Fred & Red’s
Photos by Sara Schafer and Jim McCarty A step into Fred & Red’s in Joplin is a step back in time. As you enter the unassuming tan diner, you take in the classic decor, neon sign, vintage barstools and wood paneling. Then, suddenly, your senses surrender to one...
NaCl+H2O
Upscale dining in downtown Rolla Inside the kitchen, the work is never done — especially before the first customer even walks in the door. Whole fresh, never frozen, salmon, halibut and mahi-mahi need to be skinned and prepped. Whole potatoes are waiting to become...
HoneyBadger
Classic American fare with a memorable twist As soon as the front doors open, the kitchen is a flurry of activity. Hungry customers head to the counter to order one of Nick and Rachel Giacopelli’s creations for lunch. Online orders come in as fast as the couple...
The Rolling Pin Bakery
The pastry chef has been cooking for as long as he can remember. Growing up, Jeremy Sayler would enlist his older brother, Michael, to turn on the burners to the stove; at just 6 years old, he couldn’t reach back that far. “I just cooked what I liked to eat back...
Have a Cow
St. Louis restaurant specializes in all-day breakfast and burgers Steve and Lisa St. Pierre have three requests when you step into their restaurant: Love coffee, love burgers and love your enemy. Their St. Louis-based farm-to-table restaurant and urban store is more...
Catalpa
The chef thought she had it figured out. Every weekend she served elegant, refined dishes at Catalpa — her quaint, 10-table Arrow Rock restaurant — to customers heading to a show down High Street at the Lyceum Theater. “I got a lot of acclaim for the fine dining,”...
1851 Underground
Burgers, sandwiches and tacos in a unique setting The 144-year-old brick building in downtown Fulton is brimming with history. The Palace Hotel was a hub of activity in the Callaway County seat. It played host to uncountable community and civic events and served as...
The Clarktonian
Crawfish and seafood in the Bootheel Crawdads, mudbugs, crawfish — call them what you want, but just know you will find the best at The Clarktonian in the Bootheel town of Clarkton. Repeat customers prove owner Tyler Miller’s claim that you won’t find anything better...
Fernweh Distilling Co.
Elevated food and cocktails in an upscale atmosphere The German word fernweh roughly translates to a yearning to visit somewhere you’ve never been. That’s appropriate for the Hermann restaurant and distillery of the same name which welcomes guests by trail, rail and...
Rustic Duck
Find homecooked food, wildlife art and a lifetime of happiness in Appleton City Take a trip around the lake at Susan Hearting’s farm and you’ll find a lot of things taking wing from the nest. Some are molting downy feathers while their wooden doubles watch from a...
Rich’s Famous Burgers
Over-the-top burgers in the Ozarks The sizzle and smell of fresh, hand-pattied ground beef cooking takes Jason Cusick back to flipping burgers on a 24-inch grill at The White Barn in St. Louis. “That was my first job,” Jason says. “I just fell in love with cooking...
Home Town Diner
Nostalgia and familiar flavors on the Pomme de Terre River Mix equal parts small-town charm with from-scratch flavor, and you’re cooking from the same book of recipes as Rich and Joy Porter. If the bright red sign of the Home Town Diner in Hermitage doesn’t...
The Original Lemonade House Grille
According to the calendar, summer is coming to an end. But one of the best parts of the season can be enjoyed all year long at The Original Lemonade House Grille in Poplar Bluff. It starts with one of the 30 fresh-made lemonades offered in flavors such as Blueberry...
Captain’s Corner
Being imaginative with her cooking is nothing new to Katherine Wald. Raising two sets of twins, born two years apart, put her creative cooking skills to the test. April Fools’ Day meals consisted of items like what appeared to be a grilled cheese sandwich, but was...
Spanish Street Farmacy
Green family offers healthy, locally grown food in Cape These days restaurants are justifiably proud to offer menu items that are made from scratch. At Spanish Street Farmacy in Cape Girardeau, the owners take the concept a big step further. Not only is everything on...
The Heist II
Over-the-top sandwiches and wraps in an historical setting Inside the narrow corner store, “Wanted! Dead or Alive” posters line the brick wall. A newspaper clipping details the $2,000 stolen from this building by Jesse James and the James-Younger Gang when it was The...
The Hoof Family Steakhouse
Delicious steaks in Monroe County There are two entrances leading into The Hoof Family Steakhouse in Madison and it doesn’t matter to co-owners Keith Thomas and Charles Wheeler which one you choose as long as you come on inside. Once inside, Keith nods to a trail of...
A Slice of Pie
Rolla pie shop serves up sweet treats When you walk in the door the aroma almost stops you in your tracks. The sweet smell of an American Apple, Red Velvet or Boston Cream pie is reminiscent of pie shop co-owner Ryan Warnol’s childhood. “My great-grandparents had the...
America Bowman Restaurant
Authentic Irish cuisine in an historical setting With a menu full of mouthwatering dishes, diners at America Bowman Restaurant will undoubtedly need something to wash it all down. There’s plenty of soda as well as wine and spirits all made not far from the restaurant...
Dubious Claims Brewing Co.
Pizza, pasta and pretzels in a unique brewpub The journey to opening a brewpub began for Neil Wilkerson on his honeymoon to Breckenridge, Colorado more than three decades ago. It was his first time visiting and he and his wife patronized the newly opened Breckenridge...
