The best eateries in ºüÀêÊÓƵ' City Foundry food hall, from Ian Froeb’s STL 100
Looking for the best places to eat in the City Foundry food hall in ºüÀêÊÓƵ? Here are Post-Dispatch critic Ian Froeb's top spots for 2024, from his STL 100, a guide to the best restaurants in the ºüÀêÊÓƵ area.
Alex Henry is one of ºüÀêÊÓƵ’ most talented chefs, and his cooking, which bridges local, seasonal ingredients and the cuisine of his native Yucatán in Mexico, demands national attention. Sureste, his Food Hall at City Foundry kitchen, is now a three-time STL 100 honoree. El Molino del Sureste, the restaurant he and his brother, Jeff, opened last year in Southampton, takes his work to another level entirely. Thrill to plates small and large, from squash blossom and beef tongue tacos to brawny venison sausage in tomato-habanero sauce and the tremendous pavo en escabeche, grilled turkey in citrus broth. El Molino features painterly compositions of Sureste’s signature ceviche, and seafood in general is a must-order. Henry’s Hokkaido scallops in white chocolate mole are unlike anything I’ve eaten in ºüÀêÊÓƵ. His restaurants are unlike any other, too.Â
- El Molino del Sureste,
- 5007 South Kingshighway
- 314-925-8431;
- Dinner Tuesday-Saturday (closed Sunday-Monday)Â
- $$$Ìý
- Sureste
- the Food Hall at City Foundry, 3730 Foundry Way
- Lunch and dinner daily
- $-$$
If I ranked the 10 best individual dishes over the Food Hall at City Foundry’s first two and a half years, there is a good chance Alioun “Ali†Thiam’s West African and Afro-Caribbean restaurant would land four of the spots. Ask me to rank the top 5, and Chez Ali still probably scores two or three. Which of Thiam’s dishes would I place highest, though? I could argue for either the fork-tender (practically spoon-tender) oxtails or the smoky, peppery jerk chicken. Let’s give it to the oxtails, if barely, because your side of rice and beans is perfect for sopping up all of that braising gravy. Chicken curry and Senegalese yassa chicken round out the restaurant’s must-orders, and Chez Ali’s cafeteria-style set-up means that whichever you choose, you won’t need to wait long to devour it.Â
- Food Hall at City Foundry, 3730 Foundry Way
- Lunch and dinner daily
- $-$$
Chicken Scratch already touts top-notch rotisserie chicken and fried chicken sandwiches (spicy or not) at its original Food Hall at City Foundry location and its Glendale brick-and-mortar location. Do owners Nate and Christine Hereford really need to muscle into the wing game, too? They do indeed — to our benefit. Thanks to Chicken Scratch’s signature dry rub, the wings are just as flavorful as those rotisserie birds, and the exterior might be even crisper. (You can also order them trashed in barbecue sauce or with both the house Scratch and hot sauces.) Fans of Chicken Scratch’s rotisserie chicken have been practicing for these wings since the beginning, grabbing every last bit of meat from the bone with fingers and teeth.Â
- Food Hall at City Foundry, 3730 Foundry Way; Lunch and dinner daily
- 9900 Manchester Road, Glendale;Â 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday and Thursday-Sunday (closed Tuesday-Wednesday)
- $-$$
The grilled cheese & tomato pizza, a special at Fordo’s Killer Pizza at the beginning of the year, wasn’t the most visually striking creation from this Food Hall at City Foundry restaurant — which makes the pie’s wizardry all the more impressive. Put it another way: How often is the sauce the most exciting part of a pizza? Executive chef Joe Luckey began with a spicy tomato bisque as its base, and this replicated the velvety creaminess of a great tomato soup without turning the wood-fired pizza itself soupy. The sauce stood out even under its gooey blanket of American, Parmesan and fontina cheeses and its accents of garlic, basil and — the unexpected, but brilliant finishing touch — brown butter. Luckey is yet another example of one of the hallmarks of Gerard Craft’s Niche Food Group, placing talented young chefs in positions to thrive.Â
- Food Hall at City Foundry, 3730 Foundry Way
- Lunch and dinner daily
- $$
Three years after Amjed Abdeljabbar and his uncle Mahmoud Abualizz opened now three-time STL 100 honoree Golden Chicken in St. Peters, they have brought their spit-roasted magic to the Food Hall at City Foundry with Mazaj Mediterranean. Chicken shawarma takes the starring role at the duo’s new venture, where a generous portion of juicy, golden-brown meat is wrapped with crisp pickles and garlic sauce. The kebabs — chicken, beef and kefta (lamb and beef) — will tempt you from the vertical shawarma spit. The mixed grill featuring all three styles is a solid value. Not every dish has taken the journey from St. Peters, though. You still must visit Golden Chicken for beef shawarma and, especially gorgeous, citrus-kissed rotisserie chicken, the dish that put the restaurant on the map.Â
- Golden Chicken
- 632 Jungermann Road, St. Peters
- 636-244-3031; goldenchickenstpeters.co
- Lunch and dinner daily (closed Thursday)
- $-$$Ìý
- Mazaj Mediterranean
- the Food Hall at City Foundry, 3730 Foundry Way
- Lunch and dinner daily
- $-$$
Ian Froeb
Restaurant critic
After years of meticulous planning and construction, the globally inspired barbecue concept is set to prove it’s been worth the wait.