St. Louis deli takes No. 1 spot on Yelp's top 100 restaurants in the Midwest

[Paper Lanterns]

Blues City is great. The staff is very nice, too.

And don't be discouraged if there's a line when you arrive; it typically moves quickly.

[Absolut]

Gioa's is my favorite sandwich spot, but Blues City is not far from the top.

I agree with some of the pastrami selections provided above, but would also add Nomad

+ 1 on Nomad.

Especially good to enjoy on their patio

I've had the pastrami at Nomad and didn't really like it all that much. I guess I just prefer Jewish style pastrami.

Ever get to L.A. get the #19 at Langers. Life changing.

[Absolut]

ST. LOUIS — You don't have to travel far to find the best food in the Midwest. Some of the region's best eateries are located in the St. Louis area, according to crowd-sourced review platform Yelp.

Using reviews published between January 2021 and May 2023 for restaurants across Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin, Yelp created its Top 100 Midwest Restaurants 2023 list. St. Louis claimed seven restaurants on the list, including the top spot!

Blues City Deli, located at 2438 McNair Ave., was rated the No. 1 restaurant in the Midwest for its exceptional sandwiches. Each day, a line of customers stretches out the door of the Benton Park shop for sandwiches made using high-quality ingredients and from-scratch sauces, condiments and house-smoked pastrami, the review from Yelp said.

Malinche Mexican Culinary Experience, located at 15939 Manchester Road in Ellisville, came in at No. 3 on the list. The tiny restaurant starts every meal with complimentary "antojitos" and features a tapas-style menu. Yelp said head chef María Gutiérrez Molina makes every tortilla, and her mole recipe dates back to her great-grandmother in Ozumba.

Songbird, located at 4476 Chouteau Ave. in St. Louis, came in at No. 5 on Yelp's list for serving "the region's most perfect breakfast sandwich." The sandwich features a farm-raised fried egg and apple-smoke bacon and aged white cheddar on sourdough, finished with local honey and sea salt.

Arzola's Fajitas & Margaritas came in at No. 8 on the list. If you're a fan of fajitas, Yelp said Arzola's, located at 2730 McNair Ave. in St. Louis, is the place to go. The restaurant serves up fajita plates, fajita-stuffed burritos and fajita quesadillas with a red chile dipping sauce.

Balkan Treat Box, located at 8103 Big Bend Blvd. in Webster Groves, was rated No. 18 on the list. The restaurant serves up Balkan staples, such as pide, lahmacun, döner and ćevapi, that feel modern and relevant.

Have A Cow Urban Farm Store and Cafe, located at 2742 Lafayette Ave. in St. Louis, came in at No. 32 on Yelp's list. According to its website, Have A Cow is a community gathering place that brings together folks from all different backgrounds to enjoy burgers, sandwiches and all-day breakfast using the farm's own pasture-raised beef, raw honey and eggs.

Finally, El Jarocho Mexican Store and Taqueria, located at 25 Stonegate Center in Valley Park, was rated No. 39. The Hispanic grocery store and restaurant serves up street tacos, tortas and breakfast burritos.

https://www.ksdk.com/article/entertainm ... 6ca024fddb

https://www.yelp.com/article/top-100-pl ... dwest-2023

Going to have to try Blues City Deli next week when I'm in town! Haven't had a good pastrami sandwich in forever!

Blues City Deli is great. i love their sandwiches, especially their muffuletta, but number 1 restaurant? Really? How can we compare a fast casual sandwich place, good as it is, to a fine dining restaurant? This survey is ludicrous.

Babe, Blues City isn't that kind of deli. I don't think they serve pastrami. If you want a good pastrami sandwich, try Protzel's, Carl's, The Posh Nosh, or Deli Divine. Bogart's also serves a good pastrami, but it's different.

Was not thrilled with Bogart’s pastrami.

[Absolut]

Just had the knuckle sandwich. So good

[Pink Freud]

Ever get to L.A. get the #19 at Langers. Life changing.

Agree....but it might be your last meal.

When I lived in San Diego I binge-watched "The Shield", where MacArthur Park is Ground Zero for thugs and drugs. Then I moved to L.A. and found MacArthur Park is even worse than that. Poor Langer's. https://tinyurl.com/437r2ye3

[Absolut]

Ever get to L.A. get the #19 at Langers. Life changing.

Agree....but it might be your last meal.

When I lived in San Diego I binge-watched "The Shield", where MacArthur Park is Ground Zero for thugs and drugs. Then I moved to L.A. and found MacArthur Park is even worse than that. Poor Langer's. https://tinyurl.com/437r2ye3

Saw that. An institution on the edge. Sad.

[abuxb]

Ever get to L.A. get the #19 at Langers. Life changing.

Agree....but it might be your last meal.

When I lived in San Diego I binge-watched "The Shield", where MacArthur Park is Ground Zero for thugs and drugs. Then I moved to L.A. and found MacArthur Park is even worse than that. Poor Langer's. https://tinyurl.com/437r2ye3

Someone left a cake out in the rain.