In February 2020, Kevin and Marion Green were on the brink of realizing their long-held dream of opening a restaurant at 255 Union Boulevard. Though they’d found success for their restaurant, West End Bistro, a few blocks around the corner on Pershing Avenue for the past year and a half, the pair never gave up hope that they would one day occupy the gorgeous, ground-floor space of the vintage residential building on the eastern fringe of the DeBaliviere Place neighborhood.
They’d come close a couple of years prior. After meeting at the St. Louis Club, where Kevin served as chef and Marion worked the front of the house, the husband-and-wife team left to open a place of their own. They found the Union Boulevard space, formerly housing The Kitchen Sink, and were close to signing a lease when the deal fell through. Determined not to let that derail their plans, the pair set up shop in their Pershing location (the former Pig & Pickle and Atlas location) and quickly earned a reputation as a beloved neighborhood spot for bringing their country club sensibilities to the casual diner.
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Though things were going well for the Greens, they didn’t hesitate when the landlord for the Union Boulevard storefront approached them to see if they’d be interested in moving West End Bistro around the corner. After signing the lease last February, the duo enlisted contractors to revamp the space and prepared for their move—until the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
After an eight-month hiatus, the Greens reopened West End Bistro in its new digs last October, finally realizing their restaurant dreams as they had intended. For the past five months, the pair has been serving guests upscale-yet-accessible bistro cuisine in person and via carryout.
The moment that you pull up to the Union Boulevard space, you understand why they were so charmed. The restaurant occupies the first floor of a semi-high-rise apartment building with a stunning white-stone facade punctuated by black French doors. Inside, the restaurant is no less ornate. Dark glossed woodwork, ornate metal ceilings, and intricately carved columns evoke the architectural grandeur of a bygone era.
West End Bistro has a large physical footprint. Divided into several spaces, the restaurant consists of a side dining room (pictured above), where the Greens offer live jazz on Wednesday and Saturday nights, a main dining room with a large square-shaped bar as its centerpiece, a small private dining room just off the main one, and two private events spaces (one with a pool table and dart board) down the corridor and around the corner.
The Greens acknowledge that it’s a lot to manage, but they draw upon their country club experience, to help them balance the multiple dining areas, and they are happy to have such a large space for patrons to spread out during the pandemic.
Kevin Green also uses his country club background for the menu. Though he hesitates to describe his cooking in terms of a particular style, he emphasizes his passion for French technique, coupled with his love of the spices found in various Asian cuisines. Dishes that showcase his cooking prowess include a seafood stuffed trout, served with lobster hollandaise; classic bouillabaisse, brimming with salmon, mussels, clams, scallops, and shrimp; seafood gumbo with cornbread; and bread pudding. The chef also offers various steaks, chicken dishes, sandwiches, and salads. And though there isn’t a written menu, he also serves breakfast favorites, such as waffles, pancakes, omelets, and eggs Benedict all day.
The Greens have been pleased with the support they’ve received from the surrounding neighborhoods and building residents during their first few months at the new location, and they believe momentum is building. Their large bar has been attracting a good—and socially distanced—happy-hour crowd who come for the drink specials and 25-cent bar snacks. They’ve also received a positive response to Wednesday and Saturday night live jazz and are eager to begin seating people on the sprawling patio, which takes up the entire front side of the building.
West End Bistro is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m.–8 p.m. The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays. To find out more about what the Greens call “one of St Louis’ best-kept secrets,” visit West End Bistro’s Facebook page.
