What Food Is St. Louis Known For? 13 Famous Foods

Looking for the famous St. Louis foods and the best places to eat them? You’re in the right place!

If you’re a foodie who thinks St. Louis, MO, is just a flyover city with a big arch, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by this news: The St. Louis food scene is thriving!

I admit, when my husband and I decided to stop in the St. Louis area on our recent cross-country journey, I envisioned seeing the Gateway Arch, eating a few ribs, and off we’d go.

As it turned out, we found so many delicious foods in St. Louis, I didn’t want to leave!

What Food Is St. Louis Known For?

The signature dish of the Gateway City is St. Louis ribs. But there are many more foods invented in St. Louis you won’t want to miss, like Provel cheese, Red Hot Riplets, and the St. Louis Slinger, just to name a few.

Digging into the St. Louis cuisine, we found culinary specialties with influences from German, Asian, and Italian cuisines.

Some of the best foods from St. Louis combine elements from these cuisines with local ingredients to create truly unique dishes such as the St. Paul Sandwich, toasted ravioli, and gooey butter cake.

We had ambitious plans to eat it all, and we succeeded! As a result, we’re now able to make it simple for you to find the best food in St. Louis too!

Foods St. Louis is Known For

We had a simple yet passionate mission: Find the famous foods St. Louis is known for and the best places to eat them.

In order to accomplish our mission, we asked a lot of local servers, Uber and Lyft drivers, foodies, and restaurateurs for their recommendations.

Not all suggestions made the cut, but after much gorging, we selected the foods that best represented the essence of the city. Here they are.

1. St. Louis Ribs 

The most famous food St. Louis is known for, St. Louis ribs

Saint Louis–style ribs are hands down the most famous food St. Louis is known for. They are a bucket list food indeed!

The term “St. Louis ribs” refers to the type of ribs themselves, not the BBQ method or sauce.

In the 1930s, the meat packers of St. Louis developed a meaty rectangular spare rib. Because most of the meat packers in the U.S. were located in St. Louis at the time, they dubbed the spare ribs “Saint Louis–style ribs.”

A perfectly cooked slab of St. Louis ribs produces tender meat that falls off the bone. BBQ aficionados debate over which is better, baby back ribs or St. Louis style. In this city, there’s only one correct answer.

Where To Eat St. Louis Ribs in St. Louis? 

Voted best barbecue ribs in America by Food Network, there’s no better place to try this most famous St. Louis food than Pappy’s Smokehouse.

I happen to agree—I’ve eaten BBQ at some of the most iconic spots across the United States, and I haven’t found a better place. Pappy’s is truly one of the top spots at which to eat in St. Louis, MO. I also thought the prices were a bargain!

At Pappy’s, we shared a full slab with two sides for under $30. And there were a wide array of side dishes to choose from: coleslaw, green beans, potato salad, baked beans, fries, sweet potato fries, and fried corn on the cob.

Pappy’s Smokehouse: 3106 Olive St, St. Louis, MO 63103

2. St. Louis–Style BBQ

Most St. Louis BBQ restaurants make a variety of barbecue sauces.

St. Louis ribs are not the only thing barbecued in St. Louis.

Other popular cuts of meat at local barbecue restaurants include brisket, burnt ends, rib tips, snoots (pig noses), and pork steak.

Pork steaks are a St. Louis thing. They come from the shoulder (a rather inexpensive cut of meat) and are not the same as pork chops, which come from the more expensive loin.

Whatever the meat cut, if it’s St. Louis barbecue, it will be grilled then sauced and most likely served with white bread.

The traditional sauce will be sweet with a tomato base, and many of the best restaurants will sell their own brand to take home. Of course, Pappy’s sells a delicious version.

St. Louisans take their barbecue sauce seriously. In fact, they consume more bbq sauce per capita than any other U.S. city! In a country famous for so many types of bbq—North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Memphis, and Kansas City, to name a few—that’s quite impressive!

Where To Eat St. Louis-Style BBQ in St. Louis?

