Fariña’s Has the Meats

At the downtown St. Louis spot, brothers Oscar and Oswaldo Fariña employ an 800-degree stone grill

Written by JESSICA ROGEN

If you ask Oscar Fariña his favorite menu item at his new downtown St. Louis restaurant, he won’t hesitate for even a beat: meat. That answer couldn’t be more

Strange Donuts’ new concept, Up Late, promises to be the late-night spot St. Louis deserves

Written by JESSICA ROGEN

Have you ever been out in St. Louis after hours, wandering around hungry, finally settling for some generic fast food or maybe something unappealing from your own refrigerator? If this scenario sounds familiar, we have good news for you.

Up Late, a new effort from Strange Donuts’ front-of-house manager and baker Nathan Wright, opened within World’s Fair Donuts (1904 South Vandeventer Avenue, 314-261-4002) on Saturday. The restaurant will operate from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

“St. Louis deserves a new late night spot,” the new business wrote on Instagram.

The concept is simple, with three dishes including carne asada street tacos and bacon or sausage breakfast sandwiches. It — naturally — has Strange Donuts’ donuts on offer, plus beverages including water, milk and a custom American lager from 4 Hands Brewing Co. called simply “Beer.”

It’s operated by Wright, who co-owns it with Strange Donuts owner Jason Bockman.

The concept came to be thanks to a germ of an idea shared between the perfect because Oscar, along with his brother Oswaldo, have launched an eatery that is steeped in the allure of sizzling, delicious meat. Located in the heart of two men. Wright, who began working for Strange Donuts about two years ago, has always loved cooking.

Washington Avenue, their Fariña’s Kitchen & Bar (1001 Washington Avenue, 314-659-8647) features a variety of meats cooked on an 800-degree stone grill.

“I’ve been cooking my whole life,” Wright says. “My parents were always working, so it was kind of ‘fend for yourself,’ and so I was always in the kitchen.”

Wright bought his creations into work for the enjoyment of his Strange Donuts co-workers.

One day, Bockman turned to him and asked if he wanted to own something, suggesting they open a restaurant together. Wright liked the idea, and the two settled on the late-night concept after noticing a dearth of options in that arena.

The initial conversation happened about a year ago, but things didn’t really get moving until four months ago, when the two dug in and did some research on how similar businesses operated, even visiting ones in other cities.

“Jason is a marketing mastermind, and I can cook some food, so it just pairs together,” Wright says. “It’s just been a really good partnership, a great friendship.”

Strange Donuts purchased World’s Fair Donuts in December 2019 after owners Peggy and Terry Clanton closed doors at the iconic spot for health and personal reasons. There had been talk of selling the space to an entirely different kind of business until Strange Donuts stepped in.

At the time, Bockman told the RFT that he didn’t plan to change much — or anything — about World’s Fair. And Wright says Up Late doesn’t change that but will simply occupy the space after it closes for the day.

“I’m excited,” Wright says. “I’m stressed but feeling good.” n

No one in St. Louis is doing anything of the like, says Oscar, who also owns the popular Buenos Aires Cafe in City Foundry and Gauchos in Fairview Heights, Illinois. And the results speak for themselves.

“The stone concept for sure is something that is very intriguing,” Oswaldo adds. “We try to do it as clean as possible, just salt to get that natural flavor. So when that ribeye or New York strip hits the stone, and it starts automatically just searing, you’ll get that natural, like, buttery taste from that meat.”

The brothers come honestly by their meat-forward menu. Oswaldo recalls growing up in Argentina surrounded by people and food. There was plenty of the latter, he says, and everything was homemade.

“You’re cooking for the family, you’re cooking for neighbors, family and friends, and people come over and hang out, share stories and spend time together,” he says, recalling Sundays where that time stretched to five or six hours.

When the brothers think about those food memories growing up, they come up with different things. Oswaldo remembers Italian food that evoked the family’s ethnicity. Oscar thinks of meat and grilling.

“To me, it was meat, sausage, meat,” he says. “I think that’s what connects me back home. That’s why I like it so much.”

Both began cooking at a young age. Oscar started as a home baker, moving to food professionally as a side hustle while simultaneously studying medicine. He did a fast-track culinary school certification, and he and his wife purchased a food truck, then a small cafe — all while bouncing locales as necessary because of their military jobs. But then they went “full into food” after moving to the St. Louis area about six or seven years ago.

Oscar’s food style, he says, is simple comfort foods. But that’s different from Oswaldo’s style. The younger brother went to a traditional culinary school after high school and then relocated to Las Vegas, wanting to go into fine dining.

Oswaldo might have stayed in Vegas, but a trip to St. Louis made him realize he wanted to live closer to family. He initially thought about leaving the food business, but Oscar convinced him to do a project together as brothers.

Working together so far has gone well, and the restaurant opened on December 17. (The brothers had briefly opened early in 2022 but closed quickly after realizing getting their liquor license would be a longer process than anticipated.)

Fariña’s is in the space that was Mango Peruvian Cuisine. Though the brothers have made some aesthetic changes — new paint, different decor — it looks similar to the previous concept.

Two walls of windows make for bright dining rooms punctuated by a three-sided bar. There’s table seating both in the bar area and in the dining room toward the back of the space, and Fariña’s also has an adjoining events space that’s big enough for larger parties.

One point of stark difference is the entrance, which holds a pink neon sign on a stone wall that’s edged with bright greenery. It’s Instagram worthy.

Though the menu is centered around stone-cooked meat — tuna, steaks and smoked lamb — it also includes a variety of starters, such as Argentinian empanadas, tostones, sashimi and more; soups and salads; and entrees such as chimichurri chicken and pabellon, a choice of protein with rice, beans and plantains. There are also flatbreads and a variety of sides. Dishes range in price from $8 to $18 for starters, $27 to $45 for stone-cooked meats, and $17 to $24 for entrees.

The brothers call Fariña’s an “open steakhouse concept,” and though many of the dishes are Argentinian influenced, it is not an Argentinian restaurant. They anticipate growing the menu over time and adding in flavors from a variety of cultures.

The bar is now officially open, and the restaurant has cocktails, wine and beer. Prices begin at $4 for a domestic beer. n