Cafe LaNae is a fantastic addition to Wood River and the entire Riverbend area. In my opinion, you…read morecan never have too many bakeries and cafes in your neighborhood. My first visit I kinda went hog wild and stuffed myself. Being a farm boy, I always have to try Biscuits and Gravy. I did a half order, which was a single biscuit. I had mine to go, so it was packaged in a Eco-Friendly To-Go Vessel. The biscuit was wrapped in foil and the milk gravy was in a separate container. Once I assembled it, it was a winner. The biscuit was fluffy and the milk gravy had a fair amount of sausage crumbles and was seasoned perfectly. It made this old farm boy happy. My other treat was a, Bacon Egg Boursin Croissant. It was a true meal in itself. There was plenty of bacon, the eggs were done perfectly and the Boursin made the breakfast sandwich sing. Seriously, I would have never thought to add Boursin to a breakfast croissant and I have it in my icebox all the time. After sampling a savory treats, I had to have something sweet. My sweet treat was their Cinnamon Roll. OMG! I am thankful I do not live closer, because if I did, I'd be having one of these delights daily. I love the open concept of seeing the kitchen. It's always fun to watch you food being prepared. The staff is friendly and makes everyone feel welcomed. With all the experience and connections that LaNae and A.J. have with other businesses; Duke's, Tony's Ranch House, Gentelin's and all the way back to Wimpy's, you know the food is going to be good. I wish them success and recommend you go give them a try.

I do not get to Wood River often but when I have, I have a few coffee shops I enjoy visiting…read more Today, I decided to try something different after seeing a newer shop open. Cafe LaNae apparently has been open about a year (as of this writing) so I went in because I was meeting someone for a Facebook Marketplace purchase. I didn't plan to be very long. I purchased an iced coffee for $7 plus a tip. After confirming my order twice (sugar-free mocha syrup), they brought me a sugar-free vanilla drink. Oh well, no biggie...It wasn't the best, but I'm not staying long. I have specific dietary metrics that I manage, so while waiting for the person I was looking for, I pulled out a muffin my wife got me that met those metrics. I took maybe three bites out of it while waiting. Quickly, I noticed one of the owners hovering over my table to see what I was eating, and within 30 seconds, the other owner came over and told me I'm not allowed to bring any food into the place. She tried to smile and act like it was no big deal, saying, "I'll allow it THIS time". Gee thanks! I tried to explain my situation and the fact that I had already purchased a drink and was planning to leave, and she talked over me, expressing once more not to do it again. I elected to leave after pondering her words for a few minutes. I understand the profit margins for these places are razor thin and I would not want people bringing in their own meals, but I bought a drink, tipped, and took two bites out of something that was mine that met my diet. This place is more of a brunch/lunch fast-casual Greek-style place. Nothing they had on their menu would have met my diet, at least not even for a couple of bites which I didn't think was a big deal. I won't return. Not after that experience.

When I moved out of the big city of STL, one thing I knew I was going to miss was all of the…read morespeciality boutiques. As I learn my new hometown, those needs are being fulfilled by new discoveries. I have always enjoyed buying my olive oils and balsamics from small speciality shops. Especially, little mom and pop stores. Their personalized customer service always seems to go a step beyond. I find that to be true here at the, Olive Oil Marketplace. Moving in a pandemic and cooking more at home while restaurants are shut down for eat-in, my inventory of olive oil was getting depleted fast. While I was shopping for furniture across the street, I noticed OOM as I returned to my car. Needing to stock up on olive oil, I popped inside and was pleasantly surprised. Their offerings were as extensive as some of my favorite boutiques in STL, so I felt at ease. The sales associate working that day was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. She asked about my preferences and different things that I liked. She also offered me little samplings to assist me in making my decisions. I was immediately sold on the, Jalapeño Olive Oil. Her letting me sample and sharing her opinion on, Tunisian EVOO sold me. It was so smooth and it was organic, too. In addition to the two bottles of olive oil, I purchased some Italian Herb Balsamic. No kitchen is complete without a bottle of it. While I was checking out, they signed me up for their rewards program. Which is a good thing, because I know I am going to be a regular. Good inventory and customer service is going to keep me coming back. To my surprise, you get a small free bottle on your birthday and since mine was just a day or two away, they honored it. I selected, Hickory Smoked Balsamic. Yum-Yum! When: November 14, 2020 Why: Needed Olive Oil

