urbanSTL

The Side Bar, eh? Is this where one goes to get some on the side? Tsk Tsk.

Framer wrote:This place hopes to open sometime next week.

They were open last night with what looked like a decent crowd. Didn't make it in there though.

^Yep, they're open now. The kitchen might not be ready for a couple more days, though. They've got a REALLY big TV screen front and center as you walk in.

I was there last night to watch the last 5 innings of the Cards game and grab a bit of food and some Schlafly. The place was packed and the projection screen was in action. As the game progressed and the Cards turned the hinges, the place became electric.



Now for the review. The place is very nice inside if only a bit plain yet. There were some flat screens near the bar but I was sitting towards the back. It'd be nice if they had other flat screens for patrons to more closely watch the action.



They mentioned it was the first night they were open for food. I figured there may be some snags so I was patient... The game was on, so of course I ordered the kosher dog w/ chili & the works. It took a while to get the food and drinks.... Some snafu with the computer system that should get worked out. Our waitress was a bit frazzled but she was really nice and things should get smoother as they work out the kinks... Anyway, I really enjoyed the food.



All in all, I liked it. The place shows promise and I will def go back...

Framer wrote:^Yep, they're open now. The kitchen might not be ready for a couple more days, though. They've got a REALLY big TV screen front and center as you walk in.

I was there for the game Friday night too. Great crowd, service was good, beer was cold, the Cards won...what more could you ask for?



A friend of mine tried the Chicken Quesadia (sic), and gave it the thumbs-up.

I was there Saturday night after the Blues game. Here are some thoughts.



• They really need something on the walls since they are very plain. Either some sort of light fixtures or artwork. The east wall is especially plain and boring.

• They need to turn the radio down a bit and maybe put a little sounddampening on the ceiling. After the Blues game the place was about a third full and it was LOUD in there already. I’m talking uncomfortable loud where conversations are almost impossible without yelling and making it louder. As soon as the Cardinal game people got it there it only got worse. But even then the place was only 2/3 full. If the bar was fully crowded I can’t imagine how loud it would be.

• Waitresses were busting their humps but were still stuck in the weeds the entire time we were there. Waitress apologized twice for some of the long waits.

• The food was good and two of us couldn’t finish the nachos. Very big order.

• Pours were strong and prices were about what you expect for a downtown location like this. (Want to drink cheap: go to Jack Patricks)

• Major sausagefest. Lots of groups of guys and very few women.

• They probably spent over $10,000 on the plasma TVs over the bar and were still running standard def from DirecTV over them. For just a few more dollars more they could have full HDTV running on them. What a waste of money.

Is this place basically a sports bar? It looked like it was pretty crowded when I drove by after the game last night.

DeBaliviere wrote:Is this place basically a sports bar? It looked like it was pretty crowded when I drove by after the game last night.

Kinda. The three plasma TVs above the bar and the one big projection screen push it that way. But a true sports bar IMHO should have TVs every where you look. There are plenty of places where you can avoid TVs.



It's a good sign they were busy. It could be the "new" factor but you have to admit that's a good hike from the ballpark when compared to Patty O's, Hrabosky's and Mike Shannon's.



And it couldn't have been the hockey game crowd: they barely had 4000 in the seats at Scottrade.

Maybe it's getting overflow traffic from Flannery's - I would think that a lot of loft residents probably went out to watch the game last night.



The one thing I could see when I passed by was that projection TV - it is huge! I saw a huge vision of Mandy Murphy.

DeBaliviere wrote:Maybe it's getting overflow traffic from Flannery's - I would think that a lot of loft residents probably went out to watch the game last night.



The one thing I could see when I passed by was that projection TV - it is huge! I saw a huge vision of Mandy Murphy.

Like I said, good sign. Hopefully other prospective business owners will see this (Side Bar being busy on a week night) and be a little less scared about opening a location in downtown.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entert ... enDocument



Article from the post today is pretty good.

So do they have literally ZERO beer taps, or just a limited selection?

DeBaliviere wrote:So do they have literally ZERO beer taps, or just a limited selection?

Zero. Very disappointing. I prefer Flannery's across the street, but the Side Bar is a considerably bigger space.

South Compton wrote:

DeBaliviere wrote:So do they have literally ZERO beer taps, or just a limited selection?

Zero. Very disappointing. I prefer Flannery's across the street, but the Side Bar is a considerably bigger space.

