We have all been there. Evening getting later, new town...where to go for dinner? That was us in…read moreSt. Louis last weekend for our granddaughter's volleyball tournament. Google to the rescue and Oceano Bistro popped up. Close by, interesting menu... Cannot begin to express how outstanding our experience was. Warm inviting welcome (no reservation), to the table immediately. Met Marena as our server. Very friendly, super positive and very attentive, without being intrusive. Great menu and food was excellent. Great atmosphere. Max, one of the owners/managers came by the table to discuss the wine and we chatted for a bit about the restaurant and his road to opening Oceano. Our experience was so good we made arrangements to come back the next morning for brunch and sit at the bar as Marena was bartending. Brunch was outstanding as well. We will go out of our way to get back here so we can experience Oceano again!

We stumbled upon Oceana during lent. Happily, were able to make a same afternoon/early evening…read morereservation. Walked in during happy hour - it was hopping!. We were just in time to order a calamari happy hour appetizer. it was hot can cooked perfectly. I then moved on to the halibut and orzo - it was exactly what I was looking for! A perfectly cooked halibut with orzo - nothing heavy. We did however have the cookies as dessert.....and while they take 15-20 minutes to cook - IT IS WORTH THE WAIT!! The cookies arrive hot and gooey to the table - yum. The only 2 drawbacks I will mention...it seemed very loud and we were sitting under one of the arches so we were trying to determine was the restaurant really that loud or were we getting conversations from other areas because of the arches? The other item I will mention is the website does not seem to be up to date with the latest selection - or maybe it needs to be broken out into Lunch and Dinner menus...a person in our party looked at the menu online and when he went to order, he wanted one of the sandwiches shown online (which was not identified as lunch only) and he was not able to order the sandwich. General observation: I would guestimate 90% of the seating is booth seating...it just seemed high and just an observation - not good, not bad.

From the moment we walked in, the atmosphere felt elevated but still warm and inviting--classic,…read morecozy, and perfect for a special night out in St. Louis. Tthe crab cake was one of the standout dishes of the night--packed with flavor, perfectly cooked, and beautifully plated. Every dish felt thoughtful and high quality. The dauphinoise potatoes are a MUST! You can tell why reservations here are so hard to get--it's one of those places that truly delivers. And of course, we had to end with the hot fudge sundae, which was such a fun and nostalgic dessert experience with every topping you could want. Wright's Tavern is definitely worth the reservation and a spot I'd happily return to again.

3.5 stars. After my last visit, I'm torn. The food we had that night was mediocre with the best…read moredish being the Caesar salad with anchovies. My filet au poivre and my husband's French dip were forgettable at best. My steak was overcooked (ordered medium rare and came out close to medium well). With such a lean cut of meat, the overcooking of it ruined it. The Au poivre sauce which likely had cognac needed to be cooked off as it was extremely bitey (and salty). There was no peppery flavor at all. My cocktail, on the other hand, was delicious and well made (old fashioned) and our server was efficient, helpful, and timely. Overall I enjoyed the atmosphere. I've had the crab cake before so I didn't get it this time, and it's as good as people say. It is huge and can be shared with at LEAST two people. I'd likely visit again but I'll probably stay away from these two entrees next time.

When you are in St. Louis, you have to go here. Dress nicely. I started with a chocolate martini,…read moreand he started with a scotch. Next up, he got the lobster bisque and I got half a dozen east coast oysters on the half shell. Next up, tuna target are for me, and the special shrimp for him. No dessert because we were full. If you see me there, stop by and say hello.

My husband took me here for my birthday and it was great! Very personalized service, great…read moreatmosphere and a very nice dining room. But I had not gotten my dinner yet but oh boy, when I did it was fabulous! I was served the Chilean Sea Bass with Miso glaze, Kimchi, Bok Choi & Shiitake mushrooms--it was fantastic! Perfectly cooked, and paired with veggies that heightened each bite of the fish that you took. One of the best tasting and most uniquely prepared meals that I have had in a while. My husband had the whole-fried Branzino which was also amazing. For my birthday, I was given six freshly-baked chocolate chunk cookies to take with me and I loved each and every bite. I cannot wait to return for another outstanding dinner--we'll be back soon.

