October 18, 2018

Liliana's Italian Kitchen is an old-school pizza-and-pasta charmer

The first time I walked into Liliana’s Italian Kitchen, Frank Sinatra was playing on the sound system. OK. As I waddle into middle age, I’m willing to grant one on-the-nose detail to a new restaurant. Then I noted Liliana’s sandwiches: the Tony, the Anthony Jr., the Paulie. OK. I also love “The Sopranos,” and softened by parenthood as well as middle-age, I can let a second cliché slide.

You can push me only so far, though. Was there a candle stuck inside a Chianti bottle on my table?

There wasn’t.

I probably would have forgiven it if there were.

Three-month-old Liliana’s doesn’t lean so much as bound into the St. Louis tradition of Italian-American dining. The restaurant’s bona fides begin with its unremarkable shopping-strip storefront on Tesson Ferry Road, roughly halfway between South Lindbergh Boulevard and Interstate 270. Fittingly, on my first visit I spotted the shopping strip’s electronic sign advertising Liliana’s as family-friendly before I saw Liliana’s itself.

Nature's Symphony

Breathtaking colors of our planet
Button

Faces of Humanity

Portraits of people from around the globe
Button

Sands of Time

Stark beauty of desolate dunes
Button

Beyond Boundaries

Visual odyssey across continents
Button

We Won St. Louis Magazine's Pizza Bracket Again

By John Edwards • October 5, 2021
Liliana’s WON St. Louis Magazine’s Food Fight: Pizza Bracket again... With 64 competitors and 6 rounds of eliminations, this is the second year in a row we have clinched the title! We are so grateful for everyone who voted for us. THANK YOU! We were also the runner up in the “Pizza Connoissers of St. Louis” pizza bracket. Thanks to everyone who voted of us in that bracket as well! Pizza Connoissers of St. Louis is a Facebook…

Honored by St. Louis Magazine's A-List Recognition

By John Edwards • June 23, 2020
We are so honored by the recognition that Liliana's Italian Kitchen received from St. Louis Magazine and their A-List 2020 awards. A BIG THANKS to all who voted for Lilianas! Hidden Gem Restaurant: WINNER - Pizza (St. Louis Style): FINALIST - Italian Restaurant: Final 5 Entrant. When was the last time you dined with us? Our dining room is open for lunch & dinner (and our drive thru window remains open). Don’t forget…

George Mahe features Liliana's Pizza on Great Day St. Louis

By John Edwards • January 30, 2020
Did anyone else see George Mahe on KMOV Channel 4’s Great Day St. Louis talking about St. Louis Magazine's pizza issue? Three delcious, local pizzas were featured in this clip, and yours truly was honored to be one. Be sure to listen to what George says about us and our Garlic Shrimp pizza! It is definitely one of our favorites (and yes, you can get it with lobster too). Then make sure a pizza from Liliana's is in your future!

The best new restaurants in St. Louis 2019

By John Edwards • September 24, 2019
All of us at Liliana’s Italian Kitchen are both so very pound and so very humbled to have been included in the 2019 list of “The best new restaurants in St. Louis 2019” as determined by St. Louis Magazine. What a great recognition and definitely something all of us are excited about! Please note that this article appears in St. Louis Magazine's October 2019 issue as part of their "Best New Restaurants" feature. Some highlights:

Liliana’s Italian Kitchen hasn’t been open a year, but diners know a good thing when they see it

By John Edwards • June 17, 2019
No matter what time you come into Liliana’s Italian Kitchen, you’ll find diners twirling forkfuls of tomato-sauced noodles, folding slices of piping-hot pizza, and devouring meaty sandwiches. You might also see a few people waiting for to-go orders by the deli case or at the takeout window. It’s impressive, considering that Liliana’s remains open between traditional lunch and dinner hours. The Italian-American restaurant…

Liliana’s Old-School Italian Includes the City’s Best St. Louis-Style Pizza

By John Edwards • February 27, 2019
Tim Pieri's passion for pizza goes far beyond a hobby, a job or even a love affair. It's his life's calling, a journey that started some 35 years ago with his first gig in the restaurant business, manning the ovens at the beloved Rossino's (may it rest in peace). Everything about the long-shuttered Central West End spot spoke to him — the pizza, the warm aroma of roasted garlic and Parmesan that perfumed the air, the old-school…

Our critic savors 7 favorite dishes of 2018

By John Edwards • December 20, 2018
Tim and Kathy Pieri’s throwback Italian restaurant, named for their teenage daughter, will charm you one way or another. To my non-native-St. Louisan surprise, it was Liliana’s take on St. Louis-style pizza that won me over. Its crust, though very thin, has chew and character and can support topping combinations both basic and elaborate. Order a pie and try not to sing along with the Sinatra playing on the sound system.

Dinner & A Show: Liliana’s Italian Kitchen

By John Edwards • September 20, 2018
As its name suggests, Liliana’s Italian Kitchen, a casual restaurant that opened in Sappington in July, is serving home-style Italian cooking. The eatery comes from husband and wife Tim and Kathy Pieri, who named the restaurant after their 13-year-old daughter. Tim Pieri brings 30 years of industry experience to the table, including co-owning Harry’s Restaurant & Bar, which closed in late 2016. Liliana’s Italian Kitchen fills…

Liliana’s Italian Kitchen Now Open in South County, Serving St. Louis-Style Pizza, Pasta and More

By John Edwards • August 17, 2018
A new casual Italian restaurant recently opened in Sappington. Liliana’s Italian Kitchen debuted on July 25, serving up homestyle Italian cooking. The concept comes from husband and wife Tim and Kathy Pieri, who named the restaurant after their 13-year-old daughter. Tim brings 30 years of industry experience to the table, including serving as a co-owner of Harry’s Restaurant & Bar, which closed in late 2016…

Liliana’s Italian Kitchen will open in South County next month

By John Edwards • June 8, 2018
South County will welcome Liliana’s Italian Kitchen in the former home of Molldeli’s Delicatessen at 11836 Tesson Ferry Road in Sappington the first weekend of July. Co-owners Tim and Kathy Pieri bought Molldeli’s in May and plan to integrate some of those sandwich recipes in the Liliana’s menu, which will feature items like pasta, pizza and in-house roasted meat. The couple plans to release the menu, which also includes…
Share by: