Learn even more about these restaurants on the Arch Eats podcast.
The Mexican Barrel House
Projected Opening: January
After three years of construction and an unprecedented series of setbacks—including multiple update articles and even a planned December 22 opening that never materialized—the Flores family says The Mexican Barrel House is finally days away from opening. The family, which operates Casa Juarez Mexican Town and founded the Las Fuentes restaurants, is bringing the new concept to the former Houlihan’s location at Olive and Mason Roads. The restaurant will feature 200 indoor seats, an 80-seat patio, upscale Mexican cuisine, and Mexican barbecue, signaled by three outdoor smokers. No spoilers, but the décor is spectacular—a visual feast blending contemporary design with authentic cultural elements. 1085 N. Mason, Creve Coeur.
Katie’s
Projected Opening: Early February
The fourth location of Katie Lee’s pizza-and-pasta osteria is housed in a freestanding building in Crestwood, adjacent to The Mexican STL. Lee says the design draws on mid-century modern influences, reflecting Crestwood’s development and architecture in the 1950s, and notes that both the bar and patio are expansive. Additional features include a large, European-style open kitchen and a dedicated pasta-making room, similar to the setup at Ballpark Village, a necessity because all of Katie’s pasta is made by hand. 9635 Watson, Crestwood.
ELEVATION By. K. RENA
Projected Opening: Early March
This forthcoming Grand Center destination is led by Korri King and backed by luxury beverage partners including Armand de Brignac Champagne, Bacardi USA, and LVMH’s VSOP cognac. The concept pairs Mediterranean fare (falafel, shawarma, and kabobs) with premium cocktails, mocktails, and a deliberately high-end hookah program, featuring top-tier shisha, charcoal, and a dedicated “hookah tender,” a program that St. Louis lacks, according to King. Décor will emphasize art-forward design and a reimagined front room bar, while the former kitchen becomes a stage for food, drinks, and hookah service. The restaurant’s calling card is elevated hospitality, which King characterizes as a blend of “Ritz-Carlton polish and Chick-fil-A warmth,” designed to deliver a big-city experience without big-city pricing. “Vibe dining and all that it entails has become huge across the country,” she says, “particularly with the younger generation. That’s what will make ELEVATION By. K. RENA different.” 3307 Washington, Midtown.
The Noble Crown
Projected Opening: March
The Noble Crown will be a full-service restaurant occupying the former Culpepper’s and FroYo spaces. Restaurateur Kevin Brennan (Brennan’s, Maryland House) and the Saint Louis Chess Club have teamed up on a concept that offers elevated American classics in a refined setting on the ground level, as well as sidewalk seating. Downstairs, three distinct venues—a wine bar, chef’s counter, and private dining room with 13-foot ceilings—enable events, guest-chef dinners, and creative programming, such as the revival of Brennan’s popular This Is Not A Restaurant series. 300 N. Euclid, Central West End.
Gamlin’s Maplewood
Projected Opening: Early 2026
Two familiar figures in the St. Louis dining scene are joining forces for a return. Derek Gamlin, formerly of Sub-Zero Vodka Bar, Gamlin Whiskey House and 1764 Public House, and Henry Arciniega of West End Grill and Pub will open Gamlin’s, an elevated neighborhood restaurant in Maplewood in the former Elmwood and Burger Champ space. Gamlin’s will pair a destination-worthy menu—featuring fresh pastas, steaks, chops, oysters and seafood—with a lively, bar-driven atmosphere. Highlights include a robust whiskey program, occasional nods to Sub-Zero favorites, late-night hours, Sunday brunch, and a focus on being both a special-occasion spot and an everyday hangout. 2704 Sutton, Maplewood.
