Southwest Diner Takeaway. Breakfast burritos and potatoes for a blissful breakfast. An 8.1 / 10 Standard Breakfast of eggs, toast, and potatoes. The potatoes carry the day. $7 for the combo. Small but flavorful breakfast burrito. So-so coffee. Has a Tex-Mex flair to the vibes and flavors.
One of the best breakfasts in St. Louis. Order anything with potatoes.
Standard, friendly service. Affordable prices relative to other St. Louis breakfast spots. Street parking. Patio is available for warmer days.
Southwest Diner Experience Summary
After visiting the Kemper Art Museum on a cold Thursday afternoon, I stopped by the Southwest Diner for lunch.
Tired to the point of near delirium from not having slept well the past three nights, the peace-loving hippie logo out front gave me hope that the food would help me wake up enough to drive back home.
The waitress offered to let me sit wherever I liked, so I picked a booth by the window to help keep my eyes open. Sitting down reminded me of a diner in New Jersey but with considerably more burritos on the menu and walls.
I went with the well-talked-about sausage breakfast burrito with a side of potatoes and a coffee. The server said that his secret menu favorite was to get super high and have the potatoes smothered in sala. A tip I put on the back burner for the next visit when I could process what he just said to me.
After about five minutes, the server brought back the food and coffee.
The burrito looked prim and proper, prepared by someone who had obviously tightly packed a peck of burritos in the past. As I went in for the first bite, the potatoes would have to wait in the back for a hot minute.
The first bite combined a slight spice from the sausage with a bit of egg and potato.
Exactly what I needed to wake up.
With my senses coming back to me, I took a potato chaser to follow up on the burrito bite.
And now I get why you'd get high and smother the potatoes in salsa.
The Food At Southwest Diner
After that potato rec from the server, I knew I had to get at least a side of potatoes.
I've had their Standard Breakfast in the past, a combination of eggs, toast, and potatoes. The potatoes are the star of the show and bring the breakfast to an 8.1 / 10. They come perfectly fried, loaded with peppers and onions. You need to be ok with those flavors to enjoy them, but they are damn good. The eggs and toast are a sideshow to the potatoes. All for only $7 is a steal, only $.01 more than the Olivette Diner.
On this visit, I paired my potato side with a sausage breakfast burrito. The burrito is small but fit. I picture it like a fitness bodybuilder that has the goods but in a small package.
Or it could just be my mind going slightly bonkers from lack of sleep.
Tightly wound and packed with sausage, egg, and potatoes, each bite delivers. My sausage version cost $11.50. I'm not sure it's worth it to supreme it with chili and cheese for $2.5 extra. $14 for a breakfast burrito stops being affordable and goes into special event territory.
I have to note that the burrito fitness does mean it's small. Just the burrito would not have been enough food for me. I needed the side of potatoes to round out the calories.
The coffee was a 6.1 / 10 for me. I would try to pre-caffeinate if I could. You could drop the $3.75 coffee and splurge for the enchilada-style breakfast burrito.
Looking at my bill now, it looks like they comped me the side of potatoes. Those normally go for ~$3, so it could be that the real value order here is the Standard Breakfast. Everything else does start to get into average pricing territory compared to places like First Watch, the Original Pancake House, and Kingside Diner.
I'll also note that people on Reddit love this place. If you really like Tex-Mex or Southwest cooking, you'll like the Southwest Diner even more. It doesn't quite have the same New Jersey menu I grew up with.
Southwest Diner Atmosphere And Miscellaneous
As should be clear by now, the southwest in the name refers to the part of the US, not the southwest part of St. Louis, as I originally thought. You're going to get Tex-Mexy flavors and dishes across the menu.
I walked in for lunch on a Thursday, so they weren't busy at all. The server let me pick a booth by the window. She took my order and returned with the food in short order. She was great.
I'm torn on whether or not to call the food here a deal. They clearly have affordable options, but some of their more famous meals do start to get a tad expensive. It's not like the Olivette Diner, where everyone is clearly working class.
The Southwest Diner had some people eating alone who could have been regulars, but unless you're ordering the barebones, I don't think you could be regular old Joe regular.
The patio offers a unique amenity when it's warm enough to sit outside. With a small bar on the far end, they might serve some kind of early morning drinks available.
Seems like it embodies all the vibes of the Southwest Diner.
Parking At Southwest Diner
Street parking is available. I have not had trouble finding a spot on my two mid-day mid-week visits. It could be harder at peak times.
The surrounding area has a bit of an industrial feeling. It's near several train tracks and close to an I44 underpass.
Southwest Diner Receipt
