Van Goghz Martini Bar & Bistro

I visited here since it’s so close. The drinks were pretty good and I love martinis but they also had beer for when my food arrived. The food was a bit confusing. There’s taco night, pasta night, steak night, wine night, burger night… I just couldn’t figure out what kind of a bar they wanted to be. Still, it came out pretty tasty but nothing that blew me away. The staff were all nice but some were so new they could have used a little more guidance from management. I know the bar has since changed names and themes so I’m looking forward to trying that out.

I love this neighborhood bar. Most nights they have some sort of special. For instance, every Wednesday they have $ 5 steaks with the purchase of a drink (alcoholic or non-​alcoholic). If you go here for the steak definitely get the blue cheese sauce. I hate blue cheese, but this sauce is the bomb. Try out one of their martinis.

Really impressive burgers and martini menu. Will definitely be back to try some of their other special nights. Came in on a Sunday afternoon, friendly service from the bartender and enjoyed Jaws on the big screen while we ate. I had the Yoko Ono Burger, messy and tasty with fried egg on a croissant bun. The Strawberry Lemon Drop martini had a good balance of sweet and tart.

Yeah, not a fan. I wanted to like it… I really did. The martini was watered down and we waited 45mins for our our food which was cold when we got it. It wasn’t even nearly busy. Not cool.

This is my 2^nd visit at Van Gogh’s and they have not disappointed! I came for $ 5 burger night which is on Mondays. It is an incredible deal since their burgers truly are gourmet and some of the best you can get in south city. The atmosphere is quaint with little edge. The best part of this restaurant is the service. The folks working here and friendly and have that «local neighbor» feel to them. Great beer/​drink selection also leaves me full of happiness! I will be mixing this place into my fav places to eat!

An old favorite with new owners this a seemingly overlooked gem of a neighborhood martini bistro and bar. Good drinks good food. Why stand out in the street to go in a superhyped nearby joint when you can come here and have a great experience

A great place to go for overpriced watered down Martinis.

Van Gogh does not get the recognition that it deserves. It not only is a great neighborhood and Martini bar, but they serve up some amazing food as well. They’ve been featured in the last two decks of Taste Cards, so it is an affordable way to eat out. I saved $ 10 on a $ 30 food tab.
Recently I’ve had two different types of chicken wings at Van Goghz. I really enjoyed the Garlic Parmesan, they were juicy and the garlic was just strong enough for flavor without being overpowering. Most recently I had the Van Gogh Style and they were dried out and lacking flavor. I know now to stay away from them and order the other styles they offer.
I have also recreated my own masterpiece from their burger menu. The chef always gets my burger grilled to the correct temperature with no problems and the seasoning accents the beef. As my side, I always go with the crinkle french fries. They get bonus points with me by serving the ketchup in a little cup.
My visit this past Sunday, they had a special burger that sounded to weird to pass up. How can you say no to, Bacon Mac-​n-​Cheese Burger? I couldn’t resist, I had to see what it looked like and tasted like. It was a hand pressed beef patty, grilled, placed on a bun with a scoop of mac-​n-​cheese on top and crumbled bacon on top. Basically it was a bacon and cheeseburger with extra carbs from the pasta. They added a slice of american cheese between the burger and pasta, they should have left it off. You get enough cheese flavor from the mac-​n-​cheese and it would make for a better presentation as well. This time I tried tater tots and realized I’m truly a french fry man. They were good, but just not the same as a crinkle fry.
I was impressed with the flatbread my roommate ordered on Sunday. I can so see myself meeting friends here for Happy Hour, having a beer or martini and enjoying a Del Po. The Del Po had; prosciutto, caldarello sausage, onions, peppers, fresh basil and mixed Italian cheeses. Neither of us saw any fresh basil, but it was still a tasty flatbread.
The drinks and food are always good, I just gotta remember to come here more often and I hope this review inspires other to do the same.

Van Goghz is perfectly placed in the Tower Grove East neighborhood. Their food is great, although i believe they’ve updated their menu since i ate their last. Last time i ate there (quite a while ago) i had a great sandwich.
Their cocktails are great and i believe they run some good specials. I’m not a martini person so i haven’t had one here, but they do have a good beer selection. Something for everyone, especially the full bar.
The staff is great here, you’ll even see the owner running around working along side everyone else. That’s something i appreciate at any local business. There’s more space inside Van Goghz than you’d think, somehow it still maintains a cozy feel. There are a couple different rooms, even a game room i believe, and on some nights you can find Karaōke set up in the middle room.
Keep Van Goghz on your radar when Mardi Gras comes around. They have a $ 5 shuttle that will take you to/​from Soulard. I’ve used this shuttle for the ’14 and ’15 Mardi Gras and plan to do so going forward. There are always great drink specials while you wait for your shuttle!

