La Gra Italian Tapas

Th service was a little choppy. I felt like our server had to warm up to us first, which is weird. But, the food was great. The sangria: yum! My motto, if it doesn’t have fruit chunks, please don’t call it sangria. So, when i saw orange and apple pieces, I was convinced! The bf made his own pasta, and used cajun sauce, steak, spag, mushroom and peppers. I had charlie’s pasta; i was intrigued with the description — the pasta was fresh and different, i loved how it all came together.

This place has potential to be amazing but I am beyond disappointed. We will not be returning. First of all, there is no host stand or any direction as to who seats you. It took at least 10 minutes for anyone to get our drinks. also there was one drink menu for the while place. The food was very good. That is the only this I enjoyed. While we ate no one asked how it was or offered another glass of wine! After our plates were empty it too 20 MINUTES to get anyone at our table. We could not believe it. I hope they get a new staff very soon.

I was rather disappointed in the entire experience when my friend and I visited La Gra. I enjoy a unique Italian dining experience, and I am always a fan of a restaurant that offers a seemingly strong variety of wine on their wine list. When you arrive at La Gra you enter into a quite unorganized bar. There is no direction for where to go to be seated, and, as my friend and I looked on confused as to where to go, the waitress/​hostess rudely told us to take a seat at the bar while she tried to find us a table.
At the bar my friend and I ordered a delicious white new age wine. The wine was quite amazing. A delicious and sweet way to start off dinner — or so I presumed. After being seated and given our menus, my friend and I made our selection and patiently waited to be waited-​on. After approximately ten minutes of waiting for the server, the waitress finely came to our table. Presuming that she was there to take our order, I explained that we were ready to order. She told us that the person who took our drink order would take our order. Seeing as how we got our drinks at the bar, I was very confused and explained so. The waitress rudely left us at the table — and didn’t come back. My friend and I waited another 30 minutes before my friend finely got up from the table and approached the same waitress inquiring as to if someone was going to take our order. Rather than apologize and come take our order, the waitress told my friend that she would get to us in a minute. Another 10 minutes later, the bartender came to our table to take our order. The waitress had decided that she did not want to serve us so she sent the bartender.
Finally, over an hour later we were served our food. I ordered the seafood pasta which was an absolutely delicious combination of scallops, shrimp, and garlic cream sauce over a pasta base. The shrimp still had the shells on it so that was a rather frustrating ordeal, but the food was delicious. Another issue is that the menu is not vegetarian friendly at all. I had to cheat my vegetarian diet and order seafood just in order to be able to eat off the entrée menu. We also ordered a bottle of the house cabernet which was absolutely to die for. The wine was smooth and rich and delicious. It’s quite a shame that the service was so atrocious because the food was okay, and the wine was great. Unfortunately, I will never be returning to this restaurant.

I would NOT recommend this place to anyone.
The staff was nice to us and the food was good, but not great and definitely not up to the price of the «specialty items».
First, although we were seated quickly and got water relatively quickly, we waited for a while before anyone acknowledged us and took our drink order. They didn’t have the one I had chosen from the menu, so we both ordered a Tempranillo. The waitress returned to say they didn’t have that either and «let me tell you what we DO have» a cabernet, a malbec, or a chianti. We ordered malbec… she returned again to say, «you’re going to kill me, but we don’t have malbec either.» So, I asked to taste the chianti… yuck! So we got the cabernet.
Next, it took forever for the food to come out. She brought my Italian beef medallions out, but my sister’s veal parmesan didn’t come out for at least 10 minutes after that. So my beef was’t cold by the time I ate it, but it was definitely lukewarm at best. Apparently the cheese was hot on the veal, but meat was not as hot as it could/​should have been either.
We were also disappointed that the entrees we ordered were basically just the meat. They didn’t come with any vegetables (a few onions and peppers don’t count) or pasta on the side. Yes, this is advertised as a tapas restaurant, and they do have «small plates» on the menu. But a «small plate» does not cost $ 15.99. These were labeled as specialty items and we had a Groupon for 2 «entrees» and 2 drinks.
When we went to pay, it took a while, then they didn’t have any one dollar bills. Someone had to go get some, which took even longer and the waitress didn’t seem to know if they would even be able to get any.
Furthermore, we were not the only unsatisfied customers. We overheard another waitress asking the couple next to us if they had ordered the chicken spedini pizza or pasta. He answered pizza and then exclaimed, «it hasn’t been started yet». She replied that it was started, but she was just double checking. Based on the time it took to come out, I am sure that was a lie. Also, they have a build your own pasta, and when the girl received that there were mushrooms in it that she had not ordered (and was allergic to). Apparently the waitress told her that comes with the peppers and onions and upon looking at the menu again, I can see that. However, the waitress was a bit rude about it and the I can see where it would be refusing.
I will never go back and will definitely spread the news of my bad experience. If you want tapas, stick with Modesto or Mojo. WORLDS ahead of this place.

