Companion

I was slightly devastated when this place closed in the CWE.
WiFi, good lunch food, and good coffee. Add the lovely study-​friendly tables and the view into the bread kitchen, and it was absolutely wonderful for me and my study habits.
Where am I supposed to go now? Coffee Cartel? I think not.

The breads are great, and they have a nice selection of some really delicious sandwiches and soups. Even a half sandwich is enough for a lunch. Their breakfast sandwiches are wonderful and they will cater to exactly what you want on it.
I didn’t try any of the sweet bread items, but they look delicious too!
The atmosphere is wonderful and very welcoming and friendly. There is indoor and «outdoor» seating in a covered patio, and some on the street as well. Not open very late, but it’s a better spot for breakfast/​brunch/​lunch anyway!

Okay, for someone who has mostly given up refined sugar and simple carbs, like bread, Companion is the place where my diet goes out the door as soon as I enter.
First of all: It’s the bread. Crusty, dense artisanal bread. Get a sandwich just to get the bread. Get soup, just to get the bread. Sell a kidney, just to get the bread. Or, just buy a loaf to take home. It’s really that good.
Second: It’s the pastries. Cakes, tarts, cookies, and what I believe the Greeks referred to when they wrote about divine ambrosia: the morning bun (mo mo). It’s flaky, because the dough is based on a crossant. It is coated, covered and filled with cinnamon & sugar. Add a cup of Companion’s strong drip coffee (black) and you have found the divine nectar to your ambrosia.
They have a lovely offering of egg-​based breakfast/​brunch items in the mornings, as well as great lunch salads, soups and sandwiches.
In the warm months, try to snag one of the few tables outside and rub shoulders with the chess wizards who frequent the game tables in front of the adjacent Chess Club as you sip your coffee and enjoy buttery mouth-​watering pieces off your mo-​mo.

I love Companion! For breakfast, brunch, or lunch, this is definitely a top choice: the sandwiches, soups, and salads are to die for. I’ve enjoyed their «Crisp Fall Day» and chicken salad sandwiches, for instance, and there are many more items on the menu I’m looking forward to trying.
The atmosphere is warm and cozy. Combined with the delicious food, it’s sort of the ideal «morning after» place– a hedonistic oasis of comfort and, well, companionship.
I really wanted to give this place five stars, but it’s gotta be four for the time being. Service has been the tiniest bit iffy the last few times I’ve gone, and the prices are just a little too high to make me more of a regular customer (as one reviewer noted, $ 15 for lunch is not unusual). Come on, guys, they’re just sandwiches, however delicious!
Looking forward to going back to Companion at the nearest opportunity.

‘Tis the season for my favorite Companion sandwich, the Fa la la la la! This little number is a turkey on Ciabatta with cranberry sauce slathered all over it. Yum-​tastic!
When it’s not Christmastime, I also like a sack lunch from Companion– ½ sandwich, chips, cookie and lemon soda. Try their tuna, spring chicken or crisp fall day sandwiches. Or if you aren’t a sandwich person (not sure how you could pass on any of their options, but whatevs!) Companion also offers soups and salads. And of course they have awesome cookies!
Companion has an absolutely charming atmosphere and STL should be proud to call this a true hometown business.

I work in the CWE now so I eat here all the time, too much that I’ve actually had to stop going there so that I don’t get sick of it. But I’ve gone back! Lol. They are usually very nice, especially one of the managers, I forget her name. Food is great and quickly prepared. I’m always curious as to what soups they will have for the day. Great Veggie options too!

I love Companion! Over the summer time I usually go to Companion on a regular basis to indulge or rather enjoy their gazpacho-​its great. I aslo love the mermaid (tuna salad) sandwich, as well as the frenchie (turkey, brie, sprouts and honey mustard). Its slightly overpriced, but you get enough food to feed an army for each sandwich you order! All of the sandwiches are awesome, and the soups and breakfast items are great as well.
Its quick, easy, and fabulous!

Loved, loved, loved the sandwiches! The bread is soooo good! Thank goodness Dierberg’s carries them! Ambience was kinda hip & cool. They have a lot of tasty treats! The rooibos hot tea could have been better. But, hey they don’t make it themselves. It comes out of a box. Staff was very friendly.

Sandwiches are out of this world and the home made chips are fabulous.
If I were a morning person/​coffee drinker, I would come to this place too often.

I love the atmosphere here. My brother-​in-​law brought me here for lunch and I had split pea soup, a tuna sandwich, and the pretzel bread. It rocks. I’m not a resident here, and I wish we had something like this at home! I was so full that I really didn’t need dinner. I do admit that it was a little pricey.

I really like Companion and they have a good variety of sandwiches. I do take off a star because I feel they REALLY skimp on the hummus on the Rodrigo’s Big Picnic and the prices are pretty darn high. The bread it top quality however and worth the trip. It is true the sandwiches are pretty big, but they are mostly bread (or maybe that is just the vegetarian sandwiches I choose from). The soups always get good reviews from my partners in crime at lunch but I tend to stick to the sandwiches out of habit and my need for veg friendly soups (I don’t pre-​plan that much!).

As a SLU student, I love coming here to study and get some good filling food. For lunch they have great soups (tomato bisque, corn chowder, broccoli & cheese) sandwiches and salads. I like the Harvest Salad with mixed greens, cranberries, apples, pecans and mustard dressing.
Breakfast is my favorite by far, however, with REAL oatmeal, yogurt parfaits, baked eggs, and fresh bread/​toast (cranberry pumpkin seed!)
Only complaints — soups sometimes cold, overpriced (basically twice panera’s prices) and very limited plug ins for computers — but free wi fi!

