Union Loafers Café and Bread Bakery’s sublime sourdough shows up all over the city, lending instant gravitas to the humblest sandwich. At lunchtime, it offers a “humble” sandwich of its own, although the way these Loafers do it, it’s nothing of the sort: A buttery peanut butter and jelly served, for an extra dollar, with local whole milk. On the daytime menu, there’s also a smoked beet Reuben that is in a class of its own, and the oft hailed little gem salad, a magically simple bundle of sweet lettuce, fine herbs, buttermilk dressing and breadcrumbs. By night, the restaurant becomes a pizzeria. Ponder the marriage of spinach, bacon, garlic and lemon, or the union of mushroom and pickled shallots, and then get in line. Union Loafers also has a retail counter of the day’s breads and its famous chocolate chip cookies.
1629 Tower Grove Ave., St. Louis. 314.833.6111, unionloafers.com
The Sauce 75 is a photomosaic of the best in St. Louis dining. This list is a celebration of the diverse skills, techniques and culinary traditions that meet across our region. In sum, it tells a story about where St. Louis has been, where it is now and where it’s going next. Many great and good St. Louis restaurants have not made the cut. (Seventy-five is a lot fewer than you think!) Restaurants are constantly growing and evolving and go through ups and downs. Newly opened restaurants can take time to find their feet: There are a few exciting new places we’re cheering for, but which we feel haven’t yet fully hit their stride.
This article appears in January/February 2025.