Entry No. 13 — the St. Louis file — filed under: hidden bar
Clements Bar
Operating as a fully functioning locksmith shop by day, this Cherokee Street staple transforms into a cozy, idiosyncratic neighborhood bar only on Thursday nights. Under the glow of a neon 'BAR' sign, patrons drink craft beers and cocktails surrounded by vintage lockboxes and a mesmerizing wall of thousands of keys.
The story
By day, 2626 Cherokee Street is a working hardware fixture—Clements Lock & Security—doing the unglamorous work of grinding brass, cutting key blanks, and rekeying deadbolts for South St. Louis. Walk past during business hours and it looks like a standard mid-century locksmith counter.
On Thursday evenings, the shop pivots. A neon 'BAR' sign lights up in the window, and the workbench transforms into one of the most compact drinking dens in the city. The decor isn't an aesthetic simulation of a hardware store—it is a hardware store. You drink under a glowing wall mounted with thousands of key blanks and flanked by rows of vintage lockboxes.
Don't show up looking for liquid nitrogen or complex syrups; the shop stays grounded with beer, wine, and straightforward drinks. The real draw is the strange friction of sipping a cold drink in a room that smells faintly of machine oil, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Gravois Park locals while keys are quite literally cut by hand.
What it's like
Look for the glowing neon sign on Cherokee Street on Thursday night. Inside, space is deeply limited—this is a working shop floor, so expect a packed, friendly neighborhood crowd pressed against the displays. Come early around 4 p.m. if you want a quiet beer and a chance to look closely at the vintage lock gear, or swing by later when the evening crowd fills out the room. Keep your drink order simple, and if you need a spare house key made, you can get it taken care of at the counter.
The move: Plan a Thursday night date to get 'keys made by humans' while sipping a cold beer. Admire the glowing key wall and strike up a conversation with the neighborhood regulars in one of the city's smallest, most unique watering holes.
- 📍 Gravois Park
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 2626 Cherokee Street, St. Louis, MO 63118
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- The TypOsphere StL — Walk a block down Cherokee Street to double down on mechanical nostalgia among 150+ antique manual typewriters.
- Venice Cafe — Head less than a mile east to Benton Park to shift from a minimalist lock shop to a mosaic-encrusted, taxidermy-packed dive bar.
- Lemp Brewery Bottle Works Tour — Trade brass keys for pitch-black underground stone basements on a tour of the nearby abandoned Lemp complex.
Good to know
When is Clements Bar open?
Thursdays from 4 p.m. to midnight, with occasional pop-up openings 'by chance'.
What drinks do they serve?
They offer a simple selection of beer, wine, and spirits. No fancy or elaborate cocktails.
Can you actually get keys made while having a drink?
Yes, it remains a fully functioning locksmith business, so you can get keys cut while you drink.
Where is it located?
At 2626 Cherokee Street in the Gravois Park neighborhood of South St. Louis.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · saucemagazine.com · feastmagazine.com · Reddit
last checked: 2026-07-21