Review: The Shenandoah Bar and Grill in St. Louis

While neighborhood bars subtlety change over the years, the taverns still have many qualities that stay the same. The Shenandoah Bar and Grill reopened in 1996 in the old Tip Top Tavern that closed in 1986, located on the northeast corner of Compton and Shenandoah. The bar is situated in a large two story structure on the border of the southside mansion neighborhood of Compton Heights and the resurgent Tower Grove East neighborhood. The exterior has a prominent sign advertising the Shenandoah and on top of this sign is the unlit neon Tip Top sign.

There are a few odd traits that are not immediately noticeable about this bar. It is a bar that is frequented by Serbians and is also a "Camel Bar". The Shenandoah has gained the "cool" status of being one of the select Camel bars. The cigarette companies cannot advertise like they used to, so the cartels now recruit the choice hip and popular bars in town to dump their marketing dollars. Many of the cigarette bars are located in the ultra trendy Washington Avenue, West End or Delmar Loop. Very few of the selected bars are actually neighborhood taverns.

Patrons of the Shenandoah are by no means exclusively Serbian. In fact, the bar is primarily non-Serbian. Surprisingly, all sorts hang out in this bar. The rich professional folks from the Heights frequently come by in addition to blue collar folk. The patrons are both black and white, young and old. South Saint Louis has a considerable Bosnian population, but there is a relatively minute new Serbian contingent in comparison. The Serbian influence is only noticeable upon close examination. A few bar patrons might speak in another language and there are a few signs that are written in Serbian. At one time there was a promotional Schlafly's beer banner on the awning that was written in Serbian. Otherwise, the bar has few distinguishing traits from other typical south city bars.

The inside of the bar is large with high ceilings with overhead fans and hanging stain glass Busch beer lamps. There is considerable beer promotional signs and sports memorabilia. Across from the bar are a set of Formica dining tables along the windows that are adorned with hand-stiched decorative Hamms Beer curtains. There is a tiny shotgun bathroom with an exterior sink, so remember to wash your hands or everyone will know that you are an unsanitary scalawag. In front of the bathroom is a free public phone with a sign that informs users of a strict one-minute time limit. There is a large wide screen television in addition to a couple of other TVs that help you keep an eye on the score. The owner, George, is constantly scrambling to cover just about every duty in the house.

Their menu offers quirky and diverse selections such as the classic American fried chicken to the Americanized Saint Louis Italian toasted ravioli and authentic Serbian kebabs with pork falafels. The food is very good and the service is genuine. There is a brisk sit down lunch and dinner business. The wide selection of beer includes both microbrews and an even wider selection of domestics. Busch is served on draft, in bottle, and in can for those with discerning tastes. The prices are more than reasonable for both the food and the drinks.

The Shenandoah's mood is welcoming and casual. The atmosphere can get very festive as the liquor flows and the quarters are pumped into the jukebox. The crowd by no means has the critical mass of hipsters to make this a super cool regular hangout that would be expected by a Camel bar or a hip dive like the Cat's Meow. But this does have the right mix of folks to make a truly cool city bar and grill.