A St. Louis suburb saturated with chain pizzerias and fast food feels like an unlikely place for a family-owned restaurant certified by the Italian organization that declares whose Neapolitan pizza is the real deal. But despite the Italian homages, there’s zero condescension here—the menu affectionately explains why Neapolitan pizza is served whole, with forks and knives.
With more than a dozen pizzas, it can still be overwhelming. But if you make sure to order at least one comfort classic like arancini or burrata in addition to whichever dish sounds the most unusual to you, you can’t lose. Noto is going for an elegant Italy-meets-Missouri fusion with fun, fancy, seasonal cooking. An appetizer of heirloom tomatoes is topped with giardiniera granita that plays like spicy ice. Zucchini pizza with pickled ramps ties it all together with sun-dried tomatoesn and a manzo pasta sees braised beef lifted up by Cynar amaro, artichokes, and confit tomato, which sounds like it shouldn’t work, but really does.
When Noto opened, it wasn’t clear whether locals would embrace their pizza’s airy, leoparded crust and general departure from popular suburban topping combos. But from its walls filled with old-school art depicting cultural touchpoints like Campari and the Amalfi coast to its rustic, greenery-hanging-from-the ceiling ambiance, this restaurant is a love letter to Italy that would work anywhere.
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Dining and Cooking