The only reason I didn’t give five stars is because the appetizers were subpar. Allison, our waitress, was excellent and very friendly. The martinis are as good as the famous bar. My burger was AMAZING!

It’s my home away from home! The girls know all of their customers and treat us all like family. I moved here from out of state and they have helped me make friends and welcome me whenever I walk through the door. They have a great happy hour and really good food. Like really good food. Kristin is amazing and Dani is a great owner and staple at the bar. They keep your drinks flowing at all times! I suggest any of their burgers and the steak night special. They make all of their food fresh and have awesome homemade vodkas. Do it! Go to Van Goghz!

This is a first impressions review. My fiancé and I are new to the trivia scene and had the bug to get out and try some last night. Team Kitty Biscuits didn’t win, but we certainly had enough fun to come back, the $ 6 martinis and beer selection were enough to have us back on non-​trivia nights!
We are definitely coming back to try their in-​house infused vodkas.

Great neighborhood hangout. Fun drinks with fun service. I tried the pear lavender infused vodka on the rocks and its was killer!
The food was ok… The wings are fantastic. We also had the flatbread was good. I tried the veggie burger and it was ok. It was kind of soggy and I’m a texture person so could not eat it.
Fun area to hang out and have drinks. The entire place kind of smells like fried food. But that just a typical local hangout.
Would love to see a redo of the menu and some different food selection. Overall for sure try it out!

I hate how bad this place was.
Stopped there on a trip through the area.
The service was terrible. Waited almost an hour for food. Oh, the food. Worst hot wings simply… ever. They were burnt and there was no meat… I have no idea how you buy wings without meat.
The fries were okay and the beer selection seemed good. But I can’t get past the wings. At all.

My husband and I were staying at a nearby B&B, so we walked to Van Goghz. What a great find! It’s a laid back neighborhood bar. The bartender fixed me the most delicious mango rum martini! I was happy! The clientele is nice and the place is a winner! Great neighborhood too!

I don’t like giving bad reviews but my friend and I had just a really unpleasant experience here.
I pass by this place a lot when I’m on my way to Tower Grove but want to take a more scenic route. Finally, my friend and I decided to check it out for Sunday brunch after we drove around for a little while without any luck as to where we wanted to go (without a long wait)!
We ordered two of their eggs benedict variations. Benedicts are practically the only brunch item they have and it really shouldn’t have taken an hour (quite literally) for our food to arrive. This was pretty upsetting because we came here so we didn’t have to wait in the first place!
The couple next to us came in and ordered after us and they got their brunches (also benedicts) before us. What?! Ours came about 10 – 15 minutes after theirs did and when I looked over, they were already finishing up their meal. I was extremely disappointed and I couldn’t understand why/​how this could even happen. The place wasn’t even half full when we got there and I could see the waitress chatting leisurely on the side as we waited.
Our waitress didn’t check in on us very often compared to others who were around us. Once, she even checked in on the couple next to us and passed right by us while we needed something and attempted to get her attention.
So the service isn’t all that great and they might be a little slow in the kitchen. At least our food came out hot. The croissant (used in place of the english muffin for the benedict) had a subpar texture hardly reminiscent of a croissant. I feel it could’ve at least been slightly toasted. Tons of butter on the potatoes, which my friend and I didn’t mind so much. However, they were waaaaay too salty!
Also, the «fruit» came still half-​frozen in a little condiment container and was not fresh at all. I don’t think I’ve ever been served fruit like that. It was almost as if they didn’t even care.
Overall, while the food was decent (minus the fruit), I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t go back. I’m actually really bummed we had such an experience here because there was so much positive mystery to it when I drove past it every week! Sorry, Van Goghz!

