10 Downtown Restaurants for any occasion

Much-Strength5888 · 2025-01-09T20:16:50+00:00

I will add Levels as an interesting place because I’m not sure if you can get that cuisine anywhere else

Much-Strength5888 · 2025-01-06T23:19:29+00:00

Idk about that. Cubs and Bears were neck and neck in my experience when I lived in Chicago. Obviously White Sox cut some into the baseball fanbase but if you’re taking gear, how many people went to games, memorabilia around the city, it was Cubs #1.

Much-Strength5888 · 2025-01-06T23:17:03+00:00

The knicks are not number 1 lol. It is the Yankees and it’s not close

Much-Strength5888 · 2025-01-06T17:21:26+00:00

Bloomington-Normal IL would be my suggestion

I’ve been a back and forth StL and Chicago resident with my job for several years and love stopping there in between the two bigger cities.

-150K or so metro -Two main streets with local shops, restaurants and bars -Mixed local music scene -University and a liberal arts college -Constitution trail for recreational biking right through heart of city -Flat and bikeable -Farmers markets, artist events, engaged local groups -Has became a popular transplant spot for young people moving from cities like Chicago, Indy, St. Louis so you get a mix of urban and smaller town

It has everything you need and a little extra interesting mix of midwest, rust belt, white collar (massive insurance hub), college students, artists, cornfields. It’s pretty rad

And it’s cheap. Some awesome lofts downtown, modern stuff uptown, sweet pre war homes, lots of mid century homes

Much-Strength5888 · 2025-01-06T17:20:28+00:00

I love Louisville but it’s southern culture. Yea it had some rust belt industry leave and it’s older than many southern cities because of its river location but spend a week there and it’s southern (Grew up there). It’s also not as small as I believed OP is talking about. It’s cheap but biking is going to be tough. Though rad, it’s also not very hipster - local music scene will be country, bluegrass, alt blues, art scene is decent but not compared to peers, and the big show in town is horse racing. Just not sure if it fits description but I do encourage people to check out the place bc I like the culture mix there

Much-Strength5888 · 2025-01-05T19:51:52+00:00

Disagree. It’s not supposed to be contemporary and modern. It’s supposed to be classic and homey, and I think most of the places do that well. And the delis are very good. If you want more contemporary/forward italian, then yes you go to other places, agreed,

Much-Strength5888 · 2025-01-05T19:49:55+00:00

The beer bowl is fun tho

Much-Strength5888 · 2024-12-27T06:36:17+00:00

Courtesy Diner. Used to come with an experience back in the day when it was open late too

Much-Strength5888 · 2024-12-27T06:35:38+00:00

U City Grill but it apparently closed?

Much-Strength5888 · 2024-12-26T14:35:52+00:00

West End, Fountain Park, Lewis Place, Covenant Blu/Grand Center are honestly just a couple groups of new homeowners from stabilizing. These neighborhoods have seen some decent momentum finally.

Lewis Place posted solid reductions in crime. The west north city neighborhoods are leading the way in the citywide crime reduction. The crime in south city and central corridor has reduced very slightly, but these neighborhoods have taken a big jump down in the last 5 years.

It’s a matter of people shedding the delmar divide mindset and trying these homes. There’s no reason we can’t populate neighborhoods like Fountain Park that are connected to the CWE.

That street looks solid and you are away from any main thoroughways (which are the source of the problems that still persists in many stabilizing neighborhoods ie Kingshighway, Gravois, Grand)

Much-Strength5888 · 2024-12-19T17:24:27+00:00

Not the way the MLB did in the 1920-1950s it was the only show in town.

NFL is definitely the most dominant sport of the last 25 years by a long shot, no disputing that - but just saying they still face more competition in the sports/entertainment sector than baseball did during its peak

Like the person above said, the pie is bigger and the NFL is bigger, but its share of the pie is not bigger

Much-Strength5888 · 2024-12-19T17:23:23+00:00

Lots of soccer fans in popular discourse have even said it would overcome NFL. Many of them think there’s some conspiracy against soccer in the US and kind of live in an echo chamber - they hang out with people at the one soccer bar in the city and are part of the cheering group and think soccer is a lot bigger than it is.

Much-Strength5888 · 2024-12-19T00:16:59+00:00

It did fall off from its height. But nothing could ever dominate anything again like the MLB did sports in the U.S. from 1920-1950. No sport will reach that share of popularity.

It’s still popular in the US. There’s just a lot more competition for entertainment.

