Tripel

The beer selection was amazing and the food was delicious. I came on a night that wasn’t too busy. A great place to relax and enjoy good food and great beers.

Went here with a party of 5 fairly late in the evening. Not too busy. It has a dark, fairly old school fancy but not too fancy feel.
The service was good, promptly seated and waited on (though honestly there weren’t many in the place.
The menu is fairly simple but seemed mislabeled? At least the categories were. Appetizers were under the heading of Entrée? Annoying but not a deal breaker. Ordered drinks, a few got cocktails that were pretty good. I got a little annoyed because no where on their drink menu did they list what whiskey, bourbon, or scotchs they had available. The waitress did not know what they offered so after two rounds of asking if they had something and her having to walk away and talk to the bar tender to see if they had it I finally found a winner. I will say though they gave me a very generous glass. Charged me only $ 8 dollars for what would have been a triple and most other places.
Food came out. My wife had their beef tartar. It was good, nothing to write home about but satisfying. I had their elk and it was more of that same attitude, this is good but I’ve been to better places.
Overall I wouldn’t be opposed to going back, nice setting for a date. Food is good not great.

Do you enjoy «chilled» mashed potatoes? How about a pork chop with the girth and toughness of an NFL linebacker’s calf muscle? What about pretentious french fries… I’m sorry pomme frites?
If so you hit the jackpot my friend! An overpriced smörgåsbord of less than mediocre delicacies await you at this new establishment. To be fair, the mussels here are tres bon, but that’s about it. Sorry chef, if you Tripel the flavor maybe we’ll come back.

Pros: Extensive beer selection, interior design and atmosphere is awesome, pork chop highly recommended, on not so busy days very relaxed dining and great service
Cons: Menu is ok. There were a few items that were less than mediocre, including painfully oversalted frites and mussles that were still closed (bad mussles you are not supposed to eat). I have been to Belgium several times and of course the mussles there were a thousand times better.

Came here on a Saturday date night and really enjoyed ourselves. The food was delicious — the steak tartar and bone marrow were fantastic. I had the Stoofvlees which was great if you’re a meat’n-potatoes kinda person. She had the Moules Specialite Maison and Frites. The homemade mayonnaise for the frites was absolutely delicious. We could have taken some of that home — that’s how great it was!
The drinks were delish as well — great craft cocktails. We’ll definitely be back!!!

Slide over two star, slide over three star… I CAN’T DECIDE! 2 seems a little TOO negative, while 3, with the description of A-​OK, seems a little too much.
To the point–
I enjoyed checking out the new place, and galavanting around on the extensive beer menu– but the food did not, by any amount, blow me away.
Onion Soup– It was good! I think I used the remainder of the bread basket to sop it up.
Antelope– Ok, I’m glad I ventured out and tried it– but seriously– this is not worth all of the rave reviews. I ordered it medium rare, and it was just ok. A great way to describe it is a much less flavorful steak, and tougher. The little potatoes it came with were great though!
Mussels– IF I were to go back some day, this is what I would get. This and lots of bread to swirl around in its goodness. My date got them in what I think was white wine sauce. Definitely a screw up not getting these! Ok, so maybe I will give the place another shot. But don’t screw up– Get the mussels.

I love Mussels, beer and Pommes Frites. My previous review for Tripel showed my love for these culinary delights and was selected as a Unilocal ROTD. When I saw this honor had been bestowed upon me, I knew I had to return and celebrate.
This night I enjoyed a nice blonde brew, Affligem. It was a good accompaniment to both our Toost Kanniball (steak tartare) and my A la Chouffle with Cracked Pepper (Mussels). I’ve now experienced three of their six offerings of Mussels and can’t wait to try the other three.
The steak tartare is one of the finest I have had in the St. Louis area. It was so good lightly spread on a crostini with a slither of dill pickle and a smear of spicy mustard.
As stated in my original review, I love shucking all the mussels first, so I can enjoy the mussels at a steady pace. I am a pepper fan, I use more pepper then salt on all my food, so these mussels with «cracked pepper» got two thumbs up from me.
If you enjoy Mussels as much as I do, I highly recommend you visit Tripel. I also recommend sitting at the bar if you’re a party of two. It is comfy, cozy and the bartenders not only provide good service, but they’re entertaining as well.
When: 11, JAN 2014
Why: Celebrating my ROTD

We swung by for some drinks and were not disappointed. They make artisan cocktails (with price to match of course) that may be just a tad on the sweet side (more from the bitters vs cheap syrup thank god) for the gents but with well balanced notes nonetheless. I had to get the «Smoke Wagon» to wrap up the night: a delicious and fun bourbon drink served with encapsulated smoke that had just the right hint of sweetness and woodiness. Fab!
I can’t wait to come back to try the food.

