The Rustic Goat Eatery & Lounge

Rustic Goat’s Brunch was disappointing to say the least. The eggs were inedible with no taste. I paid $ 16.99 and the I my edible items were waffles, fried chicken, and bacon. Brunch ended at 3, they ran out of turkey ribs over an hour before brunch ended. I heard they were good but didn’t get to try it.

Mediocrity on Washington.
I’ve had the Rustic experience a few times for dinner, concerts and drinks. Each time it has been blah. Dinner was a few years ago when they first opened; although I had high hopes for the chic establishment at the time my dining partner and I had a terrible first experience. The menu items listed were either not available or not appetizing. The food took FOREVER to arrive and our server made excuses but no apologies.
My second visit was a drinks only meet-​up. The bar is small, so perfect for an intimate evening bit overwhelmed with any sort of crowd.
Lastly, one of my favorite musicians held a concert at the venue so there was no debating my attendance. There is a center stage where a full band and artist set up and entertain. The sound system is pretty decent. There is plenty of open area on the lower level as well as a small space up top. I knew better than to order food lol… and didn’t bother getting trampled at the bar. I found a nice place to stand and enjoy the show but quickly exited the building just before its conclusion.
The restroom is dim yet nicely arranged. If you can’t see what you need to see inside, take a glance in the beautiful full length mirror right outside the door. There is a pool table area for those who partake and lounge seating off the dining room for chatting.
~Christy

I can’t rate the food because they refused to seat us. We waited by the host stand and the bartender stared us down but nobody even tried to talk to us. It was a Friday night at 6pm.

My experience at the rustic goat was terrible. We waited two hours for the show to start. Wings were terrible. Service was terrible. What was worst is that the club was over crowded and we were boxed in by tables being added after the fact. That was my first and last time I will ever step foot in the rustic goat.

I wanted their shrimp and grits but they had a special menu for the Michael Jackson tribute so needless to say, we started off on the wrong foot. I got the tilapia and cornbread waffle. Britt got shrimp and okra. Or should we say okra and shrimp because there were only 4? The tilapia was not large either. Food was hit and flavorful and the drinks were good. They have miller lite which is always a plus for Britt. I like the décor and the set up. If we stay for the concert I’ll update the review.

I don’t hand out 1-​star reviews lightly, but I honestly would give 0 if I could in this case.
I went here for a WashU welcome week event and everything about it was awful. My friends and I had bought tickets ahead of time because they promised «expedited entry» into the bar. The most sensical way to have planned it would be to have two lines – one for pre-​purchased tickets and one for those who needed to buy at the door. It doesn’t take a degree in business or hospitality to have that level of common sense. One line would have been poor planning, but at least manageable. But when we arrived, there was nothing but a giant mob of people pushing and shoving towards the door.
We waited for 45 minutes until they closed the door and stopped letting people in. A complete waste of cab fare there and back and a $ 20 ticket that not only failed to deliver on «expedited entry» but failed to deliver on even entering the venue at all.
Dear Rustic Goat, every single WashU student that paid to get in to your event (the most poorly planned event in history) and was never let in wants their money back.

I have to echo previous reviews, the service was good, but not nearly enough servers. I was there for Sunday brunch, there were seriously only 2 staff working the entire floor — the bartender and 1 server, they were nice considering they were covering around 15 tables and the bar.
In addition, it was supposed to be a buffet for $ 16.99, but when I arrived at 1, the yellow rice, salmon and salad were never refilled, and they only cooked 1 additional set of potatoes and pork sausage, and they also ran out of clean plates. The food they did have was AMAZING — turkey sausage, turkey ribs, meatballs, chicken and waffles, steamed veggies and fruit salad. One thing about this place is that their food is always on point. As you can tell though, it was super meat heavy, and there weren’t enough sides. The bf asked the kitchen staff to cook some more of salmon so we could have some, and he did. It was so great, I really wished they had cooked more for everyone. I invited people for brunch, and even by the time we left at 2:30, they still hadn’t cooked more food.
Another nice touch was that it was a Jazz brunch, Brian White was on guitar and was great, a nice compliment to the meal. The volume of the music was a little loud, so I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re trying to catch up with your guests. If you’re there for the music, it’s a great atmosphere.
I don’t know what’s going on with this place, but I really wish they improve otherwise people will not continue to come back.

Great décor. But I got sick after eating the Mama Jama burger.