New owners!!! New menu!!! So glad this local bar changed hands… the food is MUCH improved from a year ago and they now have a good brunch. Have been to pasta night and cant beat the $. Always a great place to get a stiff drink and a good beer. Wine list is improved but could still use some work… Poppers are fresh/​homemade and the yoko ono burger is a good choice. Oh yeah, tator tots are not bad…

Van Gohz Martini Bar is located at Shenandoah and Compton in the Tower Grove East neighborhood. I used to come with friends who live a few blocks away until I had a bad experience with the original owner. Since then, it’s changed owners a few times and I recently returned for their new Sunday brunch.
Aside from some new owner/​brunch service glitches, the brunch was delicious. Apparently, the new owner has a family business in KC that makes Italian sausage. prosciutto, and other Italian meat specialties and they do it well! You can find these scrumptious goodies in the brunch dishes and they are YUM!
The Italian sausage and prosciutto are super tasty with eggs and mimosas and the brunch and mimosas were very affordable. I had the VanGogh Breakfast with eggs, toast, homemade potatoes and Italian sausage ($ 8) and a mimosa with a shot of Chambord ($ 6) YUM! My dining partner had the Sty, a meaty eggs benedict with delicious prosciutto and other meats ($ 9). It was HUGE. A few service glitches with with slow service and they didn’t have butter and jelly for the toast. But, the crowd was fun and the food is good.
They have a completely new lunch and dinner menu with upscale burgers, flat-​breads, salads, and lots of vegetarian items. I’ll be back to try.

When you think of great burger places you hardly ever think of a Martini Bar, however that is one of the hidden treasures at Van Goghz, For those that don’t know Van Goghz is a neighborhood Martini Bar & Bistro, with a fun and friendly feel. Others have called it a dive bar, but I wouldn’t go that far however this is by no means the the same atmosphere you get at Sub Zero. Actually Van Goghz had a much more relaxed atmosphere than the others, which is welcome.
I have been here on a few occasions, and have to admit that its a great place. My first visit was on a Saturday night to meet up with some friends over drinks, the drinks were good and cheaper than other Martini bars. I tried several, they were good not overly strong but not real weak. I did enjoy the Creamsicle and Key Lime Pie, both tasted like their real desert counterparts. Also their Weekend «Happy Hour» started friday and was still going on Saturday night, for $ 1.00 of each Martini and $ 2.50 domestic) The Happy Hour was a bonus for already discounted speciality martinis!
My second visit was the result of a Groupon, I looked over the menu and decided on a burger, but in all honest I really didn’t expect much from the Cajun Cheddar Bacon Burger, which is seasoned with our Cajun blend and topped with apple wood smoked bacon and melted cheddar cheese. I was sure in for a surprise, the burger itself was perfectly cooked, juicy and seasoned to perfection, crispy bacon, the burger was served served on top of what I can only describe as a sweet Hawaiian type bun. Simply put it was phenomenal and I have to admit that this was probably one of the best burgers I have had. The fries are good, however the real magic is the fry sauce, I tried both the Cilantro Lime Mayo & Chipotle Mayo, while they both will make you forget all about catsup my favorite was the Cilantro Lime Mayo, it was amazing!
I did see that they served food, and actually want to come back for Steak Night, I think it was Tuesday where all steaks are $ 5 off, and a a few steaks were $ 5.99, not a bad deal. I also noticed they serve breakfast, I think I need to try the Biscuits & Gravy served with Caldarello Sausage and top that off with either a Bloody Mary or Mimosa some weekend. If you are looking for a casual evening, or even a brunch with friends I think Van Goghz would make a great option.

I really do enjoy the food and drinks at Van Goghz Martini Bar and Bistro. I have been a few times and each visit I have had a unique experience.
They hosted a small event that I attended last year. We were able to mingle in the back room and the servers would come to check in on us every so often to make sure we were okay. The back room has a pool table and some chairs (and a couch) to sit on. The room itself was perfect for our group and the the food drinks that we ordered were pretty great. I remember trying one of their pizzas-​it was decent and I keep saying I want to go back to try another one.
I have also visited with some friends after work for a drink. I love the types of martinis they offer and I usually try a few different ones during each visit. The liquor to mixer ration is pretty great and the bartenders do a nice job of chatting while making drinks! I like their customer service. I usually get the fruity ones, but I hear the dessert ones are pretty great too!
If you want to go here for food I recommend you order the chicken fingers and the fries. I love how they offer different «fry» sauces on the side such as Roasted Garlic Mayo and Basil Pesto Mayo. They are so good! The food is typical bar food, but I think you’ll enjoy it.
I look forward to my next visit and I can’t wait to try another martini!