St. Louis famous food places excel in the barbecue category. In addition to Pappy’s, above, and Salt + Smoke, below, Sugarfire Smoke House, with a whole slew of awards under their belt, should also be on your St. Louis bbq restaurant list.

Sugarfire Smoke House: 605 Washington Ave, St. Louis, MO 63101

3. St. Paul Sandwich 

Shrimp St. Paul sandwich at Mai Lee Restaurant in St. Louis

The name is not a typo, the St. Paul sandwich is indeed a St. Louis original.

Invented by Steven Yuen at a Chinese restaurant near downtown St. Louis in the 1940s, the St. Paul sandwich is an early example of Asian fusion cuisine.

The main component of this famous St. Louis food is the fried egg foo young patty. It resembles an eggy fritter filled with your choice of protein—I loved the shrimp—or you can keep it plain.

The egg foo young is topped with tomato, pickles, lettuce, bean sprouts, and mayonnaise, and sits between two slices of white bread.

I have to say, of all of the St. Louis foods, this one surprised me the most. It was one of the best sandwiches I’ve had in a long, long time—and definitely THE best sandwich I’ve ever had on white bread.

Be sure to have one when you’re in town. This is one of those things you can only get in St. Louis!

Where To Eat a St. Paul Sandwich in St. Louis?

The best place for a St. Paul sandwich in St. Louis is Mai Lee.

They have a whole section of their menu dedicated to different St. Pauls, and they’re all priced between $6.95 and $9.95. So, if you’re looking for cheap places to eat in St. Louis, you have found a great choice!

Mai Lee: 8396 Musick Memorial Dr, Brentwood, MO 63144 

4. Toasted Ravioli

Toasted ravioli, a food invented in St. Louis by accident

There are a couple of things I find interesting about this St. Louis food. First, the name “toasted ravioli” is a misnomer. They are not toasted but fried, therefore they should really be called “fried ravioli.”

Second, like some of my favorite French foods, toasted raviolis began as an accident. A young chef at an Italian-American restaurant in The Hill section of St. Louis accidentally dropped a ravioli in hot oil—they have been a locals’ favorite ever since.

However, truth be told, toasted ravioli are not my personal favorite St. Louis famous food. Don’t get me wrong, they’re not bad. They’re just not up there in my great lifetime experiences of food exploration, and I love traditional raviolis.

But since they are one of the St. Louis essential foods, you should try them. They will most likely be covered in garlic butter and parmesan cheese, and you’ll probably like them more than I did.

Where To Eat Toasted Ravioli in St. Louis?

Salt + Smoke is one of the places to eat in St. Louis, MO, and they have a decent toasted ravioli filled with burnt ends.

Salt + Smoke has multiple locations. If you’re staying in downtown St. Louis, there are two to consider:

There is one on the Delmar Loop adjacent to the Chuck Berry statue: 6525 Delmar Blvd, St Louis, MO 63130

The other one is at the center of Ballpark Village overlooking Busch Stadium: 501 Clark Ave, St. Louis, MO 63102

5. St. Louis-Style Pizza 

The key ingredient of St. Louis-style pizza is the provel cheese — The key ingredient of St. Louis–style pizza is Provel cheese.

America loves pizza, the iconic dish from Naples, Italy. Yet there is no doubt that in the U.S. so many cities and states have created their own style of pizza.

We have covered deep-dish in Chicago, braided honey crust in Colorado, inventive pizzas from California, and the classic slices of New York City. Now, come to find out, St. Louis has its very own unique pizza style too.

Seriously, when asking “What is St. Louis famous for?” I never expected pizza to be on the list!

There are four distinguishing characteristics of St. Louis-style pizzas: #1. The yeast-free cracker-thin crust that’s even way thinner than Roman-style pizza. #2. The sweet tomato sauce. #3. Provel cheese. #4. The pizza is cut into small squares.

The most important ingredient of the pizza is the Provel cheese, a staple of St. Louis cuisine. This unique combination of provolone, Swiss, and white cheddar creates a buttery flavor, low melting temperature, and gooey texture.

Where To Eat St. Louis Style Pizza in St. Louis?

