Every city has its bars, but few cities have perfected the good old-fashioned neighborhood version quite so well as St. Louis. These bars are neither too fancy nor too frightening, too snazzy nor too sketchy. They're just right.

We've picked dozens of our favorite spots, from St. Charles to Soulard. They're places where you can get a burger and a beer, catch the Cardinals on TV or just run into your friends and neighbors. And after months of research, we can state one thing with certainty: They're the true beating heart of this booze-loving city.

Bar research and writeups by Cheryl Baehr, Sarah Fenske, Kevin Korinek, Jaime Lees, Doyle Murphy, Ellen Prinzi, Ben Westhoff and Danny Wicentowski