Kip, Roy and John’s Guide to St. Louis
(3rd Edition)

Kip, Roy and John are all St. Louis based musicians and music fans. They prepared this guide to help those who attend Twangfest get the most out of their visit to St. Louis.

St. Louis in June - not a bad place to be. Ours is a city with plenty of problems, and it can hardly lay claim to the status of cultural utopia, but it’s one of the most storied cities in the country, with a fascinating past and a substantial present worth exploring. Its neighborhoods and parks are surprisingly lovely, and its eating, drinking, and twanging establishments friendly and affordable. There’s lots to see, do and discover - even beyond the good music and friendship at the Duck Room and the hangovers at Howard Johnson’s. The following guide is far from definitive but offers a few pointers. Print it out and bring it along.
Directions, when provided, use the Howard Johnson’s as a starting point.

Restaurants Near the Hotel
Restaurants in the Delmar Loop
Late Night Eats
Delmar Loop
Sights, Attractions, Shopping

Restaurants Near the Hotel

Pueblo Nuevo
7401 N. Lindbergh
831-6885
St. Louis is not known for its Mexican food, but the dishes here are fabulous, easily the best Mexican in town. Don’t miss it. Just head about 3 miles north on Lindbergh and you’ll find it.

India Palace
4534 N. Lindbergh Blvd.
731-3333
Excellent Indian food, considered by many to be the finest in St. Louis. They also have a lunch buffet. And, of course, it’s right beneath Hojo’s.

Massa’s Restaurant
4120 N. Lindbergh Blvd.
739-3894
Italian food. Pastas range from $9.95 and full entrees go up to $20.00. Walking distance from the hotel. A favorite of the pilots who stay at Hojo’s.

Hatfield and McCoy’s Southern Style Restaurant
11915 Saint Charles Rock Road
291-7628
Take Lindbergh south to St. Charles Rock Road, go right or west. It’s about a mile down the road on your right.
A legendary North St. Louis County institution. This place has twang. A big old room, checkered table cloths, and catfish, catfish, and more more catfish. Barbecue as well. Lots of delicious vegetable sides (turnip greens!) available for vegetarians. Reasonably priced (Catfish, baked potato, and slaw for $6.99). No alcohol, but good lemonade.

Hotshot’s Sports Bar and Grill
12154 Saint Charles Rock Road
291-1606
Just down the road from Hatfield and McCoy’s.
St. Louis is a sports town, and this joint is one of the better known sports bars in the area. Friendly, a bit rambunctious, with decent bar food.

Berkshire Grill
12455 Saint Charles Rock Road
298-1260
A little further west of Hotshot’s is the Berkshire, a family restaurant with good food: steaks, pastas, Mexican etc. Not cheap, though: prices range from $10.95 to $25.00

K C Masterpiece Barbecue
611 N. Lindbergh Blvd.
991-5811
About 3 miles south down Lindbergh. Very popular steakhouse. Sandwiches start at $7.00 and steaks go up to $20.00.
Restaurants in the Delmar Loop

Saleem’s
6501 Delmar
Located in the heart of the Delmar Loop within a block of Blueberry Hill. Middle-Eastern cuisine. Their motto is “Where Garlic Is King.” Please take note of the king sculpture made out of garlic cloves to drive home the point. You can actually eat pretty cheaply here and they have a large assortment of middle-eastern dishes. If you want to live large, have an unbelievable amount of food and try a large assortment of different items, go ahead and blow the wad and ante up $25 per person and have “The Feast.” You will not be disappointed. In fact, you will thank us.

Riddles Peniultimate
6307 Delmar
725-6985
Located across the street from the Tivoli movie theatre (you’ll see the huge marquee) and a couple of blocks east from Blueberry Hill. Very nice place and they use only the freshest ingredients (they actually tell you which Missouri farms the different vegetables come from). It is pretty expensive, though, unless you stick to the pastas and sandwiches. Not the best vegetarian selections, although the vegetable platter and salads are very very good. Impressive wine and beer list. Entrees include items like duck breast, lamb chops, maple-glazed salmon, etc.

Blueberry Hill
One of the best burgers in St. Louis, one of the best jukeboxes in the US, and all kinds of interesting memorabilia on the walls. Plus you can’t get any closer to eating near Twangfest than actually eating at the venue that is hosting Twangfest. Inexpensive. If it’s good enough for Bob Costas, it’s good enough for us.

Brandt’s
Across the street from Blueberry Hill. Nice bistro with good food. This is where Bill Clinton chose to dine a few years back while visiting St. Louis. Considered to be in the medium priced category.

