10 new places in St. Louis to try this month

Hangar Kitchen + Bar
Hangar Kitchen + Bar, located in the former home of Slider House, turns out excellent dishes and drinks at reasonable prices. The refreshing, dessert-like Singapore Slush blends citrus and tropical fruits with brandy and seltzer. (Save a few sips to finish your meal). The roasted beets salad is subtly sweet, its strawberries, honey-infused Greek yogurt and balsamic reduction balanced by arugula, pickled red onion and toasted quinoa. The delightful That’s My Jam sliders are made with 2.5-ounce tri-blend beef, house-made tomato jam, aged white cheddar, garlic mayo, pickle and perfectly crispy onions. And the short rib tacos, which come three per order, feature a rich adobo sauce, bright avocado-lime crema, cotija cheese, citrus-cream slaw, pickled jalapeno and fried avocado in a lightly charred flour tortilla. Dishes are meant to be shared and are brought out as they’re ready, so there’s never a dull moment.
9528 Manchester Road, Rock Hill, 314.473.1221, hangarkitchenandbarstl.com

Wing Ding Dong
The newest concept from Baileys’ Restaurants, Wing Ding Dong is a ghost kitchen operating out of the downtown Bailey’s Range. It’s an excellent addition to St. Louis’ rapidly growing list of carryout chicken options. The tender smoked wings have an awesome juiciness, especially coming from a to-go box, and can be dipped with your choice of sauces, including Alabama white, Buffalo, ranch and Carolina mustard. The spicy chicken sandwich brings powerful heat cooled by tasty house-made mayo, with house pickles and lettuce on a beer bun. Creamy mac and cheese and perfectly fried tater tots make for a strong supporting cast.
920 Olive St., St. Louis, 314.241.8121, wingdingdong.com

Fire Chicken
We’re suckers for fried chicken, and the offerings at this unique Korean takeout and delivery restaurant are no exception. We loved the perfectly crispy chicken gangjung with the restaurant’s namesake fire sauce featuring jalapeno, garlic, scallion, sweet soy sauce and sesame seeds. You can also get the chicken gangjung with teriyaki or a spicy-sweet gochujang sauce. The savory mandu, deep-fried Korean pork dumplings, were also a hit.
10200 Page Ave., Overland, 314.551.2123, Facebook: FireChicken Page

Aubergine Cafe
Downtown’s Aubergine Cafe offers light and flavorful takes on regional Thai cuisine, along with dishes that blend Thai and Euro-American ingredients like the Thai-Bolognese. Mushroom lovers must try the mixed mushroom and basil, which does not skimp on the basil and comes topped with a sunny side up egg with a delightfully runny yolk. We also loved the colorful Tum Yum Fried Rice’s refreshing notes of lemongrass and galangal, a Thai ginger; and the perfectly tender chargrilled aubergine, garnished with mint and cilantro, does justice to the restaurant’s name.
550 N. Seventh St., St. Louis, 314.241.9990

Vegan Deli & Butcher
Hot off his stint as executive chef of Benton Park vegan haven Utah Station, Chris Bertke set out on his own this year. His new vegan shop in St. Charles offers hot and cold sandwiches, classic deli sides, from potato salad to mac and cheese, and fresh java from Peace Love Coffee, which shares the same space. We loved the substantive meatball sub, made with well-seasoned soy-based meatballs, marinara and vegan Parmesan cheese on a toasted hoagie, and the refreshing house-made, plant-based turkey club on toasted wheatberry bread. For more on Vegan Deli and Butcher, see our sandwich story on p. 18.
524 S. Main St., St. Charles, 636.757.3349, vegandeliandbutcher.com

Chillax Tap & Co.
This sleek, new beer bar and bottle shop in Wentzville offers a huge selection of rotating drafts. Chillax features exciting domestics from Two Pitchers Brewing Co. and Prairie Artisan Ales, as well as cool local breweries like Rockwell Beer Co. With 30 great beers on tap, you should plan to stay a while. The bar encourages guests to bring in takeout or get food delivered, so camping out inside or on the patio should be easy.
714 W. Pearce Blvd., Wentzville, 636.887.0387, chillaxstl.com

Motor Town Pizza
Motor Town Pizza is one of the latest ghost kitchens to open in St. Louis and is available for curbside pickup or delivery. Simon and Angelica Lusky of Revel Kitchen started the Detroit-style pizza shop inside Revel’s Brentwood location. The dough is airy and soft, kind of like a focaccia, with an edge-to-edge blanket of cheese, which formed an irresistible crispy, bronze border. Choose from six signature pizzas or build your own. We tried the spicy-sweet El Dorado with Chihuahua cheese, jalapeno, pineapple and locally made Hungry Planet plant-based chorizo. The Model P was a classic pepperoni with the added hit of crispy garlic. The kale mobile salad, with garlic aioli, lemon juice, red pepper flakes and romano cheese, was fresh and craveable with vegetarian Caesar salad vibes. 
8388 Musick Memorial Drive, Brentwood, 314.514.5392, motortownpizza.appfront.ai

Love at First Bite
St. Ann’s Love at First Bite offers comfort food to go, including an entire menu of loaded fries. The Lobster On My Spuds features a Grand Marnier cheese sauce and lobster tail meat poached in white wine and butter. Vegetarian and vegan diners will find many meat-free options alongside barbecue plates and sandwiches, including a vegan St. Paul sandwich and hot wing-style cauliflower bites.
10479 St. Charles Rock Road, St. Ann, 314.695.5440, loveatfirstbitestl.com

Bijoux Handcrafted Chocolates
The hand-painted chocolate bonbons at Bijoux, which made its name vending at the Lake St. Louis Farmers & Artists Market, may look too pretty to eat (“bijoux” is French for jewels), but the decadent, high-quality chocolate will keep you reaching for more. Flavors rotate, but we loved the roasted nut-caramel bonbon with pistachios, almonds, walnuts and pecans and the lemon-rhubarb bonbon with lemon caramel and white chocolate-rhubarb filling. Don’t miss out on non-bonbon treats like the honeycomb toffee or the salted nutty toffee. 
13014 Manchester Road, Des Peres, 314.307.7303, bijouxchocolates.com

Made. by Lia
Old Town Florissant’s Made. by Lia is a fantastic addition to St. Louis’ sweet-treat scene. The chocolate chip banana bread and chocolate chip cookies are both perfectly moist and feature high quality chocolate. The vegan carrot doughnut, drizzled with sugar glaze, is a delicious mashup of a cake donut and a carrot Bundt cake. Two-layer mini cakes, filled with some the fluffiest buttercream we’ve encountered, come in a variety of rotating flavors like the colorful funfetti and devil’s-food-like chocolate mini cake, which features a tender crumb and intense chocolate flavor.
610 Rue St. Francois, Florissant, 314.551.2383, madebylia.com