Well they called me me when they got the Scorpion and Ghost Pepper hot sauce in. I appreciate…read morethat. Now I am overwhelmed by the deliciousness of that hot sauce that I have to put it on everything. This hot sauce is so delicious, it makes everything taste great. I have never had a hot sauce like this in my life. My only complaint is it only comes in a little bottle, because I always need more. This hot sauce is designed for my taste buds, it makes food an experience and everything is better to my taste buds. The sweetness, spicy, hot, salty and fire, it's all there. Nothing overwhelms the other flavors; they all work in perfect harmony to to bring pleasure to the pallet. Everything I put this hot sauce on was enhanced to another level of a great taste explosion in my mouth. Even chips tasted better with this on it...Makes a boring salad come alive and create a party in my mouth. This hot sauce is almost like making love, you taste the sweetness, then a slight salty tease and then the slow release of a pleasurable hot fire hits your mouth and as soon as it peaks you start wanting the next drop on your tongue and lips. It makes your mouth water with ecstasy, your mouth becomes numb with pleasure and then you want more. Who would have known combining two peppers together would make such harmonies pleasure with everything they come in contact with. I recommend this hot sauce over all the others. It has everything I ever wanted, it is sophistication.

We were looking for a treat around Edwardsville today & Yelp "surprise me" feature selected Cafe…read moreBirdie for us - so glad it did! I had the gluten free lemon lavender donut & a vanilla latte - both were great! My husband had a scone he enjoyed & lemonade that was very freshly squeezed. Service was prompt and friendly - you order up at the counter. Lots of GF options, no upcharge for oat milk, gender neutral bathroooms, cozy seating both indoor and outdoor on the patio, self serve water station.

I live really close to Cafe Birdie and have been wanting to check it out forever, but I never…read moreseemed to be free during their open hours. Pro tip: definitely check their hours before you go--and honestly, just plan your day around it because it's that good. I was expecting your typical little coffee-and-sandwich spot, but it completely exceeded my expectations. They have a couple of parking spaces behind the building, and if those are full, there's a free lot about 500 feet down the road. It was pretty busy at lunchtime. You order at the counter, and they bring everything to your table. There's a mix of indoor and outdoor seating in various sizes, and the decor is adorable. I especially loved the maps--they make great conversation starters. I noticed several tables pointing out places they'd visited and swapping travel stories. The menu has a nice variety. I ordered the chicken salad on ciabatta with a side salad. The chicken salad had a strong dill flavor that I really enjoyed, and the ciabatta was perfectly fresh--not too tough. Next time, I'll probably pick a different side since the salad was basically just lettuce. If there was any dressing, it was super light, so I ended up adding some of the lettuce into my sandwich. The surprise standout, though, was the lavender lemonade--a total sleeper hit. It was scorching hot that day, and I wanted something refreshing, so I ordered it on a whim. Honestly, it was the best lemonade I've ever had. I don't usually find myself making a special trip to a café just for lemonade, but here I am. I'm not sure if it's seasonal, but I really hope it sticks around.

The food was really delicious- I tried something new and we even had desert! Everyone was friendly…read moreand service was excellent

I was in town for a volleyball tournament and stopped to pick up a takeout order from a neighboring…read morespot when I stumbled upon this gem. As soon as I walked in, there was a one-man band playing guitar, freshly prepared food by the counter, and shelves filled with bakery items--it had such a welcoming atmosphere. The staff were incredibly friendly. I decided to order some lumpia to go, and while they were preparing it, I took some time to browse the bakery and market section. I ended up grabbing several bag of chips and a slice of cake as well. The lumpia were perfectly crispy with great flavor, and the cake was incredibly moist. Next time I'm back in town, I definitely want to try the ube bread!

Out door fish stand and it was phenomenal. It had enough choices for my family of 3, all the food…read morewas fresh and hot. Will become a staple for me in the spring, summer and fall, come get some good hot fresh fish, sit outside, laugh, eat and enjoy the water. The service was good but it can get packed which is to be expected. I cant remember much about the price, because my husband was paying for it but I do know that he was raving about how much food we got compared to how much we spent and he can be frugal.

