PHOTO BY JENNIFER SILVERBERG
Herbie's bar was a hotspot for many years.
The beloved restaurant and bar at 405 N. Euclid Avenue announced this morning it would close in October, reopening that same month at 8100 Maryland Avenue in Clayton — currently the home of Cardwell's in Clayton, which will also be closing in October. Aaron Teitelbaum, the chef/owner of Herbie's, said he would be offering positions to all of Cardwell's staff in the new Clayton iteration of Herbie's (shall we call this one Herbie's Vintage 2016, perhaps?).
The news, first reported this morning by St. Louis Magazine, is sure to devastate Herbie's many fans in the Central West End. Teitelbaum had taken over the space previously occupied by Balaban's, the neighborhood mainstay that flourished for 35 years before closing in 2008. (It later reopened in Chesterfield.) Herbie's success suggested that, despite the loss of Balaban's, the neighborhood could, in fact, be a dining destination — and the many excellent restaurants that have followed are testament to its success.
The RFT's critic at the time of its opening, Ian Froeb, said it all in the headline of his February 2009 review — "Herbie's Vintage '72 makes the Central West End whole again."
Teitelbaum is looking forward the next chapter.
“In our world, change is important,” the chef said in a press release. “If you are not changing with the times, you are not growing. We are extremely excited for this next chapter.”
We've reached out to Teitelbaum; we'll update this post if we hear back. But we are certain of one thing: As hot as the Central West End is right now, 405 N. Euclid will almost certainly not be empty for long. Even Teitelbaum won't be bidding farewell to the neighborhood; he also operates the Kingside Diner, which opened last year at 4651 Maryland Avenue.
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