Brian Nagele
For breakfast, St. Louis is a city with many options. Looking for places to have a good breakfast is easy, but to find the restaurants offering the best breakfast in St. Louis, I had to do some eating!
What I look for in a breakfast place is good takes on old classics, new types of breakfast food, and a great drink menu, whether it specializes in coffee or cocktails.
Check out my list of the best restaurants for breakfast in St. Louis, Missouri.
City Coffee & Creperie
36 N Brentwood Blvd, Clayton, MO 63105
Phone: 314-862-2489
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City Coffee & Creperie may technically be part of Clayton, but this European-style coffeehouse serves some of the best breakfast in St. Louis.
This spot is perfect for eating after a long stroll at the nearby Shaw Park. If you’d like to stay outside, City Coffee & Creperie has plenty of seating, but arrive early because it fills up quickly.
While it serves delicious-looking sandwiches and salad, the authentic French crepes are the must-try item on the menu.
Choose from a plethora of options, both sweet and savory. For my visit, I went with the Brittany crepe stuffed with honey ham and Havarti cheese, a classic combination topped with Hollandaise sauce that was mouth-watering.
egg
2200 Gravois Ave, St. Louis, MO 63104
Phone: 314-202-8244
Visitors flock to egg along the iconic Historic Route 66 on the northern edge of the Benton Park neighborhood for classic and new takes on American breakfast.
It features a mix of diner and rustic aesthetics, giving this breakfast restaurant an eclectic mood. Tex-Mex is the specialty, including options with tostadas, beans, chorizo, and mole.
The restaurant also offers Tunisian dishes! If you’re looking for an unconventional breakfast, try the Chakchouka, a tomato and bell pepper stew topped with eggs and baked.
It wasn’t what I expected to find while searching for the best breakfast in St. Louis, but it was delicious!
First Watch
Multiple locations
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First Watch has multiple locations for dining in the St. Louis area. On my trip to Missouri, I visited the Central West End restaurant before heading to the nearby Forest Park.
The spot provided a great place to eat with a casual but hip ambiance. It’s easy to see why this is a St. Louis favorite.
In addition to breakfast classics, First Watch focuses on maintaining a seasonal menu with the freshest produce from around the United States.
During my visit, I took advantage of this, getting an order of the Floridian French toast served with kiwi, strawberries, and bananas.
Fruit lovers (and I am one of them!) will want to take advantage of the juice bar here.
Shack Breakfast & Lunch
13645 Big Bend Rd Suite 105, St. Louis, MO 63122
Phone: 636-529-1600
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On the city’s west side, Shack Breakfast & Lunch serves fun food in an energetic atmosphere. Shack has excellent choices for your morning meal with lots of classic and even gluten-free dishes.
While you wait, you can add your name to the restaurant’s graffiti wall, the centerpiece of the decor. One glance at Shack’s menu will tell you how much fun they have with food.
With notable names like The Kitchen Sink, Notorious B.N.G, and Starchy and Cluck, expect classics with a twist from this breakfast spot.
I adored their Mrs. John Denver (yes, I do have a fondness for “Country Roads”), a charming omelette that thrilled my tastebuds.
Shack Breakfast & Lunch doesn’t just serve food; you’ll also want to check out their award-winning bloody Marys!
Half & Half
8135 Maryland Ave, St. Louis, MO 63105
Phone: 314-725-0719
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Half & Half is close to downtown Clayton and offers a laid-back eating spot. The brick face building with outdoor seating and large windows make for a cozy ambiance whether you’re eating inside or out.
This spot serves brunch with a mix of traditional breakfast and lunch items, as their name would suggest. Since Half & Half only uses cage-free eggs, I decided to sample their lox Benedict omelettes.
It was served with dill cream cheese, which was rich and tasty. Don’t forget to grab a glass of their fresh-squeezed orange juice too!
Kingside Diner (CWE)
236 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO 63108
Phone: 314-454-3957
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Another spot close to tourist hub Forest Park, Kingside Diner combines modern and industrial aesthetics for a hip spot locals love.
Kingside specializes in American breakfast food and boasts a great drink menu, perfect for enjoying on their rooftop patio.
I ordered the Meat Me in St. Louis Skillet for my meal at Kingside Diner. The skillet comes with crunchy bacon, sausage, ham, onions, and peppers, and all were served over hashbrowns with a side of eggs.
While the skillet dish was great, the highlight of the meal was the mimosa flight with four different types of drinks.
Rooster
Multiple locations
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A few blocks south of Tower Grove, visitors head to one of Rooster’s locations on South Grand Boulevard.
The restaurant’s simple but sleekly modern design lends itself well to the long tables used while the communal seating helps add to the friendly ambiance.
Rooster serves some specialty lattes if coffee is your morning go-to, but there are also smoothies, boozy shakes, cocktails, and mimosas.
If you visit Rooster, check out their breakfast spin on the Midwest classic, the slinger. I combined it with andouille sausage and sausage gravy, and was more than satisfied with my start to the day!
Winslow’s Table
7213 Delmar Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63130
Phone: 314-725-7559
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The University City area houses Winslow’s Table, a market and bakery with counter service for breakfast fare.
