11 Missouri Dishes That Outsiders Question, Until They Taste The First Bite
Missouri cuisine doesn’t always make sense at first glance.
Between gooey cakes that sound like dessert disasters and sandwiches named after cities that have nothing to do with them, the Show-Me State serves up plenty of head-scratchers.
But here’s the thing: once you take that first bite, everything clicks into place, and suddenly you’re wondering why the rest of the country hasn’t caught on yet.
1. Springfield-Style Cashew Chicken
Breaded chicken drowning in gravy with cashews sprinkled on top sounds like someone’s kitchen experiment gone wrong. Yet Springfield locals will defend this dish with their lives, and rightfully so.
Created by Chinese chef David Leong in the 1960s, this Missouri original bears zero resemblance to anything you’d find in actual Chinese cuisine. The chicken gets deep-fried until golden, then smothered in a savory oyster sauce-based gravy that somehow works perfectly with crunchy cashews.
First-timers always wrinkle their noses, but after one forkful, they’re ordering seconds. It’s comfort food that somehow bridges cultures while creating its own delicious identity.
2. Toasted Ravioli
Why would anyone take perfectly good ravioli and throw it in a deep fryer? St. Louis residents asked themselves that exact question until they actually tried it.
Legend says this appetizer was born from a happy accident in one of several restaurants on The Hill in the 1940s, with the most widely credited being Charlie Gitto’s (formerly Angelo’s), though multiple spots claim the origin. Some clumsy cook dropped ravioli into hot oil instead of boiling water, and boom—culinary gold was discovered.
The pasta gets breaded and fried until crispy on the outside while staying tender inside. Dipped in marinara sauce, it’s addictively crunchy and cheesy, proving that sometimes the best inventions come from complete mistakes that nobody bothered to throw away.
3. Gooey Butter Cake
Gooey butter cake sounds like a baking disaster waiting to happen. The name alone makes people think someone forgot how to finish making a proper cake.
This St. Louis dessert classic features a dense cake base topped with a custard-like layer that’s intentionally undercooked and wonderfully jiggly. It’s widely believed to have originated in the 1930s–40s after a baker mixed up ingredient ratios, though the exact date varies. German bakers created it during the Great Depression when ingredient ratios got mixed up, but nobody complained about the results.
That wobbly, butter-rich top layer dusted with powdered sugar is pure magic. It’s sweet without being overwhelming, rich without feeling heavy, and absolutely worth the confused looks you’ll get when describing it to out-of-towners.
4. St. Paul Sandwich
An egg foo young patty slapped between two slices of white bread makes zero sense until you’re three bites in and completely hooked.
This St. Louis Chinese-American hybrid has nothing to do with Minnesota’s capital city, despite the name. The sandwich features a fried egg pancake loaded with bean sprouts, onions, and sometimes meat, then dressed with mayo, lettuce, tomato, and pickles like it’s trying to be a burger.
It’s weird, it’s wonderful, and it’s proof that Missouri doesn’t play by anyone’s culinary rules. The combination of textures and flavors shouldn’t work together, but somehow they create sandwich perfection.
5. St. Louis-Style Pork Steak
Pork steak isn’t even a real cut of meat in most places, which makes ordering it outside Missouri an exercise in confusion and disappointment.
These thick slices come from pork shoulder, a tough cut that seems like a terrible choice for grilling. But low and slow cooking with tangy BBQ sauce transforms them into tender, flavorful perfection that rivals any beef steak.
St. Louis families have been grilling these bad boys for generations, especially during summer cookouts. Visitors always ask what makes them special, and the answer is simple: patience, smoke, and enough sauce to make your fingers sticky for hours afterward.
6. St. Louis-Style Pizza
Pizza topped with Provel cheese instead of mozzarella sounds like culinary heresy to anyone raised on New York or Chicago pies.
This ultra-thin, cracker-crisp crust gets cut into squares rather than triangles and features a processed cheese blend that melts into gooey, slightly tangy perfection. Imo’s Pizza made this style famous, and locals are fiercely protective of it despite nationwide criticism.
