This is Spilling the Beans , where plugged-in baristas give us the lowdown on where to go, what to do, and what to eat (and drink) in their hometown.

"If there's still a kid in you, the Gateway Arch is fascinating," says Mike Marquard , co-owner of Blueprint Coffee in St. Louis. Tourist attractions aside, Marquard says St. Louis is home to what may be the best croissant in the country, breakfast sushi (?!), and enough fish fries and barbecue joints to make a visit to the city a full-fledged eating trip. Marquard knows what's up—let him be your guide to St. Louis.

Where should we stay?

The Moonrise Hotel . It's right next to two concert venues, and there are a couple of restaurants nearby. If you're going to stay in an Airbnb, I'd shoot for either the Shaw neighborhood or the Central West End. Shaw has the botanical gardens , and is in a very walkable but very cool part of town that's very biking-friendly.

Courtesy of The Mud House

Best breakfast?

I’m partial to Half and Half because I used to work there. On the weekends, they do this thing called Breakfast Sushi. You can have cheese, eggs, and tater tots all wrapped in bacon. But they only make 15 to 30 servings of it, and they sell out in the first hour they're open. On the weekdays, I'd say The Mud House , which a great version of a Slinger, which is a variation on a classic St. Louis dish that traditionally has ground beef, chili, potatoes, eggs, and cheese. At The Mud House , they'll do it with Andouille sausage or faux meat with a really great chili, cubed potatoes, egg, and cheese. That's a great hangover breakfast if you need it.

What’s the best cup of coffee in town?

Obviously Blueprint . Probably the place to go is Comet Coffee . It's a multi-roaster shop that's centrally located and the people behind the bar are enthusiastic. I also think they may have the best croissants in the United States.

Courtesy Jennifer Steinkamp/CAMSTL

Where to see great art?

The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis is great. They rotate through a lot of different pieces but the building itself is Bauhaus-style and clean, cubic, and nice. The St. Louis Art Museum is free. Last year, I saw an awesome exhibit there on mid-century modern architecture. There were rooms that were plastered over to show what's behind the walls of buildings you're in all the time.

What's the best market or food hall to eat your way around?

I love Tower Grove Farmers' Market on Saturday morning. That’s by far the best market in terms of good local producers and food vendors. In particular, we love the produce from The Yoder Farm . We don't have a ton of food halls yet but people are excited that one is slated to open in a couple of years, and will try to do the Atlanta Krog Street thing with local vendors.

Hottest new restaurant in town?

Público is doing really well. It's Latin American-inspired but the flavors and presentation are exquisite. Then there's Peacemaker —I go there for the lobster rolls and po'boys. Vicia is opening soon, and there's a lot of hype around it. There's a couple from New York opening it, and the main focus will be vegetables but it won't be vegetarian. I also love Vista Ramen's signature ramen, its kimchi pancakes and its five-spice daiquiri. Plus, the desserts are amazing, too, especially the lemongrass basil ice cream.

Courtesy of Union Loafers

Which restaurants do you frequent?

Peacemaker for sure. Then Taste is another one. Its pork burger is probably the best dish in St. Louis: ground pork patty, cheese, and bacon. I also frequent Union Loafers for lunch; it's an awesome new bakery focused on bread.

What about the best spots for St. Louis barbecue?

Pappy’s is mostly responsible for the current St. Louis barbecue boom. Bogart's is the first offshoot, and it's in Soulard, which is the oldest French part of the city. Salt and Smoke is awesome and the brisket there is really great. Sugarfire is probably the best marketing-wise. They opened an original store about five years ago and they have six locations. I think the pork there is really tasty.

Courtesy of Gioia's

Old-school St. Louis restaurant institution?

Adriana’s on the Hill in the old Italian part of town. It’s a sandwich shop that's always packed and the same woman is at the counter all the time. As soon as you’ve been there twice, you're "sweetheart." There's another place called Gioia’s that's big for its hot salami—this meaty, mushy amazingness they put on different types of bread. The other thing is that during Lent, every Catholic Parrish in the city has a fish fry. It's too fun to go around every Friday eating tons of fried fish and drinking cheap, light beer. Each place has its own quirks. One has the best side dishes. The other will have the zaniest entertainment or fish tacos. Or the cheapest beer.

Where to grab an excellent cocktail?

Taste is at the epicenter of craft cocktails becoming a thing in St. Louis. The guy who really innovated the bar program there opened Planter’s House and that’s also just a really cool space. One is if I want to drink great cocktails and think about them and the other is a social bar that happens to have great drinks.

Courtesy of Urban Chestnut Brewing Company

Best brewery in town?

Urban Chestnut is very German-influenced; they do classic-style called the reverent series and then the modern style called the revolution series. I've never been disappointed by a beer there, very interesting and very drinkable. I also like Civil Life and its English-style beer with malt character. 2nd Shift is the best brewery though. They're about to open a tasting room in the Hill and it's funny to read their bottles. They're charmingly irreverent, and have a big stout called the LSD (liquid spiritual delight).

Best place to see live music?

The room with the best acoustics in town is The Pageant , which is a large venue for about 3000 people. It's also really comfortable, in case you're not 16 years old and don't want to be pushed up against everybody. Other places for good touring acts are The Ready Room and Firebird .

Where to get into trouble for the night?

Probably Laclede’s Landing down by the river. That's where you get guys fighting each other over girls, a casino, brick streets heels get stuck in, piano bars, and clubs for late-night dancing.

Where to eat when the party's over?

Uncle Bill's Pancake House or the Courtesy Diner . Both great late-night diners with eggs and gravy, where you used to walk out smelling like cigarettes. We didn't have a smoking ban here until a few years ago.

Daytrip?

Shaw Nature Reserve is about a 45 minute drive away, if you're interested in botanical gardens. If you want a great hike, go to Castlewood State Park . If you want mountain biking, you can do that at Castlewood too. There's a lot of great bluff hiking around there, and you can hike an afternoon then get back to town—no big deal.

A great sandwich is a matter of architecture