The Definitive List of St. Louis Dive Bars

Pop's Blue Moon

(5249 Pattison Avenue, 314-776-4200)

Pop's Blue Moon is about as hard to describe as it is to find. Open since 1908 and largely unchanged since the 1940s, the family-owned gin mill sits in a forgotten north sliver of the Hill, severed from the rest of the neighborhood by Highway 44. That hasn't stopped an endless parade of musicians from finding their way to its doorstep. Inside, the main barroom is lit by pink neons and a collection of lava lamps. It feels a little like a New Orleans blues bar and a little like the inside of curio cabinet, with knick knacks in every corner. A Christmas tree and glowing snowman centaur light up one end of the bar, and you'll pass a quarter-ton bombshell on the way to the bathroom. Pop's is all wonderfully weird and well-worth the effort to find it. Pro tip: Use Pop's location to your advantage during the next big Forest Park event. Leave your car here and walk about fifteen minutes each way. You'll make it back in time to sip a beer while everyone else is stuck in traffic hell.

Photo courtesy of Riverfront Times

San Bar Tavern

(9441 Lackland Road, Overland, 314-427-9750)

For more than 50 years, the San Bar Tavern has been a welcoming go-to for thirsty residents of Overland and beyond, slinging cheap drinks in a warm, inviting atmosphere. And for 26 of those years, owner Kay Genail has been helming the ship. Charming and kind, Genail has decorated her bar to her own unique and quirky tastes. That means a seriously impressive collection of Cardinals bobbleheads, a fair number of beer signs and even a living room area complete with a sectional couch that Genail refers to as "the VIP lounge." She says most of her patrons walk here from their homes, and she's quick to tout the bar's history, pulling out a weathered map, dated 1903, that shows the area's property lines as they stood more than 100 years ago. "I really should frame this so it doesn't get all booger-y," she remarks. Frame or no, the map is just one piece of proof that this delightful watering hole is here to stay. Here's to another hundred years, San Bar.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Hill

The Waiting Room

(10419 St. Charles Rock Road, St. Ann, 314-890-8333)

Don't look for a jukebox at the Waiting Room — the unwashed masses simply cannot be trusted with something as important as the soundtrack to this St. Ann watering hole. Most accurately described as a punk-rock dive bar (the name is a reference to the Fugazi song), the Waiting Room could also be thought of as a charming little chunk of south city dropped into the middle of north county. Its closest city counterpart would be the Silver Ballroom — indeed, the two bars' proprietors are friendly, even sharing and swapping out pinball machines (and engaging in rather competitive touch-screen rivalries). The drinks are cheap and plentiful, the mood is low-key and inviting, and the bartenders are friendly. The latter are also the ones responsible for the music you are listening to. Don't you forget it.

Photo courtesy of Shannon Nichols

Clancy's

(40 Old State Road, Ellisville, 636-391-6154)

When the Clancy clan first staked its claim on the corner of Old State and Manchester, the roads were brick. Times have changed, but not much else has at the place they founded, the aptly named Clancy's. Built as a summer home, the place was converted to an Irish pub in the 1970s by family patriarch Frank Clancy. His photograph is lacquered to the corner bar top, under the ceiling of hanging dollar bills that he started as a tradition. "A year of luck for a buck" is how the old saying goes, though just bellying up to this classic bar and sipping a Guinness is enough to make you feel fortunate.

Photo courtesy of Cheryl Baehr

Corner Bar

(571 1st Capitol Drive, St. Charles, 636-724-9608)

Aptly named, the Corner Bar is the oldest dive bar in St. Charles, and it's got the history to prove it. The two-story brick building was erected in 1860 and was first used as a military academy for boys that would host occasional dances for Lindenwood students, back when the latter was an all-girls school. In 1875, it was converted to a bar and restaurant and a three-pin bowling lane was installed downstairs. The game was known as "cocked-hat bowling," thanks to the way men wore their hats as they played, and this is one of the last lanes in the nation where you can still play it. The venue still holds a lot of its working-class charisma, with original brick architecture and a big wooden bar, well-oiled for slinging tall drafts your way. You'll be a regular in no time.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Korinek

Pine Room

(1102 Perry Street, St. Charles, 636-754-6327)

