Best new restaurants in St. Louis 2024

On the heels of choosing the best restaurants in St. Louis, George Mahe and Cheryl Baehr share their top picks from the past year. Read more about their top 10 list below, and listen and follow Arch Eats on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever podcasts are available.

This episode is sponsored by Gateway Arch Park Foundation.

Winterfest, presented by Bank of America and World Wide Technology, is open downtown through December 31. Experience ice skating, s’mores, and igloos; grab a bite to eat from Chef Juwan Rice at the Winterfest Cafe. Warm up with a delicious beverage from Pour Decisions, and check out Downtown’s newest holiday pop-up bar, The Lodge at Winterfest.

August the Mansion

In a Nutshell: Located in a stunningly renovated historic mansion in O’Fallon, Illinois, this elevated seasonal American restaurant from first-time restaurateurs Candice and Justin Mills is one of the most brilliant additions to the metro east’s dining scene in recent memory.
Dish: Chef and Niche alum Jessica Hickman’s menu is familiar and comforting with enough interest to keep it exciting. Her menu changes seasonally, but a regular standout is the vibrant Peruvian chicken.
Insider Tip: While the restored interior is gorgeous, August the Mansion also boasts incredible outdoor spaces with fire pits for cooler temperatures. 680 Mansion Way, O’Fallon, Illinois, Metro East, 618-607-8040.

Brasas

In a Nutshell: Like his brilliant debut in St. Charles, the ceviche-inspired Jalea, Andrew Cisneros’ sophomore effort in the Delmar Loop is a celebration of his Peruvian culture.
Dish: When you taste Cisneros’ shockingly delicious pollo a la brasa, you understand why he based an entire restaurant upon it. Crispy skin, vibrant citrus accents, and juicy meat make it some of the best chicken in town. Pair it with the potatoes cooked in chicken drippings for a transcendent experience.
Insider Tip: Although the restaurant looks informal—and is—it’s so popular that it can be hard to snag a table. Reservations are not only accepted, but they are also highly encouraged. 6138 Delmar, Skinker DeBaliviere, 314-256-1937.

Dinar

In a Nutshell: Husband-and-wife team Ahmed and Dalia Almedee got their start selling Iraqi food out of their South City store, Caesar’s Supermarket. They’ve built upon that success with a brick-and-mortar spot in West County that features incredible Middle Eastern fare and excellent rotisserie chicken.
Dish: Dinar’s menu boasts well-executed versions of classic Middle Eastern dishes, such as shawarma, kabobs, and falafel, but the standout is the ground beef kebob, which is beautifully seasoned, succulent, and kissed with grill char.
Insider Tip: Can’t decide on a first course? The five-in-one appetizer sampler is an embarrassment of riches and boasts some of the best hummusin the metro area. 15581 Manchester, Ballwin, 636-220-2204.

Esca

In a Nutshell: Chef/restaurateur Ben Poremba’s Esca is a stylish, delicious celebration of coastal Mediterranean cuisine, set inside the Delmar Maker District, one of the area’s most up-and-coming restaurant districts.
Dish: Starters include the strachiatella with honey and cracker-thin flatbread and a simple salad of freshly grown greens dressed with charcoal vinaigrette. For entrées, order the charcoal-grilled Amish chicken with herbes de Provence. Seriously.
Insider Tip: Esca is the first of Poremba’s five restaurants slated to open in the Delmar Maker District, so he wanted it to be spectacular. With its coal-fired oven and grill (the only ones in the city) and whimsical touches (butter service, a dessert cart, Gucci tiger-themed wallpaper), it is. 5095 Delmar, Academy, 314-365-2686.

Expat BBQ

In a Nutshell: James Beard Award-winning chef Gerard Craft’s ambitious, sprawling restaurant at City Foundry STL offers a globally inspired take on barbecue.
Dish: A menu with so many different flavors demands a world tour, which is exactly what Craft and company call their sampler platter. If you have to choose just one, however, the luscious pork shoulder, electrified with lime, ginger and fish sauce, is an exciting take on pulled pork.
Insider Tip: If you’ve followed Craft’s culinary career, then you know about Dia’s cheese bread, his version of pão de queijo or Brailian cheese bread that is a nod to his beloved childhood nanny. It makes an appearance on Expat’s menu and provides the perfect way to soak up some of the juices from the barbecue menu. 3730 Foundry Way, Midtown, 314-924-9728.

