PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN A. ROBERTS
Juniper on Boyle Avenue
Small but mighty Juniper is moving its digs to a different Central West End location.
The Southern eatery will relocate from its space on Boyle Avenue to one at the 4101 Laclede luxury condominium development. It's slated to make the move to the bigger space—at 3,200 square feet—in April 2018. Owner John Perkins, who opened Juniper in 2013, says he's thought about a relocation for years.
"I saw limitations that, looking into the future, were going to impact us," Perkins says. "Where we are at geographically, it's not suited to long-term viability."
Although the move will only span about three blocks, Perkins says its a big change for the restaurant—more visibility, a greater density area, easier access to the Cortex Innovation Community. "Five to 10 years from now, it's only going to get busier and more dense in that area," he says, adding he's happy to be in company with Retreat Gastropub, The Block, and The Scottish Arms. "With our arrival, that just solidifies itself even more as a dining destination for folks."
The relocation has also spurred a menu update. Perkins says he wants to be able to dive further into the kind of cuisine that Juniper started doing and has been known for: Southern fare with a bent toward the low country. Diners can except fresh and grilled oysters over a live-wood fire, weekend brunch, and a late-night menu Thursday through Saturday.
"I also just want to make it a fun environment," Perkins says. To that end, he mentions "old-school" soft-serve ice cream, complete with sprinkles and hard shell. "There's something about that experience that's so nostalgic for a lot people, and it certainly is for me."
After Juniper makes the move, Perkins says the Boyle space will be used for catering and private events. He mentions the possibility of transforming it into a breakfast concept, Little Bird. "I have wanted to do a breakfast thing for a long time," Perkins says. "I think it does make a lot of sense, just to take what we already invested in that space and keep it going." But, he adds, plans for that aren't finalized.
Juniper on Boyle Avenue will be open until March 2018. And it's not the only restaurant in the Central West End shaking up the neighborhood. Several are slated to open later this year or early next, a cluster in or near the mixed-use development The Euclid: Shake Shack, Kaldi's, 'ZZA Pizza + Salad, and 1764 Public House (from brothers Derek and Lucas Gamlin). Tazé Mediterranean Street Food opened just yesterday in the former home of Tortillaria Mexican Kitchen. Fast casual BLK MKT Eats, serving burrito-sized sushi rolls and bowls, is opening next month inside the Gerhart building at Laclede and Vandeventer. And then there's the possibility of Little Bird, as noted above.
