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As a restaurant critic, I must answer that question every day. But over the past year, as my research for future reviews and next year’s edition of the STL 100 has taken me throughout the metro area — going farther than before, more often before — I realized ºüÀêÊÓƵ’ dining scene could use a reset of the big picture.

Neighborhoods long famous for their restaurant scenes have changed, sometimes dramatically. The suburban restaurant scene is exploding, with restaurants worth a trip across the Mississippi or the Missouri rivers.

For 2025, here are the 10 neighborhoods — by which I mean the literal neighborhoods in the city proper and the many municipalities around the metro area — that should feature in your dining decisions.

Central West End: Transformed, but essential

I could dwell on what the Central West End has lost in recent years, from neighborhood mainstays (Culpepper’s, Wildflower, Llywelyn’s, the latter two spots still vacant) to the great Juniper and its short-lived spinoff Sunday Best to the three restaurants heavily damaged by a 2022 fire (two of which should soon reopen, however).

Take a step back, and you see a neighborhood transformed, but still vital. The Cortex area is home to one of ºüÀêÊÓƵ’ very best restaurants, Vicia (4260 Forest Park Avenue), and the new blood of the past 15 years, like Brasserie by Niche (4580 Laclede Avenue) and Yellowbelly (4659 Lindell Boulevard) are now the anchors. Meanwhile, the beloved ¶Ù°ù±ð²õ²õ±ð±ô’s (419 North Euclid Avenue) has returned from a three-year hiatus with a streamlined menu of favorites and its own brewhouse.

The current center of energy is the Delmar Maker District, which straddles the Central West End and Academy neighborhoods. Here Ben Poremba has opened one of 2024’s best new restaurants, Esca (5095 Delmar Boulevard), as well as the more casual Florentin (5090 Delmar) with the relocation of his Elaia, Olio and Nixta to follow.

What’s new and exciting: Mainlander, the best new restaurant of 2023, will relocate early next year from 8 South Euclid Avenue to the larger 392 North Euclid Avenue (the former Salt + Smoke and Duff’s space). This month, the acclaimed Cuban restaurant Havana’s Cuisine relocated from downtown to 12 South Euclid.

Don’t overlook: Among the Delmar Maker District’s dining options is Beyond Sweet Kitchen + Bar (5143 Delmar Boulevard), where talented chef Jason Lamont brings his unique blend of upscale fare and ºüÀêÊÓƵ classics, like a vegan St. Paul sandwich.

Chesterfield: the big engine that can

The sprawling engine of west ºüÀêÊÓƵ County has become the epicenter of new Indian restaurants in the region, a trend that ranges from the exceptional elegance of Black Salt (1709 Clarkson Road) and the alluring fast-casual bustle of the Curry Club (1635 Clarkson).

Chesterfield is booming, period, and its highlights shine even brighter amid all the chains. Recent debuts have brought New Haven-style pizza at Napoli Bros. Pizza and Pasta (17084 North Outer 40 Road), true boiled bagels at Lefty’s Bagels (13359 Olive Boulevard) and gas station-adjacent barbecue worthy of the trip at O’B Que’s (158 Long Road).

Equally important, Chesterfield’s upscale standouts each offers a compellingly take on familiar restaurants, from the old-school Italian charms of Paul Manno’s Restaurant (75 Forum Shopping Center) to the contemporary seasonal fare of Westchester (127 Chesterfield Towne Center) to the heart of dining in the Valley, Annie Gunn’s (16806 Chesterfield Airport Road).

What’s new and exciting: Indian restaurants continue to open, including the south India-focused Bayleaf (13724 Olive Boulevard). Meanwhile, the area’s first restaurant to feature the cuisine of the Uyghur people (mainly of northwest China) opened last month: Afandi Kitchen (17409 Chesterfield Airport Road).

Don’t overlook: The tiny Trolley Stop Bakery (67 Forum Shopping Center) is a shared storefront for several different bakeries. If I’m in the area, I can hardly resist a cloud-soft chocolate-chip cookie from Trolley Track Cookies.

