Veritas Gateway to Food & Wine

My husband and I are not «foodies» but our friends who suggested this restaurant are. When I looked at the menu it didn’t really wow me, but we had 4 appetizers and we each ordered different entrees, and Every single selection was amazing! Great wine tasting before dinner. Wonderful service! This restaurant is the best kept secret in St. Louis! I can NOT imagine this place getting a bad review.

The three of us agreed it was the best food we have had in a long time! We had 3 cocktails $ 10 each that were clearly not made from a cheap, pre-​made mix. They were – a Wine-​O-​Rita :Mezcal Vida, Lemoncello, Riesling, Dry Curaçao, Lime, Agave, Smoked Sea Salt then a Spin Cycle: Mezcal Vida, Pineapple Juice, Lemon, Berry Jalapeño Compote, Tequila and last a Missouri Mule: Tito’s Vodka, Big O Ginger, Fernet Branca, Lime, Ginger Beer”
The roasted Brussels sprouts and the southern fried chicken appetizers were so flavorful and perfect. We had Braised Pork Shoulder with Sweet Potatoes, Avocado, Olives, Shiitakes, Brussels Sprouts and Charred Mushroom Mascarpone $ 25 as a main. The sweet potatoes, which I usually HATE, were amazing and the sauce made me wish they had provided a piece of bread to mop up the plate. Our other main was something called a Vegetable Napolean– there were cubes of fried potatoes in this that I have never had like this before… days later I am still dreaming of them. We also had 2 desserts — please go and get the lemon Rosemary choice if it’s offered!

They have a great selection of wine. The fish was one of the best I have had in the mid west and the desserts were decadently delicious. The sea bass has a deliciously salty and crispy skin and the green olive sauce for the mahi was outstanding. they have some outdoor seating where leashed pets are welcome. I would go here again and recommend this place to every foodie in st.louis. Service is a bit slow, but very courteous and friendly.

One of our favorite places. Never had a bad wine here… food is spectacular. Menu changes weekly… not only is food great, but unique. David and Stephanie are gracious hosts… what David knows about wine could fill an encyclopedia. Great ambiance too.

A real gem in west county. Unique offerings and great wine makes for a special night out. Deviled egg appetizer was amazing. Wine tastings add to the charm.

What a great night we had at Veritas! The wine tastings were wonderful… purchased a bottle of wine from one of the wines we sampled and enjoyed this with some light food in the Mustard Bar. We had this amazing beet salad as well as a really tasty appetizer with roasted potatoes. How lucky we are to have this West County treasure in the burbs of St Louis! Thank you to the owners David and Stephanie!

I have been meaning to try Veritas for years now! Decided to stop by solo for lunch today. Wow have I been missing out. It’s a fantastic place for lunch. I had the Turkey Sandwich on top a pancake! It was excellent. Flavorful, unusual and the perfect size. I sat at the kitchen bar and everyone was very friendly. The waiter explained how the restaurant and wine bar worked. I can’t wait to bring my wife here for Dinner. The care both chefs took while preparing and prepping food was exceptional. I later found out one chef was part owner. The wait staff seemed to be only one person, but was adequate and I was not in a hurry. I now have a new favorite lunch and I am sure soon to be dinner place in the burbs. Thank you!

I was having dinner the night that the gentlemen with «20 years of service» was in here with his crew of 10 people. They were loud, drunk and obnoxious and disturbing to every table around them. The food was fabulous and besides the atmosphere with that group here, it was a nice time! I believe their style is Applebee’s or Chilis, not a fine dinning restaurant.

I worked in restaurants for 20 years, from sports bars to fine dining, and never experienced the lack of service or horrendous customer service at a restaurant. The night started by us seating ourselves, after we told the front desk person arrived for a reservation. We then had to wait 30 minutes for cocktails, though we finally realized they were sitting at the service bar, waiting to be finished. I suppose the server gulping down his glass of wine behind the bar was too busy to help an actual customer. My drink came in a glass that looked like the one holding our table’s candle. Nice touch Veritas. We put our order in and ordered more drinks — which came another 30 minutes after we ordered them. But — as they sat for 15 minutes in service bar, we went to get them. That’s ok, beer needs to air out, right? We also saw the owner seeing us do this — typically, an owner would be appalled at a table doing this — they didn’t care to help out or ask why.
One entrée came out, the other 9 of us waiting. Veritas seems to pen itself as fresh, American cuisine so is not exactly White Castle (though I get better service there), but only one entrée came out, then finally all others except for 3 people. One burger that came out was cold — and was sent back. After some time, 2 entrees came out, then the reheated burger, yet one person was still awaiting her burger. Why all burgers? Because we had a feeling they couldn’t handle us ordering entrees (they can’t handle much apparently). I went and talked to the owners who were sitting at the empty bar, drinking while the place was fairly busy and while their cooks couldn’t even get one tables food out right. I was told it was coming.
Then my wife asks for a manager — the same owner came over and explained the burger was cooking (really? Over an hour for a burger??) and that they «accommodated» our party of 10 that night. Oh — so we should feel privileged to dine at your fine place? How lucky. She asked what did we want her to do — as the owner, shouldn’t you ask what is going on, what the issue is, and how it could be resolved? Cowardice. But not by the cook… who comes out the swinging door and so tactfully says «You can go ahead and leave and we won’t press charges.» CHARGES? We had no idea what he was talking about, I thought he was kidding at first. He storms back to his place behind the line, probably to do more shots with the sous chef (yes, we saw them too doing this). Apparently the need for liquor on the line is the priority over a ticket that is completely screwed up. Of course, how could the cook know we had a high-​ranking St. Louis County Police officer in our group, so thank God the cook was not going to press charges. Whew, finally some relief. Because pressing charges against customers who just want to go out to eat is pretty common.
Finally…the last burger arrived. Except the server now says she actually forgot to put in that order, but that the fries were on the way. Wow.
Don’t eat here. You can find plenty of other restaurants with good food and terrible customer service that will be out of business because of it – and White Castle is always open.

