Downtown St. Louis is home to a new late-night coffee spot. Carrie Harris, owner of The Crack Fox, recently opened Odditeas Cafe & Art Lounge in the next door space at 1116 Olive St. The venture combines a community need for an evening cafe with Harris’s long-held desire to own an art gallery and retail space. Customers can enjoy espresso and tea drinks with house-made syrups, as well as food like flatbreads and wraps, while checking out art and products from local vendors.
Harris described Odditeas as a “no-pressure drinking environment” where customers can come to experience community. The house-made syrups she offers include lavender, cardamom coconut and Mexican cinnamon, all of which can be used in espresso drinks. The distinct cocktail menu focuses on barrel-aged spirits and infusions. Harris’s commitment to freshly made ingredients shines in the drinks, like the carajillo. This barrel-aged coffee cocktail features the cardamom coconut syrup and can also be turned into a tea martini. Outside of cocktails and coffee, Odditeas serves the London Tea Merchants line. These teas are also the base for the unique mocktail offerings, which aim to replicate the taste of cocktails without NA spirits.
Currently, Odditeas is open for lunch Thursday through Saturday, and the menu includes a dill chicken salad sandwich on a croissant, as well as curried rice and flatbreads that run the spectrum from sweet to savory. The upcoming fall menu will feature hardy items like soup, fried rice and mac ‘n cheese. In the near future, the cafe will open for breakfast and offer breakfast sandwiches and quick-grab staples like overnight oats and chia pudding.
“The Crack Fox has always had this distinct subculture vibe,” Harris said. “I’m really proud of that, but I also wanted to create a space where the daytime crowd could feel welcome too.” Harris took over The Crack Fox six months after it opened. In the 15 years since she’s made it her own, she’s also had the dream of expanding into the next door space. It wasn’t until after she got the keys to 1116 Olive St., however, that she knew what she wanted to do with it. She detailed the experience of being out late one night and wishing she could find somewhere to get a cup of coffee; there, the idea for Odditeas Cafe & Art Lounge was born.
“I got to decorate and design everything in here – that was really, as an artist, such a dream,” Harris said of Odditeas. Customers can peruse the artwork covering the walls, as well as local merchandise like vintage clothing and handmade jewelry. The mezzanine level is an intimate space where groups can meet or individuals can get away with a book or laptop. It’s also the perfect spot to get a closer look at the ceiling that Harris has handpainted with stars and sunbursts to mimic the night sky. These high ceilings make it a perfect space for the aerial artists, among other performers, who put on events at the cafe.
Odditeas Cafe & Art Lounge will be hosting its grand opening sometime in December, but customers can already visit from 5 p.m. to midnight on Tuesday and Wednesday, while Thursday through Sunday the hours will go from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. (or later). Expanded breakfast hours and food options will come later this fall.