Awesome Central West End location that’s bright and cheerful and the perfect lunch spot. We stopped in and had a cup of soup and sandwich. If only I had known that the portions were HUMUNGOUS! I would have ordered the half sandwich.
Had the Mediterranean Lentil soup as did My Dining Partner in Crime. For my sandwich I chose the Fa la la la Sandwich, which consisted of roasted turkey, house made cranberry sauce, baby swiss, lettuce and tarragon mayo on Ciabatta. It’s like leftover Thanksgiving dinner without the fuss.
My dining partner in crime had the Crisp Fall Day Sandwich. roasted turkey, brie, arugula and apple butter perfectly browned on tangy New York Rye. Equally good.
Overall a great lunch stop. The housemade breads, cookies and pastries looked divine, just didn’t have room for more.

I stopped here for lunch one day and it was really pleasant. I liked the colors of the place, the airy and happy feel inside. I had the «Picnic Salad» which was tasty. I wanted to get one of fabulous looking pastries in the case (and oh goodness did they look fabulously delicious) but I didn’t– but I’ll be sure to grab one next time I pop by for lunch.

So, I love it for these two reasons:
1. It’s tasty. Granted, I’ve only had pastries and some coffee. But they also have hot food choices (next time, I’m totally trying the oatmeal) and the pastries I had were made well (and delicious) and the coffee I had wasn’t your standard swill – it was definitely good as non-​coffee shop coffee goes.
2. I LOVE the atmosphere. Can I say that again? I LOVE it. Indoor areas to sit and be cozy on a cold night and a greenhouse-​like room that lets light in everywhere to make the perfect weekend breakfast/​brunch.
Bottom line: Great spot for a leisurely breakfast!

It’s basically a fresh bread-​smelling cafeteria. But then again fresh bread goes a long way. Companion’s fresh bread is definitely something to behold… with butter and jam.
I know I said «cafeteria» and unfortunately, I felt that way, ordering a chicken sandwich. It seemed to me that they just slapped the food together and sent me on my way. It was a bit expensive too, in the way that St. Louis Bread Co. (Panera Bread Co.) is expensive. Sometimes you just want to be satisfied with your lunch.
There’s a lot of passion in the bread, it seems, and that’s what is worth the visit: that crackly-​fresh crust and soft, bready interior. Yum. May I suggest skipping the café and going straight home with a loaf?

This is definitely my new favorite sandwich place in St. Louis.
I’ve been to the Companion on Forsyth in Clayton a few times. It’s OK… not a favorite. We recently tried the new location in the West End and LOVED it. It’s much larger than the Clayton location, with tables outside, in the main room, in a side sunroom, and in a back «family style» table. (The back room can be closed off for private use).
The space is bright, airy, and sophisticated. Lots of little touches make it really unique and interesting. It feels more like New York or San Francisco than St. Louis. Before lunch, we hung out on our laptops and drank iced teas… it was good people watching, and the staff didn’t mind the patrons lingering.
The food is overpriced but delicious. I had the Turkey Reuben grilled on Ciabatta and it was fantastic. The breads and pastries are really great.
This is like St. Louis Bread Co times two. Highly recommended.

I’ve only been to the CWE Companion, the newest of the Companion bakeshops/​cafes, a few times and I’ve been unable to stray from one of my current favorite sandwiches, Cocktail Party. It’s really simple. Brie, crisp, thinly sliced Gala apples, and apricot spread on walnut bread, and toasted in a panini grill. It’s such an amazing variation of a grilled cheese sandwich – total comfort food. I’m tempted to go get one now. It should be noted that for people with a smallish stomach capacity, the ½ sandwich might suffice.
They offer a good variety of sandwiches as well as soups, salads, and as Companion is locally known for their yummy baked goods, bagels breads, pastries, and amazing looking cakes. You can also buy a spoonful of icing if your sweet tooth hits you like a brick wall.
An item that seems to be popular, although honestly not appealing to non-​meat-​eating me is the 1908, a big and yes, pricy, hot dog. I watched a friend eat it and it seemed pretty decadent with purple slaw, a beef frank, and a somewhat obscene amount of spicy mustard. It also appears that it might be necessary to consume it with a fork.
As for drinks, you can get your coffee fix, a Naked bottled smoothie, juice, a Fitz’s rootbeer, or draft Shlafly.
The best place to sit is the big glassed-​in room. From there, you can see their herb garden which takes up an entire exterior wall.

Companion is a nice place to stop by and get quick bite to eat. I stopped by there the other day for what I like to call second breakfast. That is the second breakfast, the meal between breakfast and lunch. So, anyway, I stopped in there and having never been inside before I was looking forward to something new and different. The place is nice, the dcor fits well with the atmosphere that the place has going, easy and relaxing.
Since I was having second breakfast I opted for something on the smaller side. I ended up getting a nice pastry and some juice. What I had was something like a slice of pie, but with sugary crust all around it. For the life of me I can’t quite remember the name of what it was called other than, sugary goodness.

Companion is a weekend favorite.
Good coffee, great egg souffles, awesome bread (um duh!), and a bit of people watching all wrapped into one place for breakfast or brunch. Oatmeal and granola with fruit, are equally good options for your morning meal.
Every neighborhood needs a local joint, where we can all gather to read the paper, sit in the sun (whenever it shows up), and chat.
Don’t forget about the origins of Companion are its baked goods.
Their cakes and pastries are very good.
(For the management team: One «area of opportunity» would be the service behind the counter. Everyone is delightful, really… but the process of ordering food, moving through the line, then paying — whenever there are three or more people waiting — is cumbersome.)