Addresses and phone numbers for Delmar Loop restaurants

Addis restaurant, 6269 Delmar 863-8777
Al-Tarboush Deli, 602 Westgate (just off of Delmar) 725-1944
Blueberry Hill, 6504 Delmar 727-0880
Brandt’s Market and Cafe, 6525 Delmar, 727-3663
Cafe Natasha, 6623 Delmar, 727-0419
Cicero’s, 6691 Delmar, 862-0009
Delmar Restaurant and Lounge, 6235 Delmar
Fitz’s, 6605 Delmar 726-9555
The Melting Pot, 6683 Delmar 725-4141
Red Sea Restaurant, 6511 Delmar 863-0099
Riddles Penultimate Cafe and Wine Bar, 6307 Delmar 725-6985
Saleem’s, 6501 Delmar, 721-7947
Seki Fine Japanese Cuisine and Fish Bar 6335 Delmar 726-6477
Authentic Thai Cuisine, 6170 Delmar 862-6868
Thai Country Cafe, 6223 Delmar 862-0787
Thai Gai Yang Cafe, 6250 Delmar 862-4400
Thai Seafood Cafe, 608 Eastgate at Delmar 862-4429
Tomatillo, 6333 Delmar 726-1005

Other restaurants near The Duck Room, but not walking distance (all of these restaurants are a few miles west of the Loop; restaurants on Olive are west of the Loop and 1/2 mile north)

Mai Lee
8440 Delmar
993-3754
Two and a half miles from Blueberry Hill. Located at I-170 and Delmar on the south side in a strip mall and you pass it on the way from HoJo’s.
Voted best Vietnamese restaurant in St. Louis in the 2001 RFT Reader’s Poll. Has the distinction of being the oldest Vietnamese restaurant in the St. Louis are. Flat out wonderful and ridiculously inexpensive depending on what you order. Spring rolls, iced coffee, seafood with baby bok choi, various golden tofu dishes, and a large selection of curries is just a fraction of the fine fare on the extensive menu selection.

House of India
8501 Delmar
567-6850
Located at 170 and Delmar on the north side. Two and a half miles from Blueberry Hill and you pass it on the way from HoJo’s.
Located across the street from Mai Lee on the north side of Delmar. This place is the official designated Twang Gang brunch meeting place where some of the most key Twangfest decisions have been made and where St. Louisians hoping to catch a glimpse of Matt Benz come to gather (in other words, it’s rarely crowded). A fine selection of freshly made items are part of a buffet that runs from 11:30 to 3:00 for the low price of $5.95 (Tuesday - Friday) and $6.95 (Saturday and Sunday). Great for dinner as well but expect prices to double when you order from the menu. Mixed Tandoori grill, vegetable samosas, a variety of different naans, and a whole host of vegetarian dishes are some of the recommended dinner items.

Nobu’s
8643 Olive Street
997-2303
Known as the best Japanese food in the area, maybe the Midwest.

Pasta House Company
8213 Delmar
991-2022
Cheap italian food, good salads.

Vietnam Star
7930 Olive
721-8838

China Garden
8600 Delmar
997-0906

Late Night Easts
For late night food, there are two classic St. Louis establishments; the Eat Rite Diner and Morgan’s (now officially called Tiffany’s, though it will always be Morgan’s). Greasy, smoky, and the latter even has both kinds of country music on the juke box. Kip too recommends Morgan’s (it’s a bit less greasy than its Eat Rite counterpart, he thinks).

Directions: The Eat Rite has two locations: 622 Chouteau and 1059 Gravois. Morgan’s is in Roy’s hood at 7402 Manchester, just up the street from Saratoga Lanes (site of Twangpin). Take I-70 east to I-170 south; take Hwy 40 east; get off at Bellevue, go right. Take Bellevue south to Manchester. Go right and it will be about two blocks up on the corner of Sutton on your left.

Last but not least by any means is Uncle Bill’s Pancake House. Something of a legend here in Saint Louis, UBPH is a favorite among the late night drunk crowd. Sometimes there’s a wait at peak hours (say, 1 AM to 3 AM) but usually they can seat you pretty fast. It’s not so much the food as the ambiance that brings people to Uncle Bill’s. For when you walk in the door, the first thing you find is an enormous glass case filled with some of the tackiest religious statuary this side of the Vatican souvenir shop - and believe us, they’re not being ironic. In truth, this display is an excellent representation of the south side’s indigenous Catholic folk culture and a grand slice of Americana, St. Louis style.

Directions: Take I-70 east to I-170 south; take Hwy 40 east, to the Kingshighway exit and go right (south). It’s down about three miles on the right at 3427 Kingshighway.
Delmar Loop

The neighborhood surrounding The Duck Room, The Delmar Loop in the University City district, is probably our most bohemian section of town.