First-timers often complain about the cheese’s texture and flavor, but something magical happens after a few slices. That crispy crust and unique cheese combo becomes strangely addictive, and suddenly you understand why St. Louis folks won’t shut up about it.
7. St. Louis-Style BBQ Ribs
Spare ribs trimmed into a neat rectangular shape might seem like unnecessary fussiness for barbecue that’s just going to get messy anyway.
St. Louis-style ribs get their signature look by removing the sternum bone, cartilage, and rib tips to create an even, uniform rack. This isn’t just for aesthetics—it helps the ribs cook more evenly and makes them easier to eat without wrestling your food.
Coated in sweet, tomato-based sauce and slow-smoked to tender-but-still-firm perfection rather than “fall-off-the-bone” doneness, these ribs prove that a little precision makes barbecue even better. They’re sticky, smoky, and worth every napkin you’ll destroy.
8. Burnt Ends
Serving people the burnt, crusty bits from brisket sounds like you’re trying to pass off mistakes as menu items.
Kansas City pitmasters turned these flavorful point-end pieces into barbecue gold by first serving them plain as scraps, then evolving them into the modern sauced-and-caramelized cubes loved today. What results is caramelized, crispy-edged meat candy that’s more sought-after than the original brisket.
These little nuggets pack intense smoky flavor with a texture that’s both tender and crispy. They’re so popular now that restaurants sometimes run out by mid-afternoon, leaving disappointed customers who learned too late that burnt ends are anything but leftovers.
9. Kansas City-Style BBQ Sauce
Thick, sweet, molasses-heavy sauce that practically coats your ribs like paint seems excessive to barbecue purists who prefer vinegar-based options.
Kansas City made this tomato-and-molasses blend famous by slathering it on everything that comes off the smoker. It’s sweeter than most regional sauces, with hints of brown sugar and spices that create a glossy, sticky coating.
Critics call it candy sauce, but one taste explains why it’s America’s most popular barbecue style. That balance of sweet, tangy, and smoky flavors enhances meat without overpowering it, and it’s thick enough to cling to every delicious bite without dripping everywhere.
10. Ozark Pudding
Calling something pudding when it’s actually more like cake feels like false advertising that should be illegal.
This Ozark Mountain specialty contains chopped apples, pecans, and a batter that bakes into something between cake and custard. Despite the name, there’s no pudding involved—just a dense, moist dessert with a texture that defies easy description.
President Harry Truman supposedly loved this dessert, a claim often repeated though not officially documented, which helped spread its popularity beyond Missouri’s hills. Served warm with whipped cream or ice cream, it delivers cozy fall flavors year-round. The combination of tart apples and crunchy nuts makes every bite interesting, even if the name remains confusing.
11. Concretes
Frozen custard so thick you can turn it upside down without spilling sounds like an exaggeration until someone actually demonstrates it for you.
St. Louis frozen custard shops like Ted Drewes made concretes famous by blending mix-ins so thoroughly that the dessert becomes dense enough to hold its shape. Unlike soft serve, custard contains egg yolks that create a richer, creamier base that doesn’t melt immediately.
The texture is somewhere between ice cream and fudge, and the mix-in possibilities are endless—from fruit and nuts to candy and cookies. It’s called concrete because you genuinely need a spoon to eat it, not because it tastes like building materials.
12. Slingers
Piling hash browns, hamburger patties, eggs, and chili onto one plate sounds like someone’s drunk food fantasy rather than an actual menu item.
This St. Louis late-night diner staple was designed to cure hangovers and feed hungry shift workers who needed serious fuel. Eat-Rite Diner is widely credited as one of the earliest creators, and everything gets smothered in cheese and onions, creating a mountain of carbs, protein, and pure comfort that defies all nutritional logic.
It’s messy, it’s excessive, and it’s absolutely perfect at 2 a.m. when regular breakfast seems too boring. One slinger can easily feed two people, but good luck finding someone willing to share once they taste it.