Location: Maplewood
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Top 10 Italian food in Maplewood, Saint Louis, Missouri
Discover Restaurants offering the best Italian food in Maplewood, Saint Louis, Missouri. Maplewood is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County. The population was 8,046 at the 2010 census.
Things to do in Maplewood
10. Zia's Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4 based on 969 reviews
Family owned St. Louis Italian restaurant on "The HIll"
Reviewed By Taylor B
There are several popular and long-standing Italian restaurants located on The Hill, the celebrated 50-block Italian neighborhood in south St. Louis, Missouri. Zia's is one of them. Located at 5256 Wilson Avenue, it opens at 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday. My wife is half-Italian and she claims Zia's reminds her most of her Italian grandmother's home cooking. We started with toasted ravioli, a St. Louis staple, topped with parmigiana and served with marinara sauce, garlic cheese bread and DeLuxe salad, Romaine and iceberg lettuce, ham, tomatoes, blended Italian cheese and parmigiana with house dressing. For an entree, my wife chose Cod Bianco, a six-ounce filet of Icelandic cod lightly breaded and baked, then topped with blended Italian cheese and white wine lemon butter sauce with fresh broccoli and mushrooms and a side of pasta. I couldn't resist one of the house specialties--and a classic St. Louis dish--spaghetti with meat sauce and meatballs. Somehow, it has a different taste when it's made on the Hill in St. Louis. For dessert, we shared plates of tiramisu and spumoni. Yes, Zia's offers a true taste of Italy.
9. LoRusso's Cucina
Overall Ratings
4 based on 276 reviews
Reviewed By Local50
I was visiting family in the area and was looking forward to trying LoRussoâs, as there are no good Italian eateries where I live. I was not disappointed. The service was impeccable, and the food was phenomenal! It was truly an awesome dining experience. The waitress did everything right and her timing was perfect. The bus boys were also extremely attentive. Itâs so enjoyable going to a restaurant where the employees are doing what theyâre supposed to be doing and not chatting with each other or on their phones. This is truly a professional eatery. The food was excellent, as was the wine. The Della Casa salad was fresh and flavorful. The cannelloni was delicious, and the Limoncello cake was over the top! I cannot wait to come back on my next visit to St. Louis. Thank you, LoRussoâs, for a wonderful evening. Thanks for the great review! We appreciate our guests' feedback and love hearing when people enjoyed their dining experience. Come back soon, we love familiar faces!
8. Pietro's
Overall Ratings
4 based on 144 reviews
Pietro's Restaurant was started in 1960 as a small, family operated bar and dining establishment with just two employees. Over the years it has expanded and evolved into a restaurant and banquet facility. Still family owned, Pietro's has served generation
Reviewed By jamesmueller56
We were heading to another place on The Hill yesterday for dinner when we diverted to Pietro's for a very nice simple and reasonable dinner out. We were fortunate enough to be seated in Gina's area and she provided her usual excellent service. We were greeted at our table by the owners, which is always appreciated. The food for the prices was marvelous, as usual. I had my favorite, Chicken Maria. Gina mentioned dessert but already seemed to know we were headed to another nearby fave, Ted Drewes. Life is good "Guys & Gals".
7. Charlie Gitto's On the Hill
Overall Ratings
4 based on 942 reviews
Charlie Gitto's On the Hill is a landmark for fine Italian dining in The Hill neighborhood of St. Louis.
Reviewed By Taylor B
Charlie Gitto is a familiar name in St. Louis' vibrant restaurant business. Charlie Sr. opened his Downtown restaurant in 1974. His son, Charlie Jr. opened his restaurant on the Hill in 1981, then opened a second location in Maryland Heights in 2004 and a third restaurant, from the hill, in Chesterfield. My wife and I opted to dine at Charlie Junior's On the Hill because we wanted to visit the famous Hill neighborhood, the birthplace of Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola. Located at 5226 Shaw Avenue, it is a longtime Italian eatery with red sauce fare delivered in an old world, elegant atmosphere. The signature dish is original hand-made meat-filled toasted ravioli with pomodoro sauce. So my wife and I started with the ravioli, house-made meatballs in pomodoro sauce, large shrimp roasted in garlic butter and bread crumbs and Classic Caesar salad with Romaine lettuce and shaved parmigiano with house-made Caesar dressing and signature croutons. For an entree, my wife chose veal marsala with sweet marsala wine sauce and mushrooms with creamed spinach. I chose a 14-ounce New York strip steak with herb butter, baked potato and creamed spinach. For dessert, we shared portions of tiramisu and cannoli. Did I mention that my wife is half-Italian? St. Louis features several outstanding Italian restaurants, on and off the Hill, and Charlie Gitto's On the Hill certainly is one of the very best.