There are lots of great pizza places in St. Louis, but Imo’s is the number one seller of Provel-laden St. Louis style. They have over 15 locations across the city; the one given below is a good one to try in the downtown area.

Imo’s Pizza: 5806 Hampton Ave, Saint Louis, MO 63109

Or, if you need to convince yourself that St. Louis pizza is a bona fide type of Italian food, head to The Hill, where you’ll find the best Italian cuisine in the city. At Guido’s Pizzeria, you can sample all sorts of Italian fare in addition to the hometown pizza specialty.

Guido’s Pizzeria: 5046 Shaw Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110

6. Hot Salami Sandwich 

The hot salami sandwich at Gioia's Deli, a STL foodie favorite — The hot salami sandwich at Gioia's Deli, an STL foodie favorite

I was raised on salami sandwiches. In elementary school, other kids brought a lunch box with PB&J; my box contained salami. Was I really supposed to get excited about a salami sandwich in St. Louis?

Well, my husband was, so I humored him. Turns out he was right! (How I hate to put that in print:)

For starters, the homemade salami was unlike anything I was used to. It was moist, seasoned perfectly, and cut thicker than typical Genoa salami (like 10x thicker), and, of course, it was heated.

We had it on Italian bread squirted with oil and vinegar, and St. Louis–style—with Provel cheese. Topped with lettuce, tomatoes, olives, pickles, onions, pepperoncinis, and giardiniera, our sandwich turned out to be quite a monster—and so delicious!

Where To Eat a Hot Salami Sandwich in St. Louis?

If you have a hankering for Italian food, you now know the St. Louis Hill restaurants serve the best in town.

And in The Hill, if you want a hot salami sandwich, there’s only one clear choice: Gioia’s Deli. Every STL foodie knows that this has been THE place for hot salami in St. Louis for over 100 years!

Gioia’s Deli: 1934 Macklind Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110 

7. Frozen Custard Concrete 

Ted Drewes frozen custard concrete is served upside down.

As a lover of all things ice cream, I knew right off the bat that this was a St. Louis traditional food I could get behind. As for how this treat fits into the pantheon of America’s favorite frosty desserts, here’s a quick timeline on the evolution of ice cream, frozen custard, and concrete:

In 1904, ice cream cones debuted at the St. Louis World’s Fair.

In 1919, two brothers in Coney Island, NY, added egg yolks to ice cream creating an even creamier treat, frozen custard.

In 1931, Ted Drewes opened the first frozen custard stand in St. Louis.

In 1959, Ted Drewes took things even further and invented concrete, a custard shake so thick it is served upside down.

In 2008, the ice cream cone was named the official dessert of Missouri.

Where To Eat Concrete in St. Louis?

If you’re guessing Ted Drewes Frozen Custard is the best place for a cool cup of concrete, you’re right! You can create your own concoctions from a long list of fruits, candies, and sauces, or try one of their tried and true originals.

Don’t worry if you see long lines. They move quickly and the short wait will give you time to figure out your own particular order, which can be quite agonizing, especially for first-timers. I wisely chose brownie and caramel.

Ted Drewes Frozen Custard: 6726 Chippewa St, St. Louis, MO 63109

8. Gooey Butter Cake

Gooey butter cake, one of the most scrumptious foods in St. Louis, MO

Another food accident—and another food in St. Louis I fell head over heals for!

Legend has it that gooey butter cake was accidentally invented by a German baker in St. Louis who inadvertently reversed the proportions of butter and flour for a plain cake.

Another story has the accident taking place at the same bakery but features an apprentice who mistakenly used the sticky butter smears intended for making Danishes instead of the deep butter smears called for when making coffee cake.

Whatever really happened, the cakes sold out, so the baker continued to make them. More than one local baker soon copied the original bestsellers.

Today, classic gooey butter cake is one of the most popular desserts at St. Louis restaurants, and with good reason: It’s absolutely scrumptious!

Where To Eat Gooey Butter Cake in St. Louis?

