Word of Mouth
Going to St. Louis? Then ditch the guidebook and follow these famous locals as they show you the city their way. — Becca Hensley
Francis Slay
Mayor
“Go for an omelet at Soulard Coffee Garden, a sandwich at Blues City Deli, and some spicy asopao [a Creole rice soup] at KoKo.”
Ozzie Smith
Former Cardinals shortstop, Major League Baseball Hall of Famer
“Just look up! I’m constantly amazed by the magnifi cent buildings in St. Louis. The Arch, Union Station, and new Busch Stadium are spectacular.”
Rusty Wallace
NASCAR champion
“St. Louis has excellent golf courses — there’s even one near the raceway. It’s the Gateway National Golf Links, and it has bentgrass fairways and wonderful views of the Arch.”
Bob Costas
Sportscaster
“For the Grand Slam of St. Louis culinary delights, try a burger at O’Connell’s, frozen custard at Ted Drewes (a throwback spot along Route 66), and eat oldstyle Italian almost anywhere on the Hill — St. Louis’s Little Italy.”
 Paul Ha
Director, the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis
“For dining, do Liluma in the Central West End. Afterwards, hit the Grand Center art district for a show or concert. [It’s] home to the St. Louis Symphony, Jazz at the Bistro, the Black Rep, the fabulous Fox Theatre, the Contemporary Art Museum, and much more.”
Joe Edwards
Restaurateur, serial entrepreneur, and driving force behind the Delmar Loop, one of America’s 10 Great Streets
“Let yourself play at the Missouri History Museum. My favorite exhibits are the 1904 World’s Fair and Charles Lindbergh. In the Loop, check out the St. Louis Walk of Fame, lined with brass stars and mini-bios of more than 120 St. Louis stars, like Miles Davis, Yogi Berra, and Kevin Kline. Have a hamburger deluxe at Blueberry Hill, and then catch Chuck Berry performing live in the Duck Room [Blueberry Hill’s main stage]. For a nightcap, go for martinis and as many strikes as you can throw at the Pin-Up Bowl.”
Gerald Early
Essayist, author, and regular commentator on NPR’s Fresh Air
“Cardinals baseball fans have a passion like no other. I’ve held season tickets for years, and I always bring visitors with me to savor the poetry of connecting with the team. Tour the Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum and the legendary Anheuser- Busch brewery — the perfect day.”
Tom Schlafly
Lawyer, owner of the Schlafly Tap Room (Missouri’s first brewpub) and Schlafly Bottleworks “Don’t miss the Central West End, where you’ll find restaurants, galleries, shops, historic mansions, and the Cathedral Basilica (which boasts the largest collection of mosaics in the world) — all within walking distance [of each other]. For a fine-dining experience off the beaten track, go to Niche in the Benton Park neighborhood.”
Megan Power
Clothing designer, founder of Doki- Doki , and creator of Urban Fox environmentally friendly lingerie
“It’s our family tradition to stop at Crown Candy Kitchen after picking up a visitor at the airport, because you can’t have a bad visit when you start with a Banana Malt, circa 1914! On Friday night, check out the Dave Stone Trio playing jazz at Mangia Italiano and, afterward, head to Upstairs for dancing.”
Mary Strauss
Philanthropist and founder of Art Access
“I love the restaurants in the Washington Avenue loft district downtown, places like Lucas Park Grille, Copia wine bar, and Mosaic — say yes to the mango martinis. Bar Italia in the Central West End is also a favorite. The tortellini there is so lovely. I went to Italy a few years ago and traveled from city to city but never found anything quite like it. Also, make time to drive down some of our grand old private streets with nineteenthcentury homes. Yes, we really get to live here every day.”
BECCA HENSLEY is a travel and lifestyle writer based in Austin, Texas.
