I had a little less than 24 hours in St. Louis, Missouri recently. Anytime I travel I try to seek out something fun and cultural to do to explore the city. I chose to join the EAT St. Louis Food Tour - specifically the Taste of The Hill Food and Cultural Walking Tour. Read on for more information and how to book.
I have been to St. Louis before. About 10 years ago I ran the St. Louis Rock n' Roll Half Marathon. Mr. Beets and I spent a few days exploring the city, mostly around the area of our hotel near the Arch.
This time, I was here for a work assignment and again stayed next to The Arch. However, I wanted to explore a different part of the city and after some research, I stumbled upon EAT St. Louis Food Tours. The company offers several tours and culinary experiences around town, but I chose the Taste of The Hill Food and Cultural Walking Tour. The Hill neighborhood is less than a 10 minute Uber ride from The Arch.
While the tour experiences vary, I can only relay my experience. My tour met at a place called Guidos Pizzeria y Tapas, a quaint little spot in the heart of The Hill. The area is known as "America's Last Little Italy' as depicted in a documentary film of the same title. The neighborhood is roughly two square miles and was settled by Italian immigrants in the late 1800's.
Today the area is thriving as an Italian hot spot. Crosswalks and fire hydrants are painted in the colors of the Italian flag. I knew I was in for a culinary treat.
Our first tasting at Guidos was a sausage pizza (mushroom for the Vegetarians) served St. Louis style. St. Louis style pizza is cut into squares with the toppings flowing all the way to the end crust of the pie. The crust was thin, the sausage had a kick, but the mushroom was my favorite.
While we did stop at a few specialty stores along the tour, our next tasting was at Volpi Italian Foods, a restaurant and market that was established on The Hill in 1902. I had requested the Vegetarian option which was a selection of cheeses and green olives. The others on my tour were given Fontina cheese and Genoa salami cups. The market was filled with a large selection of Italian breads, cheeses, and meats, along with a menu of grab and go sandwiches and olives.
I had mentioned to my tour guide that I was not a strict Vegetarian and would be willing to try anything with meat if there was not-to-be-missed item along the way. The next stop did not disappoint.
We stopped into a small Italian deli called Eovaldi's Deli. I knew it was going to be spectacular as there were a few police officers picking up lunch. Those are the locals that know exactly where to go.
We were given a very generous portion of The Daddy, a sandwich with Italian meats, cheeses, and seasonings. I will not spoil the surprise of exactly what was in it (although you can Google it if you'd like) but it was by far one of the best sandwiches I have ever tasted. I don't know if it was the sauce or the other ingredients but I could eat one of those all day everyday.
Anyone familiar with local St. Louis delicacies knows about Toasted Ravioli. And we stopped at Mama's on the Hill, the place were Toasted Ravioli was invented. We tasted both the cheese and beef raviolis. Here is another dish I could eat all day everyday.
Cannoli was next at Vitale's Bakery. This was also a stop we could pick up some souvenirs and gifts as well as some other desserts to take with us.
Along the way to our tastings, Lori also told us a lot of very interesting facts about The Hill neighborhood. Within the small two square mile radius, there are over 30 restaurants, four Italian grocery stores (my favorite), and countless bakeries and gelato shops. The Hill is also the neighborhood where sports greats like Yogi Berra, Frank Crespi, and Frank C. Borghi spent their childhoods (the house pictured above is that of Frank C. Borghi).
The tour took us to the Monument of the Italian Immigrants and across the street to the fountain inside the Piazza Imo. It's just a great little neighborhood with so much to see.
The last stop was at Gelato Di Riso where we sampled authentic Italian gelato. Flavors like Tiramisu, Biscotti Nut Crunch, and Dulce di Leche were some of the more popular samples. I settled on a cup of the Pistachio gelato - a perfect way to end the tour.
As I stated, my tour experience could be very different than yours, but hopefully you leave the tour as full as we all were.
The Taste of the Hill Food and Cultural Walking Tour is about three hours long and will operate rain or shine so be sure to wear comfortable shoes and appropriate clothing
There are several opportunities to purchase alcoholic beverages along the way. One recommendation is the sangria at Guidos, the very first stop, and the frothy peach cocktail from Mama's on the Hill.
Get your tickets EAT St. Louis Food Tours here. While The Arch is a very unique experience in the city, The Taste of the Hill Food Tour is slightly less scary (no rocky elevator cars, no heights) and far more tasty.
Have you been? Let me know what your favorite dish was in the comments below.
Check out these other food tours: