Cafe Natasha’s

The food was pretty awesome but the service was pretty terrible. The white basmati rice was flavorless but the tandoree chicken, garlic chicken and sirloin we’re delicious and amazingly tender. Our server had a huge table so we suffered and waited 30 minutes to even have our first drink order taken. Two hours and only one drink later, we saw our waitress for the third time of the night to receive our bills that were all completely wrong. Two corrections later, ready to sign our bills and leave to go have some drinks elsewhere, we realize they have added 20% gratuity to our bills. I will absolutely eat the food again but it will be take out. Also– the Aviation and the Knickerbocker almost made me consider drinking Gin more often… But then I never saw our server again so

Food was ok. Some people’s food was pretty good but other were so bland that it was ridiculous. Literally plain chicken on a stick with plain rice. Drinks are around 7 $-10 $. The waitress was extremely rude! Awful service.

First time to Café Natasha’s with a maybe larger than normal group they usually accomodate. We walk into the Gin Room where the bar lady is i guess prepping for the evening crowd. Odd she had clear gloves on top of white gloves. I just couldnt help thinking this place is nice but not that high class but then I thought whatever maybe its a gin room thing. When we get to our table we notice we’re a seat short. So the same double gloved bartender comes holding chairs nearby as she contemplated what seemed like an easy decision to us. So we helped her out by telling her to just add a chair to the table which she did still with gloves on. So service was good minus the moscow mule brought to our table w/​o the alcohol by i’m guessing the hostess because she’d not once been to our table since we were seated. So we’re laughing having a good time trying to close out our bills when this same chick keeps walking by our table only to finally say she needed us leave. WOW!!! My first thought after that was this place is just plain ol pretentious. We didnt say anything to cause a scene in this fancy establishment but had she communicated with the waiter or been professional she would have found we were waiting on change from a couple of bills. The food was cool not sure if it was the most authentic but wont be going back.

Service was very friendly. Unfortunately, I was confused for my entire visit. To elaborate, when you arrive at Café Natasha’s, the sign says you are entering The Gin Room/​Café Natasha’s. My girlfriend and I were very confused as we had no intention of going to The Gin Room (we are whiskey/​vodka drinkers).
We proceeded to ask about the happy hour, which was non-​existent (perhaps we should have come on Tuesday, which is their unlimited hummus happy hour). Ended up just ordering hummus because of the old cigar lounge vibe. Hummus was decent but overall, a very strange experience. Perhaps we’ll re-​evaluate on Tuesday.

Very good food! I highly recommend the all you can eat humus bar for $ 10. Do not let the name fool you; there is one fantastic humus but the rest is not. There are curry veggies, little falafel balls, two types of rice, spiced tomatoes, eggplant parmesan and some really good mushrooms! There is also a gin room that is part of the restaurant that was a pleasant surprise. Go during happy hour to get a $ 1 off some of their drinks. It is tablecloth and candle light so I would recommend dressing a step up from jeans and a t-​shirt like I did. I felt way underdressed!

Came here with a group of friends for happy hour on a Tuesday. The $ 10 buffet is awesome. I loved being able to taste a little (or a lot) of everything. The falafel was fantastic. They make a lot of fun cocktails. I’m not a huge gin fan but if you talk to Natasha she will find the gin for you. And if you are really opposed to gin, they have homemade infused bourbons as well. We sat at the bar and they were very friendly, teaching us all about their different spirits. My boyfriend enjoyed a specialty cocktail made based on his tastes. It was fantastic. It was not on the happy hour menu of course but they were nice enough to still give us a discount because we brought a large group.

My experience with Persian food, though almost nonexistent, was not very good before coming here.
I knew I was in for a great meal after sampling all kinds of dips in the Eggplant Lover, which my group split as an appetizer.
I eventually settled on the Veggie Koubideh Combo Platter as an entrée, but was a bit wary of the so-​called soy protein, listed on the menu as TVP. I am so glad I went for it! The meal was extremely flavorful, down to the rice, and I also enjoyed the shirazi salad, which was light, cold and fresh, an excellent pairing to a hot meal. For dessert, our group of four successfully split two orders of baklava («oh my god, you gotta try this”-grade baklava, nonetheless) and left extremely satisfied.
The staff was very kind, and the atmosphere, while it made a strange first impression, was inviting. I will definitely be returning soon.

Cute place! We got takeout here on Sat and would try it again. I liked their Gyro a lot with the yogurt sauce and thinly sliced meat that was well-​packed in and easy to eat, plus the split pita was not too thick and distracting the way some gyros can be.
We had their hummus, falafel and chicken shish kabob platter as well. The kabobs were very good: not dried out like we have had at other restaurants. Hummus was good as well. Only complaint was that the falafel was a little too fried (crunchy) for us, but we still ate them!
Nice staff, too, and we heard they’ve been open 30 years, which is fantastic. I can understand why!

