Award-winning Southern Italian restaurant Casa Don Alfonso, inside The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis, at 100 Carondelet Plaza in Clayton, will soon introduce a new concept. Casa Boutique is slated to open this winter, offering handcrafted pastries, espresso beverages and elegant takeaway gifts. Though construction delays have pushed back the full build-out, the team plans to open holiday preorders for their centerpiece desserts, including the Panettone and Yule Log, ahead of the boutique’s official debut.
Nestled within the Casa Don Alfonso lounge, immediately to the left when guests enter and look toward the bar, the boutique will temporarily operate from this cozy corner until construction is complete. Once finished, Casa Boutique will feature a dedicated pastry counter framed in glass, along with a retail display offering imported olive oil, espresso beans, pastas, sauces and other curated Italian goods. Regardless of construction timing, the boutique will remain a permanent fixture in the lounge area.
Designed to evoke the warmth and charm of Sorrento, Casa Boutique will offer delicate Italian pastries, savory sandwiches, seasonal specialties and expertly crafted espresso drinks, all prepared with the same passion and precision that define the restaurant’s celebrated cuisine. “We wanted to create a space that feels like home in Southern Italy,” said Mario Iaccarino, partner of Casa Don Alfonso, who hails from Sorrento, Italy, where his family’s Don Alfonso 1890 restaurant resides. “From the morning croissant to the afternoon espresso and evening pastry box to-go, the Casa Boutique offers guests a way to experience a day-in-the-life of our family’s most cherished traditions.”
A highlight of the new concept is the Whole Cake Collection, a rotating line of elegant, handcrafted cakes ideal for celebrations, gifting, and special occasions. Made with the meticulous attention to detail that defines Casa Don Alfonso’s dessert program, each whole cake is available by preorder with a minimum 72-hour notice.
Holiday offerings will be available through December, including the signature Panettone and the Yule Log Holiday Cake. Holiday ordering is now open, and pick-up begins Dec. 10; all Christmas orders must be placed by Friday, Dec. 19. Preorders may be made by calling the restaurant at 314.719.1496.
When Casa Boutique officially opens this winter, guests can expect fresh breakfast offerings daily from 6:30-10:30 a.m., followed by an all-day menu from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., featuring classic Italian pastries, savory bites and whole-cake preorders.