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Southwest Diner

4.5 (1.2k reviews)
Closed • 8:00 am - 2:00 pm
Updated 2 months ago

Waitlist - Southwest Diner

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Southwest Diner Photos

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SOUTHWEST DINER ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Classy
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - Southwest Diner

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Reviews With Photos

Lindsey P.

The decoration of the restaurant is very cute. We went while they were busy, so things seemed a little tight in the space, but it was perfectly fine. We ended up sitting at the counter on stools and I thought it was really fun and cute with the older red style cushions. I got the Grits on Fire, and it's really funny to describe this, but when I took my first bite, I was a little disappointed. It had a nice flavor and a bright spiciness to it but was lacking a depth of flavor. It was so close to being amazing! My husband suggested adding salt, and it changed the dish completely. It became something incredible, but I did have to tweak the dish. My husband got a burrito, although I forget which one. It was good, but didn't reach "great." This place was really nice, but not quite what I'm looking for personally. It's way better than an average restaurant, though. I would suggest people try it.

Art on patio
Shauncei G.

Came here as it was recommended by a couple of friends. To me the food was pretty mediocre, I had the breakfast burrito with green chili. I was expecting more of a chili rather than actual green chilis ontop. It was fine but lacked flavor in general. And the portion was pretty small, tho it was inexpensive for the portion size. I LOVED the artwork on the patio, and I loved that they offered patio seating. It didn't take too long to get sat even tho they were busy. But our service was pretty slow, I also had the coffee which I didn't care for but I did drink the cup, our waiter never got us a refill on our coffee at all either. The pancakes were truly the best part of the entire experience, very unique and not too sweet which I love! I also had a bite of my husbands heuvos rancheros, the portion was also very small, and it was just okay not great but not bad either.

Sopapilla
Mindy P.

If your friends suggest it, just say yes. If you need a great diner/greasy spoon, make the plan. I was not expecting to like this place as much as I did. We were not able to make a reservation, which is fine, our wait was short. The space is small which is sad for the rest of STL, because they can only help so many people in one day. Service was very attentive, food was a great combo of breakfast with southwest flavors. Hopefully will be able to come back for lunch very soon!

Breakfast burrito (Christmas style - red and green sauce), torta with chorizo, and grits on fire
Sarah M.

Finally made it to Southwest Diner on a chilly day recently! Due to the weather, it was not busy at all on a late morning Saturday but they were still open! Our server was really nice and attentive. We got the grits, a burrito, and torta. All were super good - big fan of the fries that came with the torta! The homemade chorizo was amazing. This is definitely worth the hype!!

Build Your Own Burrito
Alli N.

A must-try Southwest-meets-St. Louis gem! Every bite here is bursting with that bold Southwest flair -- perfectly spiced, comforting, and absolutely delicious. The food looks as good as it tastes -- from crispy tater-tot bites topped with queso fresco and green onions, to the hearty plates piled high with eggs, gravy, and golden potatoes, to that incredible smothered breakfast burrito that's pure flavor heaven. The service is just as awesome -- friendly, attentive, and quick even when the place is buzzing. And the vibe? Totally unmatched. It's bright, eclectic, and full of energy, with the coolest outdoor setup featuring a converted school bus bar for drinks. It's the perfect place to kick back with brunch, a cocktail, or both. Whether you're a local or just passing through, Southwest Diner is one of those places that leaves you full, happy, and already planning your next visit.

J David H.

