Bar Les Freres

Our babysitter ended up being available early last Saturday night so we had an hour to kill in the Clayton area. I can’t think of a better spot to bring your date than Bar Les Freres. Does anyone think this is *not* the most romantic spot in town. Really, the only place in the country that I think compares, at least from my limited experience, is a place in Key West called Better Than Sex. That’s even debatable.
Per our discussion with Tom, the bartender, they are fully booked on most weekend nights from 6:30 to 10:30 and this is not a surprise. Yes, the lights were turned way down low. For that reason, if your eyesight is maybe a bit less than stellar, you’d better had a look online at the drink and/​or food menu before arriving in order to avoid destroying the carefully cultivated ambience with a smartphone flashlight. We didn’t have a reservation, since it was a last minute thing, so we sat at the bar. Here, you can look up to see maybe thirty pairs of small antlers, which I find cool, but a little weird, too. Maybe this is to keep the whole thing from being too dainty for the guys. Dunno.
We had a couple of drinks; my wife had a pinot noir and I had an apéritif called French 75, which has champagne, gin, lemon juice and simple syrup. The lemon juice prevails here. It was sour, but delicious. I understand it’s their best seller. We also had a pâté appetizer, which came wrapped in bacon. Our bartender advised us «most people» don’t eat the bacon wrapped around it, although it had baked for four hours and is safe to consume. Neither of us is into unctuousness so much, so we did as we were told and focused on the pâté. It was good, but nto all that special, really. Our main cause for getting out on this particular night was a class at the Wine Merchant, where one of the little snacks they provided was a pater that was very special, which reaffirmed why my socks weren’t knocked off here. By my estimation, this was pâté for beginners.
It was an hour very well spent, still, and if you want to impress your date, I can’t think of a better place to do it without jumping up to a Dominic’s or Tony’s type high-​end restaurant.

I have been here a couple of times for drinks and I’ve enjoyed thoroughly each time. I love the décor and atmosphere. It’s got an eccentric and classy style. The service has also been on point. They seem to enjoy themselves and just seem to really fit in with their surroundings. The drinks are fantastic! I haven’t had their food yet, but it smelled great!

Amazingly delicious classic French Bistro fare. I had duck confit, my wife steak frites and friends had cassoulet. Mywife said it was the best steak ever! Everything tasted as if I were in a Parisian café. Service was prompt but not intrusive. I’d definitely go again and again.

What a beautiful, cozy, romantic restaurant! Truly one of my favorite meals I’ve eaten anywhere in the world between the food and ambiance! The lobster tail was a perfect appetizer. For entrees, the duck and the lamb were both excellent, but the duck is a must-​try. Amazing overall experience!

An exemplary dining experience hinges upon the server. We could not have had a more perfect evening thanks to our waiter, Ben. He was engaging, thoughtful and extremely helpful in making dinner and wine recommendations. The pacing of the meal was perfect. From cocktails until dessert, my wife and I were there for two hours and enjoyed every minute of it. Each course reflected perfection of both flavor and presentation. A phenomenal cheese plate, creatively spiced cassoulet and a seared swordfish were the choices that we so enjoyed. That this is a part of St. Louis makes me thrilled to live here. Thank you to all who made this such a great night. Consider us regulars.

Great place to grab an old school cocktail! I’ve visited 3x now, and will be back for more. The front patio is a great french vibe area. When its warm enough sit out here, get a drink menu (it has a lot of great cocktails), and just chill out. The food is good as well. But I really like this place for the drinks. The service is good, when its not too busy. If a large crowd is around, it can take some time, but that’s life!

Bar les frères is one my favorites (top 5) in St Louis. I also really love it’s partner restaurant across the street, I Fratellini. The menu is not very big but offers several nice choices. I often end up ordering an off-​menu item. The first time I went there I had the swordfish (off-​menu item) which was particularly delicious. I also recommend the coq au vin, which is fantastic. I like the lobster bisque and the gruyère soufflé as appetizers. The mussels are not special. My wife enjoys the seafood stew, not something I am crazy about. The desserts are very delicious. I had some chocolate mousse which was amazing and my wife always like crème brûlée. The only problem I typically have is that I am too stuffed after the main course and have to skip dessert.
The wine menu is fine. I like Margaux and unfortunately, the only one they serve is Château du Tertre, which is a fifth growth wine — that is the lowest tier in the 1855 Bordeaux classification. That does not mean it is bad (I have ordered it more than once and it is fine) but there is better stuff out there. Sometimes (not always) they serve the wine at too warm temperatures — most red wine should be served at a slightly higher temperatures than storage temperatures, that is, at around 15 – 20 degree Celsius (about 60 – 65 Fahrenheit?) serving temperatures. Given they have served me the du Tertre at much higher temperatures makes me worry about their storage of wines (especially the higher end bottles they offer).
The service is good. The servers are polite and friendly. They sometimes have the typical American problem of trying too hard, in the sense that they would interrupt your conversation to ask whether everything is fine. Why would you do that?!? An excellent server is always available but almost invisible and definitely never interrupts a conversation — a rare breed in the USA…
The decoration of the restaurant is very special and very much my taste. The only issue I have is that the air conditioner is too much and it is always very cold. This is not just uncomfortable but it is also not nice if your food gets cold within minutes when you would like to take your time and enjoy dinner.
Overall, a I strongly recommend to visit if you are in St Louis.

