Pop's at Sunrise. Photograph by Thomas Crone
There was a time that The Delmar Restaurant and Lounge was the new kid on the block. Located just inside the City limits, The Delmar was an early hit because the bars from the west, all those located in University City, were kicking out patrons at 1:30 a.m. Some of them were still thirsty, and they made their way to the noir-ish Delmar for a nightcap and, on many nights, some live jazz or blues. On a given evening, it was a pretty cool, fairly diverse scene.
Over time, though, The Delmar’s late-night ring had to take a hit from nearby newcomers on Delmar. With the Loop now long-comfortably expanding well east of Skinker, the Pin-Up Bowl and the Halo began to call out to the nightflies, who found newer, equally loud-and-active locations in the Joe Edwards developments down the road. So, today, we tip out a sip and remember the occasional night-run to The Delmar, where DJs and live music mixed, while all races and demographic slices mingled. RIP, The Delmar.
And we remember that not all quality 3 a.m. spots are located along the main drags of the City. Sure, you can run to Washington Avenue or The Loop for late-night hopping, but why burn the gas if you’re already in the neighborhoods? Over the past month or so, all of these spots have been visited by your nightlife tour guide and we assure you that all the scenes are true; were they same the night before, or the night after? Nope. But we gotta cover a lot of ground, so these snapshots are all that we got to remember ’em by...
314-664-4810
5099 Arsenal, 63139
Oh, gosh, where to begin? Let’s address the basic rub here: people think the Trophy gets a bit scrappy. And, truth be told, the last place I saw a dust-up was right here, though it was a quick, middle-of-the-day bout between a couple of ill-tempered, middle-aged contractor types who’d watched a few too many westerns in their youth. The Trophy’s fine, nothing’s gonna happen to you, especially with STL’s finest positioned at the door, along with several of their off-duty brethren tippin’ ’em back inside.
A melting pot of South City, there’s a consistent vibe running through the place: that you’re going to run into someone that you don’t exactly know, and can’t exactly place. But they’re a part of your life, somehow. Ah, yeah, that guy. He sold you plants at the local nursery last week. That woman in the purple shirt? Yup, made you pancakes at the Courtesy a couple mornings ago. This happens more often than not, with the vague sense of communal recognition hanging in the air.
The close at the Trophy comes suddenly, and with some clattering. This is after the bartenders have been hustling all night, pitching a week’s worth of drinks in a couple hours, moving so efficiently that they’ve got two orders pouring at the same time that they’re shirking the hundredth flirtatious come-on. Their speed is impressive, and their last-call comes closer to 3 a.m. than at some taverns. But when it’s time to go, they will let you know. The pool table gets covered. The patio gets flushed of life. The shouts grow louder. Finish that beer, Charlie, and find yourself a new corner to stand in, ’cause at 3, this spot’s done. (Though they’ll be open again at 6 a.m., a story for another day...)
314 457-8766
6109 Gravois, 63116
All the young people of Lemay and Affton, still awake and out for the night, are at this one, singular location, which is an interesting thing. Because it’s not the smallest bar, one might imagine that staffing would gear up late, to deal with that late-rush influx, but... no. If you arrive after 1:35 a.m., prepare to wait, unless you’ve got some kind of “in” that we’ve not yet been granted.
As you wait to order, though, you can do things like: watch the entire third season of Lost on your Smartphone. While thinking about that non-existent drink, you’ll have several savings bonds, bought during your childhood, reach maturation. Bring a mirror for fun, because your hair, raven upon entry, will now be decidedly salt-and-pepper, but, hey! It’s a good look for you.
If this gives the impression that the crush near the might not be worth it—and that you knew this would happen, you dummy—then, well, we’ve given the right impression. Walk up the block to Lemmons. You’ll have a finding chance of having that nightcap.
314-773-6600
4652 Shaw, 63110
If some of these bars on this list come off a bit young—for good reason—then there’s a degree of wisdom and experience that comes along with the O’Connell’s crowd. That’s especially true between midnight and the 1:30 rush, when the kitchen’s closed and the local waiters, bartenders, valets and other, assorted service workers have come aboard for a last round, many of dropping by from The Hill’s establishments to the west. At that point, you can still horn in a conversation, but the bar starts to get a touch more excitable as the evening stretches.
Longtime barkeeps Kenny and Bobby keep the TV glued to sports and give the satellite radio a bit of a kick, with the music veering between pop eras at a reasonable volume. As if summoned, the crowd arrives at 1:35, and sticks around until close, during which time the venerable pub’s porters are working around all the little pockets of people sitting in the dining room. In fact, those nooks and crannies provide a nice place to people to tuck away, especially if there’s a little mystery, shall we shall, to their relationship.
And big parties are not uncommon here, since there are two large tables and a host of six-seat booths, so conversations can roll into the night. While surely not exact, it feels as if there’s one, big, wedding party that rolls in every night, while gatherings of high school and college chums seem normal, too. It’s a bright bar, strangely so, but that just means that you’re dealing with reality a little earlier than at close.
314-664-8585
3145 S. Grand, 63118
Four ownership groups later, Mangia maintains a presence as one of the linchpins of the South Side’s nightlife scene. Some things have become predictable over time, while others have changed, due to the larger trends of the town, or the subtleties of the room, itself.
What you can count is the presence of Dave Stone on Friday nights; his trios have been performing there for years, and the room’s got a lot more “cool” every time he’s onstage. And you can also count on the outside being full of people till close; when indoor smoking ceased, the thin patio outside became one of the most-popular spots to sight-see on weekend evenings, with dozens of people lining up along the narrow walkway of South Grand. And that’s a good thing as the Mangia crowd can be a bit, er, earthy at times, the au natural vibe permeating the inside the space.
Inside, though, there’s still plenty of action, and it’s often weird, if you look closely. An artists dabs at a sketchbook. A reggae DJ taps on his laptop. A bookworm nuzzles up to a pint, and a dog-eared novel. And that guy with the cavalier handlebar mustache? Who knows. Just enjoy him, he means no harm.
Pop's Nightclub & Concert Venue
618-274-6720
401 Monsanto, 62201
It’s true. We’ve left the City. And we had to go to a whole ’nother state to do so. Says here that we’ve been over twice in the last month, and each visit had a little bit of a different feel. Weekends, obviously, are busier, but weeknights can cook, too; after all, when almost everything else is closed, this joint’s still kicking, and will be through sun-up and into the next day. Sun-up, we add might, was accomplished once in recent weeks. That took a couple days to shake off. Oh, my.
Interestingly, the more recent visit, capped at about 4:30 or so, had its own variations on the unexpected, including the Thursday/Friday overnight tradition of a, let’s call it, talent contest at 4 a.m. Did know that such activities took place in Sauget. Did not know they took place at Pop’s. But that’s the joy of the place: stuff just happens. You might run into your ninth-grade study partner, or the waiter who took your order earlier than night. There’s a chance that you’ll find some connection to your outside life, even as Pop’s seems to exist in sort of a hermetically sealed, smoky bubble.
And to invoke the cliché of all clichés, most folks abide the “what happens at Pop’s stay at Pop’s,” mantra.” Sometimes you see someone, nod, move along. There’s no reason to do more than that. Be cool, man. Keep everyone’s karma righteous.
