You walk in, they tell you to order at the counter, hand you a number, and for a split second you…read morethink "oh, this is gonna be a glorified Chipotle situation." Reader. It is not. It is a Trojan horse for one of the best burgers in St. Louis (my wife says I'm being dramatic for calling it THE best; I say I am not NOT going back for another). We enjoyed everything we order: the pork belly burnt ends and cashew chicken wings, and a coffee & cardamom old fashioned that sounds like a personality disorder but tastes like a vibe, smoky, a touch sweet, and very drinkable year-round. The Sam Elliott burger, BBQ sauce, bacon, crunchy onions, brioche, is named for a man who has never disappointed anyone, and neither does the sandwich. And the meatloaf is NOT your grandma's brick: tender, charred at the edges, laid over silky mashed potatoes with broccolini, perhaps closer to a chop steak than a loaf in the best possible way. Vibe is farm-chic: old church pews, repurposed interior doors, a proper bar up front, plus a patio and rooftop for when the weather cooperates. Fun fact -- it's named after the blue duck Billy Madison paints in elementary school, which is a fantastic piece of trivia and tells you absolutely nothing accurate about the actual restaurant. 4.7 Stars. Picking Nits: the counter-order setup is efficient, but it sets expectations in the wrong direction for the first 90 seconds, you brace for fast-casual and instead get something considerably more ambitious. Food comes out fast once you've ordered, which is great if you're hungry and slightly jarring if you wanted a slow, lingering dinner. And the Billy Madison naming is charming trivia but entirely misleading as a vibe preview, no complaints about the actual restaurant, just the branding expectations it sets. If The Blue Duck were a character: Ron Swanson. Hear me out. If Ron ate here, he'd be suspicious of the entire experience until his first bite of protein -- the counter ordering, the repurposed doors, a burger named after a fellow mustachioed American, all of it registering as potentially too clever. Then the Sam Elliott hits his plate, he takes one bite, and the skepticism dissolves into the quiet respect of a man who has found his people. Looks rustic. Has strong feelings about meat. Secretly sophisticated -- plays saxophone in a jazz club under a fake name, builds his own furniture, would 100% approve of the farm-chic decor once the protein has spoken. Presents as simple. Isn't.

Excellent cocktails - both interesting and reasonable priced (IMO). Food was also tasty…read more Wandered in here for lunch after moving a friend on a Saturday, seating at the bar readily available. Parking lot in rear.