Growlers Pub

Growlers PubGrowlers Pub
Growlers PubGrowlers Pub
Bar, Eatery

763 Old Ballas Rd
Saint Louis, Missouri, 63141-7013
United States

// CLOSED //
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.65
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
10
pDev:
11.78%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by swamiswamu:
Photo of swamiswamu
Reviewed by swamiswamu from Indiana

3.03/5  rDev -17%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 2 | food: 3.5
I think they actually tried to pick as bland of a 131 beer list as possible. Sure there a couple great ones (various Young's, LaChouffe and Westmalle) but the bulk of the list is boring to bad stuff like Singha and Leinie's. I had a Young's Oatmeal Stout. The prices ran prettty high for the bottles, but were fair on tap. The food was typical pub fare. My fiance's nachos were massive. My portobello was par, but the mashed potatos were grand. I think this place is very much OK. Part of this sentiment may be my dislike of being in the far reaches of 'burbia, though. I think anyone would be better off at Cicero's for a meal and 33 for a drink.
Jan 09, 2005
More User Ratings:
Photo of Duxx
Reviewed by Duxx from Missouri

3.53/5  rDev -3.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 2 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
This was my first time at this bar. My brother took me while we were visiting my dad in the hospital at St. John's. A nice retreat from spending the day in a drab hospital room. Dad has recovered nicely, in case your wondering.

The bar has an enclosed patio that is now covered with tarps with plastic windows. It December in Missouri and about 30 degrees.

We sat in the resturant part of the bar, so I really didn't get to see the bar. Non-smoking was still pretty smokey. I learned later that this is also a cigar bar...no wonder its soooo smokey. Typical pub booths and tables. I did see a guy drinking from a pewter mug. The reward you get for trying 131 types of beer at this bar. I also saw several people with their "checklists" to earn the mug.

The beer selection was good. They had a stable of 32 beers on tap with 3 "guest" and/or seasonal beers on tap as well. There were one or two beers I had not tried before. They had several beers from Schafly, Boulevard and O'Fallon breweries. All Missouri breweries. Supporting you local breweries is always a good idea in my opinion. There were some English imports that you would expect: Guiness, Bass, Smithwick. The beer menu had 131 different "beers" listed and you had to try them all to earn the mug. The bottled beers were listed by country and there seemed to be 10-15 different countries listed but I didn't count them. They had what looked to be the most popular styles and breweries represented. Not too much exotic stuff. Some of the "beers" were hard cider and Mike's hard lemonade.

The food was tasty. I had a Cuban sandwich and fries. The food menu was typical pub grub but they did have a surprisingly large selection of sandwiches. We were seated immediately and the waiter was quick to take our order. The place was 3/4 full on an early Saturday evening (6:00 pm) The service was very slow from the kitchen. It took almost an hour to get our food. We were not in a big hurry so I didn't mind. I thought it was a little pricey for pub grub though. $25 for a sandwich and 2 draft beers ($6-$8) each. All in all a nice place for a beer.
Dec 21, 2009
Photo of Ambro
Reviewed by Ambro from Missouri

4.58/5  rDev +25.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
I love this place. I have been coming in and trying beer from their 131 (32 tap and 99 bottle) selection for over two years now. Service is very friendly and a few are very knowledgeable in beer (one even home brews). The menu changes slightly every six months.

The food is typical bar food but vary tasty in that category. Notable things to try are their Pepper Cheese Steak, Growlers' Fish Tacos, their soup of the day, and their Buffalo Chicken Salad.

Growlers does an award card with prizes given as you drink more of their beer. This leads to fun competitions among friends and an interesting learning journey for those that have not tried a lot of styles.

The atmosphere is one that both welcomes new comers and their regulars too. I recommend it to anyone looking for a pub that will remember your name.
Jul 22, 2009
Photo of CMW
Reviewed by CMW from Missouri

3.03/5  rDev -17%
vibe: 3 | quality: 2.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5
Tucked in back of a small business plaza lies Growlers West.

The atmosphere is decent, but seems more like a sports bar than a beer bar. The service was quick and attentive.

They have roughly 30 or so taps and maybe 130 bottles. You would think with a selection this size there would be some oddballs mixed in right?, wrong. The entire selection is middle of the road. Bottle selection is large but it is also common and at about 4x the price of (insert your favorite liquor store). I understand there is markup, but $9 for one can of Wittekerke?

The food is your typical bar selection but is a notch above in my opinion. The fish and chips are good and plates are large.