A highlight of my recent trip to Saint Louis was a brunch outing at the Southwest Diner with my son. Located in the Ellendale community outside of Maplewood. Ellendale began to thrive with the addition of electric street cars in 1896. The Southwest diner is in an early 1900's brick building. It was several businesses in its past, but most well known as a grocery. Parking is off street and free. Southwest offers a covered outside patio for additional space with frequent waits especially on weekends. The dining room vibe is spectacular and will deceive customers into believing it has operated for many decades. In reality, Southwest has only existed since 2012 and was formerly a breakfast taco stand at Tower Grove Farmers Market. A sharp eye of their retro tables and chairs may reveal the former identity as 1950's Jack in the box. A cool looking bar compliments their space. They also have interior group dining that seats eight. Table service was top notch, the coffee delicious and a classic diner menu with a flare of New Mexican cuisine superb. The owner Johnathan was on hand too. We both wanted eggs which is a specialty, so for me the "Rocket to Bacon Land" omelette with three eggs goat cheese, arugula, caramelized onions and bacon. Side of potatoes. My son opted more basic with a three egg omelette, sausage and fried potatoes. Our waitress Kate suggested a side order of French Toast to split instead of toast which proved an excellent choice. She also included a biscuit to try that was yum. Put Southwest Diner on your list for a visit in Saint Louis. For families the prices are affordable as well. Jump on their waitlist for a smoother experience on weekends when they get clobbered. Can't wait to return.

Carne adovado
Sara M.

We ate at this place last Thursday for the first time in a while. I had the rocket to Baconland, my partner had the carne adovado and grits on fire. The service was fantastic and we like the vibe of the place a lot. He liked his dishes. As for the rocket to Baconland omelette, it felt more like a salad wrapped in an egg crêpe, which was not for me. There was also not much bacon for a dish with the name implied. I did not leave hungry though, and I would definitely give them another try.

Coffee!!
Madhura J.

Went back today after a bit . The pozole was warm and comforting and the sopapilla was just the right amount of sweet. My husband loved his hueveos rancheros and our friends loved their black bean burger and veggie tortas as well . Our server was great , friendly professional and gave us the space we needed . The ambience is so relaxed and welcoming. My only regret is that I didn't take more pics .

Sara G.

So, you think you know huevos rancheros? Well, clearly you haven't been properly introduced until you've hit up Southwest Diner in Maplewood. These folks serve up a plate so spicy and scrumptious, it'll make your taste buds question all their life choices. And the coffee is very strong! Thank you for that. The place is always packed, because who doesn't love waiting for greatness? But don't worry, the vibrant atmosphere and eclectic décor give you plenty to look at while you ponder your existence. And if you're thinking of setting up your laptop to work, just remember: nothing says productivity like the constant aroma of delicious food and the noise of happy diners.

Patio
Deyna J.

Second time here! We really enjoyed the food first time so we decided to come again. There was a 15-20 minute wait but we could be seated sooner on the patio. We decided the patio would be okay because they have heaters. The overhead heaters were clutch! Service was good. Food great. I really loved the cornmeal pancakes! Eggs and potatoes were perfect but the veggie sausage was a bit overcooked. My boyfriend loved his create your own omelet! The bacon was nice and thick. The portions were just right. There are so many good breakfast/brunch restaurants in St. Louis and Southwest Diner is right up there with the best.

John S.

Wow! Really cool place! Excellent breakfast joint and awesome vibe. Hip. Trendy. Eclectic. Fantastic outdoor area. Had the fried egg sandwich. Awesome! Wifey had the biscuits and gravy (full order) and fantastic. Friends had the chorizo breakfast burrito...huge and spicy! They loved it!! Place is busy...so use the waitlist to jump in line. Don't walk, but run to this place!

Vege breakfast tamales with over easy eggs
Robert B.

Breakfast here is always a treat. My daughter and I have started a new tradition. When we drop my wife off at the airport, we come here for breakfast. She been on a few trips lately, so we've been here a few times lately! Can't go wrong with the grit tots to start! And the breakfast tamales always hit just right! Lots of tables and they turn over pretty quickly, so just be patient if you get there late.

Spicey scramblies with potatoes and squash side.
MaryAnn B.

Many different dishes with that southwest flavor. The food is very good and the menu describes the dishes helpfully. A terrific part of the place is the service. Courteous, attentive without being solicitous . Need gf? Cheerily subbed corn tortillas for bread. Our server even came back to our table after we had paid and still served up coffee and water either no rush to us as we enjoyed chatting and sitting a while. Very busy for late breakfast and, as many places tend to be, noisy with everyone seeking the right conversation level. That being said, really enjoyed brunch /breakfast there. Parking a bit of a problem as only on the street. Still, worth it.

