Spots where coffee is elevated to new heights
The beauty of this South City roaster and coffeehouse is its capacity to appeal to both the coffee adventurer and the coffee traditionalist. From the “flash-brewed” iced coffee to the crowd-pleasing hot chocolate latte, owner Scott Carey has small-batch roasting down to a science (literally—just check out the equipment behind the counter). He and his iconic beard, immortalized in Sump’s edgy logo, have even taken the concept south: He recently opened a second location in Nashville, adjacent to Gerard Craft’s Pastaria outpost. 3700 S. Jefferson.
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Brothers Patrick and Spencer Clapp started Coffeestamp as a micro-roastery in 2018. They wanted to bring the best coffee from their native Honduras and beyond to St. Louis. Today, Coffeestamp has become a popular coffee destination in the Fox Park neighborhood. Try the Honduran Finca La Alondra, a coffee that has a hazelnut aroma with notes of chocolate. 2511 S. Jefferson.
Despite the name, there’s nothing sleepy about this Richmond Heights coffeehouse. (Coma comprises the first letters of the owners’ names, brother and sister Corbin and Macy Holtzman.) Located on the ground floor of the University Club Tower, Coma offers bold blends from Ethiopia, El Salvador, and Kenya. Another draw: fun under-the-radar events such as a latte art “throwdown,” a brunch pop-up with Farmtruk, and a tutorial on how to properly cup coffee. 1034 S. Brentwood.
This Delmar Loop coffeehouse has become a busy hub for students, as well as for those looking for a cup of some of St. Louis’ best coffee. But that doesn’t mean quality is sacrificed for high volume. Blueprint’s precise brewing techniques and exceptional hospitality (drinks are hand delivered in Instagram-able presentations) make it a standout. Baristas often use their ingenuity to whip up limited specialty drinks. (We’re still thinking about that Neapolitan iced latte.) 6225 Delmar, 4206 Watson, 3311 Washington (inside High Low).
Now more than 25 years old (and predating Starbucks in St. Louis), Kaldi’s is as serious about barista training as it is about its relationship-driven coffee. (Kaldi’s reps sometimes visit growers in more than 15 countries in a single year.) Trainees must attend a six-class program at the roastery before beginning work in the stores, but it takes several months to attain apprentice status and six to become fully certified (i.e., able to work without another certified barista present). “An experienced barista may or may not move through the program more quickly,” says co-owner Tyler Zimmer. The program is accelerated for Kaldi’s 30-plus restaurant and wholesale accounts, where training is ongoing in continuing education classes held every two weeks. Multiple locations.
Colombian music and the rich aroma of house-roasted coffee might be among the last things one would expect along a quiet strip in downtown Eureka. At La Finca Coffee, however, locals and travelers alike can share in an experience unlike any other in the region. The St. Louis Metro’s best-kept coffee secret brings together global and local influences that can satisfy an entire spectrum of tastes, from the connoisseur to the first-time coffee drinker. 137 S. Central, Eureka; 4440 Manchester.
Family-friendly spots to get coffee
Near Tower Grove Park, Hartford Coffee Co. smartly sections off part of the dining area for kiddos, providing a racetrack, toy kitchen, and plenty of playthings. 3974 Hartford.
Where to order coffee for a cause
Its Coffee Descartes cart serves top-notch pour-over—and it’s solar-powered. But the café’s bigger mission is its partnership with Bridges Community Support Services, hiring folks with issues that bar them from traditional employment. 2808 Sutton.
On Sunday, the congregation gathers at Reliant Church. During the week, the sanctuary is transformed into a coffeehouse. It also supports good causes, such as selling fish tacos during Lent and giving 10 percent of the proceeds to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. 3504 Caroline.
A short walk from the Central Library and Citygarden, this sleek, modern café (which makes a mean espresso drink) is part of Art St. Louis. Every latté supports the work of St. Louis painters, sculptors, and photographers. 1223 Pine.
