First Look: The Headless Bat in Tower Grove South

The Headless Bat opened at 3128 Morganford Road in Tower Grove South in December 2023. The “heavy metal pizzeria” bakes whole pizza and pizza by the slice, in addition to wings and a drink list including draft beer, cocktails and wine.

The restaurant is co-owned by Rick Giordano, who formerly co-owned The Ready Room, along with Ashley Reeb, who is also the owner of Carondelet Yoga Center. The approximately 2,000-square-foot restaurant and bar is located in the space that formerly housed The London Tea Room, which closed in August 2022 in order to relocate to a new venue at 1900 Locust St. in Downtown West. The tea room’s counter has been converted to a bar, but The Headless Bat has otherwise stamped its own identity throughout the first-floor space’s two rooms.

That means it’s out with Union Jacks, teapots and Anglophile memorabilia, and in with an aesthetic inspired mainly by metal culture and horror movies. There are posters, paintings and even Metallica- and Iron Maiden-themed pinball machines – and of course, the name itself references an infamous incident involving Ozzy Osbourne. 

The menu is simple: whole 18-inch pizzas, pizza by the slice, and wings. There are five different pizzas to choose from, including cheese, Thai curry, Born of Fire (pepperoni, jalapeno, pineapple and sweet peppers), Creeping Breath (garlic, sausage, onions and peppers), and the Meatless Bat (portobello mushrooms, black olives, green peppers and onions). If you prefer, you can go the build-your-own route and choose your own toppings.

Giordano is reluctant to categorize the pizza. “It’s not New York, it’s just good-ass pizza,” he said. Giordano said ingredients like 00 flour and high-quality olive oil are the basis of the pizza. A 10-inch cauliflower crust is also available for diners looking for a gluten-free option, and a vegan mozzarella option can be substituted in for a couple of dollars extra. 

Wings are your only other food option, ordered in servings of six or 12 and tossed in your choice of Buffalo, Thai curry sauce or The Headless Bat’s “murder spice” sauce. “I guess there’s potential in the future to expand the menu, but that seems pretty much what people want when they go to a pizza place,” Reeb said. Giordano said the restaurant will be bottling the murder spice sauce to sell soon.

The drink menu includes five house cocktails, including the Queen Wasp (Arette blanco tequila, mango, smoked jalapeno, lime, agave and chipotle cacao bitters), Conjurer (Withered Oak rye, vermouth, ginger and cherry bark-vanilla bitters) and the Blood Moon (1220 Spirits’ Encrypted vodka, St. Germain, lychee, lemon, simple syrup and blood orange garnish), as well as a selection of draft and packaged beers.

 Giordano said The Headless Bat will host occasional special events on Tuesdays, which could include metal trivia, bingo and movie nights, always with the restaurant’s own twist. A recent movie night featuring “classic” Glenn Danzig movies was a case in point, Giordano said. “I really like bad movies, like dogshit-bad movies,” he said.

The Headless Bat is open from 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday and from 5 to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.