The 33 Best Brunches in St. Louis

Best Sustainable Brunch: Indie Eatery

There aren't a ton of family-owned restaurants serving fresh, local and sustainable food in St. Peters. This was a problem that Shannon Thompson sought to solve when she debuted Indie Eatery (7827 Mexico Road, St. Peters; 636-387-1000) in fall 2018. Her journey to opening her own restaurant and catering business is an unlikely one: For twelve years, Thompson served in the U.S. Air Force, which afforded her the chance to travel around the world (meanwhile, her husband, A.J., spent six years in the Missouri Air National Guard). After retiring from the military, the couple launched a catering company, Indie4, as an outlet for sharing the food they'd enjoyed around the globe. Two years later, the Thompsons opened the cafe, which serves organic and sustainable comfort food. With Indie Eatery's menu, Thompson is trying to put her own fresh and healthy spin on hearty classics; for instance, the cafe's take on waffles for brunch offers organic brown butter waffles with espresso brownie pieces, sea salt caramel, all-natural vanilla bean ice cream and vanilla bean whipped cream.
—Liz Miller


Photo: courtesy Indie Eatery

Best Brunch to Unplug: Winslow’s Home

You might think that a place without WiFi would be at a disadvantage in today’s over-connected culture, but at Winslow’s Home (7213 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-725-7559), it’s actually a selling point. Every day, general manager Josh Renbarger watches as usually harried customers — business executives, nurses, writers, stay-at-home parents — steal moments for themselves over a cup of coffee and pastry, unconcerned with the political arguments on Facebook or what the latest influencer is hawking on Instagram. You can actually watch as people relax, as unplugged from the world as you can get these days, and bask in the sanctuary the restaurant’s four walls provide. The warm, comforting surroundings add to this feeling of respite; part general store, the space is filled with books, gifts and gadgets, inviting you to browse if you get bored with your newspaper. Add outstanding farm-to-table fare — literally, the restaurant sources its products from its own farm in Augusta — made by the skilled hands of chef Cassy Vires, and you’ll understand why it’s such a rare pleasure to bask in the moment.
—Cheryl Baehr


Photo: @lezfoodies / Instagram

Best Jazz Brunch: Evangeline’s

When Don Bailey first opened the New Orleans-inspired Evangeline’s Bistro and Music House (512 North Euclid Avenue, 314-367-3644), he knew that capturing the city’s soundtrack was every bit as important as serving its food. It’s why he’s made it a priority to offer live jazz and blues nearly every night of the week, giving guests something to tap their toes to as they nosh on Cajun and Creole classics. It’s a lively scene no matter when you go, but perhaps the most thrilling day of the week at Evangeline’s is Sunday when Swing Jazz Brunch is underway. Bailey and company convert the space into an all-out party complete with a bloody mary bar and brunch-inspired cocktails, a decadent daytime menu (pork chop slinger, anyone?) and, of course, music. And it’s not just any music that will do. Evangeline’s books the city’s most exciting swing and jazz acts, including the delightful Miss Jubilee, who offers a feast for the ears every bit as delicious as the kitchen’s feast for your tastebuds. It doesn’t get any sweeter than that — well, unless you order seconds of the famous “Strawberries Jubilee” stuffed French toast.
—Cheryl Baehr


Photo: Jennifer Silverberg

Best Metal Brunch: The Crow’s Nest

There is but one brunch in town where lovers of French toast mingle freely with trve cvlt headbangers sporting a dedication to the Dark One: Metal Brunch at the Crow's Nest (7336 Manchester Road, Maplewood; 314-781-0989), naturally. Each Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Maplewood bar and restaurant keeps the soundtrack heavy — Mercyful Fate, Coroner, Sodom and more see regular rotation — and the food puns plentiful. Choose from “Decappitizers” including pork poutine, hummus and chili cheese fries before moving on to a "Mercyful Plate" — the three-bean veggie slinger is a standout, as are the biscuits and gravy. Got a Billy Milano-sized hunger? Dive into a "Judas Feast" (complete with your choice of "Geno-Side") with stuffed French toast, eggs benedict and more to keep your butt appropriately bubble-shaped. At the Crow’s Nest, the food will fill your belly while the soundtrack keeps your head banging — just be careful not to get your hair in the syrup.
—Daniel Hill