Stopped in here on a Sunday afternoon, post brunch. Such a wonderful surprise!
I started off with the Crème Brûlée, which was okay… not the best I’ve ever had, not the worst a solid dessert with good flavor.
Had the three Lambics that they offer… started with the Raspberry (the one on tap) this one was my favorite, absolutely delicious, full of fruity flavor, just a burst of sunshine in your mouth! I could have sat there all day drinking that and eating mussels! For those of you that enjoy Lambics they offer Raspberry (tap & bottled) and bottled Peach and Cherry choices… all are great!
I could not leave there without trying the mussels! I opted to go the traditional route and get the ones cooked in white wine, garlic & herbs. They are served with frites (they serve the thick cut frites) and they’re house made mayo.
The only critical point I must bring up, is the day we stopped by there was this really odd smell wafting through the restaurant… almost sewer like. Really was a bit off putting, but I had heard so many great things about the restaurant that I didn’t have the heart to turn around. Hopefully it was just a bad day, I’ll report back after my next visit ;-)

Add me to the 5-​star Tripel bandwagon. This place rocks. Food, atmosphere, and service are all on-​point.
I’m glad I took the recommendations of the escargot & marrow appetizer ($ 12). It was worth it for the presentation alone. Having a giant bone perfectly sawed in half and stuffed with goodies on your plate is awesome. And if you have a dog, your server can wrap it up for you to take home. That’s cool.
I may have discovered the perfect winter comfort food in their Flemish beef stew ($ 21). It’s a good take on meat and potatoes — tender seasoned chunks of beef and gravy served on top of hearty fries. Wait until you try one of those gravy-​soaked fries… It’s a bit pricey but you get a large portion. Two people can probably split this and a salad and be satisfied.
The pork chop ($ 26) was easily twice as thick as any I’d ever seen before. (pause) Perfectly cooked. Deeply infused with delicious flavors. Came with some great mashed potatoes w/​diced carrot & celery.
I barely delved into the drinks menu, which is an entire universe on its own. Great fancy cocktails, huge selection of bottled Belgian beers you probably won’t find anywhere else, large diverse draft selection, and fancy sour/​sweet beers. Our server had some great recommendations.
And later on in the night, they started playing 90s R&B. That is the true definition of «as good as it gets»

My fiancé and I experienced Tripel with a Livingsocial deal for a 4 course chef’s tasting with beer pairings. In reality, it was more like a 5 course meal with a bonus dessert to take home to eat later!
We came a bit early and had a few drinks at the bar. There were several fantastic bar tenders on duty. All of them were very talented at their craft and took the time to explain some of the neat things they do to create their cocktails. They have a wonderful set up with liquid nitrogen, fresh fruit for zests and peels, a smoker, 6 types of ice cubes, etc. Everything has a purpose, and every purpose truly helps to create fantastic cocktails. I had a Pims Coupe and my date had a Tripel Fashioned. These were great!
We proceeded to our table for the tasting. A beautiful table setting awaited with a fresh flower and candle. A basket of fresh breads with accompanying butter, mustard, salt and pepper. The first course was oysters, one from the West Coast and the other from the East. It was paired, along with the following 2 courses, with the Karmeliete Tripel. This beer is fantastic!
The second course (my fav.) was the mussels. I just happen to love mussels, so I was in heaven! The third course was a french onion soup with potatoes. It was delicious and savory.
The main course was a New York Strip Steak and Frites. The Frites were shaped like steak fries but better than your average steak fry. The steak was prepared with a gravy. I honestly, wasn’t as impressed with the steak as the rest of the meal. But I think this speaks more to the quality of the other courses than to the quality of the steak. The main course was perfectly paired with a Gulden Draak 9000. It was sweet and delicious.
Finally, we had a crème brûlée for the dessert course. It was great, but by this point I was unable to truly eat it all. This course was paired with the raspberry St. Louis Framboise.
We were able to have a tour of the Kitchen where we met Max, the Chef.
It was a great deal and a great way to experience a bit of everything that Tripel has to offer. I highly recommend Tripel! It has not only delicious food, but the cocktails and beer selection is top notch!

