First Watch

I have only ever been through the drive-thru but with that being said, The Abbey deserves high…read morerecognition. It is such a great coffee break! I'd prefer their lattes over any franchise drink, any day. What's even better, it's a 1/4 mile from my home & on my way! I always order a vanilla iced latte w/ oat milk & sometimes an extra shot. It is perfect, every time -- their syrup isn't overpowering and too sweet, and you can taste the delicious espresso. Not bitter and not too sweet, like other places, their espresso is the perfect combo. The Abbey is always quick, accurate, delicious & made by friendly staff. I look forward to walking in one day, soon. Excellent coffee, stellar service. Cheer's to you, The Abbey! :)

The Abbey is such a cute and cozy cafe/coffee shop/bar, and the atmosphere immediately feels homey…read moreand inviting. It's the kind of place where you instantly want to settle in with a book or chat with a friend for hours. I tried the eggplant panini, which was very good, and I loved how many different coffee flavor options they had. But the true highlight of my visit was the beignet. I'd never had one before and decided to try it, and wow--what an incredible surprise. The texture and flavor were impeccable: warm, soft, perfectly sweet. Genuinely such a delight. I'm already looking forward to coming back on a cold winter day to read one of the books from their shelves or play a game with a friend in this cozy little spot. The Abbey is a gem, and I can't wait to return.

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Iced vanilla latte with oat milk. Delicious!

Cafe Amalia

4.5(56 reviews)

25.9 mi

Light and bright! Describes both the space and the fare served by the kitchen…read more The main floor is absolutely gorgeous! The decor is cozy and inviting. The upstairs hosts several cozy out of the way tables if you're in need of a little quiet. The menu is light and fresh. I went with the signature Cafe Amalia salad. This was perfect for a midday meal. Fresh greens, sweet dried fig and cranberry, tangy balsamic, and I added steak to add a little protein. They offer a full service coffee bar if you're in need of a little pick me up. The staff is friendly and helpful.

Cafe Amalia is one of those places where you can stay for a while and feel comfortable. The modern,…read moreairy aesthetic is so calming. I was pleasantly greeted and served by Dimitri (please forgive my spelling if incorrect). He spoke highly of the Freddo Cappuccino so I tried it. The espresso has a bold flavor and when paired with the house made sweet cream, it's perfect! The Lemon Chicken Orzo soup? 10s across the board. That is a MUST. It's so fresh, so light, so good! The tuna was ok. It was a bit too much olive and not enough yogurt/mayo for my liking. I appreciate the tomato being salted!! I ate the whole thing. The Olympian Stack was highly recommended by ALL the staff I interacted with. The beef was tender and it had the perfect amount of toppings. I look forward to coming again to enjoy the soup, try their gyro and spend quality time with myself or a friend! The customer service was superb!

Art work upstairs

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Oh So Sweet Bakery & Cafe

4.8(11 reviews)

30.2 mi

We camp at Lake Carlyle most weekends once the weather is nice and just found out about this gem!…read more They have all kinds of baked goods, ice cream, and amazing coffee! We just tried donuts today and loved them. I had their drip coffee and it was so good! It's such an adorable place. I can't wait to go back with the grandkids for ice cream! They are going to do great!

Clean, classy and efficient. Then you bite into your blueberry muffin and the flavor is so fresh…read moreand delicious!

Cozy section to hang-out...

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GOOD PRESS

4.1(58 reviews)

15.1 mi•Downtown

Tucked inside the 21c Museum Hotel, Good Press is one of those spots that quietly overdelivers…read more From the moment you walk in, the eclectic decor sets the tone--creative, and a little unexpected. It feels less like a typical coffee stop and more like part of the overall hotel experience. What really stands out is the attention to detail. The syrups are made in-house, and you can taste the difference--nothing overly sweet or artificial, just well-balanced flavors that elevate the drinks. The menu is impressively versatile too, with plenty of options whether you're in the mood for coffee, tea, or something more substantial. Speaking of which, the veggie flatbread was a highlight. Fresh, and thoughtfully put together with seasonal vegetables and a delicious goat cheese that tied everything together without overpowering it. Add in genuinely great customer service, and you've got a spot that's worth lingering in, not just grabbing and going. If you're visiting 21c (or even if you're not), Good Press is absolutely worth a stop.

