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Chris Del Gaiso
The old but new--and uncluttered--feel of The Wheelhouse, located at 1000 Spruce Street downtown.
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Chris Del Gaiso
Plenty of light, plenty of height.
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Chris Del Gaiso
The "live" edge of the reclaimed walnut wood topped bar. The steel stools were built by local furniture maker Mwanzi CO.
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Eighteen-inch wide, 20-foot tall Douglas fir original structural posts. "Even if you could find them, you couldn't afford them," quipped Matt Lung, a construction supervisor for SPACE Architecture + Design, the architect for the project.
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Chris Del Gaiso
Steel booths and stuffed, throw over cushions (easily replaceable, if needed), both designed by SPACE. Tabletops by Mwanzi CO.
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Chris Del Gaiso
The Wheelhouse Burger (with American cheese, bacon, onion chutney, and house mayo) and hand-cut fries. (In our opinion, the baseline burger is so good by itself it needs little adornment.).
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Chris Del Gaiso
Mac 'n cheese, one of 5 varieties available.
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The building-length patio, by day.
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Chris Del Gaiso
and at night.
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Chris Del Gaiso
There are 29 beers on tap at the downtown Wheelhouse
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The Wheelhouse at 1000 Spruce Street opened for business on July 30.
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Chris Del Gaiso
Crowds have been brisk since day one.
When the partners of The Wheelhouse announced they would be opening a 10,000 square foot second location, we were somewhat surprised to learn that it would be located at 1000 Spruce Street, the former Cupples 8 building downtown, and open a few months after the debut of a little place called Ballpark Village--right in its wheelhouse, as it were. To say nothing of Joe Buck’s Downtown one block to the north and the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium a block to the east.
So we asked Wheelhouse partner Stephen Savage the question a lot of people had on their minds—“What were you guys thinking?”—as well as a few more.
What attracted you and your Wheelhouse partners to downtown, rather than say, a location further west?
Our research showed that when our Clayton clientele wasn’t in Clayton, they were spending time downtown. (He smiled) So we followed them there.
How could you not be intimidated by all the action at Ballpark Village, then opening so soon after their opening?
The way we saw it, Ballpark Village did the legwork; they were responsible for getting a lot more people to go downtown and to stay downtown. And we knew that what we offer would appeal to that crowd, as well as to our established customer base.
What do you offer? Why should people go to the downtown Wheelhouse?
We care and are passionate about our Wheelhouse product: being locally owned and operated, our from scratch kitchen, chef Nick Del Gaiso and his team, our amazing staff and customers... We truly care about our product, not just in making the most money possible. We love doing this, which is why it's our wheelhouse.
The décor is different for a sports bar, correct?
We’re in a beautiful building, so we didn’t want to clutter it up. All of the interior touches, though—the bar top and face, the stools, the booths, the cushions for the booths—are made locally, as well. That was important to us…it was an extension of the made-in-house feel.
What’s the current state of downtown, from a restaurateur’s perspective?
There has been a boom in restaurants in St. Louis because there is a demand for a great local product, whether it's fine dining, BBQ, Italian, pizza, donuts, or a hybrid sports bar. Between all the special events, Blues, Cardinals, and Rams, plus night life and dining, there is a lot going on. Plus, our network of Mizzou fans is huge, so those game days should be big in both locations. Downtown has a mezzanine that can be booked for private events or for groups of fans cheering on their team.
The Wheelhouse
15 N. Central
Clayton
314-726-7955
1000 Spruce
Downtown
314-833-3653
Lunch and dinner, Mon – Sat
Sun brunch downtown; Clayton closed Sunday
3 am liquor license for downtown location coming soon
