How to Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month in St. Louis

Recognizing the achievements and contributions of Hispanic American champions, National Hispanic Heritage Month is the perfect time to connect with diverse cultures in the St. Louis region.

Held from Sept. 20 to 22, the Hispanic Festival in Soulard is one of the most enticing – and the most exciting – ways to honor National Hispanic Heritage Month. Over the weekend, the historic St. Louis neighborhood will come to life with dynamic bands, folkloric dancers, traditional foods and colorful arts and crafts.

Mere minutes from Soulard, Cherokee Street boasts the largest concentration of Hispanic-owned and -operated bakeries, restaurants, groceries and shops in St. Louis, and their presence maintains the exuberance of the neighborhood. To experience the flavor of the area, stop by one of these delicious establishments:

Named after owner Ana Vazquez’s daughter, Diana’s Bakery offers more than 100 Mexican treats, including bolillos (small loaves of white bread), conchas (sweet bread made with buttery brioche-like dough and a streusel topping) and milhojas (layers of puff pastry filled with pastry cream and drizzled with dulce de leche). If the specialty sweets don’t hit the spot, Diana’s also sells handmade tamales on weekends.

El Torito, a supermercado and taqueria on Cherokee Street, boasts brightly painted walls, friendly service, an on-site grill and delicious bites to-go. We recommend getting three or four tacos per person – you can’t go wrong with the carnitas, barbacoa and chicarrón – and washing them down with ice-cold Mexican beer.

Tacos al pastor, tortas de camarón, enchiladas de queso, chiles rellenos – Taqueria El Bronco serves traditional taqueria fare in a no-frills setting.

Tacos and ice cream – that’s a combination that we can get behind! At La Vallesana, tacos stuffed with grilled steak, marinated pork, spicy shrimp and beef tongue are the stars of the menu, but we suggest saving room for dessert. Among surprising flavors of ice cream – think elote, guanabana and uva – you’ll find housemade tres leches cake, chocolate-covered paletas and more.

Other noteworthy businesses include Zee Bee Market, where Julio Zegarra-Ballon sells socially and environmentally conscious gifts from around the world – each with a beautiful story behind it – and Coffeestamp, where brothers Patrick and Spencer Clapp offer a taste of single-origin coffees alongside dishes with a distinctly international flair.

La Finca Coffee, the first Colombian-style coffee shop in the St. Louis region, also serves decadent brews, carefully roasted to accentuate the delicate characteristics of the single-origin coffees from Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Ethiopia. Staying in downtown St. Louis? Check out La Finca Coffee’s new location on Washington Avenue.

For more bites and sips, snag a seat at Arzolas Fajitas + Margaritas, Asador del Sur, The Golden Hoosier, Havana’s Cuisine, Malinche, Taqueria Morita and El Molina del Sureste. Alex Henry, owner of the latter, also runs Sureste, a food stall at City Foundry STL.

If you and your family want to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month with hands-on activities, put The Magic House on your itinerary. Argentina’s Niños, a new cultural exhibit that opens at the children’s museum on Sept. 28, inspires young visitors to observe the similarities and differences between their lives and those of children in the second largest country in South America.

As you and your little ones explore five immersive environments, you’ll learn about the traditions and lifestyles of Argentine children. Study Spanish in an Argentine school, walk through the office of Argentina’s president, make empanadas and mate in a traditional home and climb the Andes alongside skilled horsemen known as gauchos. Argentina’s love for fútbol is palpable, and in this exhibit, kids can put on the national kit and take a penalty shot like the country’s star player, Lionel Messi.

On Oct. 6, the Saint Louis Art Museum’s Family Sunday program will also focus on National Hispanic Heritage Month. The event will feature special interactive components for kids within the galleries, and it shouldn’t be missed.

We hope that these ideas inspire you to connect with St. Louis’ historical and cultural narrative, which has been influenced by the world.