On the old Chesterfield Mall property, the work this fall is roads, utilities and graded dirt. Most of the mall buildings are gone. The Macy's and Dillard's buildings are still standing because they're slated for reuse. The Staenberg Group's plan for the site, Downtown Chesterfield, calls for homes, a hotel, restaurants, entertainment, offices and community space. None of those buildings has started going up yet.
In the meantime, Chesterfield keeps getting new places to eat. Since July, a smash burger spot, an ice cream shop and an Italian pastry counter have opened in shopping centers the city already had. Three more restaurants are on the way, and every one of them is moving into an existing strip or an existing building. For at least the next year, if you want to find what's new in Chesterfield, look at the centers you already drive past.
The site that's supposed to become downtown is on a 2027 clock
In a fall update from West Newsmagazine, Tim Lowe, vice president of leasing and development at The Staenberg Group, said infrastructure work is continuing across the site, including utilities, roads, parks and bike paths. Vertical development comes after that work is finished. The same report says grading is expected to run until spring 2027, which is when vertical construction should begin. An earlier West Newsmagazine report on the second phase gave a later estimate of summer 2027, so the target has moved up a little, but it's still a 2027 date either way.
The first phase is expected to include roughly 800 to 1,000 residential units. West Newsmagazine reported that some developers have already signed on and others are still negotiating. Lowe explained the pacing this way: "We've got to have a good phase 1. You can't flood the market too much at one time."
The city is designing one piece of the site right now. The Staenberg Group donated a 3.9-acre parcel for a grand entrance, plus $300,000 toward its design, and the City of Chesterfield is coordinating the design and construction. Residents were asked to weigh in on two landscape options for it. One is a layered garden of cultivated native and adapted plantings, which the design team describes as offering "seasonal color, habitat value and an immersive landscape experience." The other is a flexible lawn with planted edges, built for informal recreation, gathering and clear views across the site. City staff also discussed a pedestrian crossing. Assistant City Engineer Zachary Wolff said it could use Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons. He added that a full traffic signal is unlikely because the Missouri Department of Transportation would not allow one that close to the existing signal at Lydia Hill Road.
That gives you the timeline. In the meantime, the restaurants opening in Chesterfield are going elsewhere.
This year's openings landed in established centers
Here are the three openings since summer, in order:
- Hanjo's Smashed Burgers opened July 4 at 41 Forum Shopping Center, according to STL.News.
- Marble Slab Creamery held a soft opening August 20 at 128 Hilltown Village Center. Sauce Magazine confirmed in September that it was open and reported the shop is working toward adding Great American Cookies before winter.
- Dolce Napoli opened September 2 at 17089 N. Outer 40 in The District. It's a gelato, Italian pastry and sandwich shop from the Napoli family. St. Louis Magazine named it one of September's standout openings across the whole metro. The magazine also ran a separate story on the shop.
All three are in places you already know. The Forum is on Clarkson Road, Hilltown Village is a neighborhood shopping center, and The District sits along the Outer 40 in the Valley. None of these openings needed a new building.
The Marble Slab detail is a small sign of the same thing. Instead of opening a second storefront, the business plans to add Great American Cookies inside the shop it already has.
The next three are filling existing spots too
The St. Louis Magazine roundup of openings, closings and coming soons, accurate as of an early-October press date, lists three more Chesterfield arrivals. Each one is moving into a space that's already built.
bb.q Chicken, 1627 Clarkson Road. Sauce Magazine reported on October 13 that the Korean fried chicken chain expects to open in late October or early November. The brand's own locator still listed the Chesterfield address as "Coming Soon" in mid-October. The menu centers on four signature flavors: Golden Original, Honey Garlic, Secret Sauce and Spicy Galbi. It also includes Korean dishes such as Ddeok Bokki, a spicy rice cake dish, Kimchi Fried Rice and So Ddeok So Ddeok, a skewer of rice cakes and sausage. Alicia Jang of bb.q Chicken told Sauce that the company saw "an opportunity to bring authentic Korean fried chicken to an area where there is growing interest in Korean food and culture." For a first visit, she suggests starting with the Golden Original and adding Honey Garlic or Secret Sauce alongside the rice cake dishes.