6. Anthonino's Taverna LLC
Overall Ratings
4 based on 677 reviews
Reviewed By krissullivan
Had high expectations due to great reviews here on TripAdvisor and itâs ranking as #18 in the city. Very confused by this rating as my experience did not measure up. Very warm outside AND Inside the restaurant on a busy Saturday evening. We were seated 25 minutes later than our reservation time (745pm) and comped a toasted ravioli. It was not so much about the lateness of being seated but the shortness and responses to questions about timing of being seated from the front of house staff that made this wait annoying. The caprese salad was good, dolmades and ravioli were ok, but the pasta with red sauce and sausage was unpleasant. I have never tasted a smokier red sauce. It almost tasted âburntâ. The sausage was also quite spicy and the pasta was nothing special- an inedible dish.The prices are quite good and itâs a family atmosphere, but I will not be returning.
5. Gioia's Deli
Overall Ratings
4 based on 171 reviews
Reviewed By smmarkfan
When you begin to consider a grocery store deli sub (or worse) for lunch, kick yourself and head for Gioia's! The quality comes through in every bite and you will remember why you have taste buds. Outdoor seating great for dog lovers!
4. Maggiano's Little Italy
Overall Ratings
4 based on 454 reviews
Reviewed By Timothy M
Visited Maggiano's on Easter with 15 family members for dinner. Seated on the balcony,we had a good view of much of their dining room. The waitress was very personable as well as efficient. It took a while for the food to come as the place was very busy. They had a pretty good variety of entrees to choose from, and also some "deals". You could get a meal that included entree,salad and dessert with another entree to take home. There were some other deals also. Their wine list was very good. Everyone said their food was very good.
3. Trattoria Marcella
Overall Ratings
4 based on 322 reviews
Reviewed By Gene S
Can anyone say Emperor's New Clothes? If you read the reviews, you would expect an amazing evening if you had a meal at this establishment. I'm here to tell you that you are being duped.I made a reservation on Open Table and when it asked if we were celebrating anything special, I checked the box for birthday and wrote a similar note in the comments section when booking our reservation.Upon arrival we were greeted by a girl in a tank top, white short shorts, sandal/flip flops, covered in tattoos. Fundamentally, I'd have no problem at all being greeting by this girl on the patio of a BBQ joint or burger bar, or any joint or bar for that matter. I am however shocked that this is the first impression at what is supposed to be a fine dining establishment. Our server was a bit awkward in her mannerisms. She seemed almost forced to go through the specials and the desserts with awkward pauses in the wrong spots like she was acting in a bad play. She was pleasant however overall so aside from her seemingly odd behavior and obvious disappointment that we didn't order bottles of wine, she was fine.The interior looks brand new for 1970 as in perhaps it hasn't been touched since the building was built; which seems even more strange since it pre-dates this business. Perhaps the owners wanted to save money and just kept the decor in place from whoever owned it before them. It is long overdue for any kind of remodel/update.The final straw was that the birthday was completely overlooked. Not a mention, not a candle, nothing. We did see someone else's birthday being celebrated, but if you get to the end of the meal and then have to tell your server you are here for a birthday, it kind of defeats the purpose. Since we had decided during our disappointing and overpriced dinner that we were going to Ted Drewes for dessert; we let this slide as well.The bill arrived and it was almost $100 w/tip. 1 appetizer, 1 salad, and 3 pasta dishes. No drinks, no alcohol, no dessert. 11% sales tax was an added insult. I'm not sure that's even correct.I don't mind paying $100 for a nice meal. What I mind; is paying $100 for an overpriced meal when the atmosphere, is stale, the staff are odd, and the greeter is dressed for the beach. I can get all of this for 1/2 the price at many establishments in the area and be happy to do so. What I mind, is paying $100 for a $50 experience.I have a go-to Italian place that is similarly priced but it's top notch. You feel like you are getting your money's worth. The decor and staff are upscale, and they treat you as you expect in upscale restaurant. The food is comparable, but the overall experience makes a huge difference. When you book for an event; its the first thing they greet you with when you arrive. Little details like this make a huge difference.For us, this was a one and done. Sadly, if this honest review was here before we chose to go, we would have skipped it for our old standby. My issues are not related to a single experience that may have been on an off night, They are indicative of the management and how this place is run. Shame on those who raved about the Emperor and didn't give an honest assessment of their experience."Surprise and Delight" are the buzzwords of customer service and retention today. Any time you are spending your hard earned money and have an experience which surprises and/or delights you in a good way; you will likely be back to that business again. For a meal which neither surprised nor delighted and in the end, just ticked us off; we will never be back.
