{"id":1284,"date":"2025-02-18T22:43:53","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T03:43:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/50for50tony.me\/?p=1284"},"modified":"2026-01-30T19:24:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T19:24:38","slug":"st-louis-style-pizza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tonypanariello.com\/blog\/wordpress\/index.php\/2025\/02\/18\/st-louis-style-pizza\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Louis Style Pizza"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019ve never had <strong>St. Louis-style pizza<\/strong>, get ready for something totally unexpected. This Missouri-born creation defies every traditional pizza rule in the best way possible\u2014starting with the fact that it\u2019s <strong>cut into squares, not slices<\/strong>. That\u2019s right, in St. Louis, pizza isn\u2019t served in the familiar triangle shape but instead in <strong>a grid of bite-sized squares<\/strong>, thanks to what\u2019s known as the <strong>\u201cparty cut\u201d<\/strong> or <strong>\u201ctavern cut.\u201d<\/strong> But the unique slicing method is just the beginning of what sets this style apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First and foremost, <strong>the crust<\/strong> is unlike any other. Instead of a chewy, airy dough, <strong>St. Louis-style pizza has an ultra-thin, cracker-like crust<\/strong> that snaps rather than bends. There\u2019s no yeast involved, which means the dough stays flat and crispy, giving each bite a satisfying crunch. This makes it one of the few pizzas that you <strong>definitely cannot fold<\/strong>\u2014and honestly, you wouldn\u2019t want to. The crisp texture is the backbone of the entire experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then there\u2019s <strong>the cheese<\/strong>\u2014and this is where things get <em>really<\/em> St. Louis. Unlike most pizzas that use mozzarella, St. Louis-style pizza is topped with <strong>Provel cheese<\/strong>, a hyper-local blend of cheddar, Swiss, and provolone. Provel is an acquired taste\u2014it\u2019s ultra-melty, creamy, and has a slight smoky, buttery flavor. While some people love its gooey texture, others find it almost too processed. But for St. Louisans, <strong>Provel is non-negotiable.<\/strong> You\u2019ll even find it in toasted ravioli, another local specialty. If you order a St. Louis-style pizza outside of Missouri, chances are they\u2019ll swap in mozzarella, but if you want the <em>real deal<\/em>, it\u2019s gotta be Provel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As for <strong>the sauce<\/strong>, St. Louis keeps things <strong>sweet and tangy<\/strong>. Unlike the bright, acidic sauces of Neapolitan or New York-style pizza, St. Louis pizza sauce often has a touch of sugar, creating a slight sweetness that balances the saltiness of the Provel cheese. It\u2019s usually spread in a <strong>thin layer<\/strong>, so the sauce never overwhelms the crispy crust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And finally, we have <strong>the toppings<\/strong>. Since the crust is thin and crispy, <strong>St. Louis-style pizza can handle a lot of toppings without getting soggy.<\/strong> Popular choices include Italian sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, and green peppers, though some places get more creative. One classic St. Louis topping combo is <strong>bacon and onion<\/strong>, a salty-sweet mix that plays well with the Provel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the <strong>\u201cwho invented St. Louis pizza?\u201d<\/strong> debate continues, one name always comes up: <strong>Imo\u2019s Pizza<\/strong>. Founded in 1964 by Ed and Margie Imo, this family-owned business turned the local style into a full-blown institution. Today, <strong>Imo\u2019s is to St. Louis what Domino\u2019s is to the rest of America<\/strong>\u2014a citywide staple with dozens of locations serving up <strong>thin, crispy, Provel-smothered pies<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Outside of Missouri, St. Louis-style pizza remains a bit of a cult favorite. Some people can\u2019t get enough of the crispy crust and melty Provel, while others struggle to embrace its unconventional approach. But love it or hate it, <strong>St. Louis-style pizza is one of the most distinct and proudly regional pizzas in the U.S.<\/strong> It\u2019s not trying to be New York, Neapolitan, or Chicago deep-dish\u2014it\u2019s doing its own thing, unapologetically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, if you ever find yourself in St. Louis, forget the debate over whether Provel is real cheese, embrace the <em>party cut<\/em>, and dive into a crispy, cheesy, square-shaped bite of Missouri\u2019s finest. <strong>Just don\u2019t ask for a slice.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019ve never had St. Louis-style pizza, get ready for something totally unexpected. This Missouri-born creation defies every traditional pizza rule in the best way possible\u2014starting with the fact that it\u2019s cut into squares, not slices. That\u2019s right, in St. Louis, pizza isn\u2019t served in the familiar triangle shape but instead in a grid of&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1286,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[62,105,114,194,209,210,212],"class_list":["post-1284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pizza","tag-cooking","tag-food","tag-goals","tag-pizza","tag-recipe","tag-recipes","tag-review"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tonypanariello.com\/blog\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tonypanariello.com\/blog\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tonypanariello.com\/blog\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tonypanariello.com\/blog\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tonypanariello.com\/blog\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1284"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.tonypanariello.com\/blog\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1284\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1809,"href":"https:\/\/www.tonypanariello.com\/blog\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1284\/revisions\/1809"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tonypanariello.com\/blog\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tonypanariello.com\/blog\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tonypanariello.com\/blog\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tonypanariello.com\/blog\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}