annie gunn's

i get that st. louis has a little bit of city vs. county competition, but the number of times that knowledgablefoodenthusiasts that i trust have brushed off “the gunn” is both disheartening and aggravating. if your aim is to eat at all of st. louis’ best restaurants, a visit to annie gunn’s is in order. actually, two visits are in order. go for lunch and ask to be seated in the semi-outdoor atrium. go for dinner and enjoy a decadent steak dinner with the finest wines. at some point i’ll write about their dinner, but this post will serve as a lunch guide.

ketchup. thefoodwould be better if you offered heinz ketchcup and not the gross ketchup you send out!

disappointed... i had re.... disappointed...

i had read positive reviews & heard such interesting things about annie gunn's that i had expected our new year's eve dinner to be exceptional. instead, we were sat at a small table in a restaurant with a vapid atomasphere where you could barely hear the person sitting across from you.

service was average. thefoodwas good but nothing better than what i've had in the past at any other upscale restaurant. i suppose i expected to be wow'd and wasn't impressed.

i wouldn't go back. there are too many other choices..

the proof is in the pudding. we stumbled upon annie gunns off of highway 64 accidentally, as we were searching for a generic place to eat. good 'ole urbanspoon popped up with this recommendation. it at first appears like a roadside pub and market, but once inside you realize it offers full scale dining at equally full scale prices. we were sat on the patio overlooking the well camouflaged and heavily landscaped parking lot. but it wasn't unpleasant by any means. the service was swarming, down to earth and very competent. they have been well trained in making the customer feel at home. i really enjoyed the casual, yet professional vibe they had. we were offered an apéritif, some bread and a cocktail menu. i tried the gin with two kinds of bitters, and it was a refreshing start to the meal. we opted for the chef's choice mixed appetizer platter of smoked sausage, razor sliced imported hams, smoked pork belly with honey glaze, trout pâté, pickled vegetables, soft and smoked cheeses, and salty condiments of olives and nuts. every single bite was well prepared by the friendly and welcoming sous chef who delivered it to our table. thefoodwas served on a large wooden bread board and was quickly devoured by all. the kids enjoyed their burgers and mac and cheese. another diner loved his pan-seared spicy trout with seasoned rice, and my wife enjoyed her cold smoked whitefish with fig salad. my starter of cheddar soup was earthy and had a biting, savory blend. my lamb chops were amazing, seared crispy and sweet with a chutney onion glaze, and cooked perfectly medium rare and tender. the accompanying blue cheese and gruyere layered potato gratin was delightfully browned on the edges, and had a wonderful tang and creaminess that was truly satisfying. even the side of sweet potato hash was perfectly seasoned with nutmeg and a maple syrup and black pepper garnish. it was reminiscent of a sweet potato casserole at thanksgiving. i finished with their famous bread pudding saturated with a french custard and raisins and topped with a world class caramel bourbon sauce that makes you smile. far and away, the pudding was the best i have ever tasted. the other deep chocolate mousse, rich and almost bitter, and macerated berry cakes were well received by kids and adults alike. the price was steep, but in line with the excellent quality of the food. i want to revisit on a special occasion so that i have a proper excuse to try that astonishingly good bread pudding one more time. that alone should make this place a destination restaurant on your wish list.

very expensive. steak fatty grizzle. went there for a special occaision. service good.foodterrible. my steak was fat laden and grizzly. i cut out the good sections and about 2/3rds were unedible. so dissapointing. at this price point you really expect amazing food. what was most disapointing was that one could tell simply by looking at the meat that it not be a tasty piece. so both the chef and whoever was at the pass missed it. try j gilberts in west county instead. best steak i ever ate for just a tad less money.

stopped in for a late lunch on st paddy's day. we were seated right away even though there were nine of us and the place was really hopping! ordered drinks and entrees. took a long time for everything to show up, but thefoodwas excellent. i had the smoked seafood appetizer followed by a bowl of irish lamb stew. great flavor if you like rosemary--i do. others had corned beef and cabbage which was also very good. desserts included apple pie--pronounced "awesome" by the girls. sweet potato doughnuts with coffee were well worth the cost in calories and carbs. a bagpiper and a leprechaun both showed up and when we left at 6 p.m. the place was really getting wound up! looked like everyone was having a great time. as we made our way out through the irish revelry all i could think was, "that'll do, annie. that'll do."

