Best Lunch In St. Louis According To Me

Union Loafers Takeaway. The Crown Jewel Of St. Louis. My favorite St. Louis restaurant. 8/10 Salad. 8.9/10 Sandwiches. 9.1/10 Pizza. 10/10 Sourdough Bread.

The Simone Biles of STL food.

Always order a loaf. Get anything with bread. ~$8 bread. $8 salad. $15 sandwiches. It's expensive. Ask your parents to take you when they come to town. Twenty minutes to an hour for pick up. Ordering pizza can be a pain. Parking is easy on side streets with a three-minute walk. Tip: Try a pizza rosa with chili oil at lunch. Note: Pizza review coming in the future.

Balkan Treat Box Takeaway. Treat yourself to Balkan Treat Box whenever you're in the area, and they're open. One of the best restaurants in St. Louis with a general food score of 9.3 / 10 from me. Hard to classify exactly what food type a "pide" or "doner". Not a sandwich; it's more a Mediterranean delight. The pita may be the best I've ever had, and it's definitely the best in St. Louis. I order a bag to go every time.

They even fixed the biggest downside - their hours. They're now open from 11-8 Friday and Saturday.

Still closed on Sunday and Monday. You should check availability before making the trek to Webster Groves.

Service is fine. You order at the counter, get a number, and go to your table. It usually takes 10-15 minutes to get your food; even if a long line runs, you only have fifteen minutes to wait. My favorite place to sit is outside when the weather permits. They have a dedicated lot in the back or street parking out front.

Blues City Deli Takeaway. Happiness is family, friends, and Blues City Deli sandwiches. Hot Italian is my go-to. The best sandwich in St. Louis. Get anything with roast beef. $10.50 before tax and tip. Super fast service. Line out the door only means 15 minutes. Park on a side street. Limited seating. Get there before 11:30 a.m. for no line. Every staff member is perky, talkative, and helpful. People come from all around Saint Louis. Everything great about St. Louis in one deli.

Update: After visiting another 15 sandwich shops in the past three months, I came back to Blues City Deli, and it somehow managed to beat my expectations.

Salt + Smoke Takeaway. My pulled pork place in St. Louis. 8.7 / 10 bbq score. The pulled pork, brisket, and chicken are all top-notch. Each plate comes with two sides and a pop-over. It's a ton of food, but on the relatively pricer side of St. Louis. $18.99 for a plate. I am partial to the mac-and-cheese and duck-fat fries. Every bite from start to finish is heavy, tasty, and filling. Just have a Tums on hand afterward.

I ordered online for pickup this time, but I've been at the Delmar location for lunch and dinner. Never had an issue with service or time-to-food. For pickup, I park in the little parking lot next to the restaurant on the Loop or across the street on a side street. Parking is easily available behind the building.

Corner 17 Takeaway. Truly awesome Chinese food. The hand-pulled and hand-shaved noodles are the star of the show. Order anything with dough. Expect a 30-minute+ wait at non-lunch times or order online. Standard Chinese food price. It feels small on the inside. Parking on the loop is easy, even at 8 p.m. on a Saturday. Extensive list of bubble teas, slushies, and milt teas I've never had. Everything is green.

El Guanaco Taqueria & Pupuseria Takeaway. El Grand Guanaco Delivers With The Baleada Especial. Oh my god, was that delicious. Chorizo, steak, chicken, queso, eggs, avocado, and cream. I mean, come on. Where has this been all my life? And only $7.99?!?!!?!? The $3 pupusa was heavy on the bread, and the sauce detracted from the flavor. It wasn't a table favorite. Chips were a 4.8/10 for me, but free. Excellent red salsa > green salsa.

Total hole in the wall on Page Ave. Barely enough parking for lunch.

Friendly, fast service.

No frills. No filler. Just totally amazing food. Currently in my top five best restaurants in St. Louis.

Carl's Deli Takeaway. My go-to in St. Louis when I have a pastrami hankering. Overloaded sandwich with at least half a pound of meat. 9.3 / 10 pastrami sandwich. 9.6 oz of meat is a behemoth. Not quite NYC quality, but close. Solid rye, mustard, and pickle. $11.95 for a sandwich pre-tax. Service is slow, so expect 2-3 minutes per person in line. Bagels for $1, but not fresh. Parking is a three-minute walk for free or closer with change. Tip: Bring cash to save 3%.

Update: Went back today, and it was as delicious as ever. The weight varies per sandwich maker, but it should be at least half a pound. Super friendly service.

