Tour de Toast: Schneithorst's

In this ongoing series, Ann Lemons Pollack investigates brunch options in St. Louis—and an occasional breakfast joint for good measure.

Schneithorst’s passed the century mark last year, with the family's fourth generation carrying on in the footsteps of founder Arthur Schneithorst, Sr. Over time, the family has run other locations with different names, including at the Bevo Mill. But for more than 60 years, Schneithorst's has been serving food at Clayton and Lindbergh roads.

Today, breakfast seven days a week draws a steady flow, from neighborhood residents to business types, who gather in large booths and banquettes that rim a room more dignified than a typical coffee shop. There’s also a small counter for solo diners (though it's best avoided except for the vertically gifted, considering the chairs put many diners well below a comfortable table height). The Kaffee Haus at Schneithorst's substitutes light wood and lots of light for the more traditional dark Germanic décor.

Along with more standard breakfast fare, consider ordering bratwurst from one of the city’s star producers, G&W Sausage Co. Halved the long way and grilled, it was a pleasure.

The kitchen certainly knows how to properly cook eggs, and small, irregular-shaped chunks of potato were lightly fried and light on grease and commercial seasoning. As requested, the bacon was cooked extra crispy. It was a notch above the country ham, which  appeared to be individually cut, not mass-produced, but had an extremely mild cure, with no appreciable smokiness.

A nicely crisped corned beef hash was fairly standard, except for a faint note of coriander. It arrived alongside potatoes—surprising, considering there were already potatoes in the dish, though they were handy to mop up the eggs.

The German pancakes weren’t the eggy, oven-baked dish often associated with the name. Instead, pancake batter is poured over apples cooked with a little brandy and some caramelized sugar. They're served apple side up with a shower of powdered sugar. The tart apples contrasted nicely with the sweet. Unfortunately, syrup arrived in small blister packs, though it wasn’t really necessary—the pancakes (available as a short or regular stack) are fine on their own, especially with that bacon.

The coffee tasted fresh, although diner-weak. (Points for real half and half in small pitchers.) And, not surprisingly, the servers were experienced—a quality you might expect from a restaurant family with a century in the biz.