Major League Baseball isn’t the only thing that’s back in business this month in St. Louis - restaurant and retail businesses are springing back as well.
The café society is in full spring swing in the Central West End. The Kingside Diner has reopened across from its original site on Maryland in its new location at 236 N. Euclid, the former Gamlin Whiskey House space.
The diner serves breakfast and lunch from 6 a.m.–2 p.m. from Sunday–Tuesday, and 6 a.m.–10 p.m. Wednesday–Saturday, and outdoor seating is available (and already very popular). The Clayton, Mo. location is open from 7 a.m.–1 p.m. with no evening hours. And if you’re a chess nut, you’ll love the décor.
The venerable Brennan’s St. Louis is close to launching its new location at 316 N. Euclid. The new iteration will include a cigar lounge, ping-pong parlor and an event space.
Gerald Craft’s Niche Food Group has plans to open Bowood by Niche in the Bowood Farms nursery’s Café Osage space (the café closed in November). Located at 4605 Olive, Bowood plans to serve lunch, dinner and weekend brunch - with a wood-burning oven and grill added to the outdoor seating space. The new business will continue the previous version’s locavore vibe.
Left Bank Books reopened at 399 N. Euclid for in-store shopping on Independent Bookstore Day: April 24. For now, there will be a limit of 15 customers at a time and hours will be Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.–8 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Masks and social distancing will still be required, and curbside pickup will be available for those who prefer it.
Downtown, the Cardinals’ opening day on April 8 meant the opening (or reopening) of quite a few downtown bars and restaurants, including:
Kilroy’s, owned by Brenda and Art Randall (only opens on Busch Stadium game days), 720 S. 7th Street
Paddy O’s, owned by Rob Colie, 618 S. 7th Street
Sports & Social St. Louis, 651 Clark Avenue, is a newcomer to Ballpark Village — a hybrid restaurant, sports bar and “social gaming” environment, with a Tex-Mex style of menu
UKRAFT Cafe & Catering opened by Citygarden, 701 Market Street
Reign opened last year at 1122 Washington Avenue
Restaurants that stayed open for part of 2020 and expect to see invigorated sales and activity as the ballpark opens and pandemic restrictions start to ease up include:
The Clark & Bourbon restaurant and The Bullock outdoor bar at the Live! By Loews Hotel, 799 Clark Avenue
The Angry Beaver, owned by Ben Morgan
And there’s more to come: a two-level Salt + Smoke is expected to open at 1 Cardinal Way in May.
Other recent restaurant openings and reopenings include:
9 Mile Garden, 9375 Gravois
Bennie’s Pizza Pub, 113 E. Main — new location
Seek Coffee Co., 1018 Maupin, New Haven, MO
C. Oliver Coffee + Flower Bar (second location), 1155 Saint Louis Galleria Pkwy. #2457
Bissinger’s, 1421 Saint Louis Galleria
Sauce on the Side, 1405 Beale, St. Charles
Uncle Julio’s, 1701 S. Lindbergh
Bootleggin’ Bob’s, 3457 Morganford
Head’s Store, 3616 St. Albans
Casa Don Alfonso (The Restaurant and the Grill), 100 Carondelet Plaza
Tony’s/Anthony’s Bar, 105 Carondelet Plz., March 22 (moved)
Terror Tacos (Baida Moroccan Restaurant), 3191 S. Grand
Wineology, 3767 New Town, St. Charles
Steak n’ Shake, 120 Arnold Center (self-ordering kiosks replace table service)
Mr. Meowski’s Sourdough, 107 N. Main (new location), St. Charles
St. Louis County eliminated its midnight curfew for restaurants, bars and casinos as of April 9, and now lets officiants at outdoor youth and adult sports events remove face coverings. Arcade games may begin again as long as games are cleaned between users and are situated separately from dining areas, and customers still wear masks and maintain social distancing.