This article appears in the Jan/Feb 2024 issue of St. Louis Magazine under the title, “Shaking It Up.”
A decade after Lodging Hospitality Management (LHM) acquired Westport Plaza in Maryland Heights, the evolution of the 42-acre mixed-use complex continues. Among the recent and forthcoming additions: a large green-space courtyard for concerts and events and two restaurants—Soda Fountain Express and 360 Westport—spinoff versions of their flagship equivalents at Union Station.
Find the best food in St. Louis
Subscribe to the St. Louis Dining In and Dining Out newsletters to stay up-to-date on the local restaurant and culinary scene.
Soda Fountain Express opens today, December 27, at 147 Westport Plaza. It’s a fast-casual, less-expensive, “mini-me” version of the full-service flagship, though the aesthetics are the same. No expense was spared on the burnt-orange and pastel-colored booths; the soda fountain with quartz countertops, swivel stools, and an arched walnut back bar; an MTA station’s worth of white subway tile; and big bulb strip lights overhead that punctuate the whole shebang.
The entire grill menu is a wish list of childhood favorites: griddled double cheeseburgers, PB&J, grilled cheese, BLT, and a Vienna hot dog served Chicago-style or topped with chili. Channeling a classic scoop shop from the ’50s, the ice cream options are enviable: cones, cups, sundaes, sodas, floats, milkshakes, and malts, all made with Ices Plain & Fancy premium ice cream. And try to resist taking home a bag of nostalgic candy, displayed in a row of tall colorful glass tubes.
But hands down, the star of the show is the “freak shake,” with three signature options. While slightly smaller than their Union Station counterparts, they’re still shamelessly huge, especially the aptly named “Everything But…” (with a chocolate frosted rim and chocolate-covered pretzel, potato chips, chocolate dipped pretzel rod, Kitchen Sink brownie, caramel sauce, peanut butter cup, and whipped cream).
