The 32 Essential St. Louis Restaurants

"City Foundry is a gathering place St. Louis can be proud of. Along with shops, the complex boasts stellar bars, a winery, a virtual reality experience, a high tech Putt-Putt course, and soon, a 10-screen movie theater. But most people come for the food hall, home to 17 stalls, most of them entirely new businesses. The hall’s culinary director, James Beard winner Gerard Craft, can often be found cooking off wood-fired pizzas at his own Fordo’s Killer Pizza. Another to look out for, Alloun Thiam is a self-trained chef and owner of Chez Ali, which serves a constantly changing menu of delicious African Caribbean dishes, including thieboudienne, Senegal’s national dish of rice and fish. At Sur Este, chef Alex Henry is crafting Yucatán cuisine utilizing local Missouri ingredients and heirloom varieties of corn; his cochinita pibil (citrus roasted pork) and chicharrones tacos will make you lose thought mid-sentence, and the bright, juicy octopus ceviche tastes like a day on the beach. Other highlights include toasted ravioli, Belgian waffles, chef Nate Hereford’s perfect rotisserie chicken, and chef Brandi Artis’s po’ boys and shrimp and grits seasoned with her signature blend." - Holly Fann