Tall Stack Pancakes, mmmmmm!

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26 days ago

Great food and service. Fiery eggs were delicious and spicy. Burrito was amazing as always.

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5 months ago

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3 months ago

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6 months ago

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19 days ago

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10 months ago

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1 year ago

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5 months ago

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25 days ago

Delish! We got the sopapillas. Yum. Good coffee. Kind waitress. Great patio. We love this place!

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11 months ago

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7 months ago

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1 year ago

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6 months ago

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1 year ago

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1 month ago

Such a great place! The food has never disappointed, every bite is delicious. The service is friendly and warm. The vibe is chill.

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

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2 months ago

Service and food were great. We got the French toast and chicken fried steak coffee was good. Nice vibe!

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6 months ago

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

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15 days ago

Good. The food was very good and the atmosphere was very good. If you enjoy good, make sure you try them.

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10 months ago

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18 days ago

Delicious! I had the breakfast burrito and grits, which was perfect. The french toast was amazing as well.

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1 year ago

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11 months ago

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6 months ago

Breakfast pork tamales with red and green chile sauce Christmas style. Cool coffee mugs !

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1 year ago

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3 months ago

Fave brunch in St. Louis. Love the entire menu and the vibe. Staff is great. Try to Fiery Scramble.

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2 years ago

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Southwest Diner Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Southwest Diner

Is the patio dog friendly?

Yes! 🙂

What types of menu items are gluten-free and does Southwest Diner accommodate those with Celiac disease?

This place is pretty carb forward but maybe an omelette and sub the toast for a salad?

Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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Los Arcos Mexican Restaurant Bar & Grill - Lunch beef chimi with beans

Los Arcos Mexican Restaurant Bar & Grill

4.2(64 reviews)
0.8 mi•Clifton Heights

Someone in passing recommended coming here for Taco Tuesday so we headed in to see how they were…read more We've gone by this place so many times, but never tried it, because from the outside we couldn't tell if they were actually open (They are! They just have a reflective film on their windows that obscures that people are inside. If this was ever your deterrent, too, please stop by!). The people are very friendly, and very willing to answer questions. One thing to note though, there is nothing that advertises they do a Taco Tuesday special anywhere on their menu or inside. It also took a while to order, not just because they have an extensive menu, but because their menus are well worn so it's hard to see what is what. Here is their Taco Tuesday breakdown: They are hard shell corn tacos, $1.25 each. They come stuffed with seasoned meat (ground beef or shredded chicken only), lettuce, and a big helping of cheese. There isn't a vegetarian option for the special, but you can order veggie tacos from their regular menu. I got one of each to know which to have in the future (they're both good but the beef is more flavorful), the #6 special (enchilada, relleno, rice and beans), and my friend and I shared a flan. She had the Mexicanos tacos (street) and mixed and matched hers with 2 steaks and 1 lengua. That one comes with a separate salsa roja that was spicy and smokey. I would totally get that next time. One thing to note, I thought I was getting a chille relleno in my special. No, it's just relleno! My bad Probably won't be getting that again as that is not my thing. The specials range from $11.25 to $11.75 so very affordable yet filling. I definitely took most of my food home. The leche flan is made in house and is $6 but DENSE and perfectly caramelized and not overly sweet.

I really like the Tex-Mex Burrito. It has steak, chicken, and shrimp. And it is topped with three…read moresauces too - salsa, queso, and verde. It was a nice size (on a 10" tortilla), and it came with rice, beans, lettuce guacamole, and salsa Fresca. The flavors were great together! The restaurant has plenty of seating and a bar area too. We'll be back!