Utilizing credits given by the hotel allowed my partner and I to have two days of fulfilling…read morebreakfast and lunch items here, and we overall thought that the food was not bad in the most conventional way, meaning that there were no highlights but no serious points of constructive criticism, either. Most of the food resembled what we could find in a standard café. Some of the items like the green smoothie, the yogurt parfait (not pictured), and so on were premade and available at the counter. They tasted like what one would expect them to taste like according to the ingredients included on the menu. The smoked salmon toast and the breakfast burrito both had sufficient ingredients. The cinnamon roll had enough sugar content and was a bit dry. The biggest highlights were the designed coffee. Both the lavender latte and the black walnut latte had good art and had a good balance between the coffee flavor and the sweet flavor. We wanted to get lunch items one day but were not able to because their chef somehow winded up in the hospital, which was more than okay, but it raised the question for me about their staffing, because I would think there might be another chef available who could cook lunch items, but apparently not. While I am not certain if it's an indication of intentional understaffing or if it's standard restaurant practice, I do have to let people know this happened.

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Picasso's Coffee House

4.4(334 reviews)

32.8 mi•St Charles

This was my first visit to this location…read more It was cold outside but the Van Gogh hit the spot to warm me up! It's made with chocolate, Carmel and vanilla. A mocha masterpiece. Service was very friendly. Self serve water available. Perfect spot to grab a coffee, frappe, espresso or smoothie. Nice case filled with add on sweet treats. Local art on the walls. Nice laid back vibe.

People clearly love this place. At 8 AM on a Sunday morning, there was already a pretty good crowd…read more I've been doing meetups at local coffee shops for the past several weeks, and sometimes it's kind of a ghost town, even if the food and coffee is good. I'd suggest that people were there to visit downtown St. Charles, or whatever it's called, which has a certain old-timey charm to it, but everything else was closed--presumably until later in the day, but who knows. That fentanyl is a menace. Parking could be a pain, if it's not the wee hours of the morning on a weekend, and you're not ambulatory enough to walk from a block or two over, and yet you're going to get essentially the equivalent of a milkshake and a donut. Inside is rustic, inviting and larger than you'd think, with an upstairs area that I didn't bother to explore, due to lack of curiosity. We had a larger group and ended up pushing a few smaller tables together, plus a few chairs we borrowed from other tables. No one seemed to mind. The key is not to ask first. That mentality will take you far in both the world of finance and dating. I'm kind of over ordering food from coffee shops, where they're obviously just throwing something in the microwave and charging you $10 for it, but I needed something to eat. I'd just gone for a run. Their burrito looked like the textbook definition of cultural appropriation, but it also looked like it might not be half bad. I had their equivalent of an Egg McMuffin, called Ron's Breakfast Sandwich, or something to that effect. When I hear the name Ron, I of course think of Sasso from Carlito's Way, but that probably says more about me than anything else. I'm assuming he didn't have anything to do with this. Essentially, this was a store-bought English muffin, a surprisingly generous and delicious helping of cheddar cheese, a few slices of seemingly prepackaged black forest ham and a fried egg. It was fine for what it was. Could the egg have been salted, could the muffin have been buttered and could the ham been an actual slice of Canadian bacon, or even better, American bacon? Sure, but I went into this with low expectations. The cheddar was melty and delicious, and weirdly abundant, but processed American cheese would have been more fitting for this kind of sandwich. You'd think a guy named Ron wouldn't object to processed foods. The caramel frappe I had was amazing. I got it with whole milk and whipped cream. I didn't bother to check and see if they charge you extra for whipped cream, which is the kind of crap some of these places have been known to pull. I got the 16 oz instead of the 20 oz, but it was probably still enough to take a day off the end of my life (when I don't need it as much anyway fwiw). Sometimes, when a food item tastes good enough, you can just tell it's not good for you, and that was the case with this drink. It was decidedly rich. I'm never in this part of town, and if I were, it would be at night, natch, but if things ever get to the point where they're clearly trending in that direction, I might start stopping by on the reg and getting that caramel frappe just to speed along the process of my demise.

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Chai martini

Cafe Birdie

4.8(48 reviews)

16.0 mi

We were looking for a treat around Edwardsville today & Yelp "surprise me" feature selected Cafe…read moreBirdie for us - so glad it did! I had the gluten free lemon lavender donut & a vanilla latte - both were great! My husband had a scone he enjoyed & lemonade that was very freshly squeezed. Service was prompt and friendly - you order up at the counter. Lots of GF options, no upcharge for oat milk, gender neutral bathroooms, cozy seating both indoor and outdoor on the patio, self serve water station.