Really enjoyed Tripel. We headed over after not one but two consecutive work holiday parties so I was… there by the time we got there.
Interior kicked ass. Staff was fantastic. dI specifically promise to give a shout out to our server, Luc. He was great and may have been the lead singer of an Indie band. He really was excellent. Prices were fine. Vibe was great. Chocolate Milk stout from 4Hands is dope. So good.
This is a hipster haven but I am into that. Restrooms are through a door and hallway which reminded me of Delmar Gardens or something, so be sure you know where you are headed if you are straight drunk and have to pee.

I came here for happy hour with a group of people. The drink I had was really good even though I don’t remember what I got.
We ordered SO MUCH FOOD and the mussels were so good. There were quite a few different broths which were all delicious!
I decided we also needed the bone marrow. When it came out, everyone got so excited by the presentation! I wanted it all for myself but since it was a group sharing sort of situation, I made bites for everyone. I’ve been craving more bone marrow since.
I definitely want to come back here to get drinks with a smaller group!

Pros:
Beautiful space in a beautiful neighborhood.
Fantastic beer — the Trappe was amazing, a religious experience.
A fun, lively crowd.
Excellent oysters and mussels.
The management clearly appreciates the Belgian and Flemish dishes and beers.
Cons:
Super slow service at the restaurant. We sat down at 7:20 pm, and I left at 9:30 before our full dinner had been served. My wife stayed and reported it took another hour for the rest of the dinner plus check and a quick kitchen tour.
The entrée was a Ponderosa-​style tenderized steak with fresh-​cut fries. The fries were delicious, as fresh-​cut fries generally are. The steak had been soaked in MSG to soften it up, which was evidence that it started off as a too-​tough-​to-​serve grade of meat, or maybe the last place finisher at Fairmount Park. Either way it was obvious this was a portion-​packed, mass produced steak like they serve at Ponderosa, Ryan’s, Old Country Buffet etc. and not up to the standards of this place.
I can write off the service as «European-​paced», but the steak was pretty much unforgivable. Even so, the other menu items which were unavailable to us have much more potential, and everything else about this place shouts «local treasure». I am close to being a fan, and will be back to try it again some day.

Located in the old Firehouse restaurant space, Tripel is a great addition to the Lafayette Square neighborhood. They did a fantastic job gutting the place and bringing old world Belgium and new world style together. I LUV the bar, the professional drinks with fresh squeezed juices, the frites, the monk fish, the stews, and many of the other items that end up on the changing Belgian themed menu. Not a fan of the big pots that the mussels are served in because it’s hard to get to the broth with bread (my favorite part). Tripel has very friendly bartenders that always guarantee a good time. I come here often.

A welcome addition to the Lafayette area.
Tripel is a great neighborhood hangout with palatable dishes.
We dined on a weeknight, and while we were seated promptly, the place was completely full, so I suppose we were fortunate to avoid a wait. Our server was excellent, and we were even greeted by the GM.
We ordered the…
Bibb Salad– the bacon and egg were great with this, but it felt a bit empty and plain
Mussels, provencales– large pot of mussels, great for sharing amongst a couple people
Flourless Chocolate cake– oh so disappointing. why would you taunt me with this? Just dry and sad.
I would come back here to eat lots of mussels, people watch, and drink. But, I’d probably stick with entrees I was assured were consistent.