Photo: Tom Hellauer

Best Dance Party Brunch: The Wheelhouse

Weekend mornings at the Wheelhouse (1000 Spruce Street, 314-833-3653) pick up where the night before left off, with the music turned up loud and the booze flowing freely. Both floors of the cavernous space fill up with young (and young-ish) brunch-goers feasting on sweet and savory brunch dishes including French toast, waffles, eggs Benedict and burritos stuffed with eggs and breakfast potatoes. Fifteen dollars gets you bottomless mimosas, and since brunch service runs a generous five and a half hours (9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays) you have plenty of time to make it count. Three types of mimosas are offered, and you can customize yours with fruit juice, sliced fruit and a cocktail umbrella at the mimosa bar. We didn’t see any actual dancing last time we visited, but we were pretty damn close to it. The DJ does yeoman’s work, pumping up the mood with a relentlessly ebullient soundtrack, and TVs in every corner allow you to keep up with whatever sports are on TV. Know in advance that a mandatory 20 percent gratuity is added to all checks.
—Iain Shaw


Photo: Chris Del Gaiso

Best Brunch for Your Buck: Nadine’s

If you want piles of food for very little money, get yourself to Nadine’s (1931 South 12th Street, 314-463-3045). Though at night Nadine’s is a low-key Soulard bar that specializes in gin cocktails, during the day it’s a great place to load up on brunch for less. You can get a steak with two eggs, a massive breakfast burrito or the all-important slinger for less than $10 each. A three-egg omelet is less than $9 and even a mimosa bucket (one bottle of Champagne plus a carafe of orange juice) is only $15. Don’t forget to order a stack of pancakes ($5.95) or some cinnamon French toast ($6.95) for the table to share. And at Nadine’s, your continued patronage is rewarded: A punch-card loyalty system guarantees that every tenth brunch you eat here is on the house.
—Jaime Lees


Photo: Jaime Lees

Best Bottomless Brunch: Crafted

Ten dollars for endless mimosas sounds good, but there has to be a catch, right? There isn’t. At Crafted (3200 Shenandoah Avenue, 314-865-3345), the glasses are the right size, the pours are fair and the mimosas are made with decent sparkling wine. There are no tedious games of find-the-server to get your refills — at least one member of the Crafted team is continuously circling the venue with a jug, ready to top you off. This isn’t a place to get messy drunk, though; you’ll want to stay sober enough to appreciate the quality and creativity that goes into the food. Try the "Crafted Benedict" with crab cakes, the "Crafted Hash" with spicy sausage, or chicken and waffles. Brunch is only available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m on Sundays, and demand for tables quickly outstrips supply. Reservations aren't an option at brunch, so go along early or prepare to take a seat at the bar as you wait for a table to open up.
—Iain Shaw


Photo: @love_glencoco / Instagram

Best Diner Brunch: Affton Diner

Sometimes only a diner will do. At certain levels of hungry and hungover, only mountains of carbohydrates and cheese will cure your ills. If you find yourself in this situation, there is only one place to go: Affton Diner (10020 Gravois Road, 314-631-1911). Just a quick hop into the county down Gravois, this greasy spoon offers the kind of food that your pounding head craves, even as its take on the classics (omelets, toast, out-of-this-world home fries) tastes a little more fresh than you might expect. On Sunday mornings the place is always nearly full, with regulars (and adorable oldies) happily slurping hot coffee and enjoying friendly service. The decor is nothing special, but don’t let those bowling alley-style booths turn you off. Once you try the food at Affton Diner, you might become a regular yourself.
—Jaime Lees


