16. Rue 13
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (314) 588-9797
Address: 1313 Washington Avenue
Description: Rue 13 offers a variety of themed music nights and happy hours throughout the week, ranging from retro rock and hip-hop Wednesdays to ‘80s Night Fridays and contemporary burlesque on Saturdays. No flashing disco lights or driving bass lines here—the lounge offers excellent sushi, high-end cocktails and good old-fashioned domestic beers in a trendy, contemporary atmosphere. Closed Sunday.
17. Clementine’S
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (314) 664-7869
Address: 2001 Menard Street
Description: Clementine’s, St. Louis’s oldest gay bar, is open seven days a week and features an adjoining cafe and a patio bar. The restaurant, called the Oh My Darlin’ Cafe, is highly regarded throughout the area and features culinary delights from “Chef Bubbles” and “Ms. Connie,” including steaks, prime rib, chicken pot pie, and other house specialties. Clementine’s features happy-hour pricing from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
18. Bb’S Jazz, Blues & Soups
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (314) 436-5222
Address: 700 South Broadway
Description: BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups is a funky, eclectic music club that has been around—in various conditions—for more than 30 years. It is one of a handful of St. Louis–area clubs that offer live music every night of the week, as well as bands on weekend afternoons. The kitchen is open until midnight during the week and until 2:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. BB’s offers a variety of specialty drinks and a large assortment of domestic and imported beers.
19. Beale On Broadway
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (314) 621-7880
Address: 701 South Broadway
Description: Located right across the street from BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups and within shouting distance of the Broadway Oyster Bar, Beale on Broadway is yet another club that showcases St. Louis’s finest jazz, blues, and roots musicians. The club opens at 6:00 p.m. nightly, and the music starts almost as soon as the doors are unlocked. The bar has a Louisiana feel, with wood floors and wooden tables and lit by tiny, colored lights. This friendly neighborhood bar is an ideal spot to start the evening or wrap things up after a night on the town. Live music seven nights a week from local and national bands.
20. The Big Bang
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (314) 241-2264
Address: 807 North Second Street
Description: The Big Bang is a high-energy, rock ’n’ roll, sing-along show that features two dueling piano players who keep the place lively with their incredible piano-playing ability and lots of witty banter. There really doesn’t appear to be any song that these talented musicians can’t play—and even if they do get stumped by an obscure song title, they’re very adept at improvising songs on the spot. Good clean fun nightly until 3:00 a.m., but you must be 21 to enter. Closed Monday.
21. The Firebird
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Nightlife
Address: 2706 Olive Street
Description: The Firebird is an independent music and events venue specializing in local and underground indie rock, punk, ska, rockabilly, electro, and post-rock touring acts. Shows usually take place Tuesday through Saturday nights, with an occasional Sunday night thrown in. Check the Web site for times, cover charges, and whether a particular show is 18+ or 21.
22. Broadway Oyster Bar
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (314) 621-8811
Address: 736 South Broadway
Description: Catch local and national bands playing jazz, blues, zydeco, and R&B nightly, and enjoy Cajun, Creole, and American delicacies. With the wonderful ambience of the French Quarter in New Orleans, the Broadway Oyster Bar. There’s no better place to enjoy live music on a warm evening than on the colorful patio—you’ll feel like you’re in New Orleans or along the bayou.
23. 1860S Hard Shell Cafe & Bar
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (314) 231-1860
Address: 1860 South Ninth Street
Description: The 1860s Bar offers a full, diverse menu and a great environment to enjoy live music. Live local blues and rock bands play here nightly, plus Saturday from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. The Courtyard offers a casual, enclosed dining and drinking environment under a permanent tin ceiling, and all of the creature comforts of home. It’s an ideal spot for the hot St. Louis nights or chilly fall evenings.
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Nightlife
Address: 2028 South Ninth Street
25. Mcgurk’S Irish Pub & Restaurant
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (314) 776-8309
Address: 1200 Russell Boulevard
Description: For more than 20 years, McGurk’s has been the epitome of “Irishness” in St. Louis. From its food menu to the wide selection of beer, wines, and whiskey, the cozy Soulard bar is the closest thing to a real Irish public house this side of Dublin. The big draw for music fans is the nightly performances of traditional Irish music by artists imported from the motherland. According to one St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter who interviewed one of the Irish musicians performing at the pub, McGurk’s is to Irish music what New Orleans’s Preservation Hall is to jazz.
26. Off Broadway
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (314) 773-3363
Address: 3509 Lemp Avenue
Description: Off Broadway, named for its location downtown and just off Broadway, is one of St. Louis’s favorite music clubs, featuring touring national, regional, and local acts such as Ian Moore, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Wayne the Train Hancock, Jonathan Richman, Two Cow Garage, and the Redwalls. The focus is mainly folk and roots rock, but all types of bands have played the stage here. Voted best concert venue in 2007 by readers of St. Louis Magazine.
27. Old Rock House
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (314) 588-0505
Address: 1200 South Seventh Street
Description: Located off the beaten path between downtown and Soulard, the Old Rock House offers a full schedule of various musical genres. In addition to an acoustic happy hour, ORH features local, national and touring bands Tuesday through Saturday nights, along with a ull menu of lunch and dinner options. The historic building, which is listed on the historic registry, started as a saloon in 1880 and reportedly was a popular spot for steamboat captains, millionaires, and writers such as Mark Twain and Eugene Field.
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Nightlife
Address: 1903 Pestalozzi
29. Chaifetz Arena
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (314) 977-5000
Address: 1 South Compton Avenue
Description: Located on the campus of Saint Louis University (SLU), Chaifetz Arena is a 10,600-seat venue that plays host to approximately 100 sporting and theatrical events each year. In addition to servingas the home court for SLU’s basketball and volleyball teams, the venue holds trade shows, commencement ceremonies, and concerts by such artists as Barry Manilow, Stevie Nicks, and Carrie Underwood.
30. The Fox Theatre
City: St. Louis, MO
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (314) 534-1111
Address: 527 North Grand Boulevard
Description: The Fox originally opened as a vaudeville palace in 1929, and today it presents live entertainment with superstars, Broadway shows, family shows, and concerts. From musicals such as The Music Man and The Full Monty to family-friendly shows such as The Lion King and The Wiggles, the Fox is an excellent place to see a show. Past acts at the Fox have included such performers as Norah Jones, B. B. King, Jackson Browne, Steely Dan, and Kathy Griffin.