I Found a St. Louis Pizza Place That Was Basically Made for Rock Fans

Pizza, Pinball and Heavy Metal, This Is My Kind of Pizza Place

I am originally from the St. Louis area, and I am a rock fan. We know this by now.

I try to make it back home pretty frequently to see my friends and family, and this past weekend, I decided it was time for a little road trip.

One of the friends I went to see is actually someone I met right out of college at my first radio job. We both worked in promotions for the station, which meant we spent pretty much every weekend during the summer working concerts and events together. Honestly, it was a pretty fun first job to have.

So, when I told her I was coming to visit, she already had a couple of places in mind that she knew I would like.

Callie Sue

First, We Had to Get Our Steps In

She knows I am a walker, so first she took me out to the Katy Trail in St. Charles. But after getting our steps in, it was time for dinner.

And this is where things got interesting.

She took me to a place called The Headless Bat, and as soon as I walked in, I realized she absolutely nailed this recommendation.

Callie Sue

Welcome to The Headless Bat

The Headless Bat is a heavy-metal and horror-themed pizza joint and bar located at 3128 Morgan Ford Road in St. Louis. It opened in December 2023 and was co-founded by Rick Giordano, who is also a member of the St. Louis metal band The Lion's Daughter.

The name alone immediately made me think of Ozzy Osbourne and the infamous bat incident, which is pretty fitting considering the vibe of the entire place.

If you are a rock or metal fan, there is something to look at pretty much everywhere.

The walls are covered in rock and metal memorabilia, horror imagery and artwork. You'll find nods to bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, mixed in with work from local artists.

Basically, imagine someone combining a metalhead's basement, a horror movie collection and a pizza place. That's The Headless Bat.

Callie Sue

Even the Pizza Is Metal

Of course, you can't have a restaurant like this and then give the pizzas boring names.

The menu keeps the theme going with pizzas called Rattlehead, Creeping Breath, Born of Fire and Meatless Bat.

They also have wings, beer and some pretty wild cocktails. One of the drinks is called the Gin Piggy, and yes, it is actually served in a 32-ounce slop bucket.

I feel like that tells you just about everything you need to know about this place.

Callie Sue

Yes, There's Metallica Pinball

Then there are the pinball machines.

The Headless Bat has several metal and horror-themed machines, including Metallica, Ghostbusters, Elvira and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

So you can eat pizza, listen to metal, stare at rock memorabilia and play Metallica pinball all in one place.

Again, my friend knew exactly where to take me.

Add This One to Your St. Louis List

I have been back and forth to St. Louis plenty of times since moving away, but I love finding places like this that give me something completely new to check out when I go home.

If you're a rock fan making a trip to St. Louis or you're from the area and somehow haven't heard about The Headless Bat yet, this is definitely one of the more unique places I've found.