Diners' Choice: Hot spot restaurants in Downtown

OpenTable

Updated July 05, 2025

Looking for restaurants that are the best hot spots in Downtown? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Cobalt Smoke & Sea

4.9

4.9 (967)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

St. Louis

About the restaurant

Cobalt Smoke & Sea is a bridge that connects uniquely different food sources — the rustic farmlands and the open air sea — and brings them under one illuminated space to create an alluring experience where culinary creativity, globally inspired flavors, and hungry curiosity intersect.

Our chef has meticulously created every Cobalt Smoke & Sea recipe through his deep love for the craft of food and those who will be enjoying it. It is through the selection of ingredients, care of crafting, and joy of presenting our dishes that we offer you true artisanal food with global inspiration. We invite you to share curiosity, tastes, and laughter over any of our dishes. Welcome to our table!

OpenTable Diner's Choice 2019-2025

Top review

Christopher

Dined 3 days ago

Excellent seafood dish (scallop-shrimp-risotto. Chef was accommodating to modify the yellowfin crudo for allergies. Great cocktail list - wine list was not extensive but the spirits list was fantastic.

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Experience

Happy Hour

Frazer's Restaurant & Lounge

4.8

4.8 (1942)

$30 and under

American

Soulard / Benton Park

About the restaurant

Frazer Cameron, executive chef and owner of Frazer’s restaurant, opened the doors to his now iconic restaurant in 1992 in historic Benton Park. Entrees at Frazer’s are inspired by tastes from around the globe, including French, Moroccan, Italian, Mexican, and Cajun. Frazer’s also features an award winning wine & cocktail program, featuring over 50 classic & specialty craft cocktails.

Located down the street from the Anheuser Busch Brewery, Frazer’s is perfect for appetizers and drinks with friends or for an entertaining dinner. We feature many different dining options such as a bar & lounge area, our main dining room, our upper level dining area, takeout. Frazer’s also features street side & patio dining (Outside dining is first come first serve). Please call for any inquiries.

info@frazersgoodeats.com

Top review

JaneVIP

Dined 4 days ago

It’s great! Server was great, drinks and food were amazing! We will be back!

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4.8

4.8 (903)

$30 and under

Seafood

St. Louis

About the restaurant

The Broadway Oyster Bar is a locally owned and operated establishment and has been for over 35 years. The Oyster Bar is widely regarded as the premier New Orleans' style restaurant, bar and music venue in the Midwest. BOB, as it is affectionately known by its many fans and friends, is housed in a building that was built in the mid 1840's and is one of the oldest buildings still in daily use within the city of St. Louis. During its colorful history, our building has had many functions including a family home, a boarding house, a Chinese laundry, a record store and a bordello to name a few. These walls have heard and seen it all. Some people feel that the building is haunted by spirits who, occasionally late at night, play good hearted jokes on the staff such as doors suddenly opening or closing or lights going on or off as if by magic. Then again, it just could be because the building is over 170 years old. However, our historic building has just gone through a renovation so we now have two outdoor patios that are covered and heated during cold or rainy weather and an expanded kitchen to better serve you. Our food has won numerous awards and readers' polls for excellence and features some of the most sustainable seafood available such as fresh Gulf and Blue Point oysters, Louisiana crawfish and shrimp, Prince Edward Island mussels, scallops and crabs. Our Cajun and Creole dishes are our versions of many of the traditional Louisiana favorites. If you love New Orleans, you will feel right at home at BOB. BOB offers live music twice a day every night of the week except on Friday when we feature one act for the evening. We present the best local and national touring acts representing a variety of musical genres such as rock, reggae, bluegrass, blues, funk, R&B, roots, and jam, and weshowcase a wide variety of bands visiting from New Orleans. The live music is free up to 8 times per a week. However, for some of the more popular and well known acts, we do charge a cover which typically goes to the bands in order to keep attracting them to the BOB. Broadway Oyster Bar has been referred to by many as a staple of St. Louis and was recently honored by the St. Louis Chapter of the Missouri Restaurant Association as the 2015 Restaurant of the Year. BOB is a great choice for a relaxing dinner, a celebratory party or an opportunity to dance to a great band. As well known food writer, the late Joe Pollack, once wrote, "There is, quite simply, nothing in St. Louis quite like the Broadway Oyster Bar". That line was written over 30 years ago, but it is as true today as it was then. Welcome to the Broadway Oyster Bar Family.

Top review

Shani

Dined on Jun 28, 2025

The restaurant was awesome! The food was excellent!!