Photo: @ohdamnshan / Instagram

Best Brunch When You Aren't Hungover: Pieces

When you’re hungover AF, the most brainpower you should be expected to devote to brunch is how you want the eggs cooked on your slinger. In this state, Pieces (1535 South Eighth Street, 314-230-5184) is the last place you’d want to go. On a daisy-fresh weekend, though? Now that’s another story. Soulard’s board game bar and café is a thinking person’s good time any day of the week, but on Saturdays and Sundays, the space becomes one of the city’s most entertaining brunch concepts. With a game library exceeding 850 choices, Pieces invites you to unplug for a few hours and experience good food and good old-fashioned low-tech entertainment. If healthy competition with friends makes you hungry, the kitchen has you covered, with everything from breakfast tacos to biscuit sandwiches to avocado toast. And if it makes you really hungry, try to take down one of Pieces' monstrous five-egg omelets, stuffed with as many toppings as you can cram into it. If you think a night of drinking is fun, try taking down one of those behemoths while schooling you friends at Risk. Victory can be just as intoxicating.
—Cheryl Baehr


Photo: Sarah Fenske

Best Brunch Buffet: Mac's Time Out

Everyone in St. Louis knows Fast Eddie’s, but fewer outside of the immediate riverbend area know about Alton’s other sprawling powerhouse restaurant, Mac’s Time Out (315 Belle Street, Alton, Illinois; 618-465-1006). The sports bar and restaurant, which opened in 1983, takes up the better part of a downtown city block. It features a room dedicated to horse racing and an enormous heated beer garden crowned with televisions showing football, kickboxing, golf, you name it. And feel free to light up those cigars. The Sunday brunch buffet, which runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., is an extraordinary value: It's just $9.95 and features prime rib, pork loin and an omelet station in addition to the standard brunch fare. Owner Mac Lenhardt is beloved in Alton for being a terrific guy, and the friendly long-term employees attest to that in their glowing remarks. “Mac takes care of downtown,” says David Rauschkolb, who has been working here off and on since 2011. “He doesn’t just pick up the litter around our building, but all of downtown. He makes sure we greet everyone who walks in within 30 seconds. He’s adamant about that. He even helps out the homeless.” Oh, and did we mention he serves up one hell of a brunch?
—Chris Andoe


Photo: Google Maps

Best Brunch Buffet That Isn't a Buffet: Sqwires

On a hungover morning, nothing might seem more tired than a brunch buffet line laden with half-warmed scrambled eggs and steadily cooling sausage patties. Yet there's something undeniably appealing about getting to start munching right away without a server to hold you up. Enter the truly terrific bloody mary bar at Sqwires (1415 South 18th Street, 314-865-3522), which combines fresh food with pile-your-own-plate access for the best of both worlds without the downside of either. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, for the price of a bloody mary or $16 bottomless mimosas, you can gain access to a well-stocked buffet line featuring everything from fresh fruit and cubes of meat and cheese to pickled vegetables and cookies. It's that rare bloody mary bar that's just as good as the drink itself — one reason people who skip the drinks still happily pay up $9 a pop to access it. Either it's spectacular or they're spectacularly hungry. Maybe both?
—Sarah Fenske


Photo: @dbenzz / Instagram

Best Mexican Brunch: Taqueria El Bronco

It doesn’t advertise “brunch,” but Taqueria El Bronco (2817 Cherokee Street, 314-762-0691) offers it in all but name. On both Saturdays and Sundays, this Cherokee Street mainstay serves menudo and pozole, two dishes Mexicans gather around the table to enjoy with friends and family on weekends. Menudo is a spicy tripe soup, pozole a hominy stew, and they’re both available in medium ($7) or large ($8.99) portions. These two dishes are highly shareable, and a staple of family get-togethers and celebrations — but Mexicans also swear by their hangover-curing properties. Taqueria El Bronco’s extensive menu also includes brunch-friendly egg-based items such as huevos rancheros and huevos con chorizo and plenty to drink. A michelada is the obvious hair-of-the-dog choice, but other choices include a margarita, buckets of beer or even tequila.
—Iain Shaw