Some bakeries get creative with flavors, adding ingredients like macadamia nuts, raspberries, chocolate, and caramel. Park Avenue Coffee has 73 different varieties, but try the traditional first!

Park Avenue Coffee: 521 Olive St, St. Louis, MO 63101

9. Slinger

This classic St. Louis food sounds like an elaborate hangover cure—hash browns topped with hamburger or sausage patties, eggs, chili, cheese, and chopped raw onion.

Maybe that’s why the slinger is the late night food St. Louis college students love to eat at 3 am when the bars close.

Make no mistake, you don’t have to be a college student or even live in University City to enjoy one of these Gateway City originals. Lots of local St. Louis restaurants serve slingers all day long.  

Where To Eat a Slinger in St. Louis?

If you want a great place for a St. Louis slinger, find a greasy spoon. It seems there is an inverse relationship between fanciness and the quality of slingers.

After the closure of the Eat-Rite Diner, the locals’ clear favorite slinger breakfast in St. Louis is the one offered at Courtesy Diner. The diner claims to have actually had a hand in inventing the dish, although there are other claims as well.

Perhaps the biggest reason to try Courtesy Diner is that it won the distinction of “best hole-in-the-wall diner in Missouri”! 

Courtesy Diner: 1121 Hampton Ave, Saint Louis, MO 63139 

10. Red Hot Riplets

Red Hot Riplets, one of the most popular St. Louis snacks

Of all the St. Louis things to eat, this one is the most easily obtainable. I bought my fist pack at a gas station!

What are Red Hot Riplets? They are spicy ridged potato chips created by Old Vienna. The fieriness of the chili powder is tamed (somewhat) by the sweetness of barbecue seasoning.

As one of the most iconic St. Louis snacks, Red Hot Riplets are not only enjoyed as a stand-alone nibble but are being used as an ingredient in other local fare.

Chefs crumble them onto sandwiches, hot dogs, and mac n’ cheese. Imo’s Pizza is even coating chicken wings with them. But for me, the best way to eat them is straight from the bag.

Where To Eat Red Hot Riplets in St. Louis?

You can buy Red Hot Riplets at grocery stores, gas stations, and sandwich shops throughout St. Louis, Missouri, and the surrounding area.

11. Gerber Sandwich

Gerber sandwich, the way St. Louisans eat ham and cheese

There is no dispute where the Gerber Sandwich originated: the local, family-owned Ruma’s Deli in South St. Louis.

The sandwich was named after Dick Gerber who lived next door to the deli. The Rumas often allowed Mr. Gerber into the kitchen to make his own lunch. He prepared an open-faced sandwich on Italian bread.

He spread the bread with garlic butter and topped it with ham, provolone, and a sprinkle of paprika, then toasted it to melt the cheese. Think St. Louis–style Croque Monsieur.

The sandwich became a sensation when Ruma’s Deli’s husband-and-wife team added the Gerber to their menu and used the city’s beloved Provel cheese as part of their recipe.

Where To Eat a Gerber Sandwich in St. Louis?

As with every other original St. Louis food, the Gerber has been imitated, with many delis and sandwich shops offering their own version. If you’d like to try the original, Ruma’s is still going strong.

Ruma’s Deli: 1395 Covington Manor Ln, St. Louis, MO 63125

Bonus St. Louis Foods

For those with a sweet tooth, I have two outstanding treats to add to our list. They are not necessarily famous foods from St. Louis, but the locals sure love them.

Sticky toffee pudding at Schlafly’s Tap Room, one of the best desserts in St. Louis, MO

First is the Sticky Toffee Pudding at Schlafly Tap Room. If you want a good reason other than beer to visit a local brewery, you now have one. At Schlafly, the warm, super moist sponge cake made from dates sits in a pool of toffee sauce with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Schlafly Tap Room: 2100 Locust St, St. Louis, MO 63103

The second sweet treat is Merb’s Candies. Merb’s has been a locals’ favorite for chocolates and sweets since 1921. When bionic apples (giant granny smith apples) are in season, a caramel apple from Merb’s is a must!

Merb’s Candies: 4000 S Grand Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63118