Asian

Haley S., M1

Even though you might not associate dim sum with St. Louis, you should definitely check out Mandarin House! The menu is authentic and expansive, serving everything from boba, to shrimp dumplings, vegetable soup, and orange chicken. Furthermore, the venue is quite large, so it’s great for both small gatherings and large groups. If you want the full dim sum experience, I would recommend going for the weekend lunch special and make sure to order the steamed pork buns!

Anthony W., M1

Despite the fact that St. Louis is located in the Midwest, there is surprisingly a good variety of Vietnamese restaurants, specifically for phở. My current top two recommendations include Phở Grand and Phở Long for two separate reasons. On one hand, Phở Grand has a very diverse menu with many great dishes including, but not limited to, phở. The phở specifically has a flavorful broth and is priced reasonably for the quantity of noodles and meat provided. It will definitely quench your craving for phở without leaving you feeling unnecessarily full and/or greasy from the broth. Meanwhile, Phở Long has a smaller menu but really focuses on the phở. The broth itself is pretty flavorful, though somewhat lacking compared to Phở Grand, however the quantity of noodles and meat provided for the given price is higher than that of Phở Grand. Likewise, to note, the broth isn’t very heavy with oil. If you are looking for phở that, at a very slight cost in quality, is cheap with large portions, I would highly recommend Phở Long.

Mac E., M1

While BBQ and ribs are a staple of the St. Louis diet, if you’re looking for something off the beaten path, ramen is a great refresher to your restaurant routine. My personal favorite ramen at Nami is the Original Tonkatsu.

Don’t go to Addie’s, let Addie’s come to you — they’re a heavy rotation favorite at WUSM lunch talks.

A WashU undergrad and WUSM student favorite featuring inventive cuisine from the Dongbei region of northeast China.

Handmade dumplings, hand-pulled noodles swimming in soul fortifying broth, and quality boba, to boot. The perfect lunch spot to warm you up on a chilly day.

Northern Thai cuisine, and hands down the best Thai in the city — get the Khao Soi!

This Filipino restaurant started as a food truck and has really taken over with its multiple brick and mortar locations. You really can’t go wrong here, but the Bicol Express is bomb.

If you can scrape together the coin then OMG go here. Upscale, novel Southeast Asian cuisine, plus the best sushi in town.

Serving “cup bop,” Korean barbecue served over rice in a large froyo-style cup.

The go-to Korean bakery for classic cakes, red bean buns, chicken curry buns, and light, fluffy Korean breads. Right next to Addie’s Thai House.

Fresh Asian comfort food. Vegan-friendly. Make-your-own rice paper wraps.

More Olivette dim sum, plus other Chinese dishes.

Right off the MetroLink. Incredible pork buns and banh xeo, belly-warming phở, and their banh mi are a steal at $4. (Pro tip: Pick some Mai Lee banh mi before attending one of St. Louis’ many free, outdoor picnic-style events). Qui (@phokingqui on insta — he has a sense of humor) and his family put their heart and soul into this place and his new venture, Nudo House.

The go-to for dim sum on a Sunday morning along this strip of Olive Street Road home to many Asian restaurants and grocers.

Five minutes from campus, east on Forest Park, for a closer bite.

A 10-minute drive from campus, with lots of seating and food options (including a renowned spicy ramen).

Handcrafted ramen, with a broth informed by one of Japan's leading ramen chefs.

Contender for best phở in the city with plenty of other non-phở options.

Very phở-centric Vietnamese restaurant.

Best Indian food in town! Quite a bit fancier than the other options. Craving Indian buffet-style dining for lunch? Rasoi has you covered, and you barely have to step outside to get there from campus.

Delicious, affordable Afghani food with reliably good kabobs.

Affordable, fast-casual, Korean-Mexican fusion, popular with WashU undergrads.

Craving Taiwanese? Tai Ke, St. Louis’ first 100% Taiwanese restaurant is incredible. Try the Gua Bao (pork belly bun).

Craving Thai? Don’t want to leave CWE? The lunch talk was pizza? As your closest solution, Thai 202 will be your hero.

St. Louis’ only Taiwanese bakery, which sells Taiwanese bolo buns, umami burst bread (with miso), naisu milk buns, and crispy orange buns. Also has boba, fruit milk, and coffee.