The 32 Essential St. Louis Restaurants

"Pushing through the glass doors into Diana’s Bakery feels like entering a magical corner of the world that smells of sugary glaze, vanilla cake, thick condensed milk, smoky mole, and steamed masa. The walls of the Mexican bakery are lined with large glass cases filled with pleasantly overwhelming rows upon rows of panes dulces. Iced cookies, lengths of churros with ruffled edges, sweet and savory empanadas, and filled donuts are stacked on trays in neat rows. Diana’s also always offers a variety of whole and sliced cakes, some iced, some layered with fruit, and some left unadorned. There are also flaky laminated pastries whose buttery layers fall like flower petals as you bite into them, clunky coconut macaroons, and custards that wobble when you lift them into your bakery box. No one visits Diana’s Bakery only once. After stepping into that pastry wonderland, there is no forgetting it." - Holly Fann