Over three weeks this month, downtown St. Louis adds a new food hall on Washington Avenue, runs a week of restaurant discounts and opens its winter skating season at Kiener Plaza. Most of that lands on one day. Saturday, Nov. 21, brings a 5K, a tree lighting with a drone show and fireworks, a Blues home game, the Musial Awards and the sixth day of Downtown Restaurant Week.
If you live near Washington Avenue, the useful question is when to go, more than what's going on. The answer comes from how the calendar is built. By Nov. 12, the food hall's Nov. 5 through 8 grand-opening weekend is behind us and the big Saturday is still ahead. In between are the weeknights.
Wash Ave Food Hall Set Its Grand Opening for Nov. 5 Through 8
The Wash Ave Food Hall at 1122 Washington Ave. set its grand opening celebration for Nov. 5 through 8, with an official ribbon cutting on Nov. 6, according to Sauce Magazine. KSDK, reporting from the St. Louis Business Journal, put the project at $6 million, with eight food vendors and two bars. Oliver Properties developed the hall and FIRETEN Hospitality operates it, according to the hall's own site.
The hall's food and drink page lists these food vendors:
- Arzola's Tacos y Más
- Conefection
- Troit
- Steve's Smash
- Little Bao
- Maci's Prime BBQ
- 787 Subs
- Pretzel Pop
4 Hands Brewing Co. runs a "Pour My Beer Wall," where you pour your own. The hall also has a central bar and an indoor/outdoor patio with a retractable roof.
Of the eight, 787 Subs was the last founding vendor announced, and it may be the one locals recognize first. Husband-and-wife chefs Jose and Cynthia Ramos started the Mr Papas 2 Go food truck five years ago, and 787 Subs is their first permanent concept. The name comes from one of Puerto Rico's area codes. Sauce Magazine describes the signature sandwich, La Tripleta Boricua, as slow-roasted pork, grilled steak, ham, melted Swiss, crispy potato sticks and mayo-ketchup sauce. Every sandwich comes with fried yuca. "We marinate, we slow cook and we give the flavors time to develop," Jose Ramos said in a press release quoted by Sauce.
The hall's own site describes it as open for business, and the Nov. 5 through 8 dates are for the grand-opening celebration. Its posted hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday. It points visitors to the Civic Center and Stadium MetroLink stations, both a short walk away, and to gated neighborhood parking you can book ahead. Those weeknight hours come into play the following week.
Restaurant Week Runs Nov. 16 Through 22
Downtown Restaurant Week, organized by Greater St. Louis, Inc., runs Nov. 16 through 22. Participating restaurants offer at least 20 percent off or a discounted specialty food or drink item. There's nothing to sign up for and no tickets. You just ask for the Restaurant Week special. The organizer's St. Louis Magazine partner page names Wash Ave Food Hall as one of downtown's recent additions. The food hall isn't on the participating restaurant list.
The week was planned around downtown's event calendar, and that calendar is uneven. The partner page lists these events:
| Date | Downtown draw | Restaurant Week |
|---|---|---|
| Mon., Nov. 16 | Journey at Enterprise Center | Day 1 |
| Tue., Nov. 17 | Blues home game at Enterprise Center | Day 2 |
| Wed., Nov. 18 | No major listed event | Day 3 |
| Thu., Nov. 19 | No major listed event | Day 4 |
| Fri., Nov. 20 | No major listed event | Day 5 |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Blues home game, Musial Awards, Winterfest opening | Day 6, plus The Thaxton Speakeasy's one-day special |
| Sun., Nov. 22 | Winterfest's first Sunday | Day 7 |
The organizers say reservations aren't always required, but they strongly encourage them for popular spots during a week when downtown already draws crowds for events. They also suggest getting the ParkMobile app for street parking.
So Wednesday through Friday is the open stretch. Those nights are a good time for the places nearest Washington Avenue. Coffeestamp opened its second location at 1228 Washington on Sept. 25, a block west of the food hall, according to St. Louis Magazine. It's on the Restaurant Week list, and so is the Washington Avenue location of Rosalita's Cantina.
Other participants worth planning a weeknight around:
- Breakfast and lunch: Park Avenue Coffee, Bella's Coffee Café, which also serves cocktails and ice cream in the evening, Java Plus Cafe & Catering in One Metropolitan Square, and Pickles Deli, which is lunch only.
- Laclede's Landing: The Cobblestone STL and Kimchi Guys.
- Dinner: Blood & Sand, Idol Wolf at 21c St. Louis, The Moniker, Robie's Restaurant and Lounge, and 360 St. Louis Downtown.
- All day: Union 30 inside the Hotel Saint Louis serves breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner seven days a week, and its bar is open until 11 p.m. daily.
The full participant list also includes Amaizing Arepa Bar, Aubergine Cafe, Gourmet Soul, Karsyns Soule' 2.0, Sushi Ai, Sugarfire Smokehouse, Salt + Smoke, Hi-Pointe Drive-In, The Clydesdale at Ballpark Village, Tin Roof and others. The organizer keeps the current list on its own site.
Saturday, Nov. 21, Hour by Hour
The Saturday at the center of the calendar starts in the morning and doesn't let up. The Gateway Arch Park Foundation opens Winterfest's 11th season at Kiener Plaza that day, and the rink runs 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for opening day. Here's how the day stacks up:
- Morning: The sixth annual Winterfest 5K and a 1-mile Fun Run/Walk start the season. The route passes Kiener Plaza and the Old Courthouse and runs through the grounds of Gateway Arch National Park. The Foundation calls it the only official race through the park.
- All day: Restaurant Week is on day six. The Thaxton Speakeasy takes part on Nov. 21 only.
- Evening: The Musial Awards bring guests from across the country, and the Blues play at home at Enterprise Center.
- 5:30 p.m.: The Ameren Missouri Festival of Lights ceremony begins at Kiener Plaza.
- 5:45 p.m.: Tree lighting.
- 6:30 p.m.: Drone show.
- 7 p.m.: Fireworks.
Metro plans to host a warming bus at Winterfest and share transit information there, according to an Oct. 22 committee agenda from Bi-State Development. On a night with a hockey game, an awards gala and fireworks within a few blocks of each other, a downtown dinner reservation for that Saturday is worth making early.
After Opening Day, Winterfest Settles Into a Weekly Routine
Once the crowds from Nov. 21 head home, Kiener Plaza runs on a set schedule through Jan. 3, 2027. Entry is free. Over its 11 years the festival has offered ice skating, s'mores, igloos and a rotating lineup of free activities.
- Rink hours: 4 to 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, noon to 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
- Holiday week: Closed Dec. 25, then open daily noon to 8 p.m. Dec. 26 through Jan. 3.
- Skate rental: $15 for adults and $10 for children ages 3 to 15. Bringing your own skates is free.
- Try Hockey Free: Nov. 22 and Jan. 3.
- Holiday market and ice carvings: Dec. 12.
- New Year's Eve: A family event with character visits, live music, fire dancers and fireworks at 8 p.m.
Taken together, the schedules fit well for anyone who lives within walking distance. The food hall's posted hours run to 9 p.m. on Thursdays and 10 p.m. on Fridays, so a late meal on Washington Avenue still works after the Thursday and Friday skating window closes at 8 p.m.
If you own a loft near Washington Avenue and you're curious how your home compares with recent downtown sales while the street adds new tenants, The Winckowski Group can put real numbers on it. Request your free home valuation, and we'll get back to you quickly with clear, local answers.
