12 Famous St. Louis Foods That Locals Can’t Live Without

St. Louis style pizza on a wooden table.

What food is St. Louis known for? From an iconic breakfast dish to a legendary dessert (and everything in between), these are the famous St. Louis food dishes you’ll want to try when you visit the Gateway City.

St. Louis has a culinary scene that’s hard to beat, from gooey desserts to smoky BBQ. Whether you’re here to take in the views from the Arch, cheer for the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, or enjoy the city’s many free attractions, you’re going to get hungry. And when that happens, you need to know where to go to experience famous St. Louis foods.

A collage showcasing a variety of st. louis, missouri's must-try dishes, including gooey butter cake, pizza, toasted ravioli, and barbecued ribs.

What's Your Favorite St. Louis Food?

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Gooey Butter Cake
Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

1. Gooey Butter Cake

Cake for breakfast? Yes, please! In St. Louis, starting your day with a slice of gooey butter cake is practically a rite of passage. The origin of this iconic treat is a bit fuzzy, but it’s safe to say that Paula Deen didn’t invent it, despite her “original recipe” claims. The story goes that a baker accidentally doubled the butter in a cake recipe, resulting in a deliciously gooey custard atop a coffee cake base, all dusted with powdered sugar.

Best Places for Gooey Butter Cake:  Park Avenue Coffee and The Missouri Baking Company. Try the classic first, then try flavors like cherry, chocolate chip, and white chocolate raspberry.

Slinger at Eat Rite Diner
Photo Credit: Katherine Bish.

2. Slinger

Not to be confused with the chicken sandwiches sold nationwide at Sonic, a slinger is a greasy gut bomb that’s perfect for soaking up beer and booze after a night on the town to head off a massive hangover. Imagine a hamburger patty, two fried eggs, and hash browns smothered in chili, cheese, and onions. It’s greasy, messy, and perfect for soaking up whatever you drank the night before.

Best Places for Slingers: Dave’s Diner keeps it classic, while Rooster offers twists with andouille sausage or vegan options. The Mud House serves a vegetarian version, and Southwest Diner adds green chiles for a kick.

3. Mayfair Dressing

If you think Caesar dressing is the king, let me introduce you to its Midwestern cousin, Mayfair dressing. Mayfair dressing was born at the Mayfair Hotel in Missouri’s first five-star restaurant (now Magnolia St. Louis). Think of it as Caesar’s Midwestern cousin served on a heartier salad of romaine lettuce, Swiss cheese, ham, and croutons.

Where to Find Mayfair Dressing:  Magnolia St. Louis’s restaurant, Circa Pub & Grill, and The Original Crusoe’s. Or pour Mayfair dressing over your favorite salad at home by buying a bottle online or whipping it up from scratch with this recipe.

St. Paul sandwich at Mai Lee in St. Louis
Photo Credit: Mai Lee Restaurant.

4. St. Paul Sandwich

Along with sweet-and-sour chicken and fried rice, you can find the St. Paul sandwich on the menu at nearly every Chinese restaurant in St. Louis. It’s essentially a fried egg foo yong patty with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and mayo between two slices of white bread. Variations include shrimp, crab, chicken, and vegetarian options.

Best Places for St. Paul Sandwiches: Mai Lee is a top pick, because their version has been named one of the best sandwiches in the nation by Food Network. Old St. Louis Chop Suey and The Rice House also serve this famous St. Louis food.

Gerber Sandwich at Ruma's Deli in St. Louis
Photo Credit: Ruma's Deli.

5. Gerber Sandwich

This open-faced delight from Ruma’s Deli is like a French croque monsieur but with a St. Louis twist. It’s garlic bread topped with ham, Provel cheese (more on this famous food in a minute), and paprika — all toasted to perfection.

Where to Find Gerber Sandwiches: Get the original at Ruma’s Deli. While it holds a trademark on this scrumptious sammy, you might spot it on menus around town under different names.

A plate of toasted ravioli with marinara sauce
Photo Credit: Canva.

6. Toasted Ravioli

Imagine homemade ravioli, but breaded and deep-fried. This crispy delight, served with marinara sauce and Romano cheese, was invented in the Italian neighborhood known as The Hill.

Best Places for Toasted Ravioli: While you’ll find this beloved appetizer on menus across town, I highly recommend one of the Italian restaurants in The Hill. Although the chef and restaurant credited with this delicious invention are both long gone, you’re sure to enjoy the toasted ravioli appetizer at Charlie Gitto’s, Mama’s, and Zia’s.

7. Provel Cheese

When you think of places linked to delicious cheese,  Gouda, Parma, and Stilton might come to mind. Although not named for the city that made it famous, Provel is St. Louis’s signature cheese. It is a blend of cheddar, Swiss, and provolone with a touch of liquid smoke that tops St. Louis-style pizza with its melty goodness. What’s so special about this cheese blend? Its low melting point and lack of stringiness are life-changing on pizza!

8. St. Louis Style Pizza

It’s impossible to talk about Provel cheese without mentioning the St. Louis style of pizza. After all, Provel cheese was created specifically for the local take on pizza. St. Louis-style pizza features a thin, unleavened, cracker-like crust topped with Provel cheese and other toppings and then cut into squares. As one of the most famous St. Louis foods, it’s an experience you can’t miss.

