The Royale

This is another great little bar/​restaurant in south city. We normally go on Sat. afternoon and have lunch on the patio.
There are not a lot of tables inside, so if it’s raining or cold be prepared for a short wait.
The menu is sparse, but everything we’ve had is good.
The music can be a little loud when dining inside and conversation is difficult.
The ambience and waiting staff are good.
Again, this is a decent little joint in south city that is worth your time.

The brisket tacos were the worst tacos I’ve ever had. The meat was disgusting. I’ve been here once before and had a green alcoholic beverage and it was good so I’m thinking the reason for all of the 5 star reviews is because of the drinks and not the food. Very small hipster joint.

The previous reviews are true — you can’t get a table unless you’re ordering dinner, and you’ll be pressured to vacate said table when you put down your fork. There’s some seating at the bar and on the patio for drinking only, but I don’t recommend trying to get a spot for a sizeable group.
Décor is really cool. Menus are a cute, hipstery touch: a printed list presented between old magazine covers. Cocktails are very well-​done. Food was good but not exceptional. Burgers are very good; «grown-​up grilled cheese» could’ve been a bit less buttery. I appreciate choices of sides — not just fries and chips, but vegetables and salads too. The grilled zucchini was perfect.
Some reviews have said this is a great place for a date. In fact, I think their website suggests it’s a good place for a date, or «a place to take your mother to dinner.» Perhaps one of the (very few) booths would have seemed cozy, but I’ve never scored one of those. At one of several tall tables with stools down the middle of the room, even hearing the person across the table is difficult — not a great place for deep and meaningful conversation. And taking my mother? No way she’d be able to hear in there!

HubI decided to write a review because I saw another one that just had bad comments about this place, and it’s just so much better than that.
I’ve been here about 3 times, twice in the last 2 days. I’ve had the MO burger (grass fed), lemon cake with lavender frosting, a salad and brisket tacos. Aaaaalllllll of these items are amazing choices! I ordered a mimosa, it was served with fresh squeezed oj. I’ve actually watched the bar tender juice these oranges before. Someone commented about how the portions are small. I believe these are normal sized human portions. If you’re a big eater, don’t come here. I got grilled zucchini with my 2 brisket tacos today — 4 large slices — which is a perfect portion for this meal. The focus is on the main dish, not the side! I have never left this place hungry or overly full or tired. It is a bit pricey ($ 15-​$ 20 for myself, but I always had one alcoholic bev per meal), but totally worth it for the quality and taste. They have one page in the menu for food options which is PERFECT because having too many options usually kills me. I’ve also heard other customers (at my own place of employment) complain about too many options.
If you’re looking for a promising lunch spot, this is the place. Go out and try it yourself.

Had lunch here and can’t wait to come back and try the cocktails some evening. I liked the décor, the vibe and our server. Although our day was rainy and dreary, the patio looked like it would be nice.
I had the fish tacos and they were solid! Hubby had the BLT and liked it even though the goat cheese was a little overwhelming for the bacon flavor. Sarah had the seasonal salad and sweet potato chips. Everything was good. Excited that this will be a new neighborhood place for our daughter.

Had an excellent experience at the Royale. The food was much better than expected for a little dive like this. I ordered the tacos and they were extremely fresh and full flavored. I couldn’t decided between the beef or fish tacos, so the waiter got me one of each. They were both delicious.
I will definitely east here again. I can imagine that they would get extremely busy on weekends. Not sure if they take reservations or not, but if they do it might be a good idea. We were lucky that we did not have to wait as a couple was just exiting as we arrived there, otherwise the restaurant was full.

What a fun quirky place. The drinks are amazing creative and very good. We had a nice fall day and sat out back on the patio.

Found this place by chance and loved the food, drinks and service. I had the fish tacos with mushroom risotto and my boyfriend got a burger. We both loved our meals. They have so many interesting drinks and our server even gave me the recipe for my drink because I loved it so much. The ambiance is very cool and hipster. We will definitely be back.

