St. Louis Missouri Comfort Food Classics

On the weekend before Thanksgiving, Laurie and I headed west to visit both her family and our family.  Our first stop was in the St. Louis area.  We went out for dinner with Laurie’s sister Bonnie and we all voted to try out a couple of St. Louis comfort food classic joints…ones that would definitely fit into Guy Fieri’s universe of diners, drive-ins and dives.  Unfortunately, Bonnie’s husband Bill had to work so he missed the fun!

The Hi-Pointe Drive-In has been around in one form or another since the 1980s.  Despite living in St. Louis for many years, we’d never eaten here before.  This burger and sandwich joint/dive/diner is located in St. Louis’s Hi-Pointe neighborhood just off US I-40.  As you can see, it is quite large, with an indoor/outdoor area buttoned up for colder weather.

Hi-Pointe is a neighborhood within the city of St. Louis Missouri.  The name Hi-Pointe came from this 186 acre area being one of the highest points in the city.  There are about 800 homes, apartment buildings, condos and businesses in the area with a population of over 2,200.

The interior of the Hi-Pointe Drive-In is basic and very diner/dive like.  It was also obvious that this is a very popular local joint with lots of couples and families filling the tables and booths.

Customers go up to the counter, study the posted menu and then place their orders.  You’re given a number which you place on your table and when the food is ready, a Hi-Pointe employee brings it out to you. 

But how was the food?

After some deliberation Laurie ordered the Hi-Pointe version of her favorite sandwich.  It is named “Rye Felicia” and it features a double burger, Swiss cheese and grilled onions on seeded marbled rye bread. ($8.50) For a side, she ordered the Three Cheese Mac and Cheese. ($2.75)

She was very happy with all of her choices although she wasn't just able to sample the Mac and Cheese!  Laurie couldn’t even finish her sandwich much less the Mac and Cheese.  The leftover half sandwich went home with Bonnie for Bill’s lunch the next day…and, as you’ll see, we found a ‘home’ for the mac and cheese too.

Bonnie decided to order the French Onion Burger for her dinner. ($8.50) The burger was topped with Swiss cheese, then smothered in grilled onions and onion gravy and served on an English muffin.  For her side, she ordered the Belgian ‘frites’. ($2.50) It was all good!

After studying the menu for a while, I finally decided to order something a little ‘off the charts’…a not so simple Bologna sandwich. ($9.00) This luscious beauty consists of layered slices of bologna and mustard with a fried egg all enclosed between 2 grilled cheese sandwiches!

This was a great sandwich, although my cardiologist might have a different opinion!  It was flavor-packed, juicy and very satisfying… There was no way that I could eat my Belgian frites after downing this terrific creation!

I took this photo of Laurie and Bonnie at the Hi Pointe Drive-In.  They look happy and after this meal, I’m sure that they were content!

By a happy coincidence, it turned out that Bonnie and Bill’s son Kyle, his wife Melissa and their 2 sons Collin and Keaton, also stopped by for dinner at Hi-Pointe just after we had arrived.  They ended up sitting in the both right next to us…and the boys provided a destination for our excess Belgian frites and Laurie’s Mac and Cheese!

The Hi-Pointe Drive Inn is located at 1033 McCausland in St. Louis Missouri.  Phone: 314-349-2720.  Website: http://hipointedrivein.com/.

What about something for dessert?  Although Hi-Pointe does have desserts on the menu, we were off to another St. Louis classic joint!

Were we crazy or what?!  First of all, it was freezing cold out with a nasty wind blowing.  Secondly, the dessert in question was all about frozen treats!  Looking at the photo though, you can see that despite the weather and the fact that Ted Drewes Frozen Custard doesn’t offer indoor seating, folks were lined up outside!  Looking at the right side of the photo, you can see Bonnie and Laurie shivering while they study the menu!

FYI, Ted Drewes has been selling frozen custard in St. Louis for over 80 years!  Ted Drewes Sr. was a local tennis pro with quite a reputation.  During the late 1920s and into the 1930s he and his family traveled to Florida in the winters in order to continue to play tennis.  Ted Sr. opened his first frozen custard stand in Florida in 1929 and his first St. Louis location in 1930.  Today there are 2 Ted Drewes Frozen Custard stands in St. Louis…

These were our frozen custard treats…which we ate while sitting in our warm and cozy car.  I don’t remember what we ordered but I do remember that there were way too many choices for me to consider while I was standing in the cold!  I must admit that the lines moved very quickly.  Ted Drewes was well staffed for the crowd and they really had production down to a science!

On TripAdvisor, Ted Drewes has a rating score of 4.5 out of 5 with a stunning 3,557 reviews!  This particular Ted Drewes Frozen Custard Stand is located at 6726 Chippewa Street in St. Louis Missouri.  Phone: 314-481-2652.  Website: http://teddrewes.com/.

Just click on any of the photographs to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by to see what we’ve been up to!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave