Newstead Tower Public House

So Newstead Tower Gastropub is closing and the Steph says to me, «Andy, we need to go before they close. They were nominated the Riverfront Times 2008 best burger.»
So I says, «I’m down with burgers.»
We show up at about 7pm and were told the wait was about half an hour. WAY longer than I’d stay normally, but they’re going out of business, so fine, we’ll stay.
Around 7:30pm we’re seated and place some orders. No honey mustard? No Barbecue sauce? You’re out of bacon? Ok, I understand you’re going out of business and you don’t restock as much as you used too… fair enough, let’s get some fries, rarebit and burgers.
Around 8:00pm we get a ridiculously small amount of run-​o-​the-​mill steak fries (pomme frites). The rarebit we got came in a container similar in size to an ENORMOUS thimble. All for the low, low price of $ 8 dollars. Yikes.
Now all we had left to eat was the burgers.
8:20pm — we tried a few different draft beers while we waited.
8:45pm — ordered second round of drinks
9:05pm– After noticing that two tables whom had been seated AFTER us were finishing their meals, we inquired about our GD food. The waiter, while polite, only smiled and said that with their operations shutting down in the near future they had been gearing down production and had not expected such a turn out. He apologized and said he’d do what he could.
In the meanwhile, another server, whom I can only assume was a manager of some sort, came out and did her best to compensate for the horrendous service. She offered to comp some of our drinks and she explained that their primary chef and a significant portion of the wait staff had left– moved on to greener pastures– and they had called in every favor they could to make it through this last week of operation.
I appreciated her condolences and frankness– but I didn’t feel it made up for anything.
Around 9:15pm, after another couple of heated conversations with our original waiter, our burgers finally came out. They were dry, tasteless and lukewarm– obviously rushed out in an attempt to appease us.
The total on the check came out to about $ 50 (that’s after a round of drinks had been discounted).
I understand that you’re going out of business. I can understand that things are hectic because you’re not restocking products and your primary chef left and you’ve been slammed by surprise onslaught of customers wanting to get in their last taste of Newstead before you close.
But if this is the last taste you manage to leave us with, maybe you should have closed a week earlier? Just sayin’ …

This place SUCKS. Let me tell you why.
1. Me and Andy came tonight. It’s their last week. It was crowded, but that was understandable — it’s their last week, after all!
2. After waiting about 20 minutes for a table, we were seated. We ordered a couple of beers, and everything was good. So far, so good.
3. We order an appetizer. Pommes frites with rarebit. After about 20 minutes, it came out. Not enough fries. The rarebit was nasty. But the fries were good, so I was still happy at this point.
4. Newstead is known for their burgers, so I ordered one. I ordered it cooked MEDIUM, with a fried egg on top, as well as bacon and pepperjack cheese. The waiter warned me that their version of ‘medium’ was a little pinker than most other places. I secretly get a little happy inside, because HEY, maybe a restaurant will cook my burger RIGHT for once!
We place our orders and wait. And wait.
And wait some more. Two tables are seated after us. They order their appetizer and burgers. They eat their appetizer and burgers.
We still wait. No food.
Finally, I call the waiter over and politely ask him what the FUCK is going on with our order. He tries (fails) to placate me, and simply says our order is on the way. Andy suggests just paying for our drinks and leaving. I’m still holding out hope that the burger will be worth it and want to stay.
Finally, about 90 minutes after we sit down, we get our burgers. I bite into it. The ciabatta bun is HARD. The burger is, too. Where’s my medium cooked burger? This is well-​done. It’s dry and hard. Ugh.
This sad excuse for a restaurant didn’t have any barbecue sauce, so it was just me and this sad, dry burger. I was starving, and I managed to choke down half of it before I decided that it wasn’t worth the calories.
I can’t remember the last time I had service this bad at a restaurant. Listen, I understand that you’re busy, and I don’t mind waiting for my food. But when TWO tables come in after us and order the exact same thing and get their food BEFORE us? That’s when I start to get upset.
So while I’m sad to see a St. Louis restaurant shut its doors, I can’t say that I’ll be shedding any tears over Newstead. Sorry.