Read More: 10 top coffee roasters across the Midwest and beyond
This Benton Park spot isn’t a nonprofit, but founders Andrew and Michelle Mueller purposely created a “radically inclusive” gathering space, a harbor for those who’ve lately experienced an uptick in harassment and bigotry, including women and the LGBT community. 1901 Withnell.
This inviting addition to the downtown Kirkwood community serves coffee with passion and purpose. The shop’s slogan is “Loving our neighbors one cup at a time.” Many of the ingredients are sourced from local socially minded businesses that support charitable causes in the St. Louis metro area. 132 W. Monroe.
Where coffee meets community
The husband-and-wife team behind SweetArt has carved out a niche unlike any other in St. Louis. Reine Bayoc is known for her vegan and gluten-free sweets, which are as delicious as the “real thing.” Cbabi (which stands for Creative Black Artist Battling Ignorance) is known for his paintings, notably his series 365 Days With Dad, which depicted a father every day for an entire year. (Naturally, there’s an art studio on the premises.) Beyond the food and art, SweetArt serves the community, using local suppliers when possible, making holiday pies and birthday cakes, and creating a warm space where all feel welcome. 2203 S. 39th.
If we were to hand out an award for the best cinnamon scone, it’d go to the sweet iteration available here, made by Hummingbird Kitchen, in Owensville, Missouri. Meshuggah’s been a Delmar Loop destination for convo and coffee (beer and wine, too) for 25 years. 6269 Delmar.
Located on a busy corner on the Hill, this coffeehouse checks all the requisite boxes: soft and standard seating, sidewalk tables, and a whirring Probat roaster. Join the commune, or sneak into the former safe deposit vault. 5147 Shaw.
For more than a quarter-century, the South Grand stalwart has been a magnet for students and passersby. The former’s drawn by the late hours; the latter come for the starburst-foam lattes, wide-ranging menu, and $13.50 Sunday brunch buffet. The sidewalk patio overlooking Tower Grove Park is always packed. 3606 Arsenal.
In November 2020, Nyshaun Harvey opened Latte Lounge (2190 N. Waterford) in Florissant. A year later, Harvey added a second, larger location in Midtown: Latte Lounge + HG Eatery (2617 Washington). The former serves lattes, batch-brewed coffee and tea, espresso, and more, while the latter serves up a similar variety of coffee drinks, as well as a more expansive brunch menu, with weekend specials.
At this corner respite on Maplewood’s main thoroughfare, the most densely packed pastry case in town boasts myriad scones, muffins, and savory croissants. In the warmer months, enjoy breakfast all day on the L-shaped patio. 7298 Manchester.
This cozy coffee shop is located in the historic Lefmann & Sons building at the corner of 5th and Jefferson in Washington, Missouri. With espresso drinks, frappes, and more, the menu offers something for everyone. Find a comfortable spot to read a book, or take your Joe to go while strolling along the riverfront. 2 E. Fifth
Where to find more than a good cup of coffee
Plants, planters, local artwork, beverages from Blueprint Coffee, Teatopia, and Big Heart Tea Co., as well as sweets from KNEAD, Whisk, and Prioritized Pastries. It’s all under one big, greenhouse roof at Maypop in Webster Groves. 803 Marshall.
Step inside this Webster Groves market to find a curated selection of local bounty. From fresh fare and locally-sourced provisions to award-winning coffee and craft cocktails, The Annex Coffee & Foods has it all. Enjoy your gourmet goods year-round on the outdoor covered patio, adorned with string lights and heaters, or inside the rustic cafe space. 8122 Big Bend.
Located in Chesterfield (17057 N. Outer 40) and St. Charles (701 Riverside), patrons can enjoy from-scratch treats and a mini bike service station.
The CoffeeHouse and Salon Systems
At The CoffeeHouse and Salon Systems, try a hearty salad with a cup of java—then splurge for a blowout or manicure at the adjoining salon. Coffee with a hair cut never felt so right. 1333 Central Park, O’Fallon, Illinois.