Fabulous array of gins with homemade tonics. When my boyfriend and I come here we get an order of hummus and a kabob. Meat is tender and delicious. We generally finish our meal with a tea sweetened with condensed milk.

Fantastic ambience, very comfortable booths, quick service, DELICIOUS chicken tandoori, extensive drinks menu, no wait on a saturday night at dinner time. Will definitely be returning.

Best shish kebab in saint louis hands down. Also the largest selection of gin in missouri. I was absolutely blown away by my experience.

Café Natasha’s is fantastic! From its delicious food to its excellent ownership, this restaurant is one that you need to visit. We hosted an event at our apartment building and asked Café Natasha’s if they would be willing to cater for it and they agreed!
Natasha herself brought many delicious samples as well as items for mixed drinks. She was friendly and flexible and made our event a wonderful success! It’s a difficult thing to cater and have your food be up to quality, but they did it simply and delectably. We definitely look forward to working with them in the future.

The kebabs here are amazing — wonderfully flavorful and tender. This is my favorite Middle Eastern restaurant in St. Louis. And the gin flights are an unusual treat. You can choose what you want or leave it up to Natasha and get a surprise.

I ordered the Lamb Biryani Pilaf dinner entrée to go. I was very surprised to learn that it is extremely bland. Not sure how this made it to their menu. However, I will be going back to try other menu items. Something on the menu has to be a winner!

Omg the beef kabob was literally perfect. And the lamb shank was also so delicious. I am so Impressed by the meats here. The service was also very nice and I really appreciated my servers suggestions. Will definitely be back. Good cocktail lost and beautiful bar and interior as well.

Pros: Steak kebab is delicious; interesting décor
Cons: None

I had a «PiscoPolitan» that has hibiscus infused w/​habanero — wow! Great martini (I had to sip it.)
The falafel is top 3 in St. Louis.
I’ve had better gyros, mainly at the annual Greek festival, but the Natasha’s gyro nonetheless has a homemade flavor & feel — the meat does not come already reconstituted into a log, like most places.
My girlfriend and I sat in the nicely-​shaded outdoor area with our chitzu and had a really lovely aftenoon.

Really terrific kebabs. I especially liked the ground chicken (sounds gross, so not!) Gin drinks were a little weird for me (we tried 3).
But the owner and the staff are so nice and the place is so pretty. And, like I said, the kebabs (all of them) are amazing!!!

I liked this place!
1. It offers a wide variety of middle eastern food and it has a special vegan/​vegetarian menu!
2. The staff are very friendly and the service was decent.
3. The place is nice and clean.
4. The food is tasty. It might not be the best I’ve had but it was good.
5. The portion is perfect. A main course with a shared appetizer, such as pita with hummus, was a decent amount of food to make you feel full but not stuffed. I read reviews earlier and I was concerned about the portion size might be like meze type. I was happy with our order and portion size!

We had our first Café Natasha’s group experience for this year’s Dining Out for Life. We went with the cabbage rolls and walnut-​olive feta cheese Spread for starters. I quite enjoyed the cabbage rolls, and they packed a spicy wang to them. Went with the falafel platter for dinner. They did have a nice selection of vegetarian options, which for once made it difficult to choose just one dish. The food was superb. The staff were super friendly, and the owner (Natasha) even popped by to check on our experience and food as well. They also have an unlimited hummus bar happy hour. How can one go wrong?
I expect that we will be back very soon to sample more from the vegetarian menu. It was definitely a good choice for this years Dining Out excursion.

We attended Unilocal’s Gin Workshop at Natasha’s Gin Room and this was our first time here. We arrived an hour late (mis-​read the start time) but everyone made room for us and we wound up receiving our own class from Gin Room owner Natasha! Natasha has an amazing collection of gin and is incredibly knowledgeable. She is a wonderful host and teacher and we thoroughly enjoyed the evening! 5 stars for Natasha for being so terrific, knowledgeable and a true gin aficionado!
We’ll be coming back to Café Natasha again to enjoy some middle eastern food and we’ll certainly be coming back to the Gin Room to enjoy some gin, house-​made tonics and Natasha’s delightful presence! The house-​made tonics were incredible… everything from fruity, to piney to eclectic… you just have to go and try them!
The atmosphere is lovely and a bit cozy… great place to enjoy a drink at the bar or have some wonderful middle eastern cuisine. We tried the hummus and pita which as great… we have to come back and eat their food!

