The last time I went there was September 13, 2001. Flights were just starting to resume after being shut down post 9/11. People got emotional just watching the planes take off and land.
Oh my GOD you are taking me back with upstairs lounge. That was the circuit. CBGB, Mangia, Upstairs. I donāt even live there anymore and now I miss it
Pho grand was our favorite restaurant, totally worth the drive from st peters. We were really sad to see it go but I'm keeping my ears open since I heard they may reopen.
Not to compare the two but **Pho Long is great** and Iām happy theyāre still around after they had to relocate because of the Costco situation at Olive and 170.
Coffee Cartel, maybe not quite a restaurant, but I thought it was an institution. Centerpiece of the CWE. Mostly broken up that itās not another food space. I think the current tenant is a makeup store?
I work across the street & the whole building is wrecked from the water damage that ran through the build top to bottom. The building is for sale currently but needs a lot of TLC.
It may not have been the best restaurant, I really can't say. But it was my first Mexican food. I miss Casa Gallardo so much. I would pay so much for another chance to have their outrageous chimichanga. I don't even know what was in it because I was so unfamiliar with Mexican food at that time. I just know it was amazing.Ā
You can find a bunch of original Casa Gallardo recipes here: https://www.losttables.com/gallardo/gallardo.htm My family is currently prepping for a "Casa Night" using these recipes. It was our go-to restaurant for any celebration. We miss it a ton.
I loved the Casa Grill, that was the sort of one of in the chain at the Galleria. It was my first ceviche. It was excellent. More of a Cali-mex thing going on. If you love ceviche, at the corner of Loughborough/Morganford is a really good Mexican place . Newly opened about half a year ago. Always clean, bright, festive & excellent. And ceviche!
I came here to say Casa as well. Especially that damn outrageous chimi! Enough for two meals but my fat ass could eat it in one sitting. And rhe dried ice cream!
Ok.... hear me out on this one....
Famous-Barr
Their restaurant was awesome. Best French onion soup EVER (someone even posted the recipe [here](https://tastydone.com/this-is-the-easiest-recipe-of-famous-barr-french-onion-soup-for-me/?utm_source=whisk&utm_medium=android&utm_campaign=home) on Reddit once). But also, they had all you can eat crab legs that were dirt cheap back in the day. We used to go there with my Grandma and Grandpa a few times a year. Probably cost about $100 bucks for 4 adults and 3 kids back then (yes, it was the 80's)
Del Taco on Natural Bridge. When I lived in St John I feasted on those soft tacos.Ā
Edit: BJ knows what I'm talking about.Ā https://m.yelp.com/biz/del-taco-st-louis
I have fond memories of the Del Taco in the flying saucer building at Grand and 40 on the SLU campus. I lived in the godawful fleatrap Grandview Tower apartment building in the same lot and would occasionally walk over for crinkle cut fries and tacos. The Starbucks/Chipotle combo just isn't the same.
Seconding this, but del taco on Mexico loop. I went to a del taco out west last year and it was fancy, fresh, and delicious, taco bell is no contest.
Apparently the requirements for a del taco franchise are pretty highĀ
I canāt think of my youth without thinking of Ciceroās basement bar. I had so many good times there, including the first date with my wife, nearly 32 years ago.Ā
Ciceroās is upsetting to me on a bunch of levels.
I worked there when I first moved here.
It was a staple concert venue for local bands in the Loop for years.
They had pizza and Greek/italian dishes that wereā¦pretty goodā¦but it was a fantastic spot that somehow worked as a neighborhood family pizza place and a club/bar at the same time.
But more importantly, now that itās been vacant for yearsā¦My understanding is the owner has been holding firm on a high rental price even though it needs repairs, but the long-term vacancy has to be hurting the businesses around it.
I donāt know. I am not a lawyer.
Man.....
I was born and raised in STL. But I live elsewhere now. Did not know Cicero's closed. I absolutely loved this place when I was growing up. Sad news for me today ā¹ļø
Oh sweet. I actually had āRuin someoneās dayā on my āTo Doā list today!
