Not only is there good food in St. Louis, there’s history behind the food. Food is tradition and culture in St. Louis and the best way to experience that is by taking a food tour. EAT St. Louis takes you on a three hour walking tour around The Hill, a neighborhood famous for its Italian cuisine.

The tour is wonderful. Not only do you get something to eat at every stop but you hear great, generations-old stories about the people and businesses. And you get to see the unique architecture of the area including the long, narrow original immigrant homes. Neighbors out in their yards are so used to the tours going by that they are welcoming and friendly, waving and chatting.

Highlights of the tour included this pizza at the first stop, learning that traditional St. Louis-style pizza has a thin crust, sauce that goes all the way to the edge and a special cheese blend. Toasted Ravioli and Italian deli sandwiches are also specialties of the area and you get to try them all!

We enjoyed other meals too, while in St. Louis. Cafe Osage at Boxwood Farms is located in a 1920’s warehouse. Many of the vegetables used in their dishes are grown in an urban garden across the street; herbs for their crafted cocktails are grown on the rooftop herb garden. An adjacent charming store sells home and garden gifts. A resident cat meanders about, adding to the small town vibe.

In St. Charles, stopping in all those cute shops and other businesses works up an appetite. Good thing there’s plenty of good grub at Hendricks BBQ which also serves up live music. One of the stand-outs of our meal was the BBQ Nachos with house made BBQ queso; topped with smoked pulled pork and their signature BBQ baked beans, shredded lettuce and other toppings.

Read the rest of our feature about St. Louis, right here.