Which basically means the place will be packed with hoosiers drinking Bud Light.

The Central Scrutinizer wrote:

South Compton wrote:

DeBaliviere wrote:So do they have literally ZERO beer taps, or just a limited selection?

Zero. Very disappointing. I prefer Flannery's across the street, but the Side Bar is a considerably bigger space.

Which basically means the place will be packed with hoosiers drinking Bud Light.

But what about some beers you can only get on tap or are better on tap? Aren't some of the Schlafley's available on tap?



I'm sorry but Side Bar isn't getting much of my business until they get Blue Moon in there.

What's up with that? What kind of bar has no taps? Hopefully, they're coming soon.

Stopped by on Sunday prior to the parade for lunch and I must say, everyone in my group (6 people) really enjoyed their food. I was a bit disappointed that at 12:30 with NFL football in full affect and the parade starting in 90 minutes, there weren't more people in there (20 tops, including the six in my group) or in the area for that matter.



I will definitely be back again soon to grab lunch/dinner as there are several things to try on the menu including daily specials and pizza that I've heard are quite tasty. The pours were strong, service was good, and food was served rather quickly. I hope that in due time, there will be a few more things on the walls to liven the place up a bit.

I think the parade crowd filtered in later. I was at Flannery's around 2ish and the place was of avg size for a Sunday but by the time I left it was packed to the gills with red. Assume Side Bar got a bit more packed in later on as well.



Do they plan on getting draft beer? Can it be truly called a bar without draft beer???

cbroy2544 wrote:Stopped by on Sunday prior to the parade for lunch and I must say, everyone in my group (6 people) really enjoyed their food. I was a bit disappointed that at 12:30 with NFL football in full affect and the parade starting in 90 minutes, there weren't more people in there (20 tops, including the six in my group) or in the area for that matter.



I will definitely be back again soon to grab lunch/dinner as there are several things to try on the menu including daily specials and pizza that I've heard are quite tasty. The pours were strong, service was good, and food was served rather quickly. I hope that in due time, there will be a few more things on the walls to liven the place up a bit.

I agree

innov8ion wrote:I think the parade crowd filtered in later. I was at Flannery's around 2ish and the place was of avg size for a Sunday but by the time I left it was packed to the gills with red. Assume Side Bar got a bit more packed in later on as well.



Do they plan on getting draft beer? Can it be truly called a bar without draft beer???

cbroy2544 wrote:Stopped by on Sunday prior to the parade for lunch and I must say, everyone in my group (6 people) really enjoyed their food. I was a bit disappointed that at 12:30 with NFL football in full affect and the parade starting in 90 minutes, there weren't more people in there (20 tops, including the six in my group) or in the area for that matter.



I will definitely be back again soon to grab lunch/dinner as there are several things to try on the menu including daily specials and pizza that I've heard are quite tasty. The pours were strong, service was good, and food was served rather quickly. I hope that in due time, there will be a few more things on the walls to liven the place up a bit.

A bar really isn't a bar without some sort of draft beer.

we were there after the parade and for the RAMS game, and every table was full.... Service suffered a little then, but it was not bad....

MidcoastSTL wrote:we were there after the parade and for the RAMS game, and every table was full.... Service suffered a little then, but it was not bad....

Hopefully some prospective business owners will see the initial success of Side Bar and Dubliner and think more about moving downtown.



Were all three plasmas and the big screen set to the Rams game? Do they have Sunday ticket and show other games besides the Rams?

Anyone been in on a sat to watch college football? Was thinking of checking it out for the Mizzou-Nebraska game and was wondering if I need to stake a table early.

The Side Bar will be having their official grand openning this Friday. Live music by The Shrinking Violets.

Just trying to rationalize something here.



What is with these bars having a Grand opening several weeks/months after they opened up? Is it to draw more attention after the initial opening?

bsharmastl wrote:Just trying to rationalize something here.



What is with these bars having a Grand opening several weeks/months after they opened up? Is it to draw more attention after the initial opening?

It's called a soft opening. Common in the restaurant and bar industry. You open with slower crowd of usually family and friends so you can get your staff up to speed. Also a good way to weed out the people that won't be able to handle it when things get really busy with the big Grand Opening.



Plus it's used to work mechanical kinks. Stuff like tappers, the point of sale system, sound, lighting, heating/cooling, bathrooms and whatever else can go wrong.