Delmar is also the home of two official Twangfest sponsors, Vintage Vinyl and Streetside Records. Vintage Vinyl is most definitely in the running for one of the best record stores in St. Louis. Their blues, jazz and reggae offerings are pretty incredible, as is their overall enormous rock section. And if you can’t afford those $15 CDs, you can almost always find something worthwhile on their $4.99 budget CD table.

Streetside Records has many locations in St. Louis. The Delmar store is just down from the Tivoli Theatre, (6314 Delmar Blvd. 726-6277), and has a solid collection of jazz, rock, and international CDs. Competitive pricing and quite a few used CDs mixed in with the new. You never know when you’ll find a bargain. You can also visit the store on South Grand (3100 South Grand 776-1133) for even more deals.

Other Loop sites of interest include the Tivoli Theatre, one of the most beautiful movie houses in the country, recently restored to its original 1930’s opulence and famous for art films and quirky new releases; a wide variety of good to great restaurants; and an excellent used book store, as well as an assortment of off-beat clothing shops and whatnot. Further east on Delmar, lies the newest music joint in town, The Pageant, a large, big ticket venue (Lil Bow Wow, April Wine, Steve Earle, and the Neville Brothers have all played there). The lobby drinkery, The Halo Bar, is a surprisingly pleasant place to have a cocktail (no food), and it’s open till 3AM. Just across the street is one of three fine Thai restaurants on the strip.

Directions: From the airport, take I-70 east to I-170 south, get off at Delmar exit, go east (left) on Delmar about 3 miles till you get to the Loop district. You’ll know when you’re there.
Sights, Attractions, Shopping

Missouri Botanical Garden
http://www.mobot.org
A world-class garden and park, especially sweet in the spring months. Of special note is their Japanese Garden, which is equal to the beauty if not greater than the one in Chicago. Admission is around $3.00 for nonmembers, we think.

Take I-70 east to I-170 south; take the Highway 40 East exit. Get off at Grand exit, and go south (right) on Grand. Go about 1 mile, and a few short blocks after I-44, turn right (the only way you can turn) onto Shaw Boulevard. It’ll be a couple of very long blocks ahead on your left, an entire city block surrounded by a light gray stone wall. The entrance is on the north (Shaw) side in the middle.

The Arch
http://www.stlouisarch.com
Yes, there’s an arch in St. Louis. If you didn’t know it, the Arch is more than just big and silver and very cool. You can visit a museum beneath it or wait in long line and then ride up in an egg to the top. The thing kinda sways in the wind, so bring your Dramamine. The theme of the museum is the Westward Expansion, so there’s lot’s of cowboys and Indians displays and a big stuffed buffalo to look at.

The Riverfront
Although it’s become somewhat blighted with the recent advent of legalized riverboat gambling, our Mississippi Riverfront is still neat, kind of. It’s totally touristy but if you get quickly bored (and you might), then the Arch is just a flight of stairs away up the hill.

Take I-70 East. This will take you downtown. You can’t miss the Riverfront, it is between you and the river.

Crown Candy Kitchen
Nearly as famous as the legendary Ted Drewes, the CCK is a 75 year old, 1940s-style soda fountain. Unbelievable shakes and malts. Open till 10pm Monday through Saturday. 1401 St. Louis Ave. 621-9650

Take I-70 east to Saint Louis Ave. exit. Turn right.

Ted Drewe’s
http://www.teddrewes.com/Drewes.asp
Yes, it’s a cliche, but you really haven’t experienced St. Louis till you’ve visited Ted Drewes (what Arch?). Frozen custards (think Dairy Queen blizzards, but a billion times better) with all kinds of yummy additions blended in: pistachios, peanuts, chocolate syrup, mint, bananas etc etc. The oldest Ted Drewes is at 4224 S Grand Blvd. There’s another (slightly newer) at 6726 Chippewa.

To the South Grand Ted Drewes: Take I-70 east to I-170 south; take the Highway 40 east exit. Get off at Grand exit, and go south (left) on Grand. Go about 6 miles.

Soulard Market
Kip speaks of this with familiarity, since he lives two blocks away and frequents the place often. Soulard Market is sort of St. Louis at its best. Established in the late 1700’s(!), it’s a funky, cheerfully chaotic affair where rows of merchants hawk everything from amazingly cheap produce to skinned rabbits and freshly trapped coon (that would be raccoon, to those of you not familiar with southern terminology). Need a pair of used cowboy boots? There’s a stand where they sell nothing but. Looking for a live laying hen? Gotcha covered. A three foot statue of Our Lady Of Lourdes? You’ll find it there. This place is a must-see Saturday morning, and it’s about a 25 minute drive from the Howard Johnson’s.

