ST. LOUIS, MO – September 21, 2026 (StLouisRestaurantReview) SOHA Bar and Grill, a longtime South City gastropub on Hampton Avenue, will permanently close Sept. 30 after approximately 14 years in business.

The restaurant at 2605 Hampton Avenue in St. Louis’ Clifton Heights neighborhood opened in 2012 and changed ownership in 2024. The current ownership group made operational changes and invested in rooftop patio improvements, but rising costs and customers pulling back ultimately led to the decision to close, according to First Alert 4.

The closing ends a restaurant that spent more than a decade building its identity around food, drinks, sports, and neighborhood gatherings in South St. Louis.

It also comes just two years after local restaurateur and chef Bob Brazell and business partner Rick DeStefane purchased SOHA along with Nick’s Pub, another established St. Louis bar.

SOHA opened on Hampton Avenue in 2012

SOHA Bar and Grill opened on Hampton Avenue in 2012.

The restaurant’s name is derived from “South Hampton,” according to SOHA’s own description of the business.

SOHA grew into a neighborhood gastropub offering American pub food, a substantial draft-beer selection, and cocktails in a casual setting.

Its current menu includes burgers, sandwiches, appetizers, and St. Louis staples including toasted ravioli. The restaurant has also offered brunch and positioned itself as a destination for watching sporting events.

Televisions throughout the restaurant, outdoor seating, and a fireplace helped establish the atmosphere SOHA promoted as part neighborhood restaurant and part sports-oriented gathering place.

The restaurant also developed recurring programming including trivia, music bingo, karaoke and live music.

For private gatherings, SOHA has offered a game room for smaller groups and a lower patio for larger parties.

But after more than a decade under its previous ownership, SOHA underwent a major transition in 2024.

Brazell and DeStefane acquired SOHA in 2024

Chef and restaurateur Bob Brazell and business partner Rick DeStefane purchased SOHA Bar and Grill and Nick’s Pub in 2024.

Sauce Magazine reported the transaction at the time and identified John McDonald as the previous owner of both establishments.

Brazell told Sauce that McDonald’s decision to retire created an opportunity to acquire two existing St. Louis businesses.

“This has been in the works for two years, and we’re planning on doing something similar to what we did with the Tenderloin Room,” Brazell said at the time.

He also explained the philosophy behind the acquisition.

“We just have this belief in keeping cool things in St. Louis going,” Brazell said.

Brazell was already involved with several St. Louis restaurant and bar operations, including Tamm Avenue Bar and the Tenderloin Room, as well as the former Byrd & Barrel.

The 2024 purchase gave his group control of two more established neighborhood businesses.

Contemporary reporting indicates employees at both SOHA and Nick’s Pub initially stayed on after the ownership transition.

The new owners also outlined plans for changes at both restaurants.

At SOHA, those plans included menu additions and improvements and the introduction of weekend brunch.

City records document ownership transition

City of St. Louis records independently document the transition between the previous and current SOHA operating entities.

A 2022 city liquor-license record identifies SOHA LLC, doing business as South Hampton Bar & Grill at 2605 Hampton Ave., and lists John McDonald as manager.

The city record identifies the establishment as being in the Clifton Heights neighborhood.

Following the 2024 acquisition, the operating entity appearing in city licensing records changed.

A March 2025 City of St. Louis liquor-license hearing identifies SOHA Investors LLC, doing business as SOHA Bar and Grill, at the same 2605 Hampton Ave. address.

That record lists Robert Brazell as managing officer.

SOHA Investors LLC sought full-drink and Sunday liquor licenses as well as a summer-garden license. City records show the application was approved for issuance.

Together with the contemporaneous reporting on the sale, the records establish the transition from McDonald’s operation to the Brazell-led operating company.

New owners introduced changes at SOHA

The new ownership group did not simply acquire SOHA and leave the operation untouched.

When the acquisition was announced in 2024, Brazell said customers could expect menu improvements and additions.

Brazell also planned a new weekend brunch program.

SOHA’s current website reflects several changes and initiatives at the restaurant.

The business promoted brunch, NFL Sunday Ticket and MLS programming along with themed events and other entertainment.

SOHA also described physical improvements to parts of the restaurant.

The business said it added lounge furniture to one patio and upgraded tables in the former game room. It also referenced additional plans involving the rooftop patio.