Working in St. Louis for the week, Louie's Wine Dive & Kitchen was THE afterwork meetup spot for my…read moreteam! A few of us would stop in around 4/4:30pm and grab seats at the bar, chat, and polish off a couple beers. The bar was pretty spacious with plenty of seats surrounding it. Also, shoutout to the gentleman who served us drinks! He did a fantastic job taking care of us and even remembered us and our drink orders each day. Whenever I come back to St. Louis for work, I'm looking forward to coming back for some after work drinks!

There's something about a place in Clayton insisting: don't call me a wine bar, I'm a wine dive…read more Okay. We see you. You're a wine bar. Nothing divey about a hip cocktail or hip deviled eggs -- these are sophisticated modern twists, the exact move wine bars make and dives don't. A chalkboard of specials and weathered seating gesture at the aesthetic; the rest of the room knows. Kendall Roy of restaurants -- comes from privilege, wants badly to be of the people. It's a bit, and mostly the kitchen and bar back it up. Nevertheless, we arrived to a full room, hour wait for a table, but we fortunately arrived to snag the last first come patio table. The bar was also full, by the way, which felt neighborhood like, people clearly like this place during happy hour. The old fashioned makes the case: Old Grand-Dad Bonded, pickled rye, cognac, butterscotch bitters. Two whiskeys and a bitter you won't find at an actual dive. Rich, a little sweet. The harissa deviled eggs keep going -- fried shallots, roasted red peppers, cilantro, marinated tomato jam. You know, just like the old dive with the $1 PBR.Deviled eggs for people that don't like deviled eggs. However, we love deviled eggs...foreshadowing. The short ribs are the headline -- fall-apart tender over whipped potatoes substantial enough to stand up to the meat, gravy spot on. Eats like a perfectly executed roast dinner. The brie burger is the sneaky second hit, genuinely decadent, bacon with the cheese melting into the beef. The service was good and pleasant and that felt more like dive-friendly, where you might expect a wine "bar" to be snooty or full of themselves. 4.4 Stars Picking Nits: hip deviled eggs that reach past what they can hold. Tomato jelly on top is a lot going on, in the wrong way, and the egg disappears under it. These are trying to be hip deviled eggs more than they're trying to be good deviled eggs. Every ambitious kitchen has one plate that tries too hard; this appears to be one. A 5 needs those eggs landing, in the same way the entrees excelled. Regardless, we'll be back.

Great food, terrible service I got the seafood pasta which…read morewas perfectly cooked and had great flavors. No complaints about the actual meal. Unfortunately, the service completely ruined the experience. The lady at the front counter, Aliyyah, was hands-down one of the worst I've ever encountered. She didn't check on the table once after dropping off the food. We had to go to her or catch kitchen staff just to get refills. The entire time she was either on her personal phone having loud conversations instead of doing her job. Zero effort to engage with customers or even pretend to care. To top it off, when she rang up the ticket, she put "Glasses" as my name on the receipt instead of bothering to ask what my actual name was. It felt lazy and dismissive. I even talked to someone from the kitchen staff and was informed that she's does this often even though others have complained. Food was great, but the attitude and neglect from Aliyyah made the whole visit unpleasant. I won't be returning unless there's a different server. Management really needs to address this kind of behavior.

My mom and I visited for the first time today and it was delicious! Best seafood we've had in STL!…read moreThis is our new go-to spot for sure. Restaurant was clean and service was fast and very friendly!