Take I-70 east towards downtown. Take the I-55 S exit, exit number 251A, on the left towards I-44 W/TULSA/MEMPHIS. Merge onto I-55 S. Take the 7TH ST exit, exit number 208. Turn LEFT onto S 7TH ST. Turn LEFT onto PARK AVE. Turn RIGHT onto S BROADWAY. The Market is at Lafayette and Broadway.

Soulard Bars and Restaurants
http://www.soulard.com/
The Soulard neighborhood is the oldest in St. Louis, and much of the architecture is quite beautiful. Some visitors are reminded of the French Quarter in New Orleans, a comparison not inappropriate since there is quite literally a bar on every corner - and sometimes two or three. Many of these establishments feature live music (mostly blues, although McGirks on Russell Avenue has some of the best live Irish music in the midwest). A stroll around this neighborhood on a June afternoon is a true pleasure.

A good starting place is Ninth St. and Russell, from which you can reach many a bar or restaurant. Roy recommends the food at Norton’s Cafe, near the corner of 8th Street on Geyer; another favorite beer garden is right there at Ninth and Russell.

Steel Guitar Hall of Fame
http://www.scottysmusic.com/hofplq.htm
For true devotees only. The Hall of Fame is just a wall of bronze plaques featuring all the pedal steel greats (see an example here: http://www.buddyemmons.com/award2.htm). It’s located downstairs at the The Regal Riverfront Hotel. 200 South 4th Street.

Take I-70 east towards downtown; Take the MEMORIAL DR exit, exit number 250B, towards DOWNTOWN/PINE ST. Merge onto N MEMORIAL DR. Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto SPRUCE ST. Turn RIGHT onto S 4TH ST.

Scotty’s Music
http://www.scottysmusic.com
The mecca for steel guitar players; great store, good people. 9535 Midland Boulevard, St. Louis. 427-7794.

Take Lindberg (67) South all the way to Midland exit. Go left off of ramp. Follow Midland till you get to Scotty’s. It will be on your right.

South Grand Neighborhood
http://www.south-grand.com
If the Delmar Loop is our bohemian hang, then the S. Grand neighborhood is our International District. Recent years have seen the settlement of many Korean, Vietnamese, and Latino people in this part of town, and it goes without saying that there are a goodly number of shops and businesses with an Asian feel.

There is also a fine Mexican/Nicaraguan restaurant; a boutique dedicated to all things tacky; a movie rental shop specializing in films from India; excellent Thai and Vietnamese restaurants; and the South City Diner, a hang out for the hip and young (and young at heart).

Two inexpensive places to eat of note:

Pho Grand (3191 S. Grand) Fast, yummy, and stupid cheap. This place is a god-send. Those on a tight budget need look no further for good food.

Me Kong (3131 S. Grand) Some like it even more than Pho Grand. Again, excellent reasonable Vietnamese fare. Take I-70 east to I-170 south; take Hwy 40 east, get off at Grand, go south. Park when you start seeing signs written in Vietnamese.

Western Wear and Vintage Clothing Stores
Little Mexico Area/Cherokee S (off of Lemp Street) Cherokee Street is line with vintage stores, antique shops, and Mexican markets and restaurants.

Take I-70 East towards downtown. Take the I-55 S exit, exit number 251A, on the left towards I-44 W/TULSA/MEMPHIS. Merge onto I-55 S. Take the ARSENAL ST exit, exit number 206C. Turn RIGHT onto ARSENAL ST. Turn LEFT onto LEMP AVE. Take Lemp to Cherokee and turn RIGHT. This will take you into the Historic Cherokee District.

Pixie 9
2013 Cherokee
776-3739
Excellent selection of men and women’s vintage clothes, including Western shirts, bowling shirts, ’50s dresses, rockabilly duds, etc. They also sell cool items from the ’50s and ’60s. This is one of our favorite vintage stores in the city.

Regenerations 3196 S Grand Blvd, 314 664-5533 and The Haberdashery 3143 S Grand Blvd 772-1927 are two used vintage stores that have lots of cool stuff.

Record Stores
Aside from Vintage Vinyl, the two bestest places to go vinyl venturing are Euclid Records (there’s one on Laclede and one on Big Bend) and the Record Exchange. Both have great country vinyl, but the Record Exchange on Hampton is something special. This place is legendary, big enough to impress even David Cantwell. It has a bins and bins devoted to the real stuff, and you will be overwhelmed. A little on the pricey side (tough to find anything for under $5) but worth visiting. There’s a second Record Exchange on Cherokee, too.