Almost a weekly stop !!!
David and Stephanie are always smiling and appear from nowhere to say, hello. The wine selection and narrative David provides adds another level of learning the who, what and why of wines… and trust me, I need help in that area.
The food description and mixtures always makes me scratch my head… pimento cheese and pork rinds, really… well, it was a delicious!
So if you have not visited Veritas all I can say is that you are missing a great experience and don’t let the entre and appetizer descriptions fool you, they are amazing combinations.

Yum!!! Excellent sevice, décor… and most importantly… apps and wine! (For happy hour at least). Sounds bizarre, BUT try the deviled eggs… in the mustard bar… we got cucumber and garlic — excellent! And the cheese plate was very good as well. Will come back soon!!! Good spot for a date or girls eve/​night.

Unique food preparation with great imagination. Thanks for opening our eyes and palettes.

We found this place through Unilocal and it turned out to be one of the best meals we’ve ever had. The food was very creative, flavorful, and made with high-​quality local ingredients. The wine was expertly selected and paired with the food very nicely. Basically, everything we had was fantastic and, while not inexpensive, was an incredible value for its quality. We’re thinking about going back for dinner tomorrow. I’ve eaten all over the country and Veritas is now entrenched within my Top 5 restaurants.

This is a hidden gem among the corporate restaurants in west county. The service is great and the food –better. I don’t normally look for chicken on a menu but I’ll go to Veritas specifically for the Amish chicken. It’s well seasoned, crispy on the outside and moist inside. My 10 year old loves their burger; I love their fries. The other items on the menu are often based on what is seasonal and fresh. The food is straight forward and tastes like they care.
I suggest sitting at the bar facing the open kitchen. Chef Matt and his team are friendly, engaging and great with foodies and kids alike.

One of the most underrated restaurants in St. Louis! The food is always phenomenal! Their burger is hands down the best in St. Louis and their wine offerings are thoughtful and on point.

We stopped in Veritas on a whim, and ended up staying for lunch. Delicious! Their pommes frites are the best I’ve had outside of France or Belgium, and the beet slaw side is fabulous.
They also have an excellent wine selection, to drink in or take home by the bottle — a lot of unique vineyards and hard-​to-​find vintages.
Our waitress, Lauren, was delightful and helpful above and beyond. We’ll definitely return!

Don’t understand why this place is not packed nightly. City foodies should travel to the burbs for a treat. Favorite among STL restaurants.

If I lived here, I’d be a regular at Veritas.
The friendly owner (David) greeted us with a complementary wine tasting. (Why does not every restaurant do that?)
Then, we had a fantastic appetizer and dinner. Plus, of course, a bottle of wine that we did not have to guess about, because we had just tasted it.
I feel pretty snobby about restaurants, because I’m spoiled by the restaurants in Portland, Oregon, where I live. I really liked the owners, the attitude, the atmosphere, the wine, and the food.