+ Creative cocktails
+ Industrial chic décor — great date night spot
+ Ingenious use of ingredients and flavors
The newest foodie haven in Lafayette Square has taken over the space previously occupied by the Lafayette Fire Company No. 1. Tripel has taken this space and revamped it into a sultrily-​lit restaurant/​bar with a bit of an industrial chic feel. You walk in and your entire field of vision is filled with the bar that stretches along almost the entire length of the back wall of the space, with several bartenders in a row busy at work crafting their libations. The space makes you feel like you’re not even in Saint Louis — it feels like a space I could find in San Francisco, Chicago, or even NYC. Except it’s tucked away in Lafayette Square and it’s the perfect addition to the cute surrounding neighborhood. Perfect date night spot.
Libations: 8 cocktails on the menu, wine by the glass/​bottle, and a generous beer list should suit all palates. The cocktails are creative variations of known classics, e.g. the Tripel Fashioned (rum, cognac, orange + chocolate Angostura bitters, sorghum foam). I tried the H.D.Y. (rye, green chartreuse, St. Germain, orange flower water, lemon zest), which unfortunately I did NOT like — the green chartreuse was overpowering and the drink had too much of a medicinal taste. Our waitress was kind enough to switch out my drink for me without charge. I rarely send drinks back due to personal dislike, but this cocktail was undrinkable to me. I replaced it with the POIVRON ROUGE, which was unbelievably amazing. Made with gin, catron ginger, simple syrup, lemon juice, and fresh red pepper, it had just the right amount of subtle spicy kick, sweetness, and tartness. It was so good, we spent a good 10 minutes discussing and debating over what kind of pepper and preparation was used in making the drink. We eventually asked a bartender on the way out — they muddle in a fresh red bell pepper, which mixed with the ginger, curiously contributes all of the spiciness of the drink — no traditionally spicy peppers were used!
Food:
–MOULES a la MARINIERE: Good ‘ol classic mussels in a white wine shallot broth — can’t go wrong with a classic preparation as such, served with crusty buttered bread.
–CAILLES: The STAR of our choices of the night. The best quail I have ever had — it was entirely succulent and tender with just the right amount of crispiness on the outside. I am always amazed when quail is done to perfection as it is so easy to ruin such a small bird. The braised red cabbage with apples on the side gave a subtle sweetness to the savory bird.
–BLINDE VINKEN: I have never had veal in such a preparation before — I was pleasantly surprised with the creative presentation. A veal cutlet is stuffed with «beef farce» which seems like well-​seasoned quality ground beef. The light tomato sauce accompanied it well. The dish was meaty and filling without being heavy or fatty.
4 stars only because the service was a bit sporadic and slow — our waitress didn’t seem super knowledgeable about the menu and served a few parties who were seated after us before she took our orders. I do appreciate that she was willing to take the first drink I ordered off our tab though.
I must come back to try EVERYTHING on the menu.

I am seriously lacking in my reviews lately, silly life getting in the way and all, but I wanted to take a moment to write my review for the newest restaurant in my neighborhood, Tripel. I have been anxiously waiting for Tripel to open since they started construction and was curious to see how they were planning on transforming the previous Fireman’s bar. J and I went without a reservation on a weekend evening and were happy to be able to snatch a table in the bar area. I am so glad we did because it gave me a chance to see the beautiful transformation of the inside. Unlike the previous restaurant in the same spot, they were able to utilize all of the space beautifully with different levels of tables, partitions, etc. My favorite part of the transformation though was the extra long, gorgeous bar they installed.
I don’t remember what cocktails we had (there were quite a few) but I do remember I was impressed by each one. J had a problem with one of his drinks that was made incorrectly and service was fast and polite to replace. We were both in the mood for mussels but different kinds (of course) so we each got a separate order. Let’s just say I had no idea each order was 2 full pounds. They were phenomenal and the tomato broth I had was soaked up perfectly by my side of bread. I ate until I was perfectly satisfied and still had a rather large amount of mussels left.
From the moment I walked in the door the service was polite, friendly and efficient and I loved the warm, elegant atmosphere inside. I will definitely be walking up there for many evening cocktails for sure.

Wow! What a space… The new restaurant Tripel is centrally located in Lafayette Square with an enormous inside space and a few outside tables and chairs. My friend and I decided outside on the lovely summer evening we had. We ordered a lot of wine, beer and pomme frittes. The pomme frittes were really delicious, they were served with a house made mayo, ketchup and spicy mustard. They were thicker than a typical «pomme fritte» but wow were they good.
I also had the tomato with the shrimp, it was really yummy but a little rich. I didn’t realize it had cream sauce on top of the shrimp that is stuffed inside the tomato. It was really good, I would recommend it if you like shrimp and tomato.
I had as my main the mussels and they were decent. I was not overly impressed with the mussels, but the sauce I had was good — it just needed more! More sauce on your mussels is always better.
I also brought home the cheesecake special for my husband and he devoured it in just a few seconds. I will be back to Tripel! With high hopes and more drunken evenings :)

First of all, the interior décor gives everything this soft romantic feel, you definitely get the feel of that of a restaurant that would be in a foreign country and not something typical you would find on a corner — more the less of your typical micro brewery. Went there for a date night and it was a perfect spot.
1. Get the Tripel Karmeliet. It’s the best thing they have there and they run out of it a lot — with good reason.
2. Any of the meat dishes, even if you can’t pronounce them, will not be served to you dry and/​or chewy — expect your meat to be cooked properly and not dry in any way.
I ordered the Amish half chicken and it was delicious — my date was raving about the Stoofvlees.
Secondly, the service is never sub-​par even when they are busy.
I was here opening night and a few times since and will continue to return and tell others about this place.
A definite favorite new spot.