Utah Station in Benton Park fills up vegans and non-vegans alike
Chef Chris Bertke turns out a 90 percent–vegan menu that even omnivores can appreciate inside a former service station.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
A plant-based “veef” sandwich with vegan cheddar, banana peppers, onions, and more
Across the country, dilapidated mid–20th-century service stations are seeing second lives as salons, boutiques, and restaurants, but only the starry-eyed could have envisioned the former Burgherr’s Service Station, now Utah Station in Benton Park, as anything but a tear-down. It was roofless at one time and sat vacant for the past 20 years. Then a developer, a restaurateur, and a vegan chef braided their dreams of what the space could become and came up with a refreshing, timely concept: a scratch kitchen restaurant that turns out a 90 percent–vegan menu that even omnivores can appreciate. Executive chef Chris Bertke’s takes on fast-food staples—such as the Big Mac and J. Box’s fried tacos—are worthy imposters, but the universal favorite (and fake-out) are the T-ravs stuffed with one of five plant-based “meats” that Bertke makes in house. (The Station sells 600 a day.) The one he calls “veat” gets sliced thin to anchor a gyro topped with “to-feta” and Kalamata salsa. There’s a vegan smash burger and a legit grass-fed beef burger, pulled pork, and airy-crusted 12-inch pizzas made from superfine Italian flour. Separate cooktops prevent cross-contamination, and different basket liners (black-checked paper for vegan, red for non-vegan) prevent any confusion. There’s no misunderstanding as to Utah Station’s appeal: operable double garage doors; a wraparound patio chockablock with reclaimed materials, including a giant fire pit; raised vegetable gardens and a Shaw’s Garden’s worth of native Missouri plants; and vegan wines. Utah Station is a feel-good place that some are even calling “plantastic.”
