The Key Burger Bar and Boogie is bringing globally inspired smash burgers and a whole lot of fun to Midtown. The restaurant, located at 3225 Olive St., is the newest venture from the Kranzberg Arts Foundation; their hope is that The Key will be a place for everyone to enjoy delicious food and great music with a splash of sports bar vibes thrown in.
When guests enter The Key, they’re greeted with a fast-casual restaurant set-up reminiscent of a sports bar, with TVs playing local games and a host of food specials, from dailies to game days. The food menu focuses on smash burgers, with extensive specialty burgers and build-your-own options available. They’ve also got fries, wings, tacos and an extensive list of homemade sauces. “All of the food that we’re bringing in: delicious, high-level, easy to eat, easy to love,” general manager Honora Kinsella said. Kinsella runs the day-to-day operations at The Key, along with kitchen manager Joshua Miller. Their menu is full of local flavor; the meat comes from Price Family Farms, which is based in Troy, Missouri. One of the fan-favorite burgers is the Magic Mushroom, featuring layers of burger patties with Swiss and Gouda cheese, garlic mayo and mushrooms from Ozark Forest. “A good smash burger has that crunchy little meat skirt, and is still a juicy patty,” Kinsella said. The Key also gets toasted ravioli from STL Toasted, which designed a unique dessert just for The Key: The Key Lime Ravs. These sweet ravioli are stuffed with a creamy filling and topped with powdered sugar. For anyone wondering if this combination works: it does, and it works very well.
The cocktail menu takes St. Louis pride to a whole other level. The “City Drinks” list features drinks like the #12 and #9, designed after players on City SC and named by their jersey number. The #9 is a favorite, featuring local ingredients like Encrypted Vodka and San Luigi Garden Amaro, plus lemon, honey syrup and orange bitters. The cocktail is smooth, bright and a fresh addition to a hearty burger meal. Another section of the cocktail menu features Caribbean classics, an homage to the communities that call the area home. Kinsella described St. Louis as a beautiful melting pot of cultures, which The Key strives to reflect in their menu and their space. “You’re building and fostering this great community by being in the community,” Kinsella said. “It’s really rewarding.”
Right next door to the restaurant space for The Key is The Boogie, a live music venue and event space, which also has a gallery annex in the back. Kinsella’s job as general manager includes booking the bands and events that take over The Boogie. “It’s just really cool how malleable the space is,” she said. The Boogie often features the best of the party and dance bands in the area, covering every genre from alt-rock to jazz. “I am in the mentality, say yes more than I ever say no,” Kinsella said of what kinds of events they’ll host. “I like to say yes.” In the new year, she’s looking forward to trivia nights, live karaoke and bachata dance classes.
The Kranzberg Arts Foundation has 24 different facilities across the St. Louis region, all with a mission to provide an infrastructure for the arts. “[We turn] blight into beauty, vacancy into vibrancy, and connect wealth and equity to low-to-moderate income artists,” said Chris Hansen, the executive director of KAF. The foundation strives to build up the community based on feedback from the community itself, which is what Hansen said happened with The Key. The buildings at 3225 Olive St. have been many things over the years and were almost demolished before KAF bought the property in 2024. The Key is another connection point for KAF’s visual arts initiative, Walls off Washington. The program aims to beautify St. Louis’ alleyways with murals, increasing walkability and civic pride while promoting the work of local artists and the biggest names in the art world. While The Key stays aligned with KAF’s goal of supporting the arts, it’s also an accessible way for any St. Louisan to enjoy themselves. “We have to be art first,” Hansen said. “Once we nail that, then we can start wrapping around all these patron amenities, and that includes great food and beverage.”
Check out The Key every day of the week except Tuesdays; the kitchen is open until 10 p.m. weeknights and midnight on the weekends. The team is ready to show off an authentic and delicious St. Louis experience.