Pio's Restaurant Serves Homestyle Favorites

I’m a big fan of eating lunch at fine dining restaurants. You usually get 80 percent of the experience for 50 percent of the price. That was certainly the case when I visited Pio’s.

You’ll find Pio’s in a century-old remodeled dry goods building on First Capitol Drive, just a few blocks from the Main Street. The windowless interior makes it easy to feel like you’ve stepped back in time. The wood ceiling beams and exposed brick remind you this is an historic building, while the wood paneling, frosted glass privacy windows and floral wallpaper give the interior the charming feel of your favorite grandmother’s basement.

Pio’s feels like a restaurant from another era, when all meals came with two vegetables and smiling waitresses magically filled your drinks while chatting with the regulars. I saw an older gentleman in suspenders, a group of middle-aged cousins, and a pair of young men in fedoras and vests. I was instantly charmed.

The assortment of $12 vegetarian dinners could be interpreted as a nod to the present, but vegetable lasagna and eggplant Parmesan are classic dishes, and the meatless manicotti and baked portabella mushrooms could be chalked up to Lent dishes that stayed popular year-round.

The $7 and less lunch menu is a combination of sandwiches, pastas, and a few smaller portions of popular entrées from the dinner menu. I was tempted by the French dip sandwich, salisbury steak special of the day or cannelloni, but took a tip from my friendly waitress and picked the roast beef dinner.

Honestly, after trying the roast beef dinner at lunch, I found myself wishing I'd brought someone with me for the dinner review instead so we could sample the very affordably priced $35 beef tenderloin for two.

My plate came piled high with tender mounds of sliced roast beef. The lunch-sized portion was more than enough to make two oversized sandwiches. Even without the gravy, the beef was tender enough to melt in your mouth, yet still held its structural integrity well. This is an impressive feat. Most roast beef is either solid yet dry or  moist but kind of mushy. 

I could have had two actual vegetable sides, but I succumbed to the lure of freshly made mashed potatoes and gravy with some sweet buttered corn on the side. Other sides options were green beans with ham and onions, eggplant parmesan, broccoli, or a side salad. 

At that point, I could have been in and out of Pio’s in 30 minutes for only $12, including tip. That puts it in the same price range as St. Louis Bread Company. However, I decided to invest a few more dollars and a smidge more time into some freshly warmed homemade apple pie for dessert. It was hard to decide between apple, pumpkin, chocolate and banana creme pie--especially when the table opposite me ordered one of each to share.

The homemade apple pie was everything I wanted in a slice of dessert. I'm a sucker for a good crust, and this one was rich and flaky, topped with a light dusting of cinnamon sugar. The tender apples inside also tasted of cinnamon without being overly sweetened.  

Based on the nice-sized lunch crowds, I’m not the only person who thought Pio’s was a good bargain at lunch. I was out the door in less than 45 minutes with a big box of leftover roast beef for my dinner and a few more jokes from my waitress.

A cup of vegetable soup, an immense plate of roast beef, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn, apple pie, iced tea, breadbasket and a tip came to $19. You can easily shave off $4 if you don’t indulge in dessert.

Fast and friendly service with homestyle cuisine earns Pio’s an A.