I am a big fan of St. Louis' Hill area. My favorite by far is Zia's on The Hill. The building looks like it hasn't changed in a century.
I particularly love the calimari. Usually, other Italian restaurants bring out a muddy, breading-caked platter of squid. Zia's has this lightly breaded calimari that is spectacular in its simplicity. I'm a really big fan of their salads. The dressing is homemade. They actually bottle the salad dressing for sale; it's that good. For an entree, I recommend anything and everything! I've had most of their pasta dishes. Excellent. Even their steaks are amazing.
To sum things up, when you can get to The Hill, you've got to eat at Zia's. I never pass up Zia's. It has never disappointed me. Italian food is my ultimate favorite ethnic food. And Zia's is the crowning jewel of Italian flavor.
Pros: the food
Cons: the wait (but any restaurant with a big wait has to be worth waiting for)
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