Mai Lee is an essential destination for Vietnamese cuisine in St. Louis

Sauce 75: the essential St. Louis restaurants right now

This Brentwood restaurant remains an essential destination for Vietnamese cuisine in St. Louis, almost 40 years after founder Lee Tran opened Mai Lee in its original Delmar Boulevard location. The restaurant started as a Chinese restaurant, but Tran gradually introduced dishes from her home country, giving many St. Louisans their first taste of pho, goi cuon (Vietnamese spring rolls) and other Vietnamese staples. Tran’s son Qui (also of Nudo House fame) runs things these days, but the quality is still as strong as ever. We go back for the salt and pepper calamari (muc chien gion), but there’s much to love here. The mango sticky rice, covered in a warm, delicate sauce of sweetened coconut milk and topped with cool, golden mango is a treat for dessert.

8396 Musick Memorial Drive, Brentwood, 314.645.2835, maileestl.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.