La Dolce Via Bakery & Cafe

Amazing Sunday morning brunch. The eggs here are fantastic, and they have the best grapefruit I have ever had. Well worth a trip from soulard.

Seriously, why does the staff have mustaches painted on their faces? I know I am old, but this was stupid, and there is no explanation whatsoever. So when you are ordering the person taking the order can see you trying to overlook their douchey stache and its just uncomfortable, It was almost enough for us to walk out. I am glad we didn’t though because I had some chicken and egg and mozzarella dish that was to die for– who ever thought the chicken and the egg would ever be such a great combination? The latte was excellent as well, it reminded me of South Park when Cartman ground up that kids parents to make chilli and first has to try Chefs chilli and he commented he had not expected the chilli to be that delicious, thats how I feel about this place.

What a wonderful little place hidden away in The Grove! I would love to recommend this place for a first date, a quiet breakfast alone, or a meal with some close friends… it’s really a nice and cozy café. I glanced at the full menu and it looks a little pricey, but I feel good supporting independent places like these! I’d come here over Bread Co. anytime, definitely.
Mainly because their homemade scones are out-​of-​this-​world delicious. The woman before me in line was with her parents, who were visiting from out of state, and they were buying giant boxes of them to bring home to keep in their freezer for the six months before coming back to visit their daughter in St. Louis. I have no idea how the scones hold up in the freezer, but I was floored. That was when I knew we were dealing with some seriously good scones here.
To drink, I also got something called the Skinny Vanilla Moo or something – I can’t remember the name of it, but it was absolutely delicious. Frothy, milky rich, and perfect with the buttery scones. Brightened the rest of my day!

Biscuits and gravy train
Was good. Portions could be bigger. Hey I’ll pay more for larger portions.

The Good: The food is really good. I got the mixed berry pancakes which consists of 4 small pancakes covered with fresh blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Simply amazing. The syrup soaks into the pancakes and provides the perfect amount of sweetness. I don’t usually like scones but this place has the best scones I’ve ever had. I had both the savory scone and the apple cinnamon scone and I’m having a hard time deciding which was better.
The Bad: The prices. I don’t mind if an item is overpriced or expensive, but I hate it when a place misleads me. This place does not have paper menus with prices on them but instead has a dry erase board with a list of menu items. There are also random pieces of paper taped to the wall with the specials which are confusing as hell. I ordered the mixed berry pancakes thinking they were $ 7.50 and when I was done I found out they were $ 12. Apparently there was this tiny «½» written in front of $ 7.50 which is impossible to see from where you order. You pay after you eat so I was forced to pay $ 21 for my breakfast. Had I known how much the things were I definitely would not have ordered what I ordered.
Overall: I really liked the food but they really need to get paper menus with prices or be organized with their white dry erase board. I think I’ll return one day because the food is good, but I won’t be returning any time soon.

It’s hard to find a breakfast place that actually has good pancakes. Normally when I go somewhere, it’s usually all about the other things like omletes, french toast and other breakfasty things. Never does a place I go to have a variety of pancakes unless it’s somewhere generic, like say, IHOP.
That being said, I enjoyed my original pancakes at La Dolce Via a lot. However, I did not feel as though they were enough to satiate my appetite; therefore, I also got the hash potatoes. Those hash potatoes were awesome. Usually you go somewhere and they are very mediocre, but these had the right amount of spice and veggies (onions and peppers) with it.
My bf got the strawberry pancakes and one of his complaints was that they did not provide syrup with them. I am assuming that was on purpose, but either way he ended up mooching off of my syrup. Another complaint was the prices. The pancakes were good, but for the size they provided us with they were a tad spendy.
The café itself has a strange setup, with a kids play area in the back and mismatched seating. While, it is bizzare, I still had a good time. We got their a little after they opened around 10 a.m. and the line was not very long for a Sunday. However an hour later, around 11 a.m. on a Sunday, there was a line out the door.
Overall, I enjoyed my food and probably will be back someday to get my pancake fix!

