Salvage Yard Bar and Grill in Princeton Heights (5406 Hampton) had only been open a few weeks last year when the pandemic shut down restaurants across St. Louis. But the owners continued to pump out to-go St. Louis-style, Chicago-style, and signature BOB (best of both worlds) pizzas, as well as pastas, specialty sandwiches, and more. The surrounding neighborhoods responded and kept the new spot afloat. Finally, early this summer, patrons got a first look at the dining room and bar, which have been transformed by salvaged materials and savvy design. Here’s what to expect.
The Team
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After years in management with Panera Bread and other companies, Roscoe Gragg decided to open a restaurant. He transformed a shuttered insurance company office and a former Louie’s Pizza location into The Salavage Yard. Today, he can typically be found in the kitchen. Lauren Laughlin serves as the business administrator and social media maven, keeping customers informed about what’s new, what’s hot, and what’s coming up.
The Menu
Classic St. Louis–style thin-crust pizza anchors the menu and spans the usual suspects and such specialties as barbecue chicken and buffalo chicken. Two meat-centric specialties include the St. Louis original deluxe (with sausage, onion, mushrooms, green pepper, and bacon) and the Meat Deluxe (with sausage, ham, pepperoni, and bacon). The veggie deluxe pizza isn’t the only menu item to satisfy vegetarians; there are also salads, pastas, and appetizers.
All of the pies have homemade sauces. The dough for deep-dish pizzas, calzones, and stromboli is made fresh in house each day. “We buy the dough for the thin-crust pizzas from Imo’s,” says Gragg, who grates the cheeses by hand.
True to form, the Chicago–style pizzas start with deep-dish, house-made crust, layered with cheese and other fillings, as well as a chunky sauce—in that order. For those who want the best of both St. Louis- and Chicago-style pies, the restaurant offers The BOB.
“We start with the deep-dish crust spread with house-made St. Louis style sauce, add your choice of toppings, and cover all with a blend of mozzarella and St. Louis-style cheeses, freshly grated,” Roscoe says. “Any of our deep-dish pizzas can be made BOB-style at no extra charge.”
Insider tip: The restaurant also offers a noteworthy secret-menu item for dine-in customers: the Spaghetti Meatball Deep Dish, filled with house spaghetti and meatballs.
Speaking of meatballs, the meatball sandwich is among the Salvage Yard’s noteworthy menu items. A generous hunk of bread is topped with meatballs, smothered in sauce, and covered with a thick blanket of gooey melted cheese.
A selection of six half-pound charbroiled burgers are available, from a classic American cheeseburger to a zingy jalapeño burger with pepperjack, jalapeño, and spicy ranch dressing. All of the sandwiches come with a side of house-made chips or fries, or you can upgrade to fried onion rings, loaded fries, or a sensible side salad.
Classic pastas include spaghetti with marinara sauce and meatballs, fettuccine alfredo topped with chicken, and pasta primavera. Two specialties, the Chicken Giorgio and Chicken Parmesan, feature breaded chicken breast with marinara or alfredo sauce, as well as your choice of pasta. And all of the pasta entrées come with a side salad.
Appetizers include bar-food faves, such as wings, toasted ravioli, fried mushrooms, and chicken tenders.
The bar is small but well-stocked. Popular mixed drinks include mojitos, Moscow mules, rum punch, and peanut butter cup. Local brews are well-represented in cans and bottles, with two brews on tap.
The Atmosphere
With its industrial vibe, the interior is a marvel of repurposed, recycled, and upcycled materials and furnishings. Conference Technologies, Inc. did the design build, which included removing the previous drop ceilings and painting the trusses and corrugated materials a velvety black, as well as removing plaster and drywall to reveal the original brick walls. Conference Technologies also designed the signature Salvage Yard logo sign in the bar and all of the specialty signs.
The space is filled with custom-built light fixtures, including chandeliers with overlapping gears in the dining room. “Those aren’t metal gears,” Gragg says. “They’re actually cut out of wood and painted; if they were steel, this ceiling wouldn’t hold them.
Repurposed warm wood clads the bar, whose smooth grey-and-black top was upcycled from a tear-out. The resulting interior is comfortable with a signature style.
Each table features a bright-green button, which guests can press for service as needed. There’s also room for six at the bar, as well as two high-top tables.
The restaurant sits at the busy corner of Eichelberger and Hampton. Free parking is available behind the building, off Eichelberger. Gragg also plans to install a sign at the front of the building to help provide more visibility, though he’s already beginning to see more of the neighbors who helped the restaurant survive over the past year.
“The neighborhood kept us going during the pandemic with carryout and online ordering,” Gragg says. “Now, people are coming in—we’re seeing more people each week.”
“We really appreciate the support of our customers,” Laughlin adds. “We never had an official grand opening because of COVID, but we are planning one now.” Stay tuned for details on Salvage Yard’s Facebook page.