Newstead has been on my «must-​try» list for just about forever. I am a big fan of the Royale and Bleeding Deacon and this seemed to be a place kind of in the vain of those places, and it is. Except that it’s not quite as good.
On the surface I definitely dig this place. It’s a bit small inside but very nicely setup, they have a GREAT beer selection, and an excellent menu that focuses on fresh, local ingredients.
It just didn’t turn out quite as good as I was expecting. I went with the fish & chips and they were definitely good. Just not all that great. I had a couple of bites of Joanna T’s burger and it was good, but I wasn’t blown away by that either. Don’t get me wrong, the meal was good but I guess I was just expecting… more. Especially considering the RFT gave Newstead the prostegious best burger award.
The service was excellent but it was pretty quiet early on a Friday night. I enjoyed the vibe but everything was fairly low key. So I think Newstead may be a victim of unreasonably high expectations on my part. If I were a random traveler and stumbled across this place I would be thrilled. It’s also that I live closer to several gastropubs that I kind of prefer to this one.
So that’s not to say I don’t like it here, if I lived in the Grove I would definitely be a regular. I will be back but let’s just say it won’t be a huge priority.
By the way, although I’m a beer guy, the French Coq is highly tasty and recommended. And yes, that’s pronounced like you think it is.

I want to give a 3.5, but bumped to a 4 for the great service.
I’ll start with the positives: my food. I got the mussels, which were very nicely done. The thing I tend not to like when ordering mussels at a restaurant is too high of a butter quotient. I’m going to say it. I really don’t like the taste of butter. Fine. Jeer all you want. I’m not ashamed. But I totally understand if you no longer trust me as an American. These mussels were swimming in the perfect magic white wine, herb, garlic magic that I love. I also got the arugula salad that came with red wine marinated mushrooms, roasted potatoes, and probably some other things I can’t remember. It was the perfect accompaniment to the mussels, very flavorful, and tossed with just the right amount of vinaigrette. Standard glass of Chard was great with this meal.
The not-​quite-​as-​positives: I agree with others that have reservations about the «gastropub» billing here because it does seem to me that this is an upscale bar with upscale, locally-​garnered bar food. You say «gastropub,» you can upcharge a bit. I truly do appreciate locally sourcing your ingredients. But $ 3.50 for a PBR can? The other thing I noticed was the high hipster quotient/​vibe. Not a fan, but I’ll deal with it for another chance at those mussels.

I’m a huge, huge, huge fan of Five… so I don’t know why I was so pleasantly surprised by Newstead. These people obviously know what they’re doing.
We went yesterday for a late lunch/​early dinner (let’s call it Linner) — so we almost had the place to ourselves. Our waiter, Josh, was extremely pleasant and was more than happy to turn the high-​def TV to the PGA Championship — so the boy could gaze lovingly above my head while I watched the bar TV playing Star Wars. Sweet, sweet romance.
I had the fish & chips — a hefty portion that did not disappoint. It was served with a «pickle mayonnaise,» which was the perfect complement to both the fish and chips — so no need for the homemade ketchup.
The boy had the hamburger, medium rare, which he said was very tasty. He also requested a side of their homemade mustard, which had a nice spicy kick to it.
Just like Five, Newstead uses ingredients from local farmers — a nice touch in a world overrun with nondescript and/​or chain restaurants.
We went on a Sunday, so can beers were half price. I love O’Fallon Wheach — but even more so when it’s cheap! They also had a deal on a fried chicken dinner for two — which looked like a winner when served to the couple next to us.
I’m still waiting for the Grove to be revitalized… but in the neighborhood’s defense, they did have an old guy buzzing around the streets on a golf cart with an orange «Security» vest, so they’re making an effort.
We’ll definitely visit Newstead again!

I’m really digging the Gastro Pub thing that is going on in STL. I think the concept is just perfect for saint Louisans. I was excited to finally try the food at NTPH because it bills itself as a Gastropub and in the Grove area I thought I was in for a treat.
But after reviewing the menu, and observing the food, i quickly realized that there was not enough Gastro in this pub. The menu was small, which is totally fine, but I think the owners assume that locally grown and farm raised food at high prices means gastro. I might be wrong, but to me, a gastro pub should serve a high quality of eccentric-​ish food that you don’t get at bars.
Where was the pizzaz? Where were the ooh la la dishes? All I saw was a grilled chicken sandwich, a portabella sandwich and a burger. Yes, my burger was super good, but as other reviewers have said, I can get a good burger anywhere.
And, I would have given props on the beer selection but to my horror I saw PBR cans listed for I think it was 2.50 or 3.50 or more a can… whichever it was I remember it being the same price as a Schlafly pint… WHUT?
Also, there wasn’t much of a bar atmosphere either, it was very stark and very lit, like it was trying to be a restaurant, not a pub. And, you could see the effects of this in the patrons, everyone was very quiet (no background music at all), and no one seemed relaxed and willing to let loose and have a good time.
NTPH, i like my pubs pubby and if you throw in some gastro I’ll come back to you every time, but until that happens, you can find me at the Bleeding Deacon.

