Photo by Laurie Skrivan (Post-Dispatch)
La Tejana Taqueria
Preparing this sixth edition of the STL 100, I found narrowing the field of potential candidates to the final 100 as excruciating as ever — maybe more so, given the sheer number of excellent new restaurants that have opened in recent years. Qualities that help keep an established restaurant on the list: consistency, of course, but also at least one dish that I think the STL 100 would be poorer without. For over a decade, Antonio and Brenda Garcia have made their Bridgeton restaurant a destination for tacos, carnitas and other Mexican fare, and you will need to work hard to convince me there is a better soup in St. Louis than their consomé de borrego, the essence of goat as if gilded with gold.
Hours: Lunch and dinner daily
Last year's ranking: Rest of the Best
Opened: 2008