The Grand Hall

I loved the light show, probably the highlight of our evening. Unfortunately the food was a big disappointment compared to last years event. I’m not commenting on every dish (not enough time), just the most unpleasant dish in attendance. The bananas foster was the worst I’ve ever had, please stop serving this. The cheap alcohol was overpowering in this dish due to poor flambéing, topped off with burnt cinnamon and mushy bananas. Thankfully Urban Chestnut was there to save the day by washing that awful taste out of my mouth. Personally, I would prefer paying more for better quality food. It’s charity, why not give more to help find a cure. Regardless of the food we were all there for a good cause and I’m thankful for being apart of it.

Well this place is pretty amazing.
I took the train into St. Louis and stayed at the neighboring hotel. Weary eyed, I walked from the gray Amtrak station on a breezy, cloudy December day hauling my bags and a bit worn out. When I walked into the Grand Hall, it was like a thousand lights turned on and I sort of froze.
The architecture in here is incredible, with high arched ceilings and absolutely decked to the nines in holiday goodness. Green and red lights, a gigantic Christmas tree and holiday music bouncing off the walls.
During my time there, I witnessed a holiday dinner, countless light shows (not sure what to call them?), and a big private holiday party.
While a tad tricky because it’s attached to a Union Station hotel but also operates as a stand-​alone event venue, I can say this Grand Hall was pretty grand and definitely put me in the holiday mood.

The Grand Hall is magnificent and unlike any other place in STL. It’s a grand open space with lots of big comfortable seating and tables. Or you can hit the bar, which extends nearly the entire length of the space. The light show is spectacular, although on a recent trip here for drinks it was distracting because it coincided with the Polar Express deal they’re doing here. The focus was Xmas music and I’m a Grinch.

Beautiful spot and highly recommended to bring your kids for an early dinner. We arrived on a Sunday and were able to park on the street across the street from The Grand Hall at Union Station. This is an underrated spot in St. Louis in my opinion! A must visit!
We arrived at 4:45 in time for the 5 pm lights show — this one was the aquarium one… it changes every hour and they have 12 different ones according to the waitress.
Out meal was good — had Waldorf chicken salad which was very good and scallops, which were also good.
Great miniature train in the gift shop adjacent the main room — don’t miss that. And you can press a button to make it run.
This is a five stars for location and three and a half stars for food, so I am giving it a four overall, but it’s a must visit…

I may be in the minority here, but the Grand Hall deserved a better rehab. This was once THE train station of mid-​America. History was made here, and memories for generations. It deserved better. While I feel the Rouse Corp. rehab of the 80’s didn’t adequately re-​use the space, at least they didn’t do it cheaply and with bizarre laser shows (with Rams commercials since Stan Kronke is an investor) and thrift shop mis-​matched furniture and finishing which doesn’t match any one period. Great idea to use this as a bar space… bad execution. Lodging Hospitality Management has done a great job with many properties in St. Louis and they’re the best hoteliers when it comes to food. However, after doing a bang up job with 360… wonderful use of the space and it’s place… beautiful workmanship, in/​out… they hit a big bump with Basso at the Cheshire… poorly designed, stationary tables, little flexibility. Evidently this failure led to a change when they tackled Union Station, but I think the Basso burp didn’t deserve such a drastic change and they should have gone with quality again. I’m a little embarrassed when I show out of town guests the current Grand Hall, but I think it’a not too late to fix it while the rest of their Union Station transformation takes place.

Fun girls’ night here! The light show is awesome and the food was good! Our server was awesome too!

Nice space but there are a few drawbacks. The most noticeable is the lighting. I get that they have a neat light show on their ceiling. It was moderately interesting but lighting could have been better at the table level without interfering with the light show. It was dark enough that it felt rather like a place where people go to hide instead of feeling like an upscale place to grab a drink.
Service was mediocre at best. I ordered three different drinks and each one was made wrong. Maybe the lighting was to blame???

This is such a gorgeous and unique space! I was here for a Unilocal event and really enjoyed the ambiance. The layout of the couches and tables as well as the super long bar were really conducive for small talk and meeting people.
As a St. Louis newbie (moved here about a month ago), I don’t really know what the Grand Hall looked like before the renovations, but they did a great job as far as I can tell! The architecture is already stunning and they accentuated it even more by adding a light show, which is expertly choreographed to music. It’s very entertaining!

Spectacular, in a Disney kind of way. They took an1894 train terminal with 65-​foot barrel-​vaulted ceiling, refurbished the space, and installed a 16-​projector holographic light show. Wow! Take a date for drink or two, and enjoy the fireworks.

Great evening at the Grand Hall. Excellent light show! Drinks and food were superb. Thanks Unilocal

Amazing spot that few people seem to know about. Very trendy and cool bar/​lounge with great architecture as well as HOURLY LIGHT SHOWS. Yes, they literally project animations and other fun things on the ceiling of the hall. Definitely a good place to impress out of towners.

If you haven’t been to Grand Hall since it has been renovated than you’re missing out. This space has quickly turned into a «must see» for those who are visiting the city and for locals who don’t know what they’re missing.
This space has quickly turned into one of my favorite places to impress friends or acquaintances. Last night an old friend from high school was in town visiting from LA and wanted to go somewhere awesome they haven’t been before. Grand Hall was the perfect spot. Seriously.
They have valet but parking during the week day is easy since there are plenty of meters out front. Walking into Grand Hall when it’s lit up is nothing short of breathtaking. I can’t even describe how beautiful it is. The photos don’t even do it justice. Just go.
I have yet to eat here but I’ve gotten drinks on multiple occasions. First off, the service is phenomenal. This area doubles as a hotel lobby for guests but by no means feels like a hotel lobby. It feels like one of the nicest bar/​lounges that St. Louis currently has to offer.
Another huge plus? It’s super reasonably priced!
All the craft brews were $ 5 – 7, cocktails are $ 9 – 10, and wine by the glass is $ 8 – 20. These prices are basically the same as any other decent bar in town. My recommendation? Get the Old Fashioned. It was amazing and had a rock candy stick to use as a stir.
Also, in the evening they have an amazing light show that happens on the ceiling. The best way to describe it is «magical.» Sounds cheesy? Yes, but it’s not. It’s quite mesmerizing.
Pro tip: When you walk in the primary entrance of GH there is a spot called «The Whispering Arch.» It has a little plaque on it explaining the whole thing but basically you can whisper into the wall on one end and someone standing on the opposite side of the arch can hear you loud and clear! Yay for Science.
I can’t wait to show Grand Hall off to more friends and out-​of-​towners.

Incredibly beautiful hall with much history and meticulous restoration; A jewel of St. Louis.
We enjoyed drinks and small plates here to celebrate my bday and were quite pleased.
$ 40 for a yummy flat bread pizza, and deliciously fresh Waldorf salad, a Malbec and a beer.
We will bring out of town visitors to enjoy this gem. A fun night out and easy metro link ride.
The hourly vintage short historic film projected on the grand ceiling and the famous whispering arch are icing on the cake.