The Side Project Cellar is a bar in Maplewood, St. Louis.
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.
Food program: Snacks
Tip: It is beer-forward but the whiskey and wine lists are serious too. A short walk from the brewery itself.
Address: 7373 Marietta Ave, Maplewood, MO 63143, St. Louis
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.
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.