Fiddlehead is the only spot in St. Louis to use an under-the-counter La Marzocco Modbar system for espresso and pour-over coffee, says owner Darcy Heine, who’s worked in coffeehouses since she was 15. Each cup is made to order, with coffees sourced from farms in Latin America and Africa. The café, located near the Missouri Botanical Garden, allows patrons to flavor their drinks with botanical-inspired syrups, including lavender, rose, and mint. 4066 Russell.
Despite its diminutive size, LC Coffee Roasters (formerly La Cosecha) offers both nitro coffee (a creamy stout-like cold brew infused with nitrogen gas) and flash brew (Japanese-style iced coffee that’s poured from a tap). 7360 Manchester.
Situated in St. Charles’ Frenchtown neighborhood, just north of historic Main Street, this micro-roastery–turned–coffee bar was founded with the notion that “great coffee is meant to be discovered.” The shop resides in a historic home adorned with an eclectic collection of vintage furniture, perfect for curling up with a book. With house-roasted coffees from around the world and pastries from the kitchens of local artisans, Course will feed your hunger for adventure. 1220 N. Second.
Where the food rivals the coffee
Ever wonder why the British are so enamored of beans on toast for breakfast? Try the English Breakfast. Then you’ll understand. 2101 Cherokee.
If you asked us to pick a favorite from the 73 (and counting) flavors of gooey butter cake, we couldn’t—but the seasonal Peppermint Patty is pretty darn good. Multiple locations.
The fact that the sister store is named Croissanterie is a hint at the must-get item here. 5708 Oakland.
The banana–chocolate chip bread is one of the best “breads” in the city. Over time, we’ve learned to buy entire loaves for parties and holiday gatherings—or just to enjoy at home. 9820 Clayton, 12 The Boulevard.
Edwardsville’s vegetarian-leaning coffeehouse has a surprisingly good Reuben (made with tempeh), but the grilled-eggplant panino, with grilled veggies, two kinds of cheese, and spinach pesto, is the real star. 233 N. Main, Edwardsville.
Sweet Katie Bee’s Cupcake & Coffee Bar
The number of cupcake flavors is daunting (especially when you count the muffinized versions of bread pudding and cinnamon rolls), so we usually buy a dozen…and have been known to arrive home with 10. 212 E. State, O’Fallon, Illinois.
Superior cinnamon rolls and breakfast items like a Banana Walnut Dutch Baby give way to equally impressive soups, salads, and sandwiches at lunch, served daily until 2 p.m. A handy walk-up coffee window stays open until 8 p.m. 100 W. Lockwood.
Coffee shops that double as concert venues
Rogers & Nienhaus (of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils) and Pat Liston (of Mama’s Pride) are the resident stars at this Ballwin gathering place. 15400 Clayton.
There’s music every weekend, starting with a Thursday open mic. On Friday, it’s a rotation of solid local acts, including The Trophy Mules and drum ensemble Rare Earth. 5801 W. Main, Belleville.
Hear blues, samba, jazz, and original tunes at Picasso’s newest location, in Streets of St. Charles, on Thursdays and Sunday mornings. On Main Street, there’s a solid lineup on Friday and Saturday evenings. 110 N. Main, 1650 Beale.
Musicians Gary and Mandy Schoenberger not only own the quaint yellow coffee shop that serves locally made coffee and pastries, but also regularly perform there. 117E. Lockwood.
Coffee spots that are a bit farther afield
The renovated general store in St. Albans offers a full menu of breakfast, lunch, and dinner items inspired by the Rock Island “rocket” locomotives, whose passengers used to travel along the tracks beside the building. Sip some high-quality drip coffee while walking the paved mile-long loop around St. Albans Lake, or relax on the patio and enjoy the view. 3516 St. Albans.
This family-owned and -operated farm near Wentzville offers a full café, coffee bar, and market, which is fully stocked with home-grown lavender products. Hike around the property’s lake and lavender fields, enjoy lunch in the cozy café or on the patio, and grab a signature lavender latte for the drive home. 26549 S. Stracks Church.
