A walkable inner-ring suburb with a thriving Sutton and Manchester strip of roasters, breweries like Side Project and indie kitchens.
Acero plates handmade pasta and a deep, off-the-beaten-path Italian wine list in Maplewood. It is the quiet, grown-up Italian dinner locals favour.
Order: House-made pasta and a glass of an obscure Italian varietal.
Tip: The wine list rewards trusting the staff with a regional pick. Reserve on Resy; the room is small.
The Larson family roasts in house and runs a full breakfast and lunch kitchen at this Maplewood cafe, a hub that does coffee and a meal equally well.
Signature drink: House-roasted coffee and breakfast plates
Tip: It works as a full breakfast spot, not just coffee; the biscuits and the breakfast bowls are worth the visit. Plenty of seating for laptops.
A downtown Maplewood cafe with a strong vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free bent, Foundation Grounds pours coffee and serves a wholesome all-day menu.
Signature drink: Coffee and vegetarian-friendly cafe plates
Tip: Most drinks make easily vegan with the soy and almond options. The brunch plates are the reason regulars linger.
Mauhaus pairs La Cosecha coffee and in-house cookies with a lounge of adoptable cats in Maplewood, the metro's cat cafe. The coffee is the side dish.
Signature drink: La Cosecha coffee with adoptable cats
Tip: The cat lounge is timed and ticketed separately from the coffee bar; book ahead at weekends. The cookies are baked in house.
Strange Donuts makes inventive, often over-the-top doughnuts and rotating collaboration flavours from a Maplewood shop, a playful local doughnut institution.
Tip: The wild rotating specials change weekly; the standards are reliable too. They sell out on busy mornings.
Worth the queue: Rotating collaboration doughnuts
The Larson family roasts in house and runs a full breakfast kitchen at this Maplewood cafe, a community hub that does coffee and a meal equally well.
Tip: It works as a full breakfast spot as well as a roaster; the biscuits and breakfast bowls are the orders.
Sources from: Colombia, Ethiopia, Brazil
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
La Cosecha roasts Latin American coffees in Maplewood and supplies many local cafes, a small operation with a bright tasting room on the Manchester strip.
Tip: The Latin American single origins are the focus; ask which harvest just landed. Maplewood is walkable for a coffee crawl.
Sources from: Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Side Project's Maplewood Cellar is a Belgian-inspired beer bar that also pours a deep whiskey and wine list, the tasting room for the metro's top brewery.
Signature pour: A pour from the Side Project lineup
Wine focus: Belgian-inspired beer plus whiskey and wine
Food: Snacks and light bites
Tip: It is beer-forward but the wine and whiskey lists are serious too. A short walk from the brewery itself.
A laid-back Maplewood gastropub, The Crow's Nest pairs refined bar food with rotating craft beer, pinball and heavy-metal-themed brunches. A quirky favourite.
Signature drink: Craft beer and cocktails
Food: Refined bar food and brunch
Tip: The pinball, patio and themed brunches set it apart. Good rotating beer list and an easygoing crowd.
Side Project's Maplewood Cellar is a Belgian-inspired beer bar that also pours deep whiskey and wine lists, the tasting room for the metro's top brewery.
Signature drink: Belgian-inspired beer, whiskey and wine
Food: Snacks
Tip: It is beer-forward but the whiskey and wine lists are serious too. A short walk from the brewery itself.
Side Project is the metro's most acclaimed craft brewery, specialising in barrel-aged sours and farmhouse ales that draw national beer pilgrims to Maplewood.
Tip: Allocations of the sought-after barrel-aged bottles go fast; check release schedules. The nearby Cellar is the tasting bar.
Schlafly's Maplewood Bottleworks is the brand's larger production brewery and restaurant, with a beer garden, a Saturday farmers market and brewery tours.
Tip: The patio and the seasonal farmers market on the lot make it a daytime destination. Tours run on weekends.
Held Wednesday evenings in the Schlafly Bottleworks lot in Maplewood, this market pairs local produce, meat and cheese vendors with beer-garden music.
Tip: Shop the stalls, then settle into the Schlafly beer garden for music. Bring cash for the smaller vendors.
A small Wednesday-evening market in downtown Maplewood, SOL Food gathers local produce, meat, eggs and baked goods from area growers after work.
Tip: Pair a stop with dinner on Maplewood's Sutton strip. It is compact, so come for quality over quantity.
The Crow's Nest in Maplewood runs heavy-metal-themed weekend brunches with refined bar food, pinball and a back patio, a quirky alternative brunch.
Order: The brunch burger and a Bloody Mary.
Tip: The themed brunches and pinball set the mood; come for the burger and a cocktail. The patio is the prize in warm months.