Soup Dumplings STL Takeaway. Savory Soup Dumplings Steal The Show. The pork dumplings top my charts for single-dish Asian food in St. Louis. The accompanying vinegar and chili sauce complete the experience. Six dumplings ($9-12.75) aren't enough, and 12 are too many, so bring a friend and split 18. My preference is pork dumplings >> chicken > beef.

Some notes. Chopstick only. I've never asked for a fork, but they might have some. The chili sauce on the table is A++. And try it with the recommended vinegar. I highly recommend putting your bowl under the eating operation to not let any soup get away.

Service takes a minute as they only have one register. The dumplings are also handcrafted in the back, so they take another bit to cook. Give yourself 20 minutes to get food from the time you step in during lunchtime. There is plenty of parking. Solid hours for St. Louis.

LeGrand's Market & Catering Takeaway. LeGrand's Legend Club is layers of legreat. A beautiful beast of a sandwich. 8.8/10 sandwich. More meats than I can remember. The antithesis of vegan. Meat on meat on cheese on cheese. Most affordable sandwich yet at $11.16 after tax and tip. Friendly and quick service. It weighed 11.4 oz with 7.6 oz of meat. Compact but delicious.

Another sandwich that will make you happy inside. One of the best sandwiches in St. Louis, with a fierce following. Reddit recommended.

A dozen tables of sitting. Attached grocery. Dedicated parking lot was empty at 11 a.m. Call ahead about twenty minutes to pick up.

Parker's Table Takeaway. The Adult Sandwich Store. Surprisingly delicious salami sandwich cracked the top five best in St. Louis for me at 8.5/10. Small sandwich, but comes with chips and a drink. $13 for a 9 oz sandwich with 4.8 oz of meat, chips, and drink. The smoked brisket sandwich bite I stole from my father-in-law was also heavenly. Salad wasn't what I had imagined for $11.

Loved the vibes. For being a wine, cheese, and fancy meat shop, it is incredibly unpretentious. The average age in the store with me in it was easily 55+, and I'm 36. Amazing seating area with museum-worthy art, at least IMO.

Sandwiches are from 11 am - 2 pm. Service was a bit slow, taking over 20 minutes to get us our sandwiches, being third in line. Unfortunately, parking cost $.50 on the meter, and I didn't see a way to avoid it. From the vibes to the sandwich, just a surprisingly delicious experience from start to finish.

Update: Went back with friends today. Time-to-sandwich was considerably improved to under 5 minutes. Also found free parking a block away, but you have to be careful not end up in a lot that will get you towed.

El Burro Loco Takeaway. I'm loco for El Burro Loco. My new favorite Mexican restaurant in St. Louis. Best fajitas I've ever had. Top-of-the-line rice and beans. 8.4/10 unlimited chips. Above-average complimentary salsa. Amazing atmosphere and decorations. Good service. Gross bathrooms. The most expensive Mexican food I've had because it's in the Central West End. $21.25 for fajitas compared to $12-13 elsewhere in STL. Still great for families. Parking on the street. They have a second location downtown.

Tai Ke Takeaway. Delicious Taiwanese food at an affordable price. Everything up and down their menu is fantastic. 8.5 / 10 Asian food for me. I love the eggplant, bok choy, chili stir-fry chicken, beef noodles, pork belly bao, and braised pork rice. An entree still goes for under $15, which is a steal. My kids love the Taiwanese popcorn chicken. In fact, two 9 year olds who swore they didn't eat Asian food cleared their plates.

One of the best Asian restaurants in St. Louis. It was my "last meal" before the Pandemic - I went at lunch the day my office closed because I knew it would be the last time I would get to eat out for over a year.

I order online all the time, and it's always ready in under twenty minutes. The food tastes better hot in the restaurant, but it travels well. There isn't a ton of seating, so it can get packed at busy times of the week. Plenty of parking in Olivette's biggest strip mall.

Sultan Mediterranean Restaurant Takeaway. The Mediterranean food at Sultan flat-out delivers. Friends swore by it, so we made it a double date night. Sultan did not disappoint. It deserves a solid, round 8.5/10. An 8.5 is a very good score for me, putting it in the top 20% of restaurants.

The restaurant setting is practical, but the food is awesome. The Baba Ganoush was exceptionally garlicky and smoky, and the Ali Naza beef kebab was fantastic. The vegetarian rice pilaf didn't taste quite as good as it looked, and the same could be said for the pita.

But those are nit picks, Sultan was great.

If you're after Mediterranean food done right, Sultan is worth the trip. It's a place that's been around for a while, surviving the pandemic, yet had somehow flown under our radar. Parking on, or around, Manchester should be easy, even during prime time.

