St. Louis Restaurant Openings & Closings: October 2018

It's been an action-packed month for St. Louis restaurateurs, and unfortunately a lot of the news wasn't good. No major dining district was immune to closures, with favorites everywhere from Clayton (Parigi) to the Central West End (Coffee Cartel) to Lafayette Square (Element) to Maplewood (Orbit Pinball Lounge) closing their doors. Some were mainstays — Upstairs Lounge was an EDM destination for 26 years. Others were much more recent additions, such as Squatter's Cafe, which closed after a one-year run to allow chef Rob Connoley to focus on the restaurant he really wants to run, the upcoming Bulrush. But all will be missed.

Still, the news was not all bad. As usual, there were a bevy of openings (which, yeah, may also explain why we see so many closings — demand is finite in St. Louis, so each new place puts pressure on the old ones). St. Louis County got its first poke spot, the delightful Poke Munch, while Gringo made its triumphant return downtown. The space that previously held Alumni St. Louis now holds two restaurants — fast-casual Vaya Con Dillas and Blues bar the Note Bar. And U. City continued to attract authentic and exciting Asian-influenced spots, with Sze Chuan Cuisine bringing just that to Olive even as Cube Tea Studio offers the area's second spot serving cheese tea. Mmmm!

See also: Upstairs Lounge Is Closing After 26 Years

See also: Quincy Street Bistro Will Close This Sunday

Closings
Coffee Cartel 2 Maryland Plaza, Central West End
Grove East Provisions 3101 Arsenal, Tower Grove East
Element Restaurant and Lounge 1419 Carroll Street, Lafayette Square
Orbit Pinball Lounge 7401 Hazelwood Avenue, Maplewood
Parigi 8025 Bonhomme, Clayton
Quincy Street Bistro 6931 Gravois Avenue, Princeton Heights
Squatter's Cafe 3305 Washington Boulevard, Grand Center
The Lost Whiskey 142 N. Main Street, St. Charles
Upstairs Lounge 3131 S. Grand Avenue, Tower Grove South

See also: St. Louis Art Supply Has a New In-House Cafe, Cornflower

See also: The Baked Bear Brings Design-Your-Own Ice Cream Sandwiches to the Loop

Openings
The Baked Bear 6140 Delmar Boulevard, Skinker-DeBalivere
Bella's Frozen Yogurt 1021 Washington Avenue, Downtown
Blaze Pizza 8039 Dale Avenue, Richmond Heights
Cornflower Coffee and Tea 4532 Olive Street, Central West End
Cube Tea Studio 8041 Olive Boulevard, University City
Dao Tien 822 Olive Street, Downtown
Gringo 635 Washington Avenue, Downtown
Johnny's West 12068 Dorsett Road, Maryland Heights
Indie Eatery 7827 Mexico Road, St. Peters
The Note Bar 200 N. 13th Street, Downtown West
Park Avenue Coffee 10301 Clayton Road, Frontenac
Poke Munch 630 N. New Ballas Road, Creve Coeur
Sze Chuan Cuisine 7930 Olive Boulevard, University City
Vaya con Dillas 200 N. 13th Street, Downtown West

See also: Cube Tea Studio Offers Boba and Salted Cheese Tea

See also: The Note Bar and Vaya Con Dillas Combine Fast-Casual with a Blues Bar