
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Pancit Palabok: rice noodles, pork and shrimp sauce, shrimp, pork belly, egg, chicarrones, and scallions
Two local hot spots are officially joining forces.
Guerrilla Street Food will open a second location inside the new home of Tropical Liqueurs, popularly called "Trops," at 4104 Manchester in the Grove. Both will operate in the large warehouse space, which seats around 400. Brian Hardesty, co-owner of Guerrilla Street, says Trops reached out to the restaurant for a partnership.
"Trops has been around in Missouri for a long time, and then they had their super popular run in Soulard," Hardesty says. "Right from the get-go it was a good fit. [Trops co-owner] Billy [Thompson] and his family are great people. We immediately got along."
The space will also feature a 2,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor patio. The menu at this new location will be similar to its flagship in Tower Grove, so expect favorites like the Flying Pig and Chicken Adobo. Hardesty says they're also working on dishes that will only be available at the Grove location, as well as a weekly brunch.
"Each location that we open will have its own chef," Hardesty says. "While we'll have some consistency as far as the old-school menu goes, it will also have its own identity, so there will be a reason to go from one [location] to another instead of having it all be exactly the same."
Trops has secured its liquor license, and construction will begin soon after New Year's Day, Hardesty says. A spring 2017 opening is planned, currently slated for early March.
A Guerrilla Street location in Chicago is also in the works, and Hardesty adds they hope to eventually have about eight locations all together.
This new spot in the Grove? "This is just the next step," he says.