St. Louis Union Station, Aquarium will see three new restaurants

By Adam Rothbarth // January 17, 2019


The renovation at St. Louis Union Station continues as it prepares to house the St. Louis Aquarium and an array of family-friendly attractions in late summer. In addition to a miniature golf course, a Ferris wheel, a carousel and the return of The Fudgery, the $187-million complex will also open with three new restaurants. Lodging Hospitality Management, which manages Westport Social, Basso, Boundary and Three Sixty, will oversee all three.

Union Station’s food lineup will include Soda Fountain, a concept based on classic 1950s soda fountain shops. Its design is inspired by classic art deco architecture, while the menu will include boozy shakes, old-school phosphate sodas and a wide array of international aperitifs.

milkshakes will be available at the soda fountain. // photo by meera nagarajan


Both Clementine’s Creameryand Ices Plain & Fancy will provide ice cream for the menu’s drinks and treats. Kyle Mathis of Westport Social (and formerly, Taste) will be running the drink program.

“We’ll do really cool, very progressive Champagne and amaro [items]. We’ll have kids in there, so we’ll have stuff for them, but we’ll also have some really cool stuff for adults,” said Blaise Pastoret, LHM director of restaurants.

The second new spot, The Train Shed, will occupy the former Houlihan’s space on Union Station’s main level. Its menu will feature a contemporary American fare, complete with barbecue, pizza, pre-Prohibition cocktails and a large menu of draft beers. The restaurant will seat 150 and will be open until 1 a.m. daily.

rendering of the future 1894 café // rendering courtesy of lhm


The third new restaurant will be 1894 Café. Its name is a reference to the year St. Louis Union Station opened and will focus on families and school groups. The menu will feature dishes like chicken sandwiches, burgers and pizza. 1894 Café will be located in the aquarium.

As the main attraction of the new Union Station, the two-story 12,000-square-foot St. Louis Aquarium aims to house more than 13,000 aquatic animals from around the world. Most notably, the aquarium will become the home of more than 60 sharks and rays, who will live in a massive 250,000-gallon saltwater environment. Visitors will also have access to a 3D virtual reality train ride that will offer a multimedia presentation about the ecosystem surrounding the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.

Adam Rothbarth is a staff writer at Sauce Magazine.