King Louie's Drive-In is a good old fashioned Root Beer Stand. What? Give me a break, I am old and…read morethat is what we use to call them when I was a little person. It's a restaurant that makes its own Root Beer and serves burgers. The King is not in my immediate area and it's not even in one of my regular driving routes. So I don't think of him that often. I need to change that, because the short out of the way drive is so worth it. I haven't used the car-hop service, but there are always lots of cars with the cute little tray attached to their drivers side window. So, I have it on my bucket list to try on a future visit. Perhaps, I'll bring my fur child to enjoy a plain burger. Since I don't use the car-hop, I go inside to order and eat in the small dining room. Yesterday, it was full of workers from the refinery and other local businesses. Lucky for me after ordering at the counter, I was able to snag a two top table to enjoy my meal. I normally get the Lion Tamer which has jalapeños on it, but today I went with a King Louie. It's a single smash burger and I added cheese. My topping were only pickles, lettuce, onion and a smear of mayo. I had them hold the tomato. I'm not a fan of mayo, but for some reason I like it on my burgers here at King Louie. The edges of my burger were crisp, it had an odd shape so you know it was hand pressed. It explodes with flavor, just like an old time 50's drive-in. The fries are equally impressive. They are super crispy and done to order, no fries sitting under a hot light waiting to be served. What impresses me is they are fries that still have their skins on. For me, that just adds flavor. Of course, the main attraction next to their amazing burgers is the refreshing homemade, Root Beer. It is always the perfect accompaniment to a burger and fries. Next visit, I having a Root Beer Float and really have a flashback to my childhood.

I just went there for my first time today. Kind of unsure what to order, I went with the old school…read moresteakburger as it comes. It was pretty much perfect. Fries are crisp and delicious too! Service took a bit, but that's because it was decently busy when we arrived. I honestly didn't expect the flavor I got with the price I paid. Some say it's overpriced, but this is a local mom and pop place, so you know what kind of quality you're going to get. I definitely recommend this place! Loved it and I will go back.

I am so proud of myself. Today, I went to The Pump House and I did not order chicken wings. It was…read morea struggle, but I forced myself to order something else off the menu and I am glad that I did. Instead of my typical order of wings and fries, I got the Pump Jack Burger. It's made with Angus beef topped with Pepper Jack cheese, Grilled Balsamic Onions, Mild Banana Pepper Rings with a Sweet and Spicy Sauce, all served on a Onion Roll. It was served with a side of Fries. I was impressed by the size of the burger and that it was hand pressed. A hand pressed burger always tastes better to me. I requested that it be prepared medium rare and it was done perfectly. The fries were soft, I'd prefer mine a little crispier, but they were seasoned well. I got a giggle from their ketchup bottle, it said it was "Fancy". They have an impressive variety of beers. They offer draft, bottle and canned. I personally always go with one of the many craft beers they have on the menu. When dining alone, I always sit at the bar. The bartenders are typically female and are friendly. I am fan of hooks under a bar and Pump House takes it even a step further. They also offer, outlets. If your phone needs a charge and you've got a cord, you are set to go. Offering outlets under a bar, is top notch customer service. Now that I know they have great burgers as well as their wings, I'll have to rotate between the two when coming to dine.

Update Haven't been back here too much but called in for an…read moreorder to go tonight. Pump House! You need new cooks! The ones you have don't know how to cook basic food. Like I said in my first review you need to learn low and slow for a pork steak. Oh we don't have that anymore. Thank goodness. Your pork steak was chewy and not done appropriately. Horrible to try and eat. Tonight one of us got the chipotle chicken sandwich. The chicken was cooked to death. Ugh. Came out like chicken powder, you know the kind they put in your dog's food? Way too dry. Hard to eat. All the menus online are out of date so just about everything we chose we were told oh we don't have that anymore. Not good business practice. Put out a new menu and delete the old ones!! You fit right in with the rest of the crap food we are served in this area. Not a bit better. We won't try again.

We were really impressed with Chico's. Went in a Sunday when fried chicken was the special. A…read morefew of us got it and let me say it was amazing! Also a great deal with more than enough for one meal! I ordered the patty melt and a baked potato. Both tasty and served perfectly. Can't say enough good things about her server! She said she was new but you certainly wouldn't tell. Wish I could remember her name because she did a tremendous job keeping up with a restaurant filled up faster than one person could normally handle. She did an excellent job! Can't wait to come back and try some other things! Cute place and very clean. Oh the grandkids also enjoyed the pool table and everyone enjoyed the placement of TVs to be able to watch football.

I love Chico's Onion Rings. I love them so much, that I'm giving this dive bar a 5 Star rating…read more They're homemade and served with a special sauce. They are cut in large thick rings and then covered in a thick crispy and crunchy batter. The batter is so flavorful, I rarely dip mine in the special sauce. Being a single person, I can never eat the entire basket. However, I can tell you they are still pretty good cold at home and reheating them in an air fryer is good, too. When I found out National Hamburger Day was May 28th, I knew I had to celebrate it at Chico's. Lucky for me the special of the Day was a Jalapeño Burger, which is my favorite burger. For my side, I went with their House Chips, which are like an Irish Pub Chip. They're made in house, just like the Onion Rings, so they're extra tasty. The service has never disappointed me. I typically always sit at the bar and not only is the bartender attentive, but the waitresses check on me as well. That's some pretty attentive service for a dive bar.