Kazu Takeaway. Kazu goes all out with knockout, takeout-only sushi. Spicy Tuna, Hamachi, and Rainbow rolls for the win. I give it an impressive 8.1 / 10, which makes it worth a ten-minute drive.

Kazu is a tiny, two-person operation that delivers high-quality sushi. The ingredients are fresh, the fish melts in your mouth, and the price comes in lower than other sushi spots in St. Louis.

The catch? It's takeout only, and the wait times on weekends are no joke. You need to plan ahead and order early. They also have St. Louis hours and close on Sundays. But if you're looking for top-notch sushi without the fancy restaurant experience, Kazu is a fantastic choice.

Fire Chicken Takeaway. Affordable, Spicy, Delicious Chicken On Page. I've been a "long-time" customer as we started "coming" here during the pandemic when they first opened. My favorite Fire Chicken is Spice Level 3, which pushes me to my enjoyable limit. $14.00 for a serving, it's a solid 8.4 / 10 experience. My sons like the teriyaki, and I've also enjoyed their bulgogi.

We ordered the ramen during the pandemic but haven't had it in four years. It was delicious, but they never got our order right back then. No such problems anymore.

Not a sit-down restaurant. You can order online from any of five different sites. Plenty of parking if you go to pick it up, or they can deliver it.

Sides Of Seoul Takeaway. Sides of Seoul makes my soul happy with quality Korean food. 8.2 / 10 on my Asian food scale makes it one of my favorite Asian places in St. Louis. I normally go with the delicious bibim-bop, but I audibled today into the spicy pork bowl-bop. Both hit the spot for $12.99 and $10.99, respectively, making both a heck of a deal. Also a big fan of their kimchi, seaweed salad, and bulgogi. Just all-around great Korean food for the money.

You can only takeout at S.o.S. At maybe 20' by 20' inside, they don't have an option for eating in the restaurant. I always call in my order, and they always give me a 10-minute quote. In the 10+ times I've been here over the last three years, they've never been late. The same, super friendly woman mans the front desk each time. Parking is easy in a dedicated lot with dedicated spots.

Yummi Tummi Takeaway Yummi Tummi provides a surprisingly tasty time in Maplewood. On the back of some fantastic ramen, I give it an 8.1/10, even if some of the other dishes don't quite hit the same high notes.

Yummi Tummi isn't the place you take your parents when they're visiting from out of town, but it's absolutely worth a 15-minute drive for some ramen without crowds. One of the better Asian restaurants in my travels around St. Louis.

Service is fast. Parking is a breeze, with its own dedicated lot right outside the building. Based on all the pickup orders, it definitely seems more focused on takeout, but there's plenty of seating if you decide to dine in.

Afghan Kebab House Takeaway. Afghan Kebob House has authentically awesome Afghan flavors that mostly deliver on taste but stumble on execution. I'm giving it an 8.1/10 for the food, but a lower overall score because of the service.

The chicken kebabs are cooked to absolute perfection, juicy and tender in a way that kebabs almost never are. The aushak (leek-filled dumplings with yogurt and meat sauce) is a standout dish with unique, complex flavors you won't find anywhere else in St. Louis. The tikka masala has a great creamy sauce, and the meat kebabs won over most of my group.

But the logistics were rough. They missed part of our order, the timing was off by 10-15 minutes, and I had to make a 40-minute round trip to get the rest of our food. If you're in the area near Lindenwood Park or Ted Drewes, it's absolutely worth stopping by.

But I wouldn't make the 25-minute drive from across town specifically for it.

Bar Moro Takeaway. Spanish tapas for a fancy date night. I don't have a great local comparison on roast rabbit, so go with my overall score of 4.39 / 5. The food is an 8.2 / 10, but it's super expensive for the area. The price always brings down my overall score because you can eat this well for less elsewhere -- just not rabbit.

The service was excellent. It's an upscale, modern space where the service is the point. My big nitpick is that it's too dark. I couldn't see my food, which negatively impacts taste, in my opinion. I would rather come at 6:30 in the summer than in winter because you could see your food.

With limited seating, we got 2 bar seats at 6:30 on a Saturday. You would have needed a reservation to sit at a table. Parking is on Wydown; you'll walk three minutes, tops.

Motor Town Takeaway. Motor Town makes some majorly good pizza. The Detroit-style Margarita comes in at 8.3/10, with the plain cheese just behind at 8.1/10. A fantastic entry in my search for the best STL pizza, sitting only behind the classic NY-style joints.

The New York style? Only a standard pizza. A solid 7/10, but not memorable.

