50 States of Wonder
6 Wondrous Places to Get Tipsy in Missouri

If there's another drive-through golf-cart bar next to a waterfall inside a bat-filled, mountaintop cave, we don't know about it.

In the Missouri Ozarks, the Bat Bar gives new meaning to the term “watering hole.” Visitors take golf carts through a 2.5-mile woodland path over streams and bridges, stopping at both a butterfly garden and a scenic overlook. Shortly into the trip, the trail dips into the Lost Canyon Cave, wherein lies the one-of-a-kind bar. (Read more.)

Most of us would blow a gasket if someone removed the molten cheesy center of our pizza, but at Grinders in Kansas City, Missouri, chefs have something much bigger in store for the vacancy. First, they fill it with some crispy, fried tater tots, then plop on a scoop of chili, slather that with a hefty helping of Cheez Whiz, and, to lighten it up, sprinkle the potato, meat, and Cheez mountain with fresh green onion. Voila: That pizza has just been Chili Bombed. This decadent mashup can grace any pizza on the Grinders menu. (Read more.)

German immigrant John Georgian was one of many Kansans in the mid-1800s to open a brewery along the banks of the Missouri River. Most employed local geology to aid in brewing, utilizing natural cave formations and river ice to manufacture suitable brewing and storage conditions. Georgian, however, had no cave. He dug his own limestone cellars more than 50 feet underground—now home to the oldest bar in Missouri. (Read more.)

In 2012, new owners took over Dave and Jacquie’s, a longtime bar-restaurant at a bend in the road on Route 94, running along the Missouri River. They renamed it Defiance Roadhouse, added outdoor dining, and renovated the interior. They did keep a clientele that leans “biker,” however: The parking lot overflows with Harleys and leather on sunny weekends. They kept the extensive taxidermy squirrel collection, too. (Read more.)

Legendary combinations of cheap eats often have late-night cult followings. Establishments in St. Louis, Missouri, serve a greasy, grand Franken-feast known as “The Slinger,” a hodgepodge of hash browns, over-easy eggs, and sausage patties topped with a ladle of chili, American cheese, a smattering of raw onions, and a side of toast. 

Where The Slinger began is lost to history, but the concept is now an integral part of St. Louis culture. Breakfast joints and 24-hour greasy spoons around the city get creative with the dish, slinging upscale, modern, and classic renditions. Eat-Rite Diner has been serving the same version for decades: whole hog sausage, over-easy eggs, and hash browns covered with chili, American cheese, and raw yellow onions. (Read more.)

In 1978, Jeff Lockheed purchased a house in the neighborhood of Benton Park. After letting friends hang around for nearly a decade, he formalized his hospitality and converted his home into a café. He applied for a liquor license shortly thereafter (his patrons were already practicing the BYOB model), and, according to the bar’s Facebook, “then took on the business model it follows today: Booze and beauty for cash.”

The beauty that Venice Café alludes to—concentrated, vivid, and frenetic—swarms the property, both inside and out. Downstairs, you’ll find an ATM (the bar is cash-only), along with a fish tank, turtles, and a continued expanse of mosaics that flows into two bathrooms and surrounds the toilets. (Read more.)