🔥Food

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

Budget-friendly groceries from the same German family that brought us Trader Joe’s.

You have to give St. Louis-style Italian a try while you’re here, and besides Zia’s, there are so many great options on the Hill. For more pasta, check out Cunetto’s or Anthonino's. For St. Louis-style Italian sandwiches, try the hot salami at Gioia’s or Adriana’s. Not sure if you’re craving Spanish or Italian? Check out Guido’s.

Where to Try It: St. Louis Bread Co. (try a chocolate chip bagel sliced like bread and dip it into plain or lite cream cheese ... maybe it will make you a convert).

A quick Google search will reveal the national controversy this tradition sparked a few years ago. Many of us St. Louisans grew up ordering our Bread Co. bagels “sliced like bread” or “bread sliced” (you call it Panera, but it is St. Louis Bread Co. here). This means the bagel is actually put in the bread slicing machine, and comes it out cut into many vertical slices (rather than the typical two horizontal slices). It’s great because you can dip your bagel slices into the cream cheese! Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it. We really don’t understand what all the drama is about.

Hey, Cassanova. Date going well and you want to take it to the next level? Set the mood with a nightcap at Bailey’s chocolate bar, where you and your soon-to-be boo can tuck into the Lover’s Plate, decadent chocolate desserts, cheese boards, and dessert martinis (with names like “The Sexual”) in just the right ambiance (think low lighting and red velvet curtains, the only thing missing is Marvin Gaye singing Let’s Get It On).

The only restaurant we know of where you can try the St. Louis backyard barbecue classic, barbecued pork steak. Great sauces, rotating sides, and your meal comes with a tortilla!

Free coffee, tea, and candy is available every day on the second floor of the med school’s library.

It’s on the Loop, near the Danforth Campus. They also have tasty pastries.

Adjacent to a beautiful nursery, if you want to buy some greenery after you eat.

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

Fairly upscale Italian restaurant that is a favorite for special occasions for many St. Louisans. It’s Hill-style Italian, but upgraded. For pasta, try the baked spaghetti with meatballs or the penne borghese, but their meat entrees are also delicious.

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.

Fresh pizza with lots of veggie topping options.

Dierbergs is another local grocer located in the same area as Target and Trader Joe’s. It has a great deli and a selection of in-house smoked meat. Similar to Schnucks but a bit more upscale, with more organic and locally grown options.

Close to campus and popular with WUSM students. Lively Tex-Mex with huge, affordable margaritas, and room for large groups. Plus, they’ll give you a free tequila shot and let you wear one of the sombreros on your birthday!

Where to Try It: Fitz’s in the Loop.

Right in the Loop, Fitz’s makes and bottles its own root beer, which you can order on site, topped with a heaping scoop of ice cream. You have to get through some of the ice cream before you even reach the soda.

Where to Try It: Ted Drewes (!!), Silky’s, Mr. Wizard’s.

Similar to a DQ Blizzard but creamier and richer. Ted Drewes is a scene on a summer night, and a great stop off after a Cards game or a trip to the City Museum (make sure you go to the South City location). If you need some help ordering, we love Brownies with Butterscotch or Tedads with Salted Caramel.

Where to Try It: Straub’s is a great place to buy it (they carry a few excellent brands); Park Avenue Coffee in Lafayette Square also makes great gooey butter. The Kaldi’s in the FLTC has gooey butter sometimes but it’s too much like coffee cake ... there are better options. 

Gooey butter is so good. A rich, sweet pastry square that will either be thin (arguably better because of the balanced ratio of topping to cake) or thick (more cake-like). Definitely try the original flavor before dabbling in the spin-offs like red velvet or chocolate chip.

Fried chicken, mac’n’cheese, burgers, barbecue, and collard greens. (The “three” means three sides.)

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.

Where to Try It: Gus’ in Benton Park ($5 minimum on credit cards).

A St. Louis institution has been selling hand twisted soft pretzels since 1920. They’ll even make party pretzels in large shapes and numbers for your special occasion.

Amazing pancakes and french toast, plus they put a tempura fried pickle spear on their bloody marys, soooo….

Late night hot cookies, delivered to your door.

Arguably the closest Asian market to campus.

Want a break from concretes or can’t make it to Ted Drewes this week? This Columbus, Ohio scoop shop has a branch in the CWE, bringing their WOW-so-good, cow-to-cone ice cream straight to study weary WUSM students.

John’s is a St. Louis institution, open from 11 p.m. through noon each day, so that John can feed the late night and early morning donut crowds. Get an apple fritter!

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

The FLTC location is right next to classrooms and carrels and is a popular meeting place. All locations are vegetarian friendly, and the FLTC location is fully vegetarian. The Euclid location is great for studying and has a mix of cozy/modern vibes. It’s a bit crowded during the weekend but in general, a great place to hang out with friends and get some work done!

Artisan Italian pizza (with fancy toppings), pasta, craft cocktails, watermelon/ricotta salata salad, and also a fried artichoke salad that is not to be missed.

Study-centric coffee shop on the corner of the Danforth Campus (right off a MetroLink stop), with cozy ski lodge vibes.

Good brunch, right in the heart of CWE’s Maryland Plaza.

The only chain that has made its way to STL. Great bubbles, good tea.

Burgers and shawarma close to campus.

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

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.

Fast-casual Puerto Rican, Dominican and Cuban food. Great rice bowls and Cuban sandwiches, plus bomb maduros y tostones.

Fast-casual Mediterranean food, fairly close to campus in Maryland Plaza.

Street tacos and excellent margs, popular with WUSM students. Late night happy hour specials include $2 tacos and $2 tequila shots after 10 p.m.

A bit of a walk from the CWE - Euclid, but their excellent coffee, laid-back atmosphere, and friendly baristas make it worthwhile.

Lovely date night spot by James Beard semifinalist Ben Poremba, offering upscale Mediterranean small plates on delicate china dishes, in a renovated 1930s Standard Oil filling station. In warm weather, sit under the string lights on their expansive but uncrowded patio. Try the smoked trout toast, hummus, roasted carrots, caponata, and freshly baked bread from their outdoor stone oven.

Reliable Asian supermarket; cash required for purchases under $10.

Memphis-style barbecue worth the sometimes long line — a true favorite in STL.

Gluten-free noodles can be substituted into any of their dishes.

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

This locally owned company is known for their deep dish, cornmeal crust pizza (though they also have gluten-free, whole grain and thin crust available, if deep dish ain’t your thang). The Western Addition, the Kirkwood, and the Southside Classico are great options to try. Obama liked Pi so much on his visit to St. Louis in 2008, he personally called the restaurant and invited the owners to the White House to cook for the first family, making Pi the first restaurant to prepare food for the White House. This prompted the owners to open a branch in D.C.

Excellent hot pastrami sandwiches, Cubans, reubens, soup, and deli sandwiches.

Where to Try It: On St. Louis-style pizza or salad (i.e., Imo’s), or buy some at Schnucks or Dierbergs.

Mention provel to newcomers and you will stir up some controversy. It's a processed cheese combination of cheddar, swiss, and provolone. It’s tangy and mild in flavor. When baked, it becomes creamy (similar to béchamel) and when cold, it has a soft, buttery consistency. Locals (including me) think it’s great on St. Louis-style salads and pizza; newbies are often disgusted. Keep an open mind … it’s better than nacho cheese, and people eat that without batting an eye.

Sit outside and people watch passersby in the Loop while you enjoy shawarma, salad and rice, and hookah if you wish. Huge portions (coming from someone with a big appetite), so if you want to stretch your pocketbook, plan on eating half and taking home leftovers!

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.