Photo by George Mahe
One of the oldest family-owned and -operated fine dining restaurants in St. Louis has quietly closed its doors. Kemoll’s Chop House (323 Westport Plaza) shut down following service on New Year’s Eve. Doug Cusumano, brother of owner Mark Cusumano, confirmed the news. SLM has also reached out to Mark for further comment.
The History
The Kemoll family restaurant legacy began in 1927, when husband and wife Joe and Dora Kemoll opened J. Kemoll Café, a one-room eatery on North Grand Boulevard, nine blocks from Sportsman’s Park, where it became a gathering place for athletes, celebrities, and lovers of authentic Sicilian food. According to its website, many dishes were first introduced to St. Louisans at Kemoll's, among them cheese bread, fried artichokes (Kemoll’s signature dish) cannelloni, manicotti, linguine con vongole, calzone, and spaghetti alla carbonara.
In 1990, under the tutelage of fourth-generation family member Mark Cusumano, the restaurant moved to the lobby of Metropolitan Square. The Top of the Met banquet facility subsequently opened upstairs in 2003. Six years later, the restaurant moved to the 40th floor, where it became as famous for its panoramic views of the Arch as the many dishes finished tableside by tuxedoed waiters.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
One of several dining rooms at Kemoll's Chop House at Westport
In early 2019, Cusumano relocated Kemoll’s to the former Dierdorf & Hart’s space at Westport Plaza. He also added the “chop house” moniker to the name. “Of the top-selling eight dishes, only two are Italian,” Cusumano said at the time, “the lasagna and the cannelloni. The other six are grilled steaks and grilled fresh fish.” The menu evolved into a mix of Kemoll’s top-selling Italian dishes, supplemented by chophouse entrées.
“There wasn’t any Kemoll’s-level fine dining at Westport,” Cusumano said previously, “and with all the O’Loughlins have done, there’s a tremendous opportunity.” At the time, he noted the 97 percent occupancy rate for 500,000 square feet of office space, not including the new, nearby World Wide Technology headquarters building. “The first Kemoll’s at Grand and Penrose was there for 63 years,” he added. “We’ve been downtown for 30. We saw an opportunity in Westport now, just like we did downtown.”
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Kemoll's 24-ounce Certified Hereford Beef, bone-in cowboy ribeye with a BBQ glaze.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Kemoll's tiramisu
Despite having a broader based menu, along with premium price points, the Westport location did not have the panoramic views of the downtown location. The pandemic, labor issues, and increased costs of goods may have been contributing factors to the closure as well.
On a related note, Mary Grace Kemoll Cusumano, mother to Mark, Doug, and four other siblings, passed away January 3 at age 95. She worked at the restaurant until she was 89. The memorial services are January 9.
“Her parents founded Kemoll’s in 1927, the year she was born,” Doug Cusumano said. "It’s kind of ironic that two 95-year-old family institutions came to an end at the same time.”
