St. Louis has a serious coffee culture led by its own roasters, with cafes anchoring neighborhoods across the city. Sump Coffee in Tower Grove South built a national reputation roasting light single-origin coffee, while Kaldi's flagship on DeMun in Clayton and Blueprint Coffee in the Delmar Loop are cornerstones of the local scene. Comet Coffee on The Hill pairs espresso with a serious in-house micro-bakery.
$$$$Cafe
James Beard Best Chef Midwest winner Kevin Nashan works a changing chalkboard menu in a century-old Benton Park storefront, the city's special-occasion table.
TipThe menu is recited tableside from a chalkboard, so ask questions. Reserve on Resy or by phone a week or two ahead.
$$$$CaféClayton
The flagship of St. Louis's best-known roaster, Kaldi's DeMun cafe overlooks Concordia Park and pours house-roasted coffee to a steady crowd of regulars.
TipGrab a patio table facing the park. The cardamom-spiced latte and the breakfast sandwiches are the regulars' order.
$$$$CaféCentral West End
Kaldi's Central West End cafe sits on the busy West Pine and Euclid corner, a roomy spot for coffee and a pastry between gallery and boutique stops.
TipIt gets busy mid-morning; the back room is quieter for laptop work.
$$$$CaféCentral West End
Northwest roasts on site at its Central West End cafe and keeps a bustling counter with strong outdoor seating, a roaster-cafe for the laptop crowd.
TipThe patio is the prize on warm mornings. Ask which single origin is freshest off the roaster.
$$$$CaféTower Grove South
Sump built a national reputation roasting light, precise single-origin coffee in South City, served in a spare room that treats the cup seriously.
TipThis is a place to taste, not to camp; seating and outlets are limited by design. Try the filter flight.
$$$$CaféDelmar Loop
Blueprint's Delmar cafe is the roaster's original home, a bright design-forward room serving precise filter coffee and espresso. A cornerstone of the Loop.
TipThe bar seating faces the brewing; ask the barista to talk you through the day's filter. Quieter on weekday mornings.
$$$$CaféThe Hill
Comet pairs carefully pulled espresso with a serious in-house micro-bakery, so the pastry case is as much the draw as the cup. A small spot near the Garden.
TipThe kouign-amann and seasonal galettes sell out; come early. Limited seating, so plan for a quick stop.
$$$$CaféBenton Park
Brothers Patrick and Spencer Clapp roast ethically sourced beans, many from their native Honduras, at this South City micro-roastery near Cherokee Street.
TipAsk after the Honduran lots the brothers source directly. The cafe is compact, so it is more a quick stop than a work session.
$$$$CaféMaplewood
The Larson family roasts in house and runs a full breakfast and lunch kitchen at this Maplewood cafe, a hub that does coffee and a meal equally well.
TipIt works as a full breakfast spot, not just coffee; the biscuits and the breakfast bowls are worth the visit. Plenty of seating for laptops.
$$$$CaféThe Hill
A privately owned cafe and roastery on The Hill, Shaw's roasts in house using green coffees from the major growing regions, among the Italian groceries.
TipPair a cortado with a stroll through the Hill's groceries and bakeries. Roasts change; ask what is fresh.
$$$$CaféBenton Park
A Cherokee Street fixture, The Mud House pairs a rotating multi-roaster coffee program with hearty brunch plates in a brick room full of antiques.
TipBrunch gets a line at weekends; weekday mornings are calmer for laptop work. The biscuits and the breakfast platters are the orders.
$$$$CaféTower Grove South
A family-friendly Tower Grove South corner cafe, Hartford serves coffee, breakfast and lunch to a neighbourhood crowd, with a play nook for kids.
TipThe back has a kids' nook, so it is busy with families at weekends. Weekday afternoons are best for a quiet work session.
$$$$CaféTower Grove South
A longtime LGBTQ-friendly anchor across from Tower Grove Park, Mokabe's pours coffee and runs an all-day vegetarian-leaning brunch in a welcoming room.
