The world’s changed a lot over the past two years, to say the least. That’s especially true for the St. Louis dining scene and the restaurant industry in general. Yet many restaurants have somehow endured, reinventing themselves by streamlining pickup and delivery, offering to-go cocktails, and putting an emphasis on convenience. The region has also seen the addition of a food truck garden and food hall, and there are more outdoor dining options than ever before. And while some restaurant operators elected to close or remain temporarily closed, others have moved, opened additional locations, or launched exciting new concepts. While the information contained herein was current at press time, remember that restaurants are still recovering from the pandemic, so it’s best to call ahead or research online, as hours and days of operation may have shifted. As we know all too well by now, things will continue to change.
A Fluid Situation
“CREATIVE COCKTAIL” HAS FOUND NEW MEANING AS EATERIES OFFER TO-GO DRINKS IN A VARIETY OF DELICIOUS OPTIONS.
Brennan’s ships over a dozen 16-ounce cocktails, $26–$32, that include classics (Aviation, Old Fashioned, Manhattan) and twists on classic preparations (a jalapeño margarita, a lavender Sidecar). A range of spirits and snack boxes are also available, including beer and wine, alongside cold cuts, cheese, and cigars.
Among six $10 drinks served in 10-ounce bottles, Chao Baan offers a tamarind-enhanced whiskey sour, a seasonal Old Fashioned, and the Clear & Loathing made with Pearl plum vodka, clarified lime juice, and makrut lime leaf syrup served over crystal clear ice). Owner Shayn Prapaisilp’s pick is the Smoky Hot Thai Boi—named, incidentally, by the Chao Baan staff in honor of Prapaisilp himself—and its combination of Banhez Mezcal, Thai chili–infused Cimarrón tequila, and lime. Three N/A cocktails are available as well
Cobalt assembles seasonal, limited edition gift boxes, from cocktail kits to the Whiskey Box series containing five whiskey samplers.
Whatever the occasion, co-owner Adam Tilford points to Mission’s line of margaritas, including ready-to-drink margs in various sizes and a margarita kit with Una Vida tequila and Mission’s own mix. Have your margarita spicy, made with mezcal, or topped off with a top-shelf tequila. Other Mission favorites include the Paloma, Zombie, and El Diablo, along with a selection of to-go shots. Single-serving cocktails are around $10; the margarita kit costs $80.
Offering a broad range of to-go options, Narwhal’s serves up trademark frozen drinks ($8–$23) that alternate between dessert-style indulgence (blueberry gooey butter cake) and tropical refreshment (strawberry basil lemonade). Narwhal’s also has cocktails on draft and hot drinks such as Irish coffee and Mexican hot chocolate. Take home Silipint cups or a 40-ounce fishbowl.
The Webster Groves favorite has batched cocktails (serves 4-6) to take home at $50 each. The #78 features rye, amaro, tart cherry, and cocoa-spiced bitters.
This Clayton-based deli and provisions shop may have the best selection of to go cocktails in town, plus cider and canned and bottled wine. The barrel-aged Unusual Negroni is a longstanding favorite not just of owner Gerard Craft but also of his parents, who’ve had the drink shipped to Washington, D.C., throughout the pandemic. Pastaria offers two additional Negronis (one made with mezcal and an Italian rhubarb bitter) and the Brasserie Old Fashioned, each $28 for a 12-ounce serving. In December 2020, Craft launched La Verita Distilleria, a line of seasonal small-batch amari, liqueurs, and nonalcoholic cordials, currently exclusive to Pastaria Deli & Wine. At press time, 12 varieties were available.
Julia Calleo
Punch 5 Libations, self-infused, small-batch cocktails
4 Hands’ and 1220 Spirits’ Kevin Lemp teamed up with chef Ben Poremba to create this line of five jarred infusions, each yielding up to eight 2-ounce bar-quality cocktails when steeped for three days in 16 ounces of a given liquor (instructions provided on the label). One infusion costs $18.
