Eating outside in St. Louis can be a crucible, but we brave the sun, the heat, the bugs, dogs sniffing our ankles, loud cell phone conversations, cigarette and even (egad) cigar smoke all for that elusive goal: a perfect meal under a perfect sky. It’s so absolutely worth it when you get it. That touch of breeze, the setting sun burning up the sky, a superb steak or plate of pasta, an apple tart baked just so, a glass of wine and an unmatched feeling of well-being.
In St. Louis, we’re both blessed and cursed when it comes to outdoor dining. Cursed because we have an extraordinary number of restaurants in strip malls or on busy thoroughfares, and tornado warnings, thunderstorms, hailstorms and hot, muggy days can leave us begging for air-conditioned comfort. Blessed because muggy days are often followed by mild, and for every restaurant with tables alongside Manchester Road, there is one with a hidden, tree-edged patio alongside a quiet street.
Annie Gunn’s
During the winter, the inside of Annie Gunn’s (16806 Chesterfield Airport, 636-532-7684) is full of moneyed West County residents and, unfortunately, usually full of smoke, which can make it an unpleasant atmosphere in which to enjoy the fine dining that chef Lou Rook strives for. Fortunately, Annie Gunn’s has a very nice outdoor dining space, where, as long as you are facing away from Chesterfield Airport Road, you can imagine you’re eating at a bistro in California’s wine country, with the building’s brick walls and the outdoor fireplace combining nicely with the white tent and substantial black lawn furniture. The powerful fans can be a little much if you are sitting close to them, but they do keep you cooler in the heat of summer. While the more expensive entrées are all enjoyable, Annie Gunn’s also has great burgers, and its bread pudding is one of the best desserts in the county. Call ahead for reservations or expect a wait.
Aqua Vin
When you pull up to a restaurant situated between a parkway and a shopping mall, it’s usually a safe bet that you are going to want to sit inside, but you would be taking long odds at Aqua Vin (16125 Chesterfield Parkway, 636-532-9300). Aqua Vin’s patio is a stunning change from the strip mall suburbia that tends to define West County. Parked behind the restaurant, the outdoor seating is heavily landscaped (as in dense greenery, not as in overdone), with plants and an embankment working together to hide the mall. Best of all is the dominating water feature, a multileveled stream-cum-waterfall-cum-pond. The running water is loud enough to drown out most traffic noises and impart a feeling of serenity, at least in the less busy moments. The menu is upscale and pricey, with the dinner menu dominated by steaks and pastas. The food is solid, but not particularly adventurous—entrées such as lemon chicken and chicken and cheese ravioli, and starters such as crawfish cakes and cheese-stuffed portabella mushrooms. Still, there is something for everybody.
Atlas Restaurant
Atlas Restaurant (5513 Pershing, 314-367-6800) is located in the heart of a neighborhood instead of along a commercial strip, and that makes all the difference, particularly since the restaurant’s limited number of small, plastic tables sit streetside. Even on a sunny day, the trees nicely shade you, and you get the same superb food and unobtrusive service outside as in. Atlas does simple but elegant, nothing too froufrou, just nice, upscale food done modestly and well. Shrimp and spinach croquettes are hot and nicely layered, with fresh chunks of chilled tomatoes presenting a contrast, and the duck comes out tender and perfect, floating between too rare and overdone.
