Cocktail and Wine Bars
Frances A.S., M1
Narwhal’s Crafted
Narwhal’s is a fun cocktail lounge with patio seating just a 7-minute drive from campus. It features a large list of unique frozen cocktails, including a yummy strawberry peach bellini and a creative take on a St. Louis classic — gooey butter cake! They even have hot cocktails that are perfect for when the weather cools down.
Bailey’s Chocolate Bar
For those of us with a big sweet tooth, Bailey’s Chocolate Bar offers the perfect combination of desserts and drinks. With dark chocolate to tiramisu martinis, it’s a chocolate lovers’ dream! If the sound of those makes you fear cavities, they also offer champagne, beer, wine, and non-chocolatey cocktails along with savory charcuterie boards perfect for sharing with your friends.
Retreat Gastropub
Located right in the Central West End, Retreat Gastropub is a modern American pub. Not only do they have a solid food selection like loaded mac and cheese and a beer glaze chicken sandwich, but also a number of gin, bourbon, rum, and tequila cocktails.
Coffee Shops in STL
Caden H., M1
- Kaldi’s – A St. Louis classic that you’ll find near campus on N. Euclid Ave and on campus in the Mid Campus Center (among other locations). It’s a pretty run-of-the-mill coffee shop with decent study space. Equitable pricing to Starbucks with (in my probably contentious opinion) lower quality coffee.
- MID CAMPUS CENTER (MCC) 4590, Childrens Pl, St. Louis, MO 63110
- 52 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO 63108
- A&O Co. Market and Cafe – Eccentric market with a collection of offerings, a small barista station, and a separate room dedicated to liquor and cigars. Not great for studying, but an interesting place with good coffee that’s definitely worth the visit for a date or just to feel a little ritzy perusing the wares.
- 1641 Grove Ave, St. Louis, MO
- Road Crew – Combination bike shop and coffee shop with friendly baristas, a small assortment of baked goods, and decent coffee. If you’re really into biking, or just trying to explore more of the St. Louis coffee scene, this one is worth adding to the list. It’s got a few tables inside as well, in case you want a new place to study.
- 3172 Morgan Ford Rd, St. Louis, MO 63116
- Rise Coffee – Cute shop with a couple outdoor tables. They offer locally roasted coffee and teas with baked goods and some other light food options. This one is another good hangout/date spot, but I wouldn’t suggest it as a study space as it’s been pretty populated and talkative when I’ve gone.
- 4176 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110
- Starbucks – There is one in the CWE and one on the St. Louis College of Pharmacy campus. I hope you already know what Starbucks is. If not, well done, you’ve probably spent significantly less money on coffee than I have.
- 4656 Maryland Ave, St. Louis, MO 63108
- 4573 Parkview Pl, St. Louis, MO 63110
- Catalyst Coffee Bar – This tiny, retro cafe doubles as a small art gallery, with rotating pieces from local artists up for sale. They make primarily espresso drinks, but have a few teas and baked goods as well. It is located in downtown St. Louis, so not walking distance from anywhere in the CWE, but worth the trip if you have a car or are already headed downtown.
- 1223 Pine St, St. Louis, MO 63103
- Maypop Coffee & Garden Shop – An outdoor coffee shop attached to a beautiful and reasonably-priced plant nursery. About a 15 minute drive from the CWE in Webster Grove, this cafe is worth the visit just for a chance to wander around the nursery and maybe grab a cute, low-maintenance plant like a succulent for your apartment.
- 803 Marshall Ave, Webster Groves, MO 63119
Places to go Dancing
Aravinda G., M1
During COVID, the best place to have a dance party is probably in your own apartment with your small pod of friends. However, in the real world, there is an abundance of places to fit any style you could hope for. Close to campus, Club Viva offers themed nights, often bringing in DJs of varying cultures to diversify playlists and mixes. Farther downtown, a perennial favorite is Ball Park Village (BPV), which is located conveniently right in front of Busch Stadium where the Cardinals play. BPV is actually a group of eight different bars, all with their own themes playing their own genres of music (pop, country, rap, old school, etc). If you’re feeling bold, try riding the bull and see how long you can stay on!
BPV is located close to Tin Roof, which is another favorite bar for many students. Open until 3 a.m. on non-COVID nights, this is the spot for late nights out, if you’re a fan. Tin Roof usually boasts a live band in supplement to their own music, so this is a top spot for dancing, as well as cheap drinks!
WashU’s Medical Campus is located close to The Grove, which has enough bars to bar crawl on its own. Favorites include Atomic Cowboy, HandleBar, and Sanctuaria — all within walking distance of each other!
In another area a little farther downtown, Soulard, you can find another string of bars worth checking out. Molly’s, Big Daddy’s, and McGurk’s have more of a college vibe to them, but if that’s your style, pay them a visit!
Finally, a favorite we can’t skip out on mentioning is Talaynas Jukebox. If you’re a fan of karaoke, dancing, drinks, and lights, this is the spot for you. Drinks are cheap, vibes are good, and you’ll walk out with a smile on your face for sure. If you’re in the area, be sure to check out Nick’s Pub as well. Although a little more chill of an area with a smaller dance floor, the bar does offer $1 drinks on Thursdays, so that’s something of interest.
Rooftop Bars
Aravinda G., M1
What makes for better pictures than a drink in your hand, friends beside you, and the Gateway Arch in the background? Rooftop Three Sixty is easily the most popular rooftop bar in St. Louis, as it sits in the heart of the city, populated next to several other bars and places of interest. Enjoy creative cocktails, outdoor fire pits, and incredible city views either from inside or outside. It is a little on the pricey side however, so if you are looking for a better budget deal on a rooftop, try checking out a new college rooftop bar known as Upbar STL. Located right next to Saint Louis University with a great view of Midtown STL, not only does this bar have drinks at half the price that Rooftop 360 does, but it also offers Bottomless Sunday Brunch for just $15!