2. Acero
Overall Ratings
4 based on 132 reviews
An Italian restaurant acclaimed for it's amazing and authentic Italian dishes and perfect wine pairings.
Reviewed By WesC249
It's a pleasure to know that after several years and several visits, Acero continues to maintain its high level of excellence. And the tasting menu pricing, which allows us to indulge our desire to sample several items from the menu and leaving feeling sated but not stuffed, is still a pricing concept that I wish other high-end restaurants would adopt. The food, as always, was superlative, from the beet salads to the entrees (lamb chops and scallops) to the desserts (lemon-blueberry cheesecake and chocolate gooey heaven). But, as always, the star was the raviolo, the most decadently delicious dish to be found in The Lou. Our redhead server was also a pleasure -- very friendly, very knowledgeable, and very helpful.
1. Trattoria Marcella
Overall Ratings
4 based on 322 reviews
Reviewed By Gene S
Can anyone say Emperor's New Clothes? If you read the reviews, you would expect an amazing evening if you had a meal at this establishment. I'm here to tell you that you are being duped.I made a reservation on Open Table and when it asked if we were celebrating anything special, I checked the box for birthday and wrote a similar note in the comments section when booking our reservation.Upon arrival we were greeted by a girl in a tank top, white short shorts, sandal/flip flops, covered in tattoos. Fundamentally, I'd have no problem at all being greeting by this girl on the patio of a BBQ joint or burger bar, or any joint or bar for that matter. I am however shocked that this is the first impression at what is supposed to be a fine dining establishment. Our server was a bit awkward in her mannerisms. She seemed almost forced to go through the specials and the desserts with awkward pauses in the wrong spots like she was acting in a bad play. She was pleasant however overall so aside from her seemingly odd behavior and obvious disappointment that we didn't order bottles of wine, she was fine.The interior looks brand new for 1970 as in perhaps it hasn't been touched since the building was built; which seems even more strange since it pre-dates this business. Perhaps the owners wanted to save money and just kept the decor in place from whoever owned it before them. It is long overdue for any kind of remodel/update.The final straw was that the birthday was completely overlooked. Not a mention, not a candle, nothing. We did see someone else's birthday being celebrated, but if you get to the end of the meal and then have to tell your server you are here for a birthday, it kind of defeats the purpose. Since we had decided during our disappointing and overpriced dinner that we were going to Ted Drewes for dessert; we let this slide as well.The bill arrived and it was almost $100 w/tip. 1 appetizer, 1 salad, and 3 pasta dishes. No drinks, no alcohol, no dessert. 11% sales tax was an added insult. I'm not sure that's even correct.I don't mind paying $100 for a nice meal. What I mind; is paying $100 for an overpriced meal when the atmosphere, is stale, the staff are odd, and the greeter is dressed for the beach. I can get all of this for 1/2 the price at many establishments in the area and be happy to do so. What I mind, is paying $100 for a $50 experience.I have a go-to Italian place that is similarly priced but it's top notch. You feel like you are getting your money's worth. The decor and staff are upscale, and they treat you as you expect in upscale restaurant. The food is comparable, but the overall experience makes a huge difference. When you book for an event; its the first thing they greet you with when you arrive. Little details like this make a huge difference.For us, this was a one and done. Sadly, if this honest review was here before we chose to go, we would have skipped it for our old standby. My issues are not related to a single experience that may have been on an off night, They are indicative of the management and how this place is run. Shame on those who raved about the Emperor and didn't give an honest assessment of their experience."Surprise and Delight" are the buzzwords of customer service and retention today. Any time you are spending your hard earned money and have an experience which surprises and/or delights you in a good way; you will likely be back to that business again. For a meal which neither surprised nor delighted and in the end, just ticked us off; we will never be back.