Photo: RFT file photo

Best Sidewalk Brunch: Brasserie

If you walk by Brasserie (4580 Laclede Avenue, 314-454-0600) on a pleasant Saturday or Sunday morning, you might do a double-take, momentarily wondering if you’ve somehow stepped through a wormhole and ended up on a side street in Paris. Interwoven black-and-cream wicker chairs and small bistro tables fill the sidewalk in front of the French-inspired restaurant, its red storefront providing a suitably dramatic backdrop. Tucking into one of these tables, a café au lait in one hand and a forkful of croque madame in the other, it quickly becomes clear that this is one of the best places in the city to pass a relaxed weekend day. Brasserie’s outdoor dining setup is not a patio — it’s an actual sidewalk café that places you firmly in the middle of the Central West End’s hustle and bustle. There is no better people watching and, in turn, no better way to occupy yourself while you wait for your delectable daytime fare. But no matter how entertaining the view, it will be hard to concentrate on anything else once that order of brisket tartine arrives.
—Cheryl Baehr


Photo: @brasseriestl / Instagram

Best Industry Brunch: Three Monkeys

Nobody can party like restaurant people — yet the hours they work mean a boozy brunch is seldom part of their weekend. Enter the "industry brunch" at Three Monkeys (3153 Morganford Road, 314-772-9800), which combines eight rotating brunch items with truly terrific drink specials on a weekend warrior's day of rest. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each Monday, Three Monkeys pours out $3 Jamesons, $3 mimosas and $4 bloody marys to a thirsty crowd of restaurant insiders — and, this being an industry crowd, naturally there are also $4 shots of Fernet. Themselves longtime industry workers, new owners Zachery and Mary Rice introduced the brunch in December with such attention-getting additions as a drunk Santa pouring shots of Jameson and a photo booth. Not surprisingly, word of mouth took things from there. "We're getting people who work all weekend and want to blow off a little steam on Monday," says Zachery Rice. "Yesterday we had nine people from Schlafly, another big group from Mission Taco, eleven people from Trueman's." Talk about a party! But you don't have to flash your restaurant W-2 to join in the fun. Just be there and be prepared to let loose.
—Sarah Fenske


Photo: Jennifer Silverberg

Best Weekday Brunch: Turn

If you’ve dined at Turn (3224 Locust Street, 314-240-5157), you understand why chef David Kirkland decided to make brunch more than a weekend affair: With food this good, you have to let people enjoy it every damn day. From his kitchen inside Grand Center’s .ZACK multi-use arts space, Kirkland puts out the sort of mouth-watering fare most brunch restaurants save for lazy Sundays, including sage-kissed biscuits and gravy, English muffins smothered in smoked duck, brie and poached eggs, and whole-grain pancakes that taste like vanilla-scented funnel cake. The bright, modern space only adds to the vibe, filling you with visions of dining in a contemporary museum’s restaurant and blowing off work to linger over the latest exhibition. Who could blame you for dreaming of being carried away to such a scene? Kirkland’s daytime dining masterpiece makes the weekend nothing more than a state of mind.
—Cheryl Baehr


Photo: Mabel Suen

Best Brunch for Coffee Lovers: Half & Half

As you nosh on the famed blueberry pancakes at Half & Half (multiple locations, including 8135 Maryland Avenue, Clayton; 314-725-0719), cooked in bacon fat and smothered in melted blueberry butter, it would be easy to forget that the food is only part of the equation here. Then again, if you hit the coffee bar before your table is ready and surrender to the pleasure of a pour-over of single-origin from one of the guest roasters, it might be equally easy to forget to order food. Conceived as a space equally dedicated to good eats and quality coffee, Half & Half was an area innovator in making your morning brew much more than a cheap jolt of caffeine. The restaurant boasts an impressive list of coffee selections in the way a nighttime spot might offer a cocktail menu. Different origins, different preparations and, of course, a variety of espresso drinks are available for your drinking pleasure, served by trained baristas who can educate you about the difference between Sidamo and Harar — but they also won’t bat an eye if you want to put cream and sugar in your cup of drip coffee while devouring a side of bacon. It’s the best of both worlds.
—Cheryl Baehr