Love this place. An old school city saloon with great food. Proprietor Steve Smith and his dad Patrick are neat folks.
He may do another Super Tuesday caucus.

Really not a fan of this bar. The servers tend to carry themselves with an odd air of self-​importance. As soon as I walk in the door, the bartenders and patrons alike are immediately assessing if I’m «hipster» enough to be worthy of «their» establishment. And they don’t carry AB products! I can appreciate a good craft beer along with any other gal — but this is STL! Don’t give me some pompous attitude when I try to order an AB product. Overall, this place is just trying too hard to fit a square peg into a round hole. You’re a south city dive bar, stop trying be something more. Either serve me a damn bud light without the judgement, or I’m out the door (along with half the other drinkers in STL).

Fantastic, boozy cocktails for cheap, ranging from creative (and boozy) seasonals to unique spins on the (boozy) classics (e.g., corpse reviver, sazerac, various martinis, etc.). The bartenders are friendly, and the laidback ambience is conducive to good conversation.
I went on a Friday once and also enjoyed the experience – significantly more hipsters and a really great DJ controlling the music, which remained background-​level volume.

Yes. Just YES! Sign me up for coming here every weekend.
I will come back for the cocktails and the fish tacos several more times before I move away from St. Louis. The cocktails are creative and very reasonably priced. Their bartenders are very good at helping you pick out which drinks you might like. Years ago, when I was a freshly minted legal drinker, I came to this place having NO IDEA what to order at a bar. I was considering the college classic, a rum and coke, and then decided to ask the bartender what I should try. He asked me a few questions and then suggested that I try a cocktail with gin. I had never had a gin-​containing cocktail before and I thought I would hate it, but lo and behold, it was incredible and I have liked gin cocktails ever since.
Just a note– they have a dessert that’s a boozy chocolate cake. It’s fantastic, but if you’re not a huge fan of Bailey’s, don’t get this dessert. Alternatively, ask them to «go light on the booze,» because it’s quite strong at the bottom otherwise.

I’ve been coming to The Royale for years and I love it. Their menu is limited, but the food is good nonetheless. Their cocktail list is solid, and they make the classics very well. Their rye old fashioned is one of the best in the city.
Some reviews mention bad service. That hasn’t been the case anytime I’ve gone. They’re all very knowledgeable, extremely approachable, and appropriately attentive.

A great place! Stopped in for dinner the other day on the way to the Botanical Gardens. We had the hamburger with side of string beans and the brisket tacos – both were very good. The burger tasted home-​made, and the brisket tacos were very tasty (sweet potato chips were good as well). Has a great bar-​type atmosphere, appeared to be clean with hip décor. They also had a great beer and cocktail selection. Would go back for either drinks or food (or both).

Very good. We’ve been for drinks before several times. They have a great selection. And the outdoor patio is great. I love all the hipster crafty elements inside also. First time for lunch. It was very good. We will be back for sure.

I need to return for a full experience of The Royale. I was so inclined to try it out that I opted for take-​out. I ordered a house salad with goat cheese; I love goat cheese. The salad was large and packed great flavor drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette.
The bar tender took my order and was super nice. Although I didn’t have a drink I recognized the alcohol options and can tell you this place would be a great happy-​hour or date night out.
They had tall booths for a private seating feel.
The restroom was nostalgic and clean; but tiny. Two turns inside the closet size relief area and your dizzy.
I’ll be bach