Dining here was a frustrating experience. Although the food was good, portions of our entrees were still cold. While the servers were nice, you had to hunt them down to get any help. Plus, I have never had such flavorless mixed drinks in my life. I assume the portions of liquor were quite small in each drink.

I went to La Gra Italian Tapas in Dogtown for a group happy hour event. They have three rooms: a bar, a dining area, and then a second dining/​event room. First I ordered a red wine sangria (I think about $ 2.50 after tax): interesting mix of spices and flavors although there was quite a bit of ice. The group’s organizer had ordered several rounds of appetizers: bruschetta, roasted garlic with toast, spinach artichoke dip, cheese garlic bread, beef toasted ravioli, and a few different kinds of pizzas.
The pepperoni pizza was quite cheesy, which I like. I elso enjoyed the pizza featuring chicken and a butter-​garlic sauce base. All pizzas were thin crust. The toasted ravioli was cooked to the right texture, in my opinion, with a crisp exterior and not soft and squishy.

I finally used my Groupon for La Gra a day before it expired and brought my youngest sister along. It’s a small space when you enter and we felt a little awkward as the wait-​to-​be-​seated standing area was just us standing in front of a table in the bar area. A waitress rolled her eyes when we said we didn’t have a reservation, a question we were asked at least 3 times. Which didn’t make sense seeing as the dining area had all of 4 tables occupied — it was pretty dead in there.
Seated, drinks ordered, we settled on the bruschetta and stuffed mushrooms. I liked the stuffed mushrooms because they were baked, not fried, and the little touch of citrus in the sauce went nicely with the crab stuffing. The bruschetta was a dud for me due to the capers and the fact that the bread was like a big cracker — I like some crispy on the outside, soft on the inside bread best. Plus, there was too much balsamic poured on. But my sister liked it.
The white sangria was good, nothing amazing. For a Groupon, it was a good little spot to stop in and try. But the menu wasn’t really tapas and the prices for pasta entres and pizzas were too steep of a price — if my appetizers were any indication, a full meal isn’t worth the listed price.
Needless to say, we ended up over at Seamus McDaniels’ after we settled the check.

La Gra is your text book 3-​Star spot. No big complaints; nor nothing really to rave about.
We had the Groupon so we were of course dining on a discount. Our central gripe was that unlike the vast majority of Italian restaurants in St. Louis, the main dishes do not come with any kind of side. Usually you get either a salad or pasta, and even more often, both. I asked the waiter about this and he appeared to have an answer at the ready, which was that «most people order a few items.» But the way the menu here reads, you really don’t get the impression of a tapas-​style place. So, you’re kind of left with a «no-man’s land» feeling.
We wound-​up splitting the Sampler Combo, which features a few of their signature dishes; Chicken Speidini, Shrimp «La Gra» and Italian Medallions ($ 15.99). This was pretty good. Great lemon sauce on the shrimp and chicken and the medallions were cooked perfectly. Portion size was alright. Still a bit hungry, we then followed-​up with the Lobster Ravioli ($ 10.99). This was five pieces of pasta which immediately reminded me of Trader Joe’s lobster ravioli in flavor and consistency. It was fine, but definitely did not scream «fresh.»
Environment is cozy, service is prompt and polite. Looks like a fun bar to linger around if you want to grab a few drinks in the area. But overall, they’d have to work hard to move above a 3-​star rating.

Visited here today for the 1^st time. A great 1^st Impression!
$ 2 Sangrias (Tues & Thurs), you just can’t beat that!
Salad La Gra, very fresh and crisp. Nothing out of the ordinary here, but it was refreshing.
Entrée, Cajun Pasta w/​sausage & shrimp… Awesome dish! I didn’t want to stop eating this. The flavor of the sauce was perfect. Nice amount of spice in the dish. If you don’t like cajun spice, don’t get this. The shrimp were cooked perfectly.
Everyone at my table enjoyed their food. Other entrees at the table: Sampler La Gra, Spaghetti & Meatballs, Portabella Mushroom. Nothing but nice things to say.
Will be back!

