Courtesy of Alamo Drafthouse and City Foundry STL
The interior view of an Alamo Drafthouse
City Foundry STL announced on Wednesday that Alamo Drafthouse, a dinner-and-a-movie experience based out of Austin, is scheduled to open at the Foundry in November. The 45,000-square-foot, 10-screen Alamo Drafthouse City Foundry will be located on the west side of the development, at 3730 Foundry Way.
“When we sought out tenants for City Foundry STL, we focused on both local and new-to-the-market experiences," said Will Smith, managing director at New + Found, in a release. "Alamo Drafthouse was one of the first tenants that we announced to be a part of our community, and we’re thrilled to introduce St. Louis to the new and unique movie-going experience this November. We’ve welcomed visitors to City Foundry STL to eat at the Food Hall at City Foundry STL, shop our local retailers, and attend our events in our first year. The addition of Alamo Drafthouse City Foundry enhances the experience for families, groups, and those seeking new entertainment options within the St. Louis area.”
Alamo Drafthouse combines a movie theater and restaurant by encouraging guests to order dinner from their theater seats during the pre-show. Servers collect the order cards, review the order with guests to make sure they don't need anything else before the movie starts, and food is served during the movie. Guests can order additional menu items by filling out a new order card and clipping it to the front of their table. From the theater's website: "Each Alamo Drafthouse location’s menu features burgers, pizzas, salads, snacks and desserts prepared fresh from locally sourced ingredients. Plus, our chefs regularly create special menus inspired by classic cinema and big upcoming blockbusters, like an all-Pakistani menu curated by Kumail Nanjiani for The Big Sick or a burger shop takeover for The Bob's Burgers Movie."
The theme for Alamo Drafthouse City Foundry is absurdist comedy, and the location will feature several design elements around that theme. The bar will be called "The Meaning of Bar” and will serve up specialty cocktails that align with the absurdist comedy theme as well as a selection of local beers, wine, and spirits.
The food will be similar to the menus at other Alamo Drafthouses, with burgers, pizzas, salads, snacks, and desserts, but the St. Louis location will also serve local favorites gooey butter cake and toasted ravioli.
For cinephiles, the new movie theater will include a 35mm projector, which can screen films in original celluloid. The location is also going to feature a Premium Large Format (we're talking 66 feet wide) curved screen called The Big Show.
“We’ve had our eye on St. Louis for quite some time, and when we announced we were coming to the area, St. Louisans were thrilled to hear the news,” said Jennifer Johnmeyer, communications director of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, in a news release. “We’ve taken special consideration to incorporate aspects of City Foundry STL into the design of the theater, including a large sculpture made with parts of the historic foundry that will sit inside our lobby. There is such a sense of community at City Foundry STL, and we cannot wait to be a part of it.”
City Foundry STL, which opened in August 2021, currently features a food hall with 17 restaurants and six stores. In addition to Alamo Drafthouse, it has plans to debut putt-putt experience Puttshack as well as the wine destination City Winery.
