Where to Eat and Drink in St. Maries, Idaho

St. Maries has roughly a dozen places to eat, nearly all of them on or near Main Avenue and nearly all of them casual. You'll find breakfast and lunch cafés, burgers, barbecue, Mexican food, a pub with a real draft list, a sit-down dinner spot, several coffee stands, and — as of the last few years — the town's own farm brewery on the water. What you won't find is a late-night scene or much choice after about 8 p.m. Plan dinner earlier than you would in a city, and check hours before you go — several places close weekends or early in the week.

That last point matters more than any recommendation below. In a town of about 2,300, a single closure changes your evening.

Quick reference

Details checked August 2026. Hours change — confirm before you go.

Breakfast and coffee

Two coffee stands open early. Shift & Grind on South 1st Street and Whistle Stop on Railroad Avenue both open well before most kitchens in town, which makes them the practical first stop if you're heading out to the river or a trailhead. Whistle Stop's listing includes food alongside drinks; Shift & Grind is primarily a drive-through.

Em's Place on West College Avenue is the option if you actually want to sit down — reviewers describe comfortable seating and Wi-Fi, which makes it useful if someone in your group needs to take a call. Weekdays only at last check.

For a full breakfast, Timber Lodge Cafe and Main Street Bistro both serve from early morning. Timber Lodge is daytime-only, so it works for breakfast and lunch but not dinner.

Lunch

Grub Box on North 8th Street is a sandwich counter, and the single most common tourist mistake in St. Maries is planning around it on a Saturday — it's closed weekends. If you're here Monday to Friday, it's a straightforward stop and easy to order to go for a river day.

3B Grill on South 8th does burgers and pulled pork. Several reviewers describe it as more of a pickup window than a sit-down restaurant, with limited seating and an option to eat next door. Fine if you know that going in.

Main Street Bistro covers lunch too — soups, salads, sandwiches, pizza — and is the most flexible place in town if your group wants different things.

The Shack, out on Highway 3, is a roadside burger-and-shake stop. Weekdays only at last check. Convenient if you're already driving that direction, not worth a special trip from downtown.

Dinner

The Royale on Main Avenue is the closest thing St. Maries has to a proper dinner restaurant — a sit-down room in an old Main Avenue building, with a menu a step up from the cafés. It's closed early in the week, so if you're on a Sunday-to-Tuesday stay, check first.

Casa De Óro sits at the golf course on Golf Course Road, a little outside the downtown core, and is the town's Mexican restaurant. It's the largest dining room in the area and was open seven days at last check, which makes it a reliable fallback when downtown kitchens have closed for the night. Reviewers note it can get busy and service pace varies.

205 Degrees Smoke Shack on Railroad Avenue does barbecue. It's a small operation with a short review history — worth a phone call before you build an evening around it.

Drinks

Two Saints Brewing — the local brewery

St. Maries finally has its own brewery, and it's earned a place at the top of the drinks list. Two Saints Brewing Company at 83996 Highway 3 South is a family-owned farm brewery run out of a taphouse directly on the St. Maries River, near the confluence with the St. Joe — the source of the name. It's Benewah County's first brewery and, by its own account, the only waterfront business in town.

What they pour. Eight house beers on tap at last check: Avery Blonde Ale (4.6%), St. Joe Special American Lager (4.8%), White Pine Belgian Witbier (4.9% — ranked in Beer Connoisseur Magazine's Top 100 Beers of 2025), Red Ives Irish Red (4.9%), Kennedy Kilt Lifter Scottish Ale (5.0%), The Legendary Ridgerunner West Coast IPA (6.0%), Chatcolet Coffee Stout (5.6%, brewed with Long Valley Coffee from McCall), and August Skies Hazy IPA (7.0%). Flights are $8. They also carry local wines, hard cider (One Tree Huckleberry among them), Athletic Brewing non-alcoholic options, and standard sodas/juice for kids.

The taphouse. Indoor bar with TVs for sports, dartboard, two outside decks and a covered back patio with a fire table, and a lawn area on the river with yard games. Kid-friendly. Food trucks rotate out front (Taco Bout It and On the Hook fish and chips have both been regulars); you can also bring in outside food. Regular Friday-night music, weekly trivia, sports viewing, and seasonal events.

Hours (subject to change seasonally): closed Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday through Saturday 12–10 p.m., Sunday 12–8 p.m. Call ahead in winter — the schedule shifts. (208) 500-4877.

The Grapple

The Grapple on Center Avenue is the pub option in town if you care about beer breadth rather than a single brewery. It has a rotating draft list including ciders, though reviewers consistently note it serves beer and wine but not hard liquor, and that the food menu is short. Closed Mondays and Sundays at last check.

Bars on Main

Three bars sit within a few doors of each other on the same block of Main Avenue: Joe's Bar (805), Korner Klub (803), and Priddy's Pub (807). Joe's and Korner Klub both listed late closing times at last check; Priddy's opens in the afternoon and was closed Tuesdays and Sundays. These are small-town bars — pool, darts, conversation. Joe's has an arrangement where food can be ordered in from the grill next door.