Owner Tom Schmidt calls the oak-aged Manhattan his favorite, but Salt + Smoke has a total of six to-go cocktails, each served in a 16-ounce bottle yielding six to 10 pours. Options include the oak-aged Salt + Smoke, made with Amaro Casoni and peaty Laphroaig, and the Lexington Negroni. Prices range from $27.99–$34.99.
Over a dozen cocktails are available to-go, from the basics to several Scotch-based Mantattans.
Food Travels
Antony Hare
CHAO BAAN’S SHAYN PRAPAISILP BRINGS A TASTE OF THAI CUISINE TO ST. LOUIS HOMES.
Growing up in the restaurant industry, Prapaisilp wasn’t sure that the business was for him. His parents, Sue and Suchin Prapaisilp, have operated restaurants and groceries in St. Louis, including The King & I and Jay International Food, since the late 1970s. After Prapaisilp finished graduate school, though, his parents asked him to help open United Provisions in the Delmar Loop. “That was my first opportunity to really lead a project on my own,” Prapaisilp says, “and now I’m very glad I’m back in the fold.” In 2019, he and his mother opened Chao Baan, a restaurant rooted in northeastern and southern Thai cuisine, reflecting Sue and Suchin’s heritages, respectively. The menu features Prapaisilp’s favorite family recipes, including khao tod nam sod, deep-fried rice cakes with chilis, fish sauce, and lime, served with pork sausage, ginger, and cilantro. During the pandemic, Chao Baan has offered online ordering and curbside pickup, as well as limited dine-in service. “We retooled as quickly as possible, and we’re really fortunate that our food travels well,” Prapaisilp says. “We’re grateful to the St. Louis community; St. Louis is that special type of place that really looks out for locally owned restaurants.”
Street Side
WITH CARRYOUT DINING ON THE RISE, MORE RESTAURANTS ARE OPENING WINDOWS.
WALK-UP WINDOWS
The pickup window was conceived to launch shadow brands, but all of its barbecue faves, including tripe, sig snoot, rib tips, and house-made Kielbasa, are available as well.
At this punny house of chicken, order the broasted Cheep & Cheddar from the Bawk Up Window (Delmar Loop location only), or request curbside pickup in front of the coop.
These days, the coffee window is pulling quintuple duty, considering the available breakfast items, soups, salads, and sandwiches.
During spring and summer patio season, order and pick up superior pizza and pasta at the hidden alleyway window.
What’s Old Is New Again
Aryo Hadi / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Three classic drive-ins are worth the drive for a day of old-time family fun and no-frills smashed burgers. King Louie’s, in Wood River, is the regional classic, but those in the know also head in the opposite direction, to Wally’s, in Breese. And on the Missouri side, hike beautiful Hawn State Park, then grab a taste of nostalgia at Hunt’s Dairy Bar, in Farmington.
Stools were installed in front of the double window in Soulard, where you can also order a brew from nearby iTap.
Grace Meat + Three/Chicken + Fish
Although Grace temporarily closed its late night–only window to Grace Chicken + Fish, it’s open for Meat + Three’s specialties, including chef/owner Rick Lewis’ incomparable fried bologna sandwich with pimiento cheese and farm egg.
The pickup window might be cut out of a garage door, but the pies, created by pizzeoli Mitch Frost, are first-rate.
New owners Dylan Dodson, Sam Driemeier, and their team serve up vegetarian-friendly, New York–style pizza from a service window at the front door along South Grand.
Julia Calleo
An array of offerings from Tempus
A nondescript window on Newstead Ave. turns out some of the city’s most creative to-go fare, courtesy of chef Ben Grupe, a former captain of the U.S. Culinary Olympic Team.
The window at Michael and Tara Gallina’s popular University City restaurant is open at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, offering online ordering of seasonal fare, as well as a weekend trifecta of pizzas, smashed burgers, and pot pies.
In warm weather, we opt for bread, cheese, and charcuterie; when it’s cold, we go for hot soup and a grilled Gruyère sandwich on baguette.