My husband and I were recently meeting two other couples for dinner, and one of them suggested Veritas. I’m always up for trying something new and happily agreed. As soon as I pulled up the menu online, however, my heart sank. This place screamed froufrou to me, and I’m not a froufrou girl. Don’t get me wrong, my husband and I enjoy frequent nice dinners, but there’s a difference between fancy and froufrou. I swear… there is.
So we went with a plan. Veritas is a wine bar and restaurant, and they offer two separate menus. Their fine dining menu for the restaurant offers just seven entrees and is only served Thursday — Saturday evenings. The Mustard Bar menu is served daily for lunch and dinner at the wine bar. Though we were sitting on the restaurant side, we asked our server if we could order from the Mustard Bar menu and he happily brought us one to look at. It was a little less froufrou, but still really had nothing that looked spectacular.
Had we not been given the option to order from the second menu, five of the six of us would have ordered the same amish chicken dish from the fine dining menu, which came with a small portion of fried green tomatoes and two homemade hushpuppies served on top of a bacon/​cabbage/​green bean/​apple mixture. Nothing else really stood out, and two at our table did still order it. One friend ordered the seafood chowder off the fine dining menu with clams, mussels, pork jowl, braised peanuts, popcorn, edamame, and asparagus. It definitely wasn’t something that appealed to me, but he seemed to enjoy it. The remaining three at our table ordered from the Mustard Bar menu. I chose a cheese panini with cheddar, swiss, munster, and feta cream. It came with a side of fries, but I wanted something a bit healthier and was given the option of beet slaw or a small side salad instead. I opted for the salad. Both items were fine… nothing too special, but fine. My husband and other friend both ordered the burger, which is served on a brioche bun and topped with pimento cheese, pickled onions, onion jam, garden toppings, and aioli. My husband nixed all toppings except the cheese and kept the fries for his side. He mentioned that it was cooked perfectly.
As far as the service and restaurant itself goes, there were a few positives and a few negatives for me. They have a wine tasting table set up as soon as you walk through the front door. There is no hostess, and since there was a couple being helped at the wine tasting table, we stood and waited. We were ignored long enough that I eventually started looking around for our group. It certainly wasn’t a warm welcome. The owner also came over to our table to scold our server after we asked for the Mustard Bar menu and she overheard him call it the lunch menu. I felt so bad for him! I even tried to tell her I heard him say «Mustard Bar» and not «lunch»… she wasn’t buying it though. It was awkward. Other than that, our service was decent throughout the meal. As for the plus side of things, I absolutely love that they have an open kitchen with seating to watch the cooks. Had it just been my husband and I dining there, I would have liked to enjoy the show and get a free cooking lesson.
Overall, I would give this place three and a half stars, but since I don’t think it deserves four, three will have to do. Considering the fact I was not looking forward to my dinner here to begin with, I think that’s a compliment.

We waited for and hour never any communication on our food and then an apology for not communicating about the steak! The food was terrible we loved this place so much please get back to where you began. So hurt and then. Everyone around us was helped

When Veritas first opened last year my husband and I came in, sat at The Mustard Bar (a small bar area in a separate room), and had a few glasses of wine and a burger. At that time the service left a lot to be desired. We decided to let them work out some of the kinks, come back, and give them another try.
This past Friday night was the night. We came in around 8 pm and the restaurant was busy but not packed. We sat at a space that is essentially a bar surrounding the kitchen so you can watch the chef (s) do their thing. Our initial plan was to do a few appetizers and a glass of wine (or two) but we were enticed by the guy next to us to try the «Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder in Creamy Grits». Wow! It was amazing! We also did a cheese plate & an Eggplant Goat-​cheese Dip. Both were perfect with a glass of wine.
Their menus (they have several different menus to choose from) had some really different & interesting selections that I would describe as Southern Fusion (fried pickles & Okra, Pickled Eggs, Devils on Horseback). The wine list was a bit disappointing with out of 4 glasses of wine between the 2 of us we liked 1 of them. (Mi Sueno) For having «wine» in their name I would have expected a better quality selection of wines for by the glass consumption. They do have a wine shop with a great selection of bottles you can buy and drink there. We may do that next time.
The only other thing that would prevent Veritas from being a 5 star experience would be the service. There was nothing bad that I could pinpoint about it but it was just really mediocre. It was overall a fun experience watching the chef prepare the meals and the social atmosphere of the bar area.
Bottom line– the food coming out of the kitchen all looked pretty fabulous so I decided I will definitely come back. Besides, Veritas is a small locally owned business that is near where I live and that is something I want to support.

I’m really torn about Veritas. The food was really fantastic, but the rest really left much to be desired.
My husband and I decided to give Veritas a try because 1) it is close to our house and 2) we love wine and good food. Upon entering the restaurant, it wasn’t at all what I expected. Located where it is — next to the luxury gym Lifetime Fitness — and a few other more recently built, «youthful» spots (well, as youthful without going child/​family friendly is in West County), I was expecting a sexy little wine bar type joint — low light, stainless, candlelight — maybe even modern rustic. We walked into a far too brightly lit, 90s tapestry/​drape covered dining room. As all eyes turned toward us — the new guys — while heading to our seats, I started having flashbacks to our terrible experience at Balaban’s (
). Please God, not this again.
Our waiter was friendly enough, though he did seem a little young and nervous — maybe new. He didn’t score the restaurant any points, but I certainly wouldn’t deduct for him either.
We did opt for a wine tasting, since we weren’t familiar with the offered selections and thought to taste before we bought a bottle. They offered a handful of both white and red selections, and we settled on a very good red, but the tasting experience itself was just so-​so. All of the questions we had for our would-​be sommelier kept getting deferred to his counterpart that was busy with some other customers. He didn’t seem very sure of himself and perhaps was maybe doing a little sampling himself??? Who knows except that he seemed happy to throw some back at the bar later and harass the kitchen staff.
The food really was the exception. Without, we’d be looking at a 1 or 2 star experience. The food I would have put in the 4 or 5 star range, but averages being what they are, here’s your middle of the road «A-​OK.» I won’t go into exceeding details since their menu changes so often, but I would recommend to them that they pair down the menus — not the amount of offerings, but how many actual menus they have. It’s hard to keep track of. Condense, please!
If you’re willing to gamble with an experience for great food or at a loss for a spot to hit in the area, go for it, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. I think this spot may have better luck with some staffing adjustments outside the kitchen and a mini make over. It’d go a long way.