10 St. Louis Coffee Shops To Explore
St. Louis’ coffee history is as rich as a cup of dark espresso. This history—dating back to the city’s founding—has helped shape a vibrant coffee culture.
By the 1920s, St. Louis had developed into the largest inland coffee distributor in the country and was home to more than 70 roasting companies. The specialty coffee wave here took root in the 1990s when Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Co. opened its first location in Clayton in 1994, followed by Shaw’s Coffee Ltd. in 1999.
You’re never far from a great cup of joe in The Lou, with more options pouring in every year. So for Jan. 18—National Gourmet Coffee Day—here are 10 of our favorite java joints.
Sump Coffee
Many aficionados agree that Sump Coffee represented a turning point in the local scene when it opened in 2011. Appropriately, owner Scott Carey has a chemistry background, a handy thing when you are a master coffee roaster. At this marvelously cool café on South Jefferson Avenue, you can take a trip around the world by sampling what’s new at the bar, and Carey always extracts the most from the beans. For serious coffee lovers, you must visit Sump Coffee—and if you’re lucky enough to catch Carey behind the bar, strike up a conversation. It’s quite an education.
3700 S. Jefferson Ave.
St. Louis
Blueprint Coffee
When Blueprint Coffee opened its first location in University City in 2013, most if its founders were former Kaldi’s baristas. This is another good stop on our crawl for people who want to expand their coffee experience. The folks at Blueprint dive deep into the world of coffee, from trading directly with farmers in Central and South America, to offering ongoing barista training. And in 2023, the company plans to open an 11,000-square-foot facility, moving their roasting operation from Delmar Boulevard to the Botanical Heights neighborhood.
6225 Delmar Blvd.
University City
Since the 1840s, St. Louisans have visited coffee shops for a good cup of java and light fare. Here are a few shops to visit when you’re feeling a bit peckish.
Park Avenue Coffee
Park Avenue Coffee, a part of the local coffee scene since 2006, pairs its air-roasted coffees with legendary gooey butter coffee cakes. While owner Dale Schotte said he and sister Marilyn Scull have always served their mom’s gooey butter cake at Park Avenue, their sister baking company, Ann & Allen, now offers 75 varieties of this St. Louis favorite that are rotated seasonally.
Five locations in the St. Louis area, including the original shop in Lafayette Square:
1919 Park Ave.
St. Louis
Coma Coffee Roasters
Siblings Macy and Corbin Holtzman keep office workers in and around the University Club Tower in Brentwood caffeinated and well-fed with their business, Coma Coffee Roasters. Sourcing beans from importers and directly with farms, the coffee here is outstanding. But that’s just part of the story. Head chef Miranda Mooney creates breakfasts and lunches featuring everything from bagels and burritos to burgers and fresh salads.
1034 S. Brentwood Blvd.
Richmond Heights
La Cosecha Coffee Roasters
Jamie Jeschke’s friends and family knew he could produce exceptional coffee; he’d done that since the early 2000s. He eventually left a career in international sales to start La Cosecha Coffee Roasters (now LC Coffee Roasters) in 2006, roasting and selling to wholesale customers. An opportunity came up in 2012 to open a coffee bar in Maplewood partnering with Great Harvest Bakery and Café.
At LC, pick up a cup of City Limits Blend and pair it with a freshly baked scone to start your weekend. For lunch, try a sandwich on freshly baked bread with an iced coffee. And watch for “Brewster,” LC’s coffee truck that debuted in 2021, at area markets or events.
7360 Manchester Road
Maplewood
Living Room Coffee & Kitchen
Living Room Coffee & Kitchen has been a part of Maplewood’s food scene since 2014. Owner Nate Larson grew up watching his father, Barry, roast his own coffee. When an “unexpected career change” befell the younger Larson, he and a friend started selling his father’s coffee at farmer’s markets. Later, Larson’s friend moved out of the business and his sister, Hannah Larson, became his co-owner. Living Room has grown enough that an expansion was warranted in 2022. Customers can still get Larson’s signature gluten-free peanut-butter-chocolate-chip cookies along with an inventive espresso drink or exceptional pour-over, but the café menu also includes breakfast sandwiches and plates plus lunchtime salads, wraps, and sandwiches.
2810 Sutton Blvd.
Maplewood
Historically, people from other countries shaped St. Louis’s coffee story, and this remains true with the next two businesses.
La Finca Coffee
Husband-and-wife team John and Alejandra Hagedorn opened La Finca Coffee in 2018 in Eureka. His mother, a first-generation Mexican immigrant, owned a restaurant in the city for 10 years, so John Hagedorn grew up around the food business. Alejandra Hagedorn grew up in Colombia and studied art to be an artist like her father. She earned a fine arts degree and immigrated to the United States, where she met her husband.
Inspired by a coffee shop they visited while in Colombia seeing family, the couple decided to work toward opening a similar business at home. Now with two locations (they opened a shop in The Grove neighborhood in December 2022), La Finca pairs fine coffee from Central and South America with Latin art and music in their shops. Try the Café de Olla, a Mexican-style coffee made with sugar and cinnamon.
137 S. Central Ave.
Eureka
4440 Manchester Ave.
St. Louis
Coffeestamp
When brothers Patrick and Spencer Clapp left Honduras for the United States, they noticed a great difference in quality and price of coffee stateside. The two often said they should bring coffee from Finca la Alondra (their friends’ coffee farm near their home city of El Hatillo) to St. Louis. Starting as a micro-roastery, they sold coffee made with beans from Finca la Alondra at Soulard Market, but by 2020, they secured a store front in the Fox Park neighborhood, and Coffeestamp was born. Pair a selection from the coffee bar with an empanada or alfajores (a sandwich cookie filled with dulce de leche and coated with coconut).
2511 S. Jefferson Ave.
St. Louis
Owners Patrick (left) and Spencer Clapp (image courtesy of Coffeestamp)
Of course, great coffee isn’t exclusive to St. Louis City and County. There are several good coffee shops in surrounding communities too.
Course Coffee Roasters
In St. Charles, you’ll find interesting collaborations with local businesses at Course Coffee Roasters. Last year, Course worked with Wenwood Winery in central Missouri to create a chocolate wine called Vine and Bean. The coffee shop, which opened in 2019, also offers coffee flights and a coffee mead.
1218 N. Second St.
St. Charles
Seek Coffee & Cocktails
Seek Coffee & Cocktails, which opened in 2021 in New Haven, is in the process of relocating to Hermann, a popular day-trip location from St. Louis. Owners expect to open there later this winter, and when they do, their espresso martini alone is worth the drive. In addition, coffee lovers can enjoy free tastings on weekends, something roaster Craig Borcherding says helps to ensure customers find the perfect coffee to suit their palates. Ask about Borcherding’s coffee classes/cuppings, too.
219 E. First St.
Hermann
Deborah Reinhardt’s newest book is St. Louis Coffee: A Stimulating History, available through Arcadia Publishing. Her award-winning blog, Three Women in the Kitchen, features comfort food recipes and kitchen wisdom from area home cooks.