If Bonefish Grill were a person, it'd be Dr. Watson. Dependable, professional, sensible to the…read morecore. Nobody plans the wild night out around Watson (that's Sherlock's job), but if you want steady company and a job done right, he's your man. And every so often, he surprises you. The space is modern, with a minimalist bar and table layout (a chain you can dress up for a little without committing to a special-occasion budget). Some might call it an elevated Red Lobster, and while that's not entirely unfair, the prices aren't as different as the vibe suggests. The staff wear those kitchen-forward uniforms that always make a place feel a notch more serious about its food. Happy hour drinks run around $7, which is reasonable. I had a smoked old-fashioned that was beautifully presented and genuinely delicious (I'd order it again without thinking twice). They bring out fresh-baked bread with oil and pesto, and honestly, I don't know why more restaurants don't do this. The pesto is a small touch that makes a big difference. Bang Bang Shrimp gets a lot of hype. It's lightly breaded, well-seasoned, served with a slightly spicy mayo. Everyone at the table enjoyed it, but I wouldn't rave about it. Here's my real find: I swapped the jasmine rice on my entrée for the crispy cauliflower, which is essentially crispy cauliflower tossed in that same Bang Bang sauce. If I were going back, I'd order that as an appetizer instead of the shrimp. Same flavor, more interesting vehicle, and vegetarian-friendly to boot. My entrée was the pan-seared blackened ahi tuna (good). It comes with shaved kung pao Brussels sprouts, and this is where I have a quibble: the kung pao sauce is so heavy it drowns the sprouts. It feels like a dish engineered for people who don't actually like Brussels sprouts (the sprouts are really just there for crunch). If you genuinely love Brussels sprouts, skip it. The rest of the table was happy with their entrées. Though my mother-in-law found her asparagus too peppered and the waiter agreed after visual observation, that didn't keep me and my father-in-law from finishing it off. Service was friendly but not warm, fast and efficient. Our server clearly knew his routine (maybe a little too flat for the senior citizens in our party), but I didn't mind. We had two hiccups: my mother-in-law's entrée got delivered to the next table over, and to fix it the staff intercepted the same dish heading to yet another table that had ordered after us. Functional, if slightly chaotic. We were also billed for an extra entrée, which they corrected without fuss once we pointed it out. 4.0 stars out of 5. We'll go back. I'll always prefer a family-owned spot with more character, but if you want something dependable and reliable that won't punish your wallet, Bonefish Grill delivers. Just don't make it the one night you've got in town (that's a job for Sherlock). Polishing the meal delivery and bring the dishes up a not more to pull this 4 start review up.

Tonight we enjoyed dinner with family at Bonefish Grill located in the Brentwood section of St…read more Louis. We were able to quickly make a reservation and were seated immediately in the bar/lounge area of the restaurant. The restaurant was buzzing at the time we entered with all tables in the main dining area occupied. Hannah, our server was attentive and welcoming, as well as, knowledgeable of the menu. We were served the Chilean Sea Bass accompanied with coleslaw, roasted potatoes and a lobster tail add on, the Pan-Seared Blackened Ahi Tuna with broccoli and jasmine rice, the 7 oz Barrel Cut Filet & Lobster Tail with mashed potatoes and fries, 9 oz Sirloin with fries and broccoli, and a second Chilean Sea Bass with broccoli and spinach. Most of the party enjoyed their meals. However, the seared tuna was overcooked as the order requested it be seared rare. The 9 oz sirloin was cooked well done as requested but ended up dry. Both sea bass arrived moist and delicious. The lobsters were fine, only wish they were larger. The 7 oz filet was grilled to perfection. Overall, the collective dinners rated 3* but Hannah's service raised the score to 4*. Keep your energy Hannah, it is appreciated! We really enjoyed spending time with each other and look forward to having more relatives joins the next few days.

