We love a restaurant inside a brewpub. These are four of St. Louis’ best.
Central State Sandwiches
Central State Sandwiches is a fitting food partner for 2nd Shift Brewing, with a menu as fun and surprising as their brews. Seasonal specials come and go: Their take on a Thanksgiving sandwich with roasted turkey, bright cranberry sauce and savory stuffing is still living rent-free in our minds. However, you can always depend on the reliable perfection of The Chop Cheese, their take on the New York bodega classic with grilled beef tri-blend (short rib, brisket and ground chuck), melty cheese and crunchy shredded lettuce. Our favorite is The Chop ‘Za, the Jersey Shore cousin of the OG sandwich with Italian seasoned beef, diced pepperoni, melted mozzarella, and marinara sauce on a toasted, chewy Union Loafers hoagie.
Inside 2nd Shift Brewing, 1601 Sublette Ave., St. Louis, centralstatesandwiches.com
Brass Burger
The closure of Niche Food Group’s Brasswell concept at Rockwell Beer Co. in January 2024 marked the end of an era, but across that five-year run, Brasserie by Niche’s all-conquering burger made just too much sense in the company of great beer for the story to end there. Brass Burger’s “spring residency” at Urban Chestnut’s Midtown location began on March 1 and is set to run for four months. The Classic burger, as ever, comes topped with melted American cheese, dijonnaise, dill pickle and onion. Also competing for your attention is the fried chicken sandwich, topped with arugula, house pickles, hot honey and Crystal aioli. It goes without saying that your order is incomplete without Brass Burger’s much-loved shoestring fries.
Inside Urban Chestnut Brewing Co., 3229 Washington Ave., St. Louis, brassburgerstl.com
Sanguchitos
Sanguchitos, or little sandwiches, are the cutest accompaniment to a beer. The Sanguchitos concept at Perennial Artisan Ales comes from Andrew Cisneros of Jalea in St. Charles, and the menu here unsurprisingly shares the elevated quality of Cisneros’ Peruvian restaurant. Take the fresh blue crab salad sandwich with smoked trout roe and aji verde sauce as an example. It’s luscious and sweet, and pairs perfectly with Perennial’s Waska – a Peruvian-style lager brewed with heirloom quinoa. Also on the menu is a Peruvian street burger with Chihuahua cheese and fry sauce, and a vegetarian choripan made with Impossible meat and seasoned with chorizo spice. Don’t miss the Brasas chicken salad sanguchito, a nod to Cisneros’ Brasas rotisserie chicken concept which is set to open this spring in the Delmar Loop. The sandwich combines marinated and roasted chicken with crispy onions and a signature chicken sauce made with huacatay (Peruvian black mint).
Inside Perennial Artisan Ales, 8125 Michigan Ave., St. Louis, Instagram: @sanguchitos.stl
The Fattened Caf
Whatever The Fattened Caf features on their regularly rotated menu at Earthbound Beer, you can bet on it tasting good. The chicken tocino ube sliders are exemplary. The ube pandesal (from Liz’s Filipino Desserts in St. Peters) is like a distant cousin to a doughnut: It’s starchy and a little sweet, but its personality doesn’t overshadow the other ingredients. The chargrilled chicken tocino has notes of pineapple, and there’s added nuance from pickled papaya, a sunny side up egg, cucumber, crema and banana ketchup. The Fattened Caf’s signature sweet and salty longganisa is always available, and the menu usually also features some form of Filipino-style barbecue meat served with delicious garlic rice and sour pickled red cabbage.
Inside Earthbound Beer, 2724 Cherokee St., St. Louis, thefattenedcaf.com
This article appears in March 2024.
