Alumni Saint Louis

For those of us that have graduated from Jimmy John’s for lunch downtown, Alumni is summa cum laude.
Nestled in the bottom floor of the monstrous Park Pacific building, Alumni shares the corner with a coffee shop, papa john’s, Timmy Horton’s, and Smoothie King; nonetheless it’s by in large much different than its counterparts. There’s nothing really collegiate about the space, just a more adult tone to the environment as you enter the modern space. Large windows allow the perfect opportunity to people-​watch as you can sit in the bar area of the dining room.
Though it boasts a wide array of lunch selections ranging from salads and sandwiches, it appears their specialty may be their burgers. Twice I’ve enjoyed their half pound burgers that are adorned with all the fixins’. They tend to be a little messy but you will never leave empty, maybe with a to-​go box as well.
The only downturn is the bathroom situation, you literally have to walk out of the restaurant and into the Park Pacific to find; it’s quite a hike. Aside from that, I’ll be back.

We met up for drinks before a concert at Scottrade on a Saturday. I liked the place, they did some different things with appetizers, and the salmon dish we had was really good. But the service was pretty terrible. Upon entering, we asked for seat by a window, which the hostess seemed reluctant to do. As it got closer to show time, the place filled up and they were completely overwhelmed by the crowd, to the point we had to get our own drinks from the bar and had to flag down our server just to get our check. It’s hard to blame the servers too much for being overwhelmed, so I’ll cut her some slack, but being a few blocks from a music venue leaves no excuse for a place to be so woefully understaffed if they expect repeat business. I would be reluctant to go back if there is any kind of event going on nearby. I do love the food names though.

Good service from seating to waitress. Food was just ok. Chili was good. The salad with the warm bacon mustard was very bland. Fried appetizers were fine. Ambiance so so.

Nice ambiance, great drink selections, and decent food menu. Definitely a place for a more mature crowd of people in their 30s and 40s. Great for networking and watching the game without having to deal with the 21 to 25 crowd who think people actually want them around. The staff was really cool and attentive, making sure everyone had a drink in front of them and everything they ordered for dinner. The owners may want to consider putting another bar tender on the floor during the weeknight game nights because the one girl working was being pulled in 8 different directions and sometimes we had to wait quite a few minutes for her to make it back to us due to the crowd. Not her fault though. She was going as fast as she could. Overall though I would suggest this place for those wanting to make a good first impression with clients or a date. Definitely dress fairly nice when you go in, otherwise you’ll look like a Ballpark Village Hoosier among those wearing nice jackets and slacks.

Horrific décor. Seriously, it looks like they transplanted the dining room from a one-​star hotel in Wichita.
Plain-​Jane food that reminded me of a highway rest stop. Nothing particularly offensive (though the service managed to be both cloying and slow), but nothing memorable. I’m struggling to remember what I ate.
Nice view of the «park.» Couldn’t someone pay to plant something decent?

The Golden Brett Sampler was delicious. I would almost drive back to STL just for The Championship Rings. These upgraded onion rings are onion slices wrapped in bacon, battered, and then deep fried to perfection. Everything we ordered was an upgrade to the usual fare, The atmosphere is nice; romantic lighting with spacious and comfortable seating. They also have pool and a separate bar area with TVs. The high school alumni theme is subtle but fun, even for us out of towners. Alumni is one of the few eateries open late downtown that isn’t a sports bar, so if you’re looking for a date night, this is a great option.

Yum is all I can say about the steak, service was great played a little pool in the game room

Really nice authentic St. Louis restaurant. If you’re downtown and looking for some local flavor this is your spot.
Extensive menu from soups, salads and pastas to pizza, seafood and a full bar. Plenty of TV’s for your game watching entertainment, pool tables, dart boards and seating for every mood. High-​tops for the high rollers, secluded sofa seating for cuddle buddies, tables for large parties, groups and lunch meetings.
The staff is pleasant and decently attentive. While my initial server was M.I.A., the bartender filled her shoes and made sure I was taken care of in a timely manner.
I went in for Shrimp & Grits but found that it was actually Shrimp & Polenta (listed on the menu as Soulard Shrimp) in a flavorful cajun sauce. While some may argue that polenta and grits are the same thing… I’d highly disagree. Although the dish was enjoyable, I would’ve devoured it had it been served with warm grits. The texture of grits mixed with the succulent shrimp, tangy/​spicy/​semi-​sweet herbs, cheese and sauce combination would have done numbers! The house salad was a delight as well. I particularly appreciated the light vinaigrette tossed in.
Alumni is so Saint Louis. I like it…
~Christy

One of the pretty good spots in St Louis I went to. I was introduced to Toasted raviolis here, otherwise known as «T-​Raz», and they were delicious. I got the sampler plate, which had toasted raviolis (but they were deep fried), deep fried onion rings with bacon, and deep fried provle. I also got fish tacos (the only non deep fried thing, along with fried zucchini, what they are known for. The T-​razes were undoubtedly the best thing here, and seeing how everything was super deep fried, I felt so unhealthy afterwards that I felt like I had let my arteries and well-​being down. The food was all hand-​made they said, and it was pretty good, but wasn’t super delicious that I’m willing to raise my cholesterol a few points.

«Secret weapon» Cubano sandwich was perfectly grilled with awesome flavor.
We enjoyed the May fair salad and the Brock sliders were great!

This is more of a restaurant than a bar, with nice décor and furnishings. Stopped by for lunch while on jury duty on a Wed., before noon, and no crowd at all. Never got to eat the famous Famous Barr onion soup, but they claim to serve the same recipe. It was very tasty. Nice selection of apps, salads, and sandwiches, in a great Art Deco tower that’s been rehabbed for residential. Good place for lunch if in the area.