Oh the goat, the interior of this spot is on point, contemporary yet with a comfortable vibe. The staff was friendly enough, there just wasn’t enough of them. The bartender had no idea what he was doing. He could barely handle just the bar patrons. But he is a hipster so I am sure he gets a pass. The food took f o r e v e r, and I was not impressed whatsoever. They were out of many things on their menu. Definitely will not be back, so yourself a favor and don’t bother.

Its such a shame the Rustic Goat has such good food but the experience is what puts a bad taste in your mouth. We made reservations for Mothers Day. Upon arrival we were not greeted by anyone. About 15 mins later we were seated in a dark area at the top of the stairs with not much ventilation. The restaurant ran out of clean plates, the solution was to announce over micro phone to use your same dirty plate for seconds at the buffet. I do believe thats unsanitary. My guest was still in line at the buffet and was given a metal tin «plate», looked like a lid to cover food.
One of the waitresses asked another girl to give our table water. She asked how many, we said 6. She proceeds to huff and roll her eyes. As if filling glasses of water was inconveniencing her in some way. They were also liquor glasses not water glasses.
At the bar a light skin blonde girl freely and loudly expressed that she was not supposed to be working today. And when asked a question she responded she’s not actually working today. Later was seen sitting at the bar eating with a gf, asked if I was ready to pay, got up took my payment and sat back down. So I guess she was working when she felt like it.
I was also charged a $ 7.20 gratuity… which I’m very confused by because we were not introduced to anyone as «Hello I’m your server today…» So maybe it went to the «Im not working today» waitress or the young lady too annoyed to fill water glasses.
Empty food trays, no plates, no napkins, no condiments, not fully staffed, no server… but you all have the nerve to charge automatic gratuity LOL. I guess you do this bc service is so bad the waiters never get tipped. I tried supporting a small local business 4X’s expecting a different outcome. Shame on me.

Came from Las Vegas to spend time with family. We ran up on this lounge just by driving. It was worth the drive. Bartender Keisha was great. Food and music was great. Will be back

My niece held her wedding here and it was quite gorgeous. However, though they are great at being a night time lounge they leave something to be desired with event management. They weren’t there and open to allow us to decorate when scheduled, they lost our wedding cater’s items, and they weren’t really able to handle the buffet line they had set up for the event. I am still a fan but would suggest they take seriously some of the suggestions they may be receiving from guests. There may be an independent event coordinator that they can outsource this too because they are smart to allow events there because the décor is definitely out of sight.

My most recent visit, I tried the chicken sandwich. Very, very good. Seasoning was great. The slaw they serve on it was a great compliment. Would order this again.

Sunday Brunch at the Rustic Goat is a buffet brunch. I’m not really a fan of buffet brunches because they are overpriced and I don’t care for ‘all you can eat breakfast food.’
Their buffet included an eclectic table of items. They had your brunch staples… waffles, syrup, eggs (tasted like continental style hotel eggs), bacon. And then they had spaghetti & meatballs (super spicy and the noodle to meatball ratio was way off), fried chicken, fried mac & cheese bites, casserole mac & cheese, rice, lemon tilapia, corn, salad, and brownies. It was an odd combination of items.
The interior of the Rustic Goat is actually really cool. It has high ceilings; open to structure, exposed piping/ductwork…so it gives the space a modern industrial feel. I’d considered visiting again (not for brunch), just to hang out and have a drink. There are also pool tables in the back of the restaurant. And there’s a stage in the middle of the dining area. When I visited, there was a guy playing jazz music but the stage is fairly large… so I could envision a larger band play louder music at night.

Had brunch this afternoon at the Rustic Goat. They offer a more traditional buffet-​style brunch with unlimited mimosas and bloody marys available for extra. I generally avoid buffet-​style brunches because I like reading menus and having a specific dish made just for me. The brunch consisted of mac n cheese bake, fried mac n cheese bites, rice, bacon, lemon tilapia, spaghetti and meatballs, a southwest corn and sausage dish, salad, chicken and waffles, a cabbage in vinegar dish, and brownies. The bacon, mac n cheese, chicken and waffles, rice, bacon, and tilapia were my favorites, but overall the food wasn’t much to write home about. I didn’t try the spaghetti and meatballs, the salad, or brownies (I was too stuffed to get one at the end!) I tried the cabbage and wasn’t such a fan. I opted to get the unlimited drinks and our waiter made them for me. They were pretty good, albeit a little tangy-​er than I was expecting. The service was great though — she always kept water at the table, cleared our plates when we left to get more food, and checked up on us often to see if we needed anything. Overall not bad, but probably won’t go again since I have other places to try and other brunch locations that I like better.

