St. Louis Restaurant Openings and Closings: January 2019

For the St. Louis restaurant scene, January really is the cruelest month. Frigid temperatures and snow predictions keep us huddling indoors while even popular restaurants sit empty. The impact on a business that has tight profit margins even during good weather can be deadly.

And so this month was packed with closings — some of them anticipated (Kemoll's is closing its downtown home with plans to reopen in Maryland Heights) and some of them not (Beale on Broadway's abrupt closure shocked the city). Others will lead to new life. Chinese Noodle Cafe, for example, closed after seventeen years because owner Peggy Hou is retiring; a new concept has already signed on to reopen in the space.

Indeed, for every closure that made us sad was a brave restaurateur who dared to hang out their shingle in the dead of winter, some of them downright exciting.

In addition to new outposts of restaurants we love (Fitz's, Kitchen House Coffee, Kingside Diner), Sultan Mediterranean Cuisine is now serving up the food of Kurdistan in the Grove. 808 Maison has restored French cooking to the city's French neighborhood. And Elmwood is a hot spot in every sense of the word, with a custom coal-fired oven and a cool new space. Use this list as a cheat sheet to check out some newcomers — and spend a little dough on the businesses we depend on to bring vitality to the metro area.

Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments.

See also: Breakaway Cafe Will Reopen February 4

See also: 808 Maison Brings French Cooking Back to Soulard

Closings
Beale on Broadway 701 South Broadway, Downtown
Breakaway Cafe 8418 Natural Bridge Road, Bel-Nor
Chinese Noodle Cafe 6138 Delmar Boulevard, Delmar Loop
Copia 1122 Washington Avenue, Downtown
Cork n Slice 4501 Maryland Avenue, Central West End
Earthbound Satellite 1921 S. 9th Street, Soulard
Kemoll's 211 N. Broadway, Downtown
Mandarin Lounge 44 Maryland Plaza, Central West End
McArthur's Bakery 210 N. Kirkwood Road, Kirkwood
McArthur's Bakery 158 Long Road, Chesterfield
Shawarma King 571 Melville Avenue, Delmar Loop
West End Grill & Pub 354 N. Boyle, Central West End

See also: Firenza Pizza Promises Webster 'Pizza Like Never Before'

See also: Elmwood Is Now Serving Coal-Fired Food in Maplewood

Openings
808 Maison 808 Geyer, Soulard
Chicken Salad Chick 171215 Chesterfield Airport
Curry Club 1635 Clarkson Road, Chesterfield
Elmwood 2704 Sutton Boulevard, Maplewood
Firenza Pizza 20 Allen Avenue, Webster Groves
Fitz's South County 5244 S. Lindbergh, South County
Kingside Diner 8025 Bonhomme, Clayton
Kitchen House Coffee 7700 Ivory Avenue, Patch
Ruma's Deli 1500 Elm Street, St. Charles
Sultan Mediterranean Grill 4200 Manchester Avenue, the Grove
Union 30 705 Olive Street, Downtown

See also: Kitchen House Coffee Is Now Open in Patch

See also: Sultan Mediterranean Cuisine Opens in the Grove

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