This cozy coffeehouse is tucked away in the hills of High Ridge, a half-hour southwest of downtown St. Louis. Owned and operated by three sisters, the rustic spot has become a local favorite for house-roasted coffees, memorable events, and sweet treats. Traverse the hills on a scenic coffee run, enjoy a gourmet panini or cake pop, and stay for an afternoon book club event. 3015 High Ridge.
Coffee beans worth brewing at home
Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Company
When Kaldi’s opened its first shop in 1994, specialty coffee—at least in St. Louis—was in its infancy. The company opened the metro area’s eyes to all that high-quality coffee could be, providing customers with the knowledge and discerning palate to demand better from their cup of joe. Three decades later, Kaldi’s remains the area’s leader in specialty coffee, offering not only delicious, freshly-roasted beans but also coffee that is sustainably and ethically sourced. Multiple locations.
Attorney Richard Elias might not have had a background in the coffee business, but his frequent travels to coffee shops around the world gave him a keen understanding of what great coffee should be. In 2023, he opened 23 West Coffee in the same building as his law offic,e with the goal of creating a stylish café and brand fueled by an exceptional brewed product. Working with local roastery First Crack, Elias and his team offer several high-quality single-origin coffees, as well as a house blend, which includes beans from Costa Rica, Ethiopia, and Peru. 23 W. Lockwood, Webster Groves.
In the decade since it opened as a small coffee shop and roastery in the Delmar Loop, Blueprint has grown to become the gold standard of St. Louis coffee, earning praise for its fastidious commitment to nailing every last detail of the process. This includes ethical sourcing, aiming to create a mutually beneficial supply loop between producers and consumers. You can taste such quality in any of its specialty single-origin seasonal coffees, which can be delivered weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly through its coffee membership. Multiple locations.
For 20 years, this Southern Illinois–based roaster has been delivering exceptional beans to St. Louis coffee drinkers, with deep relationships cultivated with producers in the world’s java cultivation regions. You can taste the terroir, thanks to Goshen’s hybrid air-drum roasting process, resulting in a delicious, smooth cup. Although all of its blends or single-origin beans are wonderful, enthusiasts are particularly drawn to its rare collection of beans, known as Secret Stash, which deliver some of the most thrilling coffees available in the area. Multiple locations.
Northwest Coffee Roasting Company
Northwest Coffee is beloved for its outdoor seating area, community feel, and inclusive ethos as much as its outstanding coffee. The key to its craveable cups of joe has to do with the old-fashioned roasting process—a combination of human touch in which roasters rely on their senses, not modern machinery, to deliver the perfect roast, as well as a low-and-slow roasting method to bring out the coffee’s natural sweetness. Multiple locations.
One of the first purveyors of the Third Wave coffee movement in St. Louis, Sump Coffee has become an essential player in the city’s coffee scene. Led by founder Scott Carey, this South City shop and roastery is animated by the pursuit of the perfect cup—a feat that Carey and company admits might not be possible but one that they strive for every day. Tasting their freshly roasted coffee—lightly roasted, so the true flavor of the beans shines through—you’ll be convinced that Sump has achieved its goal. 3700 S. Jefferson.
A boutique roaster located in an old bank building in the heart of The Hill, Shaw’s Coffee sets the standard for dark roasted, European-style coffee in the area. The shop begins with carefully sourced beans from throughout the world’s main coffee growing regions, then roasts them darker than some of the more contemporary style roasters around, so its coffee develops a bold, rich flavor that evokes the coffee salons of the Old Country. 5147 Shaw, The Hill.
Siblings Corbin and Macy Holtzman opened Coma in 2016 with an original plan of creating a great coffee shop in their family’s office building. That plan ignited their passion for the craft of roasting and has resulted in one of the area’s most thrilling boutique roasteries, offering exceptional single-origin varieties and specialty blends roasted with each region’s flavor profile in mind. For dark-roast fans, Coma’s Obsidian blend is a stunning example of the form, thanks to its brownie batter and peanut butter cup tasting notes. 1034 S. Brentwood, Richmond Heights.