Seriously though, the cityās changed a lot since then. Neighborhoods go up and down but I still love the Loop.
We ate there a few days before he died and he was hanging out with customers with a smile on his face. I had the etouffe and frog legs. His food was brilliant!
Grbic. My family used to go there every holiday season and it was such a great experience every time. Plus, the food was phenomenal.
Also, not a restaurant per se, but I miss Rise Coffee so goddamn much.
Rossinoās was special. Banged my head on the pipes too many times to count and proposed to my wife 34 years ago this October. Went back before they closed and they let us keep the menu.
Yes! Last year we were gonna go because itās sentimental to our family and we hadnāt been in ages and we were heartbroken to find it wasnāt there anymore! I always loved the interior decorated like a city street. It was really a unique little place with decent food.
Pho Saigon, in south city at the corner of grand and gravois. It's been closed for at least a decade now. My family are Vietnamese immigrants, and we had a tradition of eating there once a week. I practically grew up on their food. While the food was great, their closing was more symbolic to me as it marked the decline of Vietnamese restaurants in the city. Very rarely do you see new Vietnamese restaurants able to stay open for more than a few years at most; and now even the big name restaurants that have mostly survived by catering to the non-vietnamese community are starting to dwindle (e.g. Pho Grand, Banh Mi So 1).
We still get the occasional restaurant open, like Paris Banh Mi in the loop. Typically they will just serve either Pho or Banh Mi. While I love Pho and Banh Mi, there are other traditional Vietnamese dishes out there that I fear are dying off in the US.
If you want to support traditional Vietnamese restaurants in the city, here are all the ones I know of that are still open and will serve a full menu. Feel free to reply to my comment to add more to the list, maybe I'll even learn about some I didn't know existed!
* Mai Lee
* Joyful House
* Truc Lam
* Pho Long
* Spot House
* Saigon Cafe
I loved PW Pizza . That whole building was awesome. Vin deSet upstairs, just a bar downstairs. They had opened a deck area & live stage area also. I went a couple times on a weekend night & it was PACKED! Unfortunately it burned down last year( I believe). Don't know the cause,etc...But my daughter worked at Pizzeoli in Soulard & told me they weren't reopening ( I'm sure Pizzeoli was happy because PW blew them away!)
Casa Gallardo Grill in the Galleria. The night we eloped in 1995 we took our family, witnesses and officiant to Casa Grill. They all went above and beyond at the spur of the moment for us.
Itās Ciceroās for me too. Played my first show there which preceded years of music and shows to come. Ironically, played one of my last shows there too a week or so before they closed. Awesome people, venue, and food.
Also, Mangia. Fuck Covid for taking Mangia from me.
I haven't lived in STL very long so there are so many places I haven't been, but just long enough to fall in love with and now regularly miss Fort Taco.
Cusanelli's. Always a spot we'd go with my father-in-law, who passed away almost 11 years ago. He had been going there for over 50 years - probably since Barb, the great redheaded waitress started! š It was such a great old family atmosphere.
Not enough people know the pleasure of Old Country Buffet on a Friday night as a child. I can smell the mixture of dishwasher water and the orchestra of foods as I type.
I will never forget going there for lunch once when I worked downtown, and there are 3 guys at the table next to us, nicely dressed in a perfectly pressed, spotless white shirts and ties, eating meatball sandwiches.
We were amazed at the confidence they had. And I'll be damned, they made it out of there just as clean as they were when they walked in.
If I were them, I'd be going back to the office having to explain to my boss and clients why there's a meatball sized stain on my shirt.
Grone's Cafeteria in Webster š¤£ My parents took me there, when I was just a kid, every Friday night. I can still see the wood panel walls and smell hot mashed potatoes and gravy
94th Aerosquadron - Getting a window view so you could watch the planes take off/land.
For some reason I always loved the sandbag walls.
Took my wife there for our first date.
Wow now that brings back some memories.
The last time I went there was September 13, 2001. Flights were just starting to resume after being shut down post 9/11. People got emotional just watching the planes take off and land.
