More a thick, soft ridged chip than a traditional French fry, the buffalo fries at Blueberry Hill are a stunning, well-seasoned delight. Encrusted in Buffalo seasoning and fried to a gorgeous orange hue, they beg to be dipped in a side of the restaurant’s chunky blue cheese. 6504 Delmar, University City.
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You’d think there’s nothing that could improve upon Boylard’s beef tallow fried frites. Then you give them a dunk in the restaurant’s black garlic aioli and realize it is, in fact, possible to perfect perfection. 2733 Sutton, Maplewood.
Brasserie by Niche is the quintessential French spot, so it’s no wonder that the Central West End restaurant nails the quintessential French side dish: pomme frites. Thin, crispy, and served with a side of classic aioli, they’re delicious alongside a steak but just as good on their own. 4580 Laclede.
Although it’s difficult to top the mouthwatering burgers and silken shakes at Hi-Pointe Drive-In, the restaurant’s calling card just may be its Belgian-style frites. Hand-cut to a medium thickness, deep-fried and liberally coated in salt, these fries have a positively fluffy exterior that will leave you speechless. Multiple locations.
Unadorned, the fries at Jack Nolen’s are perfectly good, batter-style frites. They become positively otherworldly, however, when gilded with deeply savory brown gravy, then smothered in pungent blue cheese crumbles. Known as the Bluetine, it’s reason enough for a visit to this Soulard gem. 2501 S. 9th.
You may come to Planter’s House for the cocktails, but sipping on one of the bar’s libations while noshing on its house fries makes the visit all the more extraordinary. The kitchen puts the same thought into its potatoes as the bar does in its drinks, offering them in either cacio e pepe, dill, or hot style. 1000 Mississippi.
Salt + Smoke’s brisket is extraordinary thanks to its succulent, fatty, bark-encrusted meat. Take that same flavor, fill it in a deep fryer, and dip your basket of fries in it, and you wonder why people cook potatoes any other way. Multiple locations.
For 10 years, this Carondelet neighborhood eatery has been dazzling diners with its creative “if you can think it, you can put it on a burger” philosophy. While the toppings can be rather wild, the fries lean classic, offering that perfect, hand-cut, salty accompaniment to whatever inspires you that day. 7637 Ivory, Carondelet.
At this elegant Chesterfield Valley restaurant, French fries might not be the first thing you consider ordering when you first peek at the seasonally inspired menu. Chef Matthew Glickert’s duck fat and truffle fries have the same high-end feel as the rest of his offerings, though—you’ll feel no shame ordering a side of them to go with your Manhattan. 127 Chesterfield Towne Center, Chesterfield.
Chef Cary McDowell has made it his mission to serve the perfect form of classic dishes, and his fries are no exception. These stunning tubers are the result of a painstaking, multi-step process that yields flawless, thick golden beauties that are crispy on the outside, yet cloudlike on the inside. They don’t get better than this rendition. 7624 Wydown, Clayton.