That Detroit crust though. It's the real reason you go. I was very impressed with this fantastic focaccia feast.

BerryBox Takeaway. BerryBox brought bland bowls to breakfast. I'd give it a 5/10. The acai was fine, the toppings were basic, but honestly, Costco's old acai smoothie is better. My wife likes this place for the bowls, but I don't get the appeal.

For $36, you get three small bowls with sliced fruit and granola that wouldn't even fill up my eight-year-old after a soccer game.

The service was pleasant enough, and the outdoor seating was a nice touch, but the flavor just didn't justify the price tag. If you're craving an acai bowl in St. Louis, keep searching, imo.

Chipotle Takeaway. The Mexican Comparison. Chicken burrito clocks in at $8.75 with a 5 / 10 burrito score. It's big enough to be a filling meal, particularly if you go calorie heavy with cheese and sour cream. I keep it healthy and low calorie by sticking with only adding veggies. Their chips are a 7.0 / 10, thin, salty, and with a hint of lime.

The Chipotle corporate overlords removed the fun of ordering here. No longer can you hack the menu with ½ and ½ beans or a tortilla on the side. Everything costs extra and they lightened the load.

Service at Chipotle has been getting worse over the last five years. Lines take ten-plus minutes for five people. I've had pick-up orders that they hadn't started ten minutes after the scheduled time. It's all just sad because ordering ahead of time used to be a superpower.

Holds a special place in my heart as the first Mexican food I ever had - when I was 18 at college. Even if it has been on a sad, slow decline.

La Tejana Taqueria Takeaway. Tinga Tacos Taste Like A Tuesday. Got the lunch special for $7.99. The side of refried beans was the best part. Tinga tacos were solid, particularly when I added green salsa. Campechano was dry. The corn tacos were the standout on the taco front. Roughly 12.7 oz of food. Free chips were a 4.8 / 10. They were thick but not salty or flavorful. Tasted wontonish. Green salsa was the best salsa.

Another pure hole on the wall off of Lindbergh. Service was standard and very friendly. They were continuously half-full from 12 to 1:30 on a Tuesday.

Parking out front in a dedicated lot.

Cibo Takeaway. Beautiful build-out, fast service, fair prices, but the pizza didn't do it for me.

Our waitress told us if you don't like the pizza here you're a weirdo, so apparently I'm a weirdo.

Cibo is a renovated old gas station in University City, with the service bays turned into windows and patio seating. We rolled up at 11:30 on a spring afternoon and the lot was already packed.

The pizza is the reason this isn't a 7. The cheese slice tasted like DiGiorno with too much provolone, and the crust edges were burnt from chasing a crispy bottom. Dewey's down the road is better pizza in my book.

6.8 / 10.

Come for a sandwich, not for a pie.

Pali Grill Takeaway. A spotless new hole in the wall where the fries outshine the falafel. I came in rooting for it, since it sits on a strip I already love, but the sandwich I'd actually order couldn't clear my bar. 6.5 / 10.

The packaging had me ready for a win, which makes this harder to write, because I want to support new local spots. The flavor still lands below the flood line of a 7.0, my bar for standard restaurant quality, so I probably won't be back.

Pickles Deli Takeaway. Count me out of this costly Cuban. Cuban scored 4.1/10, while Italian put up a 4.9/10. Tiny sandwiches at only 8.3 oz for $10.99 with 3.6 oz of meat. Pork was dry. Italian lacked cohesion. Pickles put me in a pickle with the quality of their pickles - boring sandwich style. Parking is hard in the Central West End, even for pickup. Service was timely, and the order was ready on time.

Fozzie's Sandwich Emporium Takeaway. Ruined my Tuesday. Worst sandwich so far in St. Louis. 2.1/10 sandwich. First time I didn't finish the sandwich because it was bad. Thought I had Covid it was so bland. Big Bend Mafia is an open-faced sandwich on a hot dog bun. $12.95 for a 15 oz sandwich with ~6.8 oz of meat. Easy ordering online for pickup. Plenty of parking in a dedicated lot. Setting up a new bet with friends to come back.

Protzel's Deli Takeaway. No longer the worst St. Louis sandwich thus far. 1.9/10 pastrami sandwich. Stringy pastrami, stale bread, slow (friendly) service, so sad. Was told it was 8oz of meat, but only clocked in at 6.8oz. $13 for a large, $15.23 all in with tax and tip. Took over 10 minutes to make. Limited seating. Fun Jewish deli atmosphere with knishes and Dr. Browns. Parking is paid right outside, so go around the corner or down the road. This is how Subway stays in business.