What are your favorite casual Italian restaurants in St. Louis?
Last week, I got myself into a pickle. When listing some of my favorite ‘casual but nice’ restaurants, I veered into Italian waters when I mentioned such places as Acero, Pastaria, and Katie’s but failed to mention the likes of Sugo’s and Trattoria Marcella. I’m hoping to rectify that today by answering the above question. (Yes, I know—I’m likely only opening a bigger can of worms.)
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Like last week, the parameters are that they offer “entrées generally less than $20, beers for about $5, cocktails for slightly more, wine glasses for less than $10, and no dine-in pizza parlors.” In no particular order, here are my recommendations:
Sugo’s Spaghetteria, Babbo’s Spaghetteria, and Tavolo V: They’re all similar concepts from chef Mike Del Pietro, who built a restaurant empire on the shoulders of two dishes—a brick-size slab of lasagna and an equally generous spaghetti and meatballs, both about $11 when first introduced. (They’re $12–$13 now—and still a bargain.)
Zia’s: Hoards of St. Louisans believe Zia’s is the best Italian restaurant on The Hill and across town. That’s debatable, of course, but whether it’s a very good value is not.
Guido’s and Anthonino’s: They’re both hybrids, the former an Italian/Spanish restaurant and the latter an Italian/Greek eatery. They’re also both worthy contenders, located on different sides of The Hill.
Porano: Gerard Craft’s first foray into the fast-casual model is as creative and well-executed as one would expect (and Michael Petres’ Detroit-style pizza is some of the best in town).
Trattoria Marcella and Marcella’s Mia Sorella: Steve and Jamie Komorek have set the standard for “value-priced, quality Italian food” in this city for decades.
Pietro’s: The decades-old South Side institution offers Old School Italian at Old School prices.
Rich and Charlie’s: This iconic, locally owned chain is now 50 years old. The South County and Crestwood locations have liquor licenses, but the Woods Mill location does not; customers, may, however bring their own wine.
Vito’s Sicilian Pizza & Ristorante: The central location, broad menu, and inexpensive prices hit the trifecta at Vito LaFata III’s midtown restaurant.
Sapore: Sit on the patio at Paul Buzzetta’s Kirkwood gem, and order the spot-on seafood linguine (Linguette Sapori del Mare). Bonus points for the made-in-house Italian bread.
Benedetto’s on Main: Buzzetta’s brother Tony operates this Wildwood restaurant, your best bet for casual Italian in the far suburbs.
Vincenzo’s: This hidden gem in Ferguson is owned by the Lonero family, who also own Ferguson Brewing and Cork Wine Bar.
Filomena’s: After seven years, customers still love Ken and Filomina Dean’s tiny joint in a former Fox Photo in Glendale. Lauded as the best inexpensive Italian restaurant in St. Louis, the Deans call it, “gourmet Italian at carryout prices.”
Peno: Pepe Kehm’s blackboard menu changes daily, and devotees can’t wait to see what the opinionated Sicilian has in store that day.
Onesto: Most customers opt for the pizza, but the pasta menu is also worth consideration, with most pastas priced at $18 (including a house or Caesar salad).
Fratelli’s: As dining critic Dave Lowry put it, Fratelli’s is “affordable, enjoyable, and dependably good. From the giant Tuscany vista murals to the scratch-made sauces, it doesn’t get more ‘St. Louis Italian’”—even though it’s in St. Charles.
The Pasta House Pronto: The Lasagna al Forno and Fresta’s Italian Chef salad can feed two people quickly and respectably for less than $20.
Farotto’s: The Rock Hill institution is widely known for its St. Louis-style pizza (perhaps the thinnest crust in town), but it also serves up pastas, salads, and a very good meatball sandwich. On a nice day, be sure to sit on the sprawling louvered patio, one of two in town.
The Gianino Family of Restaurants: Joey B’s, Billy G’s, Frankie G’s… The list goes on. The restaurants serve up a popular mix of American and Italian dishes, and Billy G’s has one of the best patios around.
In this Italian food-loving town, I undoubtedly missed other worthy restaurants that meet the above parameters. Post your recommendations in the comments section below.
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