Ivory Grille
Modern eats in a historical hotel setting Since the late 1800s, Sedalia has been known as the home to the state fair, railroads, cattle drives, the Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival and the beautiful Daum Museum of Contemporary Art. But when it comes to dining worth the...
Firehouse 54
Unique pizza creations in a cozy setting Tana Kinder knows the moment she realized her idea for a pizza restaurant would come to fruition. The hairdresser-turned-pizza maker was serving up pies from her 20-foot gooseneck trailer on the Eagleville square, just as she...
Cafe B-29
Ozark diner pays tribute to American heroes You can tell there’s something different about Cafe B-29 before you walk in the door. It’s not every restaurant where ammo boxes double as flower planters, helmets are refashioned as booth lights and one of two 6-foot-tall...
Cole’s Hearth Room
Fine dining and fun cocktails in Palmyra A chef, mixologist and former professional fighter, Coltin Cole may not have known his road would lead to Palmyra but he was always destined for the kitchen. Starting with summer cooking classes as an 8-year-old and...
Pilot House
Classic sandwiches and more at a Cape Girardeau institution The cozy eatery is much more than just a place to get your next meal. This dining destination is a southeast Missouri institution that pays homage to Cape Girardeau’s river roots. The portions are plentiful...
1820 The Family Restaurant
Comfortable food in a homey location The inside of the restaurant is filled with one-of-a-kind items. Tobacco sticks from the owners’ father line the ceiling just next to the grain bin with a unique dining table inside. A 1940s wheat reel from a local farm spins...
1932 Reserve
Upscale dining at a new lake classic When B. Ray Franklin’s hotel was built in 1932, probably few people would have guessed that almost a century later it would be one of the last remnants of the Lake of the Ozarks’ early years. As time and development have changed...
Ohana Pizzeria
Pizza, pasta and more in a family atmosphere Chris Johnston feels at home in the kitchen. Whether he’s tending to his homemade Alfredo sauce or mixing up another batch of dough for focaccia or slinging an 18-inch-round pizza crust in the air, he knows the food leaving...
Hercules Southern BBQ
Smoked favorites in southeast Missouri Smoke fills the air on the back patio as Alfea Crenshaw tends to the seemingly endless rows of chicken, ribs and pork steaks. He checks to make sure the smoked meats are about ready to be pulled off the heat in time for his...
Boji Stone Cafe
Most mornings in downtown Chillicothe you’ll find Brent Kepner where he’s been for the past 14 years; standing outside the front door, cup of joe in hand, greeting the sun and ready to welcome customers. Walking through the front door of Boji Stone Cafe, Coffee House...
Mudcat Coffee House
You can order off the extensive menu at The Mudcat Coffee House. But then you would miss out on all the fun of having owner Rebecca Moore surprise you with one of her off-the-cuff creations. This culinary leap of faith has a name: The Matt. “It’s named after a good...
Old Dutch Tavern
Delicious Housemade Eats in a Retro, Casual Setting If you ask someone to describe what a tavern is, you’ll probably get a wide variety of replies. A tavern is a place of business where people gather to visit with friends. All serve drinks, and most have the added...
Jamaican Jerk Hut
Island flavors in mid-Missouri You can’t drive by without getting a whiff. The distinctive Caribbean smell of pimento berries, Scotch bonnet peppers and other island spices on tender meat billows out of the grill that is manned by Rex Scott next to a Jamaican flag....
Momma Mary’s Navajo Tacos
Fry bread, flavor and family tradition are on the menu in Willard The shutdown surrounding COVID-19 posed a significant challenge to small businesses, especially for a restaurant that just reopened its doors six months prior. For Linda Moody-Ivey, the owner of Momma...
Duke’s BBQ Shack
Smokehouse Classics with an Elevated Twist Your nostrils will tell you as soon as you walk through the door. This is undoubtedly a smokehouse. The pecan- and cherry-wood-filled smokers might be outside, but their aroma fills this St. Charles County restaurant. That’s...
The Chef’s Table
Ryan VanWinkle may hold the title “executive chef,” but don’t be fooled: He’s actually in the business of time travel. Every dish he’s created for the past seven years has been an attempt at taking diners back to his late grandmother’s house. “We’d walk in the door...
Jones Outpost
Down-home food in a cozy setting The southeast corner of Camden County is definitely meat-and-potato country. Mike Jones knew that about his hometown of Montreal when crafting the menu for his first restaurant, and today he goes through more than 500 pounds of...
River Bottoms Brewing Company
It was supposed to just be a small microbrewery. Joe and Abbie Backes knew that people were willing to travel to visit breweries, wineries and distilleries and wanted to bring one to their hometown of Carrollton. “I knew how to make beer and everyone seemed to like...
The Jiggy Pig
Jaret Jensen was excited to dip his toes into the world of delicious barbecue. Living in west-central Missouri, he and his then-girlfriend, Janna, were no strangers to smoked meats. So when he felt it was time to invest in his first smoker, Janna thought another...
Dadeville Cafe
Alan and Valerie Porter bring fresh, unique flavors to southern Missouri When Alan and Valerie Porter returned to Alan’s stomping grounds in south-central Missouri, the plan was to build a log home with a wraparound porch and take it easy. The slower pace of life...
Pizza By The Chef
The little pizza shop was a Morris family tradition. Gary Morris’ job as a car dealership business manager brought him to the Branson area where he would eat lunch at the Pizza Chef location just down the road from Silver Dollar City. Pizza was popular with his family...