yellowbelly cocktail is a juicy tipple with a pleasant bite from turmeric and ginger falernum. Located in a lush adjacent space, sister concept Lazy Tiger offers its own distinct cocktail list while also serving the entire Yellowbelly food menu.

And with the recent news that the team is opening a third restaurant called Extra Wavy just outside Lafayette Square, we can’t wait to see what they do with the new spot.

4659 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 314.499.1509, yellowbellystl.com; 210 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 314.925.8888, lazytigerstl.com

Editor’s note: This article was updated to include mention of Extra Wavy.

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Owner Matt McGuire’s initial motivation for Wright’s Tavern was to create a restaurant that served the kind of food he wanted to eat. McGuire built a place to enjoy a great steak and a Caesar salad, but more importantly, the Clayton steakhouse also tapped into a communal longing: for delicious food and drinks, genuine hospitality, and the unbridled enjoyment that a really lovely restaurant can deliver. Wright’s is driven by the conviction that the simple food is the best; its ambition is to cook the best version of that food you’ve ever had. The greatest hits collection at Wright’s already includes the shrimp scampi with its addictive garlic-and-chile sauce, the wedge salad with blue cheese and smoked bacon, the perfectly flaky potato-crusted halibut with lemon beurre blanc, and the salt and cream of the heady dauphinoise potatoes. The baked crab cake made with colossal lump crab is seasoned with salt and pepper, has just enough egg and dairy for binding, and is plated atop a delicious red pepper remoulade. It’s one of the very best dishes in St. Louis and no visit to Wright’s is complete without it. At this restaurant, which was Sauce’s Best New Restaurant of 2023, people dress up, and the servers are sharply attired, but it’s never stuffy: You’re here to feel good. In this cozy dining room, you’re never far from other diners, and conversation between tables comes easily. We love a restaurant where a civilized meal feels like it could imminently spill over into a rambunctious party, and that’s exactly the vibe at Wright’s.

7624 Wydown Blvd., Clayton, 314.390.1466, wrightswydown.com

The Sauce 75 is a photomosaic of the best in St. Louis dining. This list is a celebration of the diverse skills, techniques and culinary traditions that meet across our region. In sum, it tells a story about where St. Louis has been, where it is now and where it’s going next. Many great and good St. Louis restaurants have not made the cut. (Seventy-five is a lot fewer than you think!) Restaurants are constantly growing and evolving and go through ups and downs. Newly opened restaurants can take time to find their feet: There are a few exciting new places we’re cheering for, but which we feel haven’t yet fully hit their stride.

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