10 Best Spots in St. Louis for Day Drinking

Trophy Room

Southwest Garden watering hole the Trophy Room (5099 Arsenal Street, 314-664-4810) is the stuff of legend, and no small part of its mythology is the fact that it’s open for 21 hours nearly every day. The storefront bar starts serving suds at 6 a.m. and also offers a pool table and Keno and Golden Tee and everything else that makes a dive bar great. Best of all, it’s a judgment-free zone: Whether you’re a third-shifter looking to unwind after a hard night’s work or just a dedicated alcoholic getting started early, the Trophy Room’s colorful regulars are more than happy to raise a pint with you. The Trophy Room is open Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 3 a.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Hill

Stan's Bar

Sure, you could sit around your house in the early-morning hours watching the Game Show Network on the couch while putting back endless whiskey-and-cokes — but that would get kind of lonely, wouldn’t it? No worries, just head to Stan’s Bar (5007 Macklind Avenue, 314-481-9990). The Southampton watering hole boasts several TVs behind the bar, often employed to provide your daily Family Feud fix. In keeping with the dive-bar vibe, the prices are cheap and the locals are friendly, and with three pool tables and two dart boards, you just may find yourself a participant in some games rather than just a spectator. Stan’s Bar is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to midnight.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Hill

Kingside Diner

Situated just across from the World Chess Hall of Fame, Kingside Diner (4651 Maryland Avenue, 314-454-3957) is for the strategic — especially those strategizing a plan to get stumbling drunk before the noon hour. A favored place for third-shift medical professionals working down the street at BJC, the Kingside Diner offers a full breakfast menu and drink specials for early-morning visitors: From 6 to 10 a.m. it serves up $2 Bud and Bud Light, $5 well drinks and house wines, and $6 bloody marys and mimosas. The eatery even has a deal where if you purchase nine drinks during happy hour you get the tenth on free. Frankly that seems like a challenge, but one the dedicated day drinker is surely up for — just make sure to strategize yourself a ride home. Kingside Diner is open Monday through Sunday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Mabel Suen

Hammerstone's

Even when the sun is beating down outside, Hammerstone’s (2028 South Ninth Street, 314-773-5565) maintains its darkened bar cool. That’s thanks to the shades on the windows, sure, but it’s also a testament to the Soulard watering hole’s relaxed atmosphere and blues-bar vibe. Hammerstone’s is the perfect place to put back a few cold ones and hide from the world, but with its friendly bartenders and amiable clientele, it’s a great place to strike up a conversation with a stranger as well. And with a sizable patio just out back, you can brighten your drinking experience with a little sunshine too, if that’s your thing. Hammerstone’s is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to midnight.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Hill

Red's Eighth Inning

Being a firefighter seems like a really cool job, except for that whole “running directly into a burning building” thing — hard pass on that. But the part where you just hang around at the firehouse all day shooting the shit with firefighters? That part we can get into. And that’s a big reason Red’s Eighth Inning (6412 Michigan Avenue, 314-353-1084) is so great. Ostensibly a sports bar, this Carondelet watering hole is the go-to spot for many of St. Louis’ current and former firemen, with dozens of helmets, antique fire extinguishers and old fire hoses lining its walls. Get all the fun of hanging out with firefighters — who truly have the best stories — without any of the fire! And with a happy hour that starts at 6 a.m. and runs to 6 p.m., you don’t have to wait until the sun goes down to do it. Red’s Eighth Inning is open Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. until 1:30 a.m., and is closed on Sundays.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Hill

1764 Public House

With its marble bar top, high-backed leather barstools and smooth blues cuts playing on the stereo, 1764 Public House (39 North Euclid Avenue, 314-405-8221) is one of the swankier spots in St. Louis to get sloshed in the daytime — but it’s also one of the best. That’s especially considering the fact that the Central West End spot even has an early-morning happy hour to get you started right. From 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday the bar offers half-price draft beer, $4 shots of Four Roses, half-price spritzes and $5 bloody marys. Showed up too late, or maybe money isn’t an object? Try the bar’s stellar Moscow Mule, made with Belvedere Vodka and priced at $10. Or go big and order the Mondo Mule at $105; at 168 ounces it is intended to serve several people, but with a little dedication you can surely polish it off alone. Just head to the patio, bask in the sunlight and get to work. 1764 Public House is open 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to midnight on Sunday.

Photo courtesy of 1764 Public House

Caleco's Bar & Grill

Located more or less in the shadow of the Arch, Caleco’s Bar & Grill (101 North Broadway, 314-421-0708) offers an unfussy yet refined drinking experience. This downtown spot offers a full menu in addition to its alcoholic options, including a delicious “St. Louis Breakfast Pizza” that counts egg among its toppings. Upon entry guests are greeted by a large golden eagle, and the expansive dining room, which encircles the bar itself, features two aquariums, plenty of TVs and even a large red, white and blue missile warning “don’t mess with the U.S.” The bar is at its busiest during baseball games, and you may have the place mostly to yourself in a.m. hours. Watch the sun rise over the Mississippi, then start your day with some cocktails. Caleco’s is open from 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. seven days a week.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Hill

Tavern at Clifton Heights

Sophie’s Place may be no more, but the Tavern at Clifton Heights (2817 Watson Road, 314-645-4033), which recently opened in its longtime home, hasn’t altered much since the place changed hands two months ago: same bartenders and same pool tables, free on Sundays and Mondays. In fact, the new owners haven’t even swapped out the exterior sign ... the better for us to know where to go for early-morning drinks. Yes, the place still opens at 6 a.m. under its new management. And people still come out; a line of regulars is often waiting for the doors to open in the mornings. With the bar’s unfussy atmosphere and dirt cheap drinks, it’s easy to see why. Pro tip: If you’re still around at 11 a.m. when Adam’s Smokehouse, the barbecue spot next door, opens, get in there and have yourself a meal. You won’t regret it. The Tavern at Clifton Heights is open Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to midnight.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Hill

Pop's

Time has no meaning at Pop’s Nightclub (401 Monsanto Avenue, Sauget, Illinois; 618-274-6720). Lesser bars may concern themselves with things like “closing time” and “last call” — not Pop’s. Open 24 hours every day but Sunday, this Sauget spot is for day-drinkers and night-drinkers and everything-in-betweeners. Your favorite St. Louis bar closes at 3 a.m., but you’re still thirsty? Not a problem; just point your car east. Still got money in your pocket after the nearby strip clubs close? Pop’s will take it off your hands and replace it with something sudsy and cold. On Sundays the staff shoos people out at 10 a.m. and the doors don’t reopen until 11 p.m., but luckily St. Louis has plenty of bars that are open during those hours. Pop’s, meanwhile, will be there for you when those bars aren’t.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Kelley

Charlack Pub

Some who day-drink do so because they keep odd hours or work third shifts, relegating their R&R to the hours when the sun is up. Some, however, do it purely for the love of the game. That’s the case for many of the old north-county dive bars, often patronized in the morning hours by older drinkers who’ve earned the right to call themselves pros. Charlack Pub (8334 Lackland Road, Overland; 314-423-8119) is no different — its regulars just wake up earlier. At 6 a.m. the scene is considerably more serene than at night, when the rock bands take the stage and the motorcycles fill the parking lot, but you’ll still have good company in the form of an old-timer or three who decided to start early. Learn from them, and one day you may have what it takes to become them. Charlack Pub is open from 6 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday. The bar is closed on Sundays — even professionals need their day of rest.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Hill