Local industry veterans Chris and Courtney Sedlak, the owners of The Mud House, have opened a new breakfast-and-lunch spot next to Hangar in Rock Hill: Momo (9500 Manchester) is now open at the corner of McKnight and Manchester, in the former Bandana’s Bar-B-Q space. The restaurant is open is open for breakfast and lunch daily from 7 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Here’s what to know before you go.
The Menu
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If you have a hankering for a Meatloaf Melt in the morning or pancakes with mascarpone and lemon curd for lunch, then you’re in luck: Momo’s breakfast and lunch menu are available all day.
The broad menu covers both the basics and a number of unexpected item. A few recommendations:
- From the Starters section: Strawberry Goat Cheese Toast, Bloody Mary Deviled Eggs, and Brie Hummus
- From the Plates section: Mushroom and Spinach Hash, Rustic Biscuits and Salcissia Gravy (a worthy rendition containing crispy onions and made in house salcissia)
- From the Sandwiches section: Breakfast Frisco, a BL Tjam (with tomato jam subbing for fresh toms), and the Fresh Berry Grilled Cheese (made with Brie, Fontina, berry compote, caramelized onions and local honey)
Don’t overlook the pancakes (clearly made with buttermilk and vanilla), and the opportunity to add a fresh fruit topping. Of special note is the $15 “Sedlak pancake,” the last item on the menu. There’s no description, only a caveat: “Try it or don’t…if you have allergies, don’t.”
Momo’s chef is Jesse Mills, a former sous chef at the Tavern and at Hangar. Both Mills and the Sedlaks believe in using the highest quality products throughout the menu, such as farm eggs from Buttonwood Farms. “That’s what sets us aside from other breakfast places,” Courtney says. “You can see and taste the difference, both in the standard dishes and on the sandwiches containing eggs.”
In another break from tradition, egg dishes are served with house-made Chili Crisp Cucumbers, and sandwiches are served with cucumbers or Mexican street corn. “We may add a few other small items to the plate, too,” Chris says. “Things that people will eat.”
Then there are the drinks. The Sedlaks have partnered with Blueprint Coffee, which roasts two Momo varieties at a time. “We collaborate on the selection of beans,” Chris says, “but they do the roasting every week and deliver it to the two shops.” Both The Mud House and Momo are serious about coffee: Each boasts a top-of-the-line La Marzocco espresso machine.
The Momo restaurant’s tagline is “coffee-champagne-kitchen,” which to the Sedlaks are the hallmarks of a fun brunch. “You can grab a regular breakfast or lunch, or you can crank it up with brunch-based cocktails,” Chris says. “Momo is about coffee and cocktails and just happens to serve really good food.”
The clever seven-item cocktail menu includes margaritas, mimosas, and Bloody Marys, each with its own signature (orange marmalade, raspberry/limoncello, and a bacon rimmer, respectively). There’s a Key Lime Pie Martini and a White Melon Sangria. And true to the tag line, bubbles are available by the glass, half, and full bottle.
“We want to bring a different type of fun to the corner of Manchester and McKnight,” says Courtney, who curated the cocktail menu. A handful of beers, white and rose wine (no red), and bottled soft drinks are available, in addition to the coffee program, which includes a Dank & Stormy (espresso and ginger beer) and cold brew and tonic.
The Atmosphere
The whimsical décor revolves around a roomful of wicker basket lights, hung at different levels. A wall of clocks delineates one corner, begging closer inspection. “They’re really cheap to pretty expensive,” says Courtney. “I never knew eBayers could be such hard negotiators.”
The coveted seats are the settee booths, which conjure a mid-century but modern vibe. “Booths, booths, everyone loves booths,” Courtney says. “So we provided as much of that seating as possible as creatively as possible.”
“To me, they say fun brunch,” says Chris. Likewise, the orange grove–themed wallpaper adds a playful touch.
A brass shelving unit in the café hearkens back to Mom’s house in the ’70s, as do the leather easy chairs. A 4-foot wall separates the café from full-service Momo’s. Atop that, observers will notice that a brass room divider mimics the hexagonal shelving unit behind the bar. Heavy-duty plastic wicker mimics natural wicker of the period; a deep-button, Chesterfield-style leather banquette runs the length of the dining room.
“The whole place is fun,” Courtney says, “it makes people smile. That’s the whole idea.”
Outside, each area has its own patio. Both are spacious. The southern-facing café patio boasts offset cantilevered umbrellas, while the northern full-service patio is shielded by the building.
The Service Model
In a departure from the norm, Momo employs a hybrid service model for breakfast and lunch: The majority of the 175-seat restaurant is full-service (accessed through one door), and a smaller part is dedicated to counter service (accessed through a door marked “Momo, café-style). As guests enter, staffers explain the two service models.
“There are people who insist on table service at breakfast and lunch, while others prefer the speed and convenience of a fast-casual setup,” Chris says. “We thought we’d accommodate both. Then, of course, there’s the customer who’ll use one model or the other, depending on the day. We look forward to watching how it all plays out.”
Momo is so large and versatile that reservations should not be necessary. Should the need arise, however, the Sedlaks will employ a waitlist app, which have become popular in no-reservations applications.
Moving forward, the plan is for Momo to serve only breakfast and lunch, leaving the evenings open for Momo-sponsored events (such as during New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day), as well as collaborations and private events, says Chris, who’s already booked several parties. Being next door to Hangar, it’s just as easy to offer structured entrées as it is to serve more casual Momo-type items.
“There aren’t a lot of event spaces in the area,” he notes, “and this one looks great at night, so we’re excited to see what people are interested in doing. Plus, the space is normally idle, so Momo can be very affordable. Events are found money for us.”
The Concept
In early 2019, the Sedlaks bought the former Slider House space in Rock Hill and opened the airplane hangar–themed Hangar in its place a year later. The couple was passionate about breakfast and coffee and wanted to get into that business as well. So, at roughly the same time, they bought The Mud House, the popular Cherokee Street coffee shop.
When the Bandana’s Bar-B-Q location next door to Hangar closed, the Sedlaks thought a breakfast-and-lunch concept would complement the dinner-only Hangar. “Besides breakfast being the most underserved market in St. Louis, we wouldn’t have to compete for parking,” Chris reasoned. “Despite the current difficulties in the industry, we decided to proceed.”
The roasting company for The Mud House is called Momo, which was named after one of the creator’s dogs. Courtney also had a dog named Momo. When the couple conceived of the new restaurant, they thought briefly about naming it Mud House 2, but the place felt so much different “that we went with Momo,” Chris says. “The tie-in is the coffee that’s served in both places. We thought, there’s only one Mud House and should only be one Mud House.
