Anthonino's Taverna On The Hill Takeaway. Reddit And Yelp Like It A Lot More Than I Do. 6.6 / 10 pizza score. With a sweet, Italian spice flavor, I liked the crust the best. A bit overly cheesy and doughy with the wrong sauce ratio. A classic 13" pizza weighs about 14 oz for $14.
Always packed with people eating food. We tried to get in on a Saturday night once, but they had a two-hour wait. At lunch at 1:30 on a Thursday, they were 80% full. I ordered pizza ahead of time for pickup, and they had it ready when I got there. Parked right outside on the street, no lot.
Reddit and Yelp both highly recommend the entire restaurant. As you can tell, more than I did. They recommend trying the toasted ravioli. They have great hours for St. Louis and are one of the only pizza places open for lunch.
Anthonino's Taverna Experience Summary
I've been trying to make any excuse possible to get to Anthonino's Taverna On The Hill. We came once a couple of years ago, but they had a two-hour wait on Friday or Saturday night.
Since then, I've been longingly following along as their Yelp rating of 4.4 climbed to over 1,200 reviews. Then, when I decided to search for the best pizza in St. Louis, Reddit recommended it.
Unfortunately, I'd give the pizza a 6.6 / 10 pizza score. The dough-to-cheese-to-sauce ratio didn't line up right with me. And none of the individual ingredients stood out. The best part was the crust. The edge of the crust had a sweetness mixed with Italian spices.
Anthonino's is always incredibly packed. Even at 1:30 pm on a Thursday, people filled the giant dining area left and right. I ordered my pizza online and scheduled the pickup, which worked great. I parked right outside on the street. They do not have a dedicated lot. When we came that random Friday night, we parked about a block away.
The Food At Anthonino's Taverna
The pizza at Anthonino's comes in an assuming brown box and opens up to a 13" cheese pizza that weighs 14 oz. For $14, that's actually pretty expensive per ounce relative to other pizza places nearby like Union Loafers or Urban Chestnut.
The pizza came in at a 6.6 / 10 for me. It didn't have the right cheese-to-suace-to-drough ratio, where the dough really dominated the rest of the pizza for me. None of the ingredients really held up on their own and didn't mesh well together. By the fourth piece, I came around to the flavor a bit more, mostly because of the crust.
The edge of the crust had a good crunch, sweetness, and sense of Italian seasoning. The undercarriage wasn't crispy, but every other piece held up well to a New York fold.
Kids Rating. My eight-year-old son rated this better than Domino's, which is a first. I'd say that's accurate, as the flavor profile is somewhat basic, and the sauce is sweet. Very much in that vein of pizza.
In terms of other food, many of the reviews mention the toasted ravioli as a favorite, but I didn't get any for this review.
Anthonino's Taverna Atmosphere And Miscellaneous
Anthonino's Taverna always has a line out the door. It has a spacious eating area broken up into three parts, but always full.
While the Taverna may be cavernous, it has a light, airy, hip mood. It feels like a cross between upscale diving and a Greek pub. Which, going by its name, makes sense. They also have outdoor seating available during nice weather.
When we were told about the two-hour wait, we almost decided to wait in the outdoor vestibule. It has several benches and gives you a solid, covered place to wait for a table.
I ordered my pizza online, and it was ready on time when I arrived. I scheduled it for a couple of hours out to make sure. They asked for a tip on top of gratuity, which seemed a bit strange.
The maître d' entertained my requests to go inside to take pictures and answered my questions. Turns out they serve about 40 to 50 pizzas a day.
Parking At Anthonino's Taverna
They don't have dedicated parking, so you have to find some on the street. I haven't had parking issues whenever I've been to this area of The Hill during lunchtime. Eovaldi's Deli is right around the corner and Gioia's is down the street.
You might have to park a couple of blocks away at busier times of night, but there's magically always parking in The Hill.
Anthonino's Taverna Receipt
Pizza Size And Price Comparisons
