Beffa’s returning to Midtown St. Louis

After a brief interlude, St. Louis’ oldest family operated restaurant has been reborn. Beffa’s was 113 years old when third-gen owner Mike Beffa retired and closed it, in 2011. Last year, his eldest son, Paul, decided to rekindle his father’s memories and reopen the joint. The eponymous cafeteria was an anomaly, famous for not being famous and the antithesis of “see and be seen.” For decades, there was no menu, no prices, no listed phone, no outside lights, and no signage, save for the street number scribed on its unassuming door. Politicians, execs, clerics, police chiefs, pro athletes, trades workers, and beat cops queued up for such daily specials as Salisbury steak and corned beef hash. The few people who knew about Beffa’s kept it to themselves. Paul’s dream is to change all that. Though the cityscape mural and canton flags of Switzerland (his ancestors’ homeland) remain, the drop ceiling and ’50s basement–esque paneling have been removed. A second bar has been installed to speed service and attract patrons, including the Wells Fargo workers next door. At lunchtime, the cafeteria line remains, offering such under-$10 mainstays as carved roast beef and ham along with specials like meatloaf, fried grouper, and fresh green ham. In the evening, the service model changes, and food runners deliver sandwiches, salads, and such plated entrées as pan-roasted chicken and steak frites. Beffa’s grand opening will be held on or about St. Patrick’s Day, exactly 122 years after Paul’s great-grandfather opened the doors. But don’t look for any permanent signage. It’s absent, just like the pretension.