When I moved to my new place a couple of months ago, I was excited to get acquainted with my neighborhood coffee shop. Their hours never really meshed with my shifts at work, but now fit perfectly with home time.
The food is delicious. The biscuits and gravy blew me away – a well seasoned cheese scone with gravy that’s more sausage than sauce!!! Yes, please! A few people noted pricing is higher than similar joints around town, but I expect that from a place that sources their ingredients in a truly local fashion. It shows in the food. Also, I completely understand the $ 10 minimum – card processing can be quite expensive for amounts under that. The upside, they offer a cash discount! (Clever!)
The coffee is equally good, and priced right around average. Only knock, I’ve gotten slightly curdled (?) soy milk in my latte before – but as I’m not a barista, I’m not sure if that’s on the shop or the milk brand. It tasted fine (not spoiled). This has happened to me a time or two everywhere I’ve gone.
The atmosphere is cozy enough, and fits their purposes well. The space feels clean and homey.
So, where’s the downside? That’s the story.
My first few visits I was solo or with adult friends. After a couple of weeks, I decided to walk down with my 6 year old son for breakfast and to reading time. I’d noticed a play area in the back, so I assumed everything was completely kid friendly.
[I should note, my son has EXCELLENT restaurant manners; he orders politely for himself, stays seated, uses his indoor voice, and does not disturb other patrons. We are the family that cleans up everyone’s toys before we leave. I am the mom on the floor picking up rice he dropped. The staff had no way to know all of this, but his experience and behavior was evident.]
We ordered and chose the table right next to the play area. Before we did anything, I had him read the poster with the play area rules and explain them back to me. At this, I sat down to work while he began to play quietly.
While we were awaiting our food, the gentleman behind the counter came over to our table to ask if he had been there before. I confirmed he hadn’t. He proceeded to run through the list of rules again, including strictly detailed instructions on what to do with toys my son put in his mouth! (He’s six!) I assured him we had read the posted rules. His reply – he forgets they are posted, but they make sure to verbally go over it.
I felt accused and paranoid that we may break «Ye Holy Play Area» rules. The whole shop took on a new feel. Suddenly the sign that read, «Unattended children will be given a puppy and an espresso.» felt like demeaning snark instead of cute kitsch. I was nearly expecting to be handed a waiver.
I don’t blame the employee, just the procedure. The whole conversation could have felt better. Saying something to my son (for me to hear as well) as simple as, «Hey buddy! Remember to keep toys over there, blah blah blah. ., «would have felt far friendlier than lecturing Mom.
Long story to illustrate, I don’t expect every place to be kid friendly – not by a long shot. If you build a kid friendly space, have a kid friendly business.
Bottom line, great for grownups hanging solo, but for those of us with shorter companions, avoid.

I may have had too high of expectations going in since at the time of this review the Unilocal rating was 4.5 stars. Since I love me some breakfast food, I had to try this place out.
Lots of people have talked about the blueberry pancakes and since I am an avid pancake enthusiast I decided to give that a try. I was not to be disappointed. You could tell that the pancake batter was made from scratch and the blueberry’s were fresh (ie not out of a can). The pancakes were the perfect consistency. Just the right amount of fluffiness and flavor. Perfection or darn near!
I also ordered a side of bacon with the pancakes. Unfortunately the bacon came out very well done. If you like really crispy bacon I suppose that could be a plus for you. Worst of all, the bacon was cold when it came out. That’s a definite no-​no! Too bad since those pancakes were so good.
My wife wanted to get an omelet with no cheese but they said there was no way to separate out the cheese. I guess they premix the eggs and cheese? She ended up going with the gumbo which was nothing special.
The ordering process was a bit weird. You had to order your food and beverages at the counter. From there they would give you a number which you place on your table. At the end of your meal you had to go back up to pay. I found that a bit strange. Why not just pay when you order? It seemed to be extra work to have to go up again, and if there was a line, you would have to wait. When I got back up to pay, they asked if I had gotten a refill on my coffee (which I did). That was an extra charge. I found that to be strange since most places have an unlimited refill policy. At least the coffee was good I reasoned. But there was nowhere that I could see that stated that coffee refills cost extra. Which leads me to my next point.
The menus (plural) were a little confusing. They had some chalkboards hung on the wall, but you never felt certain you had seen everything they had to offer since the chalkboards were sort of here and there. The scones looked good, but there was no sign saying what they were. We didn’t ask.
The atmosphere felt a little bit run down. It was a kind of difficult to get around in the restaurant with the tables being so close together leaving you feeling just a little bit claustrophobic. The tables were mostly mismatched heights and sizes as were the chairs. This seemed to be more of a money saver than by design.
Conclusion
All and all the experience was just okay. The blueberry pancakes were darn good, but not good enough to overcome some of the other issues such as the disorganized ordering and paying process and cold bacon. I think La Dolce Via could probably improve in some of those areas and become a solid four star breakfast place, but for now, it’s a three for me.

