Cocktails, wine bars and dives: drinking in St. Louis for grown-ups.
Cocktail bars, wine bars, dive bars and gastropubs: drinking in St. Louis for grown-ups.
Ted Kilgore's Lafayette Square bar started the modern St. Louis cocktail movement, and its barrooms still set the city's drinking standard today.
Signature drink: Classic and original cocktails
Food: Bar snacks and small plates
Tip: The front Bullock Room is louder; the back bar is for serious cocktails. Order a classic and watch the technique.
A Central West End rum bar, Yellowbelly pours island-inspired tiki cocktails and coastal small plates in a bright beachy room. The city's tropical-drink hub.
Signature drink: Rum tiki cocktails
Food: Island-inspired small plates
Tip: The signature Yellowbelly and the rum-heavy tiki list are the orders. Brunch and patio seating round it out.
A Benton Park cocktail bar with a clever, accessible list, Small Change does top-notch drinks at fair prices, and turns into a Christmas pop-up each winter.
Signature drink: Affordable craft cocktails
Food: Light snacks
Tip: The cocktails punch above the price; the winter Miracle pop-up is a season highlight. Cosy and walk-in friendly.
A Central West End gastropub, Retreat pairs a serious cocktail list with elevated pub plates, a polished neighbourhood bar from the team behind Yellowbelly.
Signature drink: Craft cocktails
Food: Elevated pub plates
Tip: It works as both a cocktail stop and a full dinner; the burger and the drinks share top billing. Reserve at weekends.
A South City public house for two decades, The Royale pours ward-themed cocktails and serves a strong burger on one of the city's best bar patios.
Signature drink: Cocktails named for St. Louis wards
Food: Burgers and bar food
Tip: The garden patio is the draw in warm months; the cocktails are named for city wards. The burger holds up the food menu.
A European-leaning cocktail bar and dance club on Cherokee Street, Tschuss pours straight-up classics alongside Club-Mate-and-German-beer specialties.
Signature drink: Classic cocktails and Club-Mate highballs
Food: Compact bar snack menu
Tip: Go for the classics with the option to upgrade to top-shelf liquor; the dance floor heats up Thursday through Saturday after 10pm.
A Benton Park institution covered floor-to-ceiling in mosaic and folk art, Venice Cafe is the city's most idiosyncratic bar, with a lush patio and live music.
Signature drink: Cocktails and local beer
Food: Light bites
Tip: The art-covered patio is the whole point; come for a warm-weather evening with live music. Cash is handy here.
Atop the Hilton at the Ballpark, Three Sixty offers 360-degree skyline views, including down into Busch Stadium, across a big indoor and outdoor terrace.
Signature drink: Cocktails with skyline views
Food: Shareable plates
Tip: Go at sunset or during a Cardinals game for the stadium view. It is the marquee downtown rooftop, so expect a crowd.
A South City dive and live-music room, The Heavy Anchor pairs cheap drinks with a back-room stage for local and touring bands. A no-frills music bar.
Signature drink: Cheap beer and shots
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: The back room hosts shows most nights; the front bar is for cheap drinks and pinball. Check the gig calendar.
A long-running pub near the Hill and the Grove, Nick's pours draft beer and whiskey to a regulars' crowd in a no-frills room, a classic St. Louis tavern.
Signature drink: Draft beer and whiskey
Food: Pub plates
Tip: It is a regulars' pub; come for cheap pints and a low-key night. Live music and trivia fill some evenings.
The lounge side of Frazer's in Benton Park pours some of the best classic cocktails on the south side, a 25-year-old bar attached to the restaurant.
Signature drink: Classic cocktails
Food: Full restaurant menu
Tip: Sit at the bar for the cocktail program even if you are not dining. Ask what the bartender is shaking that night.
Sasha's DeMun bar pairs a wide by-the-glass wine list with cocktails and noshing plates in a homey Clayton room, a relaxed spot with a popular patio.
Signature drink: By-the-glass wine and cocktails
Food: Cheese, charcuterie and small plates
Tip: Order a cheese board and let staff pair glasses across it. The patio fills first on warm evenings.
Urban Chestnut's 400-seat Grove Bierhall is as much a bar as a brewery, pouring German-style lagers in a vast hall with Fordo's pizza, a go-to for groups.
Signature drink: German-style lagers
Food: Pizza and pub fare
Tip: It is huge and family-friendly; the Zwickel lager is the pour to start. Pizza comes from Fordo's in the same hall.
A Tower Grove East corner bar, Tick Tock pours cheap drinks and cocktails to a mixed crowd, with karaoke and theme nights filling the calendar.
Signature drink: Cheap drinks and cocktails
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: It leans dive but with cocktail chops; come for karaoke or a low-key drink. Cash and card both work.
A laid-back Maplewood gastropub, The Crow's Nest pairs refined bar food with rotating craft beer, pinball and heavy-metal-themed brunches. A quirky favourite.
Signature drink: Craft beer and cocktails
Food: Refined bar food and brunch
Tip: The pinball, patio and themed brunches set it apart. Good rotating beer list and an easygoing crowd.
Rockwell's Grove taproom pours crisp house lagers and saisons with tavern-style pizza, a polished newer brewery bar near the Grove nightlife strip.
Signature drink: House lagers and saisons
Food: Tavern-style pizza
Tip: The tavern-style pizza pairs with the house lager. It is a good first stop before a night out in the Grove.
Kevin Brennan's Central West End townhouse bar spreads across a fireside lounge, basement bar and patio, pouring deep wine and cocktail lists with cigars.
Signature drink: Wine, cocktails and cigars
Food: Small plates and cheese
Tip: The multi-room layout suits any mood, from fireside to basement. Cigars are sold for the back patio.
4 Hands runs a large taproom near the stadium pouring its broad range from the City Wide flagship to barrel-aged stouts, a busy pre-game and weekend beer bar.
Signature drink: City Wide and barrel-aged beers
Food: Snacks and light bites
Tip: It fills on Cardinals game days; City Wide is the easy-drinking flagship. Ask after barrel-aged releases.
Civil Life's leafy Tower Grove South beer garden is a beloved low-key drinking spot, pouring sessionable English-style ales like its classic American Brown.
Signature drink: American Brown ale
Food: Light snacks
Tip: The American Brown in the beer garden is the move on a warm evening. It is unpretentious and cash-friendly.
Side Project's Maplewood Cellar is a Belgian-inspired beer bar that also pours deep whiskey and wine lists, the tasting room for the metro's top brewery.
Signature drink: Belgian-inspired beer, whiskey and wine
Food: Snacks
Tip: It is beer-forward but the whiskey and wine lists are serious too. A short walk from the brewery itself.
St. Louis's original craft brewery, the Schlafly Tap Room pours the full range in a brick downtown brewpub that has anchored the local beer scene since 1991.
Signature drink: Pale ale and seasonal beers
Food: Pub food
Tip: The pale ale year-round and the pumpkin ale in autumn are the calls. The brewpub kitchen does solid pub food.
Six Mile Bridge runs a family-friendly Maryland Heights taproom pouring Belgian-inspired and American styles, a relaxed west-county beer bar.
Signature drink: Belgian-inspired and American craft beer
Food: Rotating food trucks
Tip: Rotating taps and food trucks make it a casual evening out. A good pairing with nearby Creve Coeur Lake.
At City Foundry, City Winery is a wine bar, restaurant and live-music room in one, pouring house-made and curated wines before and during concerts in Midtown.
Signature drink: House-made wines
Food: Full restaurant menu
Tip: Pair a flight with a show; check the music calendar. The on-site production wines are worth trying by the glass.