First Look: Kitchen House Coffee in South City

The second location of Kitchen House Coffee celebrated its grand opening today, Thursday, Jan. 3, at 7700 Ivory Ave.

After success at the Tower Grove East location since opening in September 2014, Kitchen House Coffee owner Paul Whitsitt decided to bring the eco-conscious cafe to the Patch neighborhood near Carondelet.

“Getting to know this neighborhood – we were regulars over at Stacked [STL] – we noticed there wasn’t really any specialty coffee nearby, but there are a lot of community gardens around,” said Whitsitt, who also owns Kitchen House Farm, where some ingredients are sourced. “With our urban farm theme, it seemed to be a good fit.”

Space is limited at the original location, which meant Whitsitt sourced much of the food from Companion and Whisk. Now, thanks to the new location’s full commercial kitchen, general manager Sam Weatherford said Kitchen House can make most menu items for both cafes. In fact, about 75 percent of everything offered, from peanut butter, bread and pastries to flavored syrups, is now house-made with a focus on locally sourced ingredients.

The new location also serves wine and a few specialty cocktails like a S’Mores White Russian and a Winter Farm Spritzer. Weekends will also feature brunch with items like breakfast pizza, French toast, smoothie bowls, loaded toast and more.

Like the Tower Grove East location, the new cafe offers pour-overs made with locally roasted coffee, as well as a selection of Big Heart Tea Co. beverages.

To complete the eco-friendly circle, a demonstration beehive (which will provide some honey for the restaurant) will be up and running by spring, along with a 42-plant hydroponic wall that will be filled with a variety of herbs and lettuces.

“Sustainability is important to us,” Weatherford said. “Our compost bins will be used to fertilize the hydro wall, and all our to-go containers are either compostable or recyclable. We also used repurposed and reclaimed wood during construction. We’re pushing the envelope in getting things local, sustainable and teaching that to our community.”

Here’s a first look at South City’s newest coffee shop.

Lauren Healey is associate editor at Sauce Magazine.