About

One reviewer. One opinion. St. Louis.

Somewhere along the way I became the restaurant guy. Friends, family, coworkers, people I've met exactly once — if they're eating out in St. Louis, I'm the text they send. Where should we go? What do I order? Is this place actually any good? I love getting those texts, but I was answering the same questions on repeat, so I built this instead. Now every recommendation I'd give you lives in one place — no text required.

How I rate

The fork scale is blunt on purpose. I don't grade on a curve, I don't average my way to a 4.3, and I don't hand out fives to be liked.

5 forks — Nearly perfect, and I don't say that lightly. The kind of meal I'll bring up unprompted six months later. I can count these on one hand.
4 forks — Genuinely good. I'll go back without thinking about it and send friends without a disclaimer. Most places I love top out here, not at five.
3 forks — Fine. Worth it if you're already in the neighborhood, or if the one thing they do well is the thing you came for. Don't drive across town.
2 forks — Coasting. The kitchen's phoning it in and you can taste it. Not dangerous, just not worth your money.
1 fork — Something went wrong and it wasn't a fluke. I rarely bother publishing these — but when a place earns it, I won't protect them.

Charlie's Pick

If a restaurant has a ★ next to its name, that's a Charlie's Pick — the best in its category. Not the only one worth visiting in that lane, just the one I'd send a friend to first. The Top 10 is the running ranking of the whole city; Charlie's Pick is the per-category seal of approval.

About Charlie

I'm a fourth-year medical student at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. I'm not a chef, I've never worked in a restaurant, and I have no real business being this opinionated about food. What I've got is an appetite, a notebook, and no incentive to be nice.