Not sure what kind of business you run? I called at 10:55 to place an order. Was told we don't open…read moreuntil 11 and hung up on. So I go there and wait at the order window for 5 minutes and no one came. Then I noticed that you don't have fish ribs on the menu that says you do online. So I left and went to Ojan's and got served immediately. Smh

A recent fall colors drive took us through Jerseyville so I decided to try the Redbird Deli for…read morelunch. The menu is simple but well thought out with plenty of options for fresh sandwiches and salads. You can choose from the menu or build your own. The interior was inviting, restrooms were clean, and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Did I say fresh? Oh yeah! All of the ingredients seem super fresh. I went for the Redbird Club on multigrain bread this time around. A simple yet delicious sandwich was presented and quickly devoured. The next time around, I'm going to have to try one of their salads. They have so many fresh ingredients to choose from, you can't go wrong.

Great menu! We really enjoyed the friendly atmosphere and service. We definitely will be back!…read more Carla is simply amazing!

Such a cool space in the old Post Office. Elevated coffee house vibe with total respect and love…read morefor the building's history. So Alton! HANNAH is the GM and she is an amazing host. Knowledge and willing to share ingredients and labels as she helped me order Gluten/Dairy/Sugar free. We had yummy greens with eggs and turkey sausage (hold the croutons). The poppyseed vinaigrette was dairy free and just perfect. My matcha latte and Clyde's coffee latte were delicious. Troy had pizza and he loved the crust ( he had regular but they DO offer GF crust AND vegan cheese!). Sam's French Toast looked amazing in all its gluten-filled glory. We also tried the immunity shots from CJ's Juicery and they were dynamite. If we still lived here full time I'd be making the drive over from STL once a week for that breakfast salad and matcha. The menu is varied and thoughtful, altho I would love to see them find a way to offer at least one gluten free bread (I bet their avocado toast rocks!). I understand it is not an easy undertaking for small kitchens to manage proper handling of GF if it's not their focus. However I promise those on a restricted diet can absolutely find something here due to Hannah's expertise.

If you didn't already know, Post Commons has added two tenants to the building. They now share this…read moregrand old post office with, Good News Brewing Company and CJ's Juicery. However, this review is about them, so let me focus on them only. If you go to Post Commons, you gotta get a biscuit. Their biscuits are homemade and they are delicious. My personal favorite biscuit sandwich is the Sausage. In addition to the sausage patty, it has cream cheese and pepper jam. The pepper jam is what really makes this sammie special. If you're wanting a more hearty breakfast, you can create your own plate with items from the A La Carte menu. I've created one with two scrambled eggs, bacon and breakfast potatoes. The potatoes are cut into little cubes and fried to a crispy golden color. It's a great place to meet friends for a cup of coffee. The staff is cordial and makes you feel welcomed. Why go to a chain coffee shop, when you have a unique one in a old post office building? There is, no reason to go. When: February 4, 2026 Why: Biscuit Sandwich

Their shrimp and scrambled eggs over rice is to DIE for!…read more And the portions are MASSIVE for the price! And just like the Olive location, it has a full bakery - used to be able to order birthday cakes (not sure if they do that anymore)

We found Wei Hong Bakery while I was visiting St. Louis with my uncle, and I'm so glad we stopped…read more It's a tiny little bakery next to a much larger, run down looking restaurant. Honestly, if you judged it by the outside, you might drive right past it. There is one parking spot in front, and then a run down parking lot behind and to the side. The moment I walked in, I felt like I was back in my childhood. The lime green decor, the dark bakery display cases filled with buns, and the small plates of food inside reminded me of the Cantonese bakeries I grew up going to. They also had ready to go meals wrapped up to take home. We bought a bunch of things to try. We had the beef cheung fun, siu mai, BBQ pork baos, sesame balls, egg custard tarts, and one of my favorites, the giant round sponge cake. Everything was fresh and really tasty. The roast pork looked delicious too, with nice crispy skin. The biggest surprise for me was seeing lo po beng (Old Wife Cake). We can hardly ever find it on the East Coast, so whenever we do, we always buy some for my mom. Seeing it here made me so happy. I live in the Metro D.C. area, where we have some really good Cantonese bakeries, so I wasn't expecting much from this tiny place. But honestly, Wei Hong Bakery could definitely give many of the bakeries back home a run for their money. Don't let the outside fool you. If you're looking for authentic Cantonese bakery items in St. Louis, this little bakery is absolutely worth a visit. It brought back so many childhood memories, and I'd definitely stop again the next time I'm in town.