Confluence Kombucha — Restaurant in St. Louis

This place is the best kept secret and i want to tell the WORLD! This is a mostly vegan restaurant (has one trout dish) but is nothing like you've been to before. It is not just vegetable inspired but FERMENTED vegetable inspired. This restaurant celebrates the art of fermenting foods that our ancestors enjoyed through the ages. And the food is AMAZING and everything on the menu is glutton free! They have a dish called "tacos" where the shells are actually seaweed and they are stuffed with brown rice and your choice of fermented advocado and daikon squash, tempeh or Korean sweet potato with kimchi I think. So filling and so declicious. I've had their advocado toast that along with other fermented toppings is sprinkled with bits of sweet fermented apples. And then wait for it... the best green curry soup you have ever had!! You know how to get to a point, if your a curry lover, that all curry starts to taste the same and it smothers the flavors of everything else in the soup. Well, this is the cleanest curry you have EVER HAD. You can taste all the flavors added to this artistan soup that is involves microgreens, red dulse, squash, a few slices of coconut with a brick of sweet brown sticky rice that has be lightly fried to provide a crunchy outside and a soft warm center basking in the middle of the curry deliciousness. Seriously...so good. Yesterday I enjoyed this dish with a quiet reverence and paired it with their glass of peach Kombucha (which is only one of their many flavors). Even their water is fancy. Yesterday I had water infused with HYDRANGEA. The chef is a genius. When I first came into the restaurant I was a little taken back by the menu because the dishes were so foreign to me. But the host was super helpful and put my anxiety to ease and it is now my new favorite place. It can be a little hard to find basically park one you see Urban chestnut and walk west towards kingshighway on the right side of the street. You can always call to get help. They have several seating options. When you first come in the restaurant there is only a little seating (maybe seats 10 to 12-this is where you get to watch the chef do his magic) but there is rear seating in their outdoor patio area next to their raised beds. Also there is outdoor seating in the front of restaurant. I am not a vegan but pursuing a healthy lifestyle and this place helps me do that with a clear conscious. Every dish is rich is vitamins, minerals and exquisite flavor. Check it...

A friend made dinner reservations for us last night (3/28/25). When we arrived we were greeted by the owner William who seemed genuinely excited to have us. The location is bright, warm, and welcoming. As he personally prepared each dish for us the smells were absolutely mouth watering. Although I had no idea what was coming next I was excited for each new dish. He put great care into describing the flavors and ingredients that went into each of his Kombuchas as well as the dishes. So many of the ingredients were grown or foraged by William himself, growing and foraging goods deepens your understanding of the ingredients.This was so obvious in the way each was lovingly and thoughtfully prepared. He presented so many new and unique flavors that were an absolute delight to experience. You can certainly tell this man has an incredible passion for food and community. As we ate, folks stopped by to enjoy kombucha and congratulate him on his 1st anniversary at the location on Jefferson. Surviving your first year of business is a significant feat, he and his team should be proud! We all need community, a deeper understanding of our food systems, and of course amazing flavors to inspire our creativity and bring joy to our daily lives. Confluence Kombucha achieves all of this and I am so thankful for the meal we enjoyed last night. I left feeling so inspired and grateful for the experience. I highly recommend you give them a visit and experience it for yourself!

Apologies for the lackluster photography, I was too busy being present and...

Today, I left feeling sick to my stomach but not because of the kombucha. I visited today with myself and 6 other people to enjoy some kombucha for an hour or two. Upon arriving, the owner informed me that he's noticed it was our 3rd time coming (July 2025). We visited in October 2024, and more recently, in May 2025. He informed us that it is "kind of annoying" that we don't let them know a head of time and that we are intruding on other people's space by staying for a long time. What was off putting about this was how he said this to me and showed himself out the back to work on the truck after talking about how it's important that they have staff available. I feel sorry for wanting to enjoy what feast magazine (May 2025) calls "The space itself has become a gathering spot, a post-work hangout reminiscent of a brewery, but without the alcohol." If Will could control what was written, I hope he asks them to revise their article. The past two times there, when Will was absent, the staff have taken an interest with our group, sat down to talk with us, and the last time we were thanked for bringing a group with us and I was even given a discount. I hope there is a change, either in the signage of the business that requires reservations for parties of 6 or more, or a change in the attitude so there is a cohesive message given to the patrons. I wish confluence...