We tried La Gra thinking we were going to a Tapas restaurant. It is not a Tapas restaurant. This is modern Italian cuisine. The list of appetizers is minimal. The wine list is adequate but not what you’d expect from a «wine bar». The service was very good and we were seated without a reservation. The menu is fairly standard fare for an Italian restaurant.
Our wine and food were delivered in a timely and friendly manner. Dinner was served without bread or the offer of ground pepper and grated cheese (standard offerings for a St Louis Italian restaurant). My veal Parmesan was served in a eclectic rectangular plate with mashed potatoes. I was not given any options of sides and the menu description did not mention any. It was cooked to perfection and the four cheese topping was well balanced. My wife’s fettuccine serving was plentiful but not very flavorful. The salmon fillet tasty and flakey.
Overall we had a nice experience at La Gra. But the name «Italian Tapas and Wine Bar» needs to be changed.

A lovely, quiet weeknight dinner. Perfectly suited, and well-​priced, house red and house white. Tasty dinner salad.
My entrée was the La Gra Sampler Combo ($ 15.99) — a scrumptuous trio of chicken speidini, Italian medallions and shrimp la gra. All were perfectly prepared and presented. A tangy olive-​caper-​tomato mix accompanied the three and went adoringly well with all.
Dining partner got Caesar salad topped with fried calamari, which he enjoyed.
Service was a bit spotty considering there were only four tables of patrons. Had to ask for water refills and a second glass of wine.
It’s kind of tight quarters walking through the narrow bar to get to the dining room.
And there’s outdoor dining.

My bf & I came here last night since he had a Groupon. It was sooo worth it! We started off with calamari, which was sooo freaking delish! That very dish might have me like cheese (with the exception of mozzarella) for the very first time! I had a pasta dish, which was good but a bit tooo spicy. The fettuccine & marinara were fresh. The bread wasn’t this crusty Italian bread, but instead a soft. The olive oil dipping sauce was pretty good. Fast service & great food. I’ll be back to try the pizza & maybe the tapas too!

This place was okay at best. I like the area it’s located in, and I’m a fan of their outdoor seating. I went with a couple of friends for dinner on a weekday, and there were a decent number of people there. The people that work here are pretty nice, so that’s a plus.
I was disappointed that they have a better beer selection, though their wine selection is pretty sweet. I ordered the grilled seafood pasta because that sounded good (and safe). What I got was basically a soup. The pasta was swimming in butter/​oil, making it pretty difficult to eat. My friend ordered another pasta and also got soup-​like results. I still ate it because, well, I’ll eat anything. Wasn’t the worst pasta I’ve ever had, but it was far from the best. I would probably rank it as a smidge below average.
Because I live down the street from this place, I’m looking forward to coming here again and trying something new. Maybe their other entrees will change my mind about this place…

I liked the atmosphere and loved the outdoor seating, but the food was just not good.
We had some hummus and pita bread which were OK but not memorable. Then I had the penne with peas and proscuitto… «Penne noodles, fresh mushrooms, peas, and Volpi proscuitto, tossed in our garlic cream sauce.» I imagined this to be healthy, fresh and lightly «tossed» in sauce. But no — it was swimming in oil! Nearly gave me a heart attack.
My husband’s cajun pasta with shrimp and sausage was OK… but he felt sick for several days after that.
Plus, there were only three occupied tables at the time, but the service was extremely slow.
We really wanted to enjoy this but unfortunately we weren’t impressed.

I love this little place in Dogtown. The sampler platter is best for sharing and feeling full — comes with chicken spedini, beef medallions, and shrimp. The chicken spedini was my favorite of the three. We paired it with pasta with the delicious Amogio sauce (lemon, garlic, olive oil) for a tasty meal.
Skip the less-​impressive salads and start with a small plate. On past visits, I’ve tried flash fried gorgonzola stuffed olives and arancini (risotto fritters) — both fabulous.
As for drinks, they have a larger-​than-​expected wine list. I’ve taken a few wine flights (not bad at $ 8 each). Their sangria is also especially good on a hot day.
Two small gripes — I have noticed on two occasions that the air conditioning is not functioning correctly in the bar area. I had no problems in the main dining room, though. Also, depending on how many plates you order, it can get a little pricey.
That being said, I will enjoy La Gra a few times a year when the mood hits. I need to try their pizzas. Oh, and bonus… I read that they have canine hitches on the patio so dining with your pooch is hands free.

