Balkan Treat Box in Webster Groves is a family affair

Sauce 75: the essential St. Louis restaurants right now

Three James Beard Award nominations for co-owner and chef Loryn Nalic have earned Balkan Treat Box national acclaim, but this Webster Groves restaurant is truly a family affair. The heart of the restaurant is the copper-plated, wood-fired oven, where somun (pita-style Bosnian bread) and pide (a boat-shaped Turkish flatbread) are baked. The standout pide comes topped with cheese, ajvar (a bell pepper- and eggplant-based sauce), tangy kajmak (a Balkan cream cheese), herbs and your choice of beef, chicken or vegetables. The cevapi, grilled beef sausages stuffed inside somun with onions and kajmak, is available in whole or half portions – even the half size will fill you up.

8103 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, 314.733.5700, balkantreatbox.com

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The Sauce 75 is a photomosaic of the best in St. Louis dining in 2024. This list is a celebration of the diverse skills, techniques and culinary traditions that meet across our region. In sum, it tells a story about where St. Louis has been, where it is now and where it’s going next. Many great and good St. Louis restaurants have not made the cut. (Seventy-five is a lot fewer than you think!) Restaurants are constantly growing and evolving and go through ups and downs. Newly opened restaurants can take time to find their feet: There are a few exciting new places we’re cheering for, but which we feel haven’t yet fully hit their stride. Read the entire list here.