*Photography by Kevin A. Roberts/St Louis Magazine*
Robin restaurant in Maplewood, located at 7268 Manchester Road, has earned national recognition from The New York Times, which named it to its 2025 list of America’s Best Restaurants. Chef Alec Schingel, who opened the restaurant in March, was praised for his “lively takes on Midwestern specialties that are playful and surprising but demonstrate Mr. Schingel’s serious chops,” according to NYT wine critic Eric Asimov.
A Chef with Deep Culinary Roots
Robin Marks Schingel’s first brick-and-mortar restaurant after several years of running The Robin Project, a series of pop-ups and private dinners. Before opening his own spot, Schingel served as executive chef at Winslow’s Table and gained experience at acclaimed kitchens including Niche, McCrady’s in Charleston, In de Wulf in Belgium, and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York, where he worked alongside Michael and Tara Gallina before helping open Vicia as chef de cuisine.
National Recognition
Although Schingel knew the Times had reached out for photography, he assumed the feature was for a St. Louis travel guide, not the prestigious America’s Best Restaurants list.
“This is pretty crazy, to be honest,” Schingel said. “It feels a little surreal to have so much attention brought on us because we’re such a tiny restaurant. There are so many amazing restaurants doing great work here… but I have a lot of gratitude that they think we’re worth checking out and that they appreciate the work we’re doing.”
Local Praise
Closer to home, SLM dining critic Dave Lowry also praised Robin’s seasonal four-course prix fixe menu. “This kind of talent is often attempted, though almost never as well as here,” he wrote, highlighting Schingel’s thoughtful approach to seasonality and creativity.
A Spotlight on Maplewood
For Schingel, the recognition is not just personal but also an opportunity to highlight St. Louis’ dining culture. He noted the growing list of local chefs receiving national attention, from Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs to James Beard Award honorees.
“I feel really thankful to be able to show more nationally that there’s a lot more to ‘flyover country’ than just flying over us,” he said.
Content for this summary was derived from original reporting by St. Louis Magazine