Newstead Tower, I’m not 100% sure how I feel about you. You probably deserve 3.5 stars from me, because I did have a great time at you last night. Unfortunately, though, I just can’t get into the concept of the «gastropub.» What is this sort of restaurant other than a bar that serves more expensive beer and food? Is the added value really worth the added cost? It’s hard to say.
As the other reviewers have noted, the burgers here were pretty delicious. Everyone loved theirs, and the frites were pretty damn good too. But as I munched away on my perfect medium well burger, I couldn’t help but think in the back of my mind, «I’d just as rather be at Five Guys right now!»
The factors against this place really stand out to me. It’s loud and the place echoes, the bill is a bit more than it should be, the portions were a little wanting, and seating was a bit tight. It’s not a place I can see myself going on a regular basis.
On the other hand, they did a pretty good job at Tenacious Trivia, which looks like it’s held every Thursday. I won’t let my team’s third-​place finish detract from the review, though, I promise.
At one point it seemed as though there was only one waiter manning the entire front of the house. Poor guy!
Try: the burgers, the garlicky aioli, cans of Stag
Avoid: coming on a Thursday, drinking too many Stags

The tap beer taste clean and crisp here! LOVE it! Josh, thank you very very much for being a fantastic waiter. You take your job very seriously and keep smile on your face. That’s called «a wonderful customer service»!!!
Fish and Chips — Fish was super fresh! Fries were excellent! The sauce came with it went REALLY well w/​fish!
Grass Fed Beef Hamburger — MMMMM!!! Spectacular!!! Woooow, the beef actually taste super healthy! We put every toppings available (Egg, Caramerized onion, cheese, and portabelo mushroom) and they cooked it in awesome medium rare!!! The side of home-​made chips were fantastic as well!
What’s most spectacular about this place is, HOME-​MADE KETCHUP!!! I’ve never tasted ketchup like that before! SUPER FRESH gazpacho-​like flavor! Aioli mayo, and original mustard sauce were also DELISH!!! We had to order extra plate of fries for just to enjoy more of these sauce!!!
We killed these food in like 5 mins, cuz everything was so GOOD!!!

Sometimes, if you want to like something so badly, then you end up loving it– foibles and all. I wonder if newstead is one of those places. The décor is good, and the beer selection is nice. Those to things do not really warrant a great review though, considering there are quite a few of them in St Louis. The problem I have had with this place is the food. It is just plain ok, and the portions are tiny. I am not a large obese man who needs everything super-​sized, but I wonder if cost-​cutting has run amok with the way they scrimp at this place. Hmmmmmm. I am wondering.

The burger was amazing, but it was also very expensive. Add-​ons (bacon, cheese, etc) were quite expensive. I think I ended up paying about $ 13 for my burger when all was said and done. Great beer selection, but also pricey.
I agree with Steve O. (previous poster) that I really, really want to love this place. I love the Gastropub idea and I wish the best for Newstead Tower, but I’m not sure I can justify going there regularly for the price.
I encourage everyone to go there once to make up your own mind though!