1 star is for the décor, the other star is for the comedians.
My sister and I went tonight (Wednesday) and they host comedians, which was a treat.
Where they lost the stars…
We were there for over 35 minutes and not one person came to ask us if we needed anything… Not a water, cup of ice, not even a pleasant smile. I finally got up to order 2 glass of wine. I’m a Merlot gal, so I asked the brand… «Charles Shaw»… A $ 3 wine from Trader Joe’s… A whopping $ 9… What?! Then, the card machine wasn’t working… The bartender told me she’d bring my card to my table… Never happened.
Upon leaving early…(by the way, still no one came to our table) we stopped to get my card… They ask if we have cash (yeah right). The manager had to right down the card info. Horrible service and you’d think he’d say, sorry about the wait and lack of service… Nope. I won’t be back anytime soon.

I’m keeping this short and sweet.
— First time visit, 2 people; seated immediately
— Waited over 10 min for the server’s first appearance (and her attire was hideous)
— Ordered two drinks; didn’t get them for 22 min. (yes, I counted)
— Ordered two entrees; a normal wait for them to arrive
— The entrees were DEE-​LISHUS!
— Three more friends showed up; the server did not show for 25 minutes
— One friend went to the bar and purchased her own drink… before the server showed up
— We ordered two more drinks; 20 min later, only one drink showed up– she forgot the other
–After all the shenanigans, we waited over 45 min to get the checks AFTER receiving the last drink
— I’m sure there were other issues with the service, but my brain can only hold so much.
To sum things up, the good food and music were out shined by HORRIBLE service. I hope they can recover in time to stay afloat, but I’m never going back to find out. Pity… I had high hopes.

I kinda like this place but I can tell they have some growing to do (professionally and as a knowledgable staff).
Ways to be more knowledgable:
When holding a live event in which you’re charging $ 20 in advance for tickets, please know what sections you’re considering VIP. Especially if it is the day before the event.
If there is a picture of a mason jar on a part of the drink menu, it typically implies that the drinks will come out in such a glass. So do not tell patrons that you don’t serve in those glasses as you had one a 4 oz $ 7-​ice-​filled drink, yet I’m watching the owner walk by sipping something cool from a mason jar. That confuses the customer.
Teach servers the difference between a margarita and a martini. Big difference. Different glass. Different liquors. (This mixup happened more than once in one night.)
Food:
It’s definitely tasty… but so many mixups in other ways makes it confusing as to whether or not I want to come back.
Music:
I absolutely love live music, so I was excited to hear this place would offer it. However, while the ambiance is awesome, it’s not suited for a drummer, guitar, piano, and percussionist. Bring your ear plugs and expect to miss half the words the artist is singing. Not sure how to handle this in a building made mostly of concrete and glass… but I do know amplifiers turn up and down according to the space allotment.

First of all, I just want to say this place has soo much potential. It’s beautifully decorated inside and there was a killer jazz duo performing yesterday evening. Unfortunately, 20+ minutes after we were seated, NO ONE came to take our drink or food orders. So we left and took our empty stomachs down the street.
Get your act together Rustic Goat! You are clearly in the business of making money so act like it!

Lounge, jazz club, restaurant? I think they too are trying to figure this out.
Cool industrial vibe
Wine list is a work I’m progress as is the menu listings. The font is tough to read and I have great eyesight. A glass of Pinot ordered then she retuned to tell us they were out. Ok. It happens.
Fried Shrimp & Okra $ 10 was good
Braised Goat Grits (sm) $ 8 very nice and dry
Fried Chicken $ 16 over fired with a burnt taste killing my enjoyment of the rest of the food.
Roast Chicken $ 16 ordered then she returned to tell us they were out.
Burger was tasty and the winner here is the biscuit bun. Fries were undercooked but great flavor in dirty grease. This is how I like it.
Would like to know what’s 86’d at the beginning. No excuse
Dinner arrived one plate at a time without the salad. Wine and cocktail reorder, unfinished glasses were removed and new ones returned. There was still vodka soda and Malbek in our glasses.
Tab arrived and retuned with a credit card. When the slips were delivered, no pen was provided. How will I add your tip?
Yes they are new and clearly have allot to work out. I hope they do so I can come back. I’d really like that.