Tucked away on a street just off the main traffic from the Central West End lies one of our new favorite spots in St. Louis: Black Mountain Wine House. The block is known for The Gaslight Theater, home to the St. Louis Actors’ Studio that hosts live theater and comedy. A previous residency on the block includes John Perkins’ Juniper, which we reminisce about every time we drive on Boyle. But now, the 300 block of N. Boyle is home to a cozy wine bar, driven by a passion for excellent and unique food and wine.

Joe Baker started Black Mountain Wine House after working at the Brooklyn, NY location of the same restaurant. His wife hails from St. Louis, and although Joe moved around many places throughout his life, he decided that Black Mountain Wine House could be opened here in St. Louis. Upon your arrival to the space, you’ll be warmly welcomed by Joe, or his right-hand-man, Adam. Antiques, art, and interesting collections adorn the space that has been divided to a main dining room/bar area, private lounge, wine room, and back patio.

The wine list at Black Mountain Wine House is vast and ever-changing. Wines can be enjoyed by the glass, with the option to purchase full bottles as well. There is a balanced mix of sparkling, whites, orange (extended skin contact), roses, reds, as well as a list of spritzes, aperitif, digestifs, sweets, beer, and N/A options as well. Joe and Adam describe the wines beautifully, so if you have any questions about the wines, just ask.

There are always seasonal specials on the menu that feature fresh, local produce and their favorite wines. Written on a chalkboard in the back of the restaurant, it’s a great place to start if you’re wondering what to get. Joe and Adam are friendly and approachable, and readily share their suggestions based on what they think you may enjoy.

Starting with the cheese board seems like a must at a wine bar, right? They have a unique and varied selection of cheeses with contrasting flavors and textures that is fun for a table to share. The night we visited, we tried Fromage d’Affinois (France), Gorgonzola Dolce (Italy), Tete de Maine (Swiss), and an off-the-menu beautiful bright pink cheese made with port wine. Served with fresh bread and orange marmalade, it was a perfect start to a meal.

Speaking of bread… Joe is a baker. He’s modest about it, but causally mentioned that he does make several of the breads used in his menu, and is building a pizza oven on their back patio. No matter what dish you try, make sure you try some of Joe’s bread. The night we visited his panzanella was on the chalkboard specials menu, which features his bread tossed with heirloom tomatoes and cucumber.

The goat cheese tart was just a work of art. Layers of roasted beets and Idaho potato are beautifully alternated with creamy and fresh goat cheese and topped with a fresh salad, surrounded by dots of balsamic. This one was *almost* too pretty to eat.

We make a lot of meatballs at our house, so when we ordered the meatballs we were excited to see how they could be different from ours. One word: heat. Thanks to our little humans, we rarely add red pepper flakes or any substantial heat to our tomato sauce, and it was so very welcome that the pork meatballs at Black Mountain Wine House had a little “kick” to them. The meatballs themselves were succulent and perfectly tender, bursting with flavor.

The crème brûlée for dessert is a simple, light, and balanced end to a fabulous meal. A traditional sugar coating on the top can be gently tapped through with your spoon to reveal luxurious vanilla cream. Try a digestif amaro to end the evening.

Black Mountain Wine House is open Monday-Friday 3pm-12am, Saturday 12pm-12am, and Sunday 12pm-6pm. Be sure to check out their complimentary wine tastings on Monday nights from 5-7pm in the bottle shop, and fresh pasta nights on Tuesdays, with a rotating menu of pasta specials posted on their Instagram account. Black Mountain Wine House is absolutely worth your time. Walking to our car after our meal, we kept saying, “…that was so good.” We are grateful for the excellent hospitality, food, and wine we experienced at this unique spot in St. Louis and hope your visit will be as memorable as ours.