DRIVE-THRU WINDOWS
At one of the busiest drive-thru windows in town, devoteés queue up for chimichangas, chalupas, rotisserie chicken, and margaritas.
The stock menu is as solid as a slinger, but monitor Yolklore’s social media for outstanding weekend collaborations.
A former sandwich shop dispenses subs, sushi, ramen, and poke.
The owners of this chef-driven health-conscious salads-and-wraps restaurant wisely installed two drive-thru lanes at the O’Fallon, Missouri, location. One is for traditional orders; the other is for online orders.
Pop-Up 2.0
Antony Hare
LITTLE FOX’S MOWGLI AND CRAIG RIVARD INTRODUCE A TWIST TO WALK-UP WINDOWS.
When Mowgli and Craig Rivard left Brooklyn, in 2017, their goal was to bring the sort of neighborhood restaurant they’d worked at together in New York to St. Louis, Craig’s hometown. That meant investing in not just a building or concept but also in a neighborhood. When the couple visited Fox Park, with its tight-knit community and handful of small businesses, they knew they’d found their new home. In December 2019, they opened Little Fox, serving modern American fare in a hip, fun space. In 2020, the restaurant offered some of the most creative pandemic dining in town, from an outdoor concept in the parking lot across the street to walkup windows for food and wine orders. Now, with the outdoor space closed, the Rivards are focused on walkup service. “We’re treating the windows like pop-ups, so, for example, we got rid of brunch, but every Sunday morning there’ll be some sort of [theme at the food window],” Mowgli says. “Today we had homemade bagels with smoked salmon.” One constant during this chaotic time: the encouragement of the community. “We’re grateful for how supportive the neighborhood is,” Mowgli says. “That’s exactly what we wanted.
Date Night At Home
YES, FINE DINING IS STILL AN OPTION, WHATEVER YOUR BUDGET.
Family-style meals serving six, as well as batched cocktails, are available for curbside pickup. Menu items range from $15–$48; cocktails are $18–$30. Finish the meal with a pint of house-made ice cream—try the caramel chocolate chip.
Julia Calleo
Dinners for Two from Blood & Sand
Family-style to-go dinners for two or four come with salad and choices of meat and sides, plus wine pairings. The restaurant also hosts Taco Tuesday, which includes a four-pack taco kit for $15 or an eight-pack kit for $25 and house-made chips and salsa.
The weekly Sunday Supper takeout meal, $50 per person, includes salad, a main course, and dessert, as well as an optional wine pairing. Menus vary by week but have featured slow-braised porchetta and boeuf bourguignon.
Kevin Willmann’s acclaimed restaurant in the Lindenwood Park neighborhood offers à la carte meals and bottles of wine and beer for curbside pickup 4–7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Dishes change weekly, but a favorite is braised short rib with gremolata. Don’t forget to add a starter and dessert. Prices run $5–$13 for starters, $14–$20 for mains, and $10 or less for desserts.
The Sundays Are for Family meals include soup or salad, an entrée, a side, and dessert for $35 per person. Guests can also order from a menu of popular pizzas and small plates. Meals are available for pickup 5–8 p.m. on Sundays.
Half Pan Family Meals for three or four people are available for curbside pickup; price varies by dish but generally ranges from $35–$40. We recommend the Half Pan Family Shepherd’s Pie with house grand leg of lamb and whipped potatoes. Add a family-size Italian salad for $20 or a garlic baguette for $7.99.
The acclaimed Benton Park restaurant offers curbside pickup for à la carte items, including the don't-miss beef cheek, with celery root, braised carrots, and pan jus; or the signature lobster turnover with tomato brandy cream sauce.
A weekly menu on Wednesdays—dubbed What Would Mathis Cook? for chef Mathis Stitt—runs $38 and features such dishes as fried short rib tacos and shrimp and grits.
At press time, Vicia was offering an occasional "seasonal feast," with choice of either a vegetarian or meat-based option. Other experiences have included Date Night Delivered, a lavish $250 experience for two including the popular wood-fire cooked Farmer's Feast, which is at times offered a la catre or as part of a Saturday Farmer’s Feast spotlighting world cuisine.
