The Painted Giraffe

It is a great pace to grab a bite and a beverage in the zoo. There are plenty of healthier options for food.

If you’re looking for a meal in Forest Park, the Painted Giraffe is definitely worth checking out. It’s the cafeteria-​style eatery at the Zoo (which you should also check out) and the food is surprisingly good.
They have a salad bar, a sandwich and grill, a daily special, and a deli station. I’ll just get the worst part out of the way: the food line is horribly designed. On a busy day just figuring out which line you’re supposed to be waiting in can be harrowing. This is worsened by the fact that the grill station is right in the middle, and it’s the only station where you have to wait for food to be prepared after ordering. Not sure who thought that was a good idea.
That aside though, the food is actually quite good for a zoo cafeteria. I’m particularly fond of the hot sandwiches. They have a good line-​up of classic favorites, like a Reuben and a tomato-​mozarella-​pesto (both good). A personal favorite is the Chicken BLT, which is served with aioli on cranberry nut bread — it’s delicious! Also surprisingly tasty is the gyro, which was loaded with feta and tzatziki sauce. Everything always taste fresh and well-​prepared, a pleasant change from typical cafeteria food. The food is also nicely affordably, give or take $ 6 per sandwich.
The special rotates daily, but is usually a full meal with at least one side. They recently changed this to $ 8, but I’m not complaining because you get so much food. The good have included fish tacos, spring vegetable pasta, turkey burger, and jambalaya with cornbread. Less good was the asian beef stir fry, avoid that one. On Wednesdays the special is «healthy» but these are often some of the best — like chicken ceasar salad with breadsticks. You also get a 22 oz drink with the special, and often a dessert (the carrot cake is delicious).
They have a nice outdoor patio where you can watch the zoo train drive by, and do some really fun people watching. Inside there are several long tables if you have a large group. Be prepared for there to be a lot of kids running around (this is a zoo after all) but they’re usually more adorable than annoying.