First Alert 4 reported that, in connection with the closing announcement, investments were made in the rooftop patio following the 2024 ownership change.

Despite those efforts, the owners have now decided not to continue operating the restaurant.

Rising costs and customer pullback cited in closure

The owners’ reported explanation for the closing centers on two issues: increasing costs and customers pulling back.

First Alert 4 reported Sunday that despite the ownership change and rooftop-patio investment, costs kept rising while customers pulled back, leading ownership to decide to close.

No detailed financial statements have been released publicly in connection with the announcement.

Therefore, no verified public information establishes SOHA’s recent revenue, profitability, food costs, labor expenses, rent, or other individual operating expenses.

The sources reviewed for this report also did not disclose the purchase price paid for SOHA in the 2024 transaction.

Similarly, no verified dollar figure has been released showing how much the ownership group subsequently invested in SOHA.

For those reasons, St. Louis Restaurant Review is not attributing the closing to any individual expense, operational change, or financial event beyond what ownership reported.

Ownership change should not be confused with cause

The timing of the closing is notable because it comes approximately two years after the restaurant changed hands.

However, no verified evidence establishes that the ownership change itself caused SOHA’s closure.

The available record shows that Brazell and DeStefane purchased the restaurant in 2024, introduced changes and planned improvements, while Brazell publicly described the acquisition as part of an effort to preserve established St. Louis establishments.

The restaurant continued operating under the new ownership before the decision was made to close in September 2026.

Customer opinions posted online about SOHA and changes at the restaurant vary, but individual social-media comments do not establish the financial reasons for the business’s closure.

The confirmed explanation remains the one reported Sunday: rising costs and customers pulling back.

Nick’s Pub was acquired in the same transaction

SOHA was not the only St. Louis establishment included in the 2024 purchase.

Brazell and DeStefane simultaneously acquired Nick’s Pub at 6001 Manchester Ave.

At the time, Brazell discussed separate plans for the two businesses.

While SOHA prepared menu improvements and brunch, Nick’s Pub served as a vehicle to bring back some foods associated with Brazell’s former Byrd & Barrel restaurant.

Sauce reported in 2024 that a Sunday Byrd & Barrel menu was planned for Nick’s, including several dishes associated with the former concept.

The SOHA closing announcement should not be interpreted as Nick’s Pub also closing.

The verified closure report concerns SOHA Bar and Grill.

SOHA continues operating through Sept. 30

SOHA remains open ahead of its final day.

The restaurant’s website still advertises dine-in service, along with delivery and carryout.

It also continues to list recurring activities including music bingo on Mondays, karaoke on the last Monday of the month, and trivia on Wednesdays.

Its website lists happy hour Monday through Friday and promotes live music and other events.

The current menu continues to feature the casual pub food around which SOHA built much of its identity.

Among the offerings are burgers, sandwiches, toasted ravioli, fried goat cheese, nachos, chicken strips, fried pickles and SOHA’s house-made potato, smoked Gouda and bacon tots.

Those offerings will disappear from Hampton Avenue when the restaurant closes after service Sept. 30.

End of a 14-year South City restaurant run

SOHA’s closing is significant in part because of its longevity.

Restaurants frequently change concepts and ownership, but SOHA maintained the same basic identity and Hampton Avenue address for approximately 14 years.

The restaurant survived changes in dining habits, the COVID-19 pandemic, and eventually an ownership transition.

When Brazell and DeStefane acquired SOHA in 2024, the public plan was not to eliminate the established restaurant and replace it with another concept.

Instead, Brazell said they wanted to keep recognizable St. Louis establishments alive while making improvements and adding programming.

That effort continued for approximately two years.

The new owners introduced brunch and other programming, made changes to the restaurant and invested in its rooftop patio.

Ultimately, however, the owners decided not to continue the business.

First Alert 4’s Sept. 21 report identifies rising costs and customers pulling back as the factors behind that decision.

SOHA Bar and Grill will serve customers through Sept. 30 before permanently closing its doors at 2605 Hampton Ave.

No verified announcement has identified a replacement restaurant or future tenant for the Hampton Avenue space.

For customers who have visited SOHA since its 2012 opening, the remaining days represent the final opportunity to visit a neighborhood gastropub that spent roughly 14 years as part of the South City restaurant scene.

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