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Los Arcos Mexican Restaurant Bar & Grill - Bar area

Bar area

Los Arcos Mexican Restaurant Bar & Grill - Pineapple Fajita

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Los Arcos Mexican Restaurant Bar & Grill - Exterior

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Adelita’s Restaurant - Texas fajitas!

Adelita’s Restaurant

4.3(59 reviews)
17.3 mi

Service was great, walked in and was seated right away. The waiter spoke English, and communication…read morewas easy. The lighting and music were at a good level to keep a conversation and see the menu. The menu is huge, and you can find anything you want on it. The chips were typical corn tortilla chips, but the salsa was outstanding, not too hot, and plenty of cilantro for your taste buds. The main dishes arrived in a decent time. I had the spicy Tacos with chicken and chorizo; it was fantastic, a little spicy. The chorizo had a smoky flavor, and the chicken was not tough. Side dishes, rice, and beans. The rice was not sticky at all, and the beans had a smoky flavor unlike that of other Mexican restaurants. They were very tasty. The extra beef taco was filled with beef, no shortcuts there. Wife had the pableno dish. I tried the beef, which was very tender, and the pableno was excellent. My daughter and my wife said the shrimp were bigger than at most restaurants and had a great flavor. ( I'm allergic and could not try the shrimp) My daughter's dish was the spicy Nachos. Again, the beef was the most tender I have ever had at a Mexican restaurant, and I loved the white cheese queso and chorizo. It all just came together. This Mexican Restaurant is definitely a winner in my book. I will be back to try many other dishes. By the way, we went on a Monday night around 7:00 pm, it was not very busy at all.

Excellent food. Great service. Try the Adelita's dip. Ground beef , pico de gallo, jalapeno and…read morecheese dip. Both my wife and I ordered the Quesabirria. 3 corn tortillas stuffed with Mexican beef stew, cheese, onion and cilantro. Served with street corn (a pleasant surprise), rice and consomme. Delicious, delicious, delicious. Pepsi products. Cannot wait to return.

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Adelita’s Restaurant
Adelita’s Restaurant - Street corn

Street corn

Adelita’s Restaurant - Margarita

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Diego's Cantina - Shrimp bowl and tacos  on the patio

Diego's Cantina

4.0(21 reviews)
3.7 mi

We LOVE Mexican food and we're always looking for different places to check out. This time it was…read moreDiego's Cantina! We had a reservation and were greeted and seated right away. My only complaint from the entire time we were there, was our table. It was tiny. We had to keep moving items to make room. It was also right by the door that leads out to the patio. Fortunately it was a chilly night so there weren't people going in and out. There were other (larger) tables available and were not occupied during the time we were there. Our server was Angela and she was great! She had a fun personality and knew the menu well. Within a minute - maybe two - we had water and chips and salsa on the table. The chips were thin and crispy and not too salty - they were really good. The salsa was okay. It needed some heat. We ordered our cocktails and the Queso Flameado. The restaurant used to be Momo's (a Greek restaurant) and this flaming cheese is a carry over from there. It was yummy. I had the burrito. I chose to have steak in it and have it smothered in queso. It was delicious and had so much meat in it! My husband had the stuffed poblano peppers with chicken. It's served open faced and it's huge! He really enjoyed it and brought a lot of it home. We were full, but we got the baked mini churros for dessert. And yes, they were also really good! When I say this was the most food I had eaten in one sitting for a long time, I'm not kidding. I have conquered the ability to not stuff myself, but I couldn't help it last night. It was so good! We will most definitely be back!

We hadn't been to this space since it was Momo's many moons ago, though we have been to Frida's,…read morewhich is right next door. It was busy this Friday night and only got more lively w many college kids celebrating the end of their school year. On the recommendation of our waitress, we got the flaming queso. It was fun, but not as spectacular as I would have liked but there ARE lots of flammable things hanging from the ceiling... My daughter got the pozole, the enfrijoladas, and a grilled fish taco. I got a grilled fish taco and a Costra de Camarón taco. It was all very tasty! The service from our waitress was fast and she mentioned that she managed to put in our order before two big tables ordered -- so very smart of her! We'll return to try more.

