St. Francis Brewery & Restaurant — Restaurant in Saint Francis

The Rise, Fall, and Revival of a Beloved Brewery

It all began in 2009, with an unlikely partnership forged between a wealthy doctor with a taste for craft beer and a passionate brewer with a gift for turning hops into gold. One brought the money, the other brought the craft—but they both brought heart. Together, they set out to build more than just a brewery; they wanted to create a cornerstone for the community.

And they did just that.

At the corner of KK and Howard in St. Francis, a striking structure rose—a brewery with soul. With its eye-catching exterior, including a massive tank proudly displayed like a beacon of beer, it quickly became a local landmark. Inside, they brewed bold, character-driven beers inspired by the Seven Deadly Sins. Locals found a strange joy in ordering “Lust,” a flirtatiously smooth blonde ale, or “Wrath,” a bold and bitter IPA. The beers told stories, and so did the place. It was more than a brewery—it was a sanctuary for beer lovers, a haven for conversation, music, laughter, and connection.

But like many great stories, this one wasn’t without its conflict. Somewhere along the way, the harmony between the founders soured. Whether it was creative differences, financial friction, or simply the strain of running a growing business, the doctor decided he wanted out. The brewery bought out his share, but things were never quite the same. In the scramble to stay afloat, a corporate "suit" was brought in—someone with charts and numbers but no feel for the heartbeat of the community.

Menus were slashed. The quirky charm that had once defined the place began to fade. What was once brewed with soul started to feel manufactured. The locals noticed. The regulars came less often. And the brewer, the heart of the operation, tried to hold on as best he could.

Then came 2019.

The brewery’s 10th anniversary should have been a celebration, a triumph. Instead, it was a swan song. The brewer crafted one final beer—a quiet farewell in a pint glass. And just like that, one morning, employees arrived to find a note on the door: the brewery was closed. No warning. No explanation. Just silence. The man who once filled the place with life disappeared, leaving behind a shuttered building and a hundred unanswered questions. Some compared him to the monorail salesman from The Simpsons—a charismatic dreamer who vanished as mysteriously as he arrived.

For six years, the building sat in quiet decay. Its windows dark, its tanks dry. COVID came and went. Businesses struggled, but this one was already a ghost.

Then, in 2025, something extraordinary happened.

New owners stepped in—not corporate raiders, but true believers. They didn’t want to reinvent the wheel. They wanted to restore it. They kept the name, out of respect. They walked into that beautiful building with its bones still strong and said, Let’s do right by this place. Let’s bring it back to life.

And slowly, the lights came back on. The tanks began to hum again. And on the corner of KK and Howard, the air once more carries the scent of malt and hops—and maybe a...

Andrea the waitress was VERY NICE! She went out of her way to make sure our group of ladies were taken good care of and all the while I could see her doing the same on all her other tables she served. The owner, Darren was also very nice. He stopped by to check on us, and that was very nice! He listened to us, he's NOT stuffy like most owners can be... per MY experiences! SO my rating is based on customer service I give a hugh "high five" on service. The food was plentiful and priced like all other restaurants. However, I personally think salad prices are outrageous, but ti be honest, they are at just about every restaurant. Probably because they know people like them due to being so health conscious. BUT if I may suggest that it would benefit more lowering the price. They're too expensive for the amount provided and then the added charge for meats was turning the price of a salad near $20 if not more. After seeing this on the menu, I wasn't liking that and I felt forced to look for something else to eat. Who can afford that for a salad, AND it's NOT like you can take any leftovers home if you couldn't finish it, everyone knows salads are NEVER as good the 2nd time around. I would like to see better pricing on this... is my suggestion.

As for the noise... there must have been A LOT going on because there was multiple times we had to either talk lauder or just stop our conversations and wait for the sirens 🚨 to pass, that was the downfall to eating outside, other than that i loved having dinner on the patio! I WILL be back but I think I'll wait for the menu to have more options to choose from. I would had loved to see wraps sandwiches, pasta or rice dishes, pizzas and chicken wings w/bone... like I said, more options as there isn't many options to the menu... Your drinks were made very good! THANKS :) May I suggest adding Twisted Teas to the drink list. Some of us can't have carbonated drinks and Twisted Teas are good!! Thank you so very much for us being treated with such kindness, that really is hughly why I wanted to...

So unfortunate because this place is in our neighborhood. Went for Father's Day with my family. Made reservations at noon and when we showed up it was a buffet? $45 per adult and $20 per child. One would assume they would mention this over the phone when folks are making reservations considering this isn't normal restaurant operations. We decided to go with it considering we already made the drive plus wouldnt find anywhere else without reservations and, wow, what a waste of money! It was a small, set up buffet like you would see in someone's backyard for a birthday. Most of the food was almost gone and was dried out. When my wife requested more chicken, because they were out, the guy had some weird response about how she would "have to wait for her chicken." Dried to the bone chicken wings. Slop pulled pork. The salmon was rubbery, super fishy, and far overcooked. Even the fruit...blackberries, pineapple, strawberries weren't ripe or sweet. Our waitress was standing behind us, loudly discussing engagement rings rather than filling drinks or actually doing and form of "waiting" on us. My son never had his drink refilled once and I had to request for mine. They also had a live performer which just added to the oddness of a Father's Day dinner while trying to conversate with family. If a restaurant is going to charge high end, steakhouse prices, they need to live up to that standard. This place was in business once before and went under in a VERY short amount of time. One would think these new owners would try to do a not better. $200 for a subpar dinner for a family of 5. Needless to say we will never return to this establishment and would caution you to...