TO DIVE FOR / CBGB MISSOURI

Cash is King

TO DIVE FOR | CBGB | ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

WORDS AND PHOTO BY DEAN KLINKENBERG One of the first things you notice as you walk in—after the handmade posters plastered on the front window, the dim lighting, and the lingering cigarette odor—is the name spelled out in a Lite-Brite on the bar: CBGB. The St. Louis bar (its name comes from the initials of the original owners and has nothing to do with the New York establishment) has been serving cheap drinks and camaraderie to St. Louisans since 1987 with no signs of slowing down or cleaning up.

On any given night, you might find twenty-something anarchists enjoying a Stag and a shot next to a fifty-something architect sipping a craft beer. Local artists hang their work on the walls, and regulars pass the time playing darts or shuffleboard. Bartenders Matt, Roxanne, and Tazu keep it all going. Ask them to make a Sandinista for you. It’s a shot invented by a St. Louis bartender that includes a potent combination of tequila and siracha.

I’ve been a customer for twenty years, and of all the things I love, what I love best is how little it has changed. You won’t find a TV or phone. Cash is still the only way to pay. And while everyone may not know your name, they’ll make you feel like you’ve been friends for years, anyway.

3163 S GRAND BLVD, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI