Stews Food & Liquor is opening Friday in Soulard

Stews Food & Liquor will open on Friday, Jan. 19, at 1862 S. 10th St. in the former home of The Wood Shack in the Soulard neighborhood of St. Louis. The new restaurant is co-owned by bartender Nate Burrows, previously of Cinder House and Jack Nolen’s, chef Brent Petty, previously of Cinder House, and Kristen “Stew” Leahy.

The menu will feature Asian-inspired dishes. “Originally, we planned to do sandwiches, but everyone in Soulard does sandwiches,” Nate Burrows said. “Brent said his favorite food to cook is Asian and then it clicked. Soulard doesn’t have any Asian places.” 

Stews has six main dishes on the menu, such as khao soi, a coconut curry Thai dish, lo mein, and a pork burger with waffle fries. The menu is approachable with fresh ingredients and interesting techniques. 

Additionally, the restaurant aims to be a haven for those who work in the industry, so food will be available late, including on Mondays. “We come from the restaurant industry and want to have a place that industry folks can come, have delicious food and hang out with us,” Burrows said. “We’ll also have a 20% discount for those in the industry.”

There are well-made traditional cocktails such as the Negroni, Old-Fashioned and Paper Plane, along with specialties like a Lychee Gimlet and a tiki cocktail called Fat Man in a Yellow Suit, inspired by a painting on the wall. They also have affordable and local beers from makers like Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. and 4 Hands Brewing Co.

Stews Food & Liquor is painted dark green with high-top and low-top tables, bar seating and a frosty window overlooking the kitchen. The space is intimate at about 800 square feet with 25 seats inside and 25 seats on the patio. Burrows sees it not as a place to binge drink, but a place to “come lose yourself for a minute, listen to good music and enjoy the company.”

While they will not have live music, Burrows plans to feature playlists made by friends and dreams of having a record player one day where guests can bring in their own records to play over the speakers. “I want to use this as a platform to broaden my music horizons.”

Drawings, paintings and dioramas populate the place, all with a story to be told from the family-run spot (Nate and Kristen are married, Brent and Nate are cousins). On the vintage Coca-Cola letter board menu over the bar, it says, “Free Morale,” signaling the relaxed, positive spirit of the place.

Stews Food & Liquor is set to open at 3 p.m. tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 19. The restaurant will be open Monday through Saturday from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. with the kitchen likely to close at midnight Monday through Thursday. To stay up to date, follow Stews on Instagram.