So… here’s the thing. I really really want to like this place… I want to like it a lot… but I’m having a hard time after a couple of visits. I want to like it because it’s a Gastropub in a growing neighborhood… and any place like this is a welcome addition to a growing St. Louis restaurant scene. The Forest Park Southeast neighborhood is turning around… and any establishement that brings a new flavor to an area that is picking itself up and dusting itself off is a definite ‘bleep’ on my radar.
My wife and I have dined here a couple of times, once just the two of us and once with two friends of ours and their three year old. Both experiences have their good and their bad… which leaves me confused as to whether I enjoy Newstead Tower or not.
First, the good:
1) It does a decent job of conveying a neighborhood spot while at the same time not becoming a dive bar. There are regulars that come in and sit at the bar, but also those wishing to have a nice meal in a nice setting.
2) The burgers. Best thing on the menu… hands down. It’s just quality… nothing flashy, nothing crazy. Simple, quality ingredients prepared very well, and with good attention to detail (the toasted chiabbata bun for instance).
3) The servers were also well educated on both visits and were very helpful, especially on the second visit. She was able to have the kitchen whip up a special grilled cheese for the three year old… very nice.
So, again, there’s things I like and then things that I’m not crazy about, which bring to an overall ‘ok’ rating of three stars. Here’s the not-​so-​good.
1) The set up of the place is a little awkward. Just as the ‘feel’ was in the good thing section, it also makes its way into the ‘not-​so-​good.’ The floor plan is open and the tables are well arranged, but this open arrangement affords itself to you feeling awkward and like everyone is hearing your conversation. The lighting can also be kind of stark, where I would like a little more ‘comfort’ in a Gastropub, some more warmth would be nice. The place can get really loud too… due to the accoustics of the space and lack of ‘sound buffers.’ On both visits I came out feeling hoarse… something that should only happen at a bar and concert/​sporting event/​shouting match.
2.) the overall menu is hit or miss. As good as the burger is with the perfect execution of simplicity… they miss the mark while trying to pull that same sublime simplicity in other dishes. A gastropub needs to have a good fish and chips… it’s standard pub fare and at a ‘finer’ establishement such as this the expectation is even higher. They missed in my opinion. The fish of choice was trout which already threw me off as the fishiness of the fish was a little much… a milder white fish is what I look for. The batter was fine flavor wise but was not left in the fryer long enough, creating kind of a ‘wetter’ feel, not crispy as is desired. We also had an appetizer of… you know, I can’t even remember! I guess that speaks for itself.
Man…I really want to like this place, I really do. It’s just hard for me to say that I’d choose Newstead over other restaurants of the same nature. There’s those out there that do what Newstead does and does it better… c’mon Newstead, I wanna love you!

I have been here three times now for the weekly trivia pub night. Without a doubt, I have always had a good time. Just as a note, trivia nights used to be on Tuesday during the summer, but they now occur on Thursday for the Fall hours.
I wanted to highlight a few things that I really like about this place. First, the décor and atmosphere are top notch. It is clean, well-​lit, warm, and lively – great place for trivia. I will admit that it can get a bit loud, but I think it adds to the excitement (people quiet down when the questions are called).
Second, the food is surprisingly good. Apparently it is a «gastropub,» which is something I didn’t realize – or even knew existed – before I checked their website to find why they are now closed on Tuesdays. They have a few veggie options, which I enjoyed. My friends thought the hamburgers where pretty amazing. As an added bonus, they buy local and try to use what is in season.
The last thing I want to mention is the service. I have always been impressed how friendly and attentive the wait staff is. Even when the place is full with people playing trivia, they were always checking up on us. They also went out of there way to be accommodating for special request. Some friends wanted to try multiple different beers on tap without ordering a pint of each. The pub was more than willing to do «flights» of beer and charge by the ounce. So my friends had three small glasses of the beer they wanted.
Overall, it is a good place to grab a bite or spend the evening with some friends playing trivia.

There are a lot of good neighborhood pubs in the Tower Grove/​Forest Part SE/​Central West End part of town. But the Newstead has by far the best food among them.
The menu is small but excellent, particularly the burger and the fish and chips. The beer selection is similarly well-​edited. They have a comfortable vibe and nice, friendly wait staff. Check it out.

I can’t go with anymore stars as I was already in a food hangover. This place is a Gastropub aka better than wings etc food. The first thing i noticed was how nice and clean this place was. Second was the beer selection on draft. In the land of A-​B the selections were all small regional brewers. There were also some very nice higher end bottle selections amongst the standard A-​B.
As I read the menu, they go a long was to use local farmers and what is in season for their menu. They actually list those farmers used. They offer a beer pairing with food items and on certain days the beer is 50% off. From what we saw, the burgers that came out looked good. There is alot more non-​meat items available.
The place seems to cater to the crowd from local UW-​STL med school, hospital workers and foodies. I am curious on the evening crowd especially on the weekends.

I went here last night with a group for happy hour. I’ve been wanting to stop in for a while now. It’s an English/​British gastropub style. It’s not like a dark and dank british pub, but rather a warm, small space with a few tables and a nice bar area.
I didn’t have anything to eat but my friend had a burger and thought it was great. It’s a small menu but it seems like just enough for a place like this. I say better to have quality than quantity, anyway.
The beer selection isn’t as large as other places around town but the selections they DO have are really good. Trapist, Smithwicks, and also local beers among the choices.
There are warm red walls, dark wood, no smoking, and large glass windows that let in a good amount of light. A special touch that I really liked was the 2 or 3 old fashioned lamp posts that are placed around the table area. All in all, a great place to get a group together for after work drinks or a casual dinner and drinks that allows for a little rowdiness.

