“Gears, grinds and good times.” That’s the slogan at Second Street Bike Stop Café, a cyclery-eatery that recently opened in historic downtown St. Charles. The café, located at 1325 N. Second St., serves breakfast and lunch, offering an extensive espresso bar, freshly baked goods from Companion, sandwiches and salads, plus soups once the weather cools.
Owner Jodi Devonshire, a cycling enthusiast, has named each of the café’s sandwiches after area bike trails such as the nearby Katy Trail, Augusta’s Klondike and Greensfelder in Eureka. The sandwiches also fit into bikers’ healthy lifestyle, as over half are vegetarian, with options for vegans too. A daily selection of pastries, hearty wraps and breakfast sandwiches fuel cyclists on a morning circuit.
But the café doesn’t cater only to hungry bypassers. Pedaling devotees can smile knowing that, apart from biking sales and services, Second Street Bike Stop Café also organizes rides. Every Saturday morning is gals only, but there is a full slate of road and mountain biking excursions open to all riders.
Hours are Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday and Tuesday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Wednesday to Saturday 7:00 a.m. to 7 p.m. However, you can soon expect to see Second Street open later on weekends with plenty of live music, thanks to the liquor license the café recently received, Devonshire noted.
This article appears in Sep 1-30, 2010.