Its combination of dark and light colors at Winslow’s plays into the spot’s funky but friendly vibe. The market has many artisan goods, including more food, so check it out if you visit.
Winslow’s Table focuses on American classics created with local ingredients. For my breakfast, I opted for the buttermilk berry pancakes, which came with three fluffy cakes and a berry compote.
The coffee specials were great, too, and I recommend the lavender latte for a bitter but sweet take on the morning brew.
Chili Mac’s Diner
510 Pine St, St. Louis, MO 63101
Phone: 314-421-9040
Chili Mac’s diner is right in the heart of St. Louis, just a few blocks from The Gateway Arch and the Mississippi River.
This diner is old-fashioned but in this case that isn’t a bad thing! In fact, you’ll feel like you’re back in the 1950s when you walk into this classic diner with retro stools at the counter.
The service here was fast, friendly, and surprisingly cheap, but the low cost didn’t degrade the food. Chili Mac’s serves fairly standard breakfast food alongside other diner classics like Cincinnati-style chili served over noodles.
What they do, they do well, especially the fried potatoes, which I heartily recommend!
Florissant City Diner
1060 St Francois St, Florissant, MO 63031
Phone: 314-831-4375
Another excellent breakfast place within Greater St. Louis, Florissant City Diner, can be found a block away from Tower Court Park.
This long-standing local favorite specializes in delivering outstanding service and food that keeps patrons coming back for more.
The inside of the restaurant isn’t as dramatic as others, but overall it is clean and homey. The diner serves old-school American food, and breakfast foods make up most of the menu.
Florissant City Diner served my favorite hashbrowns of my whole trip to Missouri. They were crispy on the outside, steamy and soft inside, and clearly made on site.
Russell’s On Macklind
5400 Murdoch Ave, St. Louis, MO 63109
Phone: 314-553-9994
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Russell’s On Macklind creates an ambiance of simplistic sophistication, making their restaurant feel fancy but comfortingly down to earth at the same time.
This spot is tucked away in the southwest part of the city but is worth going out of your way for a visit. If you don’t have time to sit down and eat here, drop by for a pastry from their bakery.
While Russel’s doesn’t haven’t a vast selection of breakfast foods, what they make is fresh, tasty, and beautiful. Everything on their plates looks artfully prepared but never formulaic.
I highly recommend the Breakfast Flatbread for a filling but refreshing start to the morning. The flatbread comes with white cheddar and egg topped with a spinach salad.
Southwest Diner
6803 Southwest Ave, St. Louis, MO 63143
Phone: 314-260-7244
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Southwest Diner is a St. Louis standout serving breakfast in the Ellendale neighborhood. Head out here for the best breakfast in St. Louis with southwestern flavors.
This diner pays homage to its name with bright colors and decorations reminiscent of the American Southwest.
It also does a take on the regional specialty, the slinger, if you’re still looking to try one while in St. Louis.
Their version comes with two quarter-pound burgers, so give it a try if you’re feeling hungry. As for me, I tried the New Mexican breakfast burrito with scrambled eggs and green chili, an excellent, light breakfast option.
The Original Pancake House Ladue
8817 Ladue Rd, St. Louis, MO 63124
Phone: 314-932-1340
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The Original Pancake House is a regional chain that serves American breakfast classics. Its Ladue location is in the Colonial Marketplace north of Shaw Park.
The unassuming building has a rustic interior decorated with stone, wood, and a large fireplace. Don’t let the unassuming franchise fool you, it was voted one of the top breakfast restaurants in the country at the James Beard Awards!
My experience at Ladue was beyond positive as I had one of the best breakfasts in St. Louis. Everything looked good, but I went with the pecan waffles, a dish worth trying if you’re looking for a sweet start to your day.
Chris’ @ The Docket
100 N Tucker Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63101
Phone: 314-977-4615
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In the heart of downtown St. Louis, across the street from Kaufman Park, visitors head to Chris’ @ The Docket for classic diner fare in a modern ambiance.
While this spot is more industrial than homey, Chris’ brings other typical diner qualities like low prices for quality American breakfast dishes.
This restaurant has sweet and savory breakfast options and an impressive selection of mimosas. For my meal, I went with the Chris’andwich, a fried egg with a sausage patty served on a croissant.
The croissant was flakey, buttery, and made for a delightful breakfast sandwich.
The Clover and the Bee
100 W Lockwood Ave, Webster Groves, MO 63119
Phone: 314-942-1216
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The Clover and the Bee serves food worth heading out to the western suburb of Webster Groves. Expect to see a space pop with brightly colored murals, which makes the space welcoming and intriguing.
The menu here focuses on fresh ingredients prepared well. I ordered the cold-smoked salmon served with a bagel and chive cream cheese for my meal.
While I’ve had this combination before, the cucumber salad made this cafe’s take great. This was the perfect refreshing bite, especially in contrast to the rich cream cheese.
I’m always on the hunt for a good breakfast spot, and I think I’ve found one in Restaurant Clicks! I’ll be sure to check them out when I’m in the area!