Protagonist Cafe

Quiet and welcoming atmosphere, my partner and I stayed for quite some time today and had coffee, tea, and baked goods (two of which were gluten free!). The dogs that visited were polite, and the staff behind the counter even more so. They offered my service dog a pup cup, and even added a little hot water to my tea to refresh the warmth of it. Thank you for a wonderful experience, we will be back!

Amazing atmosphere, coffee and service. I absolutely love this place, one of my favorites in St Luis. The decor and ambiance are very nice, it invites you to have a cup of coffee and relax. The whole place is designed for you to enjoy it. Excellent coffee quality and very quick and good service. Highly recommend this place.

Beautiful spot, has a cozy old-timey vibe. Covered with books everywhere that you can read whilst drinking or eating there. The also have cocktails. The owner makes really cool crafts that are sure to be perfect gifts for many occasions. They do monthly tarot card readings. They also do a “blind date with a book” program, where you get a secret book chosen based solely on a quote from it.

The coffee was good but a little too light on the flavor for me. I got two and they both felt the same. I would’ve liked to have a stronger coffee taste and more sweetener. So if you like more milder taste in drinks, then it’s perfect for you. If not then you might need personal specifications to get a drink just how you like it.
Service was good. Pastries and food looked amazing but did not get anything to eat.
Will definitely want to come back maybe make it my daily coffee shop.

This coffee shop is inviting and so lovely to hang out and do work. I came here twice already. The first time was to check out a new coffee shop (take out order), and I liked how it looked; the coffees and pastries were delicious, so I decided to come the second time to do work. When I arrived the second time, it was busy again, and there was no open table, so I asked one of the guests if I could share a table with him (I'm glad he said yes!). I like how the cafe vibe. Hundreds of books/bookshelves surround you, Knick-knack items, and people who work on their computers.

I ordered the Caramel Delight drink with regular milk and the banana walnut cake. Both were so good. The caramel delight drink was perfectly concocted--creamy, with a strong espresso taste, and sweet at the same time. The banana walnut cake was perfectly baked, too.

I highly recommend this place if you are in the STL area and want that cafe vibe with delicious treats!

Delicious & Love the fact that I found a spot that serves a lot of VEGAN and Dairy Free sweets! Been looking for a spot like this for over a year!

Finally got a chance to check this place out.
It’s my kind of cafe, with the variety of seating options, very lived in and cozy without feeling dirty. Not pretentious, variety of people. I stopped in on a Sunday morning to catch up on some work for a few hours. I just caught the last “table” which was more like a desk against the wall. I pulled the desk out so I was able to sit facing the room - I have a thing about having my back to the room! It was a perfect, cozy spot to work. I get a little anxious trying new spots until I get the hang of how things work. A few points:

- this place is popular and busy. I arrived a little before 10am on a Sunday. It got busy very quickly
- you can order using QR code at your table. They will not call your name though, just your order, so listen
- the cafe au lait was delicious and reasonably priced
- best croissant ever (Parmesan leek)
- after a couple hours,I tried the oatmeal cream pie, it was good but so rich, saved half for the next day
- burrito bar smelled good but I couldn’t easily figure out how to order one so just gave up. Yea, I could have gone up and asked, but I told you I get anxious so forgive me, I was just trying to stay cool
- plenty of outlets, no issues with wifi
- restroom was super cute, spacious and clean feeling
- the owners obviously love Gilmore Girls. I didn’t feel the love for it but appreciate that it wasn’t shoved down my throat
- after the burritos shut down, no food options except super sweets (croissants seemed to be gone by 11am) but I saw people being sandwiches from nearby shops in. I’d love to see more savory lunch-like items like traditional croissants or bagels but at least what they had seems to be made in-house
- you may not find a seat. Yes, I was there for like 4 hours. If there was a time limit, I would have respected it. I also purchased a few items and did not take up a table larger than what I needed
- what I loved to see was people sharing tables, everyone seemed very kind about it
- recycle bin - I wasn’t sure what was recyclable or not…so I put my cup in the trash, which seemed like everyone was doing

In conclusion, I can’t wait to go back - especially when it’s nice out, and not to work, but to catch up on reading. A true, community-feel coffee shop!

