When it comes to food, St. Louis is lucky.
There’s fresh produce springing up throughout the bi-state, cheap overhead that makes it easier for entrepreneurs to get into the restaurant business and lots of people who love to eat. And that is exactly how Ahmed Hasan got into the food game.
“I love food. I enjoy food,” he said. “I always go around, try new restaurants.”
That interest drove Hasan to open Pali Grill on Page Avenue near Overland last month. The restaurant serves a combination of Middle Eastern and American fare. His favorites are a burger that mixes beef with lamb (he grinds the meat in-house) and the all-day breakfast menu, which includes hummus, various fried veggies, shakshouka, eggs and more.
Along with his brother and brother-in-law, Hasan has been working on the restaurant since last year, when Ms. Piggies Smokehouse closed in the space. Everything in the restaurant needed to be upgraded. “It wasn’t easy but … it just took us some time to put everything together,” he said.
Hasan is Palestinian, and it was important to him that everything is halal so he can offer a restaurant option for the Muslim community and serve the type of cuisine he often finds himself craving even after more than a decade of living in St. Louis.
“At some point the other day, I was looking at the dining room — I have four tables, or five tables — and all four of them [were filled by people of] four different nationalities, like from four different countries,” he said. “And that's something unique to me. They come, they can find something that at least they will like.”
Openings
- 3Mix BBQ, Ellisville
- Banana Leaf Thai Cuisine, St. Clair County
- Blue Agave Cocina y Margaritas, Chesterfield
- Dirty Vegan Shack, Dutchtown
- Everbowl, St. Charles
- Geno’s Trattoria & Chophouse, Waterloo
- Los Patios MX Cocina, Central West End
- Namaste Curry Lounge, St. Louis Hills
- Pali Grill, north St. Louis County
- Prince Solomon's Royal Indian Restaurant, Rolla
- Royal Palm Mediterranean Cuisine, Fairview Heights
- Skeeter's Deli Bar, Dutchtown
- Street Food by Brasas, Botanical Heights (inside Rockwell Beer Co.)
Closings
- America's Incredible Pizza Co., Sappington
- Apollonia Greek, Boulevard Heights
- Asador Del Sur, Maplewood (temporary, after fire)
- Chaumette Vineyards & Winery, Ste. Genevieve
- Drake’s Come Play, Richmond Heights
- Mauki’s Bakery & Country Store, Soulard
- Savage & the Accomplice, Fox Park
See one we missed? Let me know at jrogen@stlpr.org.