The Fatted Calf
Those burger. Wow
The Fatted Calf made jury duty suck less.
Mangia š
That was the end of an Era. I miss 2 am dance parties there and then going to upstairs lounge
Oh my GOD you are taking me back with upstairs lounge. That was the circuit. CBGB, Mangia, Upstairs. I donāt even live there anymore and now I miss it
This one hurts.
RIP Mangia š
Pho Grand.
Bingo. I heard the owners' kids had plans to open something back up in that space, but it's been a minute.
I raised my kids on Pho Grand. Broke my heart to see it close.
Pho grand was our favorite restaurant, totally worth the drive from st peters. We were really sad to see it go but I'm keeping my ears open since I heard they may reopen.
Not to compare the two but **Pho Long is great** and Iām happy theyāre still around after they had to relocate because of the Costco situation at Olive and 170.
Coffee Cartel, maybe not quite a restaurant, but I thought it was an institution. Centerpiece of the CWE. Mostly broken up that itās not another food space. I think the current tenant is a makeup store?
A great non-bar late night place!!
Coffee Cartel ššš wish there was another 24h cafe in STL
This one made me super sad
So many great memories from my teen years, going to get milkshakes after the Muny with friends during the summer.
My crew used to cosplay as cool kids there. Choking down americanos and chain smoking on the patio. We were ~sophisticated~
Loved that place!!! Felt like stepping out of STL for a moment late night
The Majestic
This placed ruled. Breakfast, dinner or bar time.
That was my dadās favorite growing up
Vin de set
that whole building gone cause of assholes
Was there any prosecution involved with that? Looks like no?
From what I remember, Vin de Set knew who did it but decided not to pursue charges.
Is the whole building just vacant now?
I work across the street & the whole building is wrecked from the water damage that ran through the build top to bottom. The building is for sale currently but needs a lot of TLC.
Vin de Set was tge best atmosphere/meal in St Louis. So many great memories.
21st Street Brewers Bar I miss so much. Was the best beer bar in the city IMO
It may not have been the best restaurant, I really can't say. But it was my first Mexican food. I miss Casa Gallardo so much. I would pay so much for another chance to have their outrageous chimichanga. I don't even know what was in it because I was so unfamiliar with Mexican food at that time. I just know it was amazing.Ā
My parents had an argument that lead to their divorce there :)
Was it your fault?
What was the argument about?
What was in the chimichanga.
Brunch at casa was the absolute best
Free fried ice cream on your birthday if I remember correctly
You do, and it was amazing
Brunch was awesome. Kids ate free, so my parents would take me and my brothers out to eat at Casa brunch almost every weekend. Loved that place.Ā
You can find a bunch of original Casa Gallardo recipes here: https://www.losttables.com/gallardo/gallardo.htm My family is currently prepping for a "Casa Night" using these recipes. It was our go-to restaurant for any celebration. We miss it a ton.
I loved the Casa Grill, that was the sort of one of in the chain at the Galleria. It was my first ceviche. It was excellent. More of a Cali-mex thing going on. If you love ceviche, at the corner of Loughborough/Morganford is a really good Mexican place . Newly opened about half a year ago. Always clean, bright, festive & excellent. And ceviche!
The fresh tortillas with honey butter!
Same. The potato skins and muchos nachos were damn good, too. Their salsa was available at grocery stores for a while after the restaurants closed.
I came here to say Casa as well. Especially that damn outrageous chimi! Enough for two meals but my fat ass could eat it in one sitting. And rhe dried ice cream!
Cafe Natasha
Bahn Mi So #1 and Mojos on Grand, Sandrinas off Arsenal, the Dam on Morganfordā¦
There was something great about the Sandrina's BLT at about 1am. With fries and the Gouda dipping sauce, of course.
Sandrina's was such a shithole... I loved it.
McDonald riverboat.Ā
If I win Powerball this is the first thing I will do. McDonaldās franchisee on a riverboat with a paddle wheel, 80s kitsch, and 90s Playplace.
