From fast-casual to fine dining, this year's list of best new restaurants showcases the range of options available in St. Louis' dining scene. Whether you're grabbing a birria taco or sitting down to a multi-course meal, you'll leave satisfied.
Editor’s Note: This year’s list was limited to restaurants that opened between September 2020 and September 2021.
Bolyard’s Meat and Provisions
At the new location of Bolyard’s Meat and Provisions, you can enjoy dinner and a show – as long as you’re fascinated by a good cut of meat and aren’t too squeamish. In the butcher shop’s expanded digs, you’ll find all of the local, pasture-raised meats that customers have come to expect from the whole-animal shop. But thanks to the larger space, co-owner Chris Bolyard – who owns the business with his wife, Abbie – and chef Remi Didry can also flex their chops in the kitchen with a full selection of thoughtfully crafted sandwiches, salads and breakfast fare. The Tom Tom takes classic sliced turkey breast and adds Colby Jack, pickled red onion, fresh greens and ‘njuda mayo, while the Pig Pen piles char siu pulled pork with sweet and sour cabbage and a drizzle of gochujang mayo. Throughout the menu, the team offers subtle nods to the shop’s commitment to high-quality, humanely raised and meticulously butchered meats, from a seasonal salad garnished with paper-thin housemade bresaola to the famous tallow fries. Cozy up to a counter seat to see all the action up close; thanks to a bank of windows, guests can now enjoy their meal while getting to see some of the butchering process for themselves. (Photo by Jennifer Silverberg)
Bolyard’s Meat and Provisions, 2733 Sutton Blvd., 314.647.-2567, Maplewood, Missouri, bolyardsmeat.com
Casa Don Alfonso
Did St. Louis really need another Italian restaurant? With the opening of Casa Don Alfonso at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis in Clayton, Missouri, we’re inclined to say yes. The first U.S. outpost of the Iaccarino family’s venerable Don Alfonso 1890 – a two-star Michelin restaurant in Sant’Agata, Italy – aims to bring a taste of the Sorrento Coast to the Midwest, specializing in the culinary traditions found throughout the Campania region. And you’ll feel transported from the moment you step inside what is easily one of the most gorgeous restaurant spaces in town, featuring a massive open kitchen flanked by a copper ceiling and hand-painted tile backsplash made in Sorrento and a striking display of 600 hand-blown glass wisteria leaves suspended over the main dining room. That same level of attention to detail is also evident in the restaurant’s sourcing of ingredients – olive oil comes from a small farm in Sicily, Calabrian ‘nduja tops one of the wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas and the lemons used in the signature limoncello are grown on the family’s own farm. The menu also draws on family recipes stretching back generations, including the aptly named Grandma’s Ziti and the decadent Maccheroni Gratin, featuring housemade noodles served in a small copper pot bubbling with rich béchamel and slivers of ham. If the goal was to make dining at Casa Don Alfonso a transportive experience, the restaurant has done so in spades. (Photo by Sean Locke)
Casa Don Alfonso (located inside The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis) 100 Carondelet Plaza, Clayton, Missouri, 314.719.1496, casadonalfonsostlouis.com
Chiang Mai
St. Louis has recently seen a surge of restaurants determined to showcase the distinct flavor profiles of Thailand’s four regions, as dishes including khao soi and tom yum slowly become as familiar to Midwest diners as more ubiquitous takeout staples such as pad Thai. For a crash course in the intricacies of Northern Thai food, one need only head to Chiang Mai – the restaurant in Webster Groves, Missouri, that is. Chef Su Hill, who also owns Bistro Saffron in Cape Girardeau, opened the restaurant in October 2020 in tribute to the flavors of her hometown in northern Thailand. Hill learned to cook from her mother and grandmother, who both trained in the Grand Palace, the longtime official residence of the kings of Siam in Bangkok. Chiang Mai serves as a vehicle for her to preserve her family’s culinary traditions – including the handwritten recipes her mother shared with her before she passed – and share a true taste of northern Thailand with her community. To experience the cuisine’s signature flavors, characterized by sour, salty and bitter notes, opt for dishes such as the housemade sai oua (a snappy grilled pork sausage with lemongrass and chiles), gaeng hung lay (tender braised curry pork with garlic and ginger) or fragrant khao soi with red coconut curry, egg noodles and tender slow-braised chicken drumsticks. (Photo by J. Pollack Photography)
Chiang Mai, 8158 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, Missouri, 314.961.8889, chiangmaistl.com
The Lucky Accomplice