Euclid Records has two locations: the first is at 4906 Laclede in the Central West End. Take I-70 east to I-170 south; get off at Forest Park Parkway exit. Stay on Forest Parkway for about 5 miles, all the way east until you pass underneath Kingshighway. Turn left on Euclid and turn left on Laclede. The second store, vinyl only, is 7905 Big Bend. Take I-70 east to I-170 south; take the Highway 40 east exit. Take the Hanley South exit, go right (south) on Hanley for about 4 miles. Hanley will become Laclede Station Rd. At Big Bend, turn right, go about 1/2 mile, and the record store will be on your right-hand side.

For the Hampton Record Exchange, take I-70 east to I-170 south; take the Highway 40 east exit. Get off at the Hampton South exit. Go right (south) about 5 miles. The Record Exchange is on the left: 5320 Hampton Ave. 832-2249. For the Cherokee store, take I-70 east to I-170 south; take the Highway 40 east exit. Get off at Grand exit, go left or south on Grand for about 3 miles to Cherokee. Turn left on Cherokee and go east for about 1 mile. It’s on the left: 2831 Cherokee.

The City Museum
This “warehouse of adventure” is clearly aimed at the child in everyone - and it succeeds in bringing him or her out. Lots of cool, weird, delightful exhibits, and a funky coffee shop/bar upstairs called Beatnik Bob’s. There’s a working art glass studio, a giant fish tank, a walk-through whale, a real circus and secret caves to explore. The museum is housed in a renovated shoe manufacturing plant in St. Louis’s former garment district. The City Museum is located at 701 N. 15th Street in downtown St. Louis, in the heart of the freshly rehabbed Loft District, and is open Wednesday through Friday from9: 00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.: Saturday and Sunday 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Admission is $6. For more information call 231-City.

Take I-70 east to I-170 south; take Highway 40 east to Jefferson exit, go north (left) on Jefferson. Turn right on Olive Street. Turn left onto N 15TH St. Look for the cement wall shaped like a snake.

Laumeier Sculpture Park
A beautiful collection of modern and postmodern sculpture, some gigantic and delightful, others secretive and blending in with the landscape. Big green, rolling spaces, and the best place in town for a picnic or just for walking. Definitely worth a trip.

Laumeier Sculpture Park is in the far southwestern corner of St. Louis County, near the intersection of I-270 and I-44. Take I-70 west to I-270 south. Take the I-44 East exit. Get off at Watson Rd. (also known as Missouri Highway 366, after its roots as part of old US Highway 66) to Geyer Road, the first road east of where 366 splits off of I-44 eastbound. Go south, and follow the signs.

Bowling Hall of Fame
http://www.bowlingmuseum.com/
Smack-dab downtown, a few blocks from Busch stadium.

Left Bank Books
Left Bank Books is a dignified and deep establishment (the last remaining independent book store in St. Louis) with good poetry, criticism, fiction, and music sections. It also has a decent used book section downstairs.

Take I-70 east to I-170 south; get off at Forest Park Parkway exit. Stay on Forest Parkway for about 5 miles, all the way east until you pass underneath Kingshighway. Turn left on Euclid and this will take you through the lovely Central West End. Left Bank Books is about a mile ahead on the right-hand side.

Tower Grove Park
http://stlouis.missouri.org/parks/tower-grove
Includes a 19th century style walking path, some ponds, and pagodas.

Take I-70 east to I-170 south; take Highway 40 east to Grand, go south (right). The Park is about a mile down the road on the right.

The Scott Joplin House State Historic Site
http://www.mostateparks.com/scottjoplin.htm
The home of an American genius. Nicely maintained and a fascinating portal to St. Louis history. 2658 Delmar.

Take I-70 east to I-170 south; take Highway 40 east to Jefferson, go north (left) on Jefferson. Turn left on Delmar.

Forest Park
http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/parks/forestpark
The seventh largest urban park in the U.S., this place is full of joggers, skaters, and white guys playing golf; in short, your basic urban park. It also houses our terrific Zoo and equally terrific Art Museum and the History Museum. Go to the Museum if it rains, go to the Zoo if it’s at all nice out. Both are free, by the way?the only major American city you can say that of.

Take I-70 east to I-170 south; take Hwy 40 east, get off at Forest Park exit and go straight. Can’t miss it.

Kip, Roy and John’s Guide to St. Louis (3rd Edition)

Visit Our Sponsors

Kip, Roy and John’s Guide to St. Louis
(3rd Edition)