A cozy coffee shop that sells books and gifts. The beverages were about average price, from $3-7; the baked goods were a little expensive but seemed like generous portions. The plain drip coffee (pictured) cost about $3 and was very good. The seating area was well-furnished, and there were plenty of good places to socialize or get a little work done. While the book selection wasn't huge, there were several different genres and they had something for just about everybody. Overall a great place to grab a bite or find your next read.

Cute coffee shop. A TON of seating and tables. Probably 14 tables, three couches and some lounge chairs. Tasty baked goods, priced $4-6. Drip coffee was average. Plenty of street parking. Free wifi. Friendly staff. Not too busy on a weekday morning.

Beautiful cafe to spend a bit of relaxing time with a friend or a book. The vibe is so great that a warm mug of your favorite beverage and a comfortable chair are really all you need.

Very nice little cafe. My latte was delicious and the spinach/feta pastry I got was very enjoyable as well. My only complaint was that it was a little crowded and I could only find a seat that was a little firm to sit in for a couple hours that made me readjust every so often to get comfortable again. However, the atmosphere was charming and fairly quiet with most people studying/reading and music with few or no words playing to drown out the noise of any people chatting.

I came to visit my best friend from WNY. When I say we are in love with this shop, it’s not even the half of it. Let me start with the friendliness and knowledge we received by the staff was fantastic. The atmosphere in the cafe was a total vibe that I dig.

Now, let’s talk about the banana chocolate bread, cinnamon roll and the blueberry lemon yogurt muffin.

The bread was fantastic, it was fluffy it had a nice balance between the banana and the chocolate chip.

The cinnamon roll the right amount of icing. I’m still figuring out if it was a cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Whatever the ingredient is was fantastic. I bought these pastries on Sunday and I heated up the bun as instructed by the baker and it was not messy or hard.

By far my favorite pastry is the Blueberry Lemon yogurt muffin. Let’s talk about the fluffiness/ airiness this muffin has. It’s so airy and delicious. First bite was a love at first taste.

Finally, the coffee. The staff was so helpful recommending drinks. Our party had the follow following drinks:
raspberry white mocha latte 4.5/5
I bachlava you 5/5 (the honey flavor was really known)
Truffle moccha 4/5
White chocolate/hazelnut latte 5/5

I hope at one point I can come back and visit this gem in a near future. Maybe they can start shipping their pastries 😉.

Do yourself a favor don’t walk run and try this shop out.

Loved this spot! Great collection of books and adorably decorated. The coffee, poptart, and cinnamon role were all delicious!

A delightful quiet atmosphere with the scent of books, fresh brewed coffee and delicious sweets. Staff is attentive and kind with an easy approach. Lemon bunt cake and a nice hot chocolate to sooth a tiring drive, cozy and pleasant. The art on my hot chocolate was a cute surprise

Officially my favorite coffee in St. Louis - was just passing thru on a road trip and I had the opening here. Delicious coffee, fantastic service, and atmosphere that is beyond compare. This is a must visit if you’re in STL.

Btw, the barista asked where I would put the sticker I bought. Proud to display it on my favorite travel mug, will be spreading the word!

What an amazing little coffee experience. Books to read everywhere! Great little seating areas throughout. Can't find a seat? Ask someone to join!
Pastries and ice cream. Didn't partake, but looked super yummy.

I frequent Protagonist Cafe because the coffee is consistently fresh, the service is always good and always friendly, and the online ordering system is super easy. The only area I wish there was some improvement was more inside seating. The inside fills up quickly (which is a good problem to have). Protagonist has quickly become my #1 coffee spot in the city.

Quiet, cozy, relaxing. Great little coffee shop with some comfy chairs and outlets to do work. The staff was very nice, and the drinks came out great, and fast. I would get rid of the purple/green color scheme, but still a great place to hang out.

A. WHOLE. VIBE

I hadn’t visited this cute cafe before but I will be back soon. The customer service was divine, the coffee was delicious, and the space was chill. There are used books for sell which is so cool.

Being a coffee and book lover, this place has been on my list for over a year now.
Went there for the first time and loved the vibe. We had their toffee and basic latte with gluten free choco lava cake. Everything was great. It was mostly quiet and people were focused.
Their book collection was very nice across multiple genres.

Amazing homey coffee shop that also sells wine and other drinks. Perfect place to study, hang out, sink into a couch, or meet up for a meeting. Can’t get enough of this place!