Decided to check this place out last weekend with the BF.
It’s a smallish café that gave me Black Bear Bakery vibes when I walked inside. It seems kind of «hip» for no apparent reason. It’s nestled on the corner of Taylor and Arco over by the Grove.
I heard from many a Unilocal review that this place had stellar Wild Blueberry Pancakes so that’s what I ordered. I also got a mimosa which was probably a mistake because it wasn’t super delicious or anything and it ended up making our bill be like $ 25something for just breakfast. I need to learn to stay away from the booze, bwhaha. Sean got the plain pancakes. He was disappointed that there was no French Toast at this place. Oddly enough they had Eggs Benedict as a special that day and I had been SEVERELY CRAVING them just one day prior but ended up getting my fix (sort of) at First Watch. So I was kinda bummed because otherwise I would have ordered the benedict in a heartbeat especially because the guy working the counter said they bring in a special chef to make them including homemade Hollandaise sauce… none of that powdered mix stuff! :)
Anyhoo. We opted to sit outside because it was a freak 70 degree day in November. Yeah WTF St. Louis?! Oh well I’m not complaining, lol. We were greeted by a cute little fuzzy bee. He wanted to eat everyone’s syrup and that pissed some people off and they ended up relocating indoors. But we just kind of sat there and the bee landed on Sean’s plate and chilled out while eating syrup off his knife all upside-​down like. It was actually quite comical. We had a good laugh at the bee getting drunk off of La Dolce’s tasty syrup. I am pretty sure it wasn’t «real» maple syrup but it was still yummy, if memory serves me…
I’d definitely come back here. It wasn’t overly packed like certain other brunch/​breakfast spots *cough* Half and Half *COUGH* … and the food was pretty good. Seemed a little expensive to me, though, but could have been due to my hankering for pre-​noon alcoholism. Hrrrm. Next time I want to try something else with BERRIES in it hehehe. The ingredients here are verrry fresh! Recommended place if you’re looking for a new brunch spot to try and you don’t want to fight crowds of yuppies/​hipsters in Clayton. :D

I went to La Dolce Via today for the 1^st time. I absolutely love the neighborhood hangout feel. This is a place that I would be at every week if it was closer to my house. I guarantee that they know their regulars by name. It’s just that kind of place.
The man behind the counter was also one of the bakers, and gave me a detailed description of every dessert on the counter along with an offer to describe a bunch of desserts that I’m assuming where in the back and not on display.
The coffee comes with free refills and the wifi is free.
We had coffee and brunch and sat and talked for 4 hours. It’s that kind of place. The only reason that I’m giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is because while I liked my food, I wasn’t blown away. I ordered the egg scramble with beets and goat cheese over potato hash browns. It was good, but could have used a little more seasoning. I also bought some honey produced by someone who lives 2 doors from the restaurant (haven’t tried it yet) and grabbed a blackberry-​raspberry cheese stolen dessert slice to go (yum!).
I’ll definitely be back and hope to try some other food options so I can up the rating to a 5.

Biscuits and gravy are so AMAZING!!! I scraped my plate clean and that’s really saying something because gravy is not one of my favorite things. I docked them a star only because they were pricey. My breakfast cost almost as much as dinner the night before and all I had was a small plate of biscuits and gravy and a mocha. Though to be fair they use lamb sausage gravy.
Staff are all super nice and really take the time to go over the menu with you, including the delectable looking desserts. Will definitely be returning to try those.