This Grove locale is so-​so. It’s hip, has a great beer selection and plenty of TVs that provide a good distraction from possible boredom.
All in all, it’s a good pub. It’s certainly beautiful inside and allows for large groups.
The problem is the acoustics of the place. I sat across from a friend and couldn’t hear a word he said. It seemed like everything he said echoed to the ceiling and hit someone at the end of the bar… Because we caught unsettling bits and pieces of convo from her. Very strange.
Our service was friendly enough, and was very helpful to the two more people that came to join us. Sometimes servers can get a little impatient when your table is waiting for a few stragglers. I really appreciated that.

I came here for O’Fallon Brewery’s five-​course beer dinner. All I can say is wow. It was truly an experience.
Basically, the chef and the brewery worked together to come up with a menu of five dishes paired with five different beers. The chef did an amazing job. Everything was fabulous from the cheese and sausage beginnings to the dessert. I am a beer girl, but there are some beers that are too dark and thick for me. He somehow managed to pair a really dark, rich beer with food that made me really enjoy the beer. I can’t recall everything on my menu, but I do remember being wowed by the salad with duck and the bread pudding dessert at the end. The dessert was paired with a chocolate cherry beer – my tastebuds were completely rejoicing. Needless to say, I left the meal stuffed and quite a bit tipsy! (The beer was unlimited – dangerous!)
The atmosphere was also great. I like the modern gastro pub feel. It was really open, and the bathrooms were really clean and huge!
I can’t wait to come back here to try out their day-​to-​day menu. The chef changes is up with seasonal ingredients, so I’m sure it will be another experience to cherish.

I’m pretty lucky to live basically around the corner from the Newstead Tower Pub. A British/​American gastropub, it is one of the more recent additions to the Mangrove strip of restaurants and bars.
As a health and eco conscious ex-​vegan, this is one of the restaurants I can count on for local and incredibly fresh produce. Two ways to my heart are good seasonal veggies and some nice goat cheese. This is why I love their veggie sandwich. Okay, it normally comes with Gruyère cheese, but I order it with the goat cheese that I love. The veggies are switched up according to what is seasonably available, but can be counted on to be grilled to perfection and always include portobello mushrooms and caramelized onions. House made chips come with the sandwiches. They’re super-​thin and crispy and some of the best around. The rest of the entrees run the gamut of vegetarian friendly to great for carnivores, as lamb and pork seem to always be on the menu.
As for appetizers, the croustini is a nice, light and veggie heaped way to go. The mussels are amazing and you’ll want to sop up the white wine based broth at the bottom of the bowl with the crusty bit of bread that comes with it.
They have a happy hour of 25% off appetizers and drinks that currently runs from 4 – 6 pm on weekdays. I don’t think a lot of people know about that, and sadly, even though Newstead has received quite a bit of critical acclaim, I feel like a lot of people are unaware of it, which seems to be a problem with restaurants in the area.
Also to be noted are the prices and presentation. The prices are decent and are good for a casual lunch or dinner out. Newstead is the sister restaurant of the more upscale Five with is located further on Manchester and this shows in the appetizing presentation of the food.
As far as drinks, they offer a nice but not overwhelming selection of beer, a good amount local. There’s also a decent selection of scotch and just about anything else you might want.
The staff is friendly and great at making suggestions, so if you’re busy drooling over your options, they can give you a hand at making a selection.

Great little neighborhood bar/​restaurant. The décor is really cool (love the indoor light posts) although more curtains maybe to help buffer the noise when crowded.
Our waitress was really nice and our food was wonderful. Hubby got battered fish and I got a burger. The batter is about the same for their onion rings which were also great.
This is a new place so we’ll be eager to come back and watch it grow. Nice to see this neighborhood coming alive!

Newstead promotes itself as a gastropub – which I guess means they’re aiming to be a pub with great good. As far as I can tell, they’ve accomplished their mission.
Our food was very good. The Welsh rarebit is a tasty small appetizer (we’d never had rarebit before). We also had the fish and chips and a burger. The fish was nice. My burger was great – grass fed beef, very tasty, and not too much grease. I also enjoyed their homemade chips and condiments.
The space and décor add up to a tastefully modern take on the classic British pub. It’s a nice change of pace from most bar and grills in town.
I was impressed by the service from our waitress/​bartender. She was very nice and helpful.
Newstead has a plenty of import (including couple I’d never heard of before) and domestic micro brews to choose from, along with a decent selection of scotches.