Best Pizza in St. Louis – WITHIN Parameters

[The Mikado et al.]

Okay, I realize this discussion’s been had elsewhere (in different forms) and that it always opens up a can of worms (or bag of vermicelli), but we were disheartened…how about miseried?...crust-fallen?...to hear Pizzeria della Piazza in St. Louis has closed.

It was our favorite.

So, I’m going to ask the typical question, but with a few modifiers.

Where is the BEST pizza in St. Louis…

NO PROVEL…

NO CHAINS…

????

The paternal side of my family’s been in St. Louis since before it was part of the United States. Nothing, however, has compelled any of us to like provel. So that discussion will have to be had in regard to someone else’s question(s).

I’m very into basics…a thin crust, Italian sausage, with extra cheese…and I mean mozzarella. No cheese that breaks when you bite it, no cheese that makes me think there was an overstock on Velveeta. A hint of, say, fennel in the sausage or sauce or both.

I’m fine with mom-and-pop style or even slightly more (dare I say it?) upscale…if $$ instead of $ can be considered upscale. It can be cooked by Italians, Italian-Americans, or just anybody who knows how to make a pizza, period.

We love The Hill…we love toasted ravioli (I think I still have some in the freezer)…on occasion, I’m even willing to experiment with something offbeat, like a feta topping…we HATE PROVEL.

Thanks for your time, consideration, and “reviews.” I plan to post this on a couple of different boards and see what I can garner.

We’re looking for a new home-away-from-home, pizza style!

[Wayno]

Good Pie, on Olive, is my fave. If I can't eat pizza in New York, I want Good Pie. But I'm also quite happy to go to Pi or Katie's. I'm pretty happy to go to Raccanelli's, La Pizza or Vito's. Peel in Edwardsville isn't bad (and I live in E'ville). I really want to try Onesto.

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La Pizza
8137 Delmar Blvd, Saint Louis, MO 63130

[alan]

Onesto is definitely a favorite. Good pizzas and other good stuff, too, including stromboli and calzones and locally sourced meats, etc.. Also, very nice people (Racanelli family, as you may already know). The man knows his dough.

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Onesto Pizza & Trattoria
5401 Finkman St, Saint Louis, MO 63109

[Doug]

You mention that you hate provel. If you like fontina, you will like Peel in Edwardsville.

[ammy]

LAGANINI, LAGANINI, LAGANINI ...RFT '09 BEST THIN CRUST PIZZA IN St. Louis.
2009 editorial choice.
The piza should present the following characteristics: soft, well-cooked, fragrant. It should be enclosed in a high, soft edge of crust, with a micro-thin patina of crunch. It is not uncommon to find at least one flame-blackened blister on the "cornizione" (the rim).
Originaly Neapolitans eat their pizza "a libretto" meaning folded like a book, or with a knife and fork.
Either way, you are sure to enjoy the delicious flavors of Laganini Pizza.

[hill food]

ammy: here's another tack (see what I did there, different wording) this an old thread and you've just repeated what you posted on other threads word for word and discredited your mission to promote Laganini's. I did want to try it sometime but now I'm not so sure.

[Richard 16]

Laganini does not have a wheelchair access, so for me it's a no go.
Farraros has their second store in the South County. Slightly thicker than a New York style (few people would even notice) still easy enough to fold a piece. As Mario says, the crust is the most the most important part of a pizza. It's extremely good, if they had an 800° oven like LaPizza I would be much, much, fatter.

[ammy]

Laganini does have wheelchair access, and great pizza.
http://www.riverfronttimes.com/bestof...

[Richard 16]

Thanks for the heads up ammy! Sauce still has Laganini as having no wheel chair access..

[STLLifer]

Ammy, as hill food, a regular contributor, has indicated this is basically spam. You have never made any posts on Chow Hound and then you join and immediately hit three threads with the same post. One of the threads wasn't even about Best Pizza it was about Pizzaria Tivoli. Another thread was about St Louis Specialties. I know people have a love hate relationship with Provel cheese but I don't think you can call a thin crust pizza without provel cheese a St Louis specialty. In fact the RFT article that you cut and pasted called this a Neopolitan pizza. So there are two threads that your spam didn't belong in. I won't be visiting Laganini any time soon just on principle.
BTW you should at least mention that they do not serve pork products so that means no sausage, pepperoni, bacon or canadian bacon.
New members to the board are always appreciated when they have a sincere interest in sharing their opinions.

[stlSarah]

I will second/third some of the replies: love Pi's thin crust- not really a stl pizza, La Pizza rocks, same issue and same with Dewey's yum! I think Frank and Helen's on Olive has a pretty straightforward STl pizza with Moz and very crispy crust. Katie's is good- gotta tweak a couple of the salads but it seems promising.

[tusti]

Doesn't anyone on this board like Farrato's pizza besides me?

[twiststl]

i just stopped by katie's recently- delicious, but i thought it was overpriced. worth a visit.

pi is supposed to be excellent.

and la pizza is hands-down fabulous- i go with friends for friday lunch religiously while still drunk.

[hill food]

still drunk at lunch?

been there. not sustainable.

besides lunch was invented to clear the hangover and THEN you start in again.

[steveb]

I think the St. Louis style "Special" at Ami's on Manchester is quite good. Ask that they use only mozz. Eat it there. Thin crust pizzas don't travel well.

[TwoPointers]

I *hope* this doesn't count as a chain but we had Dewey's last night for the first time and it was the BEST pizza I have ever had in my life. I also love La Pizza and Pizza-a-Go-Go but man, Dewey's was exceptional.

[jberendzen]

Dewey's - so what if it's a chain - still the best.

[Richard 16]

Other than the crust, sauce, and cheese St. Louis style pizza's not bad.

I really want to try Pi and Katie's. In the meantime, La Pizza is excellent, Napoli Pizza in St. Peter's is very good, and Racanelli's, while they used to better, is still pretty good. For slightly more upscale Dewey's is very good. It's a small chain out of Ohio, and they've got good beer!

I also really like Il Vicino (sp?) in Clayton. Wood burning oven.

[Phaedrus]

I think Il Vicino is a chain, a small chain, but a chain nonetheless.

I used to love Racanelli's. The U City Loop version has been the best out of all the rest.

What ever happened to Blackthorn?

[alan]

Blackthorn, by all accounts, is deep dish pizza. Dewey's which makes an excellent pie, does not make the kind of thin crust pizza for which OP pines. Il Vicino is a chain, but does make good pizza--again not the crisp, thin crust kind sought by OP.

[highcard]

Gianino's on S. Lindbergh at Watson Rd....the best.

[alan]

A good candidate for thin crust no-provel pizza stardom is found at Pi on Delmar. If you wanted non-thin crust pizza you could go to La Pizza.

[bakemeacake]

A solid, reliable pie can also be had at Pizza-a-Go-Go on Ivanhoe in South City. They have been swimming upstream against Provel for many, many, years (they only use mozarella). I always admired them for sticking to their guns.