The Annex Coffee and Foods — Restaurant in Webster Groves

The Annex: Huge flavor, huge variety, and yuuuuge prices

Bigger isn’t always better — and a perfect example of that is The Annex. It’s a bakery of big extremes, and it’s big on both the positives and the negatives. The Annex outshines its competition by being in the top percentile in several aspects:

Variety & Uniqueness: How many places do you know of in STL where you can get a lot of the classics, but still get something unique like a pear & frangipane tart or an ube white chocolate chip cookie? Taste: To offer something like a pear & frangipane tart is one thing; to be able to execute it and make it taste good enough that it’s one of the most popular choices at your bakery is another. The best of the best at The Annex is the best of the best in STL; the key lime pie is king, the beef & mushroom streusel is life-changing, the pear & frangipane tart was the ultimate pear-adise, and the blueberry streusel cheesecake might legitimately be the best cheesecake I’ve ever had.

But despite being so good compared to other STL bakeries in some areas, it’s big on a few negative extremes as well — and falls flat on its face versus the competition in other aspects:

Price: Some of their offerings are the most expensive pastries I’ve seen in the STL area, and they’re even more expensive than all of the bakeries I visited in San Francisco a few months ago. And San Francisco is one of the highest cost-of-living cities in the U.S., which makes this even more confusing. The baked goods here are good, but $11 pre-tax for a slice of beef and mushroom strudel that’s about as big as my fist? Come on, lol. Inconsistency: Some of their bakery offerings are absolutely TOP-tier — arguably some of the best of what you can get in STL, like what I mentioned earlier. But some of their other items fall flat vs the competition: ube white chocolate cookie (dry) brownie (tasted like a brownie mix brownie from a grocery store) blueberry macaron cheese pierogi

Overall, this bakery is a great choice, and I’d 100% take someone here from out of town if they were in the mood for one of The Annex’s standout items I mentioned earlier like the key lime pie. But are you playing dessert Russian roulette when trying something new? Absolutely

Beef & mushroom strudel and blueberry streusel cheesecake pear & frangipane tart and key lime pie turtle cheesecake oatmeal creme pie cheddar chive scone lemon macaron ube white chocolate cookie fig bar blueberry macaron chees...

First things first: there is a large parking lot behind the building. There is also street parking in front of the building, but it is harder to come by.

Second: if you enter from the rear parking lot, you will walk through their spacious covered patio. They also have heaters on the patio when the weather is colder.

Third: A first-timer is going to be confused when they walk in. If you want food, order at the deli counter. They'll ask your name. If you are sitting on the patio and don't hear your name called, they will bring your food to your table. After you order, you need to pay at the coffee bar/bakery counter.

Favorites: I love the huge selection of local and hand-made goods throughout the store. They have pantry staples of all types and flavors. This would be a great place to find a unique housewarming or hostess gift. It's even a great place to find all your picnic fixin's from fresh bread to sliced deli meats and cheeses.

Ordered: I had the ham and jam sandwich on garlic sourdough. Just ham and jam sounds plain, but is also had BRIE! So creamy and great texture. Also ordered the toast with gravlox. It included cream cheese and chives on top.

Needs work: I ordered the N/Annex. It's a non-alcoholic version of the Annex cocktail made with cherry juice, apples juice, honey syrup, and rosemary syrup. This must not be a popular drink because the bartender needed to find the recipe book and then needed 5+ minutes to make. It was a delicious drink, but if you are in a hurry, stick to a...

This place is gorgeous and such a great addition to the street. The people were friendly. The food and meats all looked amazing. My tea was great. My tabouleh was delicious.

BUT There is a petite, female employee working behind the deli who needs a very basic lesson in customer service. I ordered a tea and tabouleh and my total was $15 something, so I assumed the guy at the register charged me for 1lb of tabouleh, so that’s what I ordered at the deli counter. She made it clear she didn’t believe me and she VERY loudly (and in front of the entire shop) flat out accused me of not paying for my tabouleh. Like I’m scamming for deli salad? She then (and again, very loudly) chastised the guy who rang me out and then just walked away. No apologies, no “sorry for the misunderstanding,” nothing. It was incredibly uncomfortable. And to boot, I’m fairly sure I got charged $9.50 for the tabouleh, but only received $7 worth from the deli guy who weighed it out. I know this place just opened and there are going to be kinks, but the woman’s behavior was seriously inexcusable and wildly inappropriate. Never in my life has anyone talked to me like that.

I’m still leaving 5-stars because I really, truly like the place and leaving a bad review for one rampantly foul employee seems unfair.

I know I’ll be back, but I hope in the meantime this employee gets the talking...