Tried this place with some friends.
The inside of the restaurant was well decorated. Plenty of indoor and outdoor seating.
We ordered

LOVE THIS PLACE!
Located in the South Grand district, this place is heaven for a Gin drinker. They carry some of the best and most exclusive gins available. And they make their own flavored tonics! I easily converted into a gin drinker after leaving here. SN: it was short lived because once you have the best, you can’t go back to the regular crap at all the other bars lol. Only drinking gin from this place from now on.
They have a gin flight, in which the bartender pairs 3 different gins with one of their house made tonics for $ 19. I can’t even attempt to recall what they were but each one was delicious in their own way. I do know that one of them was paired with a strawberry rhubarb tonic which reminded me of a vodka soda because of its smooth taste. The other were more gin and tonic-​ish. Two of the managers came over and SCHOOLED us on gin. I mean I felt like we were in class for real! It was awesome!
The food is just as equally
! We both got the steak and chicken kabobs and good lord they were so effing delicious! The steak was sooo tender and juicy. The saffron chicken was great paired with the Basmati rice. I can’t wait to get back here and eat and drink again.
I’m so upset I didn’t know about this place sooner. The staff is great — told us about all the events they have and the popping patio. I gotta get back here soon!

I loved my first meal at Café Natasha’s! It was all around amazing. I went with the highly recommended beef shish kebabs. The waitress recommended doing the half salad half basmati rice. She also told me to go with the lentils and raisins in my rice so I did. All of these were good choices.
The rice was amazing. Raisins and lentils really made in bangin’. And that salad was very fresh. +10 points awarded to the waitress. The real star of the show was the beef. It was so tender and flavorful. I highly recommend this dish and will have a hard time not getting it on my next visit.
Also, the gin room is a nice extra feature of Café Natasha’s. Their entire cocktail menu exclusively features gin cocktails. And let me tell you, the list is HUGE. I had a sample of the tonic of the day and it was okay. If you don’t wanna taste your booze, than give it a shot. If you’re in it for a strong drink, I highly recommend the gin old fashioned. I was shocked how well it replaced rye whiskey. Not exactly the same, I still prefer whiskey, but a delicious alternative.

I finally made it back to this place last night, thanks to the ISC. As I was looking at my last review of them it occurred to me that it was more than 4 years ago. The place felt different than it did on that last visit and a bit more upscale.
A few quick highlights…
I have never before used the phrase «light and airy» to describe a chicken preparation. One might ask, how can chicken become light and airy? I don’t know the answer to that question but I can assure you that the chicken kebab had both a lightness and an airiness to it. Great mix of bold flavors too!
I’m a sucker for baba ganoush and rarely pass on an opportunity to try a restaurant’s version. I was really happy with Natasha’s! I loved the slight spiciness that almost seemed to amplify the smokiness. One of the better baba ganoush offerings in the area.
What they call baklava is not what I call baklava. We may need to agree to disagree on the name they hung on this dessert but it was certainly delicious and it did vaguely resemble baklava. I especially liked the lightness of the filling. Traditional baklava can be pretty dense — not this stuff.
On the downside, I just don’t like their pita breads. I am a big fan of this item being light and fluffy with a little bit of chewiness. Theirs are flat and dense.

I’ve been to this place more than any other restaurant. Why? Because I am never disappointed with the food that’s coming out of the kitchen. There’s one dish which I have fallen in love with over and over again everytime I eat it. *Cue the drum roll please!* Café Natasha’s Exclusive Beef Shish Kabob. Boom! There you have it. If you come here and do not try this out, you will have missed the opportunity to bless your taste buds.
The chunks of steak are tender and marinated well into the meat. You can taste the difference between a well marinaded meat and a seasoned meat just prior to grilling. This, folks, is WELL MARINADED STEAK! The flavorful juices adds yet another dimension. Absolutely mouthwatering stuff. Simple steak cut into chunks. The marinade the meat bathes in is top notch. This review does not do this steak kabob any justice.
The plain butter they give you is for the rice. What I do is use one slab for the rice and the other slab to coat the hot chunks of steak. Gives the meat this glistening effect and makes it more tasty if it isn’t already. The rice does a subtle job by balancing bold flavor of the meat. You can also elect to opt for half rice/​half salad or no rice, just salad for a healthier option.
Sit inside, sit outside. Whatever you decide, the steak will taste the same. Always excellent! I sat outside on my most recent visit and it was soothing. The chairs and tables were sturdy. I find myself way too many times where sitting outside became a nuisance due to the uneven tables/chairs.One of my pet peeves when eating outside. The servers are attentive. My glass of water was always filled.
This is one of my FEW favorite spots to eat in St. Louis. I have eaten other dishes on the menu and have never left disappointed. I just think the Steak Kabobs deserves to be mentioned as it should be top on everyones’ lists to try out in St. Louis!