St. Louis has a slew of fine diners, enough to attract Guy Fieri and his Diner, Dives, and Drive-Ins film crew on a number of occasions. Next time we’re hoping he’ll swing by Southwest Diner. The place is memorable, not just for its spicy New Mexico creations, but because it just happens to be located on Southwest Avenue in Manchester.
Recently a couple of friends and I had lunch at the award-winning diner. Foursquare, the site for neighborhood food and entertainment, picked Southwest for inclusion on America’s Best Diners’ list, giving them a 9 rating out of a possible 10.
But how’s a hungry diner to chose from among so much spicy goodness? Foursquare pushes the biscuits and gravy and the so called Fiery Scramble, a peppery, cheesy egg dish. Fans of Southwest also promote the sopapillas as a table share and the Buttermilk Cornmeal Pancakes and BLTJ (the TJ stands for tomato jam) for anytime of day.
Should you show up on a weekend when things get busy, you can hang out at the bar located in a stationary bus outback. The so-called Roadrunner has cocktails for purchase and complementary coffee for your waiting enjoyment.
Don’t even think of going to Southwest for dinner, because they only serve breakfast and lunch. The door opens early, (7-ish in the morning on weekdays; 8 a.m. on weekends), and closes by mid-afternoon.
Southwest Diner, 6803 Southwest Ave. and Abbott Pl., Maplewood.
Open: Mon-Fri 7a-2p; Sat and Sun 8a-2p.
