The Gin Room named to 50 Best’s “50 Best Discovery” list

Hear more about The Gin Room on the Arch Eats podcast.

Hot on the heels of its recent James Beard semifinalist nomination, The Gin Room (3200 S. Grand) has received yet another recognition: a high-profile nod that places the South Grand bar in the company of the globe’s most acclaimed beverage establishments.

Today, 50 Best, the esteemed global tastemaker known for “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” and “The World’s 50 Best Bars“, named The Gin Room to its “50 Best Discovery” list. The publication describes the list as “the ultimate insider’s guide to the most extraordinary places to eat, drink, and stay around the world.” The Gin Room joins 500 restaurants, bars, and hotels across the world that were added to the 2025 Discovery list.

For owner Natasha Bahrami, the “50 Best Discovery” recognition is more than a personal honor; it’s a testament to the St. Louis food and beverage scene’s overall ascendence. “Being on this list means that there are things St. Louis continues to do as a whole that are getting harder and harder for the world to ignore,” says Bahrami. “It’s becoming apparent that we are clearly doing significant work in this industry. What is happening with all these accolades is that people who are looking for the best of the best can no longer skip over St. Louis, and that is what I want St. Louis to be proud of.”

The Background

Photo by Jason Hackett

Photo by Jason Hackett

Bahrami opened The Gin Room in 2014 in the bar space adjacent to her family’s former restaurant, Cafe Natasha’s. At first a reluctant restaurateur—Bahrami had a successful career in international policy and IT following college—she eventually fell so in love with gin and the bar scene while living in Washington, D.C. that the pull toward the industry she’d grown up in became undeniable. Determined to follow her passion on her own terms, Bahrami set up The Gin Room as not just a bar but an education space and launch pad for her global platform, GinWorld, which has helped bolster gin through festivals and events across the world during the past decade. In 2021, Bahrami was inducted into the Gin Hall of Fame, the first American to receive the placement. 

In addition to the “50 Best Discovery” and James Beard nods, Bahrami was also recognized this year by Imbibe Magazine as part of its “Imbibe 75” list of the most influential people, places, and organizations shaping the spirits world.

“Everyone told us that St. Louis is a beer and bourbon town and nobody drinks gin anywhere, let alone here,” says Bahrami. “Instead of sitting down and deciding that a better business plan would be to open a bourbon bar, I decided to not walk the easy path. I have always been outside-of-the-box in that way. Now that this is happening, we are grateful for the opportunities that we are being given.”