Venice Cafe

This is probably one of my favorite bars anywhere. Great neighborhood bar. Cash only. Good mix of locals and sightseers. (the décor is worth the visit alone) Food out back was very good. Drink pours were generous. Great place to enjoy one of those great fall days STL has out on the patio. Always have pretty good live music. This used to be a hangout of mine way back when I lived in STL for a hot minute. I’m glad to see it hasn’t lost it’s magic.

I visited this place years ago on two occasions when I was in St Louis and to date it is absolutely the coolest bar I’ve been to ever — and I’ve traveled all over Europe.
The word ‘eclectic’ comes to mind and so does the word ‘psychedelic’ but they don’t do it justice.
The entire place is covered with bizarre and cool memorabilia — every square inch of wall space and there is a lot of insane tile work. There is a neat garden area with an entrance featuring an arch made of disembodied baby doll limbs ! :)
The food is cheap and good, the staff is cool, it feels like a psychedelic haunted house and the bands I saw were very good.
Worth it if you’re going to St Louis and close to the Budweiser factory if I recall

5 stars for the establishment. Such a unique and outstanding place. I loved the beer garden — so many things to look at! Truly amazing and unique spot — one of the must see places in St Louis!
Regarding food — salads were great! We had an issue with jerk chicken. We got our chicken with the blood coming around the bones. My hubby is a health inspector so he knew that was a health hazard so he sent the chicken back. We received it cooked up but also we have learned that the cook didn’t have a meat thermometer so he didn’t know if the chicken is good or not. We were advised by the waitress to just try it — if there will be still blood the cook will cook more?! We couldn’t take chances. We do not eat RAW meat at the restaurants especially when this meat supposed to be cooked in accordance with the standards. When my hubby went to ask the cook how he measures the temperature to know if the meat is cooked or not — he couldn’t answer the questions. And of course, the manager was not on the premises, when asked for. I guess nobody so far has reported any food poisoning so he doesn’t really care about proper temperature of fried goods. We were totally disappointed — we sent the dish back, we got our money back but still were craving jerk chicken. We were lucky to spot on our way home Kingsway African & Caribbean Cuisine — OMG — we got the best jerk chicken ever. Unfortunately 2 thumbs down for jerk chicken at Venice Café.

Love it here! Come on the first Wednesday of the month for a special night! Hanging out by the boat bar is a great way to spend a summer evening. One of the most epic thrones upon which to sit in he city … hit the upstairs!

I wish I could live here.
No establishment to which I’ve been is more deserving of 5 stars. If there is a place to go in St. Louis while you’re in town, it is this place. It is a fantastic time. It’s like a fantasy.
I realize I’m running the risk of sounding like a robot here, so let me give you some more details: the beer is cheap, the bartender (Lisa?) is quirky and awesome, the band is always amazing (R+B version of Watermelon Man? Yes). And the décor is unreal. The room upstairs is my favorite place to hang, with its board games and cards. I also really like the bathroom up there. I would hang out there, too, if it wasn’t so frowned-​upon by society.
Oh, and the outdoor patio is ballin. Just go there now.

Oh my God, I’m OBSESSED!!! Venice Café reminds me of home, and that’s why I love it. I will have to update this review after I go again (probably tonight!?!) and spend more time there. Back in St. Petersburg, FL, we used to have this restaurant that always had a live band, and it was outside in a beautiful courtyard decorated with Christmas lights and huge trees right in the courtyard.
Venice Café has all that and more. There’s not an inch of space that isn’t adorned with some kitschy knick-​knack or cheap tchotchke, and there’s a seemingly endless feel to the property. There’s so much to be explored here in every patio. There’s even a second floor that we didn’t get to see because it was closed off. The stairs leading down to the bathroom have a neon sign that says «The Shitter»; there’s some sort of dripping terrarium with a few vermillion koi swimming at the bottom, and the bathroom is cute too.
We plan on coming back to get THE BUCKET of their delicious signature drink which is sort of like a mojito and mint limeade had a baby!

This bar is sort of a kindred spirit of the City Museum, and maybe a little bit of Joe’s Café in Skinker-​Debaliviere. There’s lots of weird decoration inside, on the patio, and in the basement (follow the sign for the shitters); flowing water and a canopy of trees tucked around the patio; high chairs, strange dolls suspended from the ceiling, a boat-​turned-​bar, $ 1.50 Stag cans, and an open mic night on Mondays. The bartender was charming and friendly, and the atmosphere was just great — the space feels odd and familiar at once.

Oh my, how do you describe Venice Café to someone who has never taken in its glory? The quirkiest and most unique spot I have ever been, everywhere you look you see something unexpected, really great atmosphere. They offer really great drink specials at a great price and some of the best local talent, definitely not a bad place to spend your night!

HAPPY HOUR review
If you’re looking for a fantastic happy hour, Venice Café has it covered. It lasts from 4−8pm (not one of those dumb over-​at-​6 «happy» hours) and you can get beers and well drinks from $ 1.50 to $ 2.50. The large patio outside is a feast for the eyes, and has all sorts of good seating spots and locations. Great for dates or larger groups. The music switched from reggae, jazz, latin, and even a little Johnny Cash. Be forewarned, there are some hungry mosquitoes out there that come out when it gets dark…
There’s a great selection of food, I would say the Calpyso burger ($ 9) is an absolute must. It’s nicely seasoned with jerk spices and curry mayo, and every bite is a flavor blast with some solid spicy heat. I don’t think there’s anything quite like this burger… it is special. It also came with a nice hunk of grilled pineapple on the side (yum!) and some mango slaw (decent).
The chicken sandwich ($ 9) is just OK, the burger is far more satisfying. For vegetarians, there’s a delicious pasta served with mushrooms. And not your typical white/​button mushrooms, I think these were chantrelles. There was a lot of them and they were very tasty, and they lacked the earthiness that most mushrooms have. Even mushroom-​phobics would appreciate this dish. The mango empanadas (3 for $ 5) come out scalding hot, so let em cool for a bit before you dive in. They’re quite nice.
Definitely add Venice Café to your happy hour rotation.