This is one of my favorite places in the city. It’s kind of a dive, but not quite. It has a homey, neighborhood bar feel, but it attracts people from all over. The place is incredibly hip, but you don’t have to be a hipster or yuppie to enjoy it. It’s simply a laid back, great bar.
If you’re in the mood for a great cocktail or beer they accomodate those requests exceptionally well. The bartenders are extremely knowledgable of their craft. The beer selection is like, really good, man. The drafts rotate constantly. They also have some obscure bottles to choose from. On the other hand, you can also get a can of stag here on the cheap. So that’s nice, too. If you’re hungry, the food is pretty decent and reasonably priced.
There is a really nice patio with a fire pit out back. There is plenty of bike parking out front. There’s a lot of space to park your car, too.
I first got hooked on this place after coming on a sunday night with a friend. He had just gotten out of a long term relationship. I was expecting to just talk over some beers. Well we got there and realized that there was a special cocktail menu available on sunday nights. It was probably 10 pages or so of classic prohibition era cocktails with slight variations on each. The variations were based on the preferences of historic figures. It was a little excessive to have such a long menu, but it was so interesting – and really impressive that someone would put such a thing together. Anyway, to make a long story short (er) we bonded over a bunch of great cocktails, both went home pretty tipsy, and i was late for work the next morning (¹⁰⁄₁₀ would do that again). I’ve been coming back ever since.
I’ve made a lot of memories at the Royale. I hope it becomes a part of your Saint Louis story, too.

This place not only has fantastic food, but it’s a great late night hangout after bars with awesome drinks, a bunch of cool people and an amazing patio and bar! I have been here for lunch, dinner and to simply hang out after going out! I’ve had a wrap, a burger, a salad and the to die for chili (caution hot)! Drink specials are usually on point and I can’t complain about how friendly and lovely the staff is that works there! This last time I was there my friends and I were there for a birthday gathering and we stayed until closing, the patio fire was blazing and music was playing, it was a beautiful night! I even left my phone there and they kept it safe until I could pick it up the next morning! I am thankful for places like this close to where I live, this is one of my go to spots!

I had the veggie wrap and lemon lavender cake for dessert. The wrap was all right and the cake was good (but I’m a sucker for desserts and basically anything sweet).
However, the food menu is only one page, compared to the drink menu, which was the whole rest of the menu book. This could be awesome if you’re into it, but I’m not too big of a beer drinker and I’m only *occasionally* a wine or cocktail drinker… and only if it involves something sweet and/​or fruity. Are you sensing the pattern here? I’m sure there are drinks like that on the menu, but that night, I didn’t feel like getting one, so I can’t speak to that.
Anyway, I would come here to hang out with friends because the atmosphere is fun, especially in the outdoor patio area. Honestly, I would probably eat before heading out there, but I’d be interested in checking out their drinks.

Apparently I’m one of the few people who doesn’t just flip my wig over the Royale. I was here on a Saturday evening, and it have a moderate amount of business for St Louis restaurant. I walked in, sat down at a two top that had a little bitty sign that said reserved for dining. I wasn’t quite sure what that meant… Until I saw the menu. There is one page of food, and about 5 more pages of drinks. Granted, the drinks seem crafted and well thought out… To be a nice drinking establishment with a patio.
I don’t know that I would necessarily classify this as a restaurant. I ordered the Cuban and we also got the grilled cheese. Both sandwiches are on the small side, especially since they were at least $ 10 a piece. Both sandwiches were good… I will give the Royale that. They do make some tasty food. It would just be nice if you had more than four or five options. I was also pretty disappointed in my side. I ordered the grilled zucchini, & I got 6 pieces. Exactly 6 pieces of zucchini. It had a nice char, some nice grill marks, but not much seasoning and a very small portion. It definitely has a «hipster» vibe to it… The other reviewers are not wrong in saying that. Good thing I have a nose ring so I felt like I fit in… kind of.
Another thing that I found randomly off-​putting was the language of the bartenders and wait staff. The amount of cuss words flowing around was pretty surprising. Don’t get me wrong, I cuss like a sailor and I don’t get offended… At anything… But I was just taken aback at the fact that the bartenders could use such language at such a loud volume.
The décor is kitschy, the food is just ok, and they don’t have crap for parking. But it seems like a nice place to go if you’re hanging out with some friends, especially if a few of you are serious drinkers.