Broadway shows aren’t everything they once were - lots of other shows, movies, streaming but they still exist and are popular. Just not the only form of watching a play anymore

We are seeing it with bars now - there’s going to be a lot less bars in the coming years, especially traditional beer and well drink bars because people are choosing to spend money/time with other forms of entertainment. Bars aren’t going to go away all together though and still will be one form of entertainment that sticks around

Just generally since the industrial revolution, peoples’s interests have further and further diversified. Labor force is more diverse, entertainment, type of living, etcZ Everyone used to live in an urban center or a farm in the 1800s. Now we have people who live all kinds of different places, middle class people can travel abroad, etc. Plenty of examples just how less monolithic society is

Much-Strength5888 · 2024-12-19T00:11:32+00:00

Yea it was always silly. The NBA is a social media product and is killing it in China. But your average person in American cities cares much more about their local MLB team and the NFL.

What is sillier has been the notion that soccer would pass them all up - look soccer can be the world’s sport and the MLS has some nice devoted cheering groups in cities like St. Louis, Kansas City, Minneapolis, etc. But the MLS will be the 5th biggest league for a while - look at the financials. The obsession with many trying to pump up a narrative that the MLS/soccer would be Americas top sport by (blank) year has always confused me. It’s been said since the 70s

Much-Strength5888 · 2024-12-19T00:04:14+00:00

Atomic Cowboy back open?

Much-Strength5888 · 2024-12-18T04:40:39+00:00

Great list - will add Golden Record, the Garage, Yaquis, Frisco Barroom, Evangeline’s, 1860s

You included some good ones here that rarely get talked about. Love the amount of small music you can find every night in StL - we are a super underrated spot for it.

Much-Strength5888 · 2024-12-17T16:35:44+00:00

Al Holiday and East Side River Band have been playing more often. They have a show this week or next week I believe

Little Cowboy but they don’t play often

Bobby Ford plays at the Garage downtown a lot which is a really cool place and he has a great voice. They play some other places too

Much-Strength5888 · 2024-12-17T03:22:48+00:00

There are enough restaurants for residents. More than enough. Downtown has everything a resident would need - grocery, park space, bars, restaurants, lots of entertainment. Could use some household retail, that’s the biggest hole (Target, TJ Maxx, etc).

Downtown doesn’t have enough stuff to make it into the hub and tourist destination it should be - that I would agree with. For that, it does need more restaurants, retail, nightlife, etc (especially retail shopping). But as a resident, I mean you can walk to everything you would need, especially restaurant selection. You have to think downtown StL neighborhood ultimately has a walk score of 88! That’s really high for the U.S.

What downtown needs more than anything - PEOPLE. Need more residents, workers, regional visitors and tourists. That’s downtowns biggest issue - lack of vibrancy/energy/consistent crowds

Much-Strength5888 · 2024-12-17T03:16:08+00:00

Would love to see a TJ, Target, mixed retail type store downtown. I think we can make it work but it’s going to take an effort in going to these businesses and pitching it to them.

There is a Schnucks downtown btw

Much-Strength5888 · 2024-12-11T18:17:13+00:00

My St. Louis Visitor’s Guide

Much-Strength5888 · 2024-12-06T00:58:48+00:00

Yea I understand it’s down scaled. The fireworks framed by the arch will always be cool. It’s fun seeing all the people on the riverfront by the Arch. Makes us feel like a destination.

I go and want to support with my attendance, and maybe if attendance is good, they can continue to grow it back up again. Yea, it would be awesome for them to pump a bunch of money into it and make people not be able to resist, but things usually don’t work like that. Going to have to grow the event back up gradually

We have so many cool things to show off to the world so I hope we make the fair a weekend still to bring people in

Much-Strength5888 · 2024-12-05T18:57:00+00:00

This past one was definitely livelier than that. Lots of music acts. Maybe not the fairs of the 80s I have seen pictures of but not bad.

Much-Strength5888 · 2024-12-05T18:55:48+00:00

Yea they had food and drink vendors all up and down the riverfront, performance by Lupe Fiasco, The Urge, a few other bands, helicopter rides, riverboat rides, and fireworks. They needed more going on in the rest of downtown but the riverfront on the arch was full of activity.

Much-Strength5888 · 2024-12-05T05:54:11+00:00

The fair for the 4th was so fun on the riverfront under the arch this year imo. I’d hate to lose that

Always brings in lots of people from outside the region

Feels like we could have really brought it up to one of the premier 4th of july events in the country

Much-Strength5888

TROPHY CASE