First photo by Laurie Skrivan (Post-Dispatch); add'l photos sponsored by restaurant
Cafe Natasha's
How many St. Louisans would never have been exposed to Persian cuisine — to Persian culture, period — if not for Cafe Natasha’s? This is part of the legacy that Behshid Bahrami leaves behind. Bahrami, who died in December at age 74, and his wife, Hamishe, first served food from their native Iran at a downtown restaurant, the Little Kitchen. Cafe Natasha’s followed, first in the Delmar Loop, now as an anchor of South Grand’s restaurant row. Natasha Bahrami, Behshid and Hamishe’s daughter and the restaurant’s namesake, now runs Cafe Natasha’s, which continues to introduce St. Louis diners to the many wonders of eggplant, the expertly grilled beef and chicken kebabs, the peerless ghormeh sabzi (lamb stew). My introduction to Cafe Natasha’s was 11 years ago, in the first restaurant review I wrote, and I still think about the beef tongue I ate then — and have eaten since and will return to eat again.
Hours: Lunch and dinner daily (closed Wednesday)
Opened: 1983 (as the Little Kitchen)
Must order: Beef shish kebab (lunch $11, dinner $15.99)