Village Bar — Restaurant in Des Peres

Unfortunate. Had 5 folks eating at our table. Since they doubled the size of this place, the few times I have been there have not been great. Issue seems to be that the kitchen was never enlarged to accommodate the increase in customers. Over and over you will read that food.....just does not come out in order at all now. We ordered 2 orders of wings for appetizers and 3 burgers and then drinks. First thing that shows up is a double cheesebuger......then we get our drinks......then 10 minutes later another cheeseburger and 1 wings.....then 10 minutes later another wings....then finally the other cheeseburger. All of this took about an hour. This was not unique to our table, it just seems that this is how they do it, which is a bit challenging if you want to eat with your fellow guests. Drinks come sporadically, sometimes the whole order, sometimes half. You will also see mentions about how loud it is........it is very loud, you will need to damn near scream at your table if it is crowded. The issue in designing a restaurant or bar is in how you set it up, Wood floors materials on the walls, ceiling, etc can help cut down on the sound if your place is loud, none of that seems to have been done. Overall the food was ok but not close to Sydbergs, Sachemo's, Sportsmans Park, The Hive,Dave's World Famous, etc. Much better bar choices out there these days. It used to be a tiny bar with a tiny kitchen and good food that sat maybe 40 folks, now it seats probably 150 and nothing seems to have been planned on how to get the food out for 3x as many + folks. I can only imagine in the summer with the patio full that this would...

As one reviewer mentioned, this is a dive bar. Everything about the establishment speaks to this: cramped, dimly lit, decrepit furniture, even it's oddly maze-like back door entrance.

And make no mistake, I'm no hoighty-toighty prima donna. I love dive bars, and I love a good, greasy burger. This place is that and has that. But, the burger was pretty bland, and even the bacon and pepper jack cheese I had on top of it could not alleviate the need for some salt and pepper.

The service wasn't great either. The waitress was pleasant enough I suppose, but after 10 minutes of holding my check up with cash and the waitress passing me at least 5 times without a word I had to get up and ask the bartender for change so I could get back to work.

My main gripe is that I don't expect to pay Red Robin prices for a burger and fries. Fries don't come with the burgers and a small basket of their half-cooked limp spuds costs $2.50. Ridiculous. To get a half-pound burger, you have to order a double and pay at least $8. And then my glass of tea cost an additional $2.25 which is pretty standard restaurant price, which I think is also ridiculous, but I'm not holding that against the place. So, for a standard burger, fries, drink, tax, and tip it was over $17 for just myself.

This place is obviously beloved by many though, so if you're ok with paying a lot for a little, and you love dive bars, this is the...

My wife and I have driven by the village bar countless times and said that one day we should try the place. Tonight, the second night of burger week here in St. Louis, we decided to give it a try.

The restaurants that participate in Burger Week are supposed to offer something unique or special – or at least a great deal. What this restaurant offered tonight was a whopping $.95 off their standard burger. This alone would not have earned them this review. This review is based strictly on the food.

We ordered the large order of onion rings, which came before the sandwiches. These onion rings were the most bland taste list. Onion rings I’ve ever put in my mouth. The burger which was a quarter pound chuck burger lack flavor as well. It seems that their chef and kitchen staff have not even discovered, salt and pepper. The bun was flat and had no more flavor than a slice of a wonder white bread. My wife, who does not eat beef, had the chicken sandwich, and said that it was equally lackluster.

If you like a bar packed with people, walls church with every kind of sports and advertising paraphernalia, the atmosphere might be appealing to you.

Our waitress was certainly pleasant enough as was, the support staff.

Would we recommend this place? Absolutely not. If you want a great burger, we encourage you to try almost any place. McDonald’s is down the street if you’re in the neighborhood...