Bar Italia
One of the problems with the Central West End is its spread-out nature and the resultant heavy traffic. So many outdoor eating areas situated at prime people-watching locations, such as at Liluma and Drunken Fish, are ruined by the rumble of cruising cars and the fumes from UPS trucks. Bar Italia (13 Maryland, 314-361-7010), however, is tucked just far enough off Euclid that the expansive patio feels almost like it is on a quiet street. Almost. While there are enough trees, bushes and greenery that you feel mostly sheltered from the traffic on Maryland, it’s still the CWE. The patio, which features a giant, shade-providing tree off to one side, has the fortune of backing up to a block of homes, giving it a neighborhood feel even though it has seating for about 200 people. As for the food, don’t expect fireworks. If you want great Italian, it might behoove you to head south and west, but if you are willing to settle for decent in a great outdoor atmosphere, you’ll be happy. The menu is expansive and covers pretty much all of the traditional Italian bases, but the execution is uneven, with some nights seemingly better than others. On one summer evening, the fresh Atlantic mussels in lemon and white wine broth with garlic ($10) had half-a-dozen teeth-jarring chunks of broken shell floating in the broth and was accompanied by what was either stale bread or the worst fresh bread of all time.
Boathouse Forest Park
If you could combine the Boathouse Forest Park (6101 Government, 314-367-2224) location with the menu of any one of our city’s fine dining establishments, it would be the hottest ticket in town. But even with the sandwich-heavy menu, the Boathouse is one of the best places in the area to eat outside. It’s also one of the few places in town with nice lawn furniture—metal chairs and tables and bright-yellow, market-style umbrellas that are thankfully free from beer company advertisements. The view alone makes a visit worthwhile: The foreground is filled with a small lake (well, pond) dotted with paddle boaters and the occasional duck, and lush grasses, green trees and a small hill take up the background. While it’s not quiet—soft rock background music and the hum of other diners are constant—it’s the most serene place to get a good burger and fries in the metropolitan area. Salads, pizzas and sandwiches also are available, and the dinner menu includes grilled dishes, seafood and barbecue. Oh, and by the way, just hypothetically, if it is 70 degrees and sunny, and you plan to eat at the Boathouse because you are writing an article about outdoor dining, a reservation might be in order, otherwise you will probably have a very long wait. While you are waiting, however, you can rent a rowboat or paddleboat (orange life preservers are the new black).
Cyrano’s
Most people come to Cyrano’s (603 E. Lockwood, 314-963-3232) to sit under dimmed lights, stare into their date’s eyes and stuff their faces with ice cream and strawberries flambé. They’re missing out on the nice patio. The outdoor dining area is elevated and fenced, though not hidden. Nicely furnished and set far enough away from Big Bend, it’s a good place to enjoy an ice cream dessert on a warm day. Get the Cleopatra, featuring French vanilla ice cream, bananas, fresh strawberries, dark chocolate and, like almost everything at Cyrano’s, whipped cream. The restaurant also features upscale sandwiches and salads and enjoyable appetizers like seared tuna with wasabi aioli.
Joanie’s Pizzeria
If you want a seat on the patio, which is surrounded by a brick wall with embedded sections of wrought iron, get to Joanie’s Pizzeria (2101 Menard, 314-865-1994) before noon, because it fills up quickly with businesspeople out for lunch. You can get a view from the cute second-floor deck, but the ground floor is really pleasant, particularly if you’re seated under the sheltering tree. Most of the metal tables have umbrellas, but expect cheap, plastic chairs. The downside to Joanie’s is the constant traffic noise from the nearby street, though the wall and sea of umbrellas give an illusion of distance. Of course, the food of choice is pizza (cracker-style crust, with mozzarella instead of provel), but options include a hot roast beef sandwich and spaghetti and meatballs baked with cheese.
La Tropicana
Part of the appeal of La Tropicana’s spacious patio (5001 Lindenwood, 314-353-7328) is that it is smack dab in the middle of a normal neighborhood, with regular lawns and light traffic. The food is inexpensive, with almost every plate under $8, but authentically Cuban and Mexican, fresh and great. The patio, surrounded by a tall black iron fence, holds about a dozen plastic tables, with an assortment of potted plants dotting the area. There are no umbrellas, so it can get a little hot, but La Tropicana sells sangria and margaritas by the pitcher, which is a lovely way to cool off. Order items individually or go for one of the plates, such as the pernil—Cuban-style roasted pork served with white rice, Cuban black beans, ripe plantains and cassava root. Or, if you have a group, indulge in the whole slow-roasted chicken dinner—you’ll smell it cooking as soon as you walk in the small market.
