Because I'm only one dad and can't eat at every breakfast place in St. Louis, I visit as many highly rated breakfast spots as possible while sticking to recommendations from friends, family, and long-time St. Louis residents. I use IHOP as the comparison restaurant, coming in at a 3.5 / 5. Anything over 4 / 5 is eligible.
I base these rankings on a combination of taste and price, emphasizing service and atmosphere less. You can read more details on my restaurant review philosophy. I have every restaurant across categories in rank order based on overall stars.
But remember, I don't make the rules; I just think 'em up and write 'em down.
Weekly reviews of restaurants, parks, and things to do All Around Saint Louis.
Bowood By Niche Takeaway. Fancy Pancakes Come With A Fancy Price. 9.9 / 10 pancakes may be the best pancakes I've ever had. With a slight Irish soda bread flare to them, they do their best to deliver on the $19 price tag. The Standard Breakfast combo goes for $15, but includes bacon. 7.8 / 10 breakfast score. The best eggs I've had in St. Louis.
One of the best breakfast places in St. Louis. Based purely on taste, it's a 4.9 / 5 restaurant. However, considering everything is at least 50% overpriced, it's more than 4.75 / 5. So, it goes from the top 1% to the top 5% for me.
Really, really different vibe. No working-class clientele, all fancy sundresses. The main eating area is in a plant center, which is very cool in person. They also have a beautiful patio garden for eating outside. The server and service were fantastic. Parking on the street.
Original Pancake House Takeaway. Chart Topping Pancakes And Bacon. One of the best pancakes you'll have, or possibly the worst. The 9.3 / 10 pancakes have a unique fermented potato flavor you'll either love or hate. I love it. Paired with some of the best bacon you'll find, it's worth the price of admission.
And the price of admission isn't cheap. The $13.50 Dutch Baby pancake I had will get you two meals at other breakfast establishments. Throw in the bacon and a cup of coffee, and your order is pushing $20.
Super fast and friendly service. They're old pros at serving a ton of people as quickly as possible. Expect a wait on the weekends. Parking is available in the dedicated strip mall lot.
Bagel Union Takeaway. The best bagels west of New Jersey I've ever had. Perfect texture and flavor. $2 per bagel or $10 for six makes them expensive for bagels. Very small bagels relative to NJ and NY. $1 "yesterday-gels" are great for freezing. No traditional deli meats, instead lox and turkey sandwiches - both start over $10, again expensive. I drive 15 minutes both ways every Sat or Sun with my son because these bagels are that good. A line out the door means a 20-30-minute wait.
Southwest Diner Takeaway. Breakfast burritos and potatoes for a blissful breakfast. An 8.1 / 10 Standard Breakfast of eggs, toast, and potatoes. The potatoes carry the day. $7 for the combo. Small but flavorful breakfast burrito. So-so coffee. Has a Tex-Mex flair to the vibes and flavors.
One of the best breakfasts in St. Louis. Order anything with potatoes.
Standard, friendly service. Affordable prices relative to other St. Louis breakfast spots. Street parking. Patio is available for warmer days.
Songbird Takeaway. Your taste buds will sing a song to Sonbird, but your wallet will fall out of the nest. An 8.2 / 10 taste bacon breakfast sandwich costs $13 base, nets out to over $15 with tax and tip. The secret ingredient that'll immediately hit your taste buds is the honey. Trying it at home, they only need to add a little to make a big impact on the taste. All the ingredients, from the bread to the cheese, are top-notch, but a price point of around $8 would make much more sense to me.
The atmosphere is bright and hip. Light colors cover the walls, and giant windows allow ample light. Everything about Songbird sings, from the paintings on the outside to the pep in the servers. I ordered online, and the food was ready when I got there on a Monday morning. I imagine you would expect to wait for a busy brunch day. Finding parking might also be a challenge. I couldn't really find a spot even with no crowd because street parking requires a permit. Note: you have to go around the east side of the building to
World's Fair Donuts Takeaway. Not the best donuts in the world, but they are close. Delicious cake and sugar donuts. My favorite donuts so far in St. Louis are 8.1/10 on the cake-based donuts. I have not had a glazed or apple crawler because they were out when we went. The pudding donut counts as three, and my sons split it. $2.25 for a donut is on the expensive side, as many around here go for $1.15.
A great place to stop if you're going to the Missouri Botanical Gardens. You should stop before the gardens in the morning and not after. They will be partially sold out if you go around 10-11 am like we did. They don't accept credit, but they have Venmo and CashAPP. Service was friendly when we went. We parked in the small dedicated lot in front. It's on a triangle of roads, so getting out can be a little dicey.