EAT BREAKFAST HERE!!! The only problem you’ll encounter is deciding which awesome food creation to order!
Their breakfast sandwich is the best I’ve ever had… and I live in Boston. Egg and bacon are served up on a moist, cheesy, herby scone. It’s also the perfect size — not too big.
But do NOT miss their «Berries and Cream.» Worth every penny, it’s a bowl of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries in some sort of sweetened heavy cream. I have no idea where they source all their berries but they’re the best, juiciest, firmest, sweetest berries around. Oh how I WISH I could find this exact breakfast dish in Boston!
You also HAVE TO get the wild blueberry pancakes, if you at all like pancakes. Fluffy perfection.
Finally, their egg scrambles are always to die for. Served over «hash» (tiny diced potates fried with tiny onion bits) … they’re savory deliciousness.
The only room for improvement I can see is in the coffee. I prefer mine strong brewed… but perhaps others like the more traditional, less-​intense cup.
BONUS FOR PARENTS: A play area for kids that makes it so much easier for you to enjoy your breakfast. They were a little squeamish when our 12 month old had a simple runny nose… probably just from teething since I stay home with him and he’s never sick. It’s understandable… people who don’t currently have young children probably aren’t aware that most kids these days are in day cares and runny noses are par for the course. When I worked in a daycare there was ALWAYS at least one kid who had one, constantly. Parents can’t take off work for runny noses — day care kids get them all the time. All that is to say, I appreciate that they wanted to make sure the play area was germ-​free for future kids, but a runny nose probably isn’t worth multiple workers stalking us about it.

This is a delightful little place and I’m really glad one of my friends told me about it, because I would never have stumbled across it on my own.
I’ve been there twice now, and I’d be happy to return. Their brunch menu is simple and short, but solid. I’ve had their biscuit and gravy, their blueberry pancakes, and one of their egg scrambles, and I’d gladly order every single one of those again! I also had one of their drinks, which was a Chai Latte with espresso, and I loved it! A bit too rich to finish in one sitting, but it was still good the next morning after being in the fridge.
It’s definitely a very small, unpolished place (you order first at the front, then sit down, then have to go back up to pay), but the service is good and it’s got a lot of charm. If you live in the CWE area, it’s probably not too long of a walk for you, and it’s a safe walk. Very pleasant way to start off a beautiful weekend day (and even a rainy one!).

Had brunch here with BF and his mother last weekend. Overall I’d say I’m a fan.
I liked that it was a very relaxed, casual atmosphere, but with good quality food.
BF and I both had the biscuits and gravy. While the biscuit was absolutely amazing, I found the gravy to have a somewhat strange consistency and the lamb sausage was a little dry and occasionally tasteless, like the seasonings hadn’t been incorporated evenly. My egg, too was a bit overdone… :(
The coffee, however, was fantastic, and as a weekday caffeine teetotaler, I am picky about my weekend coffee.
BF’s mom enjoyed her pancakes, too, which looked super yummy.

Where do you go when you get caught in the pouring rain on a bike ride on Easter Sunday far far from home? The closest coffee spot you can find that’s open! That’s exactly what the hubby and I did when we stumbled into La Dolce Via.
It was pretty hoppin’ with people enjoying a late brunch of eggs and pancakes and whatnot. I wish their bakery counter was labeled, because that poor cashier had to point out all of their bakery items one by one every time someone asked what they had… which nearly everyone did in line ahead of us.
Chai Latte stat! I needed something warm to shake off the cold wetness that I had become in my all cotton gear that soaked up the rain like a sponge. Little FYI, if you’re using a credit card the bill must be a minimum of $ 10. So we ordered up a slice of cake while we’re at it, figuring we might be a while the way the rain picked up.
The Chai was a little disappointing. It was a latte without the Chai, so basically warm milk. The chocolate Torta di Tara cake made a better impression. Layers of amaretto soaked chocolate cake and extra rich fudgey chocolate mousse topped with a super buttery cinnamon-​amaretto buttercream frosting. It was good, almost too rich tho. But it was enough of a sugar boost to bust booty and get ourselves home, soaking wet.

Got some to-​go coffee. Was simple and decent. Nothing super special. Would love to go back and try out some of the menu for brunch or a simple lunch.
Next time maybe.

Came back for Round 2 with those delicious strawberry pancakes. They won again. When am I going to be able to finish all of that bruncy goodness?