Clayton: Tough reservations worth scoring

The heart of Clayton dining is no longer its downtown, but the nearby Wydown Boulevard corridor, where Matt McGuire’s Wright’s Tavern (7624 Wydown) is probably the toughest reservation in ºüÀêÊÓƵ thanks to its impeccable classic steakhouse fare, and the Murderer’s Row also features Bernie Lee’s Akar (7641 Wydown), Ben Poremba’s Spanish Bar Moro (7610 Wydown), the Vicia team’s Bistro La Floraison (7637 Wydown) and old-school Jewish deli ±Ê°ù´Ç³Ù³ú±ð±ô’s (7608 Wydown).

Downtown Clayton leans spendy steakhouse these days. For a true fine-dining experience, you can’t beat the Crossing (7823 Forsyth Boulevard), and downtown is also home to Pastaria and its adjacent deli (7734 Forsyth) and the great green-chili cheeseburger at Five Star Burgers (8125 Maryland Avenue).

Did I mention the toughest table in ºüÀêÊÓƵ. Wright’s Tavern wrested that title from McGuire’s other restaurant, the great Louie (706 DeMun Avenue), where, yes, you do still need a reservation.

What’s new and exciting: Speaking (yet again) of McGuire, he will soon open Box Hill Grocer, featuring grab-and-go prepared food, adjacent to Wright’s Tavern.

Don’t overlook: One of the year’s under-the-radar openings was Jinzen Fusion Cuisine (8113 Maryland Avenue), where you can find both the cold North Korean noodle dish naengmyeon and a fried rice “volcano� where the beaten egg is dramatically poured and cooked tableside.

Edwardsville: Still the Metro East standard

For as long as I’ve been writing about ºüÀêÊÓƵ restaurants, Edwardsville has been the Metro East’s most enticing destination for both contemporary dining— fellow old-timers will remember Farmhaus chef Kevin Willmann’s dazzling work at the late Erato on Main — and the simple pleasure of ice cream from Northside Dairy Haven (1902 North Main Street; closed for the season).

Since 2011, across three sets of owners, Cleveland-Heath (106 North Main Street) has stood among ºüÀêÊÓƵ’ best restaurants, and current stewards Evan (the chef) and Gina Buchholz have maintained the quality and appeal of its classic comfort fare (the pork chop, the cherry pie) with modern, global touches.

In recent years, I’ve driven across the river for the smash burgers made from domestic wagyu beef at Sneaky’s Bar & Burger Joint (307 North Main Street) and the bulgogi and the beguiling sweet-tart-spicy strawberry sauce at the casual Korean restaurant Oriental Spoon (229 Harvard Drive). At Mia Osteria (224 South Kansas Street), a late 2023 debut, I found an Italian beef sandwich with jus worth the trip.

What’s new and exciting: Homecomings abound. Cleveland-Heath founding chef Eric “Ed� Heath has returned to town and opened Ed’s Delicatessen (222 North Main Street). Also, married duo Amy and Matt Herren — she once ran Fond in Cleveland-Heath’s spot; he founded 222 Artisan Bakery and Goshen Coffee — have relocated their terrific wood-fired pizzeria 1929 Pizza & Wine here from Wood River and opened a patisserie alongside it (921 Arbor Vitae).

Don’t overlook: Nonprofit bakery Neighbors Bakeshop (1010 Enclave Boulevard, Suite B) donates its proceeds from such delicious treats as caramel and cinnamon rolls, cookies and the bestselling blueberry cake doughnut to programs that help the community.

The Hill: Old-school and new, together

Whatever your favorite style of ºüÀêÊÓƵ Italian restaurant, you can still find it on the Hill. That isn’t why the neighborhood synonymous with “ºüÀêÊÓƵ restaurant neighborhoodâ€� makes this list.

