Picture this: It’s a cold winter morning in St. Louis on our Danforth Campus. You wake up with plenty of time to spare before your 10 a.m. class. You know that this rare occasion of having extra time before class doesn’t happen often, so you must spend it wisely. A fresh, homemade hot breakfast with a large coffee sounds perfect to warm you up from the chilly outside air. Luckily for you, your pathway from your residential community to your classroom takes you right by Coffeestamp at Grounds for Change in Hillman Hall. A savory breakfast empanada and a tall Finca La Alondra (Honduran) coffee waits for you there to complete this cozy winter morning.
Coffeestamp at Grounds for Change is one of the many local and minority-owned or woman-owned restaurants on our Danforth Campus. Founded in 2018 by brothers Patrick and Spencer Clapp, Coffeestamp is a full-service coffee bar located in the Fox Park neighborhood in St. Louis. The brothers moved to the U.S. in 2012 from Honduras and were surprised to find that the coffee in the states was not the same price-wise or quality-wise as what they were used to back home. They were determined to create delicious coffee that had the “stamp of being ethically sourced and provided” right here in St. Louis.
Located on the east end of campus, Coffeestamp at Grounds for Change offers a variety of homemade empanadas, hot sandwiches, burritos, quesadillas, Honduran coffee, horchatas, teas and grab-and-go options.
Chancellor Martin and I frequent this location often (I can’t pass up a good empanada!), but on our more recent visit together, we stopped by for lunch and ordered:
- Pino Empanada- $4.75
- A classic Argentine empanada stuffed with ground beef, onions, peppers, black olives and a hard boiled egg.
- Garden Curry- $4.75
- Vegan coconut curry with mushrooms, onions, sweet corn, peppers, roasted potatoes and basil.
- Hibiscus Tea- $3.85
- Horchata- $5.00
- Rice milk blended with cinnamon, vanilla, spices and roasted morro seed. Caffeine-free.
The empanadas were hot, fresh and filling. Both were rich with flavor and the pastry shell had just the right amount of crunch to it. The drinks quenched our thirst and paired well with the empanadas.
With many excellent coffee shops on our Danforth campus, it can be hard to pick where to go to satisfy your next caffeine craving. I encourage you to make your way around campus and try them all out for their unique offerings and be sure to swing by Coffeestamp at Grounds for Change in Hillman Hall as you complete the campus coffee shop tour. You won’t be disappointed in the food or the drinks! They’re open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday and are closed Saturdays and Sundays.
To read more about all the locally owned restaurants on our Danforth campus, check out this article on the Source.
Chancellor Martin and I frequent this location often (I can’t pass up a good empanada!), but on our more recent visit together, we stopped by for lunch