If it wasn't for the big sign above the door, you might drive right past the Pine Room thinking that it was just another house. But you'd be wise to slow down: This is one of the best-kept secrets in dive bars. Located at the corner of Perry and Forest, nestled snuggly in the middle of an old St. Charles suburb, the Pine Room has been in operation since 1947, making it the second oldest bar in the area. It's just what you'd expect — dark and smoky inside, with natural wood paneling and old-world charm, it feels like the remnant of a 1950s-era boy's club. While the nearby Lindenwood University crowd packs the tiny dive in the evenings, the bar's biggest claim to fame is the food — smoked ribs, steaks and fried chicken. People say the filets are better than Ruth's Chris steakhouse. If that's not enough, the Pine Room boasts one of the best happy hours around: $1.50 domestics and half-off appetizers. If that's not a sign, what is?

Photo courtesy of Kevin Korinek

Krueger's

(7374 Forsyth Boulevard, Clayton, 314-721-9965)

Before you get huffy and insist that Krueger's is not a dive, consider the neighboring environs. This is Clayton — a zip code that put more importance on pulling up in a leased BMW than it does in keeping a bucket of Bud Light properly iced. Krueger's, which has been open since the mid-1930s and under the same ownership since '46, is as divey as it gets in this part of town, but in the best possible way. Even though Clayton's smoking ban means the haze of nicotine has lifted, it's low-key where other bars are snooty, friendly where they'd prefer to pose. It has dingy lighting, an unfussy beer selection, and an atmosphere so thick with the smoke of years past you'd think someone was lighting up right next to you. Don't even think of asking for a craft cocktail — there are a hundred places within walking distance for that, and this isn't one of 'em. But that's what makes Krueger's such a breath of fresh air for those who just want to kick back. Every city should be so lucky to have a bar like this.

Photo courtesy of Cheryl Baehr

Silver Ballroom

(4701 Morgan Ford Road, 314-832-9223)

The Silver Ballroom could easily be a locale in the '90s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, in which an aging member of the Foot Clan leaves his life of crime behind to be a barkeep and surrounds himself with the beer, punk and pinball of his sordid youth. Despite the divey veneer, the Pabst-laden bar (ahem, Retox Center) conceals some marvelous secrets: Australian meat pies, craft drinks and a few worldly bartenders who are well-versed in specialty cocktails. If the jukebox doesn't earn enough punk points for its selection of punk rock standards, take a closer look at the bar itself — the Ballroom's DIY ethos shines from top to bottom with a history lesson through the 400+ show flyers from St. Louis' punk past plastered throughout. And make no mistake, the game room is run as a high-grade pinball arcade, with nearly twenty pristine machines kept on constant rotation, ranging from old Williams and Bally mainstays to newer, licensed fare — just keep that Stag tallboy on a side table.

Photo courtesy of Jarred Gastreich

Stella Blues

(3269 Morgan Ford Road, 314-762-0144)

If you love the idea of Fast Eddie's, but hate the crowds and that drive east, Stella Blues is a rockin' alternative. Adorned with neon signs and eclectic memorabilia, Stella's also features a fun patio and a gritty pool room in the back. The cash-only bar is stocked with an array of bottled beers, and while there aren't any fancy cocktails, the bartenders can accommodate staple orders such as gin and tonics and whiskey sours. But though the drinks are less than $5, the real draw here is the kitchen, which is unusually good for such a low-key spot. The Korean pork kabobs ($1 each or four for $3) and beef kabobs ($4) can't be beat.

Photo courtesy of Mabel Suen

The Cat's Meow

(2600 S. 11th Street, 314-776-8617)

It may have a cutesy name, but the Cat's Meow (2600 S. 11th Street, 314-776-8617) is a place for some serious drinking. Tucked at the far end of Soulard, far from the frat-tastic action and party buses full of county revelers, it's a surprisingly big space with plenty of friendly regulars and a few cheap eats to soak up the booze (a package of crackers is a quarter; pistachios will set you back $1.25). There's a vague cat theme going on here — you can learn about "A Cat's Wisdom" from one piece of wall art — and an even more pronounced Mardi Gras one. Six-foot boas are on sale for $10, while five-foot ones are $5. That extra foot of feathers would easily buy you a strong drink here, with enough left over for a tip; spend wisely.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Fenske