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Diego's Cantina
Diego's Cantina - Grilled banana and strawberries with caramel ala mode

Grilled banana and strawberries with caramel ala mode

Diego's Cantina

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La Calle

La Calle

3.4(36 reviews)
3.1 mi•Forest Park Southeast
•$$

loved the experience and the staff was super helpful I especially enjoyed Selena & Mayte!!!read more

Honestly my experience here felt like a fever dream. My partner and I were looking somewhere to eat…read morea late dinner on a Thursday night, and we stumbled upon this place. When we walked in, the place was empty, besides the singular bartender standing behind the bar. She told us to sit anywhere we wanted, so we chose a table near the bar. Then, she politely asked us to move to the bar. She apologized and said she was new and that she didn't know what was going on. We started with an order of chips and salsa and shared a mango margarita on the rocks. Let's just say our marg was missing the rocks. The bartender forgot to add ice, so our margita was warm. She gave us a cup of ice to pour in. The marg itself wasn't very strong and tasted pretty syrup-y. Although the chips and salsa only cost us $2.50, I probably could've gone without. I don't think I would've liked them even if they were complimentary. The salsa was decent, but the chips were saltless and flavorless. We ordered two tacos and the arroz con pollo plate. My tacos came out at different times. Both were tiny and disappointing. I had the Hemp Avenue taco and the Sarah Street taco. The black bean juice was everywhere. The tortillas were dry and fell apart. They brought out a quesadilla instead of our arroz con pollo plate. We were confused, but the bartender insisted the order was correct. Then, a few minutes later, the correct plate was brought out. I guess I can't be mad that we scored a free quesadilla. However, it was quite soggy and the cheese was almost a rubbery texture. While we were there, a DJ started playing. The volume of the music went back and forth between increasingly loud and extremely quiet. None of the other staff members acknowledged us whatsoever. It felt like we weren't even there. I hate sounding so pessimistic, so I will say two positive things: their outdoor patio looks like a fun spot in the summer, and I bet this would be a great option if you've been out partying all night and need some food in your belly. Overall a bizarre experience from start to finish!

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La Calle - Lounge area

Lounge area

La Calle - Vegetarian burrito

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La Calle - Bar and lounge area!

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Casa Mia

Casa Mia

3.1(31 reviews)
18.4 mi

My husband and I came in on Valentine's Day for a quick dinner. The place was not very busy at all…read morewith only a few tables with people at them. We were greeted quickly and sat near the bar. After sitting for about 10 minutes the manager or owner, I'm assuming, came up and asked if we had been helped, we hadn't. He apologized and got a waitress to come over. After that the server came over a lot to check in. I got a virgin margarita that was so pretty, it had sparkles in it and was the desert pear flavor. It was very good and not too sweet. To eat I got the street tacos, grilled chicken, barbacoa, and asada. The grilled chicken and barbacoa had a lot of flavor and was very good. The asada tacos did not have a lot of flavor so it was not my favorite. Overall, it wasn't a bad experience but it was a bit disappointing when the place wasn't busy it took so long for someone to come over and get our drink orders.

We came in at 7 on a Friday. The dinner rush was filtering out but still slightly busy so we were…read morepatient for our server to come up and take our drink order. It took a little longer for him to come back for the food order but we chatted and hung out. The food itself took over 45 mins and our order was taken after half the restaurant had filtered out. It was 817 before half the food was put on the table and after 825 before everyone had their plates and the tortillas to go with them. No salsa or chip refills in this time. We had a party of 10 but only 8 orders, 3 of which were street tacos. The server was nice, the food was food but the wait was crazy.

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Casa Mia - Trivia on wednesdays

Trivia on wednesdays

Casa Mia - Fried beef burrito, rice, and beans

Fried beef burrito, rice, and beans

Casa Mia - Berry spicy margarita! Yummy!

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Berry spicy margarita! Yummy!

Southwest Diner - diners - Updated May 2026

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