Gate E12 pretzels when you don’t have time for a meal
Auntie Anne’s sits in Terminal 2 near Gate E12, right in the middle of the Southwest concourse, and it’s the quickest snack option when you just need salt, carbs, and something handheld before boarding. It’s past security, so you can grab a pretzel and walk straight to your gate without backtracking across T2.
Prices stay in the <$10 range for most items, with a classic pretzel and small drink usually landing around $8–$9, which is on the cheaper end for STL. You’ll see the familiar lineup of pretzels, nuggets, and lemonades, so no local-only twists here despite the “Local · Snacks” tag.
The move here is simple: get a fresh original or cinnamon sugar pretzel and ask what just came out of the oven so you’re not stuck with one that’s been under the heat lamp for 20+ minutes. Pretzel nuggets cost a bit more than a single pretzel but are easier to share or eat on the walk to E10–E14. Lemonade and frozen lemonade run a few bucks more than fountain soda but are the thing most people pair with the pretzels.
Lines spike around the top of the hour when multiple Southwest flights board from nearby E8–E14, and it can take 10–15 minutes if you hit that rush. There’s no seating specific to the stand, so plan to carry everything back toward your gate area or over to the main T2 seating near security.
Tip: If you’re tight on time before a flight from Gate E12, order a basic pretzel with no dips; it comes out faster, costs a dollar or two less than combo deals, and you can be back in the boarding line in under 5 minutes if there’s no queue.
Pretzels