Here's a list of contact information for all the places mentioned in this article:
An American Place
822 Washington Avenue
(314) 418-5800, www.anamericanplacestl.com
Anheuser-Busch
12th and Lynch Streets
(800) 342-5283, www.budweisertours.com
Annie Gunn’s
16806 Chesterfield Airport Road
Chesterfield, Missouri
(636) 532-7684, www.smokehousemarket.com
Araka
131 Carondelet Plaza
Clayton, Missouri
(314) 725-6777, www.araka.com
Bar Italia Ristorante-Caffè
No. 13 Maryland Plaza
(314) 361-7010, www.baritaliastl.com
The Black Repertory Theater
1717 Olive Street, Fourth Floor
(314) 534-3810, www.theblackrep.org
Blueberry Hill
6504 Delmar Boulevard
(314) 727-4444, www.blueberryhill.com
Blues City Deli
2438 McNair Avenue
(314) 773-8225, www.bluescitydeli.com
Busch Stadium
700 Clark Street
stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com
Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis
4431 Lindell Boulevard
(314) 373-8200, www.cathedralstl.org
City Museum
701 North 15th Street
(314) 231-CITY, www.citymuseum.org
Contemporary Art Museaum St. Louis
3750 Washington Boulevard
(314) 535-4660, www.contemporarystl.org
Copia Urban Winery and Market
1122 Washington Avenue
(314) 621-7275, www.copiawine.com
The Crossing
7823 Forsyth Boulevard
Clayton, Missouri
(314) 721-7375, www.thecrossingstl.com
Crown Candy Kitchen
1401 Saint Louis Avenue
(314) 621-9650, www.crowncandykitchen.net
Eat-Rite Diner
622 Chouteau Avenue
(314) 621-9621
Fox Theatre
527 North Grand Boulevard
(314) 534-1678, www.fabulousfox.com
Gateway Arch, the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
Intersection of North Memorial Drive
and Washington Avenue
(877) 982-1410, www.gatewayarch.com
Gateway National Golf Links
18 Golf Drive
Madison, Illinois
(800) 482-8856, www.gatewaynational.com
The Bistro at Grand Center, home of Jazz at the Bistro
3536 Washington Avenue
(314) 289-4030, www.jatb.org
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KoKo
3257 Ivanhoe
(314) 647-3322, www.kokostl.com
Liluma
238 North Euclid (at Maryland)
(314) 361-7771, www.liluma.com
Lucas Park Grille
1234 Washington Avenue
(314) 241-7770, www.lucasparkgrille.com
Mangia Italiano
3145 South Grand Boulevard
(314) 664-8585, www.dineatmangia.com
Missouri Baking Company
2027 Edwards Street
(314) 773-6566
Missouri History Museum
5700 Lindell Boulevard
(314) 746-4599, www.mohistory.org
Mosaic
1101 Lucas Avenue
(314) 621-6001, www.mosaictapas.com
Niche
1831 Sidney Street
(314) 773-7755, www.nichestlouis.com
O’Connell’s Pub
4652 Shaw Avenue
(314) 773-6600, www.saucemagazine.com/oconnells
Pin-Up Bowl
6191 Delmar Boulevard
(314) 727-5555, www.pinupbowl.com
Portabella Restaurant
15 North Central Avenue
Clayton, Missouri
(314) 725-6588, www.portabellarestaurant.com
Rooster
1104 Locust Street
(314) 241-8118, www.roosterstl.com
St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum
111 Stadium Plaza
(314) 231-6340, cardinals.mlb.com
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
718 North Grand Boulevard
(314) 533-2500, www.slso.org
St. Louis Walk of Fame
6200-6700 Delmar Boulevard
(314) 727-7827, www.stlouiswalkoffame.org
Shaw’s Coffee
5147 Shaw Avenue
(314) 771-6920, www.shawscoffee.com
Sidney Street Cafe
2000 Sidney Street
(314) 771-5777, www.sidneystreetcafe.com
Ted Drewes Frozen Custard
6726 Chippewa Street
(314) 481-2652, www.teddrewes.com
Union Station
1820 Market Street
(314) 421-6655, www.stlouisunionstation.com
Upstairs Lounge
3131 South Grand Boulevard
(314) 773-3388, www.upstairslounge.com
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