Photo by Christian K. Lee
Randolfi's Italian Kitchen
This restaurant has closed
Randolfi's Italian Kitchen closed in September 2017. Since opening in the summer of 2015, Randolfi’s Italian Kitchen has asserted itself as the best Italian restaurant in St. Louis, combining creative, thoughtful modern cooking with the warm, familial vibe — complete with red-checkered tablecloths — that for many diners is synonymous with the idea of an Italian restaurant. The technique can be exquisite, as in the saline-cured egg yolk that gilds the standout white bolognese alla pappardelle, but Mike Randolph and executive chef Tommy Andrew are never showy. You can enjoy the fist-size lamb-pork meatball atop the spaghetti alla chitarra as, well, a fist-size meatball with spaghetti. With its wood-fired oven, featuring the Neapolitan pizzas with which Randolph first made his reputation at the Good Pie, and his knack for finding the brilliant accents that draw out the deeper flavors (a recent favorite, gnocchi with braised beef brightened by a preserved-lemon gremolata), Randolfi’s isn’t merely the area’s best Italian establishment, but its most soulful restaurant, period.
Hours: Dinner Tuesday-Sunday (closed Monday)
Last year's ranking: No. 11
Opened: 2015
Must order: Pappardelle with white Bolognese ($15.50)