TV Restaurants

What Happened to Saleem's West After Food Paradise? (Ballwin, MO)

Closed verified

As of September 2026, Saleem's West has closed — confirmed via riverfronttimes.com, December 2011.

Primary source
riverfronttimes.com ·

Last verified

What the source shows: Riverfront Times reported that Saleem's West, a Lebanese restaurant, was closing December 14 after owner Salim Hanna retired following 40 years in the restaurant business.

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What happened after Food Paradise?

Food Paradise's 'Garlic Paradise' episode featured Saleem's West, a Lebanese restaurant in Ballwin, Missouri, for its garlic-eating contest, in which 20 competitors had ten minutes to eat as many heads of roasted garlic as possible. St. Louis Magazine covered the Travel Channel crew's visit to film the segment. Saleem's West was an offshoot of the original Saleem's restaurant that Salim Hanna opened in St. Louis in 1974, and the West location continued under Hanna and his son and co-owner, chef Simon Hanna, serving Lebanese dishes built around garlic. According to the Riverfront Times, Saleem's West closed on December 14, 2011, after Salim Hanna retired following 40 years in the restaurant business. A Google Places record for a market at a different St. Louis address should not be confused with the restaurant's former Ballwin location.

Featured on Food Paradise

Season / episode
Season 4, Episode 26
Original air date
Episode title
Garlic Paradise
What was featured
Lebanese garlic-eating contest and roasted garlic dishes for Garlic Paradise
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Saleem's West

Frequently asked questions

Is Saleem's West still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Saleem's West has closed — confirmed via riverfronttimes.com, December 2011.

What happened to Saleem's West after Food Paradise?

Food Paradise's 'Garlic Paradise' episode featured Saleem's West, a Lebanese restaurant in Ballwin, Missouri, for its garlic-eating contest, in which 20 competitors had ten minutes to eat as many heads of roasted garlic as possible. As of September 2026, Saleem's West has closed — confirmed via riverfronttimes.com, December 2011.

Is Saleem's West permanently closed?

As of September 2026, Saleem's West has closed — confirmed via riverfronttimes.com, December 2011. We publish a closure only with a dated source behind it, and we say plainly when it has not been independently confirmed.

Where is Saleem's West located?

14560 Manchester Rd, Ballwin, MO 63011. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Food Paradise featured Saleem's West?

Season 4, Episode 26 of Food Paradise, first aired 2013. The episode is titled “Garlic Paradise”.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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All Missouri locations

Nearest tracked restaurants

Visit info

Address
14560 Manchester Rd, Ballwin, MO 63011
Venue type
restaurant
Official website
None found

Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources

  • riverfronttimes.com — https://www.riverfronttimes.com/food-drink/saleems-west-closing-december-14-2637804
  • stlmag.com — https://www.stlmag.com/dining/The-Garlic-Will-Make-You-Smell-Strong-Travel-Channel-to-Invade-Saleems-West-on-Saturday/
  • allmenus.com — https://www.allmenus.com/mo/ballwin/303096-saleems-west/menu/

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Record fp-0394 · last verified .