Parker’s Table Expanding With a Wine Bar
Date Posted: September 26, 2023
Posted In: Projects,
From St. Louis Magazine: Longtime fans of Parker’s Table (7118 Oakland) will soon have a new place to sit and stay awhile: The Yale Bar (7120 Oakland), a 30-seat wine bar slated to open next spring adjacent to the wine, beer, spirits, cheese, and gourmet food shop. “I’ve always liked the idea of creating a neighborhood place where people can drop in, gather together, and come and go as they please,” says owner Jonathan Parker. Here’s what to expect.
THE CONCEPT
The idea of adding a wine bar has been a long time in the making. “This was always the plan,” says Parker, who bought the building in 2012. The space was a legal office for the past 11 years and an art gallery before that time.
Until the end of the year, the 1,500-square-foot space will be used to assemble holiday gift baskets, at which point construction will commence. “The wine bar is a simple little addition, but it can’t happen until next year,” Parker has been saying to those who’d like to see it materialize sooner.
In the meantime, some patrons may have noticed a tease in the storefront windows just west of the shop: a scatter of wine corks in one bay and a ramshackle table with kitschy metal chairs and two mismatched wine glasses in the other. (“My brother made those in a glass-blowing class,” Parker says. “I have a whole set of them.”)
The color scheme will remain white or off-white, Parker says, the goal being “a clean and fresh look,” complemented by original art on the walls. “I have artist friends who need wall space, and this place is already set up for it,” he says, adding, “guests can appreciate it while they’re here, and buy it if they like it.”
When it opens next year, the wine bar will seat 24–30 seats, with more seating available on the sidewalk during nice weather. The Yale Bar will serve wine and beer but no hard liquor. A small menu of hot and cold snacks, prepped in the Parker’s Table kitchen and finished at the wine bar will also be available. “Come mid-afternoon, food will be moving from back door to back door,” says Parker.
The Yale Bar will be open from 5–10 p.m. (“English pub hours,” as Parker says), from Tuesday through Saturday. Mondays are popular industry nights, so that’s a possibility, too, he adds.