Frank Papa's Ristorante

Special-ordered filet with shrimp, grilled to perfection and topped with a whole-roasted garlic cream sauce. Best carbonara I've ever had. Delicious fried escarole to start, delectable cassata cake to finish. Brought two kids and the servers treated them like royalty.

This story is dime-a-dozen among Frank Papa's patrons. Brentwood's best-kept secret. Order the Carpini! Or the "eviction notice" pasta. Those chocolate martinis, and that chocolate ravioli. I could go on and on about this legendary restaurant. I could write a book about how working there changed my life.

And tonight, I tell you now as a diner, the train is on the tracks and full speed ahead with Frank's more-than-capable nephew Rob at the controls. The food is still incredible, the service warm and welcoming, the atmosphere...home.

If you have never been to Frank Papa's, I implore you: go. If you haven't been in a while: return. You won't find a more inviting fine-dining establishment with better food in St. Louis.

Robust menu. The food is great. Calamari was excellent. I had steak, cooked exactly how I ordered and wife had the salmon. Desert was on point as well. Wife had her chocolate martini and I had my espresso with our tiramisu. We sat in cellar which I didn’t even know they had. Very nice, quiet atmosphere. Service was overall fantastic. Thanks!

Fantastic restaurant for our Galentine's celebration. Delicious Italian standards with flair. Try the canneloni! Fabulous specials. And dessert was sublime! Rob, the chef, makes you feel right at home too. Conversation friendly set-up means I could hear my soft-spoken friend without a problem, but other tables didn't have to listen to me! Great for a date night or family celebration.

Wonderful family owned restaurant. Their food is authentic Italian. The service is 5-Star. I accidentally ordered the wrong wine. Even though it was totally my fault, our waitress Dee made me feel like it was no a big deal. She brought me a brand new glass.

We popped in at the tail end of dinner but had great service and piping hot delicious food. We had the crostini appetizer, eggplant parmesan, spaghettini pomodoro, and tenderloin.The atmosphere is cozy and warm. A great treat.

Delicious food and great service, as always! For 5 years now, my husband and I have made it a tradition to go to Frank Papa's for our anniversary. We have never been disappointed. Highly recommend!

Great meal with my sister and brother in law during a stop in St. Louis. Clear the family love and character that has gone into/continues to maintain this establishment over the years. Tasty steak, chicken and veal meals. Even helped us celebrate a birthday! Thank you Frank Papa's!

Loved the drinks, Ceasar salad, our entrees, and desserts. Staff and service is fabulous. Highly recommend!

Amazing food and service. First time there will not be the last. Old Fashions were perfect especially the smoked one. Veal picatta and crab stuffed filet were delicious.

Beautiful restaurant with an amazing service. Love the carbonara and the chocolate ravioli.

You can have great Italian food experience away from "The Hill" in St Louis. Excellent food, reasonable prices, and great service. Try the scarola fried greens as a unique appetizer. Good amout of parking in the back lot.

Calamari is amazing
Cassata cake is to die for!!

You can't pick a wrong dish here. Everything is wonderful. The staff is top notch

In St. Louis on business and had the pleasure of dining at this fine establishment last night. What to say but "WOW!" The proprietor and chef, Rob, personally came to our table to check on us and I literally told him that my meal (Vitello Diane) was the best meal I believe I've ever eaten at any restaurant. Food beautifully and expertly prepared, paired with a nice pinot noir. The veal was perfectly cooked in a velvety tomato brown gravy and included pan fried potatoes that were exquisite and perfectly cooked - crispy on the outside and soft and flavorful! Salivating as I write this! I'm in town one more day and will be going back tonight as there were several other items on the menu I wanted to try. The tiramisu is a MUST! Best I've ever had! Truly a five-star experience! Thanks to Chef Rob!!!

It’s been 2 decades and the food is still delicious. Our server couldn’t have been nicer! Appetizers consisted of: Funghi con Lumache-Four button mushrooms caps stuffed with (many) sautéed snails, sundried tomatoes, garlic and fennel butter sauce. The sauce was excellent and escargot so tender. Scarola (A House Specialty) - Crisp, flash-fried escarole greens topped with parmigiana cheese. I wish the Parmesan was sprinkled at the end of flash frying, rather than cooked together. Still, a great start vs traditional salad. Entrees were Fettuccine con Pollo alla Panna, lightly peppered grilled chicken breast, with parmigiana cheese in a light cream sauce. I couldn’t makeup my mind between the Ziti Putanesca, in a spicy marinara with pancetta bacon, onions, calamata olives and a touch of anchovies OR the Ziti alla Carbonara with sautéed pancetta bacon, fresh cream and parmigiana cheese with a small tubular pasta. The Finished egg yolk liaison added to the creaminess. Each dish was seasoned perfectly, salt was not obvious. I was charged for two 1/2 dishes of an entrée, which didn’t make sense because I bought an entire entrée. 🤷🏻‍♀ Dessert was the most excellent chocolate ravioli - the creamiest chocolate between layers of puff pastry with ricotta. The photos don’t do it justice. An espresso martini completed the meal. A reservation is a must.

Yes, dinner was excellent but dessert was AMAZING. Chocolate ravioli unlike anything we have had anywhere. Just the sauce alone is vanilla, custardy perfection.

New favorite spot! Excellent service, great recommendations and specials, and most importantly delicious food. Highly recommend the Carpini and the Carbonara! (Forgot to take a pic of pasta and espresso - they were equally as scrumptious)

Went here with my family to celebrate my birthday and it couldn’t have been a better experience! You could smell the kitchen from the parking lot and once you’re in you can feel the cozy atmosphere. Frank and his staff are all amazingly welcoming and just a gold standard for restaurant service. We all loved our server Vito, he was so accommodating to all of our asks as well as completely knowledgeable and passionate about the entire menu. And of course the food was amazing! I ordered the linguine con pesce and I was ready to lick the bowl afterwards! An unforgettable experience and I will be sure to come back with my family as often as possible!

One thing is better the next. I live up the street and I can’t stop going back! The staff is amazing. Very knowledgeable about the specials. Drinks are fantastic!

My only critique is that the bread could maybe be better. With all the amazing bread around the city, they could outsource it if needed.

When I went to go rate this place I was truly shocked by as many one star reviews (so I read them) I honestly can’t stop laughing about the negative reviews from multiple people about not being able to bring their own cake and wine.....to a restaurant that serves alcohol and desserts.....where do these people come from?!? Remove them from google reviews lol.

What a wonderful experience. My wife and I were visiting St Louis for our 19th anniversary and decided to try something that was local and not a chain restaurant. What a difference all the fresh ingredients made. The food was superb, and our waiter, believe his name was Shawn, was very friendly and accommodating. This experience helped to make my anniversary very special.

The staffs are so friendly and nice. All the foods and cakes are so delicous