Bevo Caffé Lounge (5822 Gravois) quietly opened in early June. Customers can enjoy drinks, pastries, and company in the stylish space. “From sunrise espresso to late-night cocktails, we’re blending community, flavor, and style right here in the heart of Bevo,” says a post on the establishment’s Facebook page.
A grand opening is slated for this Saturday, July 5, with all ages welcome from 6–8:30 p.m., as well as a party for ages 21 and up from 9 p.m.–1:30 a.m., when DJ Nokturnal will spin tunes.
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Here’s what to know before you go.
The Atmosphere
Owner Mersad Smajic and his wife, Jasmina, have created an inviting space in a loft-style space with an industrial chic vibe that plays to the building’s architecture.
Smajic closed in a former loading dock nearly to the roof with windows tinted pale grey. A black banner above the windows is adorned with graphics that provide a hint about what’s inside: whiskey, bourbon, cigars, tequila, beer, and wine.
The street-level lounge seats 98 people with tables in the main space and couch seating near the front of the space. Overhead garage doors open to a patio. White sound-dampening panels and lighting grids hang from a black ceiling.
The mezzanine-level bar overlooks the lounge and patio. Blue lighting in the bar adds a dramatic element to the lounge. Smajic clad the face of a 20-foot Vietnamese live-edge bar with staves from whisky barrels.
On the bar level, a cozy lounge with a fireplace is decorated with couches, plants, and art. Several sitting areas are stocked with games and accessorized with playful sculptures. Oversized black-and-white photos of cars and airplanes that Jasmina selected pay homage to her husband’s days in the car business and his love of travel.
“I take a picture whenever I see something I like and keep ideas in back of my mind,” Smajic says of his travel-inspired design ideas. “When I was building this, I had a vision of how it should look, and I came pretty close to that. These ideas came from all over the world.”
The Menu
A small-batch roasted blend from Park Avenue Coffee provides the base for the coffee drinks, which include single or double shot Americanos, lattes and mocha lattes, cappuccino, espresso, and macchiato, and four styles of frappuccino. Cold brews are also available with mocha or sweet cream, and a frozen slushy drink mixes cold brew with cream and ice.
Chai teas are also on the menu, as well as juices, smoothies, and sodas that are popular in Europe and Mexico, including Schweppes Bitter Lemon, which Smajic says many European customers favor as a drink or a mixer. The full-service bar on the second floor is also stocked with a selection of beer and wines.
Some customers smoke cigars on the patio or in the lounge on pleasant days when the garage doors are open, with high ceilings and circulating air systems keeping the space free of smoke.
A selection of pastries—including tiramisu and tres leches cake—is available each day.
Smajic plans to begin serving food in mid-August. “We’re going to offer sandwiches, paninis, chicken, steak, and probably a beef gyro, three pizzas, chicken wings, a burger and fries, and salads,” he says. “We are mulling over a small breakfast menu, but it’s not set yet.”
The Backstory
The word caffé means coffee, which Smajic enjoyed while growing up in central Bosnia. He also appreciated the coffee shops where he would gather with friends. Smajic came to St. Louis with his family when he was 17 years old. He graduated from Roosevelt High School and earned a degree in criminal justice from St. Louis Community College–Forest Park, but he instead ended up selling cars. “I met lots of people, many of whom still keep in touch with him today,” he says.
After 15 years selling cars, he started a real estate and construction company, JEMZ Investments, in 2014. Since then, he’s renovated dozens of properties and built dozens of new homes.
So when the tenant in the building at 5822 Gravois departed last year, Smajic decided to move forward with the concept of a caffé and lounge. Smajic and a construction crew renovated the space in seven months, turning the first floor into a lounge, patio, and bar. They also added four upscale extended-stay rental units on the second floor. Smajic would also meet with neighbors to explain his business model and ask for their support.
Today, neighbors frequently visit Bevo Caffé Lounge for coffee, conversation, and camaraderie—just as Smajic first envisioned. “I thought about a place where people of all ethnicities could come together in a stylish coffee shop and lounge,” he says. “I thought it would draw people into the Bevo area.”
- 📍5822 Gravois, Bevo Mill
- 📞 314-393-3685
- ⏰ 7 a.m.–9:30 p.m. Tue–Thu, 7 a.m.–11 p.m. Fri & Sat, 7 a.m.–9 p.m. Sun