Norton’s Café
Norton’s Café (808 Geyer, 314-436-0828) has one of the biggest, baddest (bad as in good) patios in St. Louis. Most of the glass-topped tables have market-style umbrellas, and where there aren’t umbrellas, canopies and trees pitch in to make shade readily available. The multiple levels are nicely greened with flora, and the bricked floor is a nice relief from the concrete slab offered by many restaurants. Although Norton’s calls itself an “Old Tyme Irish Pub & Restaurant,” the menu is Cajun- and Creole-influenced, with entrées such as blackened chicken, shrimp Creole and jambalaya. The food is relatively inexpensive, with lunch entrées and sandwiches clocking in between $6 and $9, and better than the prices would suggest.
Schlafly Bottleworks
It’s not that the patio at Schlafly Bottleworks (7260 Southwest, 314-241-2337) is the most amazing one around, but that it can be an amazingly fun place to eat. The patio is huge and has the added benefit of the full range of Schlafly beers, plus a solid menu. The food won’t knock your socks off, but it’s good, and there are some interesting choices, including a sardine sandwich with a coarse mustard/mayonnaise and a hot roasted venison sandwich served with spiced applesauce. If you end your meal (or, given its size, replace your meal) with an order of sticky toffee pudding, you’ll end up happy.
609
The Loop is a place where you might see two men walking down the block on their hands trying to impress a young woman who’s playing the guitar for pocket change. It is also a lousy place to eat outside, because almost all of the restaurants are forced to put their tables on the sidewalk, with cruising cars and buses serving as a backdrop. The exception is 609 (609 Eastgate, 314-721-9168), located off Delmar. It’s also the sole exception to The Loop’s penchant for cheap patio furniture, sporting sleek silver chairs and tables. Because it’s not fenced off, you might have to contend with dogwalkers‚ or even with dogs tethered under the tables as their humans dine. The food at 609 is upscale and interesting, with serious Asian influence. The wine list is nice, though not expansive, and the menu suggests pairings of entrées and wines sold by the glass.
Soulard Coffee Garden
The Soulard Coffee Garden (910 Geyer, 314-241-1464) has a bit of an identity crisis. Though billed as a coffee shop, it’s really more of a café. We don’t say that as a slight, just as an observation that the menu is much better and more extensive than you might expect at a coffee shop. Drink choices, including wine, are plentiful, and food runs the gamut from eggs Benedict to penne portabella. Sandwiches (try the ham and Brie with black olive pesto on honey wheat), soups and salad round out the list, with a decent selection of pastries. Order your food and drink and head out back to the brick floor patio, which is a surprising delight. Even though it’s narrow and can feel a little hemmed-in, the terraced garden with a rope bridge is overwhelmed with plants and flowers, and the second-floor balcony is also a wonderful place to dine or just enjoy a cup of cappuccino.
Westport Plaza
Is it an Alpine village? An office park? No, it’s Westport, and it’s actually one of the nicest places to eat outside. Broad boulevards allow breezes to waft by, and because this is a pedestrian mall, it’s only breezes wafting by, not exhaust fumes. Go to Casa Gallardo (314-434-7755) for solid Mexican food and funky outdoor furniture, featuring blue chairs with an ornate seashell motif. In the middle of the plaza, Patrick’s (314-878-6767) features a pretty comprehensive mix of steaks, chicken and pasta, ranging from pricey (New York strip for $28) to eminently reasonable (Patrick’s chop house burger for $7). Marciano’s (314-878-8180), as you might guess from the name, serves the standard array of Italian food on a pleasant patio.
