Review: Water Street Café and Cocktail Bar in Maplewood

A newcomer to the Maplewood strip, Water Street Café and Cocktail Bar is a hip little venue that has character in spades. Proof positive that good things certainly do come in small packages.

The nondescript bar can be easy to miss on the first pass, but don’t let that fact deter you – this is an optimal location to sip a cocktail or impress a date. The 1,200-square-foot venue boasts a seriously chic interior that immediately impresses. Revamped from a retail storefront, Water Street, with its sleek wooden tables, hanging fixtures and spattering of black chairs, throws off a nice minimalist vibe.

The venture is a labor of love for Gabe and Maria Kveton, the brother-sister management team who emerged from months of sweat, paint and sawdust to unveil the café/cocktail bar on April 15. Gabe, a longtime manager at Clayton’s I Fratellini, takes the reins behind the bar, mixing his own list of signature drinks and classic concoctions. Kveton uses organic juices and ingredients from local vendors to create in-house infusions and garnishes. In the kitchen, Maria likewise keeps things small, creative and locally focused. The current menu offers a selection of small plates – bruschetta, deviled eggs, etc. – as well as a few entrées – trout with beet salad, flatbread, chicken pot pie.

The quality of Kveton’s signature drinks are a testament to his skill. Take as an example the Pomegranate, a seemingly simple mix of vodka, Cointreau, lemon and POM juice, creating a stiff, delectable icebreaker that could be dangerous after several servings. The same goes for the Rye Half-Flip, another sweet mixture of rye, lemon, house-made cherry juice and egg white. Both of these were standouts, pricey but powerful. My only gripe is the size of the glass. I don’t mind $8 to $9 cocktails, but I do want a bit more than five sips. Regrettably, I didn’t get to try Water Street’s version of the Lemon Drop – a mix of vodka, lemon juice, house-made lemoncello and Champagne, which for $28 serves groups of four. Undecided? Check out each week’s vintage cockatil offering, which Kveton creates based on recipes in his favorite bar book, Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails. On tap, Water Street offers New Belgium’s 1554 Enlightened Black Ale, Goose Island’s 312 Urban Wheat Ale and a half-dozen other bottles of local craft brews and fancy European numbers. A full wine list is available – reds, whites, sparklings – but the cocktails are the reason to be here. 

Those expecting shot specials or dollar beer nights should steer clear. Water Street is also not really a see-and-be-seen type of joint. It’s enjoyably the opposite: a laid-back, clandestine cocktail bar that draws a discerning clientele. Attractive singles, moneyed twentysomethings, date-night couples and the after-dinner crowd fill the subtle, candlelit space on any given night.

In a town overflowing with sports bars, beer halls and other typical gin joints, Water Street is an impressive outlier that fuses classic drinks and contemporary style. Buoyed by a talented staff in both the front and back of the house, this is one place with serious staying power.

STL AFTER DARK
Where: Water Street Café and Cocktail Bar, 7268 Manchester Road, Maplewood, 314.646.8355
When: Tue. and Wed. – 5 to 11 p.m., Thu. to Sat. –
5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Check It: The chic minimalist décor.
Hipster or Hoosier: Water Street attracts a discerning crowd of smartly clad couples and fashionably casual singles.  
Suds or ’Tinis: Do not miss Kveton’s skillfully made cocktails.