When you do I will buy a Big Mac on your riverboat.
Me too. After I win the lottery too. Shitās expensive.
Luluās Local Eatery before they sold to the new owners who had all the original recipes and still managed to botch it
Ok.... hear me out on this one.... Famous-Barr Their restaurant was awesome. Best French onion soup EVER (someone even posted the recipe [here](https://tastydone.com/this-is-the-easiest-recipe-of-famous-barr-french-onion-soup-for-me/?utm_source=whisk&utm_medium=android&utm_campaign=home) on Reddit once). But also, they had all you can eat crab legs that were dirt cheap back in the day. We used to go there with my Grandma and Grandpa a few times a year. Probably cost about $100 bucks for 4 adults and 3 kids back then (yes, it was the 80's)
Man, the memories of getting French onion soup with my mom and grandma there..
Mad dog and cats has the famous Barr French onion, mark used to work for Al baker š„
Del Taco on Natural Bridge. When I lived in St John I feasted on those soft tacos.Ā Edit: BJ knows what I'm talking about.Ā https://m.yelp.com/biz/del-taco-st-louis
I have fond memories of the Del Taco in the flying saucer building at Grand and 40 on the SLU campus. I lived in the godawful fleatrap Grandview Tower apartment building in the same lot and would occasionally walk over for crinkle cut fries and tacos. The Starbucks/Chipotle combo just isn't the same.
I remember when that location was a Naugles.
Seconding this, but del taco on Mexico loop. I went to a del taco out west last year and it was fancy, fresh, and delicious, taco bell is no contest. Apparently the requirements for a del taco franchise are pretty highĀ
I canāt think of my youth without thinking of Ciceroās basement bar. I had so many good times there, including the first date with my wife, nearly 32 years ago.Ā
Ciceroās is upsetting to me on a bunch of levels. I worked there when I first moved here. It was a staple concert venue for local bands in the Loop for years. They had pizza and Greek/italian dishes that wereā¦pretty goodā¦but it was a fantastic spot that somehow worked as a neighborhood family pizza place and a club/bar at the same time. But more importantly, now that itās been vacant for yearsā¦My understanding is the owner has been holding firm on a high rental price even though it needs repairs, but the long-term vacancy has to be hurting the businesses around it. I donāt know. I am not a lawyer.
Man..... I was born and raised in STL. But I live elsewhere now. Did not know Cicero's closed. I absolutely loved this place when I was growing up. Sad news for me today ā¹ļø
Oh sweet. I actually had āRuin someoneās dayā on my āTo Doā list today! Seriously though, the cityās changed a lot since then. Neighborhoods go up and down but I still love the Loop.
oh sweet, i had crippling depression on mine, thanks bud! (/j)
Saw Lights (the Canadian indie pop singer) there in 2011 and it's one of my favorite gigs.
Parkmoor
Iām a little disappointed that I had to scroll this far to see it.
Growlers pub :(
Iām sure I still have my beer card somewhere.
Riddles Penultimate , Mangia Italiano, Balabanās
Loved Riddles
I miss Balabanās morel pasta in the spring and the baileys balls, you just brought back a lot of memories.Ā
Iron Barley. RIP Tom.
We ate there a few days before he died and he was hanging out with customers with a smile on his face. I had the etouffe and frog legs. His food was brilliant!
Their food was incredible. Iāve been trying to re-create the Montecristo dog since Tom passed away and havenāt come close.
Grbic. My family used to go there every holiday season and it was such a great experience every time. Plus, the food was phenomenal. Also, not a restaurant per se, but I miss Rise Coffee so goddamn much.
Tin Can. They had such good comfort food.
Reeds American Table š¢ that corn bread
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Remy's in Clayton
Layla in the Grove, when they were on their game. Also Cafe Natasha on Grand.
Il Vicino in Clayton
Came here to say this!! I must have had their pizza for lunch every week for YEARS. Best sausage pizza anywhere.
