The Clover and The Bee takes flight in Webster Groves
Olive + Oak’s sister restaurant flourishes next door.
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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
The Clover and The Bee is named for a thought in the Emily Dickinson poem “To Make a Prairie.” Prairies are quiet, but The Clover and the Bee is generally not. It’s busy.
It’s housed in a former corner bookstore in Webster Groves, next to sister restaurant Olive + Oak. Owners Mark and Jen Hinkle envisioned a fast family-friendly establishment that’d be a step up from typical fast casual—“quality food in a quick, easy format,” as Mark put it. To that end, there’s a walk-up window, as well as a sprawling pastry case by the register.
When the restaurant first opened, in early December, patrons ordered at the counter. But with crowds quickly forming, Hinkle changed the service format. Now, diners who aren’t in a rush are seated, and servers use tablets to take orders and payments tableside. (The format can be confusing for newcomers, especially at peak times. There’s no hostess stand, and the serve-yourself coffee format is counterintuitive at a restaurant offering table service.)
Compared to other early-morning establishments’, the breakfast menu is relatively short, with fewer than 10 entrées. A breakfast sandwich built on a shiny potato roll is stuffed with cheese and a baked egg. A tender pearl sugar bubble waffle, finished with syrup and blueberries, offers a new shape but the same familiar taste. Like the sandwich’s egg (presumably baked in a sheet pan), the fennel-flavored sausage arrives as a square. Small chunks of breakfast potatoes wear a drizzle of brightly flavored garlicky chimichurri sauce.
For lunch, the sweet potato–roasted red pepper soup is a rewarding starter. Among the entrées, the hand pie is a standout, with a chicken-and-vegetable filling that’s secondary to the pastry’s flaky wonderfulness. The bucatini is composed of fat strands of pasta tossed with an egg yolk, Pecorino cheese, and garlic. Seared tuna arranged atop rice flaunts a pomegranate-molasses drizzle and gingery slaw, all of it nicely balanced. On the other hand, a burrata sandwich fell short on our visit, with a roasted-broccoli pesto adding merely the flavor and aroma of overcooked cruciferous vegetables.
In late January, the restaurant added dinner service: a modified version of the lunch menu with larger portions and more proteins, as well as dinner specials posted on the restaurant’s website. On a recent evening, a juicy roasted half-chicken arrived with a moist bread stuffing, including rosemary and thyme. Diced roasted vegetables went beyond the usual, with sweet potato and turnips adding a touch of sweetness.
Besides coffee, there’s a respectable drink list, including glasses of wine, local craft beers, and boozy breakfast drinks. The interior is charming, with string lights and a floral mural. Though service could be fine-tuned, The Clover and The Bee seems poised to take flight.
The Bottom Line: The Clover and The Bee offers an affordable curated menu in a pleasant (though sometimes noisy) setting.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
The Clover and the Bee
100 W. Lockwood, St Louis, Missouri 63119
Breakfast & lunch served daily from 7 a.m.–2 p.m. (Cafe open until 4 p.m.) Dinner served Wednesday–Sunday from 4–9 p.m.