For more upscale snacks and drinks, try checking out either Form Skybar atop Hotel Saint Louis or Cinder House Bar and Sky Terrace atop the Four Seasons Hotel. Both bars offer an incredible view of the city’s skyline, as well as their own extensive list of cocktails and wines. Form Skybar is located indoors and boasts more of a sit-down vibe, whereas Cinder House Bar and Sky Terrace offers seats as well as areas to stand and socialize. Another bar farther downtown, known as Art Bar, offers both indoor and outdoor rooftop lounges with an incredible view of, you guessed it, the skyline and the famous Gateway Arch. Plenty of wines, cocktails, and small plates to choose from here, but be prepared to spend a little more if you’re hoping to check out the view!
STL Beer Scene
Andy B. and Kenzie L., M1s
St. Louis is Beer City U.S.A. Our city boasts more than 80 members in the brewery guild, from the world-famous Anheuser-Busch, to the German-crafted Urban Chestnut, to top-rated and rare beer Side Project. St. Louis is continually rated as one of — if not THE — best beer cities in the nation. Don’t believe me? Visit Square One for some Old STL Charm, or Ferguson Brewery for the best combination of beer and food, or Center Ice Brewery for Blues-themed brews. We even have a cidery (Brick River) and a non-alcoholic (WellBeing).
Top 10, Andy’s List!
Urban Chestnut — German-inspired, American-guided brewery with a Bierhalle in The Grove and a Biergarten in Midtown. A must visit! Try the Dorfbier or the STLIPA! During non-pandemic times, the Urban Research Brewery is a great way to get the best pizza in STL while sipping on experimental brews. Grab some traditional German food while you’re at it. Prost!
4Hands — Second-largest craft brewery in STL, located in LaSalle Park. Known for fantastic IPAs and unique stouts. Try the Chocolate Milk Stout or the Incarnation IPA!
2nd Shift —Unique, tiny, popular, and underrated. 2nd Shift is located in a warehouse on The Hill and produces both traditional and revolutionary brews. Grab a Liquid Spiritual Delight for those cold nights in need of a stout, or an Art of Neurosis for that IPA kick.
Schlafly — STL’s largest craft brewery has three locations and a phenomenal year-round lineup. Try the traditional kölsch during the hot STL summers, and grab one of their coffee stouts during the chilly winters. Thee unique locations with great German, pub, and American food.
Rockwell — Quirky shipping container environment, fantastic shoe-string fries, and a constantly rotating and always great line up of beers marks Rockwell as a must visit mid-town haunt. Truly, they have anything for anybody. No beer here is a wrong choice.
Civil Life — Old-world, European-inspired brews, Civil Life focuses on the British Isles and Germany for its brews. Their pub in the sleepy south end of Tower Grove is a great place to grab a brew or two during a cold winter. Try the American Brown, it’s unbeatable.
Perennial — In the far southern reaches of STL lies a hidden gem. Perennial attracts people from across STL for their unique stouts of sensational and innovative brews. Grab an Abraxas while they last, any number of their seasonally rotating beers.
Heavy Riff — Understated, hidden, and hard rockin’ is what describes this brewpub in Dogtown. Heavy Riff is a brewery that combines the best of STL — great beer, great BBQ, great music. Try their Velvet Underbrown while ordering their BBQ sliders — you won’t regret it.
Earthbound — Quirky brewery in the old Cherokee Street Brewhouse, Earthbound literally dug out their lager cellar to bring you some phenomenal brews. Their mainstay Blonde is surprisingly spicy, and their Gose brings a Sonic Cherry Limeade kick to the traditional German Gose. Visit here and explore the booming Cherokee Street while you’re at it.
Bluewood — Located in the old Lemp brewery, Bluewood focuses on BIG beers. Everything they have is something you’d want to enjoy around a fire or in an old brick patio. Try their Battlestag Imperial Brown, or any number of their innovative seasonal beers such as the Thin Mint or the Pumpkin King.
Andy B.
Urban Chestnut
Urban Chestnut is a local St. Louis Brewery with a few locations open during COVID. The Urban Chestnut Beerhall on Manchester is the closest brewery to campus, located in The Grove. It is quite honestly my favourite brewery in the area. During COVID, they have extremely reduced the capacity of the dining space while also keeping their outdoor patio open and safe. In addition to a long list of dope beers (from your Kolsch’s, to your Hefewiesen’s, to your west coast style IPAs) they also serve INCREDIBLE homemade pretzels and woodfired pizza. If you don’t feel like sitting inside, you can easily pick up cheap six-packs and very aesthetically pleasing growlers filled with your favourite beer of choice. Also, everyone who works at Beerhall is SUPER friendly.
In the warmer months, the Midtown Urban Chestnut location has a great outdoor Biergarten which is totally worth checking out as well. Generally, the beer is cheap art Urban but the pizza can get a little pricey.
Rockwell
If you want the most dank shoestring fries and burger with your beer, totally check out Rockwell. This brewery is also local and also in The Grove. Their shipping crate aesthetic is super cool from the outside, they have plenty of parking (for both bikes and cars), and their beers are quite varied and all amazing. They have indoor, distanced seating as well as an outdoor patio with heaters.
Second Shift
Second Shift has some very unique beers and has an outdoor space that has been open during the pandemic. The “Art of Neurosis” IPA is my go-to but you can try out their wide variety of unique styles if you’re not an IPA person. This brewery is located a bit further southeast of The Grove but is still close by and its great to support a local brewer.
Kenzie L.