Cherokee Dive Bar San Loo to Close This Month

"The bar business is fun but it sure ain’t easy," a bartender wrote on Facebook

Nov 2, 2023 at 1:29 pm

San Loo will close after nine years holding it down on Cherokee Street.

After a 9-year run, Cherokee dive bar Johnnie Walker's San Loo will be closing later this month. Earlier today, the bar announced its forthcoming closure on Saturday, November 25, on Facebook.

"It's been a long and mostly fun almost 9 years," the post read. "I thank everyone that has every graced us with your presence and we love you all."

A woman who identified herself as a bartender made a shout out to the establishment's co-owner Jon Coriell.

"The writing was on the wall in June but he gave us another six months even though he didn’t have to," she commented on the post. "He’s made a lot of huge personal sacrifices to provide this space for his community for as long as he has. The bar business is fun but it sure ain’t easy."

The RFT reached out by phone for comment, but the bar's voicemail was full. We'll update this story if we get more information.

In 2015, San Loo opened at 3211 Cherokee Street (formerly home to the Livery Company) and quickly established itself as a chill rock/dive bar with a sizable collection of board and video games. Part of its name is a portmanteau of one of the three original owner's first and middle names, John Walker Eckles.

Along with the third originator, Mike Cuneio, Eckles and Coriell previously told the RFT that they were drawn to the space's aesthetic, which includes a long bar, sizable patio and a classic St. Louis drop ceiling and stage. In short, it was the perfect venue for what they wanted to make.

"It's going to be a neighborhood type place," Eckles said. And for nine years, it was.

Sadly, San Loo is not the only neighborhood Cherokee spot to say goodbye as of late. Last night, burger joint B-Side announced it would be closing as well.