Neon Greens

In a Nutshell: Owner Josh Smith is pushing the notion of farm-to-table with his innovative, first-of-its-kind, customizable salad concept, which features greens grown on site and delivered to your plate via a conveyor belt from where they are harvested.
Dish: The Umami Crunch is an explosion of flavors (wild rice, garlicky cucumbers, roasted broccoli, daikon kimchi, edamame “hummus,” carrot-jicama slaw, furikake, and marinated tofu) layered onto mizuna and kale dressed in a spicy gochujang vinaigrette.
Insider Tip: The neon in the name comes from the grow lights in the 40-by-8-foot hydroponic indoor garden where the greens grow. Other ingredients are locally produced and/or sustainably sourced with the seasons. 4176 Manchester, Forest Park Southeast, 314-899-0400.

No Ordinary Rabbit

In a Nutshell: Veteran chef/restaurateur Steve Gontram (Harvest, Five Star Burgers) teamed up with his longtime beverage manager to open this Mediterranean-inflected small restaurant and cocktail bar in Botanical Heights, which has quickly become one of the city’s hot spots.
Dish: The Moroccan fry bread that accompanies the restaurant’s various dip offerings is no mere bread service. Gontram notes that once word of its greatness spreads, people will travel across town for it. One bite of this masterpiece, and you’ll understand why.
Insider Tip: The funky name comes from a line in the cult classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail. 1621 Tower Grove, Botanical Heights, 314-696-2010.

Osteria Forto

In a Nutshell: For 20 years, Fortunato Pietoso was the culinary force in the kitchen at his brother’s restaurant, Café Napoli. Now, he’s back in action with a place of his own: an upscale Italian restaurant that brings a higher-end style of dining to the western side of St. Charles County.
Dish: Beautifully executed Italian favorites abound, but the pork rib chop saltimbocca, accented with prosciutto, fontinella cheese, and white wine sage sauce, is a standout.
Insider Tip: While many assume fresh pasta is superior, Pietoso and his team tested a variety of pastas and found they liked the dried La Molisana in Molise, Italy, the best. 2509 Highway K, O’Fallon, Missouri, 636-294-1435.

Sauci Pasta

In a Nutshell: Brothers Adam and Ben Alagna grew up in their family’s beloved restaurant, Fratelli’s. They’ve taken that magic and applied it to fast-casual dining with a thrilling, customizable pasta restaurant that marries quality and convenience.
Dish: How do you serve lasagna in a fast-casual, made-to-order operation? The Alagna brothers solved this brilliantly with their deconstructed riff on the dish, featuring mafalda noodles, mushrooms, mozzarella and Provel, whipped ricotta, and mouthwatering meat sauce.
Insider Tip: The pesto is made with pepitas, making it one of the few nut-free versions of the dish in town. 1990 First Capitol, St. Charles, 636-757-3307.

Stew’s Food & Liquor

In a Nutshell: This wonderful addition to the Soulard dining scene combines the feel of an everybody-knows-your-name dive bar with outstanding cocktails and great Asian-inflected dishes.
Dish: Perhaps no dish encapsulates Stew’s dive bar-meets-Asian restaurant vibe than the Stew’s Way Chicken, a glorious platter of battered chicken tossed in Buffalo gochujang and smothered in mozzarella fondue.
Insider Tip: Stew’s is one of the most exciting late-night dining spots in town—and offers a 20 percent discount for hospitality workers—making it an industry gathering place. 1862 S. 10th, Soulard.

Telva at the Ridge

In a Nutshell: Loryn and Edo Nalic of Balkan Treat Box fame strike gold again with this delightful daytime café, which blends American breakfast and lunch classics with Balkan flavors. Bosnian coffee is also a focal point.
Dish: Telva’s brilliant Sloppy Mustafa toast, featuring moussaka seasoned beef, cheese and a runny egg, is like a Bosnian slinger.
Insider Tip: The name Telva refers to the grounds left at the bottom of a cup of traditional Bosnian coffee that are said to tell the future. 60 N. Gore, Webster Groves, 314-395-2760.

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