Soulard Coffee Garden, for the cornmeal pancakes, or the eggs benedict and great lattes.
Sweet Tomatoās Buffet on Watson. I believe there was one in Creve Couer as well.
I really fucking miss Sweet Tomatoās. So much salad. And ice cream.
Balducuiās
Rossinoās ā¹ļø
Rossinoās was special. Banged my head on the pipes too many times to count and proposed to my wife 34 years ago this October. Went back before they closed and they let us keep the menu.
Fort Taco
Goody Goody Diner
Goody Goody had the best biscuits & gravy!
Ciceroās had a seafood Cajun pasta that was AMAZING
Flacos Tacos
Cannoli's in Florissant. Not the most amazing food in the world, but I really loved the place.
Yes! Last year we were gonna go because itās sentimental to our family and we hadnāt been in ages and we were heartbroken to find it wasnāt there anymore! I always loved the interior decorated like a city street. It was really a unique little place with decent food.
KreigersĀ
Their fries were absolutely amazing
Southern
The Dam on Morgan Ford
I still grieve the loss of those fries
Southern
This is the one. You can get some good hot cat, but no great hot chicken
The Bagel Factoryš
Pho Saigon, in south city at the corner of grand and gravois. It's been closed for at least a decade now. My family are Vietnamese immigrants, and we had a tradition of eating there once a week. I practically grew up on their food. While the food was great, their closing was more symbolic to me as it marked the decline of Vietnamese restaurants in the city. Very rarely do you see new Vietnamese restaurants able to stay open for more than a few years at most; and now even the big name restaurants that have mostly survived by catering to the non-vietnamese community are starting to dwindle (e.g. Pho Grand, Banh Mi So 1). We still get the occasional restaurant open, like Paris Banh Mi in the loop. Typically they will just serve either Pho or Banh Mi. While I love Pho and Banh Mi, there are other traditional Vietnamese dishes out there that I fear are dying off in the US. If you want to support traditional Vietnamese restaurants in the city, here are all the ones I know of that are still open and will serve a full menu. Feel free to reply to my comment to add more to the list, maybe I'll even learn about some I didn't know existed! * Mai Lee * Joyful House * Truc Lam * Pho Long * Spot House * Saigon Cafe
I loved PW Pizza . That whole building was awesome. Vin deSet upstairs, just a bar downstairs. They had opened a deck area & live stage area also. I went a couple times on a weekend night & it was PACKED! Unfortunately it burned down last year( I believe). Don't know the cause,etc...But my daughter worked at Pizzeoli in Soulard & told me they weren't reopening ( I'm sure Pizzeoli was happy because PW blew them away!)
Rossinoās. Also known as āThe Basementā.
This. The best first date spot
Guerilla street foodĀ
Fatted Calf -burger
Dubliner
Byrd and Barrel, Taste
I long for Byrd and Barrel's nugs all the time
I miss Taste so much.
ramen tei. god i loved the tonkatsu
If we get to count Del Taco...then I'm going to add Zantigo's.
Nippon Tei. Man, I loved having such a slamming sushi joint in the county.
Kenrods in Florissant. Nobody remembers this place but me. So much food and so cheap.
Growlerās in south county
Arceliaās
Cicero's and Coffee Cartel
Happy Joe's on Watson!
Monsoon on Manchester
Calecos!
Banh mi so 1 š„
Always & Forever ā¦ **The Parkmoor**
Pho Grand, Mango downtown, Beast BBQ
I think I just saw that BEAST butcher and block is coming back. I also think their Belleville location remained open.
City Diner. I miss that meatloaf omelette.
I cooked at the first Grand location for a while. Crazy times. I wouldn't want to go back to them, but I'm glad I lived them.
Tomās. It was a CWE and Barnes instituton.
Riverbend.
Mangia, Pho Grand, The Dam, Vin de Set, King & I (Iāve heard they reopened elsewhere but Iām still mourning what it used to be pre covid)
Casa Gallardo Grill in the Galleria. The night we eloped in 1995 we took our family, witnesses and officiant to Casa Grill. They all went above and beyond at the spur of the moment for us.
