St. Louis: One of the most underrated and perfect destinations with kids. — No Bedtimes, No Borders: A Family Travel Blog

Faust park, butterfly house, and carousel: St Louis has great parks and this is another one of them. The playground is fantastic. The park also houses some restored log cabins, a butterfly house, and an old-school carousel. It’s quaint and lovely.

There are others, but I am going to stop here since this post is getting quite long.

Where to eat:

*There are great upscale, unique dining options in St. Louis, but we had little kids when we lived there and didn’t have much money, so you should look elsewhere for those recommendations.

Lona’s Little Eats:

Founded by Lona, who is from the Yunnan region of China, where the food is a fusion between southern Chinese and northern Thai food, this is a fast casual spot with simple, but totally unique food. You can create your own dish by choosing wrap, meat, sauce, and toppings or go with a classic. Better yet, try the sampler. The sauces are the real highlight here. We eat here every time we are in St. Louis.

Pappy’s:

Quintessential St. Louis BBQ. They don’t take reservations and the lines can be big, so plan accordingly. You can try hitting it at an odd time, such at 4:00 for shorter waits or get it to go.

Dewey’s:

This is a regional pizza chain but they have solid, perfect pizza and we all love it. The kids love watching them make the pizzas through the glass window into the kitchen and it is a low stress dining experience with kids.

Pastaria:

Casual spot serving homemade, fresh pasta. While there are a few locations in other cities now, it started in St. Louis.

Fitz’s Root Beer:

classic St. Louis spot in the loop serving massive floats.

Katie’s Pizza and Pasta:

More fresh pasta and pizza! There are two locations now and the food is fresh and fantastic every time.

Anthonino’s on The Hill:

The Hill neighborhood in St. Louis is an old Italian neighborhood and it still boasts several old-school Italian American restaurants. This is the one we ended up going back to time and time again and the best spot to sample St. Louis style “fried ravioli”.

IMO’s pizza:

I am not a fan, but it’s worth trying once. If you want an idea of what St. Louis style pizza is like, stop in for a super thin crust pizza smothered in provel cheese.

The Brasserie:

French restaurant in the CWE. I love their brunch. Think classic French bistro with perfect fries, burgers, and croque madame. This is a little more upscale than the other options but still family friendly.

The Foundry:

Foodhall where there is something for everyone and you can sample some of the newer, local St. Louis cuisine. A lot of the most popular food trucks have a counter here and it is a good way to try some of the hottest local spots. (FYI, St. Louis loves food trucks)

Ted Drewes:

Classic St. Louis custard. Some claim that newer places are better, but I don’t agree. Custard is a thicker version of ice cream that is made with the addition of eggs. Choose your mix-ins and eat in the parking lot. The lines can be long, but they move fast.

Serendipity:

More refined, homemade ice cream.

Urban Chestnut Brewery:

I could write a whole post on St. Louis Breweries. Although Anheuser Busch got things started, the beer scene in St. Louis is diverse and top-notch. This is one that is spacious and serves good food as well, but there are so many others. Four Hands is another one of our favorites.

Coffee:

Sump:

We have all of our coffee shipped from Sump to Lexington. It is the best coffee. Scott, the founder and face of the brand, is a former lawyer who quit practicing law and dedicated himself to sourcing and roasting coffee beans. He specializes in single origin light roasts. If you are a coffee fanatic, like we are, stop in for a pour over and buy some beans to take home. Beware, they only serve coffee and coffee with milk, so this stop is really just for the adults.