The pandemic has taken down a St. Louis giant. Mangia Italiano (3145 South Grand Boulevard) is closing Sunday.

The restaurant announced the closure on its Facebook page last night:




Mangia’s history in St. Louis runs deep. It opened in 1983 as a fresh pasta shop and Italian deli. And though ownership has changed hands a few times, Mangia has always served as a south city hub.

From its early days as a hangout for “Family,” to its time as a favorite haunt of local legends like Pete Parisi of World Wide Magazine, to its reign as the loudest (and smokiest) 3 a.m. bar and music venue in the South Grand entertainment district, Mangia has seen it all and fed it all — and then it poured it all a hangover-curing mimosa the next day at brunch.



Mangia’s closure doesn’t come as a complete surprise, though. The building was put on the market back in September citing "partners retiring" as the reason for the desired sale.

If restaurants with almost four decades of history in St. Louis (and with huge murals from much-loved local artists like Wayne St. Wayne inside) can’t make it through these terrible times, it’s hard to imagine how most others will be able to sustain themselves without any concrete hope for a bailout on the horizon.

Many local restaurants are surviving on takeout and delivery sales these days, so if you can, do your part and bring home some food from your favorite places soon before they close, too.

R.I.P., Mangia. You’ll always remain in generations of St. Louis memories.

Email the author at jaime.lees@riverfronttimes.com

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