Kishimoto Mendo
Projected Opening: Early 2026
Steven Pursley, the chef-owner of Lindenwood Park’s award-winning ramen house Menya Rui, is preparing to roll out a new concept in the Delmar Loop, taking over the space that most recently housed the Jamaican eatery Get Jerked. Pursley had been tight-lipped about the sister restaurant, but recently said that that it will offer tonkotsu, a different ramen style than Menya Rui which serves shoyu (a less popular style but Pursley’s personal favorite). And for those wondering about the name, Kishimoto is his mother’s maiden name (Japanese family name) and Mendō translates to “noodle hall”. 6394 Delmar, Delmar Loop.
Lona’s Lil Eats
Projected Opening: Spring
One of St. Louis’ most popular, critically acclaimed Asian eateries, is opening a second location in Kirkwood. Owners Lona Luo Powers and Pierce Powers III bought an 8,000-square-foot building near St. Louis Community College–Meramec that was formerly home to 612 Kitchen & Cocktails and Graham’s Grill. The restaurant will serve lunch and dinner six days a week, and the owners plan to lease remaining space to complementary businesses. The duo sees the expansion as a step toward future growth beyond St. Louis. 612 W. Woodbine, Kirkwood.
Cibo Italia
Projected Opening: Spring
Mike Del Pietro will open his sixth Italian restaurant, Cibo (pronounced CHEE-boh, Italian for “food”), at the corner of Hanley and Delmar in the former Jordan’s Auto Service space. The restaurant will serve coffee and pastries in the morning (baked by his “retired” mom, Mary Rose Del Pietro), lunch (featuring Roman-style pizza), and dinner (including pasta and such dishes as grilled octopus). The restaurant will also offer a full bar with a focus on Italian wines. 7489 Delmar, University City.
Baia
Projected Opening: Spring
The group behind Good Ice and Good Company in The Grove will open a nearby Italian restaurant in the former Taha’a Twisted Tiki space. Baia (meaning bay or cove) will seat 40 inside, plus additional seats on a two-story covered patio, with the possibility for more seating on a fenced-in, grass lot in back. Chef Jon Priestly will oversee culinary operations for the hospitality group and will act as the chef de cuisine at Baia, leaning on his Italian cooking background from stints as sous chef at O+O Pizza and The Clover + The Bee. Co-owner Jordan Goodman says the updated interior, designed by studioDVLP, will feature the bright blues and oranges of the Italian Riviera, as well as an open-kitchen floor plan with a chef’s counter where patrons can watch pasta being made by hand. “Although the name is Baia, the plan is to pull dishes from all over Italy,” Goodman says, “including seafood, but it won’t be all seafood.” 4199 Manchester, The Grove.
The Marvel S. Fox
Projected Opening: Summer
The Marvel S. Fox will transform the former Coffee Cartel space into a playful sports tavern that stays open late. Named after two partners’ great-grandmother, the concept blends steel-tipped darts, ping-pong, bar dice, TVs, and a rec-room vibe with casual food and an open kitchen. An in-house merch shop, clever membership/investment options, and high-top tables reinforce social interaction. One clever promotion involves guests reliving their high school glory days by bringing in a trophy in exchange for a $5 credit for each trophy. Slated to open in June, it aims to draw a younger crowd with “standard and funky” sports coverage. 2 Maryland Plaza, Central West End.
Chico Bueno
Projected Opening: Summer
In addition to Baia, the team behind Good Company and and Aperi will open 55-seat Chico Bueno in the Central West End, where it will share a building with the new production facility of Good Ice, the flagship boutique ice company that the group also owns. The restaurant will spotlight approachable contemporary Mexican cuisine, agave-forward cocktails, and an extensive mezcal lineup available for tastings. Designed by studioDVLP, the space will feature a partially open kitchen, an open floor plan, Southwestern-inspired colors, and greenery. Adrian Maldonado (Balkan Treat Box, Sidney Street) will serve as chef de cuisine, with beverage director Diego Gonzalez overseeing the mezcal-focused beverage program. Addressing the two-in-one model, Goodman says that by consolidating operations and reducing fixed costs under a single roof, the group has shown it can move margins from razor-thin to a point where both concepts can operate sustainably. 3942-A Laclede, Central West End.
