Taste is a small trendy restaurant and bar in the Central West End that has a limited menu of small plates and a larger menu of drinks. This is a great spot to check out during a night out with some friends to grab some drinks and a light bite to eat. Their food is very creative and always changing to keep it exciting!
Overall Rating ★★★
Food ★★★
Since Taste is a restaurant with a smaller food menu, we stopped in just to try out a couple of their small plates. We got the Smoked Beet salad, a Caponata eggplant and Hummus small plate, and the Roasted Cauliflower.
They are also very flexible about making menu items gluten free by substituting an ingredient or leaving something out.
Unlike many beet salads that we have gotten before, the majority of this one was actually beets, so it had a very strong beet flavor. This would definitely be a great salad if you are a fan of beets!
The Caponata eggplant and Hummus dish was seasoned very nicely. We have been to Taste a couple times and got it once with the toasted bread, and once without as a gluten free dish. When made gluten free it was a little bit plainer because instead of replacing the bread with something they just added more eggplant.
Our favorite was the roasted cauliflower. It was served with pickled apples, pine nuts, and a delicious chili pepper cheddar paste. All of the different flavors contrasted nicely with each other and gave everything a really unique flavor! This is a must try if you visit!
Tried and True Favorites:
- Roasted Cauliflower
Quality ★★
Although Taste does not focus on organic food, they do try to get their food from local sources and get organic produce and sustainable meats whenever possible. It is hard to determine exactly what “whenever possible” means, but at least they are trying.
They get their dairy from Ozark Mountain Creamery where their cows are antibiotic and hormone free. They grow 90% of what they feed to their cows, which is all gmo and pesticide free! The milk is vat pasteurized, meaning it is pasteurized under a low amount of heat which preserves the most nutrients and the milk’s natural flavor. They are family owned and local, located in Mountain Grove, Missouri.
Their chicken comes from a local farm called Double Star Farms, who is a participant in the Tower Grove Farmers Market.
They cook their food in a basic olive oil blend. Olive oil is definitely a good oil, but theirs appears to be mixed with a generic vegetable oil, which is not healthy.
Their water does not have a fluoride filter, but unlike many restaurants they do have a basic water filter.
Taste also is very committed to being environmentally friendly as seen with their effort in getting local ingredients. They also have a very strong recycling and composting program . They rate 3 out of 5 starts from the Green Dining Alliance for sustainable practices which exceeds standard industry practice.
Atmosphere ★★★★ 
Taste is a fairly small, more upscale restaurant that has a vintage and antique feel to it. The lighting is very dim which makes this restaurant very relaxed and calming. There are a couple of curtains hanging around the restaurant for decoration. There is a bar area, and seating in an upstairs area as well as downstairs. They have some private tables, and some that are a little longer where you may be seated next to other people.
Service ★★★★★
Our waiter was very nice in finding the answers to all of our questions and was very timely in taking our order and getting our food out to us.
Price $$
Their small plates range from $8 to $13. They do have some smaller and simpler options for around $5 and some larger meals for around $18.
Location
Taste is located in Central West End near forest park!
Address: 4584 Laclede Ave, St. Louis, MO 63108
Visit their website if you want to see their menu, hours, and find out more! Taste Bar
