Best Dive Bars

the central scrutinizer · PostDec 12, 2007#762007-12-12T20:42+00:00

dweebe wrote:
carrieocity kills wrote:meow pussycat!

i think tats make someone look tougher esp someone very large. i dont have any myself but i feel tough so maybe you are right.

What about all the little college chickies with tramp stamps. Are they tough?

Only the fat ones.

carrieocity kills · PostDec 12, 2007#772007-12-12T20:43+00:00

dweebe · PostJul 14, 2009#782009-07-14T14:26+00:00

Couldn't find a thread only about "Hair of the Dog" so I'll post here.

It's been a month or so since I was last in there so I don't know how new they are, but HOD has very thankfully added two new smoke eaters. While not making it as good as non-smoking, it greatly improves the air quality in the place.

When the bar is busy the smoke used to be so bad it would hurt your eyes, make it hard to breathe and you smelled like an ashtray when you walked out. But now you can at least breathe decently in the place. Thank goodness.

matt · PostJul 15, 2009#792009-07-15T20:11+00:00

Hi-Way bar has reopened after closing for several months.

The confederate flag place on Gravios has cleaned up a lot and removed the flag -- under new ownership.

The Filling Station in Benton Park on Pestalozzi is a decent dive.

kujay · PostJul 15, 2009#802009-07-15T20:36+00:00

Matt wrote:The confederate flag place on Gravios has cleaned up a lot and removed the flag -- under new ownership.

I lived over near there for a couple years but never got the courage up to go in there.

I did, however, stumble (literally) into one of the short-lived bars that occupied the place that had the "Mary's Fine Food" writing on the window. It was on Gravois, I think pretty close to the place Matt was referring to. I forget what they called the place, but it was country. The jukebox had both kinds of music: country and western!

contractorkitchens · PostJul 16, 2009#812009-07-16T03:08+00:00

dweebe wrote:Couldn't find a thread only about "Hair of the Dog" so I'll post here.

It's been a month or so since I was last in there so I don't know how new they are, but HOD has very thankfully added two new smoke eaters. While not making it as good as non-smoking, it greatly improves the air quality in the place.

When the bar is busy the smoke used to be so bad it would hurt your eyes, make it hard to breathe and you smelled like an ashtray when you walked out. But now you can at least breathe decently in the place. Thank goodness.

The day Hair of the Dog goes smoke free, is the day it ceases to be a dive bar. Smoking goes hand in hand with dive bars. What's next, a clean restroom? a wine list?? a children's menu??? it's a DIVE BAR!

framer · PostJun 09, 2017#822017-06-09T20:19+00:00

Absolutely nothing to do with St. Louis, but these vintage photos of a dive bar in the Bowery in NYC are just too good not to share:

http://mashable.com/2016/10/01/sammys-b ... d6QwxAniqE

wabash · PostJun 09, 2017#832017-06-09T21:29+00:00

Looks like a spot Kerouac and Cassidy would feel right at home in.

symphonicpoet · PostJun 10, 2017#842017-06-10T02:27+00:00

". . . to see how the other half staggers." Nice!

downtown2007 · PostJun 12, 2017#852017-06-12T16:32+00:00

So what's everyone's favorite dive bars?

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Bart Harley Jarvis · PostJun 12, 2017#862017-06-12T16:40+00:00

downtown2007 wrote: ↑
Jun 12, 2017
So what's everyone's favorite dive bars?

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Applebee's

moorlander · PostJun 13, 2017#872017-06-13T17:37+00:00

ricke002 wrote:
downtown2007 wrote: ↑
Jun 12, 2017
So what's everyone's favorite dive bars?

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Applebee's

Famous Bar

robertn42 · PostJun 13, 2017#882017-06-13T19:03+00:00

downtown2007 wrote: ↑
Jun 12, 2017
So what's everyone's favorite dive bars?

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Hideaway

(it was Missouri Bar and Grill before they ruined it)

Any other answer is unacceptable.

framer · PostJun 13, 2017#892017-06-13T19:18+00:00

I'm still partial to Hair of the Dog.

RIP Club 34.

PostJun 13, 2017#902017-06-13T19:27+00:00

I once went to a hole-in-the-wall way down on South Grand near Carondelet Park. My friend ordered a Bushmills on the rocks. The barmaid brought her a can of Busch beer and a glass of ice. True story.

downtown2007 · PostJun 13, 2017#912017-06-13T19:46+00:00

framer wrote:I once went to a hole-in-the-wall way down on South Grand near Carondelet Park. My friend ordered a Bushmills on the rocks. The barmaid brought her a can of Busch beer and a glass of ice. True story.

Club Paladora?

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framer · PostJun 13, 2017#922017-06-13T19:56+00:00

^That sounds right. It was right around Bellerive Blvd., and was one of the last places in the City that still allowed smoking.

bwcrow1s · PostJun 14, 2017#932017-06-14T17:59+00:00

framer wrote: ↑
Jun 13, 2017
I'm still partial to Hair of the Dog.

RIP Club 34.

Hair is decent, but I wouldn't quite call it a dive... feels a little too polished IMO.

framer · PostAug 08, 2018#942018-08-08T21:47+00:00

Here's the RFT's Definitive List of St. Louis Dive Bars:

https://photos.riverfronttimes.com/the- ... danielhill

kipfilet · PostAug 09, 2018#952018-08-09T15:52+00:00

framer wrote: ↑
Aug 08, 2018
Here's the RFT's Definitive List of St. Louis Dive Bars:

https://photos.riverfronttimes.com/the- ... danielhill

There's a lot there to try - wish they had a map version of that list!

warwickland · PostAug 09, 2018#962018-08-09T16:01+00:00

framer wrote: ↑
Jun 13, 2017
I'm still partial to Hair of the Dog.

RIP Club 34.

that was a special one. i may have already posted about it but since the FORUM is so slow to load didn't look back to see.

i remember chasing a roach around with a beer can. place felt like it was like a portal to the late 40s or something. just was too much dive for euclid i guess...

sometimes i go to the blockhouse on st. chas rock road now that i live in u-city, it's an easy shot up north and south rd.

framer · PostOct 23, 2018#972018-10-23T16:56+00:00

No surprise here: CBGB named one of the best dive bars in the country.

https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/ ... in-america

DogtownBnR · PostMar 02, 2020#982020-03-02T20:15+00:00

Just wanted to mention, stopped in to Tim's Chrome Bar at
4736 Gravois this weekend. The bar itself is an amazing
throwback. It has this amazingly long wood bar, cool stage and even has a big coat-check room. The owner/bartender is
awesome. He has owned the place since 1977. He told so many cool and funny stories. He has seen a lot in 43 years. He told
me the building is for sale. He has 8 apartments, the bar and restaurant (not open) next door. It also has off-street parking. I have no affiliation with the place. Just wanted to mention it. You have got to root for the owner. Super cool guy!

ebo · PostMar 03, 2020#992020-03-03T16:42+00:00

Since this thread got a bump, pour one out for Al's Cafe in Kosciusko. Al's was a great dive bar, that I wish I would have had a chance to visit more often, but the 6 PM closing time made it tough. The bartenders would answer the phone with "this is Al's Cafe, not Al's Steakouse."

Black02AltimaSE · PostMar 04, 2020#1002020-03-04T20:13+00:00

Pretty good read that mentions Tim's Chrome Bar:

RFT - Inside the Afterlife of South St. Louis Bars

Best Dive Bars

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