Olivette Diner Takeaway. My favorite blue-collar diner in St. Louis. 7 / 10 Standard Breakfast of eggs, potatoes, and toast. 7 / 10 pancakes. 5 / 10 coffee with free refills and free-to-go cups. Bacon is above average. My kids love the kids' combo. Breakfast sausage is among the best I've ever had. And even the pies rock.
Growing up in New Jersey, diners hold a special place in my heart. The Olivette Diner has a personal touch and booths that bring me back to being a kid. Friendly, fast service from everyone. It's the best, cheapest diner food you'll find in St. Louis.
The first restaurant I went to after I moved into my house. Told them at 7 am that day, I'd be a regular. Now, I'm on a first-name basis with Melinda, the owner.
My biggest complaint? They aren't open for dinner. Pro tip: It's cash only. Bring cash, or you'll need to hit up the ATM in the back.
Kingside Diner Takeaway. A high-stakes breakfast that's more straight than flush. The Standard Breakfast earns a respectable 7.8 / 10 on taste but is quite pricey. $13 for eggs, toast, and hashbrowns because it's in the Central West End. The hashbrown anchored the plate. I got a side of bacon, which was top-notch. The pancakes disappointed, earning a 4.5 / 10 pancake score.
One of the better breakfasts in St. Louis.
Service was speedy at 11 am on a Wednesday. It's much busier at peak times on weekends, so expect a bit of a wait for a table then. The entire diner has a playing card theme, from the logo at the front to the king and queen on the bathroom door labels. Metered street parking. I could have avoided paying for parking if I wanted to park five blocks away.
First Watch Takeaway. The Breakfast Comparison. 6.5 / 10 standard breakfast. 7 / 10 pancakes. Expensive. Fancy IHOP.
Crunchy corporate feeling, but always quick, clean, and friendly service. Can have massive wait times at busy points in the week. Check before you head over.
Now open in University City. Parking is normally straightforward at every location with dedicated lots. They are all over St. Louis, from the Central West End to St. Charles and everywhere in between.
Donut Drive In Takeaway. Drive up for donuts at midnight when the feeling is just right. 7.0 / 10 donuts. Better than Dunkin Donuts by a mile. The deep-fried fritter oozes with oil. The dense cinnamon swirl goes light on the cinnamon. Fluffy vanilla with sprinkles hits the spot.
I liked the vanilla frosted style more than the deeper fried variants.
They are open super late, except Monday when they are closed. The service is fun and fast. It feels like an old-fashioned mini donut bakery. Parking is in a small lot. Pre-order online the day before to skip the wait.
Baker's Dozen Donuts Takeaway. We got a literal and figurative mixed bag of donuts on our visits to Baker's Dozen Donuts. In total, I've tried seven donuts, from glazed to apple fritters. Unfortunately, most of them weren't very good. My favorite, at 7.1 / 10 on the donut score, would be the cinnamon sugar. The light cake dough lets the sugary coating do the talking. The rest of the donuts were all sub-6.
My four-year-old refused to eat the plain donut with chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles, which was a first. My older son's plain glazed tasted like lemon. The cinnamon bun came out a bit dry and lacked enough cinnamon for me.
I feel bad writing that because I love the vibe. A family-run establishment for over 30 years, it's the kind of small donut place that should knock your socks off. The working class vibes and clientele can get a donut for $1.15, priced very fairly. Cinnamon rolls and fritters cost an extra $1 to $2. Parking in a dedicated lot at the front. Tip: They run out of donuts at various times of the day. The earlier you get there, the better selection you'll have. They ran out by 9:30 am on a Thursday but were totally full at 7:30 am on a Saturday.
IHOP Takeaway. A Breakfast Convenience. Does Everything Fine. The best part of IHOP is the 7.5 / 10 coffee. The rest of the breakfast is convenient but expensive, coming in at least $11 for enough food. Too much butter masks whatever flavor lies underneath. The comparison breakfast so you can triangulate my tastes to yours. 5 / 10 Standard Breakfast. Pancakes are solid, but I can make them better at home, and they've gotten more expensive.
Service is quick. Super kid and family-friendly as every kid gets a placement to color on and crayons. Parking is always available in big, dedicated lots. You might have to wait a bit for a table at peak times.
Weekly reviews of restaurants, parks, and things to do All Around Saint Louis.