Wow, things have sure changed… still looks cool, but it used to be a full-​service restaurant with a full menu, rather than just a bar that serves your choice of jerk chicken or jerk chicken, lol.

Frankly, it’s interesting.
Upon entering, it was a VERY small bar. The bartender didn’t greet us. It was intimidating and I personally would have left right then if not in a group. It’s like you’re supposed to know what to do and where to go. I read reviews about this being touristy and a destination place, I disagree. It’s a neighborhood bar for the locals.
We made our way to the garden. Once we figured out there was no waitresses, we went and got some drinks. I will say a buck fifty for a can of pbr is darn good. $ 5 Jamison and coke.
The garden area is the place to be. There are interesting things all over the place.
The bathroom is downstairs in the main bar, it was surprisingly decent.
We stayed for a couple drinks and left. Upon leaving (once we got outside on the sidewalk) either the manager or owner thanked us for coming. So that was nice.
Yes, it’s an interesting place to catch a drink if you’re in Benton Park. IMO it’s over-​rated though.

THEY NOW SERVE FOOD
This is our first stop every Friday and sometime our last.
A great group of people gather in the evening to enjoy the patio,
and the best art display anywhere. Music on the inside every night.
Lisa at the inside bar is FANTASTIC. The outside Boat Bar is always a party.
Jeff the owner has decades of man hours in the evolution of the Venice.
I guarantee you will be glad you stopped.

I’ve never heard of this place until I saw a stl250 fiberglass cake (it was one of 254 places in the St. Louis area chosen for one), so I checked it out. I made the mistake of coming there hungry, upon learning they stopped serving food at Venice two weeks before. Why even call it a café then? The lady was still friendly, talking me into buying a drink, but it was cash only, and all I had was plastic. I asked if I could look around the interior of the joint and she smiled and said ‘Absolutely!’. But that’s just it. Take away the art and you just have another bar.

I discovered this place on a road trip in 93 and recently went back to see if it was as cool as I remembered; it was.

Of course this is the most genuine, diverse and well-​rounded live music swanky bar in the Midwest. It’s like Lewis Caroll hung out with Salvador Dali and decided to open a 2 story venue with a trippy patio. Staffed with amazing welcoming people. CA$H ONLY, ATM inside.

If you want a boring night, don’t go here. This bar always has good music, strong drinks, fun bartenders and an amazing atmosphere.
I always take friends here when they come into town, and they’re never disappointed.
Note that despite the name, they don’t actually serve food.

A must-​see bar to visit when in St. Louis. It’s been around since the late 80s and I used to go regularly in the 90s until I moved from St. Louis. I was able to go back when I was visiting St. Louis and it was as great as I remember. Part bar, part work of art, and just a great creative space to enjoy yourself. It’s right across the highway from the Anheuser-​Busch brewery and personally I love the brewery smell of the area and the great old St. Louis architecture.
They do not server food but there are some incredible restaurants within walking distance, so it’s a great area to spend the evening.

We found this place when looking for a new place for dinner — I should have read a few more of the reviews to find out they DON’T serve food. The bartender was nice though and recommended a place to eat down the street so that we could come back for open mic night.
At first glance, this place is certainly eclectic and overwhelming. There is so much to look at, but I found it fun and entertaining and certainly worthy of conversation while sharing a drink with friends. The outdoor patio is nice and restrooms are clean and filled with art as every corner of the establishment seems to be. It feels very much like a neighborhood bar and open mic night was certainly filled with what appeared to be weekly regulars looking to express themselves. I can’t say that all of the performances were my style, but I hadn’t expected them to be and that’s what I enjoyed about the evening.

Venice Café has become one of those places where I always send out of town people. It is so quintessentially St. Louis: random, weird, friendly, intimate, affordable, surprising, and appearing to be smashed together.
The staff here are your typical neighborhood bar kind of folks, but they know how to turn the bar when it is busy. Seeing bands here is really fun, but be prepared to be physically friendly with the band — it is TINY.
Their outdoor area is the BEST and is a constantly-​shifting work of art with random found things here and there and welded and cemented into odd places.
I love this place. It isn’t the absolute greatest place, but some of their food is great (esp the jerk chicken), the bands they get are very fun, and you’re always going to meet some crazy new character there, whether it’s a frat guy raving about how he loves to be spanked, a South City regular who is discussing brick theft, or some artist discussing foucault.

Let your eyes wander.
Venice Café may be the most unique bar in town. Upon entry, the senses are overstimulated with the surroundings that call upon perhaps Pee Wee’s Playhouse. Find a wall and explore. It’s just that simple. The last time we went there I took a picture of a random spot and said, «I’ll look at this later.»
Personality is the key to Venice Café, and it is heavy with it. Sometimes I wonder if we’re actually there to drink or just experience the place. Perhaps both. However, drinking is greatly overshadowed by the design.
I don’t like the whole cash bar thing. Living in the city, I tend not to carry loads of cash because I never know when trouble will be around the corner. If you want to drink at VC, then bring your bills. Canned beer is $ 2.50, which makes me carry around quarters all night. Also, the ATM downstairs has a charge of a few dollars.
My favorite night is Monday for Open Mic Night, but if you want to experience the whole building, you need to come by on the weekend. The upstairs is usually closed during the week. We actually saw the upstairs for the first time Saturday.
I’m pretty sure Tim Burton is their decorator.