Upscale in St. Louis

Planter's House

• ★ 4.6
• $$$
• Lafayette Square

Drink Classic and original cocktails

Ted Kilgore's Lafayette Square bar started the modern St. Louis cocktail movement, and its barrooms still set the city's drinking standard today.

Pastaria

• ★ 4.4
• Italian
• $$$
• Clayton

Order Handmade pasta of the day with a wood-oven pizza.

James Beard winner Gerard Craft's Clayton Italian runs on handmade pasta and wood-fired pizza in a busy room. The most reliable Italian table off The Hill.

Louie

• ★ 4.4
• Italian Bistro
• $$$
• Clayton

Order The wood-oven roast chicken and the Ramon gnocco.

This DeMun bistro pairs a fiery pizza oven with a tight Italian menu, and its wood-oven roast chicken is among the best in the metro. A neighbourhood room.

Acero

• ★ 4.3
• Italian
• $$$
• Maplewood

Order House-made pasta and a glass of an obscure Italian varietal.

Acero plates handmade pasta and a deep, off-the-beaten-path Italian wine list in Maplewood. It is the quiet, grown-up Italian dinner locals favour.

Peacemaker Lobster & Crab

• ★ 4.3
• Seafood
• $$$
• Benton Park

Order Lobster roll and the New England clam boil.

Gerard Craft's Benton Park seafood shack plates lobster rolls, oysters and a New England clam boil, a casual coastal counter in a landlocked city.

Yellowbelly

• ★ 4.3
• $$$
• Central West End

Drink Rum tiki cocktails

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.

33 Wine Shop & Bar

• ★ 4.3
• Wine bar
• $$$
• Lafayette Square

Open since 2001 in Lafayette Square, 33 lets you pull any bottle off the retail wall and drink it at the bar for a small corkage. A pioneering local wine bar.

Frazer's

• ★ 4.2
• American
• $$$
• Benton Park

Order The cioppino loaded with mussels, clams, shrimp and squid.

A Benton Park gathering place for 25 years, Frazer's pairs a globe-trotting comfort menu with one of the better cocktail programmes on the south side.

Katie's Pizza & Pasta Osteria

• ★ 4.2
• Italian
• $$$
• Rock Hill

Order Wood-fired pizza and house-made pasta.

Katie Collier's Rock Hill osteria fires blistered pizzas and plates house-made pasta in a buzzy room, a polished casual Italian with several metro branches.

Small Change

• ★ 4.2
• $$$
• Benton Park

Drink Affordable craft cocktails

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.

Retreat Gastropub

• ★ 4.2
• $$$
• Central West End

Drink Craft cocktails

A Central West End gastropub, Retreat pairs a serious cocktail list with elevated pub plates, a polished neighbourhood bar from the team behind Yellowbelly.

The Royale

• ★ 4.2
• $$$
• Tower Grove South

Drink Cocktails named for St. Louis wards

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.

Venice Cafe

• ★ 4.2
• $$$
• Benton Park

Drink Cocktails and local beer

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.

Urban Chestnut Grove Bierhall

• ★ 4.2
• $$$
• The Grove

Drink German-style lagers

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.

Rockwell Beer Company Taproom

• ★ 4.2
• $$$
• The Grove

Drink House lagers and saisons

Rockwell's Grove taproom pours crisp house lagers and saisons with tavern-style pizza, a polished newer brewery bar near the Grove nightlife strip.

The Side Project Cellar

• ★ 4.2
• $$$
• Maplewood

Drink Belgian-inspired beer, whiskey and wine

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.

Sasha's Wine Bar on DeMun

• ★ 4.2
• Wine bar
• $$$
• Clayton

Sasha's DeMun room pours an approachable by-the-glass list with cheese and charcuterie in a homey Clayton space, one of two long-running Sasha's wine bars.

Parker's Table

• ★ 4.2
• Wine bar
• $$$
• Richmond Heights

Parker's Table is a popular boutique wine, beer and gourmet shop in Richmond Heights pouring varied glasses at the back bar and stocking small-producer.

Charlie Gitto's On The Hill

• ★ 4.1
• Italian
• $$$
• The Hill

Order Toasted ravioli, which the restaurant claims to have popularised.

A Hill institution tied to the toasted-ravioli origin story, Charlie Gitto's plates red-sauce Italian classics in a clubby room. The t-ravs draw first-timers.

