Looking for a beautiful place to enjoy great coffee and a snack in a unique open air setting? Look no further than Francis Park in south St. Louis where you’ll find handcrafted coffees, lattes, tea, smoothies, snacks, and more at Lanai Coffee House, which opened on May 9th this spring.
The shop, located in the heart of the city park, looks like a stone cottage straight out of a fairy tale set on an emerald green sward. Birdsong rules and traffic noises disappear at the wrought-iron tables owners Brad and Kristina Solomon placed on the lanai, the patio. There’s no indoor seating, but bright yellow umbrellas provide shade and nature supplies the ambiance.
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“Kristina has been a coffee junkie her whole life,” Brad Solomon says. “She’s originally from the Northwest. When we started a mobile coffee operation in 2013, we named it Lanai in honor of Kris’s mom, Linda Lou Jonas, who lived in Maui for 12 years. When my wife visited, the two would drink coffee outdoors on the lanai.”
The unusual coffee shop has been a success with immediate neighbors. “We moved to the neighborhood two years ago” said Solomon. “Being part of the community, watching people react to our drinks is always fun for us.”
The Lanai serves Kaldi’s coffee in an extensive menu of hot and cold drinks. The Lanai’s signature drink, the Nutty Hawaiian, features chocolate, vanilla and macadamia nut flavors. Other specialties include fruit smoothies made from all natural fruit purees, iced tea, sports and energy drinks, and bottled soda and water.
The little shop serves fruit, muffins, Nathan’s beef franks, energy bars, popsicles, ice cream, chips and fruit snacks. The Solomons also offer specialty drinks, listed on a daily board, to keep things interesting.
You’ll find the coffee shop near the public tennis courts. The access is easy. Follow the paved walking paths at the center of the park from Donovan or Eichelberger Avenues and that leads straight to The Lanai.
Should you be moved to actually play in the park, The Lanai rents tennis and racquetball rackets, kickballs and footballs. They sell tennis, racquet and hand balls, Wiffle ball sets, and Frisbees.
“We plan to stay open eight months of the year, depending on weather. We’ll have later hours when the park hosts concerts or festivals,” Brad Solomon said.
As a side note: the reception for the WI-FI signal on my phone was so weak I had a lovely internet-free 45-minute commune with nature. Maybe it’s because the park dips down in the center. Maybe it’s the work of the fairies.
Lanai Coffee House
Official Address: 5300 Donovan
Location: Adjacent to the Tennis Courts in Francis Park
314-835-7446
Mon – Sat: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sun: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Open later during concerts and events
Facebook: Lanai Coffee
Twitter: @LanaiCoffee