Fun, friendly and delicious. We tried seven items and everything was so good. The celeriac purée was incredible, worth a try,

My date and I had reservations for I Fratellini at 8, but decided to get drinks beforehand, partly due to the recommendations of I Fratellini’s site and also to adding an impressive ambiance to the night with my girl. While the place was fairly full, we took to a couch and scanned through the diverse menu, while chatting away. The lighting was dimmed, though not too much to make it impossible to see everything and the decorations were quite eclectic, but the feel is definitely romantic. Under dim lights, the glow from the candle on the little table in front of us helped it feel like it was just us. In a way, it is reminiscent of our past experience at the Bailey’s Chocolate Bar.
Anywho, she decided, after much deliberation, to order «Le Pech» and I ordered the absinthe. After several minutes, the waiter returned, removed the menus, handed her the peach champagne drink and set the glass of absinthe down. To my surprise, he was about to prepare my drink the way it was meant to be prepared right in front of me. As a side note, too often, one will order absinthe to just have the bartender pour the spirit and hand it off. Completing the impressive start to the evening, he placed the slotted spoon upon the glass, then sugar soaked in alcohol (a variation of the classic method), lit the sugar on fire, then poured ice cold water slowly over the sugar, forming the louche — turning the emerald green spirit to a pale, cloudy green drink. If you have ever had absinthe, then you are likely familiar with that unique feeling which differs from normal alcohol and, if you can get over the black licorice taste (takes a couple of tries), then it is a very enjoyable experience.
Our waiter also worked at I Fratellini and gave us some very impressive recommendations that compelled a beautiful woman with gluten and dairy allergies to consume both. We will likely be coming here again for the whole experience. Very highly recommended.

I had a waiter at Bar Les Freres who may have been one of the best waiters of all time. He was attentive, engaging, and dead on with his recommendations. Everyone at the table ordered something different, and no one was disappointed. It’s definitely a bit on the pricey side, but the cocktails alone make it worth the money.

We are back in St. Louis only temporarily after being away for several years. Tried this wonderful place and just have to say, so glad we did-​Zoe never misses! This is another one of her home runs!
Enjoyed the filet which was perfectly cooked to my liking-​medium rare, more rare than medium-​score!
Sat at the bar with an attentive bartender who made all of the right suggestions!
Great ambiance inside or out.
This will be a short week for us over this Labor Day holiday, but we will stop in again for a second meal before we leave town.
A real hit, you won’t regret dining here.
I suggest ordering the Grand Marnier Chocolate Mousse for dessert!

Lovely patio and dinning rooms. Everything on the menu sounded delicious. After much discussion, we settled on the gruyère soufflé and pâté’. Both were delicious. Candlelight. Ambiance. Wonderful service. Perfect romantic date. French from the word go.

I couldn’t be more pleased with my night at Bar Les Freres. The ambience, bar, service, and food were exceptional. Josh was our server and he was fantastic. Detailed with menu items but no intrusive or over-​bearing. We had a drink at the bar first and their bartender is insane. So much attention to detail and ingredients, love it! We had the shrimp and Gruyère cheese puffs for an app, special salad for dinner, and I chose the lamb while the BF chose the filet. Everything was so flavorful, perfectly prepared, and delicious. Josh was friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and genuine. I can’t believe it took me this long to get there but we will be back!