Yummy Bowl Mongolian Stir Fry & Sushi, 17308 Chesterfield Airport Road. St. Louis Magazine lists it for late 2026 in the former Red Robin. Of the three, this one is the clearest case of a familiar Valley building getting a new tenant.
Wasabi Express, 309 Clarkson Road. Also listed for late 2026. That makes two of the three upcoming openings on Clarkson Road.
One more name may eventually join the list. FOX 2 reported in July that the local Sourdough & Co. franchise group, after a Des Peres shop and a second at Heritage Plaza in Creve Coeur, is evaluating Chesterfield, Town and Country and Wildwood for a third location.
Where it all sits, as of late October
Here's the full list in one place:
| Place | Address | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Hanjo's Smashed Burgers | 41 Forum Shopping Center | Open since July 4 |
| Marble Slab Creamery | 128 Hilltown Village Center | Open since August 20; Great American Cookies addition planned before winter |
| Dolce Napoli | 17089 N. Outer 40, The District | Open since September 2 |
| bb.q Chicken | 1627 Clarkson Road | Expected late October or early November |
| Yummy Bowl | 17308 Chesterfield Airport Road | Projected late 2026 |
| Wasabi Express | 309 Clarkson Road | Projected late 2026 |
The dates in the last three rows are projections from the businesses and local food press. Openings slip all the time, so check a restaurant's own social pages before you head over.
The list also shows how spread out the new places are. They're on Clarkson Road, the Outer 40 and Chesterfield Airport Road, with no single cluster.
Something to do this weekend while the restaurants catch up
If you'd rather plan a family evening than wait on a ribbon cutting, the Jack O'Lantern Trail at Faust Park runs Friday, October 23 and Saturday, October 24, 2026, at the Faust Park Historic Village, 15050 Faust Park. Kids can trick-or-treat through the park's historic buildings, which are decorated for Halloween, then ride the St. Louis Carousel. Costumes are encouraged.
Tickets are $12 per person if bought in advance, and everyone age 2 and up needs one, adults included. Kids under 2 are free. Friday runs 6 to 8 p.m. The Fun 4 STL Kids listing gives two different Saturday windows, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. in one spot and 5 to 8 p.m. in another, so confirm the Saturday time with the organizer before you go. If you go Friday, Hanjo's is about a 10-minute drive back down Clarkson Road.
Looking ahead to December, the Chesterfield Regional Chamber's holiday luncheon is Wednesday, December 16, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the DoubleTree Hotel, 16625 Swingley Ridge Road. Tickets are $45 for members and $50 for nonmembers, and the event includes vendors, a wine pull, prizes and a silent auction.
What spring 2027 means for the next year of "new"
With vertical construction on the mall site targeted for spring 2027, buildings there won't be ready for tenants anytime soon. That puts any new restaurants, shops or entertainment on that property well beyond this fall and winter. For now, anything new in Chesterfield will keep showing up the way bb.q Chicken and Yummy Bowl are: in an existing suite on Clarkson Road or a former chain restaurant in the Valley.
The parts of the downtown project you can follow right now are the public pieces. The grand entrance design, the choice between the garden and the open lawn, and the beacon-style crossing near Lydia Hill Road are all city-led, and residents are already being asked for input. Parks, Recreation and Arts Director Wayne Dunker noted that projects such as the Villas at Downtown Chesterfield will bring more people to live near the site. More neighbors there means the restaurants on Clarkson Road and in the Valley will be serving more people well before anything opens on the old mall site.
At Chris & Kait Real Estate Team, we're watching the Downtown Chesterfield timeline as closely as you are, because new homes and new restaurants change how buyers see the streets around them. If you live near Clarkson Road, the Valley or the old mall site and wonder what all this means for your home's value, start with an Instant Home Valuation and we'll walk through it with you.