it is quite pricey though and has a more…mature…vibe of the west county set. but goodfoodis good food. i think it is entirely appropriate that there is a large bronze pig sitting proudly and contentedly with his bucket in front of annie gunn’s. pretty soundly embodies the spirit of the place – in a good way.

it's good, but.... annie gunn's does have some phenomenal wine lists, and delicious food, but i wonder if this isn't just how a restaurant should be. the problem i have with gunn's is the cost. it is exhorbent, and i just don't know if it is worth the cost. i enjoy my meal each time i go, but i would expect no less when i am paying so much. i continue to go, so there must be something that attracts, however, it doesn't wow me like some of the smaller more specialized locations i have enjoyed. goodfoodoverall, and great wine, of course.

it's a steakhouse. it's incredibly overpriced for what you should expect from a steakhouse. a good one is good, but it's not spectacular.

i'm a transplant and when i hear someone wax poetic about mashed potatoes, my reaction is 'it's just made the way that you should make it' as opposed to 'omg it's the best ever'. shouldn't any restaurant provide decent food? is there just so much badfoodin west county that when someone delivers a medium rare steak with a side of mash, that people do donuts over it?

even with all of that, we occasionally go to annie gunn's. but this isn't 'fine dining', it just wants to be and charges for it. be prepared for a crowd and noise. the place to take grandma when she comes to town and you don't want to bother driving into the city. not worth the price on an average night.

underwhelmed. menu was underwhelming
service underwhelming
price overwhelming

just nothing that spectacular about thefood- basic fare with a few fancy touches and artistic descriptions. just not impressed for the price point..two sandwiches with run-of-the-mill fries and three beers for $65.00. inside bar was great atmosphere..was like stepping into ireland but it isn't an irish pub. we won't go back. we would at half the price but a mediocre lunch isn't worth the $$$.

still one of my favorites. it's not uncommon for my husband and i to frequent annie gunn's 3 to 5 times a week when we are in town. we have a lot of history there. i got engaged at the bar next to the stanley cup, and held my pre-wedding party and husband's surprise birthday party both on the patio.
last night we shared a 10 ounce filet mignon cooked to perfection with their killer mashed potatoes. a glass of nickel & nickel syrah paired well with the steak.

yes, thefoodis pricey but it is always excellent quality. the best deal on the menu is the grilled meat loaf, and you can't go wrong with any of the soup offerings. make sure you save room for dessert, especially their bread pudding with bananas & hot buttered rum sauce or their creme brulee.

alot of hype, just ok food. this restaurant is extremely over rated. i mean, really over rated. the menu is tired and dated. thefoodis ok, but not worth $75 a head, minimum. there were some really obnoxious patrons at the bar that were really loud, lude and annoying. i do wish that the management would have said something to them. also - there is smoking in the bar, which half of it is in the dining room and the smoke wafts into the dining room and is very off putting.

my meter for a great restaurant is either a ceasar salad or scallops. since we were in a steak house, i opted for the ceasar. it was a tired as the menu. the lettuce was wilted and looked like it had been sitting in that really heavy mayo based ceasar dressing for hours. it was listed on the menu as traditional dressing...i think not. there was no lemon taste, no anchovy taste and honestly, the only way i knew it was a ceasar was due to the parm cheese. however, the curried ginger carrot soup was really delicious. we got typical steaks for our entrees. mine was a very cool medium rare...some would venture to say that was a full on rare, but the filet was of good quality so it didn't bother me too much. there was not enough seasoning on the filet. i would have liked to see a peppercorn crust or some sort of finishing salt. my husband had the dry aged t-bone and the flavor was terrific. his was also more rare than medium rare but again, it was not a bother. we both got a side of the mushroom ragu. the ozark mushroom version was amazing. the sides lack luster so be prepared. also - make sure you take a sweater, even in 100 degree weather, it was so cold inside the restaurant that my mashed potatoes congealed and were inedible.

we didn't do dessert, but from what we saw at the surrounding tables, they looked ok.

nice. annie gunn's is the place where i would entertain someone special with impressivefoodin an informal setting. kind of pricey but worths it.

goodfood- so-so service. we went to annie gunn's for the first time last weekend. we had a nice time but the service was lacking. my water was empty on my table for quite some time while my server seemed to chat it up with one of her obvious favorite patrons... who do i have to know to get treated like that?

annie gunn’s is a restaurant owned by thom sehnert , who prides himself on presentingfoodwith a pedigree: the pork is from locally sourced heirloom breeds, the beef is grass feed, the heirloom tomatoes for the salads are grown by local farmers. their wi