This is a great steak restaurant in a nice area. The service was very good and the food was all…read morefantastic. I had the strip steak. It was grilled to perfection at medium rare and seemed larger than the described 14 oz. I was with a group so I had a chance to try almost all of the sides. They were all great. My wedge salad was good as well, but next time I'll have it in the traditional way rather than having them chop it for me. Overall, an excellent dinner

I visit this place often for lunch as it's right by my job and every time it is even better than…read morebefore. Consistency is key and they have they down packed! I have tried several different menu items but the burgers are to die for. Juice oozing out of them. The duck fat fries are yummy too. Honestly I haven't had anything yet off the menu that I would try again down to the appetizers. It is a dimly lit restaurant. Very intimate vibes. Can get some work done in here midday. Peaceful. They have an excellent wine selection as well!

Came here for my first seafood boil ever, it was absolutely incredible and lived up to all of my…read moreexpectations. Service was great, and I loved the atmosphere too!

My friend and I went here for dinner. We each got the snow and shrimp combo…read more The sauce has plenty of flavor. The service was okay. The shrimps seems smaller in size than a few year ago. The amount of food you get is definitely less than before which probably due to the rise of food cost.

The Best Dining Experience We've Had in St. Louis - Hands Down…read moreMy husband and I wanted to give our dear friends who are leaving St. Louis one last unforgettable meal from their bucket list, so I immediately recommended Peno. I used to be a regular at Rosé with the same talented Chef Pepe, and his food is truly to die for. We walked in on a beautiful day and were lucky to snag a spot in their small parking lot (parking in the area isn't the easiest, but it's worth it). Our server, Harry, made the evening even better right from the start. He had such a warm, calm, professional presence--the kind that's rare these days. We instantly remembered his name thanks to a fun Harry Potter / Harry and the Hendersons reference, and he handled everything with effortless skill. When our friends had parking trouble, Harry quickly offered helpful suggestions. Then, when it was time to order, he elevated our meal in the best way possible. My husband and I got our longtime favorite--the Roberto pizza from Rosé days--and Harry suggested adding sausage and peppers. That small tweak took something we already loved and made it 1000% better. Absolute perfection. Our friend ordered the spaghetti (her all-time favorite comfort meal), and after taking Harry's thoughtful recommendation, she declared it the best spaghetti she's ever had in her life. We finished with the cheesecake. I'm extremely picky about cheesecake, but this one did not disappoint--it was creamy, rich, and flawless. This was one of those legendary meals you remember forever. The kind where you leave thinking you could die happy. Chef Pepe's food, paired with Harry's outstanding service, made it a perfect night. If you're in St. Louis, do yourself a favor and go to Peno. You won't regret it. Thank you, Harry and team--you helped create a truly special send-off for our friends!

Id like to add one more comment. I started my meal with the Tucci salad. It was supposed to have…read moreroasted red peppers(it had one strip), olives(it had one) onions(it had one small piece) and beans(there were three). A large amount of mozzarella-looked like Provel on top. I did call over the server to clarify if this was what this salad was supposed to be - mostly lettuce. She said yes then brought over a small plate with a few olives. Again, this salad was $15. It must have cost Peno a dollar to make because it was mostly lettuce. I live a few blocks from Peno and love the idea of a neighborhood restaurant we can all embrace. Sadly, I won't be back.

Gitcha gitcha yaya Tata. That's how good the garlic shrimp fajitas were. A fiesta of chargrilled…read moretomatoes and chilies

First and foremost/ this is NOT Mariscos El Gato. The food is not the same. There is nary a…read morebusiness name to be seen anywhere not even on the menu. It maybe called Mexa-Hondo?????? It was definitely a Mexican Honduras mash-up. So now on to the review Atmosphere: legit Central American restaurant. Good green salsa, terrible ceviche, as our friend put it, it was viscous which is never good for a fish dish much less a fresh uncooked one. The fajitas were good and large, the chicherones were not something we will ever get my husband (who likes to try new foods) again. My margarita was mid at best. Was it terrible? No. Was it good enough to make it a point to go back? Also no. And if someone could please point me to the real Mariscos El Gato I'd love to know. I miss it and we had been hoping to wow our friends with an amazing meal. :-(