The food inside this popular restaurant has been carefully crafted for decades by different owners, finding the perfect balance of down-home classics, Ozark fare and favorites from the nearby Gateway to the West. That balance and nuanced touch have kept customers coming for more than two decades. The decor, however, has the subtlety of a freight train, and that’s just how owner Jimmy West likes it.
Since 2002, Frisco’s Grill & Pub in Cuba has served up mouthwatering, homemade dishes — including its famous chicken wings — to locals and travelers along nearby Route 66.
Jimmy worked for original owners John and Virginia Watson before purchasing Frisco’s in 2014. John’s father worked on the old Frisco Railroad — built to connect St. Louis and San Francisco — and thought it would be an appropriate restaurant name. “John and Virginia built this amazing restaurant and hopefully I elevated what they did,” says Jimmy. “I definitely made it more ‘train-y.’ ”
In addition to old pictures from John, Jimmy added a train engine out front, a caboose, a mural and televisions in the booths that make you think you’re looking out a train window. “I’ve got more plans too,” he says with a smile.
Frisco’s is known for their Buffalo wings. One pound of wings are deep-fried to order and the team at Frisco’s carmelizes the sweet and spicy Buffalo sauce before tossing the hot wings and sending them out of the kitchen. “That extra step of carmelizing the wing sauce makes it special,” Jimmy says. “It brings out the heat and the sweet. We suggest you dip the wings in our housemade ranch or blue cheese dressing.”
Other favorites include the Pretzel Bites — pretzel sticks sliced in half, stuffed with salami and American cheese, cooked and served with honey mustard — or the St. Louis classic toasted ravioli. So popular is the Artichoke and Spinach Dip that each batch starts with 22 pounds of cream cheese and Provel. The cheese is mixed with artichoke hearts, spinach, veggies and spices. It’s served hot with freshly fried tortilla chips.
Pretzel sticks are sliced in half, filled with American cheese and salami and baked to make Pretzel Bites.
The Roast Beef on Garlic Cheese Bread starts with French bread spread with garlic butter and Provel, which is toasted. Thinly sliced beef finds a home between the two slices of bread and is served with au jus and a side such as housemade chips.
Jimmy had fun and drew inspiration from somewhere a little south of the Show-Me State on one of his early menu updates. “It just struck me as odd there wasn’t anywhere in Cuba that was serving a Cuban sandwich,” he says. So he added Jimmy’s Cuba Sandwich with slow-cooked pulled pork, ham, Swiss, lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard and banana peppers.
Other meals between two buns include the Gruffalo Chicken Sandwich — chicken dipped in wing sauce — and the Famous Frisco Melt featuring beef, Swiss cheese, grilled onions and housemade Frisco’s chipotle sauce.
The Buffalo sauce is again utilized in the Buffalo Chicken Shells and Cheese. The cooked pasta is coated with a rich Provel sauce and topped with grilled chicken and the Buffalo sauce. “If you’re afraid of the heat, the wing sauce is mellowed out by Provel cheese sauce,” Jimmy says.
For heartier fare, opt for entrees including the salmon fillet, fried catfish plate or the 12-ounce chargrilled rib-eye. They still use the steak seasoning John developed years ago. “The steaks are fantastic,” Jimmy says. “That steak rub sits a little sweet.”
Jimmy’s favorite dish is the St. Louis-style, thin-crust pizza. Your imagination and taste buds run wild as you create your pizza using any, or all 16, of the restaurant’s toppings. Jimmy says the house seasoning sets Frisco’s pizza pies apart.
“After it cooks we sprinkle our housemade pizza spice on there,” he says. “It’s a blend of rosemary, garlic, crushed red peppers, oregano, basil and many other spices. It brings out the Italian flavors and complements the Provel and already seasoned pizza sauce. It’s an amazing flavor combination.”
In addition to their daily menu, Jimmy offers monthly specials. August might feature dishes showcasing apples and October could highlight Oktoberfest dishes such as Bavarian pretzels and beer cheese soup. Daily specials change depending on what’s fresh and available, but they do offer prime rib every Tuesday, fried chicken every Thursday and chicken-fried chicken on Sundays.
Jimmy and his team put in plenty of work to make Frisco’s meals from scratch. From freshly fried potato or tortilla chips to housemade dressings to the never-ending servings of wing sauce, you’re sure to taste the difference once you’re all aboard at Frisco’s.
“We like to think things like our dressings are special. We know what ingredients are going in and know that it’s far superior to make it yourself,” Jimmy says. “We don’t want anyone to leave hungry or unhappy; we take a lot of pride in the food we serve.”
In addition to the housemade favorites coming out of the kitchen, Frisco’s serves up plenty of libations including their margarita with housemade sour mix.