I love that they added this location!! The space is great because it has tons of indoor seating and…read morea few tables on the patio. The food is always so good and made fresh. You can't go wrong with any of the burger combos. I always add fried onions and they are super seasoned. Service is exceptional like all their location. The staff always recommends something new or their specials.

It's hard to ruin a simple burger, but over cooking it until it's crunchy will do it…read more The menu was interesting, so I had hopes of it being good. Those hopes were dashed when the food appeared. Besides the burger being over-cooked, the fries were cold and tough. Fast service doesn't make up for food quality. My friend was unable to use her points from another of their locations. I won't be going there again.

Great daily deals, the tacos could have more taste to them, MARGS are great. For 2.50 dollars…read more French fries are great. Wings EXCLENT.

For a dive sports bar, The Franchise puts on a good feed. The offerings are your typical sports bar…read moregrub, but it's prepared a level above other sports bars. My recent visit I enjoyed the Pork Loin Sandwich. It was a typical pork tenderloin sandwich, extending beyond the bun. The one here is served grilled, not fried like the majority of other restaurants. The seasoning and glaze were full of flavor. It surprised me with how juicy and tender it was. If you're a fan of Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches, this is a must try. A previous visit I had one of the steak specials. I ordered the 16 oz Filet and giggled when it was served. I was given two 8 oz filets on my plate. I didn't care, it still was 16 oz. It actually worked out for me, I ate one and took the other home and had steak and eggs for breakfast the next day. For my two sides, I choose Baked Potato and Green Beans. Half of the potato went home and gave me American Fried Potatoes for breakfast. They have a good variety of beers on draft, bottled and canned. In addition, they offer a full bar for adult beverages. The service is hit or miss. It was obvious who was a regular by the attention and quality of service they received. They need to treat everyone the same, so the newer customers become repeat customers, too.

It was a Friday night, so I considered myself lucky getting a seat at the bar. It was at the very…read morefar end, which meant I only had to worry about someone to my left. I didn't end them, but I bonus was, a hook and outlet was under the bar right in front of my stool. I didn't want the Friday special, even though some Fried Fish was tempting. All I wanted was some of their incredible hand cut and breaded onion rings. I paired them with a 6 piece bone in chicken wings in mild sauce. When served, I was pleased to see my order had equal flats and drums. The wings and rings were very filling. I ended up taking two rings and one flat and one drum home. They re-heated very well for the next days lunch. The service was a little off, but I will admit they were slammed. The bartender was slow on greeting and doing follow-up. It may have helped if they had an extra person behind the bar. Even a bar-back would have helped. They may have lost a star this visit, but I am sure they'll get it back soon.

Brickhouse has the perfect local dive bar feel but with a really nice setup inside. Huge open…read morespaces, tons of TVs for watching sports, and long tables that make it great for groups and gatherings. The food menu has a lot of solid options, but the wings are easily the best in the area, huge, meaty, and packed with flavor. Great variety of beers on tap too. Definitely a spot worth checking out if you want good food, cold beer, and a relaxed atmosphere.

My daughter and I love Steak n Shake but the one in Woodriver Illinois that we live close to has a…read moreyoung employee that is very rude. She works in the drive through windo, we were there on June 11th between 7:00 and 7:30. This wasn't the only time she waited on us, we were there about three weeks ago and she was rude then too. The next time we she waits on us and she's rude, I'm coming inside to talk to a manager. You will lose customers because of her.

Mad I had to even give it one star. Do not recommend. Don't waste your time or your money. Waited…read moreabout 10 minutes for our food just to receive the fries cold and the chicken strips old as dirt looks like they flash fried the ones they made at noon and we were there at 7 pm. The inside was dirty, tables weren't wiped down and dishes were piled up. I received my food gave it a once over and threw it away and left.

Great tasty treat stop with a dose of nostalgia. They have a drive thru or you can walk up. The…read moregirls inside were friendly and fast. We ordered sundaes, shakes, a cone or two and even a banana split. Everything was delicious!!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, a trip to Edwardsville is not complete without a visit…read moreto Northside Dairy Haven. In addition to the sweet treats, one of the highlights of stopping by and even driving by, is reading their marque. The messages are always, witty or supportive of another local business. I love it when local supports local. Recently, I had a Chocolate Covered Strawberry concrete and I liked it more than my typical favorite M&M concrete. The chocolate ice cream with flakes of solid chocolate and pieces of strawberry made my day. I've also enjoyed, chocolate and vanilla twist cones, but the orange sherbet and vanilla is still my favorite. I keep saying, I need to try their burgers, so I'll say it again. I gotta try their burgers. The restaurant has a nostalgic look and feel. The staff is young high school and college students and they're always friendly. They truly hustle and make things happen for their ice cream fans. Next time you're in Edwardsville, be sure to make a stop at Northside Dairy Haven.