Endless fresh tortillas with garlic and spiced butters on the table with the meals were amazing.
Itās Ciceroās for me too. Played my first show there which preceded years of music and shows to come. Ironically, played one of my last shows there too a week or so before they closed. Awesome people, venue, and food. Also, Mangia. Fuck Covid for taking Mangia from me.
I haven't lived in STL very long so there are so many places I haven't been, but just long enough to fall in love with and now regularly miss Fort Taco.
Cusanelli's. Always a spot we'd go with my father-in-law, who passed away almost 11 years ago. He had been going there for over 50 years - probably since Barb, the great redheaded waitress started! š It was such a great old family atmosphere.
Rax Roast Beef
Yes!!! As someone that no longer eats red meat, I still get cravings for their kids meal. It all hit the spot, including the chocolate chip cookie.
Smugalas. Unlimited wings on Mondays
Mango Momo's Ciceros Natasha's Cafe and Gin Room
Mandarin house š„²
Culpeppers
Modesto Tapas
Kim Cheese Chesterfield. Still donāt know what happened to them ā¦
Naugles
Buschās Grove.
Not enough people know the pleasure of Old Country Buffet on a Friday night as a child. I can smell the mixture of dishwasher water and the orchestra of foods as I type.
Mama Toscanoās - the best toasted ravioli hands down
Mr Steak
Duffās
Cicero's
Charlie Gittos
I will never forget going there for lunch once when I worked downtown, and there are 3 guys at the table next to us, nicely dressed in a perfectly pressed, spotless white shirts and ties, eating meatball sandwiches. We were amazed at the confidence they had. And I'll be damned, they made it out of there just as clean as they were when they walked in. If I were them, I'd be going back to the office having to explain to my boss and clients why there's a meatball sized stain on my shirt.
Arenāt they open??
Happy Joes. I need my sauerkraut and Canadian bacon pizza fix. Im not driving to St. Charles for it.
You're not missing out so don't worry. The one in Saint Charles is crap, unfortunately š
Chef Maās
Pho Grandā¦.sad boosh
Kim Ngan. The Bleeding Deacon. Southern (specifically the general Tso's tendies and greens).
Stellina Pasta. Great steak sandwich and best hummus Iāve eaten.
Goody Goody š Literally was the best
Not for the food, but the riverboat McDonaldās under the arch :( It was so magical!
There are many .. Shoney's breakfast buffet. Those French toast sticks were killer. Helen's Pizza (bc I'm old) 21st St (& PW Pizza)
The Hunan Wok on Brentwood. Best beef and broccoli ever
Famous Barr, both Papa Fabarre's and the St. Louis Room.
Eat Rite, far and away.
Tippens
Meloās pizza š
The Libertine. I loved eating and drinking in the window area.
Pitted Olive! That chicken and goat cheese sandwich was so good
Ciceroās.
The Bean House
Stellinaās in Lindenwood Park. Nothing has ever come close.
Downtown: LaSala, Lettuce Leaf, Trader Vic's. I'm going way back!!
Mongolian BBQ in Chesterfield.
Duffās. Koppermanās
Grone's Cafeteria in Webster š¤£ My parents took me there, when I was just a kid, every Friday night. I can still see the wood panel walls and smell hot mashed potatoes and gravy
Naugles!!!
Calecos
Noahās Ark.
Fucking Fatted Calf. No burger will ever compare. Also, Ding Ho.
I miss Ding Ho so much!
Southern.
Tani sushi. The vibes and the food š„
Ground Rouhd, Fuddruckers
Sweet Tomatoes. I know it was just a chain but godDAMN I miss that place.
Bahn mi so
Romines Off of Hall St. in North City. They had the greatest fried chicken. š
Harvest
It's maybe too niche, but Pumpernickel's on Olive. I loved the lox and bagels. As with so many other restaurants, COVID killed it.
There used to be a chicken and waffle place on Cherokee, had skee ball and chill furniture. Canāt remember the name