One of the most active restaurant corners in Soulard will see new life in 2021. Early next month, Boo Coo restaurant will open in the former Oaked space, at 1031 Lynch St. (Prior to Oaked, Lynch Street Tavern occupied the building and before that Fleur de Lilies, Gusto’s 314, Sage Urban American Grill, and Lynch Street Bistro, which opened in 2007.)
Owner Nikki Westhoff, who lives and works nearby, says she’d been talking about opening her own restaurant for more than a year, but, ironically, it was the pandemic that brought the dream to fruition.
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“Working less, I had more time to think about it,” she says, “and the more my husband and I talked with the owners of Oaked, who own that building, the more sense it made,” especially when staffers at next-door neighbor Anheuser-Busch return to their offices.
The name Boo Coo comes from the Cajun term for beaucoup, the French term for “big” or “many.” Westhoff plans to take a more informal approach than its predecessor. “Soulard is a casual place,” she says. “Our plan is to play more to the neighborhood. People need a place to relax, throw a few darts, play Golden Tee, and watch a game.” A self-confessed sports nut, Westhoff has installed 16 TVs (“big ones,” she says) and two projection TVs in the space.
“That part of Soulard needed a little excitement, a little push, and the space is so large that people can spread out no matter how many seats we’re allowed to use,” Westhoff says of the two-level space.
The second floor, which has its own bar and outside deck, will also be used for private events and to showcase local live music. The sprawling first-floor patio bar, made of brick with wrought-iron fencing, is typical of the Soulard area.
The menu at Boo Coo is predictable, but with some unusual flourishes, a few that lean toward New Orleans, one of Westhoff’s favorite cities. Chicken wings, fried cheese sticks, and potato skins give way to taco wontons, a muffuletta, nachos served in a Café du Monde coffee can, and a double smashed burger with cheddar and cream cheese topped with fried jalapeños. The signature item is the Boo Coo Ring, a croissant filled with chicken pot pie fixin’s.
Having worked for 22 years in the industry, Westhoff says she knows the bar scene well and has a theory regarding bar customers’ behavior. “Bars help other bars,” she says. “Over the years, I’ve watched how people would go from McGurk’s to Duke’s to Molly’s to 1860 [Saloon]. We need to recreate that same kind of action in our part of Soulard–south Soulard. I’d like to see people move from 9th Street Deli to D’s Place to [Big] Daddy’s and the Cat’s Meow to Boo Coo.
“I live in the neighborhood, and I know the neighborhood,” she adds. “I’m proud to say that I now own a business in the neighborhood.”