I live really close to Cafe Birdie and have been wanting to check it out forever, but I never…read moreseemed to be free during their open hours. Pro tip: definitely check their hours before you go--and honestly, just plan your day around it because it's that good. I was expecting your typical little coffee-and-sandwich spot, but it completely exceeded my expectations. They have a couple of parking spaces behind the building, and if those are full, there's a free lot about 500 feet down the road. It was pretty busy at lunchtime. You order at the counter, and they bring everything to your table. There's a mix of indoor and outdoor seating in various sizes, and the decor is adorable. I especially loved the maps--they make great conversation starters. I noticed several tables pointing out places they'd visited and swapping travel stories. The menu has a nice variety. I ordered the chicken salad on ciabatta with a side salad. The chicken salad had a strong dill flavor that I really enjoyed, and the ciabatta was perfectly fresh--not too tough. Next time, I'll probably pick a different side since the salad was basically just lettuce. If there was any dressing, it was super light, so I ended up adding some of the lettuce into my sandwich. The surprise standout, though, was the lavender lemonade--a total sleeper hit. It was scorching hot that day, and I wanted something refreshing, so I ordered it on a whim. Honestly, it was the best lemonade I've ever had. I don't usually find myself making a special trip to a café just for lemonade, but here I am. I'm not sure if it's seasonal, but I really hope it sticks around.

Inside of Cafe Birdie

Gluten free chocolate muffins

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Dining room

Teleo Coffee

4.5(169 reviews)

25.8 mi

The staff is always so friendly and patient, even when it's busy! I love treating myself to a…read morelittle treat from Teleo, whether it's a seasonal iced latte, chocolate croissant or a breakfast sandwich, I highly recommend stopping here if you're in the area. It does get pretty busy during peak hours, so be prepared for a little wait, but know it's worth it! This is one of my favorite coffee shops in the STL area, though it does tend to be on the pricier side.

Stopped by for coffee and a couple of treats. Everything came out quickly and we enjoyed sitting…read moreoutside and soaking in the sun. Servers are friendly and help answer any questions about the options. Love coming here!

Vibe

Frittata

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Gingerbread latte

Mauhaus

4.3(132 reviews)

21.1 mi

I took my husband here as a surprise for his birthday and he did not figure it out until we parked…read moreright across the street. He was so excited and loved it! For years I had heard nothing but good things about this place and so we were eventually going to go and what a great day it was for it. It started off cloudy but the sun came out and all of them were sunbathing and napping. It was such a great experience to be around so many cat lovers of all ages and witnessing everyone's interactions where they would play, run around, or snuggle with others. We ordered some teas and they came out piping hot! We will definitely come back. My only qualm was while registering or purchasing a reservation was it populated an option to send tickets to my Apple wallet but then it went away and there was no email sent that had the same link to send to my wallet. I only received a receipt and the waiver email. I was a little bit worried that we wouldn't get in if I didn't have tickets to scan. I sent an email and message through contact us but never heard back. Luckily it went fine though the day of but would've liked a little more seamless experience on the UX side.

Mauhaus is a relaxed place to see and interact with adoptable cats…read more Good coffee and snacks. I just met a very friendly male cat named Charlie! What a lovebug!!

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Cat area

La Belle Vie Cafe

4.6(212 reviews)

32.9 mi•St Charles

Came for Monte Cristo but menu has changed, so tried Viva La Crepe which is just as good for me…read more Satisfying but not too heavy, just the way I like it. Paired with mocha beautifully done. My companions had lake bake and French toast. Service and ambience were both great as usual. Fast and pleasant. No loud music which is sweet to my soul.

I was a little surprised by how this experience stacked up against the 4.6 rating…read more I ordered the turkey and brie sandwich, and it didn't really land. The bread was more like a basic sub roll than something you'd expect from a café like this, and the balance was off. It was very heavy on the turkey and pretty light on the brie, which kind of defeats the point of ordering that combo in the first place. That said, service was solid and the space itself is a nice, quiet spot if you're looking to get some work done over lunch. Overall, not terrible, but not something I'd go out of my way to come back for.

Seating area in the rear of the cafe just before the outdoor seating area.

The Figgins Breakfast Croissant Specialty

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54th Street Scratch Grill & Bar

3.4(240 reviews)

0.4 mi

Family-owned & operated

Gluten-free friendly

Shout out to Michael Hobert and Madison for the great service. I came for the first time while…read moretraveling for work. Good location. Available parking. I got a chicken philly with fries. The portion size was large so tons to eat later at my hotel. It was really good to the taste. Excited to know I will be back in the area to try other menu items. I will be back. Always enjoy good food and great service.

Five sets of silverware before we finally cancelled our order and left. The first four were even…read moreworse but this is the only pic I got. Kinda makes ya wonder what else is happening behind the curtain. Gnarly. 030726