Do you love food as much as I do? Are you on the lookout for new food experiences? Welcome to your Food Guide to St. Louis. Organized by region of St. Louis with personalized reviews and food order suggestions, we'd like to kick off a great semester with great food. Explore. Eat. Enjoy. You can thank me later.

Delmar Loop

1. Corner 17

Let's be honest: It's not easy to find authentic, delicious Asian food in the Midwest. So when you have a restaurant as good as C17 just 10 minutes from your campus, you have to be grateful. Best of all, they make their noodles fresh, and if you time your visit right, you can even see them making the dough through the kitchen window. For a pho and bubble tea fanatic, this is absolute heaven.

Try: Beef Stew Handshaved Noodles

2. Salt and Smoke

In a city known for its BBQ, Salt and Smoke delivers arguably the best in the area. You can usually smell the restaurant before you see it, due to the large smokers sitting outside. The menu is reminiscent of a picnic BBQ in the park, with a small but delicious menu. The ambience is great, the staff are great, the prices are great... What's not to like?

Try: St. Louis Cut Ribs and White Cheddar Cracker Mac

3. Gokul Indian Restaurant

For those of you who are vegetarian/vegan/kosher, I offer up a delicious alternative: an Indian restaurant that serves solely vegetarian Kosher food. It's buffet style, and they also offer a unique traditional(?) Indian dish, called chaat, that I've never seen anywhere else. If you're willing to try, ask one of the waiters to help you make a dish.

Try: Saag Paneer/Chaat

Tower Grove Park

4. Meskerem

I rate cities based off the quality of their Ethiopian food, and with Meskerem, STL is doing great. Ethiopian cuisine is one of my favorites, because it's spiced without being too spicy. It's also a really fun dining experience: the meal is served with a pancake of injera bread, which diners use to scoop up the stews instead of using silverware. If you've never tried Ethiopian and don't know what to get, the combination platters offer a nice sampling.

Try: Combination Platter

5.Gelateria Del Leone

This recent favorite features a delicious array of pastries, unique flavors of gelato, a beautiful vintage space, and a great laid back coffee shop vibe. The gelato flavors range from London Fog (earl grey) to Mexican Hot Chocolate, but a big reason Gelateria makes this list is because of the soy chocolate gelato. Lactose intolerant, rejoice.

Try: Soy chocolate gelato

Central West End

6. Tortillaria

The struggle with a lack of good Asian food also crosses over to Mexican, but Tortillaria is making leaps and bounds to make up for it. I'm from Southern California, and this stuff tastes like home. I would say they make almost everything fresh, from their tortilla chips/salsa to their tacos' corn tortillas. Their guacamole is so good, it's actually won awards, and could almost be a meal by itself.

Try: Award-winning Guacamole

7. The Cup

Crave the Cup. Known for its amazing, assorted flavors and huge portions, The Cup's cream-filled cupcakes rank high on St. Louis' baking scene. The decorations and mix of toppings are so on point, and the flavors are so inventive, it's such a struggle to pick a favorite. Stay tuned for their seasonal Pumpkin Harvest- it's the perfect compliment to fall.

Try: Pumpkin Harvest (seasonal)

Downtown St. Louis

8. Bailey’s Range

Stop by on your way to the arch to get great-quality gourmet burgers and milkshakes. They have so many flavor combinations, and kosher/vegetarian alternatives as well. And OMIGOD THE MILKSHAKES. Seriously, if you haven't tried this place, you're missing out.

Try: Cookies and cream+ Salted caramel (large) Milkshake

Downtown Clayton

9.Crushed Red

Crushed Red specializes in salads and flat breads, with some fun appetizers thrown into the mix. You can either pick one of the pre-designed combinations or make your own, and they'll chop up the salads for you by hand. It's a really great experience and a nice healthy place to include in your St. Louis rotation.

Try: Warm Herbed Goat Cheese Appetizer

10. Whitebox Eatery

One morning last semester my friends and I chose Whitebox as our food drug of choice when we to go on a picnic in Forest Park. The restaurant has Breakfast, Lunch, and Brunch menus, perfectly complementing any early morning through afternoon craving. They also have a pastry section that is to-die-for. The aesthetic is also just so amazing- its white walls and modern interior design make me think of home in LA.

Try: Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Now go get some friends and get exploring!