juniper

my husband and i went to juniper last night for his birthday dinner. our cocktails were both fantastic and so was the breadbasket. he got the quail for his entree which was delicious! i had the fried chicken which was, not as good. my sides were yummy, but the chicken needed some flavor. we both absolutely loved the atmosphere along with the great service. we will definitely be back to try some of the other menu items and specialty cocktails.

objectively, this is probably one of the most complete meals i've had this year. all the sides complemented the fried chicken wonderfully, and execution of every single item was spot on. just a single serving of everything would have been enough, but i was unable to stop myself from ordering more (your prerogative). by the third round, i was getting dizzy. totally worth it. at 4 am the next day i woke up incredibly thirsty and had 2 glasses of water. totally worth it. i wasn't hungry until dinner the next day, and after writing this i want it again. just 6 more days.

we had to wait for a table despite a reservation. we heard this restaurant had great food. it was okay, not great. at 8:15 they were out of at least three menu items (appetizers and sides). two of us had the fried chicken. comments were "there's a lot of it," "it's very heavily breaded," and "it's served very hot." the "angel biscuits" were one of the mia menu items and remained a mystery; the buttermilk biscuit substitute was cold, dry and crumbly. the cornbread was the best southern-style (not sweet) cornbread i've ever had, but didn't compensate for the other shortcomings. the deviled eggs were unremarkable and the fried pickles weren't as good as the ones at fitz's. the pickles were bread-and-butter rather than dill, and the batter was falling off even before they reached the table. the "market plate" of the evening was a "vegetarian" special consisting of sliced tomatoes, spinach and cheese. at most restaurants it would have been a side dish at best. service was friendly and attentive. the mixed drinks were inventive and interesting.

because cornbread. and frog legs. and fried chicken.. i am so frustrated with the negative user reviews of juniper, and frankly, it seems as though i dined at a different restaurant. i've been to juniper multiple times, and i love it. when friends come in from out of town, it's always a go-to place on my dinner list. my servers have been friendly and attentive {and have made great food/drink recs}; the atmosphere is one of the best in st. louis; and the menu is unique and fun. the space and the menu give off sort of a hipster brooklyn meets nashville vibe... another reviewer wrote that juniper, "fills a niche that's not very well represented in st. louis...upscale, approachable, southern cuisine." i totally agree and would add "trendy" to the list, in the best sense. some recommendations...the breadbasket {the cornbread is the best in town}, the mac & cheese {you can workout tomorrow; it'll be worth it}, and anything involving frog legs or fried chicken {because...come on, where else are you going to eat frog legs?}. for cocktails, go with the presbyterian and/or anything they're creating using the old school bottled sodas they serve. go getcha some.

dear juniper,

you guys are on fire right now. my last two meals there have been the kind of gut-busting, coma-inducing dinners that make diners euphoric. when i ate there just the other week, it was a completely different menu than earlier this summer, but it looks like parts of it are going to be changing again soon. so enjoy looking at pictures of food you aren’t going to be able to eat for a year.

if you are a health nut that removes the chicken skin before cooking, go find another post to read.  besides that, hang your head in shame for missing out on something glorious.  if you are the type of person that savours every crispy bite of the skin when you make fried chicken, let me tell you about a dish you must try:  the “nashville hot” fried chicken skins at juniper . these chicken skins are fantastic!  it’s the best part about eating fried chicken.  they are salty and slightly spicy, and the strawberry buttermilk adds sweetness.  i could eat these all night.  in my opinion they are one of the best bar snacks period . i realize this is a short post, but this was something that more people should be talking about.  i tried these on my third trip to juniper and this will ensure that i visit more frequently.  i may need to get baseline readings on my cholesterol, because i’m sure it’s going to be climbing with this new addiction. dive 2 five scale: 3 .  juniper is slightly off the

over fried chicken - indifferent service. went to juniper with high expectations based on reviews and comments from friends. i was sadly disappointed. cocktails were poorly executed and watery. the fried chicken was over cooked and chewy. when popeye's and church's can do a better job you have a problem. server was indifferent. charcuterie was dime sized paper thin slices that did not provide much. costco provides larger samples. you have to buy your own bread basket, which was expensive, and most other restaurants provide bread at no additional charge. we wont return.