Above all, Logan Ely wants you to have fun. The chef made his name in St. Louis with the elevated tasting menus at SHIFT, which is temporarily closed aside from occasional pop-ups, but his new venture, The Lucky Accomplice, is a more relaxed, comfortable experience with an approachable à la carte menu. Ely and his team have carried the same ethos across concepts: to find clever ways to cook what the farm has. The menu revolves around vegetables, and almost 100 percent of the restaurant’s produce comes from Eat Here St. Louis and Double Star Farms in Benton, Illinois. “The menu changes so often because we want to keep pushing the envelope, but also because everything on the menu comes from the farm,” Ely says. “So, if our carrot farmer doesn’t have any carrots, we have to alter our carrot dish.” Components of the cocktail menu, which is driven by bar manager Corey Moszer, are also influenced by local farmers – think sage syrup, beet-peppercorn shrubs and cherry-ginger bitters. With everything The Lucky Accomplice has to offer, we dare you not to have a good time. (Photo by J. Pollack Photography)
The Lucky Accomplice, 2501 S. Jefferson Ave., Fox Park, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.354.6100, theluckyaccomplice.com
O+O Pizza
O+O Pizza is a bit of a misnomer. The pizzas – a crispy thin-crust style informed by both Roman and New Haven styles that executive chef Mikey Risk spent almost 10 months developing – are a worthy attraction in their own right, but the fresh pastas are just as deserving of top billing. Housemade noodles – whether the casarecce in the simple yet stunning cacio e pepe or the occhi di lupo served with butternut squash, crab, apple, tarragon and brown butter – help make O+O Pizza’s pastas some of the best in town. The corzetti, in particular, is a showstopper: For this thin, disc-shaped stamped pasta traditional to the Liguria region of northwest Italy, Risk had a custom octopus stamp made in Italy to nod to the crispy octopus sitting atop the pasta with bone marrow, tomato, thyme, red wine and leeks. Thoughtful touches like these elevate dishes throughout the menu – toasted ravioli features handmade noodles stuffed with beef, pancetta tesa and gooey fontina, for instance, while a drizzle of housemade Calabrian chile-infused hot honey takes a classic pepperoni pie to the next level. With O+O Pizza, Risk has done more than just fill the shoes of its much-loved sister restaurant, Olive + Oak, which relocated down the street; he’s upped the game for Italian fare in St. Louis. (Photo by Jennifer Silverberg)
O+O Pizza, 102 W. Lockwood Ave., Webster Groves, Missouri, 314.721.5422, oandopizza.lh-stl.com
Songbird
Songbird owners Chris Meyer and Mike Miller are the brains behind what’s arguably become St. Louis’ most popular breakfast sandwich. The pair, who also own Kounter Kulture and prepared foods brand Field to Fire, have become fixtures at the Tower Grove Farmers’ Market selling The Combo, which features aged white Cheddar, crispy bacon, a fried egg, sea salt and a drizzle of honey. A study in simplicity and the importance of sourcing local, high-quality ingredients, the sandwich soon had hungry shoppers lining up in droves for it each Saturday. The Combo now has a permanent place on the menu at Songbird, but diners can also find equally thoughtful – and delicious – takes on classic breakfast fare such as a housemade sprouted grain English muffin topped with a turkey sausage patty, omelet-style egg, microgreens and brown butter aïoli or a housemade bialy with thinly sliced house-cured Scottish salmon and cream cheese. With Songbird, Meyer and Miller are building on a years-long dedication to celebrating local ingredients, from Bee Simple microgreens and Newman Farm bacon to the heirloom flours baker Bryan Russo uses to craft his flawless breads, bialys and biscuits. They might just be serving St. Louis’ best breakfast while they’re at it. (Photo by Jennifer Silverberg)
Songbird, 4476 Chouteau Ave., Forest Park Southeast, St. Louis, Missouri, songbirdstl.com
Tacos La Jefa
Quesabirria has no doubt been one of the year’s breakout food trends across the country, and it’s easy to understand why from the first bite. Tender, slow-cooked goat – or sometimes beef – is layered with cheese on corn tortillas, which are cooked to crispy perfection atop a griddle and then served with a bowl of consommé to dip it all in. To experience a true taste of the Jalisco specialty in St. Louis, you need only head to Tacos La Jefa. Primarily open on Saturdays inside the Urban Eats incubator in Dutchtown, the pop-up taco stand serves quesabirria and both chicken and beef birria – available in tacos or as a plate – from a recipe that’s been passed down for generations. It all started with Heriberta Amescua, a Guadalajara native who started making traditional birria at area Mexican festivals and at regular gatherings in her own backyard nearly 20 years ago – long before TikTok found it – before fulfilling a longtime dream to open her own brick-and-mortar restaurant. Sadly, Amescua passed away in April, but her family continues to honor her legacy by keeping the spirit of Tacos La Jefa alive, one birria taco at a time. (Photo by Jennifer Silverberg)
