The Best Three Bars in St. Louis

By what criteria do you rank a bar as the best? Is it "where everybody knows your name," the house with the best beer selection, the place where bartenders juggle bottles like Tom Cruise in Cocktail or look like the staff in Coyote Ugly, the one that offers the best happy hour, has great food at moderate prices....? The list of possible criteria becomes nearly endless because the types of bars vary so much.

But St. Louis is a beer town so its three best bars must have top-notch beer selections. While fancy mixologists aren't important, the Gateway City's best bars also need an impressive line of spirits. While food wasn't a requirement to make the list, if food was available it had to be outstanding without being outrageously expensive. And finally, it had to be a place where a friendly bar and wait staff and clientele might not know their name but would make the first-time customer feel welcome.

These are the three best bars in St. Louis:

The Scottish Arms, 8 South Sarah Street

The dozens of beers served across the dark wood of the bar hail not only from the Highlands but also from across Europe and the States. The taps are a beer-lover's dream - impeccably clean lines, the right temperature and not too fizzy. The Arms categorizes its incredible Scotch collection by region and offers it by the shot or dram. Denizens of other spirits will be just as impressed by the breadth and quality of the stocked liquors. Even if you don't have a hankering for haggis, the food at the Scottish Arms should not be missed. Nothing goes better with a Wee Heavy than Scotch eggs....or a pasty, cock a leekie pie, bangers 'n mash or fish 'n chips. If you enjoy lamb there's also shepherd's pie or the very unique lamb burger (with goat cheese added is best). Patio seating is available when the wind isn't high enough to see what's under your kilt.

The Stable, 1821 Cherokee Street

So much of The Stable's allure comes from the eponymous environment. You sit in the same place the delivery horses were kept for the Lemp Brewery a century and a half ago and most of the building's lines have been kept. The ceiling above the main bar ends in rafters carrying a block and tackle and the sliding barn doors still open in the adjoining room to help cool the place down on balmy evenings. In keeping with the brewing history of the location, The Stable makes its own beer (focusing on German styles), and also runs St. Louis' only microdistillery producing rum, whiskey and other specialty spirits. Add to that 24 rotating taps to satisfy any thirsty beer geek and another 50 bottles of quality beers, a full line of high-end spirits and eclectic live music. The food trends toward pub fare with some exceptions for weekday specials and the appetizers standout over the main menu - throw caution to the wind and try the hard-to-believe-it-even-exists Basket of Bacon with the Stable-brewed marzen.

McGurk's Irish Pub, 1200 Russell Boulevard

It's not just the name that's Irish at McGurk's. It has Irish music every night of the week, Irish whiskies, potato soup, Irish stew, corned beef and cabbage and, of course, Guinness as well as Harp, Smithwick's and about a dozen other beers on tap and twice that many bottled. Inside consists of a patchwork of small rooms, separated by full and partial walls adorned with bric-a-brac from across the pond, which hides the bar's true size and preserves its intimate feel. The Garden is simply the best outdoor bar seating in St. Louis. Two bars serve the 8,000 square feet of brick patio with shaded seating under umbrella-covered tables, potted landscaping and fountains that make it seem more like someone's backyard than a bar. The Garden makes McGurk's the ultimate afternoon bar but its evening hours shouldn't be overlooked.