It's impossible to declare a 'King of Pizza' in St. Louis, but Pastaria is certainly up there. Aside from having impeccable consistency, the variety of options help keep things exciting. The Clayton eatery from James Beard winner Gerard Craft has all the classics you'd expect, like a marinara, Margherita, and a house-made pepperoni, but it's the more unique pies that we love. The Roman is a slightly spicy, garlicky, bacon-covered masterpiece; the seasonal veggie option will never disappoint (at the time of writing: roasted mushrooms, taleggio, bechamel, roasted garlic, herbs), but the absolute star—and probably our favorite single pizza in St. Louis—is the Salume Beddu Nduja. It's fiery hot from the nduja salami, but that heat is cut with fior de latte, oregano, and a drizzle of honey. If you can take the heat, you'll never look back.
St. Louis has quickly gone from no good New York style pizza spots to two! After spending years perfecting his Neapolitan pie, Scott Sandler sold off Pizzeoli to focus on his real pizza passion: the NY slice. Pizza Head is exactly what you want in a spot like that: 20" pies, tons of cheap canned beers, and a really cool punk rock vibe, including an old school jukebox. The only caveat is that this South Grand hangout is that it is entirely vegetarian (with vegan pizza options too), but we promise: it's great.
It should be no surprise that Union Loafers—the best bakery in St. Louis—makes one of the pizzas in town as well. These 18" monsters are gourmet A.F., but in an approachable way, like most food options in The Grove / Botanical Heights neighborhood. Like their famous lunch sandwiches, every little detail is perfect; if it wasn't, Ted Wilson wouldn't let it leave the kitchen. The classics include their take on a Margherita, marinara, pepperoni, and sausage, but we have a hard time resisting the funky mushroom, pickled shallot, and Fox Glove cheese pizza. For fans of their little gem salad with bacon, get the spinach, bacon, and lemon pie. Oh, and order some of the buttermilk dressing to dip crust in.
If you're looking for a bougier pizza in a beautiful restaurant, Katie's Pizza is where you want to be. They have classics, of course (we love the Ted's Meatball), but this is where you want to go for some fancyschmancy, outside-the-box pizzas. Want to try a pie with thinly sliced fingerling potatoes, prosciutto, onion, and rosemary? They got it. Want a fig and squash pizza? They've got that too. The menu changes seasonally, and while the winter options are solid, summer time at Katie's is can't-miss. Especially out on their covered patio.
Katie's Pizza has locations in Rock Hill and Town & Country, so you're covered across town.
There are really two ways to enjoy pizza at Louie. The first is to go in on a quiet weeknight and enjoy a pizza with a nice glass of wine or a cocktail. The second—and our preferred method—is to just go HAM, ordering everything on the menu. What food is better for sharing than pizza, after all? Our favorite is the salsiccia sausage pizza with roasted fennel, spicy cherry peppers, and mozzarella, but honestly, we'll happily eat any of them. This DeMun/Clayton gem is one of our favorite restaurants in town.
It would be easy for Mitch Frost to go all Sbarro and serve cheap NY-style pizza slices with low quality ingredients, but he would never do that because he's a man of integrity and quality. What isn't imported from Italy is often sourced locally, and everything that he can make from scratch, he does. Seriously, his sourdough crust (...dipped in garlic butter...) will change your life. Pop by for a late-night slice, or go all out and order your own customized 18" pie. Feel free to drop off leftovers at our office when you leave this late-night Grove hangout.
Whoa, did we find a magical genie and ask for The U.R.B.? Because it feels like a dream. The Urban (Chestnut) Research Brewery lets diners and drinkers try test batches of new and upcoming beers, provide feedback to the brewery, and eat some of the best pizza in town. The by-the-slice NY-style pizza options change on a whim, but they're always fire. If you're really lucky, you might catch them on a day when they're doing Roman-style pizzas (like Bonci in Chicago, if you're cool). Either way, this is some of the best pizza in The Grove.
Pi Pizza was one of the first pizza spots in St. Louis to open and say, hey, let's try something new and different! Not only did they bring deep dish pizza to town, but they brought a unique spin on it with their signature cornmeal crust (Obama said it was his favorite pizza, leading to them opening up shop in D.C.). They also offer a cornmeal thin crust, which has somewhat of a cult following itself. Get a Bada Bing salad, some blazed chicken wings, and a 9" deep dish and you're golden. We're big fans of the Kirkwood, but building your own is probably the way to go. Pi Pizza has locations in the Central West End, the Delmar Loop, Chesterfield, and the MX Downtown.
We can't ignore St. Louis style pizza, as hard as some of us might try. The cracker thin crust, the slightly sweet sauce, the...provel. Sure, you can get Imo's any day of the week, but we think that if you're going to get STL-style pizza, you should at least get it in its highest form. In our minds, that's Guido's.