Owner Pete Cohen says he likes to roast his coffee while listening to music and under the sparkling glow of a disco ball—an apt method, considering his coffee brand was named after his two biggest passions: music (guitar strings) and coffee (bean). Whether this roasting quirk changes the taste is a matter of debate, but there’s no denying that he produces some of St. Louis’ most delicious whole bean coffee. It’s known for a smooth yet bold taste, best experienced through the Redeye Roast, a full-bodied, bold, low-acid blend. 858 Hanley Industrial Court, Brentwood.
Growing up in the shadow of the coffee-producing area near La Tigra National Park in Honduras, brothers Patrick and Spencer Clapp assumed all coffee tasted as amazing as what they drank on a regular basis. Once they moved to the United States, however, they realized just how lucky they’d been to have access to such delicious coffee, and they set out to make that experience part of more people’s daily lives. Their Fox Park shop and roastery is the embodiment of high-quality, ethically sourced coffee. Its La Finca La Alondra natural process results in one of the best cups of coffee you’ll find in the area. 2511 S. Jefferson, South City.
La Cosecha has come a long way since the early days of its founders Jamie Jeschke and John “Gio” Sparks roasting coffee out of their homes with a hot air popcorn popper. The pair made a name for themselves as wholesale roasters, then grew over time to include a coffee truck, a Maplewood shop and roastery, and a robust business selling to area coffee enthusiasts who pick up the brand’s whole beans for a delectable cup of home brew. The pair are committed to providing ethically sourced, fair-trade beans as much as they are perfecting their roasts, including the signature City Limits. 7360 Manchester, Maplewood.
Owner Erik Busch began as a passionate beer brewer, learning the trade through coursework and an internship with 4 Hands Brewing Co. with plans of opening a brewery of his own. When that fell through, he turned his attention to coffee roasting and fell in love with the process. The Belleville-based roaster has developed a following for incorporating some beer-brewing techniques into the coffee process, such as bourbon barrel aging and nitro-hopping. Longstory offers a line of whole beans that represent the highest-quality beans from the world’s top coffee regions. 732 S. Illinois, Belleville.
St. Charles–based Upshot Coffee began as a chocolates and confections bar but transitioned to coffee when owner Conor VanBuskirk decided to double down on his passion for all things java related. The roastery has become the definitive word on coffee in St. Charles County, developing a following for its small-batch roasted beans, both single-origin and blended. The roastery is in the process of launching a transparency program, which will allow its consumers to see the full breakdown of how its coffee goes from producer to cup. 816 N. Kingshighway, St. Charles.
Located in a quaint storefront in the heart of St. Charles’ historic Frenchtown neighborhood, Course Coffee specializes in small-batch profile roasting. This means its experienced coffee pros roast each bean according to its particular flavor profile, guaranteeing the truest expression of its terroir is present in each cup. In addition to its outstanding bourbon barrel–aged whole beans, Course is known for its coffee mead, a collaboration with Mead Hall that results in an outstanding, honeyed beverage. 1218 N. 2nd, St. Charles.
Operating in St. Louis since 1930, this longstanding micro-roaster distributes java across the metro region and beyond. Try the French Roast or Bourbon Pecan.
Among the first St. Louis roasters to offer small-batch craft coffee, Thomas ensures that all of its beans are La Minita certified and high-quality.
Sipping on this fairly new Brentwood roaster’s cup of joe at a restaurant or country club often elicits a “Where can I buy this stuff?”
More than a century old, Ronnoco continues to roll out new offerings, from special varieties to nitro cold-brew coffee.
Founded in 2003, single-origin coffees from this small-batch roaster can be found at Dierbergs, Straub’s, and Whole Foods, as well as at the Tower Grove Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings.
Reconstruction Coffee Roasters
The Villa Ridge-based, family-owned roastery crafts small-batch coffees, with a mission to help the community reconnect. Since opening in 2020, the company has expanded into a full-fledged coffee roastery operating on a piece of family land, which supplies local businesses, coffee-subscription members, connoisseurs, and fanatics alike with batch-roasted artisanal coffees.
Coffee shops that are great places to work
Looking to do some work outside the office? Consider one of these local coffee shops.
