Coffeestamp opens location in downtown St. Louis

Photography by Cheryl Baehr

Photography by Cheryl Baehr

When Patrick Clapp thinks about all the different locations that he and his brother, Spencer, may have opened Coffeestamp‘s second brick-and-mortar location, he couldn’t be extra thrilled that they selected downtown St. Louis.

“We looked at places in all different neighborhoods, and downtown wasn’t what we had in mind at first,” Clapp says. “But when we went down there, looked at the space, saw everything happening, and then talked to people in the neighborhood, we felt the potential and knew we could make it happen. We want to bring our great product and service and care for the community to downtown, and we couldn’t be more happy to be down here.”

The new Coffeestamp retailer, which opens September 25 at 1228 Washington Avenue, represents the third location for the model, together with its preliminary spot on Jefferson Avenue and a small café inside Washington University’s Hillman Hall. Clapp guarantees the model’s similar ethically sourced espresso and Latin American-inflected meals, along with some new gadgets. Hours will likely be from 7:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Monday by way of Saturday.

Here’s what to know earlier than you go.

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The Atmosphere

According to Clapp, he and his brother had been serious about a further location ever since they expanded their Jefferson area to incorporate a commissary kitchen and enhanced roasting capability. About a 12 months in the past, they got here throughout the downtown property and immediately fell in love with the constructing’s structure and potential. They had been additionally impressed by what they noticed taking place within the space.

“There’s a lot happening on Washington Avenue, and we are really excited to be part of that momentum,” Clapp says. “Alex Oliver [the developer going all-in on revitalizing the area] is our landlord, and he’s been incredible to work with and has helped take care of what we need in the space. He’s doing the food hall in the area, putting in apartments right above our store. We’re happy to be here and be a place where the community can connect.”

Clapp says that he and his brother had been additionally interested in the constructing itself. He factors to the excessive ceiling, architectural particulars, good format, ample kitchen, and site within the coronary heart of Washington Avenue as what enticed them to signal on the property. He and his group took the clean canvas and turned it right into a heat, welcoming area; the partitions are painted in a impartial blush shade, and a wide range of crops adorn the room. A seating nook is situated close to the doorway; the remainder of the shotgun-style area is outfitted with blonde wooden tables and chairs, in addition to a high-top communal desk, which sits near the order counter.

In addition to the primary eating room, the brand new retailer has a smaller overflow room close to the entrance. Clapp says the intimate area, which will be closed off from the primary eating space, is ideal for particular occasions, personal events, or board conferences. He’s additionally grateful to have the additional room for added seating as enterprise dictates.

Photography by Cheryl Baehr

Photography by Cheryl Baehr

Throughout the area, Clapp was intentional within the décor; all the paintings is from his native Honduras, together with ornamental pottery made by descendants of the Mayans, in addition to assorted stoneware vessels which can be used for cooking and serving. A Honduran craftsman makes use of pine needles to make the bowls used for serving the restaurant’s signature empanadas.

“Once people see it, I know I hope they will say that it is a welcoming space,” Clapp says. “We want it to be somewhere for people to hang out and stay. That is what coffeeshops are about: working, catching up with friends, studying. That’s what we want for the space in addition to serving the best coffee and food possible.”

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The Menu

Coffeestamp’s dedication to high-quality meals and low has garnered a loyal following because the first location opened on Jefferson Avenue in 2018. For the brand new location, the Clapp brothers are constructing upon that basis. They will provide all the similar drinks that individuals have come to count on equivalent to freshly roasted, ethically sourced espresso, agua frescas, and horchada. Everything is made in home in as conventional a manner as potential. The horchada is a selected labor of affection; the group begins by making the rice milk from scratch and blends it with a particular mixture of spices.

The meals menu can be just like the Jefferson location. The restaurant will serve the model’s signature empanadas in a wide range of flavors. The Napolitana is sort of a pizza pocket, crammed with contemporary mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, and basil; one other model, the Asada, is crammed with hunks of juicy marinated steak, tomatillo sauce, and queso fresco. A employees favourite, the Baleada, pairs scrambled eggs with baked beans, fried candy plantains, contemporary cream, and cotija cheese. The group can be excited a few new empanada that’s particular to the Washington Avenue location: The Wash Ave, which is full of french fries, Provel cheese, and beef chili.

“Some people call it the ‘hangover’ empanada,” Clapp says with fun, although his colleague Sam Padilla has a extra St. Louis-style title for the dish. 

“I say it’s like a slinger,” Padilla says. 

In addition to empanadas, the Washington Avenue location will serve two sorts of breakfast tacos: one crammed with egg and chorizo; the opposite is a vegetarian model made with eggs and plantains. Clapp can be excited to convey again a longtime fan favourite, the Choripan, which will likely be particular to the brand new location. As he explains, he and his brother ran it as a particular on the Jefferson location, and folks begged them to place it on the menu. The massive sandwich, served on crusty bread, is overstuffed with a agency, grilled model of chorizo (assume smoked sausage texture) that’s gilded with verdant, handmade chimichurri.

Photography by Cheryl Baehr

Photography by Cheryl Baehr

“We wanted something special just for this location, and we think people are going to be really excited to see that we’ve put it on the menu,” Clapp says. 

Coffeestamp has a robust in-house pastry program, and its every day choices embody blueberry muffins, gingersnap cookies, the Chocolate Stamp cookie (conventional chocolate chip made with walnuts and a few entire decaf espresso beans), and an oatmeal raisin cookie made utilizing a recipe from the director of operations’ grandmother. The restaurant additionally affords a number of flavors of alfajores, equivalent to key lime pistachio, coconut dulce de leche, and peanut butter and jelly, made out of a recipe from the Clapp brothers’ mom. 

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The Backstory

The Clapp brothers opened Coffeestamp within the Fox park neighborhood in 2018 as a approach to share a chunk of their native Honduras with St. Louis. Growing up within the shadow of “La Tigra” National Park in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, the Clapps had been raised within the nation’s famend espresso area. When they got here to the United States, they had been struck by how completely different the espresso was and set about to alter that, first by way of a roasting enterprise and finally as a café and restaurant, which has turn into a bastion of Honduran delicacies for St. Louis diners.

Now, of their new area, they hope to share their love for espresso and meals with their new neighbors and assist construct momentum downtown. “Every city needs a downtown—it’s the heart of any city and town,” Clapp says. “Ours has had its ups and downs, but it has the potential to be something great. For me, it has been nothing but inspiring to be down here and hear from business owners and residents who are so happy we are here and are excited for what could be. It’s nothing but more motivation for us. I always say, ‘Be the change you want to see in the world.’ I know it’s a challenge with ups and downs, but we are here for it.”

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Coffeestamp
📍1228 Washington, Downtown
⏰Mon-Sat: 7:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m.