Great atmosphere whether you sit in the bar or dining room. Staff were very friendly and engaging. Food was scrumptious! Small and creative menu. Prices are reasonable. Convenient downtown location, corner of 13^th and Pine. Definitely coming back.

A friend and I ate here before the Taylor Swift concert because it was close to the venue. Their website even advertised concert-​goers should dine here pre-​show and they had a «blank space» on their reservation list. The restaurant was extremely understaffed and unprepared. With a reservation, our meal took an hour and a half and we were late for the concert. The appetizer (Gus’ pretzel chicken strips – marginal at best), ordered when we sat down, took almost an hour to come out. Our salads came out wrong, and our side never arrived (although it showed up on the bill). I’ve been to Alumni before and the service is never great, but this experience was a fail all the way around.

Just… awful! The Southtown sandwich’s «ciabatta» bun was more a regular, soft, square bun. The onion ring were possibly the worst thing I’ve ever eaten. Don’t let the bacon wrapped deep fried onion lure you in. It was terrible with some burnt bacon and some nearly raw. How does that even happen? The batter was so gooey I could have made it stick to my wall. The toasted ravioli, never again! I grew up on the Hill and come from a family that owns Italian restaurants so I know what I’m talking about. The zucchini fries… burnt!
Never again!

Went to Alumni twice and both of my experiences were the about the same. First time was for dinner on a Saturday night with a friend, 2^nd time was lunch with coworkers. Place was not busy at all both times, which is kinda concerning. The Alumni has so much potential, great location, somewhat posh inside, you can tell they spent some time on the decoration of the premises. I like the atmosphere a lot.
Now onto the food: Their food is really amazing, the menu is diverse. I have always been satisfied with my picks off the menu. The thing that keeps me coming back to this place is the sweet potato fries not listed on the menu. They are the size of toothpicks and are usually served as garnishment on various plates. I have requested them as a full side and the server/​chef always accommodates me. The ones listed on the menu as a side are actually potato chips which I despise. I like how flexible the staff is, they truly care about the satisfaction of the client. I have also enjoyed their seafood (shrimp and crab cakes– these are to die for). Anyone I’ve been there with has really really enjoyed their food as well. Whether it be the burgers, the pizza or the dessert (try the bread pudding– AGHHH), all plates have always been outstanding. The staff definitely puts an emphasis on quality of the food as well as the service!
The Alumni should be more popular than it currently is. I recommend it and will definitely keep patronizing.

Going to give Alumni 4 stars, because the place has some great potential, and they are starting to make some really interesting dishes.
I had the BLT, which unfortunately I was a little disappointed in. The bacon was just way too chewy for me. I prefer a crisp bacon for a BLT. but the bacon they used was top quality, just needed a few minutes in the deep fryer to be more like Crown Candy.
Also had the beer cheese soup, which was a star. Very deep developed flavors in it, and the pretzel on the side was AMAZING.
The Mrs. had the pretzel covered chicken strips, also very, very good, and a huge portion. Don’t let the price scare you away on these, you won’t leave hungry.
Service was fantastic. We’ll be back to try more of their new menu this summer, and suggest you do the same!
*PS-​Pllleaaase bring back calamari! We loved your Calamari salad.

I went for a lunchtime burger based on thier menu. The menu with the various meats and toppings looks like some of the best around. What I got was an average burger with some toppings that didn’t have much flavor. Very disappointing compared to the possibilities. The service was fine.

My first visit is late afternoon on a Tuesday and I am one of two tables here. It’s a nice atmosphere, there is outside seating, and there are trivia cards on the table. That’s a great idea.

We stopped by Alumni on a Tuesday evening around 5:30. While this place seems to not be kid-​friendly from the outside, we decided to attempt a visit with my 3-​year-​old since it was so early on a weeknight. I was pleasantly surprised by how accommodating the staff was, even going so far as to tell us that they’ll make whatever our son wanted off-​menu since they didn’t have a kid’s menu.
We began with the St. Lou-​chetta, their take on bruchetta. It was fantastic — served on a thicker ciabatta-​type bread with a tomato relish, greens, and generous slabs of fresh mozzarella. The drinks were pretty good as well (I opted for the chocolate martini and the others tried two types of Manhattans). The main courses were solid, though nothing close to the appetizer. My burger was enjoyable, though the fries didn’t seem fresh out of the fryer. The beef stoganoff was reportedly solid, and my son annihilated his cheese pizza. I did try some of the pizza and didn’t think it was spectacular — but then again, he ordered a plain cheese one.
The service was very gracious, albeit a tad slow. I put this mostly on our waitress, who was incredibly sweet and polite but kind of flaky. She brought the wrong drink at one point, forgot to do the bacon on my burger, and was just overall somewhat slow. However, the rest of the staff was very present and continually filled our water glasses and such.
All in all, a solid choice downtown. I’d like to try their lunch specials sometime, and I expect I’ll be back for dinner again in the future.

I have been to Alumni twice over the last six months or so. I have to say, I love the space, atmosphere, appetizers, salads, and drinks. Unfortunately, I just don’t think that the entrees quite live up to the billing.
My most recent time here was in January of 2015. First, let me compliment the staff. They were fantastic, fun, charming, and accommodating (we had a three year old with us). The drinks, I had a Manhattan, did not disappoint and was actually the perfect thing following a long day at Court.
We also had a couple appetizers which were both fantastic… maybe my favorite appetizers in the city (would probably be between here and Jax Café in Benton Park).
For an entrée I had the beef stroganoff. While the dish was far from bad, it didn’t quite live up to the rest of the things we had. The meat was a bit too tough and the «sauce» not as flavorful as I had hoped.
All things considered, I am a big fan of Alumni and love its unique spot. I will certainly be back… but I will likely change up my entrée choice.