After the past two years, it’s fair to say that most people could use an escape. Brian and Kacky Cooksey wanted to create a space in the community where customers could do just that. Their shared German heritage and love of fairy tales inspired the Cookseys to open Black Forest Kaffee Haus (2900 Sidney), a German-themed coffeehouse in Tower Grove East with a fairy tale flair.
Entering the cozy shop feels like stepping into Grimm’s Fairy Tales, complete with ornate chandeliers, medieval-looking murals of storybook scenes, leafy vines on the walls, cuckoo clocks, and suits of armor that keep watch over it all. The sound of bird chirps and soft harp music fill the space, completing the enchanted forest atmosphere. Looking around, you can see nods to well-loved stories such as Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and more. Each visit is sure to reveal new details.
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Why a German-themed café? Both Brian and Kacky have German heritage, as do a large portion of St. Louis residents, and they believe that is something that “pulls so many of us together.” Their German heritage and love for fairy tales inspired Black Forest Kaffee Haus. The coffeehouse’s name comes from the mountainous region in Germany, which, it has been said, inspired the Grimm brothers’ iconic tales. “It just made sense for us,” Kacky said of the concept.
The coffeehouse has been a couple years in the making, and those in the neighborhood have been eagerly awaiting its opening. “We’ve had people who were walking by over the last two years ask us what we were doing,” Kacky says. “It was nice to see how everyone around here was so ready for it to open and were really excited about it.”
Black Forest Kaffee Haus serves Kaldi’s coffee and offers a variety of flavored lattes, cappuccinos, mochas, drip coffee, hot chocolate and teas. In addition to coffee, breakfast offerings include egg bites, sandwiches and sweet pastries. For lunch, there are German favorites, such as bratwurst, sauerkraut, German potato salad, and pretzels with beer cheese.
The Cookseys want the coffee shop to be a place where people can work, enjoy a cup of coffee, and escape into a fairy tale—if only for a little while.
“I think it will be a good opportunity for people in the neighborhood who have been working from home to have a new place to go,” Kacky says. “We want it to feel like you’ve left 2021 and entered into a magical world.”
Temporary hours are 7 a.m.–3 p.m. Friday through Sunday. A grand opening is slated for January 15, 2022.
