24 Immigrant-Owned Restaurants in St. Louis You Must Visit

The Palm Trees
2837 Cherokee St.
St. Louis, MO 63118
(314) 226-9243

The Palm Trees brings something all together new to St. Louis: the cuisine of Saudi Arabia. Husband-and-wife team Fedaa Alsadeq and Osama Almoerfi fill this void in the St. Louis restaurant scene with their Cherokee Street restaurant, which offers traditional Saudi delicacies in the space previously held by Revel Kitchen. Photo by Mabel Suen.

The Palm Trees takes up three floors: the main level is set for traditional American dining with tables and chairs, while the lower level is designed for traditional Saudi-style dining with carpet and low couches. The third level, up a stairwell from the main floor, holds the kitchen. Photo of chef/owner Fedaa Alsadeq by Mabel Suen.

Haveli
9720 Page Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63132
(314) 423-7300

The exterior of of Haveli doesn't look like much. Inside, however, you'll find Indian cuisine that will spice up your life in the best way possible -- literally and figuratively. Photo by Jennifer Silverberg.

You have plenty to pick from at Haveli, including naan, soups, chef specials, vegan dishes and more. Owner Hema Patel is great about mingling with guests, offering recommendations and details about the menu. Photo by Jennifer Silverberg.

Sheesh
3226 S. Grand Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63118
(314) 833-4321

Safa Marmarchi set out to fill a void in St. Louis cuisine when he opened Sheesh, a stellar restaurant serving Turkish and Middle Eastern cuisine on South Grand. The interior is striking, too, with Turkish fabrics, colorful Turkish-inspired paintings and lots of copper. Photo by Mabel Suen.

Before entering the restaurant business, Marmarchi (center) owned what he says was the biggest marble company in Iraq. He was resettled in St. Louis as a refugee. Photo by Sarah Fenske.

Mai Lee
8396 Musick Memorial Dr.
Brentwood, MO 63144
(314) 645-2835

Mail Lee, largely credited as the first Vietnamese restaurant in St. Louis, has been a St. Louis favorite for years. The menu is expansive, featuring sandwiches, noodle bowls, beef dinners, rice plates and more. Photo by Jennifer Silverberg.

Mai Lee owner Lee Tran (center, pictured with her children in 2010) opened her restaurant shortly after immigrating to the United States, starting with Chinese food and then including food from her native Vietnam. Photo by Jennifer Silverberg.

Himalayan Yeti
3515 S Kingshighway Blvd.
(314) 354-8338

This former Long John Silver's is now home to Nepalese and Indian cuisine that will blow you away. Chef/owner Dipak Prasai grew up in Nepal, but after a stint cooking at Rasoi, he has brought the best of his home country's food to St. Louis. Photo by Mabel Suen.

Himalayan Yeti's aesthetics are far from fancy, but the food could be worthy of a five star restaurant. Prasai has the resume to match, with training at a prestigious culinary school in India and experience in an array of cuisines. Photo by Mabel Suen.

Spare No Rib
3701 Jefferson Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63118
(314) 354-8444

Spare No Rib merges an unlikely pairing: Tex-Mex tacos and barbecue. Owner Lassaad Jeliti chose the combination because the barbecue reminds him of the street vendors in his native Tunisia, while he says Mexican and Tunisian cuisine share similarities. Photo by Cheryl Baehr.

Jeliti was previously a mathematics professor. His path toward the restaurant industry, and eventually Spare No Rib, began through his part-time job at Bar Italia while studying at Washington University. Now, he also owns Egg, a breakfast spot born out of a pop-up he held at Spare No Rib on Sundays. Photo by Jennifer Silverberg.

Lu Lu Seafood and Dim Sum
8224 Olive Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63132
(314) 997-3108

If you're looking for a truly unique dining experience, head to Lu Lu Seafood and Dim Sum. This isn't your ordinary, Americanized Chinese restaurant. And during dim sum service, dining is communal-style, with servers pedaling various small plates from table to table. Photo by Mabel Suen.

Julia Li is the daughter of Lu Lu founders Jenny Lu and Jerry Li, who came here from China. After originally pursuing a career in the arts, Li came home to St. Louis to help her parents' restaurant expand its brand. She has been particularly instrumental in creating the restaurant's fast casual concept, Lu Lu's Fresh Express. Photo by Mabel Suen.

Cafe Natasha
3200 S. Grand Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63118
(314) 771-3411

Cafe Natasha has been bringing amazing Persian-inspired cuisine to St. Louis for more than 30 years -- an accomplishment that is usually unheard of in the restaurant business. You'll understand its longevity with one taste of the food, made with housemade marinades and fresh ingredients. Photo by Jennifer Silverberg.

Founder Behshid Bahrami (left), a native of Iran, passed away in December 2016. His daughter and the restaurant's namesake, Natasha Bahrami (center), carries on the tradition with mother Hamishe. Photo courtesy of Natasha Bahrami.

Everest Cafe
4145 Manchester Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63110
(314) 531-4800

Everest Cafe is home to Indian, Korean and Nepalese cuisine. Owner and chef Dr. Devi Gurung States was born in the Manang district of Nepal, but at age 15 was forced to walk two days to the town of Kathmandu after his parents both died. He lived on the streets for a year before obtaining work as a busboy and dishwasher at an English-speaking restaurant. It was there that he met Dr. James States, who was eating after trying to climb Mount Everest. He ended up bringing the teen back with him to the U.S. Photo courtesy of Instagram / inacamba.

While States finished high school and college, he never actually went to culinary school -- he got his masters in public health and social work. Nevertheless, his food is impeccable, with a concentration on health benefits. He is also the founder of Himalayan Family Healthcare Project, which works to contribute education and healthcare in remote parts of Nepal. Photo by Rease Kirchner.

Hiro Asian Kitchen
1405 Washington Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63103
(314) 241-4476

Bernie Lee, a Malaysian ex-pat and owner of Hiro Asian Kitchen, serves up some of the best in Eastern Asian cuisine. Don't ask for sweet and sour chicken; you get the real deal here. Photo by Jennifer Silverberg.

When Lee was first developing his concept for Hiro Asian Kitchen, he wondered if he would have to Americanize his menu. But thanks to some inspiration from his mother, "I went into Hiro and told my cooks, 'I want you to show me what reminds you of home. Cook what your mom cooks. Cook what your grandma cooks.' If people don't like it, we can always change it, but I was confident that people would respond to our food." And he was right. Photo by Jennifer Silverberg.