If you're in St. Louis over Thanksgiving, you could enjoy this spread from Chicken Scratch.

In St. Louis Over Thanksgiving? Let These Local Restaurants Take Care of Dinner

Friday October 27, 2023

By Rachel Huffman

Arguably the best holiday, Thanksgiving centers on food, family and friends, promoting gratitude, love and inclusivity. If you’re going to be in St. Louis over Thanksgiving – and you don’t have the will or the way to cook – let these local restaurants take care of dinner for you.

Celebrate gratitude, tradition and togetherness with Butler’s Pantry this Thanksgiving. The highly acclaimed St. Louis caterer offers a full buffet for 10 to 12 people for $700. Choose between scrumptious dishes such as roasted turkey breast, apple cornbread stuffing, maple-pecan roasted yams, broccolini with sweet peppers, green bean-mushroom casserole and butternut squash risotto. For a sweet finish, order the pecan pie gooey butter cake, cranberry-pear upside-down cake or chocolate mocha mousse cake.

European classics get a splash of St. Louis flavor at Café la Vie inside the newly renovated Le Méridien St. Louis Clayton. The stylish yet relaxed restaurant will offer an exclusive Thanksgiving buffet, available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Nov. 23. The meal will include roasted turkey breast and gravy, herb stuffing, roasted butternut squash bisque, a green salad with maple-Dijon vinaigrette, green bean casserole and roasted sweet potatoes with toasted marshmallows and pecans. As with every memorable Thanksgiving meal, this one will end with seasonal desserts, such as pecan pie and pumpkin pie. The buffet is $55 per adult and $26 per child, and reservations are required. Secure your spot on OpenTable today.

Casa Don Alfonso invites St. Louis residents and guests to indulge in a festive holiday season marked by the delicious traditions of Italy’s Sorrento Coast. Working closely with the renowned culinary team behind Don Alfonso 1890, Casa Don Alfonso has prepared inspired meals for an experience brimming with impeccable flavor and sincere hospitality. On Thanksgiving, guests are welcome to start the holiday with Casa Don Alfonso’s signature brunch, available from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The enticing buffet will feature wood mushroom soup with black truffle, brioche-herb stuffing, maple-bourbon glazed ham and maple roasted sweet potatoes alongside upscale brunch items such as eggs Benedict, cold-smoked salmon and freshly baked pastries. Beginning at 5 p.m. on Nov. 23, guests who dine with Casa Don Alfonso can indulge in a three-course, Thanksgiving-inspired dinner service, priced at $75 a person. Expect maple-brined turkey roulade; turkey jus gravy; butternut squash soup with chive oil, spiced pepitas and maple crème fraîche; garlic-Gruyère potato gratin; roasted heirloom carrots; charred asparagus; kumquat-cranberry sauce; and apple-pecan bread pudding with cinnamon gelato, Granny Smith chutney and caramel Anglaise.

Gather with family and friends at Cinder House on the eighth floor of the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis to celebrate Thanksgiving. Chef de cuisine Peter Slay has designed an artful turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Rejoice in the aromas, flavors and textures of the special menu, featuring sorghum-glazed smoked turkey breast and confit turkey thigh served with grilled brioche-herb stuffing, turkey jus, charred corn cream and roasted sweet potatoes tossed in sweet potato molasses. These thoughtful dishes will be offered in addition to the regular menu. For dessert, though, it’s got to be pumpkin pie, which Slay elevates with vanilla Chantilly cream and fried pepitas. Reserve your spot on OpenTable today.

Turkey and cheesecake – what a pair. This Thanksgiving, two local vendors at City Foundry STL will offer specials and to-go options for your dining pleasure. As part of its “Scratchgiving,” Chicken Scratch will whip up seven seasonal dishes: whole chicken and whole turkey (both dry-brined with salt and sugar, rubbed with housemade Scratch and Sniff rub and cooked rotisserie style); kale salad with pomegranate seeds, Feta, sunflower seeds and lemon-Parmesan dressing; green beans braised in bacon, onion and garlic; roasted carrots with lemon-thyme vinaigrette; Brussels sprouts with herb sauce; and mashed potatoes and gravy. Ordering closes on Nov. 17, and customers can choose their desired pickup time between 12 and 6 p.m. on Nov. 22. To satisfy your sweet tooth, order slices, petite cheesecakes or full-size cheesecakes from Patty’s Cheesecakes. Irresistible flavors include lemon-cranberry, pumpkin-chocolate chip, apple pie, banana pudding, gooey butter cake, cinnamon roll and s’more. Place your orders for 7- or 9-inch cheesecakes online.

Providing a new take on St. Louis barbecue, Dalie’s Smokehouse also puts its own spin on Thanksgiving dinner. Choose a main – whole smoked turkey, smoked turkey breast or smoked bacon-wrapped ham – and pair it with sweet potato-peach casserole, green bean casserole and turkey gravy. You can place orders until Nov. 17, but the sooner the better – à la carte items have been known to sell out.

The Thanksgiving pies from Eckert’s family farm and country restaurant in Belleville, Illinois, never disappoint. Flavors include apple, cherry, pumpkin and French silk, and you can preorder now until Nov. 21. If you’re in the area before Thanksgiving, snag a seat at one of Eckert’s Friendsgiving celebrations. Hosted at the Cider Shed, the mini Thanksgiving feasts will include traditional dishes and a flight of Eckert’s original hard cider. It’s the perfect way to get in the holiday spirit.