The Hill has retained its distinct character while, in recent years, welcoming a new generation of must-visit restaurants, most notably superstar sushi chef Nick Bognar’s Sado (5201 Shaw Avenue) and Joe Kurowski’s unique take on wood-fired pizza at Pizzeria da Gloria (2024 Marconi Avenue). Though more established than those two spots, Anthonino’s Taverna (2225 Macklind Avenue) and its hybrid menu of Italian and Greek fare led the way for fresh ideas on the Hill.

The neighborhood’s old-school charms remain compelling, whether you want the chummy upscale experience at Charlie Gitto’s on the Hill (5226 Shaw Avenue) or the everyday pleasure of a great sandwich at Gioia’s Deli (1934 Macklind).

What’s new and exciting: Those of us who indulged in Bognar’s omakase service at his Botanical Heights restaurant Indo before the pandemic eagerly await Pavilion, the sushi counter set to debut adjacent to Sado.

Don’t overlook: Speaking of old-school charms, I never regret stopping by Joe Fassi Sausage & Sandwich Factory (2323 Sublette Avenue) for salsiccia with tomato sauce and Provel.

Midtown: the city’s uncontested new champion

In 18 years on the restaurant beat, I can’t think of a project more transformative than the Food Hall at City Foundry (3730 Foundry Way), which shook off its difficult, delayed development to become an essential dining destination from the day it opened three years ago. Yucatecan food at Sureste, wood-fired pizza at Fordo’s Killer Pizza, oxtails and jerk chicken at Chez Ali: I could list the entire directory, really.

Remarkably, Midtown contains multiple distinct dining areas, from the Locust Street corridor (Egg, Fountain on Locust, Small Batch) to the newer development on Locust just west of Jefferson Avenue, home to several newer restaurants, including the excellent Filipino fare of Kain Tayo (2700 Locust).

Midtown remains the spiritual home of the great ºüÀêÊÓƵ barbecue boom of the Aughts and Teens, and you still might wait in a long line at Pappy’s Smokehouse (3106 Olive Street). The biscuit boom of the past couple of years might be significantly smaller, but you could pinpoint its home at the Biscuit Joint (2649 Washington Avenue).

What’s new and exciting: At the development on Locust by Jefferson, the long-awaited Nexus (2704 Locust) from former Bait chef Ceaira Jackson is ready to go after a soft opening earlier this fall. Nearby, Blue Jay Brewing Co. (2710 Locust) has introduced food from Ryan McDonald and his Farm Spirit team, which has won a following at the Tower Grove Farmers Market.

Don’t overlook: Salsa Rosada (3135 Olive Street), the second restaurant from chef Mandy “Plantain Girl� Estrella, expands her winning repertoire of Latin American cuisines into Venezuelan and Colombian fare.

O’Fallon, Illinois-Belleville-Fairview Heights: The Metro East’s busting triangle

Am I cheating by smushing together these three close Metro East municipalities into one? Four, if you include Shiloh, where you should head for the seasonal breakfast and lunch fare at June’s Breakfast + Patio (430 South Main Street).

Sure, I’m cheating. But I’ve dug so many restaurants in this area over the past few years, from upscale Polynesian-French fusion at Le Ono (101 South Cherry Street, O’Fallon) to fast-casual shawarma at West Bank Street Eats (1407 West Highway 50, O’Fallon) and Jodie Ferguson’s brilliant counter-service Southern fare at Clara B’s in its shared space with LongStory Coffee (732 South Illinois Street).

Of course, I don’t need to tell you to go to Belleville, since it’s the longtime home of the best overall barbecue restaurant in ºüÀêÊÓƵ, Beast Craft BBQ Co. (20 South Belt West).

What’s new and exciting: Every restaurant is a destination restaurant when you want to go there, but 2024 debut August the Mansion (1680 Mansion Way) fits the classic idea of “destination dining� with excellent upscale seasonal fare in a gorgeous historical house.

Don’t overlook: Pho Noodles & Sandwiches (714 Lincoln Highway, Fairview Heights) dishes up a fragrant, satisfying bowl of traditional Vietnamese pho in this unassuming shopping plaza storefront. Don’t skip the Taiwanese-style popcorn chicken on the menu.

