Rebranded as Layla and The Bad Egg, the restaurant recently changed its hours and menu.
Owner Jason Sparks and his team have hatched up a new plan for Layla in Webster Groves.
Previously operating as a sophomore location to the popular burger and shawarma joint in The Grove, the county spot has shifted hours and concept to better appeal to the breakfast and lunch crowd. Now operating under the name Layla and The Bad Egg, the restaurant will be open from 7 a.m.–3 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
The change was initiated due to what management saw as an opportunity. “The area needed a little bit of a change,” said Webster Groves general manager Jen Henkhaus, "and there weren't a lot of breakfast options around here.” Sparks echoes that notion, adding that widespread staffing shortages contributed to the decision. “I couldn’t find night workers," says Sparks, "so we do breakfast now."
The menu still holds the same original Layla charm and some of the same menu items, but the biggest, most notable difference is the sizable breakfast menu. Morning offerings are across four categories: skillets, sweets, entrées, and breakfast sandwiches.
Courtesy Layla and The Bad Egg
The skillets are chock-full of breakfast potatoes with a large assortment of varying breakfast bits meant to be shoveled into your mouth to cure what ails you. Sweets are comprised of French toast, waffles, pancakes, and fried pound cake (pictured above), which is cooked similar to French toast and served with lemon curd.
In the entrée section, expect a broader selection of breakfast dishes both familiar and unique, such as the Layla version of the slinger (with sausage and a biscuit); four skillet offerings, including the Big Country (two eggs, bacon, ham, cheddar, white gravy, peppers, and onions); and a kind-of-a-big-deal breakfast burrito called The Burgundy (stuffed with egg, bacon, ham, pico, potatoes, cheese, and topped with your choice of chili or sausage gravy). Rounding out the breakfast options are the biscuit sandwiches, ranging from familiar iterations such as the Swanson (with bacon, egg, and cheddar) to the unique, such as the Abe Froman (with houses sausage, fried egg, spinach, avocado spread, Monterrey jack, and honey sriracha). All of the biscuits are made from scratch.
Courtesy Layla and The Bad Egg
The lunch menu shares much of its DNA with the classic Layla menu. Both stores offer Layla classics, such as The Standard (a 6-ounce beef burger with cheddar, lettuce, tomato, sumac onions, and pickles) and the Fungus Amongus (with hickory-smoked bacon, Swiss, caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, spring mix, and truffle aioli). New alternative protein burger additioins include the Fight Club (with fresh ground turkey, hickory smoked bacon, Swiss, lettuce, sumac onions, tomato, lemon garlic mayo) and the vegetarian Unicorn (Beyond Beef patty, cashew nacho “cheese,” lettuce, Mediterranean pico, pickled jalapeños, and pretzel bun). In Webster, the signature Bad Egg Burger (pictured at right), includes bacon, fried egg, gouda, and jam on a pretzel bun.
From the 10-item sandwich menu, the Firebird and the Witch Doctor.
On the other side of the lunch menu, Layla and the Bad Egg has forgone shawarma in favor of sandwiches, which Sparks brought over from his days as a deli owner. All sandwiches are served on hoagies and include the Firebird (roasted chicken breast, smoked bacon, melted pepperjack, LTO, and mango chipotle bbq), and the Witch Doctor (with signature roast beef, pepper jack, lettuce, tomato, onion, hot cherry peppers, chipotle mayo, and red pepper relish).
Both breakfast and lunch options are served from open to close. “You can get a burger at 8 a.m. if you want, or you can get French toast at 2:47 p.m.—it’s fine," Henkaus says with a laugh.
"Dude, where’s Milagro," an ode to the prior restaurant tenant, contains Milagro Tequila, pomegranate and lime juice, agave nectar, bitters, and club soda
Also operating all day: a full bar, which serves 11 drafts featuring Missouri and Illinois brews as well as dradt cocktails. There are also two cocktail taps, featuring one gin cocktail and one tequila cocktail. Other cocktails include Grandma’s Cough Syrup (Jameson cold brew, almond milk, Kaldi’s cold brew, and nutmeg), Sunday Bloody Sunday (Tito’s Vodka, house-modified Zin Zang Bloody Mary mix, and spicy rum), and the Laylarita (Cimarron tequila, dry curacao, lime juice, agave, and a splash of orange juice). Also available are breakfast-with-friends staple mimosa pitchers.
The original Layla in The Grove will continue as a burger, shawarma, and milkshake operation.
20 Allen Ave, Suite 130 , St Louis , Missouri 63119
HoursTue-Sun: 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
P.O. BOX 191606 St. Louis, MO 63119 314-918-3000
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