Gigi
Projected Opening: Summer
Matt McGuire—the owner of Louie, Wright’s Tavern, and Box Hill Grocer in Clayton—has leased the long-vacant former Starbucks space at the highly visible corner of Hanley and Wydown. There, he’ll open Gigi (named for his mother), a casual all-day café that he describes as “something a little more penetrable, a no-reservations space where guests can drop in throughout the day, including those waiting for a table at Wright’s Tavern, which lacks a dedicated waiting area.“ Box Hill Grocer helps “let some of the gas out of that balloon, too,” McGuire adds, but at 2,500 square feet, Gigi will be larger and better equipped to accommodate customers. The café will serve Coma Coffee and pastries from 7 a.m.–2 p.m., then reopen at 4 p.m. for drinks, St. Louis–style bar pizza, and to-go pizza. Michael Petres, a chef at Louie with an extensive pizza background, will lead pizza development alongside Louie executive chef Sean Turner, who will round out a streamlined, complementary menu. 7645 Wydown, Clayton.
Jefferson Arms-Dining Concepts
Projected Opening: Summer
Originally slated for completion in fall 2025, the $135 million renovation of the Jefferson Arms building is among the year’s most anticipated multi-use projects and includes five food-and-drink concepts. The Taco Turko Bar offers a casual fusion of Mexican and Turkish fare, as well as a food truck. Nico’s Bakery features Balkan breads and pastries. Salonika brings a fine-dining experience inspired by Greek, Jewish, and Turkish cuisines. Hidden behind Jefferson & Sons, a tailor shop, Clandestino’s Speakeasy channels a Prohibition vibe with cocktails, jazz, and bar bites. And the Corner Vinyl Café transitions from coffeehouse by day to a record-spinning bar by night. Rounding out the offerings is The Gentleman’s Cut, a stylish barbershop with a full bar. 415 N. Tucker, downtown.
The Wash Ave Food Hall
Projected Opening: Summer
Local developer Alex Oliver is in the process of transforming the former Copia and Reign nightclub space into a 10,000-square-foot food hall, part of his plan to reinvigorate Wash. Ave. dining and boost downtown foot traffic. The project will seat 230 guests and feature eight vendor stalls and two bars, including a patio bar with a retractable roof. Oliver tells SLM that there’s been strong interest from local food establishments and that the project is on target for a summer 2026 opening. 1122 Washington, downtown.
Elaia, Olio, Esca Vino & Spuntino, and another new restaurant
Projected Opening: 2026
Chef-entrepreneur Ben Poremba of the Bengelina Hospitality Group closed three flagship restaurants—Elaia, Olio, and Nixta—in Botanical Heights in late 2023 and announced plans to relocate them to the Delmar Maker District. Nixta reopened in late 2024, but the tornado on May 16, 2025 delayed the other two projects. A new concept, Esca Vino & Spuntino, will be a wine shop by day and wine bar by night, offering Italian snacks (spuntino) and located across the street from Esca, Poremba’s stellar restaurant in the Delmar Maker District. Reached on New Year’s Eve, Poremba told SLM that the new Elaia, slated for a November opening, “will be like nothing this town has ever seen,” and a new, yet-to-be-named restaurant will be announced in March.
Lineage
Projected Opening: 2026
Tai Davis is an accomplished chef and baker, a talented artist, a model, a cellist, and an episode winner of the television cooking show Chopped. Soon, he’ll be adding ‘restaurateur’ to that list, with his forthcoming restaurant, which he plans to open in 2026. The concept is designed to bring all of his talents together under one roof. According to Davis, Lineage will be a modern, elevated exploration of soul food, which he hopes will transform the way that people think about the cuisine. Davis has already offered diners a preview through pop-up dinners in 2024, 2025, and, most recently, at Linea, an event space and supper club located next door as he works to open the full-fledged restaurant. Location TBD.
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