Helmed by husband-and-wife team Rick and Elisa Lewis, Grace Meat + Three is a family affair. Praised for its fried chicken, the Southern-inflected restaurant also boasts mouthwatering Thanksgiving proteins, including smoked prime rib and turkey, rubbed and ready to cook. Round out your holiday feast with Mom’s Dress’n (brioche, herbs and Italian sausage), green bean casserole with mushroom gravy and crispy onions, whipped garlic mashed potatoes, whipped bourbon sweet potatoes, cranberries with citrus and clove and potato rolls with salted honey compound butter. Don’t sleep on dessert, either – the bourbon pecan pie with salted caramel and toasted pralines is our favorite.

Begin and end your Thanksgiving dinner with savory and sweet treats from Knead Bakehouse + Provisions. Specializing in sourdough, the St. Louis bakery offers preorders of sourdough buns, sourdough demi-baguettes, sourdough rustic bâtards, rustic loaves of sourdough and brioche loaves of sourdough. For dessert, its sourdough pie crust is filled with Missouri-grown Empire and Jonathan apples, Missouri pecans and roasted Double Star Farms pumpkin for decadence with local flair.

If you’re looking for a truly unique experience, celebrate Thanksgiving aboard Miss Augusta, a 105-foot Skipperliner yacht, which departs from Klondike Park in Augusta, Missouri. The two-hour brunch cruise features scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, fruit and an assortment of pastries, alongside a roasted turkey carving station for the special occasion, while the two-hour dinner cruise includes a plated dinner with salad, roasted turkey breast, traditional stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, gravy and dessert – chef’s choice. The best part? You don’t have to cook or deal with a mess!

Suji Shaw, executive pastry chef of Bowood by Niche, plans to dazzle your taste buds this Thanksgiving. Her decadent offerings range from chocolate pecan pie to pumpkin cheesecake to kale, caramelized onion and Gruyère quiche. Niche Food Group’s assorted cookie box also deserves a spot on your table. Carefully crafted pumpkin ganache sandwich cookies, butter shortbread cookies, chocolate-espresso crackle cookies, ginger-molasses cookies, chocolate chip cookies and cranberry-orange blondies will please a variety of palates. Place your order between Nov. 6 and 20 for pickup on Nov. 21 or 22 at Pastaria Deli & Wine.

Want your Thanksgiving turkey and sides to-go? Salt + Smoke, known for its St. Louis-style barbecue, is now accepting orders for pickup from its location at 6525 Delmar Blvd. from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Thanksgiving. Along with a whole turkey and gravy or a whole smoked brisket, feast on the restaurant’s signature White Cheddar Cracker Mac, green bean and tomato salad and Hawaiian rolls. Wash it all down with a pour of Single-Barrel Eagle Rare Bourbon, a limited-edition whiskey, or Pig Candy, maple-bacon-flavored bourbon. Salt + Smoke also sells bottled cocktails such as a walnut Old Fashioned.

Housed in a luxuriously renovated Victorian factory in Lafayette Square, SqWires Restaurant & Market specializes in American cuisine made with locally sourced ingredients. This year, the restaurant’s to-go Thanksgiving menu will feature elevated dishes with reheating instructions. Create your own spread with roasted turkey breast, skin-on mashed potatoes, roasted balsamic Brussels sprouts, green bean and caramelized onion casserole, fresh cranberry sauce, dinner rolls, apple pie and more. If you’re not feeding a crowd, opt for a plated dinner, which also comes with reheating instructions. Each plated dinner includes sliced turkey breast, savory stuffing, skin-on mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean and caramelized onion casserole, fresh cranberry sauce, a dinner roll and a baked apple blossom for $35.

This Thanksgiving, skip the stress and let Sugarfire smoke the bird. The local smokehouse will offer whole smoked turkey and smoked turkey breast, or you can spring for The Ultimate Thanksgiving Dinner Pack. Priced at $27.99 per person, the dinner includes smoked turkey breast, mashed potatoes and gravy, sage stuffing, cornbread, green bean casserole, cranberry chutney and a slice of pumpkin pie. You can also add other freshly baked desserts, such as pumpkin gooey butter cake, Mississippi mud pie and pastry chef Carolyn Downs’ award-winning sweet potato cheesecake pie with toasted marshmallows. All holiday orders must be placed over the phone by Nov. 19 for pickup on Nov. 23 between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Comfort food meets innovation at Union 30, located downtown in Hotel Saint Louis. The restaurant draws inspiration from singular St. Louis culinary traditions to develop creative takes on hometown favorites. For Thanksgiving, it will offer a special menu, which you can enjoy at the restaurant or at home. Choose house-smoked turkey breast with giblet gravy and celery-sage stuffing or honey-bourbon baked ham, served alongside sides and dessert. Sides include Cheddar and Gruyère mac ‘n’ cheese, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, pomegranate-glazed carrots, cranberry relish and cornbread with honey butter, among other tasty bites. Your choice of apple pie with whipped cream, pumpkin pie with caramel sauce or warm pecan pie ends the meal on a sweet note. The dine-in menu is $35 per adult and $20 per child (kids five and younger are free). If you would rather get your Thanksgiving dinner to-go, the price ranges from $60 (feeds two) to $250 (feeds 10).

A one-stop shop for local food, delicious drinks and distinct gifts, Winslow’s Table is also a go-to destination for Thanksgiving fare. Save yourself some time and let the eatery prepare the sides and desserts for your holiday gathering. You’ll be blown away by its brilliant recipes – think roasted and marinated beet salad with sesame-ginger vinaigrette; kale and mushroom stuffing made with focaccia breadcrumbs; roasted carrot salad with housemade pesto, whipped ricotta, hot honey and toasted seeds; poultry gravy; and compote with cranberries, apples, pears and citrus. Top off your meal with apple crumb pie, pumpkin pie or French silk pie, available in mini and large sizes. If you want to start the holiday with breakfast, Winslow’s Table also makes some of the best cinnamon rolls in town.

Wherever you choose to celebrate Thanksgiving, we hope your day is full of good food and great company.