Planter's House — Restaurant in St. Louis

Let's start this way - I'm from Chicago (relax, it's not a comparison piece), and there are a good number of extremely good cocktail forward bars that are considered world-class. I visit St. Louis often (family and friends), and I can almost always find an establishment somewhere that will serve me a manhattan instead of a beer. But, when I read about Planter's House back in 2014, I knew I had to go. Of course, 7 years later, I finally get the chance to go to Planter's House. Let me tell ya, it did NOT disappoint, not in the least bit. Sure, COVID rules makes everything feel odd, but, they were so accommodating and prepared that I almost forgot we were still in a pandemic (someone mentioned the 2-hour time limit - look buddy, we're in a pandemic, and these guys are doing the best they can with the limited seating, especially indoors. Instead buying that overpriced glass of wine, you should've had a cocktail....too bad for you. Trust me, the 2-hour time limit was perfect for us, and it's not going to last long). I'm going to start my review of PH by saying that I would put them in the top 5 cocktail bar experiences, ever. EVER. Not to brag (but I will), but, I've had the good fortune of having cocktail experiences at some of the best bars in the country. Planter's House is no different. It felt like home, to be honest. (actual real feel? I thought I might've been in the reincarnated Bar Deville, but in St. Louis....if you know you know). Service was impeccable, and friendly. And, sure, you can order from the menu, but, I asked if the bartender would do a "dealer's choice", and was told, "Absolutely!" First dealer's choice drink I asked for something whiskey based, bitter, on the rocks (or rock as it were), and no simple syrup nor sparkling ingredient. And, the bartender did not disappoint -- they made my drink and included Cynar (it was like we were kindred), and had a large, clear ice cube. Perfectly bitter and satisfying. Next dealer's choice, I asked for a green chartreuse based cocktail, the rest up to the bartender just not sweet. This second cocktail was amazing! Chartreuse, cognac, bitters, and just a splash of simple (it wasn't sweet at all, but very balanced) served up. Again, remembering my first drink, the second wasn't so vastly different and blew my mind away. My friends' drinks were all just as delicious - the winner of the afternoon was the Big O Painkller, a frozen drink that we perfect on a 90+ degree day, wiht just the right amount of booziness. We didn't really have much in the way of their food menu, but we did have the Faux-ritos (housemade Dorito style tortilla chips - wow) and the Curried Chex Mix (even bigger wow). We got to meet Ted Charak, who showed us the "upper" room that should be opening soon, and will be next on my places to visit. Ted and Ted have really created a gem of a spot in St. Louis, land of the King of Beers, and I hope they continue to prosper! Can't wait until we meet again...

We came here yesterday for the first time and I must say that I really loved the atmosphere of this place and how kind their staff are.

It appears to me that their menu contains globally inspired dishes including asian cuisine so I was very excited to try their food. I’m not going to say that we were disappointed but we left quite dissatisfied.

Here’s why: For snacks, we ordered sambal pickled egg and plantain chips with aji verde.

—— sambal pickled eggs are versatile and can be served either hot or cold. In our case, it was served cold which is fine, but it was flavorless. I was expecting a hot and spicy flavor since sambal is usually made out of chili. What we had is simply a cold boiled egg showered with a “sambal sauce” that tasted like plain boiled egg water. I don’t think it was pickled at all and if it was, the lack of flavor was there for sure.

—— I was expecting a freshly cooked plantain chips with aji verde but got in a small paper bag instead. The sauce is overwhelmed with cilantro that its hard to taste the rest of what else is in there (like the parmesan, jalapeños, lime juice, etc…).

For entree, we ordered the following:

—— Mushroom pancit which was made out of sautéed mushrooms, mushroom shoyu, rice noodles, carrot & green bean salad. I grew up in a Filipino household so I know what Pancit tastes like. I get that this dish used a mushroom shoyu instead of a regular soy sauce but I find this rendition of mushroom pancit very bland. It seems like the noodles weren’t stir fried with the vegetables and shoyu because of how pale the noodles were. The noodles were balled-up, the veggies were put on top and it looks like the sauce were just poured in there - it was soupy. And mind you, a soupy pancit is great but the ingredients seemed so separated even though they were all in there together.

—— Duck carbonara which was seared duck breast, pancetta, sautéed mushrooms, egg, thyme, house made spaghetti and pecorino romano. Honestly, this was subpar. I get the quality over quantity when it comes to but food for me, this dish didn’t meet both. The flavors were bland and the serving was so small that I don’t think it was worth its price.

Overall, the food that we ordered was all flavorless. I couldn’t even taste even a pinch of salt and pepper in there which was sad.

On a brighter note, we enjoyed having drinks and hanging out in the balcony. If we were to return here, we’ll most likely just order drinks but will be hesitant to order food again.

To be fair, the ambience was great, we enjoyed our drinks, the staff was accommodating and we got our food in a...

If you're looking for a truly unique night out in St. Louis, you've come to the right place. Planter's House is the perfect combination of a laid back saloon and sophisticated cocktail bar. The vintage inspired decor pays homage to days gone by. With speakeasy trappings abound, it boasts next-level mixology from pedigreed bartenders, skillfully creating drinks with intriguing and clever names; "The Importance of Being Contrary", "Penicillin" and their current most popular libation, "In a Pickle". All our cocktails were unique surprises of deliciousness.

At night the tall archways of this 1800's building are framed with Edison style lighting with the entrance on the corner of Mississippi and Chouteau Avenue. The main space is large and spacious with a beautifully appointed bar and seating for dinning. Adjacent to this section and up a small flight of stairs is the Bullock's Room. A hidden gem, decked out with red leather banquettes, dim lighting and velvet wallpaper that seem to immediately transport you back to Prohibition. The result is a romantic and intimate hideaway, a sophisticated cocktail parlor manned by a talented and customer-centric team of bartenders. Kudos to Travis our bartender - he was so knowledgeable about his craft. Immediately made us feel right at home, and provided impeccable service. . Although, the food menu looked appealing, we had just come from dinner, so we only treated ourselves to dessert - hands down, the most amazing ice cream sandwich on the planet, even the presentation was exceptional.

Upon our request, one of the owners, Ted, came by to share the insights of the building's history. In addition to the two unique spaces, they have a lovely outdoor space that is ideal for lounging and dining al fresco.

We couldn't believe our luck finding this wonderful spot. A return visit to try the food and their all day Sunday Happy Hour is already on...