The 32 Essential St. Louis Restaurants

"The smells coming out of Balkan Treat Box — from bread baking in a wood-fired oven, and plump beef sausages sweating beads of glistening juice and fat on the grill — have the capacity to elicit deep, primal responses in a hungry diner. The restaurant, owned by Loryn and Edo Nalic, has garnered some impressive awards, and it has become an essential stop for locals eager to impress visitors. Hyper-fresh preparations of traditional dishes from the Balkan region, like wildly popular pide, plump ćevapi, and doner, are all served on somun, baked fresh in the wood-fueled oven. The lahmacun (Turkish rolled flatbread) alone is enough to justify the line that regularly stretches out the door and around the building." - Holly Fann