Grupe Effort
Antony Hare
TEMPUS’ BEN GRUPE TURNS FINE DINING INTO CARRYOUT
The chef isn’t risk-averse. Grupe has spent much of his career in high-profile international culinary competitions, often taking home top honors. He’s a fierce challenger, often most in competition with himself to improve. Grupe knows that without risk, there’s no reward, but that didn’t make opening his restaurant, Tempus, in The Grove, any less challenging during a pandemic. “We’re having to reset as an industry,” he says. “What Tempus initially was has completely changed.” Grupe preserved the heart of Tempus—what he describes as “fine dining without pretension”—yet opened the restaurant as a carryout-only concept. After four months, the dining room still sits empty as Tempus offers online ordering and curbside pickup of such bestselling items as beef rib with semolina dumplings, mustard, braised cabbage, and beets. Grupe intentionally developed dishes that would travel well but still permit artful presentations. “Everything on the menu is engineered, from execution and technique to serviceability, for to-go,” he says, “but we want the presentation to be as close to what you would experience in a restaurant.”
Seeing Ghosts
NO STOREFRONT? NO PROBLEM, WITH THE RISE OF GHOST KITCHENS.
Julia Calleo
Adam and Jason Tilford’s Off the Wall Burgers
With indoor dining largely shuttered over the past year, restaurants have turned to the ghost kitchen model, in which another concept operates with no storefront from the same kitchen as an existing spot.
Already having run a ghost kitchen of sorts with Knockout BBQ, restaurateurs Dave and Kara Bailey were quick to pivot with ab entry from the kitchen of Baileys’ Range: Playing Ketchup, serving up hot dogs, brats, tots, and jugs of spiked lemonade.
Wings have proved popular among the creators of ghost kitchens. Last year, BEAST Butcher & Block chef/pitmaster David Sandusky launched Wing Runner, offering 10 flavors, ranging from classic Buffalo to such creative flavors as Fish Sauce Caramel and roasted shishito lime. All flavors can also be enjoyed as cauliflower wings. (Editor's note: Wing Runner is currently on pause mode.)
Sub Division Sandwich Co., a sandwich pop-up that originated in the kitchen of Polite Society, now has a permanent location inside the Food Hall at City Foundry STL. Motor Town Pizza, from Revel Kitchen, started serving Detroit-style pies, despite owner Simon Lusky’s never having tried this version before making it for himself. National restaurant groups as well as celebrities have also delved into the ghost kitchen game: Guy Fieri's Flavortown, Mr. Blast, Wing Squad, and Mariah's Cookies are all working out of the kitchen at Brio in Frontenac, for example, yet maintain their own websites and ordering platforms.
Stacking Up the Options
Turqay Melikli / iStock / Getty Images Plus
The sandwich market has proved unusually resilient in the midst of a pandemic. Local restaurateurs have launched some notable offerings, including Nomad, chef Tommy “Salami” Andrew’s shop in Dogtown that channels Mac’s Local Eats, the popular burger joint that once inhabited the space. Three more chef-inspired shops followed: Sub Division, from Thomas Futrell and the chef team at Polite Society; and Jimmy Trin’s The Banh Mi Shop, which presents outstanding renditions of the Vietnamese sandwich staple. Gerard Craft’s Sardella begat Pastaria Deli & Wine, and the results (to no one’s surprise) are stellar. But the most unusual entry is Izumi, a Japanese-inspired sandwich concept that owner Kurt Bellon delivers in a teeny-tiny 1995 Subaru Sambar.
Pizza Party
THE CLASSIC CARRYOUT ITEM HAS BEEN A POPULAR PICK DURING A TOUGH TIME.
Pizza’s popularity soared in 2020, partly because of the pandemic, spurring new pizza joints and other restaurants to pivot (or delve further) into a business that’s never been described as flat.