Photo: Jennifer Silverberg

Best Dim Sum: Mandarin House

Entering Mandarin House (9150 Overland Plaza, Overland; 314-427-8070), you are required to cross a shiny red, traditional Chinese-inspired bridge to get to the main dining room. It’s an intermediate step that helps ease the transition between the strip mall parking lot and the authentic Chinese brunch that occupies Mandarin House's main dining room every Saturday and Sunday. Since 1979, this local institution has been offering diners a mix of both Western-style and traditional Chinese cuisine. It's the latter on display during weekend dim sum service. You’ll find servers rolling metal pushcarts filled with everything from dumplings to steam buns to sautéed pea tips — an endless parade of one delicacy after another, each so enticing it’s impossible to pace yourself. You can make a feast from what is on those carts alone, but what makes Mandarin House dim sum so special is the buffet in the center of the room filled with even more dishes, some served steaming hot from a large griddle. Basking in your food-induced reverie after stuffing yourself, you’ll be convinced that bridge was a magical portal into another culinary world.
—Cheryl Baehr


Photo: Mabel Suen

Best Brunch with Kids: Rise

As you struggle through the front doors of Rise Coffee House (4176 Manchester Avenue, 314-405-8171), massive infant carrier in one hand, squirmy toddler on the other, you might feel as if you’ve made a mistake. Surely, this impossibly hip coffee shop, filled with childless singles bent over laptops and books (who are these people who have the time to read?), is the last place you should bring the kids for brunch. However, if you head up the narrow staircase just to the side of the door, you'll be transported to a literal playland filled with toys, books, a wooden fort and, most thrilling of all, fellow caregivers who are blissfully reclined in their seats, lingering over a delicious meal. Rise is a sanctuary for anyone tasked with caring for children on a daily basis, in part because it provides a place to relax while the littles play in the safety of a gated room, but mostly because it’s kid-friendly but does not force you to sacrifice your culinary and coffee standards. Rise’s wonderful brunch offerings include the foods you ate before your dining was reduced to chicken fingers and buttered noodles: fantastic pancakes (not in the shape of a funny face), flavorful hashes, Technicolor toasts and serious coffee. When the kids get hungry, there is a menu just for them — and when they leave behind a half-eaten grilled cheese, made on Union Loafers bread, no one will judge if you finish it off.
—Cheryl Baehr


Photo: Mabel Suen

Best Brunch for Heat Lovers: Southwest Diner

The New Mexican culinary tradition has blessed us with the glory of the Hatch chile, a sneakingly hot yet mouthwateringly flavorful pepper often prepared as a stew-like concoction simmered with pork. Green, red, Christmas style (that’s the in-the-know way to say green-and-red), smothered over a breakfast burrito, topping a cheeseburger — no matter how you eat this culinary masterpiece, you'll feel the burn, but you still can’t stop. It makes sense, then, that the city’s homage to New Mexican cuisine, Southwest Diner (6803 Southwest Avenue, 314-260-7244), is the place to go when you want to experience a heat-filled brunch. Here, you can get a traditional New Mexican breakfast burrito smothered in spicy green chile or give it a little local flavor with a green or red chile-covered slinger. However, the diner’s signature spicy dish, “Jonathan’s Famous Fiery Scramble,” makes those other offerings look like child’s play; the hotter-than-hot cheesy egg dish is so spicy it will make you hiccup. You'll be sweating like you’re being fried by the sun in the middle of the desert, but it’s a beautiful pain — and precisely why you came.
—Cheryl Baehr


Photo: Jennifer Silverberg

Best Brunch for the Sweet Toothed: Rooster

It goes without saying that Rooster (two locations, including 1104 Locust Street, 314-241-8118) has plenty of options for lovers of savory brunch. From the eatery's much-praised bloody mary options to its delicious scrambles, the menu is laden with salty, meaty, cheesy things. But where Rooster deviates from its rivals is in the sweeter side of things. Get your French toast or pancakes with toppings that include Nutella, cinnamon raisin and carmelized bananas and nuts. Or partake in a quartet of sweet crepes that actually come topped with ice cream. Try a roasted apple crepe topped with cinnamon and brown sugar along with a scoop of Bailey's-flavored ice cream. Or maybe a S'more crepe, stuffed with cookie crumbs, marshmallow and dark chocolate and then topped off with a scoop of vanilla. Yes, these crepes are basically dessert in breakfast form, but is there anything wrong with that?
—Sarah Fenske


Photo: Mabel Suen