This is a fantastic find! If you are looking for a wonderful place to take someone for a special occasion or date night this romantic and intimate, french food restaurant is amazing. I have been several times, the first time I walked in and should have made a reservation but a spot at the small, quant bar was open so I snagged it up and had wonderful conversation with the bartender who has been well versed in French specialities. I had a champagne cocktail, my friend had a classic old fashioned. If you enjoy wine, they have a great selection of French wines. The drinks are made to perfection and are presented beautifully. Then there is the food. They have a small menu made up of classic French cuisine, but don’t be fooled, even with a small menu, the food is so divine that I would be willing to try everything on the menu, several times. The first time the experience was so wonderful that I choose to go there for my birthday dinner, of course making a reservation this time. Everyone I have taken there finds this place exceptional. A gem in the food world! There is not one negative thing I could say about this place. Get out there and give it a try!

This is a special-​occasion place, IMO.
Friday night was a special occasion. My girlfriend and her husband took me out to dinner to celebrate his fourth novel, and I was honored to have read the manuscript, and given my input.
I love how their daughter describes Bar Les Freres: it’s like eating in a rich French man’s house. And that’s what it is.
The walls are painted red, with many old-​world portraits in gold-​gilt frames. And there is an Ernest Trova self-​portrait on the west wall. He, at one time, lived just down the street on Wydown.
We had a 5 p.m. Friday reservation May 15. They were ready for us. She and I sat on the settee. He sat on a hard chair, but he liked it.
Our server was spectacular. He bent his knees to talk to us. He didn’t get down on his knees, but he bent to be more eye-​to-​eye. That was engaging. And he seemed really involved in our meal, to make it spectacular.
We all started with a cup of lobster bisque. And it was REALLY in a china cup. .. with a handle and a saucer.
I have never had a cup of soup served so elegantly in a real cup with a saucer.
The taste was divine. Everything was proportioned appropriately. No big hunks of anything, so you got a little bit of everything in each bite. Lobster, carrot, rich broth. But not overwhelming, because there is still a meal to be had.
She ordered the red snapper special, that came on a bed of leeks and potatoes, and there was a beautiful orange-​red sauce on the snapper. She gave me a taste of the broth with a roll, and it was rich, delicious and flavorful.
He ordered the Bouillabaisse, and it looked gorgeous.
I ordered the duck confit. The first time in my life I have ever had duck. It was amazing — a leg and thigh combo, so dark meat. It was spectacular. Well-​seasoned, tasty, juicy and not greasy. I didn’t know what to expect. But this was beyond the pale.
Served with perfectly roasted Brussels sprouts and some starch that I couldn’t figure out, but had a hint of sweet, like maybe a touch of honey.
What an incredibly elegant meal.
We all had recyclable to-​go vessels. I had mine the next day, and it heated up well.

We had such a great meal for the Tuesday evening gathering. The wait staff was perfect and our orders were eclectic. It really was a quaint restaurant and one I hope to get back to soon.

Three syllables: CA-​SSOU-​LET. Oh my gosh, please order it when you go. It is never listed on the menu, but is generally available as a special. It is one of the best things I have ever eaten.
Place is charming, ambiance can be a little stuffy in my opinion, but the service we received was also excellent. Wine list was pretty good, and drink menu was extensive and original. Go for a ‘vieux-​carre,’ much more complex than an old fashioned, and quite delicious!
Will definitely be back.

How charming can one place be? This spot has charm for days. I loved the old paintings on the wall with the different frames and the assortment of antlers on one wall. It reminds me of an art exhibit that was supposed to replicate Gauguin’s work at Café Volpini for the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris. (Saw that back at the Cleveland art museum way back when.)
Anyway, we just stopped in for drinks and dessert. My friend got some bubbly white wine and I had the chocolate mousse. So rich, but it had this nice cream on top to balance out the flavor. Such a charming little place for drinks and dessert!

Every time I go, it gets better and better. The special figs this week were epic, the cocktails were perfect and those cheese balls are probably worth a entire review by themselves.
Finally got to sit outside last night and it was lovely weather, with sunset being the perfect backdrop. The deconstructed nicoise was a revelation on a classic. The Filet Mignon was cooked to perfection.
The only downside is the service can take a while during peak hours. However, all of the staff are professional, polite and fun. It has catapulted to the top of my list of ‘go to’ places in STL

I came here with a group of girls to celebrate a friends birthday! It was a really cool spot, but definitely not an everyday type of place. It was a bit pricey, but overall I had a good experience. The server was friendly and very knowledgeable about both the cocktails and the food, which I appreciated since I am not a big cocktail drinker so I had no clue what to pick. That being said, I was very happy with my French 75 cocktail and had a sip of some of my friends drinks and liked all of theirs as well. I’m glad I went with that instead of my standard wine.
4 stars for 2 reasons — I wasn’t overly impressed with my food, the portion was small for the price and when we got there, although we had a reservation, we still had to wait.