Onesto Pizza & Trattoria - St. Louis, MO

I have found that many of the best pizza joints in St. Louis are small neighborhood establishments, modestly tucked away to be enjoyed by locals. Onesto is off to a good start with a location that feels cozy and special, comfortably nestled in it's South City neighborhood.

This restaurant is also THE place to meet for dinner on a Friday night, apparently. The place was packed when I arrived, and I knew that there was no way I would be able to get a table. I ordered a pizza for carryout and waited outside. As I waited, I couldn't help but notice that many of the patrons filing into the restaurant were young and ridiculously attractive, like Italian models. This place is hot! I had high hopes.

Onesto uses brick ovens to bake their New York style pies, and follows the respectable restaurant world trend of handmade product, using local, organic ingredients. The menu offers classic and "gourmet" toppings, or a variety of specialty pizzas like the "Gut Buster", loaded with toppings, or "The Godfather", their version of the deep dish, with gobs of mozzarella and sauce piled on.

I ordered a large 18" pie with pepperoni, sausage, and fresh mozzarella. After about an hour wait, it arrived. I was shocked by how hefty it was. The box barely fit in the passenger seat of my car. I eagerly rushed it home and flipped it open.



Onesto's greatest success in their pizza is the crust. It is hand-tossed and thin, but just firm enough that you can hold one of the enormous, chewy slices with one hand. I wasn't as satisfied as I thought I would be by this pie, however. Onesto is run by Vito Racanelli, the brother of Racanelli's Pizza founder John Racanelli. The pizza here is similar to Racanelli's, but without any improvement.I instantly wished that their regular sausage wasn't crumbled, as my pizza lacked contrast in texture. The whole thing was very flat, and a bit dry. The homemade plum tomato sauce that I had been looking forward to was very scarce. And strangely enough, for a pizza that looked and smelled so delicious, it lacked flavor. I started to wonder if my taste buds had somehow stopped working. There was no spice or texture that seemed inspired or that made this pizza memorable.

I think that if I go back to this trattoria for pizza, I will try their deep dish, or at the very least, get some extra sauce. I feel that larger toppings like chicken or artichokes would also be in order, to give it more body.

Ultimately, Onesta is a social hotspot, but the pizza leaves much to be desired.


Onesto Pizza & Trattoria
www.onestoppizza.com
5401 Finkman
St. Louis, MO 63109
(314)802-8883
(314)802-7709
Sunday 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Monday, Wednesday, & Thursday 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday & Saturday 11:00 AM - 10:30 PM
Tuesday - Closed