Patch Announces St. Louis Readers' Choice 2012 Winners
Patch readers all over St. Louis voted for everything from favorite beauty salon to best beer garden to restaurant with the friendliest staff. Now, we have the results of Readers' Choice 2012.
No doubt they're tough questions. Settling upon St. Louis' best thin-crust pizza is like naming your favorite child.
The best coffee house? Where do you start? Pulled pork sandwich? How about all of them?
But readers could only choose one. And they chose wisely.
Patch on Wednesday announced the winners of its Readers' Choice 2012 competition. Readers helped nominate local businesses and organizations for select categories then voted on them over a five-week period.
When all was said and done, Imo's Pizza, the chain that has more than 100 locations in the St. Louis-area, was deemed best St. Louis-style pizza. The provel-loving restaurant beat out the likes of some of the best pizza parlors in town, such as Pi Pizzeria, Dewey's Pizza, Fortel's Pizza Den and Stefanina's among others.
Another St. Louis food staple, toasted ravioli, was just as close. Landmark St. Louis restaurants such as Cicero's Restaurant, Rizzo's Pasta, Charlie Gitto's and Carmine's among others were all nominated. Ultimately, Charlie Gitto's prevailed.
And what would a St. Louis "best-of" contest be without beer? We asked readers where their favorite beer garden was and—not surprisingly—Schlafly Bottleworks got the most votes.
Here's how the rest of the categories shook out. Tell us what you think of the winning roster by leaving a comment below!
Health & Beauty
- Favorite Beauty Salon: Elle Salon and Spa in Eureka
Food & Drink
- Best Sushi in the Area: Oishi Steakhouse & Sushi in Chesterfield and Creve Coeur
- Best Bakery in St. Louis: de.lish Cheesecake Bakery & Cafe in Florissant
- Favorite Place for Tacos: Nachomama's in Rock Hill
- Best St. Louis-Style Pizza: Imo's Pizza
- Best Toasted Ravioli: Charlie Gitto's in Chesterfield, Maryland Heights and St. Louis
- Favorite Beer Garden: Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood
- Best Pulled Pork Sandwich: Bandana's BAR-B-Q
- Best Wine Selection: Wines of Wildwood in Wildwood
- Best Biscuits and Gravy: Gingham's Restaurant in St. Charles and Ellisville
- Restaurant With the Friendliest Staff: Jilly's Cafe and Steakhouse in High Ridge
- Coziest Coffee Shop in the Area: Adobe Coffeehouse in Webster Groves
Kids & Family
Services
- Best Facebook Page in the Area: All on the Same Page Bookstore in Creve Coeur
- Favorite Nonprofit: St. Louis OASIS
- Favorite Pet Store: One Lucky Mutt in Wildwood
Entertainment
- Favorite Place to Play Darts: Blueberry Hill Restaurant & Music Club in University City
- Favorite Movie Theater: Great Escape Theaters in O'Fallon and Fenton
- Best Place to Watch the Big Game: St. Louis Sports Zone in Arnold and Affton; and Post Sports Bar & Grill in Maplewood
- Best Bowling Alley in St. Louis: Shrewsbury Lanes in Shrewsbury
- Favorite Place for a First Date: The Melting Pot in University City
Automotive
- Favorite Car Dealership: Michael Riggio Auto Sales
Nicole Gattas
2:35 pm on Friday, August 24, 2012
I didn't know"best biscuits and gravy" was a"thing" to measure :)