Not bad! I was feeling snackish after dinner, and me and Andy were in the area, so we stopped by for something sweet.
This café is on a corner in a cute little neighborhood. It was pretty empty when we came in, but at 7:00pm on a Saturday night, I guess that’s not too surprising.
Anyway, the guy working there was SO nice. He took the time to explain every single dessert that they had (and they have a LOT!), which was a nice touch.
Everything looked SO good. They make every single dessert on site, which is pretty awesome if you ask me.
I decided to go with the Torta di Tara: Chocolate buttermilk sponges layered with amaretto and chocolate mousse, frosted with a cinnamon-​amaretto buttercream. MMMM! It was so decadent, dense, and rich! I loved loved LOVED the buttercream icing. The hint of cinnamon at the end was subtle, but delicious.
I will definitely come back, because I want more dessert! And I’d like to try their lunch/​dinner menu.
They also have a wide array of coffee drinks. And free wi-​fi! You can’t beat that!
They prefer cash (and will give you a 3% discount if you use that method of payment) or checks (2% discount), but will accept credit cards (only for orders over $ 10).

There’s a reason La Dolce Via is a must-​stop when I entertain out-​of-​town guests. It hits all the right notes with food, service and atmosphere.
Food — I’ve never hit LDV up for its relatively new dinner hours, but Sunday breakfast/​brunch? Hells yeah! I typically get the blueberry pancakes and a side (or three) of potatoes, called hash. The pancaskes are bursting with blueberry goodness, and they’re so fluffy. Four on a plate — be a pig! Dump a ton of their yummy syrup on them, and you’re good to go. The hash is delicious, too. The potatoes are diced and combined with tiny bits of onions, parsley, spices and other scrumptious things. One day, I’ll order nothing but five plates of this stuff!
I’ve also tried LDV’s multiple berry pancakes and their new berry waffles — all good stuff!
In addition to breakfast foods, they have sandwiches, eggs, omelets and more. Don’t forget about scones, cookies, cakes and more! And EVERYTHING is homemade!
Service — The good folks at LDV are out of this world. The same family members are there each time you visit, and they have honest-​to-​goodness conversations with you. No, seriously, it’s not annoying! They’ll talk to you about their food, zombies, the latest political scandal, whatever! They’re some of the nicest food folks I’ve come across in St. Louis, and I’m totally happy to eat the yummy things they serve up.
Oh, they bring your food pretty quickly, too. It should be assumed, considering the praise I just gave them above, but thought I’d throw it out there.
Atmosphere — LDV is charming, situated on a tree-​lined corner on Taylor. It’s one of those adorable, pointy buildings you find throughout the neighborhood, and you can’t help but feel at home here. You can eat outside and watch the world go by, or venture indoors and take in the fab indie music, delicious smells, and variety of reading materials. Also awesome — no smoking!
FYI — You can drive to LDV, but why not take the Metrolink to the CWE station and walk south a few blocks? It’s a lovely walk on a nice day.
La Dolce Via seriously is one of my favorite places in St. Louis. I’m so proud that we have such fabulous restaurants that are run by people who love food and community!

Fantastic spot, heavy in my weekend brunch rotation. They serve brunch until 2pm, which is VERY appreciated on those especially slow weekend mornings. I almost always get some sort of egg scramble. There are usually about 4 to choose from. However they do run out of ingredients if you go late. Last time I had a goat cheese & mushroom. I believe lamb sausage and cheddar was another option. The potatoes that come with the scramble are also very well done — lightly charred, diced in little pieces with a touch of heat. The pancakes are pretty yummy, espcially when you get them with the generous portions of fresh fruit.
The menu (written on a dry-​erase board) is constantly changing based on ingredients. They try to incorporate locally produced stuff as well. There is no cookie-​cutter crap here. Everything is fresh and housemade with love. I also enjoy the melodic-​sounding indie stuff on the speakers. I can recall hearing Beirut on more than one occasion.
Last time I was here I lucked out and they gave me about 6 of their leftover homemade scones. I felt like a kid on Christmas. The scones are amazing. Delicate, not overly sweet and bursting with fresh fruit. For the rest of the day I drove around and played Scone Fairy. You see, being my friend occasionally has its perks.
They give you a glass mug for coffee, which I think is strange, but whatever. There’s RFTs to read, and I think they have the Sunday New York Times for sale. Prices are not cheap, but very reasonable for the quality. Overall it’s a very pleasant laidback brunchy environment.