There are many different kinds of pizza. We're sure you're familiar with some of the most popular ones. These include New York-style pizza with its hand-tossed thin crust, Chicago deep-dish, as well as Detroit square pies.

But, have you ever tried St. Louis–style pizza? If yes, you already know what the fuss is about. If not, well, you're about to find out!

Coming from St. Louis, Missouri, as the name suggests, we have one of the coolest pizza styles around. In order to describe St. Louis pizza we need to focus on three different things. Those are the crust, the cheese, and the sauce.

When it comes to the pizza crust, it is made with no yeast and it resembles a cracker. Hence, it's rather difficult to fold. But it certainly tastes great nonetheless.

Usually, the pie is cut into squares, each about four inches large. This is even referred to as a tavern cut. Since the crust is thin, slicing the pizza like this allows it to hold the heavy toppings.

Next, we have the cheese which is a signature ingredient of this pizza style. That's because a specific type is used - Provel cheese.

It is a white processed cheese that is actually a combination of three different cheeses. And if that doesn't sound delicious, we don't know what does. So, Provel is a mix of white cheddar, Swiss, and provolone cheese. This makes it suitable for melting and thus gooey and yummy.

Provel cheese hit the market in the 1950s. It is produced in Wisconsin, and hard to find outside of St. Louis.

Last but not least, we have the sauce. What's typical is that it contains more oregano than a regular pizza would. Also, due to Sicilian influence, sauce(s) used for this kind of pie tend to be on the sweeter side.

Who Made the Original St. Louis-Style Pizza?

As Italian immigrants came to America at the end of the 19th century, they brought pizza with them. However, this new awesome dish didn't reach everywhere all at once. Thus, cities like New York were the first to get a taste of pizza.

In fact, the first place to sell pizza in NYC was Lombardi's in 1905.

When it comes to St. Louis, they didn't have pizza until 1945. By that time, many people were already familiar with the dish. And so, when they would visit St. Louis, plenty would ask for some pizza.

This was brought to the attention of Amadeo Fiore who in turn opened the first pizzeria in St. Louis. Its name was - Melrose Café & Pizzeria.

Fiore was an opera singer who had moved there from Chicago, together with his wife. A fun fact, he would at times sing in his new Italian restaurant.

A friend of Fiore, Hack Ulrich, told him about people from New York and Chicago requesting pizza. Ulrich was a manager at the nearby Chase Hotel. Fiore accepted his friend's suggestion and added pizza to the menu.

At first, he was selling pies to out-of-towners. But soon enough, many locals and regular customers started to enjoy pizza themselves. Fiore even did some marketing and there was a newspaper article about his restaurant. This definitely boosted the popularity of the new dish.

Naturally, other people started opening pizzerias in the city. And the first place to officially use Provel cheese was Luigi’s Restaurant. Its owner was Luca Meglio who opened the restaurant in 1953. Luigi's was incredibly popular and known as the go-to place for pizza in St. Louis.

Another important milestone is when Ed and Margie Imo opened the famous Imo's Pizza in 1963. It was the only place to offer delivery which worked greatly in their favor. As a testament to their quality and legacy, April 8 was proclaimed as "Imo's Day" in St. Louis.

What's also important to mention is the origin of Provel cheese. It was created by Costa Grocery with the sole intent to serve the needs of a St. Louis-style pizza. That's because there was a demand for cheese that can melt nicely but also break off well.

In regards to the name, one theory is that it's a mix of provolone and mozzarella, which are part of this cheese blend.

How Many Calories Are in St. Louis-Style Pizza?

A slice of this pie (145g) contains around 330 calories. This includes 14g of total fat, 30mg of cholesterol, 31g of carbohydrates, and 20g of protein.

Also, based on the daily value of a 2000-calorie diet, there are 17% of Vitamin A, 20% of Vitamin C, 65% of Calcium, and 23% of Iron.

Where Can I Find St. Louis-Style Pizza Near Me?

As always, we at Slice are here to help you find the best pizza in St. Louis and elsewhere.

Of course, we have to mention Imo's Pizza. They have multiple locations such as the one on Halls Ferry Rd. They're open all week and you can also order for takeout via the Slice app.

And if you're in Philly, we suggest heading to Evans Pizza on Locust St. You can visit them any day of the week or order takeout or delivery through Slice!