Overland: Compact, but mighty

Overland could have made this list simply for the brief stretch of Page Avenue where you will find three of the best Korean restaurants in the metro area: takeout-only Sides of Seoul (10084 Page), the wing-focused O! Wing Plus (in the same shopping strip at 10094 Page) and Fire Chicken (just up the road at 10200 Page).

Head only a skosh farther west to Taqueria Durango (10238 Page), which weathered a devastating fire four years ago — right before the pandemic, in fact — to return with its expansive menu of tacos and other Mexican fare.

Meanwhile, Kitchen 95 (2236 Woodson Road) serves very good Taiwanese fare in the tiny standalone building that has been a dining destination for many years, including as the home of the late, greatly missed Chef Ma’s.

What’s new and exciting: I generally don’t get excited about the arrival of new chain restaurants, but ºüÀêÊÓƵ needs more options for both Korean barbecue and hot pot, so I’m eager to try the first area location of KPOT (9140 Overland Plaza), which features both.

Don’t overlook: Return to that remarkable stretch of Page Avenue for Baba’s Restaurant (10276 Page Avenue), a small Pakistani and Indian restaurant in the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Halal Meat, Grocery & Foods market. The lunch buffet Tuesday-Thursday lets you sample dishes like chicken 95, biryani and goat qorma.

St. Peters-O’Fallon, Missouri: Swiftly rising potential out west

Where people go, restaurants will follow. St. Charles County is exploding, and amid the sprawl you can find restaurants that repay a drive. Pizza obsessives know this already: Noto Italian Restaurant (5105 Westwood Drive) serves Neapolitan pies as delicious as the technique is uncompromising.

The expansive St. Peters-O’Fallon area yields other gems, from the whopping pork rib chop saltimbocca and other upscale Italian fare at Osteria Forto (2509 State Highway K) to Cambodian cuisine at Bayon Bistro (3038 Winghaven Boulevard).

Expand the map even farther west to Wentzville for Duke’s BBQ (100 Ash Street) and, in season, visit the sprawling Lake ºüÀêÊÓƵ Farmers Market at the Meadows at Lake Saint Louis for Unshackled Bread, Embers Wood Fired Mobile Pizza, Shiek’s Sweets and more.

What’s new and exciting: Noto owners Wayne and Kendele Sieve have opened Bacaro, an Italian-style apertivo bar, in Noto’s lower level.

Don’t overlook: Early 2024 debut do Shaggy’s (429 South Church Street) griddles a juicy, lacy-edged smash burger to stand against any other version of the species in the area.

Webster Groves: the charming suburban heavyweight

Webster Groves punches above its dining weight better than any other ºüÀêÊÓƵ suburb. Between its equally charming Old Webster and Old Orchard districts, Webster Groves can boast both one of the metro area’s best Thai restaurants, Chiang Mai (8158 Big Bend Boulevard), and one of the best Vietnamese, DD Mau Vietnamese Eatery (20 Allen Avenue).

You can gauge Webster Groves’ strength by the number of owners who operate multiple concepts. Olive + Oak (216 West Lockwood Avenue) spun off its blockbuster success into O+O Pizza (102 West Lockwood) and the Clover and the Bee (100 West Lockwood). The teams behind Parkmoor Drive-In (220 West Lockwood) and Robust Wine Bar (227 West Lockwood) joined forces to open the old-school Italian restaurant Madrina (101 West Lockwood).

Oh, and Webster Groves is home to one of ºüÀêÊÓƵ best and most beloved restaurants, the great Balkan Treat Box (8103 Big Bend).

What’s new and exciting: Balkan Treat Box owners Loryn and Edo Nalic have opened one of 2024’s best new restaurants at Telva at the Ridge (60 North Gore Avenue A). Here, they expand their Bosnian and other Balkan fare to breakfast fare.

Don’t overlook: MeYou (8162 Big Bend) is the no-frills neighbor of Chiang Mai, but its Thai cuisine speaks on the plate. Try the khao soi and beware the uncompromising spice levels.