Jimmy’s on the Park
You expect that a restaurant called Jimmy’s on the Park (706 DeMun, 314-725-8585) is going to have a nice view, but the added bonus is the expansive and interesting menu. The restaurant has separate menus for the café and bistro, but the food is uniformly well done. Choose the cedar plank-roasted salmon; the penne Giovanni tossed with peppered grilled tenderloin, smoked tomato veal broth, spinach and goat cheese; or the oatmeal-crusted chicken breast served in a lemon and sage cream sauce. While the outdoor seating is not, unfortunately, right on the park (DeMun and a phalanx of parked cars serve as a barrier to the Concordia Seminary green space), Jimmy’s is still a surprisingly lively and scenic place to relax. After dinner, grab a cup of coffee from Kaldi’s on the corner and take your date for a walk in Concordia Park (or venture a few blocks farther to DeMun Park or Forest Park).
Chez Leon
Sure, you’ll have the occasional double-parked UPS truck to contend with, but Chez Leon (4580 Laclede, 314-361-1589) has the enormous good fortune to be far enough up Laclede to miss most of the traffic lumbering down Euclid. The red exterior, pebbled sidewalk and relative abundance of trees for an urban location, plus the drifting piano music from inside the restaurant (on at least one night, Debussy), lets you imagine that you really are outside a Parisian bistro. The illusion is especially effective in the spring and fall, when it gets dark earlier. A dozen understated tables with candles and white tablecloths give you the opportunity to eat great French food while watching people look at the menu hanging outside the door and say things like, “Uh-oh, if you can’t read the menu, it’s a bad sign,” leading you to believe they are either illiterate or don’t notice the English descriptions under the French names. The menu changes nightly, but you’ll be hard-pressed to go wrong, particularly if you order the absolute steal of an option: three plates for $32.
Joe Boccardi’s Ristorante
Pick any one of the four locations for good Italian food, but if you want to enjoy one of the few really nice patios in midtown, Boccardi’s at 3701 Lindell (314-446-4600) is the place to go. The patio is long and narrow, with 15 four-top tables and a patterned brick floor. Traffic noise is constant and a bit loud, but the patio is sunk in and far enough from the street that exhaust fumes don’t overwhelm you. While the patio furniture is plastic, it’s better than most, with umbrellas at each table and a pair of space heaters available for cooler evenings. The food is good and reasonably priced, with most of the pasta entrées coming in at about $10. On a nice day, lunch is the real steal, with specials for about $7, all served with a side salad or soup.
King Louie’s
When you drive up to one of the best restaurants in St. Louis—King Louie’s (3800 Chouteau, 314-865-3662)—your hopes won’t run high for outdoor dining. The restaurant is in an unspectacular neighborhood, next to a giant power-line tower, not that far off the highway, and it’s hard to believe you would want to sit outside. But you will, you will. Metal tables and chairs, heavy bushes, trees, landscaping and an outdoor grill give King Louie’s modest patio a genuine charm. The decorations and greenery shelter you from some of the local unpleasantness, giving you a fabulous place to sit outside eating fabulous food. And the food really is fabulous. While the menu changes regularly, the kitchen strives to use fresh local products, even listing providers on the menu. The food is complex and interesting without being overbearing, and everything tastes bright and fresh.
The Zodiac Room at Neiman Marcus
What does the patio at Zodiac (inside Neiman Marcus at Plaza Frontenac, 314-995-3041) have that Cardwell’s at the Plaza and Canyon Café do not? Location. Location in a parking lot? Yep, especially when it’s on the other side from the heavy traffic on Lindbergh. Yes, the small patio sits near the parking lot, but it still manages to be a pleasant experience and a nice break from the inside of the mall. Perched atop a metal chair or stool on the smallish patio, you can get the same simple, upscale food offered inside the elegantly appointed restaurant. Dishes are pricey (not surprising; this is Neiman Marcus), but the food is a heck of a lot better than the usual mall fare. Go for the roasted eggplant bruschetta with tomato, roasted onion, Gorgonzola and a dash of aged balsamic vinegar on ciabatta, or the shrimp scampi and white bean salad with a smoked tomato vinaigrette.