Frazer's Lounge

• ★ 4.1
• $$$
• Benton Park

Drink Classic cocktails

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.

Sasha's on DeMun

• ★ 4.1
• $$$
• Clayton

Drink By-the-glass wine and cocktails

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.

Brennan's

• ★ 4.1
• $$$
• Central West End

Drink Wine, cocktails and cigars

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.

4 Hands Brewing Taproom

• ★ 4.1
• $$$
• Soulard

Drink City Wide and barrel-aged beers

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.

Civil Life Brewing Beer Garden

• ★ 4.1
• $$$
• Tower Grove South

Drink American Brown ale

Civil Life's leafy Tower Grove South beer garden is a popular low-key drinking spot, pouring sessionable English-style ales like its classic American Brown.

The Schlafly Tap Room

• ★ 4.1
• $$$
• Downtown

Drink Pale ale and seasonal beers

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.

Sasha's on Shaw

• ★ 4.1
• Wine bar
• $$$
• Botanical Heights

The Shaw outpost of Sasha's pours the same wide by-the-glass list and noshing plates near the Botanical Garden, a relaxed neighbourhood wine bar.

The Clover and the Bee

• ★ 4.1
• Wine bar
• $$$
• Webster Groves

By day a neighborhood cafe, Thursday to Saturday The Clover and the Bee turns its candlelit room into a natural wine bar with producer-led bottles and snacks.

Gian-Tony's Ristorante

• ★ 4.0
• Italian
• $$$
• The Hill

Order Veal and pasta plates from chef-owner Tony Catarinicchia.

Open on The Hill since 1989, Gian-Tony's serves Southern Italian veal, chicken and seafood from a chef-owner who still runs the kitchen most nights.

Tschuss

• ★ 4.0
• $$$
• Cherokee Street

Drink Classic cocktails and Club-Mate highballs

A European-leaning cocktail bar and dance club on Cherokee Street, Tschuss pours straight-up classics alongside Club-Mate-and-German-beer specialties.

Three Sixty

• ★ 4.0
• $$$
• Downtown

Drink Cocktails with skyline views

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.

The Crow's Nest

• ★ 4.0
• $$$
• Maplewood

Drink Craft beer and cocktails

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.

City Winery St. Louis

• ★ 4.0
• $$$
• Midtown and Grand Center

Drink House-made wines

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.

The Wine Merchant

• ★ 4.0
• Wine bar
• $$$
• Clayton

A long-running Clayton wine shop with a tasting bar, The Wine Merchant pairs a selected retail wall with by-the-glass pours and a knowledgeable staff.

Twisted Tree Steakhouse

• ★ 4.0
• Wine bar
• $$$
• Sunset Hills

Twisted Tree backs its steaks with an extensive Old World and New World wine list, a Sunset Hills steakhouse where the cellar is as much a draw as the beef.

Six Mile Bridge Beer Taproom

• ★ 3.9
• $$$
• Maryland Heights

Drink Belgian-inspired and American craft beer

Six Mile Bridge runs a family-friendly Maryland Heights taproom pouring Belgian-inspired and American styles, a relaxed west-county beer bar.

Eclipse at Moonrise

• ★ 3.9
• Wine bar
• $$$
• Delmar Loop

Eclipse at the Moonrise Hotel pours a galaxy of wine and beer alongside an award-winning cocktail program in the Delmar Loop, with a rooftop bar above.

The Heavy Anchor

• ★ 3.8
• $$$
• Tower Grove South

Drink Cheap beer and shots

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.

Nick's Pub

• ★ 3.8
• $$$
• The Hill

Drink Draft beer from 101 taps

Nick's Irish Pub in Dogtown bills itself as St. Louis' favorite 3am bar, with 101 beers on tap, daily specials and an upstairs bar and game room.

Tick Tock Tavern

• ★ 3.8
• $$$
• Tower Grove South

Drink Craft beer

Tick Tock Tavern is the corner bar at Magnolia and Arkansas in Tower Grove East, St. Louis, pouring craft beer with local bands on the calendar.

Midwest Wine Bar

• ★ 3.8
• Wine bar
• $$$
• Ferguson

A veteran-owned wine bar in downtown Ferguson, Midwest pours a curated mix of Missouri wines, international bottles and craft beer with snack-sized plates.