With so many good bars popping up in St. Louis, it is hard to say I will return.
Feb 23, 2009
Photo of Tone
Reviewed by Tone from Missouri

3.98/5  rDev +9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 2
This neat bar is below and behind a Blockbuster. Parking is not too big. Friendly atmosphere, lots of beer/sports memorabilia, and tv screens. Nice bar with large mirror behind. They have a club that they give out awards for drinking progressively higher numbers of the beer they offer, which was over one hundred. Eventually a plaque on the wall is the final prize for trying all of the brews. The beers are categorized by country and the majority of the imports are European. The beers all seemed very fresh and no problems with aging. Service was all right; I wasn't there during a busy time and it still seemed to take a while to get drinks and/or food. I had some great beers (Ommegang Rare Vos and Ommegang Three Philosophers). Overall, the beer has been great and as long as you don't want food this place's service is pretty good. Helpful, friendly, and willing to go the extra mile - but not so knowledgeable on the brews. The one big drawback was the food. Maybe it was an off night on their part, but what a letdown. Appetizers were cold and not very flavorful. Entree's were also a letdown - not at all what I expected. To make up for it the bill wasn't to high, but still it might be enough to keep me from going back. The one hundred beers will probably win me back though ;)
Dec 16, 2008
Photo of Dogbrick
Reviewed by Dogbrick from Ohio

3.8/5  rDev +4.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
This Growlers location is on Old Ballast Rd which is right off 270 and maybe 10-15 minutes from the airport. They have a pretty good-sized private lot that is shared with other businesses.

The interior is dark with table seating on the left and the bar on the right. Tap handles are under a large mirror that displays what is on each numbered tap. There is a decent collection of breweriana scattered around, and they have a segmented scotch/fine beer/cigar room. Minus points for the smoky atmosphere.

The beer selection is pretty good, although they were out of a lot of stuff due to a "beer changeover". There are 30+ taps with regionals like New Belgium, Boulevard and Schlafly mixed in with the stuff you see everywhere. As for bottles they have around 100 and as with the draughts there are a few local/regional beers from O'Fallon, New Belgium, Schlafly and Boulevard. Imports range from UK, Germany, Belgium and Canada.

Service was pretty good on a late Tuesday afternoon. The bartenders knew the beers as far as what was out and what the seasonals/guest taps were.

I did not try food on this visit.

Overall this is a worthwhile stop in the St. Louis area.
Mar 13, 2008
Photo of 1fastz28
Reviewed by 1fastz28 from Illinois

3.48/5  rDev -4.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5
I've only had the joy of going to growlers once but i really enjoyed it when i did go. when you walk in you see a huge row of different beers on draft, the place seems small and crowded and unfortunately it was very smokey. Anyway the food was good and they had a very extensive beer selection from spaten optimator, to different oktoberfests from all, since i was there in the fall. Plenty of beers that i've heard of and have had and a few that i haven't had or had even heard of. if it weren't such a drive for me living on the east side of the river i'd probably go there more often. i thought it was kinda pricey, but i'm a poor college student.
Feb 20, 2007
Photo of Ahhdball
Reviewed by Ahhdball from Ohio

3.8/5  rDev +4.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5
Went to Growlers the last time I was in St. Louis and had a semi-decent time. Not too hard to find even for non St.Louis. The food was normal pub grub, and the beer selection was very extensive. I'd give my server about a 3 out of 5 becuase although she was friendly, she didn't know her stuff and was rarely around. It was busy that night but she could've been around little more. I had the steak sandwich which was mediocre. The beer wasn't that expensive, the food was decent. Overall I'd lie to hit this place again next time I'm in town.
Nov 09, 2005
Photo of Vancer
Reviewed by Vancer from Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 3
Gotta pewter mug from this place for trying all 131 beers (before I knew about BA and reviewing them). A friendly place when plenty of choices – a different style for everyone. 32 draughts / 99 bottles from everywhere and they rotate the beers for different variety. Prices for draughts are reasonable ($3- 6), the bottles cover a $3 to $10 range. Homey place with restaurant style seating on one side – food is O.K, but not overly tasty.

Bad deal is they also say they’re a *cigar bar* and allow cigars. NEVER good to try to enjoy a fine frosty with some crap cigar smoke wafting in your face.

Oh, I CAN”T drink outa the pewter mug – took it home to my bar. It gave the beer a nasty metallic taste and the flanged edge always let beer dribble out the sides !
Jan 31, 2005
Photo of maxpower
Reviewed by maxpower from Missouri

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 4
This is the place to go if you want great food and a stellar beer selection. Crowd of all ages, its got a nice old pub feel. Good place to hang, drink and eat. Will be worth your time.They also have take home growlers.
Dec 08, 2002
Growlers Pub in Saint Louis, MO
Place rating: 3.65 out of 5 with 10 ratings