Soulard Coffee Garden Café

The neighborhood of Soulard needs its Coffee Garden. Besides being the area's only true coffeehouse, it's also one of the only places to have breakfast, and almost the only non-bar eatery where a non-bar, non-greasy, non-fried lunch can be had. Daybreak brings the usual assortment of bagels and muffins, plus a surprising array of omelettes and other full plates; lunch leans heavily toward juicy pressed sandwiches, accompanied by your choice of greens or fruit salad. An upstairs room that doubles as an art gallery and, as promised by the name, a lovely brick-lined garden out back makes Soulard Coffee Garden the kind of hangout that encourages lingering; you'll probably be late getting to wherever you're supposed to go next.