Groceries and self-catering

With a kitchen at the house, cooking a few meals is genuinely the easier play here — especially with kids, and especially on days when you're back from the river at 8 p.m.

Harvest Foods on Homer Drive is the larger of the two grocery stores, with a deli and bakery, and keeps long daily hours. Archie's IGA on East College Avenue is smaller and closer to downtown; its listing shows 24-hour operation, though that's worth confirming by phone before relying on it at midnight.

Country Fair on Main Avenue isn't a grocery store, but it's a genuinely good general store if you've forgotten something — clothing, gear, household odds and ends.

Two Saints beer is stocked in cans at several of these stops — Harvest Foods, Archie's IGA, and 10th Street Super Stop — if you'd rather drink on the porch than at the taphouse.

Worth the drive

Drifters Western Cafe turns up in searches with a St. Maries mailing address, but it's actually in Emida, roughly twenty miles south on Highway 6. It's a well-regarded roadside café with long daily hours, and it's a reasonable lunch stop if your day already takes you south toward the garnet area or Clarkia. It is not an in-town option, and any list that presents it as one is wrong.

For anything beyond that — a wider restaurant selection, chain options, late food — you're looking at Coeur d'Alene, which is roughly an hour north. That's a dinner trip, not a convenience run.

Know before you go

• Kitchens close early. Assume last orders around 8 p.m. on most nights, earlier for daytime cafés. If you're coming off the river at dusk, call ahead or plan to cook.
• Weekends cut options, not add them. Grub Box and The Shack were both weekday-only at last check. The Royale and The Grapple close early in the week. Two Saints is closed Monday and Tuesday. There is no day when everything is open.
• Cash and cards. Most places take cards, but small-town card readers go down. Carrying some cash is sensible.
• Reservations generally aren't a thing, with the possible exception of a weekend evening at The Royale — call if your group is larger than four.
• Paul Bunyan Days (Labor Day weekend) puts tens of thousands of visitors in a town of 2,300. Every kitchen will be slammed. Cook at the house or eat at odd hours.

Hours, ownership, and menus all change. Everything above reflects listings checked in August 2026 — please confirm current hours before you drive over.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I get breakfast in St. Maries? Timber Lodge Cafe on Main Avenue and Main Street Bistro both serve breakfast from early morning. For coffee only, Shift & Grind and Whistle Stop open earlier than the kitchens, which suits an early start on the water. Em's Place is the best option if you want to sit down with a laptop, though it was weekdays-only at last check.

Is there good coffee in St. Maries? Yes — there are several dedicated coffee operations. Shift & Grind on South 1st Street and Whistle Stop on Railroad Avenue are both drive-through-style stands that open early. Em's Place on West College Avenue is a small sit-down café. Main Street Bistro also runs a full espresso bar alongside its food menu.

Is there a brewery in St. Maries? Yes — Two Saints Brewing Company at 83996 Highway 3 South. It's a family-owned farm brewery with a taphouse directly on the St. Maries River, the first brewery in Benewah County. Eight house beers on tap, food trucks out front, two outdoor decks and a covered patio with a fire table. Closed Monday and Tuesday; Wednesday through Sunday from noon.

Where can I get a beer in St. Maries? Two Saints Brewing on the river for the best local option. The Grapple on Center Avenue has the widest draft selection from other producers, including ciders, though reviewers note it serves beer and wine rather than spirits. For a traditional bar, Joe's Bar, Korner Klub, and Priddy's Pub are all on the same block of Main Avenue. Hours vary by day — Priddy's and The Grapple both had closed days at last check.

Is there anywhere to eat with kids? Main Street Bistro and Casa De Óro both have full dining rooms and varied menus, which tends to work best with children. Timber Lodge Cafe is a straightforward daytime café. Two Saints Brewing is explicitly kid-friendly — non-alcoholic drinks, food trucks, lawn games, and space to roam. Bars are bars — Joe's, Korner Klub, and Priddy's aren't the right call with kids. See the family-friendly things to do in St. Maries guide for more on planning days with children here.

Can I get food late at night in St. Maries? Not really. Most kitchens close around 8 p.m., and the bars that stay open later don't all serve food. Two Saints stays open until 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday when a food truck is out front. If you're arriving late or coming off the water at dusk, pick up groceries beforehand — Harvest Foods keeps long hours and Archie's IGA is listed as open around the clock, though that's worth confirming.

Do I need reservations? Generally no. St. Maries dining is walk-in. The exception is a weekend evening at The Royale, or any meal during Paul Bunyan Days over Labor Day weekend, when the town's population multiplies. Call ahead in either case.

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Staying at 735 Elm Drive puts you a few minutes from every place on this list, with a kitchen for the nights when you'd rather not drive. Our weekend guide to St. Maries and seasonal activities guide cover how to build days around the town's rhythm.