Farmhaus is an understated space seating 40 with utilitarian steel metro racks holding dishware and other essentials tucked into the corner of the dining room. In the bar area are Kevin Willmann’s discreetly displayed James Beard semifinalist awards for Best Chef Midwest. Having spent a large part of his life as a fisherman along the Gulf Coast, Willmann’s fish dishes are prepared masterfully but with the same easy style the entire menu shares.

Farmhaus Restaurant serves its patrons some of the freshest, gourmet food in St. Louis. The popular venue supports local farms, and partners with them to use the freshest, organic, seasonal ingredients. The menu changes daily, so you can come back as often as you want and always try something new.

No chef is better at capturing the spirit of Midwestern fine dining than the multiple James Beard nominee Kevin Willmann, whose beloved Clifton Heights restaurant is a comfortable setting for enjoying the area's bounty. Any chef worth his or her salt these days uses local, seasonal ingredients, but at Farmhaus (3257 Ivanhoe Avenue, 314-647-3800) these are less components and more the restaurant's entire reason for being. You see elements of Willmann's upbringing on the Gulf Coast in his seafood dishes, but the restaurant remains all Missouri — and this place has never tasted so good.

I have been writing about Kevin Willmann’s cooking for 15 years now, back to his work at the late Erato on Main in Edwardsville, where he turned diners’ heads from a walk-in closet (if that) of a kitchen, to Farmhaus, the Lindenwood Park restaurant he opened in 2010. It has been a remarkable journey to follow. Willmann has been a Food & Wine “Best New Chef,” a James Beard Award nominee and a mainstay of this list’s pre-pandemic Top 25.

Serving up farm-to-table dining with a Southern twist, Farmhaus is a unique entry on this list of the best places for a birthday dinner in St. Louis. Chef Kevin Willmann's dedication to local ingredients and sustainable practices is evident in every dish. As many menu items are seasonal, you’ll be able to try something new even if you’ve dined here before.

At Farmhaus, the staff takes the farm-to-table movement to heart by only using the freshest ingredients available. The menu at Farmhaus is primarily made up of produce locally grown in St. Louis. Chef Kevin Willmann partners with local farmers, cheesemakers, bakers, and coffee roasters to bring only the freshest, locally-sourced ingredients to your table.

Pop into this organic restaurant dedicated to using fresh and seasonal ingredients to create an intriguing dining experience to have a taste of the finest cuisines. This restaurant boasts of having one of the finest dining spaces for dinners. The Chef, Kelvin Wilmann, focuses on the community to come up with the menu.

Farmhaus embodies the farm-to-table dining ethos and celebrates the best of local agriculture. The menu changes regularly based on what is fresh and in season, highlighting the flavors of Missouri. The rustic atmosphere combined with an open kitchen gives diners a taste of authentic farm life.

– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (148 reviews)– Detailed ratings: Food (4.5/5), Service (4.5/5), Value (4.0/5), Atmosphere (4.0/5)– Type of cuisine: American, Contemporary– Price: $$$$– Address: 3257 Ivanhoe Ave, Saint Louis, MO 63139-2245– Read more on Tripadvisor

She’s now apparently got a side gig in the kitchen at Farmhaus, where the bacon-wrapped brick of Mark Schewe’s farm raised beef (when available) is impossibly tender, topped with a reduction of Pappy’s barbecue sauce that tastes like home.