There are some things that beg to be announced: weddings, babies, groundbreakings, ships casting off for the first time.
But beloved St. Louis restaurants returning — no word needed.
At least such was the case for the rebirth of Mom’s Deli in St. Louis Hills. The southside staple quietly opened its new doors at the beginning of September and sold hundreds of sandwiches to hungry St. Louisans thanks in part to a viral Reddit post.
The deli had closed after a nearly 50-year run on Jamieson Avenue in Lindenwood Park in February amid a legal squabble between sibling heirs. The news shook fans of the Mom’s Special: turkey, ham, roast beef, pizza cheese, fixings and Thousand Island dressing.
“This is the Michael Jordan of sandwich shops,” Rod Alton of Shrewsbury told STLPR a few days after the reopening. “The day it opened was the day we came. … It was the greatest feeling, like being a kid in the candy store.”
But if Mom’s reopening was the big news of September, an influx of fresh coffee shops was the persistent thread.
Old North added the Daily Drip Coffee Cafe while Fuddle Duddle Coffee Co. opened within Old Bakery Beer Co. in Alton. The Chocolate Cafe opened up within Bissinger’s factory on the Hill. Upshot FlyBy took the place of Road Crew Coffee in Tower Grove South — don’t worry, it still has the bikes — while Zensia Coffee brought its focus on Colombian brews to Clayton. Finally, Qahwatea Coffee in Ellisville aims to bring a Yemeni coffee experience to the region. The shop is open later than some: 10 p.m. on weekdays, midnight on Saturday and 11 p.m. on Sunday.
Closings were fewer. but of note is Hot Pizza Cold Beer, which shuttered in downtown St. Louis after less than two years. The ownership group still has Hi-Pointe Drive-In and Sugarfire Smokehouse within a few blocks of the restaurant.
Openings
- Bissinger’s Chocolate Cafe, the Hill
- Cafe Amalia, Kirkwood
- Daily Drip Coffee Cafe, Old North
- Fuddle Duddle Coffee Co., Alton
- La Vie al Fresco, Clayton
- Mom’s Deli, St. Louis Hills
- Noteworthy Cultural Center and Cafe, Central West End
- O'Love Boutique, Chesterfield
- Tender Love BBQ, Kirkwood (in Schnucks)
- The Mexican STL, Crestwood
- Stacked STL, Central West End
- Upshot FlyBy, Tower Grove South
- Qahwatea Coffee, Ellisville
- Zensia Coffee, Clayton
Closings
- Anita Cafe and Bar, Midtown
- Boathouse at Forest Park, Forest Park (temporary for renovations)
- Hangar Kitchen + Bar, Rock Hill
- Hot Pizza Cold Beer, Downtown
- Road Crew Coffee, Tower Grove South
- Just Chicken, Ferguson
See one I missed? Let me know at jrogen@stlpr.org.