TipThe vegan and vegetarian brunch runs all day, which is rare in the city. It fills after the Saturday farmers market.
$$$$CaféMaplewood
A downtown Maplewood cafe with a strong vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free bent, Foundation Grounds pours coffee and serves a wholesome all-day menu.
TipMost drinks make easily vegan with the soy and almond options. The brunch plates are the reason regulars linger.
$$$$CaféMaplewood
Mauhaus pairs La Cosecha coffee and in-house cookies with a lounge of adoptable cats in Maplewood, the metro's cat cafe. The coffee is the side dish.
TipThe cat lounge is timed and ticketed separately from the coffee bar; book ahead at weekends. The cookies are baked in house.
$$$$CaféBenton Park
A century-old house turned all-day breakfast cafe, Benton Park Cafe pours coffee and plates hearty brunch in a warren of cosy rooms. A south-side staple.
TipThe hash and the breakfast burritos are the orders. Weekend mornings draw a wait, so go early.
$$$$CaféBotanical Heights
Union Loafers bakes naturally leavened bread and runs a lunchtime cafe of sandwiches and pizza in Botanical Heights, a James Beard-nominated bakery.
TipThe bread sells out, so come early for a loaf. The Tuesday-through-Saturday pizza nights are a separate, popular service.
$$$$CaféLafayette Square
Park Avenue Coffee pairs espresso with more than 70 varieties of gooey butter cake, the St. Louis dessert it is best known for. Visit the Lafayette original.
TipThe Mom's Traditional gooey butter cake is the order, named best in town by Food Network. Boxes travel well as gifts.
$$$$CaféClayton
Mike Randolph's Clayton breakfast room marries a focused coffee programme with made-from-scratch brunch, from blueberry pancakes to the flat-iron hash.
TipAsk for the pancakes cooked in bacon fat, a house move. Weekend waits are long, so put your name down and walk Clayton.
$$$$CaféThe Hill
The second Comet sits on Oakland near The Hill, pulling the same espresso and baking the same micro-bakery pastries. Handy near Forest Park's south edge.
TipSame kouign-amann and galettes as Shaw Boulevard; both sell out by midday. Best for a takeaway cup and a pastry.
$$$$CaféSt Louis Hills
Blueprint's south-side cafe on Watson brings the roaster's precise filter and espresso to St. Louis Hills, a calm bright room for the neighbourhood crowd.
TipQuieter than the Delmar flagship and easier for a laptop session. Ask about the rotating single origins.
$$$$CaféThe Grove
St. Louis's English tea room pours dozens of loose-leaf teas and serves a proper afternoon tea with scones and savouries. A change from the espresso bars.
TipBook ahead for the full afternoon tea service; walk-ins are welcome for a pot and a scone. The tea selection runs deep.
$$$$CaféSt Louis Hills
Rockwell's open-air pavilion in Francis Park pours Goshen Coffee by day and Rockwell craft beer with tavern pizza by evening. A rare park beer garden.
TipMornings are for coffee and the park; afternoons and evenings for beer and pizza. It is seasonal and weather-dependent.
$$$$CaféOld North
Sump moved its roasting to Old North, where the production roastery doubles as a retail and tasting space for its light single-origin coffees.
TipThis is a roastery-first space, so check hours before going for a sit-down cup. Best for buying fresh-roasted bags.
$$$$CafeTower Grove South
Sump Coffee on S Jefferson Ave in Tower Grove South is the spare, no-frills roastery turning out precise light-roast filter coffee for serious drinkers.
TipThis is a place to taste, not to camp; try the filter flight. Buy a bag of the single-origin light roasts to take home.
$$$$CafeBenton Park
Coffeestamp is a tiny south city micro-roastery near cherokee street, coffeestamp roasts honduran-focused beans that quietly rank among the city's best.
TipAsk about the Honduran lots the brothers source directly. The cafe is small, so it is more a quick stop than a hangout.
$$$$CafeBenton Park
Venice Cafe is a cafe room in Benton Park. The art-covered patio is the whole point; come on a warm evening with live music. Cash is handy here.
TipThe art-covered patio is the whole point; come on a warm evening with live music. Cash is handy here.