JENNIFER SILVERBERG
We'll miss the Cuban sandwich at J. Greene's Pub.
We're basically at the midpoint of (observed) summer, so it's fitting that this past month saw barbecue restaurant openings dominate the conversation. Navin's BBQ set up shop in the former Guerrilla Street Food on Arsenal Street, filling the South Grand neighborhood with the sweet smoke smell of Kansas City and Texas style 'cue. Not far west of that, Aaron Machado opened Smoke N Bones on the border of St. Louis Hills and Princeton Heights where he works with his father and longtime pit master, Enrique Machado. And Super Smokers opened the doors to a new location in Affton, adding a brick and mortar to the food truck that it parks right across the way at 9 Mile Garden.
Otherwise, it was a relatively quiet month. Chick'n Cone, a chicken and waffles themed restaurant chain, opened its first St. Louis location in the Central West End. Mezcaleria Las Chupacabras brightened up the old P.F. Chang's in the Boulevard shopping center in Richmond Heights. And Junior, a beverage truck from the brilliant minds behind adult-slushy brand Narwhal's Crafted, hit the streets mid-June. The Drawing Board is another notable opening, bringing more of a food-focused scene to the old Ryder's Tavern in Tower Grove South.
However, we also said goodbye to two restaurants this month. J. Greene's pub, the delightful Warson Woods spot that somehow made a mid-county strip mall seem homey, closed its doors after an eight-year run. The big story, though, is the closure of Quincy Street Bistro, which reopened to much fanfare under different ownership this past November. Though owner Todd Tiefenauer's announcement remains hopeful that the restaurant may reopen someday, it remains to be seen whether or not QSB 2.0 will fire up its grills again.
Did we miss anything? Leave a message in the comments.
Closings
J Greene's Pub, Warson Woods
Quincy Street Bistro, Princeton Heights
Openings
Chick'n Cone, Central West End
The Drawing Board, Tower Grove East
Junior (from Narwhal's Crafted), Beverage Truck
Mezcaleria las Chupacabras, Richmond Heights
Navin's BBQ, South Grand
Smoke N Bones BBQ, St. Louis Hills
Super Smokers (Additional location), Affton
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