Pleasantly surprised is the best way to describe my experience at La Gra. I had read the mid range reviews and walked by this place a dozen times. For some reason, I never thought to actually dine here. Until last week.
I started with a glass of their house made sangria. I love the hint of cinnamon and nutmeg; the perfect refreshment on 90something degree evening.
I split the salad la gra. It is a fairly standard house salad. My only criticism is that I would prefer larger slices of tomatoes instead of the small dice they used. We also shared the calamari la gra and the la gra sampler (chicken speidini, Italian medallions and shrimp la gra. The calamari was good but the spicy red sauce it came with made it delicious! Of the sampler, I only tried the chicken and shrimp since I still have a red meat phobia of sorts. The chicken was my favorite… juicy, lemony and flavorful! The shrimp was also good, but there was so much of the lemon butter sauce that you really couldn’t taste much else.
Service was great. We sat at the bar and lingered a bit after dinner to finish watching the game. Nobody seemed to mind.

I love good live music and tonight was good. They had two guitar players and they were great. I find it amazing to watch (and listen) to people with such talent.
The main motivation to stop in was desserts. The pumpkin pie martini was SO good. The Amaretto cheesecake, not so much. It tasted like a cross between a stick cream cheese and a pad of butter.

WOW! talk about a neighborhood gem. I live within walking distance and this is such a good change of pace from Felix’s and Seamus McDaniel’s. Everything seems to be prepared very carefully and excellently plated.
On my most recent visit I the amazing Garlic cheese bread and a graciously prepared stuffed artichoke. This is simple food done extremely well. Don’t go looking for the latest fusion cuisine, go and rediscover a classic done extremely well.
Their European Red Wine Flight was excellent; but the Grenache, «Navarro Lopez Gran Rojo Garnacha» was definitely my favorite.
I love showing this gem off to people who think dogtown is just so déclassé.

Potential. This place has so much of it. I want this restaurant to be good, because it has all of the tools to be a great place to eat. They just need to focus on the eating part a little more.
We checked out La Gra on the first warm day of the year and sat on the sidewalk tables they have set up. We tried a variety of courses: the olive tapenade, the la gra salad, the fried artichoke, and 2 pasta dishes.
The fried artichoke, let me start here. One of the oddest things I have ever seen. It was a large artichoke spread open and filled with mostly bread crumbs and deep fried. In case you didn’t know: deep fried bread crumbs = soggy, oily bread crumbs. We didn’t even know how to eat this thing, because the «leaves» of the artichoke were like chewing on a leaf.
The salad was old-​tasting, and the olive tapenade was just too olivey. I compare every olive tapenade I eat (because I eat olive tapenade all the time… not) to Modesto, and this just didn’t compare.
The pasta was pretty decent. I had the original smoked bbq pasta and it had nice flavor. My wife had the 7 P pasta and it was decent. The pastas come in huge bowls so you will definitely have left overs.
I can’t recommend the sangria either. Tasted like a mix of Carlos Rossi and Sprite with some fruit mixed in.
I hope La Gra can freshen up the ingredients in the future. The inside of the restaurant is quaint and it is such a great location.
I will say that I would like to try the pizza, and it may change my tune. But for now, I will try to forget that artichoke… it has been haunting my taste buds.

Just tried La Gra for the first time and was pleasantly surprised. It’s Italian tapas, but they also have big plates and pizza. Actually kind of a strange mixture on the menu, but a lot of good choices. The restaurant is divided into a bar area and café area, along with outside dining.
We first got to the restaurant at 6 and the place was deserted and didn’t really start filling up until about 7. Our server was nice, but not all that attentive and several times I had to flag him down. It also took a really long time for the food to come out. Especially given the fact that we ordered before anyone else had shown up.
The salad la gra was very good, but pretty pricey at $ 7 for what was basically a side salad. And the toasted ravioli was good, but that’s pretty hard to mess up. Others at my table ordered the chicken spedini, seafood ravioli, salmon, and scallops and everyone was impressed. I definitely plan on going back to try some new things.