7 Best Bars in St. Louis (Where to Drink Right Now)

list of best bars in st louis

Best known for its Gateway Arch, St. Louis is located along Missouri and Mississippi banks. The beloved city is home to many fun and affordable attractions for locals and tourists alike, especially during the dry seasons where nothing says summer in St. Louis more than baseball and beer.

After a sweltering day out, why not visit a couple of bars and cool down with a few glasses of alcohol and music? Here are several of the best bars in St. Louis that will cater to your inner booze enthusiast.

7 Best St. Louis Bars

Narwhal’s Crafted

Frozen cocktails by the dozen

Three glasses of different frozen cocktail

📍 Address: 3906 Laclede Ave, St. Louis, MO 63108 (Google Maps)
📞 Phone: (314) 696-8388
🕐 Hours: 11 am – 12 am daily

With an adorable narwhal theme, this alcoholic slushie bar offers more than just Instagram worthy drinks. The nautical-themed lounge and patio areas are also a sweet treat for the eyes. The highlight of it all is the cozy fire pit located in the enclosed patio to keep you warm and entertained during frosty nights.

Though its high point is the various crafted cocktails, Narwhal’s also serves beers, local drafts, and non-alcoholic smoothies. Not everyone may enjoy slushies, but you will surely be able to find something you’ll like in their extensive menu.

But if you think colorful slushies and fireplaces aren’t much, then how about frozen homemade pup cups for your furry companions? That’s right! Narwhal’s Crafted is dog friendly and an ideal venue for a little smoothie date with your favorite doggo.

Trust

A historical blast from the past

View of a bartender pouring a drink on a glass

📍 Address: 401 Pine St, St. Louis, MO 63102 (Google Maps)
📞 Phone: (314) 356-2776
🕐 Hours: 4 pm – 10 pm Wed-Fri, Closed on Sat-Tue

Located in the Main Hall of the Mississippi Valley Trust Company (which was built in 1896), Trust features gorgeous event space and cocktail bar built to accommodate large companies. The Main Hall will give you an experience of a lifetime, from the sublime double doors down to the handcrafted furniture and floor-to-ceiling windows. It is an ideal area for corporate events. The Ballroom, which comprises grand chandeliers and a patio view of the Mississipi River, is every bride’s dream wedding venue.

The prohibition-era cocktails are the stars of their bar. With the history of St. Louis and Mississippi Valley Trust Company as their inspiration, Trust gives a whole new contemporary twist to the classic cocktails that we all know and love.

Game 6 Honky Tonk Joint

Cheap drinks & lively music. What’s not to love?

📍 Address: 756 S 4th St, St. Louis, MO 63102 (Google Maps)
📞 Phone: (314) 925-8868
🕐 Hours: 5 pm – 12 am Thurs-Sat, Closed on Sun-Wed

If you’re in St. Louis looking for a good time, then the Game 6 Honky Tonk Joint is the way to go. Filled to the brim with dancing, live country music, and a fun crowd, this is just the site that will make you feel right at home. The bartenders also make you feel like part of the family. The service is quick and attentive, so you can rest assured your drinks will be out before you even notice!

As the only Nashville themed honky-tonk bar in all of St. Louis and located just a couple blocks away from Busch Stadium, Game 6 provides a special gameday menu for all you baseball lovers out there. If you need a place to cheer on your favorite teams, then head on over and join the crowd.

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Up-Down STL

Craft beers and old school arcade

📍 Address: 405 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO 63108 (Google Maps)
📞 Phone: (314) 449-1742
🕐 Hours: 3 pm – 1:30 am Mon-Fri, 11 am – 1:30 am Sat & Sun

Up-Down STL is an arcade bar that features some of our most beloved games from the ’80s and ’90s. With all games costing just 25 cents, this area will give you a sense of nostalgia for hanging out in the arcades for hours on end with friends after school.

With a considerable craft beer selection and over 60 beers on tap, bottles, and cans, you can go and drink your heart out from their reasonably priced menu options. They even go great with their house-made pizzas sprinkled with unique toppings. With an extensive game and beer menu coupled with daily specials, you will have to come back more than once to fully enjoy the experience Up-Down STL has to offer.

The Waiting Room Bar & Venue

Pinballs with an eclectic crowd

View of man pouring a beer from the beer tap

📍 Address: 10419 St Charles Rock Rd, St Ann, MO 63074 (Google Maps)
📞 Phone: (314) 890-8333
🕐 Hours: 3 pm – 1:30 am Tue-Fri, 12 pm – 1:30 am Sat, 12 pm – 12 am Sun, Closed on Mon

Voted as the Best Neighborhood Bar in North County three years in a row, The Waiting Room Bar & Venue strongly holds up to its title. It’s a place open to all sorts of people: musicians, techies, artists, travelers, you name it! If you’re a non-local, then you’ll fit right in. Bonding over drinks and sharing life stories is one of the key opportunities you can find in this bar. Although smoking is not allowed, vaping is, and their outside patio is just the right spot.

Furthermore, the venue is perfect for lounging with free wifi and pinball machines provided. Happy hours are from 3 to 7 pm almost every night. And on Tuesdays, pinball leagues are held every evening at half-past 7. Although the tap list is a little small with only six local craft beers on draft, they do have a large selection of liquor and local, domestic, and imported bottles.

Thaxton Speakeasy

Classy cocktails and a vintage vibe

View of a bartender holding a glass of cocktail

📍 Address: 1009 Olive St, St. Louis, MO 63101 (Google Maps)
🕐 Hours: 8 pm – 12 am Thurs, 8 pm – 1 am Fri & Sat, Closed on Sun-Wed

This downtown underground lounge is a hotspot for wedding celebrations and conference dinners! It’s extremely spacious with plenty of room to dance, accompanied by ornate seatings and a fully stocked wet bar. It’s sure to leave quite a great first impression of St. Louis on out-of-towners. For drinks, a wide selection of cocktails, wine, beer, and spirits are readily available, but they are not limited to the menu, so feel free to ask your bartender to make you one of the classics.

The charming speakeasy-style bar’s bartenders and doormen excel at hospitality and service. If you’re feeling a little playful, another entrance is located in the alleyway, where you are prompted for a password. Don’t forget to check the password on their site for a cheaper entrance fee!

360 St. Louis

The Ultimate Rooftop Bar

📍 Address: 1 S Broadway St, St. Louis, MO 63102 (Google Maps)
📞 Phone: (314) 241-8439
🕐 Hours: 4 pm – 12 am Mon-Thurs, 4 pm – 2 am Fri & Sat, 4 pm – 11 pm Sun

Located on top of the Hilton in Downtown St. Louis, 360 offers one of the best views in the city’s directions, including the Gateway Arch, St. Louis Cardinals, and Busch Stadium. The whopping 6,000 square feet of space provides luxurious amenities such as outside and indoor bars, seating, fire pits, and even flat-screen TVs.

The drinks are very whimsical as they are often themed according to seasonal events and put fun spins on classics. If you have your favorite that is not available on the menu, the bartenders are more than happy to whip it up just for you. In terms of food, there isn’t a huge variety but rest assured that the quality beats the quantity.

Of course, with such a fabulous view and experience, the prices don’t come cheap. If you’re on a budget, then this might not be the one for you. Otherwise, it is undoubtedly worth a drink or two. Whether you’re a tourist or a local, this is a spot that you certainly have to cross over your bucket list.