TV Restaurants

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

Food Paradise, Season 4 Ballwin, Missouri

Current status

Closed

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

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. How we decide a status →

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.

The episode Food Paradise, Season 4

Episode 26
Aired
Title: Garlic Paradise · What was featured: Lebanese garlic-eating contest and roasted garlic dishes for Garlic Paradise
How Food Paradise restaurants have fared: 27% closed →

Also in Season 4 Food Paradise

Season 4: 134 of 199 still open · 12 renamed, moved or under new owners

All 26 Season 4 episodes →

Nearest open restaurants By distance from 14560 Manchester Rd

All 82 TV restaurants in Missouri →

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Sources we checked 3 references

  1. riverfronttimes.com https://www.riverfronttimes.com/food-drink/saleems-west-closing-december-14-2637804
  2. stlmag.com https://www.stlmag.com/dining/The-Garlic-Will-Make-You-Smell-Strong-Travel-Channel-to-Invade-Saleems-West-on-Saturday/
  3. allmenus.com https://www.allmenus.com/mo/ballwin/303096-saleems-west/menu/
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Record fp-0394 · checked by Cal Marchetti.