Julia Calleo
Elmwood’s When in Rome pizza
When this popular Maplewood restaurant switched almost completely to pizza, co-owner Chris Kelling personally delivered pies, including the When in Rome (with roasted potato, corn, bacon, red onion, and rosemary), that many claim are among the best in town. In January 2022, what started out as a pizza pop-up became a brick and mortar, in a new building in Maplewood it shares with Side Project Brewing. There's a drive through pick up window, an order window, and come spring, a patio that is slated for four-season use,
For almost 15 years, Katie Lee Collier has wowed St. Louisans with Neapolitan pies topped with everything from squash blossoms to creamy kale. When she launched frozen pizzas in 2020, it opened a whole new market for the restaurateur, who donated 500 pies to people in need during Thanksgiving week.
Olive + Oak’s offshoot restaurant, that operates in its original location, boasts superb handmade pastas and half a dozen 14-inch pizzas. The thin-crust pies, which might be called new St. Louis–style, use a special Italian cheese.
At this newish pizza joint on The Hill, popularists opt for the 12-inch pie topped with cupped and charred pepperoni and pickled jalapeño; Italian traditionalists order a cheese-less iteration topped with thin-sliced eggplant finished with garlic chili oil and parsley.
It surprised some St. Louisans when James Beard Award nominee Michael Gallina began offering Sicilian-style pizzas on weekends at Winslow’s Table, though the results didn’t. Gallina adorns focaccia-dough pies with various toppings, but in honesty, the chef’s light and flavorful focaccia is an indulgence all by itself.
Silver Linings
Antony Hare
MELANIE MEYER SERVES A LOVE SONG TO HER KOREAN ROOTS FROM AN UNLIKELY KITCHEN.
Back in spring 2019, when Melanie Meyer had just opened her début concept, Tiny Chef, inside South City pinball bar The Silver Ballroom, she was envisioning she would serve her outstanding Korean fare to customers as they sipped cocktails and played pinball. Then, in March, the pandemic flipped everything on its head, turning her buzz-garnering business into an almost exclusively takeout operation. What didn’t change is Meyer’s fierce commitment to serving some of the most soulful Korean food in town. Tiny Chef is Meyer’s love song to her Korean culture. Adopted from South Korea when she was an infant by a Missouri family, Meyer sees Tiny Chef as a way of connecting with her roots, a mission that results in such dishes as Korean-style street tacos, bibimbap bowls, handmade tteokbokki, and fiery Nuclear noodles. If you’re lucky enough to catch one of her Korean seafood boils, you’ll be treated to a feast of crab, shrimp, bok choy, potatoes, and Korean street corn. Under normal circumstances, Meyer says, she wouldn’t have been able to offer the seafood boils, because they’d take up too much room during service in her tiny kitchen. If there’s a silver lining, that may be it.
Keep On Truckin’
St. Louis food trucks have somehow found a way to keep moving forward during the pandemic. One significant boon fueling their continued success: 9 Mile Garden, the state’s first food truck garden, located in Affton. Managing partner Brian Hardesty, co-owner of Guerrilla Street Food (and its food truck), has not only kept an initial roster of 30 trucks busy at lunch and dinner, but he’s also kept the site’s event calendar full. Concurrently, the pandemic has prompted some neighborhoods to hire food trucks to visit for an evening, further increasing exposure. Not surprisingly, several new trucks, trailers, and carts appeared on the roads during the pandemic. Among the noteworthy trucks to roll down the pike: Clara B’s Kitchen Table (breakfast and brunch sandwiches), Cluck Oink Moo (sliders), Crooked Boot (with Louisiana Creole cuisine), Crescendo (street food), Curry Club Express (Indian fusion), Havana’s Cuisine (Cuban), Izumi (Japanese konbini-style sandwiches), Red Dirt Revival (Southern fare), Sando Shack (katsu sandwiches), and Tuk Tuk Thai (Thai). Chef Chris “Mac” McKenzie also recently rolled out a new food trailer, serving up his renowned super-smashed burgers. The trailer’s clever name: The Patty Wagon. 9 Mile Garden is scheduling trucks for this year—and planning additional locations.