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4.8

4.8 (617)

$30 and under

Pizzeria

Webster Groves

About the restaurant

We are an Italian inspired, neighborhood restaurant bringing you food that is fresh, casual, and simple yet sophisticated. A place where the service is efficient and the hospitality is heartfelt.

Top review

Gina

Dined 5 days ago

Second time here at O+O. Fist time was so delicious. Second time our reservation was delayed and they comped a round of drinks on the house which was excellent service. However, last night the food was SO incredibly salty. Unfortunately, we had to send back the pizza and pasta because it wasn’t edible. The hostess and wait staff were very understanding and accommodating with taking it off our bill, but please please make the food less salty! I would love to continue dining here. Thank you all!

Olive + Oak

4.8

4.8 (1485)

$31 to $50

American

St. Louis

About the restaurant

VIEW TODAY'S MENU HERE https://indd.adobe.com/view/4f193613-6d68-4eef-9d3c-177c76a63667. We set out to create a fun, lively, and approachable restaurant and bar in our own back yard — a friendly, bustling neighborhood spot where the very best in food and drink would be served in a welcoming setting. We are looking at every single detail to make sure that Olive+Oak will be the perfect place to enjoy great wine, craft beer, well made drinks and thoughtful, ingredient driven food with friends and family.

Top review

Jane

Dined 1 day ago

Always a wonderful meal and a great time. Service is fantastic.

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Perennial on Lockwood

4.7

4.7 (442)

$30 and under

Brewery

Webster Groves

About the restaurant

We are a small batch brewery, tasting room, and restaurant located in the heart of Old Webster Groves. Perennial on Lockwood is a collaboration between Olive + Oak and Perennial Artisan Ales offering the best in food, beer (yes we have wine and spirits too) and hospitality in a beautifully remodeled historic garage. Join us at our bar, in our dining room or on our patio.

Top review

JoanneVIP

Dined on Jun 26, 2025

We had a lovely lunch. Our first time at this restaurant so we started with a blackberry bourbon smash, a gin and tonic and fried green tomatoes. All very flavorful and delicious. We ordered the cheese sandwich and a Cuban sandwich . both were great and came with shoestring potatoes . We will be back! Happy Hour and dinner next!

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Experience

Happy Hour at Perennial on Lockwood

Rated Test Kitchen

4.6

4.6 (78)

$30 and under

Unspecified

St. Louis

About the restaurant

Rated Test Kitchen is an intimate Dinner Club. Our intent is to give our guests a unique dining experience like no other. Our evolving Menu, prepared by award-winning Culinary Creatives, features seven courses, and you (our Guests) will get to Rate each course. It’s time to channel your inner food critic and enjoy our innovative cuisine.

Top review

Sasha

Dined on May 30, 2025

From the service to the food, everything was exceptional. I was warmly greeted by name, and each dish was thoughtfully presented and absolutely delicious.

Ramsay's Kitchen

4.6

4.6 (911)

$31 to $50

American

St. Louis

About the restaurant

The Ramsay’s Kitchen concept, inspired by Chef Ramsay’s travels, takes guests on a global culinary journey. Celebrating Chef Ramsay’s renowned dishes, the menu offers an array of elevated yet approachable plates, entrées and craft cocktails. The restaurant offers incredible views of the iconic Gateway Arch and majestic Mississippi River.

Top review

Dale

Dined 1 day ago

The food was great it was everything we expected our server Janice was wonderful it was well worth the experience my wife and I highly recommend it

Idol Wolf - 21c Museum Hotel St. Louis

4.5

4.5 (470)

$31 to $50

Spanish

St. Louis

About the restaurant

Inspired by the rich culinary traditions of Spain, Chef Matt Daughaday's inspired cuisine at Idol Wolf takes a playful approach to tapas style dining by combining local and seasonal ingredients with classic Iberian sensibilities.
The menus seamlessly blend traditional takes on Spanish classics, with drinks and dishes that have a distinctly Midwestern point of view – the result is a shared drinking and dining experience that is uniquely craveable, and truly memorable.

Top review

Sheila

Dined 3 days ago

What a fun restaurant with delicious small plates and excellent service!

Chevys Fresh Mex - Olivette

4.4

4.4 (215)

$30 and under

Mexican

St. Louis

About the restaurant

Making the best Fresh Mex food from scratch, daily!

Top review

Wendy

Dined on May 26, 2025

Such a cute place. Came to eat lunch before flight out of STL. The chips! OMG the chips were so light and tasty! Came out hot with the salsa just right. Not too spicy. Perfect for my taste. The food came out hot and delicious. Service was great. Seems like a good place to celebrate with a group. Has outside seating as well.

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