great fried chicken but...... my friend and i split the fried chicken and the "frogamore stew". we also had the fried green tomatoes, the beet terrine, two "sparkler" sodas and shared a scoop of peach ice cream. the "stew" was not a stew at all but rather three head on shrimp, a three inch cob of corn, a slice of andouille sausage and a few pieces of boiled potato. the chicken came with a small amount of potato salad and a piece of pickled squash. with tax and tip the bill came to $100. for my $50 half of that i got a chicken thigh (admittedly delicious), one and a half small shrimp, part of a tomato, a few beets and potatoes, a small piece of corn, a glass of (not very) sparkling water with some flavorings (bitters) and a few bites of not very good peach ice cream. the atmosphere and service were very nice but the plate value was abysmal.

great cocktails. ok food. i'm not sure what type of potato they use for the mashed potatoes but they were nasty. and if i am spending $30 for a meal i expect clean silverware between courses.

underwhelmed at juniper. take my recommendation ... do not spend your money or time at this restaurant.

this was our second visit to juniper. the first visit was shortly after their opening and was chaotic (on a saturday night) but generally ok (as i attributed this to them still "learning the ropes and getting their processes in order"). very interesting menu and concept which i felt deserved a second visit.

was i wrong.

we returned on a weeknight and told it would be a one hour wait (despite the fact that when we arrived only half the tables were full). after a nearly 45 minute wait, we were seated and served. 3 of the 5 people in our party enjoyed their dinners (catfish) while the remaining 2 had the worst fried chicken. it was terribly overpriced (2 pieces of dark meat) and even more overcooked. how can a restaurant with a "southern comfort food" concept not be able to properly cook fried chicken?

to add insult to injury, the owner stopped by our table and introduced himself to our party (he seemed like a nice guy). we told him we were celebrating 2 birthdays that evening, and that 2 people in our party were in the restaurant business. after hearing of this, he offered to send some "extra things" out to our table (which we thought was a kind gesture). he clearly forgot ... since there was no acknowledgement or follow-up to our table the remainder of the night.

when i spend $160 at a restaurant, i expect consistent (if not exceptional) food quality and good customer relations. unfortunately, i felt we didn't receive either.

there are plenty of other restaurants where i know i can get both. juniper is not one of them.

sneaked into jupiter around 10 pm last night and expected a lighter dinner crowd at the late hour but we were wrong! the place was still packed, which i totally understand now. from the flaming pentecostal cocktail to the chicken and waffles, everything was great! as odd as it sounds, the bread plate was one of the best parts of the meal too. hopefully they plan to change up the menu often so we have an excuse to go again and again! loved it!

disappointed. for a neighborhood restaurant, you might want to skip this restaurant. got a two dollar upcharge for 2nd piece of chicken white meat and ended up with a chicken wing with no meat on it. asked for a diet coke and ended up with a 3 dollar mexican soda. be careful what you order. if you want to pay 25 dollars for a meal that will make you walk away hungry, then this is your place.

one of my new favorite places. i ordered the chicken fried chicken and loved it . the bread basket was really good, as were the side dishes - mashed potatoes, kale salad, brussel sprouts. i'll certainly be back .

juniper fills a niche that's not very well represented in st. louis. upscale, approachable, southern cuisine. not being from the south, it's hard for me to judge how "authentic" the food is in terms of its origins. however, good food is good food. juniper exudes warmth - from the atmosphere to the hearty food to the service. that night, the first thing the greeter at the door asked me was my name... and i just didn't get the impression she was looking for a reservation. maybe she was, but it was nice personable way to start the night. i'm sad that perkins and his crew won't be doing any more underground dinners, but with that background i have no doubt that juniper's menu will constantly evolve, innovate (an absolute necessity around these parts) and a result, succeed.

love this place! great ambience, drinks are fantastic, i haven't had dinner yet but the plates looked delicious & we'll be back soon. the waffle bread pudding might be one of the most heartwarmingly delicious desserts ever :)