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CAFE
[REVIEW]
Out of This World Dining at Diego’s in University City is not just delicious, it’s downright transcendent Written by
CHERYL BAEHR Diego’s 630 North and South Road, University City; 314-553-9906. Tues.-Thurs. 5-9 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. noon-10 p.m.; Closed Sunday and Monday.
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atasha Kwan was utterly shocked when she heard the news of her friend Chuck Pener’s passing. Even before she opened her debut restaurant, Frida’s, just a couple of storefronts down from Pener’s Mediterranean gathering place, Momo’s Taverna, Kwan considered Pener a pal. That friendship only grew over the nine years they ran their restaurants alongside one another; the sudden absence of his presence was palpable. The loss of Momo’s bustling corner restaurant was also distressing for Kwan, not simply because it sat dark for the first time since she’d shared the block, but also because of the possibility of what would happen to it. As Kwan’s husband, Rick Roloff, would frequently tell her, she just needed to take over the space herself. If she didn’t, he said, she would be reminded of a missed opportunity every time she looked at whatever restaurant took Momo’s place and would be even more disheartened if it wasn’t up to the standards she had set for her little corner of University City. The idea of opening a second spot was not out of left field. For years, Kwan had been toying around with the idea, and even considered opening an al pastor stand in Clayton. Though she tabled that particular concept, she never let go of the idea to open a Latin American-inspired spot, and had recently been scouring the Central West End for the right storefront. However, taking over
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RIVERFRONT TIMES
Diego’s doesn’t disappoint. Clockwise from top left: guacamole, costra de chiles asados, shrimp tostada, enchiladas verdes and esquites. | MABEL SUEN
Chef-owner Natasha Kwan operates Diego’s a couple doors down from her other spot. | MABEL SUEN the Momo’s space simply made sense, and as soon as Pener’s family was ready to pass it on to someone, she jumped at the chance to make the place her own. For Kwan, there was never any doubt that the new restaurant would be Mexican inspired. For some reason, the space had a certain energy about it that begged for a lively, upbeat eating and drinking establishment,
JUNE 16-22, 2021
riverfronttimes.com
not that dissimilar from Momo’s. For two years, she and her husband threw themselves into the buildout of the new restaurant, converting the Mediterranean-inflected dining room that had seen better days into the stunning Latin American aesthetic that would become Diego’s. It’s not hyperbolic to say that Diego’s might be the most beautiful restaurant in St. Louis. The mo-
ment you walk through the door, you are awestruck by the transportative design that makes you feel as if you are in an upscale, coastal Mexican eatery. Flowering vines hanging from the ceilings and potted palm trees give the feeling of being in an indooroutdoor courtyard, a vibe underscored by the massive open windows that allow the dining room and patio to flow into each other. Mexican tiled archways, gilded wall hangings and vibrant artwork hung against ink-blue walls create a gorgeous scene; even the bathroom, wallpapered in a beautiful, mid-century green and pink palm print, is outrageously beautiful. You don’t want to eat at Diego’s; you want to live in it. The gorgeous restaurant is the ideal setting for the breezy Mexican fare Kwan and her team have created. As she notes, Diego’s is unlike a lot of Mexican spots in St. Louis in that it’s less Tex-Mex influenced and much lighter. “Coastal” is the word that comes to mind when you are tucked into a beautiful banquette, noshing on dishes like the shrimp tostada, an open-face crispy corn tortilla topped with creamy avocado mash and plump shrimp that are