Tacos La Jefa (located inside Urban Eats), 3301 Meramec St., Dutchtown, St. Louis, Missouri, facebook.com/tacoslajefaSTL
Tempus
A product of its time, Tempus opened for takeout only in The Grove in October 2020. Here, proper, straightforward execution translates into purposeful, genuine hospitality and craveable, comforting food. Through careful consideration of the most efficient, effective and appealing ways to box and bag each dish for carryout, Tempus was still able to delight diners without the dine-in experience. James Beard semifinalist and Culinary Olympian Ben Grupe says that operating his own place has been extremely gratifying, but it’s more than that: This is his opportunity to pursue his goals for the restaurant industry while allowing his team to present their own ideas in a collaborative and inclusive kitchen. The teamwork – and the fact that Tempus hasn’t pigeonholed itself with one style of food – is apparent in the range of sensational seasonal dishes such as beets with whipped fennel, salted strawberry and granola; maitake mushrooms with caramelized onion, horseradish and whey soubise; and the beef rib with au gratin potatoes, pot roast carrots and cipollini onion. The dining room at Tempus is now open Wednesday through Saturday by reservation only, but no matter where you enjoy your meal, the standards of food and service never falter. (Photo by Jennifer Silverberg)
Tempus, 4370 Manchester Ave., The Grove, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.349.2878, tempusstl.com
Terror Tacos
Horror meets heavy metal at the newest vegan restaurant on South Grand Boulevard in St. Louis. The first restaurant from brothers Bradley Roach and Brian Roash, who spell their last names differently, Terror Tacos provides a completely different experience than other plant-based restaurants, which usually champion love, happiness and bright colors. “That has its place in this world,” Roach says, “but that’s not who we are.” As you wait in line to order, take notice of the setting, where heavy metal plays loudly over the speakers and décor items, such as room number 237 on the basement door, reference some of the owners’ favorite films. “We’re putting ourselves out there,” Roash says. “It’s like an art installation in a lot of ways: You don’t know how people are going to react because there’s nothing else like it.” Whether you appreciate the theme or not, the tacos are indisputably delicious. The recipes have been refined, and right now, the birria tacos with housemade seitan marinated in vegan consommé are in high demand. Packed with meaty, textured plant-based proteins, the Citrus Mistress (spicy “chorizo” topped with pineapple-mango salsa) and the Carnage Asada (peppered “carne asada” with diced onion, guacamole and cilantro) also appeal to all eaters. Having only scratched the surface of what’s possible at Terror Tacos, the brothers hope to expand with more locations as well as realize other equally distinctive concept ideas. (Photo by J. Pollack Photography)
Terror Tacos, 3191 S. Grand Blvd., Tower Grove South, St. Louis, Missouri, 314.260.9996, terrortacos.com
Timothy’s The Restaurant
Driving down Olive Boulevard in St. Louis County, all the plazas and chains start to blend together, but one restaurant, in particular, is worthy of a stop. Timothy’s The Restaurant – the brainchild of friends and industry veterans Steven Manns, Tim Metz and Sean Olson – provides an upscale dining experience that’s unparalleled in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Upon entering the space, a genuine greeting makes guests feel at home, and the thoughtful décor and elegant tablescapes hint at the impeccable meal to come. Metz refers to the cuisine as elevated American, and familiar ingredients, expert execution and a pinch of magic come together for dishes such as the decadent lobster pot pie, truffle mac ‘n’ cheese and carrot cake fritters poised on top of cream cheese frosting. Since the restaurant opened in August, the wine list has grown; there are approximately 220 quality bottles on the menu right now, giving guests plenty of pairing options. Despite a general lack of floor personnel and a struggling standard of service across the dining industry, Manns ensures that the staff at Timothy’s is attentive and accommodating, providing top-notch service that feels natural and effortless. (Photo by J. Pollack Photography)
Timothy’s The Restaurant, 12710 Olive Blvd., Creve Coeur, Missouri, 314.786.5301, timothysstl.com
Kasey Carlson
Former Digital editor
Kasey Carlson is the former digital editor of Feast Magazine. She loves to cook, is obsessed with plants and is on a quest to try every bao she can find.
Rachel Huffman
Rachel Huffman is the managing editor of Feast.
Heather Riske
Heather Riske is the former editor in chief of Feast.
These spots weathered the odds to bring something new and needed to our dining scenes.