Photo by J.B. Forbes (Post-Dispatch)
Union Loafers
Few restaurants can claim one peak of the past decade's vital dining developments. Sean Netzer and Ted Wilson's Union Loafers can claim two. There is the artisan bread: the signature light-and-mild, the other sourdough loaves and the everyday yeasted baguettes — breads that take well to olive oil, butter or cheese but need nothing to showcase their complex flavors. And there is the pizza, a bridge between the Neapolitan style that dominated the first half of the decade and the New York style ascendant now, with a tangy, springy crust and no-nonsense arrangements of toppings (I'm partial to the pepperoni with Calabrian chiles). If Union Loafers' lunch menu doesn't neatly fit into a decade's trends, it must settle for being one of St. Louis' best lunches.
Hours: Dinner Tuesday-Saturday, lunch Tuesday-Sunday (closed Monday)
Last year's ranking: No. 23
Opened: 2015