First Look: Maypop Coffee & Garden Shop in Webster Groves

The cafe portion of Maypop Coffee & Garden Shop opened Saturday, May 26, at 803 Marshall Ave., in Webster Groves.

As Sauce reported earlier this month, Maypop opened as a garden center earlier in May with plans to open the cafe soon after. The shop offers a variety of locally made food and beverage options, many of which are vegan or gluten-free.

“Maypop is a colloquial name for a native flower; most know it by the name passionflower vine,” said Laura Caldie, director of marketing and outreach for Maypop. “We chose it to be our namesake because we like how multifunctional it is – stunningly beautiful, edible and has history of being used medicinally.”

Featuring mostly two-top tables, Maypop seats about 20 to 30 guests between its indoor and outdoor spaces. The kitchen is not large enough to produce its own food, so the shop sources java from Blueprint Coffee, tea from Big Heart Tea Co. and the majority of its food from Living Room, although some French pastries from Like Home Comme a la Maison are available on the weekends.

Offerings from Living Room include some of the Maplewood cafe’s regular menu, as well as a few items specially made for Maypop. The menu is seasonal, but customers can get items like muffins, scones, salads, yogurt with jam and, because Deer Creek Park is nearby, “Park Packs” with healthy meals like hummus and veggies or crackers, meat and cheese.

The coffee shop is meant to segue into the garden portion of Maypop. “We thought it would be really nice to have a cafe element at a garden center because there are so many people that come to plants through a food and beverage outlook,” Caldie explained.

The cafe doesn’t offer alcohol as part of its regular menu, but Caldie said the company should have a liquor license within the next few weeks so they can include booze at some events, like interactive gardening workshops.