Best Places for St. Louis Style Pizza:  Imo’s Pizza is the classic choice. They also serve toasted ravioli and Provel bites.

St Louis Style Ribs
Photo Credit: Canva.

9. St. Louis Style Ribs

Here in Kansas City, I’m used to a specific style of slow-cooked, smoked meats covered in tangy BBQ sauce — but St. Louis does barbecue in its own special way. It is all about pork, especially pork ribs trimmed into a perfect rectangle and smoked to perfection.

Best Places for St. Louis Style Ribs: Pappy’s Smokehouse is a favorite for classic ribs, while Sugarfire Smoke House offers a modern twist.

Barbecue pork steak at Sugarfire Smoke House in St. Louis
Photo Credit: Katherine Bish.

10. BBQ Pork Steak

While there is a distinct difference between the St. Louis and Kansas City styles of barbecue, both include a generous quantity of barbecue sauce. And this next famous St. Louis food is also smothered in it! Pork steak is seasoned, smoked, and slathered in tangy, tomato-based BBQ sauce. It’s messy, saucy, and oh-so-good.

Best Places for BBQ Pork Steak: Sugarfire Smoke House and The Original Crusoe’s are top picks. Don’t forget to try the Mayfair dressing on your salad at Crusoe’s!

Fun Fact: At a rate nearly double the national average, St. Louis consumes more barbecue sauce per capita than any other US city.

Ice cream and ice cream cones
Photo Credit: Canva.

11. Ice Cream Cone

Despite what you may have learned in school, the ice cream cone wasn’t invented in St. Louis. That doesn’t keep generations of locals from popularizing a local legend that an ice cream vendor at the 1904 World’s Fair ran out of paper cups and partnered with a waffle vendor to create a rolled cone. So when you need a sweet treat in St. Louie, grab a cone and pretend it’s 1904.

The chalkboard menu at Clementine's Naughty and Nice Creamery
Photo Credit: Sage Scott.

Best Places for Ice Cream: Clementine’s Naughty and Nice Creamery  offers both boozy and traditional flavors.  Boardwalk Waffles & Ice Cream is another great spot, serving ice cream between waffles. You’ll find gooey butter cake ice cream on the menu at either place.

12. Frozen Custard Concrete

A frozen custard concrete served upside down at Ted Drewes
Photo courtesy of Ted Drewes.

Like ice cream cones, St. Louis cannot take credit as the birthplace of frozen custard. But St. Louis can take full credit for inventing the concrete. Not “concrete” the building material, but “the concrete,” a famous St. Louis food. Made with frozen custard, this shake is so thick it’s served upside down. It left such a delicious impression on St. Louis native Danny Meyer, that it was his inspiration for the milkshake menu at Shake Shack

Best Places for Frozen Custard Concretes: Ted Drewes on historic Route 66 is the place to go. Even Shake Shack’s milkshake menu was inspired by Ted Drewes frozen custard.

A Bonus Tip

A colorful pyramid of TUMS
Photo Credit: Canva.

As you eat your way through St. Louis, keep a bottle of TUMS handy. After all, a local pharmacist invented them here in 1928 and they are still manufactured in the city.

What Are Your Favorite St. Louis Foods?

Do your taste buds prefer savory or sweet? What’s your favorite St. Louis food? Where’s your favorite place to eat it? Share your St. Louis food recommendations in the comments section below.

St. Louis Arch along the Mississippi River in St. Louis

Looking for more information to plan your St. Louis vacation? Check out my additional recommendations to help you plan your trip to St. Louis including what to see and do in St. Louis, the best places to stay in St. Louis, where to eat in St. Louis, and more!

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15 thoughts on “12 Famous St. Louis Foods That Locals Can’t Live Without”

  1. I have a conference coming up in St. Louis next month, and I came here looking for food ideas. This list did not disappoint! I am drooling thinking about those ribs.

  2. “St. Louis Style Pizza” — I think I counted over 10 US cities that claimed this as their “style”. Super thin, cut in squares… at least St. Louis has provel…. ? … ? (that’s a feature, right?)

    “St. Louis Style Ribs” — this one is just dumb.
    Cutting off the ends of something doesn’t make it a style.
    And if they have some special seasoning… isn’t that every bbq rib?

    Come on guys… we have way too many legitimate unique foods here. These two (esp the ribs) is just trying way too hard.

  3. Yes, hello! You had me at Gooey Butter Cake but then you threw in that Gerber sandwich and I was really sold. I need to get to St. Louis just to eat!

  4. I’m a Texas girl and I’ve always wanted to try St. Louis ribs. They look delicious. Also, the gooey butter cake – oh my goodness! Great list of food to try when we make it to St. Louis.

  5. I want to get back to St. Louis. I loved the BBQ and now you make me want to try the custard! Looks so good. Oh yes, and I love the fried ravioli.

  6. That frozen custard is no joke!! : 0 I’d love to try the pizza. The cheese sounds intriguing! I don’t eat meat, but I’ll take all the carbs….incl the butter cake ; )

  7. I got hungry reading this article and looking at the pictures. I would love to go to St. Louis to try these delicious things. I love recommendations of places to eat. For sure, I would love to try Gooey Butter Cake, St. Paul Sandwich, and St. Louis Style Ribs.

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