COTTLEVILLE, Mo. — Despite the heat, dozens of people attended Friday’s grand opening of Frankie Martin’s Garden in Cottleville.


What You Need To Know

  • Frankie Martin’s Garden is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and 5-9 p.m. for dinner. 

  • Weekend brunch hours will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

  • The lineup of food trucks will be posted on Frankie Martin’s Garden social media by 10 a.m. each day.

  • The address is 5372 St. Charles Street.

Area resident Ashley Beodart said having a food truck garden in the community is exciting.

“I feel like Cottleville’s been expanding more and more throughout the years. And this is just a great place to bring the family,” she said. “I have two small girls and so just the ability to come here to be able to spend that time with the family is pretty neat.”

Construction crews Friday afternoon installed the final layer of Astroturf outside the venue’s whiskey and wine bar, which was the former home of previous land owner, Frank J. Martin.

On the food truck side, long lines formed for Beast Craft Barbeque, The Crooked Boot and Lion’s Choice during lunch hours. The lineup of food trucks will be posted on Frankie Martin’s Garden social media by 10 a.m. each day.

“I think it will be a fun place to come when they have music and it’s not too far away,” St. Charles resident Pat Drone said. “It’s just something new in the area, and they did a great job I think with preserving the house.”

Wildwood resident Kathy Reisch said she also is looking forward to hearing music, as well as playing games and grabbing a bite to eat.

Frankie Martin’s Garden is a second food truck venue for the owners of 9 Mile Garden in Affton. The Cottleville location features an LED wall for sports and entertainment, a food truck staging area, a 2,400-square-foot pavilion with the “best” craft breweries in the country, as well as the whiskey and wine bar.

The garden area has shaded picnic tables, pergolas, pavilions, in addition to pickleball and sand volleyball courts. 

Area resident Patrick Paphler said having the food truck garden within walking distance is “pretty cool.”

“The other (food truck garden) is pretty far away from here, so I don’t get to go to the food truck events so much,” he said.

Besides the food, Paphler said he is looking forward to playing pickleball.

Managing partner of Frankie Martin’s Garden, Brian Hardesty, said the past four months have been “a mad rush” in order to open. Some setbacks were supply chain issues and rain delays.

“We got through it obviously, so pretty happy,” he said. “Normally, I would probably delay this opening about a week, but I really wanted to be open for the Fourth of July, and coincidentally, it is the anniversary of 9 Mile Garden opening.”

Hardesty said he is looking forward to crowds of people coming to enjoy the venue. His favorite part is the whiskey and wine bar not only because of the air conditioning, but it also has some of his favorite beverages.  

“I’m a big whiskey and wine nerd, and when I heard the idea was to do one of these, it's the best-case scenario for me. I get to do what I love,” Hardesty said.

Inside the bar, there are several lock and key cabinets where customers can store favorite bottles of whiskey on-site to have it readily available for them to drink. This is part of the venue’s membership, which also includes special pricing on whiskey and wine, a special whiskey glass, a free birthday pour and an exclusive e-newsletter.

The interior design of the bar is a mix of modern and farm styles, Hardesty said.   

Frankie Martin’s Garden is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and 5-9 p.m. for dinner. Weekend brunch hours will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The address is 5372 St. Charles Street.

Hardesty said the hope is to open more food truck gardens in the St. Louis and St. Charles areas.