Photograph by Katherine Bish
While it’s true this restaurant has a motorcycle theme, resist any temptation to prejudge it. Like its namesake motorcycle, Triumph is handsome, classy and cool. Think Paul Newman. Or better yet, Steve McQueen. (He raced Triumphs.) Think Clooney, not Knievel … Triumph even has his smirk. A sculpture of 140 speedometers races down one wall; an equal number of humorous moto-advertisements define another. Those pendant lights? They’re motorcycle headlamps. The creator (and curator) of this collection is Steve Smith, owner of 120 vintage motorcycles, most of them of Eastern European descent; wonderfully odd-looking, they’re displayed in his Moto Museum next door as well as in Triumph’s 400-seat event room. The menu, though, is as American as a Harley-Davidson (and thankfully devoid of any two-wheel cutesiness), though items like sushi tacos and edamame hummus stand out like wheelies on the highway. For its victory over schmaltzy theme restaurants, we give Triumph a high-revving high-five.
Address: 3419 Olive
Phone: 314-446-1801
Website: triumphgrill.com.
Hours: Mon–Thu 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri & Sat 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Sun 5–10 p.m.
