Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria opens first freestanding restaurant at Crestwood Plaza redevelopment site in south county

A new standalone restaurant joins Crestwood Crossing as the former mall property continues to add dining and retail

Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria has opened its first freestanding location on Watson Road in Crestwood, marking a shift for the St. Louis-area restaurant group from multi-tenant developments to a purpose-built standalone building. The opening places the brand at the long-redeveloped former Crestwood Plaza site, now known as Crestwood Crossing, a mixed-use project anchored by a Dierbergs grocery store and a growing lineup of restaurants and service businesses.

The Crestwood restaurant is part of the commercial portion of the 47-acre redevelopment located off Watson Road near Sappington Road. Plans for the broader project were announced in late 2020 as a joint effort involving Dierbergs, McBride Homes and the City of Crestwood, combining a major grocery store, additional retail and outlots with residential construction on the eastern portion of the property.

What’s new at the Crestwood location

The Crestwood building was developed as a larger-format version of the concept and is designed to highlight in-house production and high-volume service. Published design and planning details for the site have described a dedicated pasta-making room, a European-style open kitchen and expanded bar-and-patio capacity compared with earlier locations. The restaurant was previously projected to open in 2025; it ultimately began service in early February 2026.

• First standalone, purpose-built Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria location
• Situated at Crestwood Crossing on Watson Road, near Sappington Road
• Design features include an open kitchen and a visible pasta-production area

Jobs and local development context

Hiring for the Crestwood operation has been described as spanning both front- and back-of-house roles, reflecting the scale of the facility. The opening also aligns with the redevelopment’s strategy of adding full-service dining along Watson Road, complementing the grocery anchor and additional retail pads.

Crestwood officials previously outlined phased construction at Crestwood Crossing, including restaurant space paired with a planned outdoor gathering area and other commercial buildouts. That planning framework has emphasized the western portion of the property as a dining and destination zone, with additional phases and outlots continuing to come online over time.

The Crestwood Crossing redevelopment has been structured in phases, pairing new commercial construction with ongoing site improvements along Watson Road.

How it fits Katie’s broader expansion

The Crestwood opening becomes the group’s fourth restaurant location in the St. Louis region, joining existing sites in Rock Hill, Town & Country and Ballpark Village. Separately from its dine-in footprint, the brand has also built a retail presence through frozen pizza distribution, including a longstanding local grocery partnership announced in 2020.

For Crestwood, the arrival of a standalone Katie’s adds another recognizable local operator to a redevelopment site that has transitioned from a shuttered mall into a mixed-use corridor of grocery, restaurants, neighborhood services and new housing.