Staff are great and food is not pretentious and filling. Anything you get will be cooked well and…read moretaste great.

Food was not bad, do not get me wrong, but you need to be willing to wait LONG. And they weren't…read morekidding on the menu! On the menu, it states, "Do not expect your food to come quick, this is not a fast food restaurant..." Though on the day we ate there, it was 6 of us in the party, when three of us ordered burgers w/Fries, one person a Slinger and 2 of us the Steak and eggs breakfast. We arrived there at 11:10 and got served our meals at 1:10. Sooo you could imagine, it was a bit of a wait. Mind you the place closed at 2pm. I did grab a bag of their day-old donuts and a cherry pie on the way out, which were exceptional, but the wait. It's hard to want to come back to wait 2 hours for your meals. Though the staff was kind, and the restaurant is small and quaint, (about 12 tables?), and offers donuts and pie. We didn't expect fine quality steaks either, but what we had were overcooked and chewy, so don't order those, but the burgers and slinger seemed good enough. Mind you this is like a little country kitchen close to Grafton. It's meant to be a place to grab a sandwich with a cup of Joe, and meet up with local friends. So if you don't mind the wait, and in the neighborhood for a coffee and donuts, it's your place.

Round Table is my local dive diner. The portions are plentiful and they have senior discounted…read moremeals for individuals over the age of 60. My recent visit, I went with the breakfast I had on my very first visit back in 2020 when we were living in C0VID times. The single biscuit with milk gravy was fluffy and the gravy had a generous amount of sausage. Since my gravy had sausage, I chose bacon as my meat. I enjoyed my eggs scrambled. It also came with a choice of potato and I went with, American Fried over Hash Browns. I was surprised that I got 4 slices of bacon. 1 was cold, but the other 3 were warm. The eggs were super fluffy. I've had scrambled eggs here several times and they are always way better than other diners. When they brought me my order, they forgot my potatoes. My server went back to retrieve them and she returned with a portion that could have served three people. They were good, but I only ate a third. The servers are friendly and attentive, giving the diner a hometown feeling. With it being close to my home, I'll definitely return.

Came in around 9 on a Sunday and service was friendly and quick! The menu is extensive so we took a…read moreminute to decide but then food came out quickly and was delicious!

Love this place. Great service. Wonderful food. If you want to be casual you can enjoy the sports…read morebar. If you want to dress up a little. Enjoy the dining room.

Bluff City Grill was one of my stops on the St. Patrick's Day Pub Crawl in Alton. In my younger…read moredays, I could chug a green beer, but in my senior years it doesn't even sound good. So when the bartender offered me a green beer, I turned it down. She then offered me a, Green Sangria. What? She then told me it was made with Midori and I was sold. It was a refreshing green cocktail for the holiday. When you are partying on St. Paddy's Day, you need to snack to help balance the liquor consumption. Sticking with the "green" theme, I ordered some Guac Bites with a Sweet Chili dipping sauce. It's fresh mildly spicy guacamole wrapped in a won ton and fried to a golden color. It's one of my favorite appetizers here at BCG. They also offer a Cajun Ranch dip, but I prefer the Sweet Chili. The service is always fun and friendly, making your dining/drinking experience memorable.

I follow Chez Marilyn on FB and I am glad that I do. I saw their posting about a Thursday night…read moresteak special and thought I'd give them a try. They were having three different steak specials and I choose the Rib Eye. It was a 12 oz Rib Eye, served with Grilled Asparagus and a Baked Potato. My steak was perfectly grilled to my medium rare request, the Asparagus was tender, but still had enough snap to it. My potato was huge and was soft and fluffy throughout. The special was only $24.99 and was hefty portions. I took a third of the steak and half of the potato home. The next morning I re-heated the steak, diced up and fried the potato and fried me up an egg. Damn, that breakfast was as good as my previous nights dinner. My adult beverage of choice was, How To Marry A Millionaire, which is a Dirty Martini. It's fun that all their martinis are named after classic movies, or have a reference to them in some way. Service is always attentive and friendly. Chez Marilyn is becoming a regular in my downtown Alton rotation.

We love this little place in Alton. We have been several times and the staff is always super…read morefriendly and helpful. The bar area is fun and they have great music and drink specials. The restaurant is laid back with an old school vibe. The burgers are amazing. We went last night for steak night. Our steaks were perfectly cooked and the baked potatoes amazing. I definitely recommend it.

The best coffee for miles around. A separate pizzaria and juicery too. the food is ok. it is…read morelittle over priced for what one gets but mostly tasty! It is very comfortable, cool looking (in a converted post office) and the staff are fabulously nice. Highly recommended !

Stopped by Post Commons for the first time on my way to Pere Marquette State Park! Wow this place…read moreis awesome, seriously a HUGE coffee shop, it makes sense it used to be a federal post office. Lots of different seating available from couches, comfy chairs, tables, bars by the window, you name it. I ordered a banana bread latte and the lunch special which were the steak tacos. Both were great! Steak tacos were spicier than expected but it had good flavor. Lots of parking too which is a plus.

According to their website, Good News Brewing Company is not a restaurant or a bar. They are a…read morebrewpub with a mission to build communities with craft beer and wood-fired pizza. That mission is being fulfilled here in Alton. There's nothing fancy about Good News, it's a simple process. You order at a counter, get a buzzer and go find yourself a table. There's seating in the Post Commons side of the building, outside picnic tables, or sit at the counter and watch them make your pizza in the wood-burning oven. I've opted and done all three and they're all satisfying. The patio is dog friendly, so bring your fur-baby with you. My recent visit, I enjoyed the special pizza. It was a Cheeseburger with, Read Sauce, Mozzarella, Cheddar, Beef, Bacon, Onion and Topped with Pickles. The associate asked if I would like to hold the pickles off and I said, yes. I have nothing against pickles, I just thought it would be better without them. Once my pizza was done and brought to me, (they were slow and didn't give me a buzzer) it was delicious. The blending of hamburger, bacon and onion made it taste like a true cheeseburger. I like how the crust around the edges gets a little charred, for me it adds flavor. Also, I don't always eat all the edging crust, I take it home and use it as a dog treat. My dogs give Good News crust, two paws up. Good News has Growlers and Gift Cards available, so I know what several of my cousins will be getting for their birthday. We may even, Gather, Eat and Drink at Good News to celebrate their aging. Staff is cool, they make eating pizza and drinking craft beer a fun and rewarding experience.

We had a great experience! This wood-fired pizza and brewery has a cute outdoor seating area that's…read moreperfect for relaxing. The service was friendly and welcoming, the wood-fired pizza was absolutely delicious, and the prices were very reasonable for the quality and portions. We'll definitely be back and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for great food, craft beer, and a laid-back atmosphere.

I ordered a cheeseburger and fries from the bar at Argosy Casino, and honestly, it was about as…read morebasic as it gets. The burger tasted like standard frozen fast food,no real flavor, or freshness and the fries were just cold, nothing crispy or seasoned enough to stand out. It wasn't terrible, but it definitely wasn't good either. For a casino setting, I expected at least some effort or flavor. This felt more like a quick filler meal than something worth recommending. If you're hungry and need something fast, it'll do--but don't expect anything special.

I love the atmosphere! Tons of games on the TV. People having a good time watching the games. There…read moreis a bar there to get all your drinks. The menu has appetizers and sandwiches and a few dinner plates. I was kinda shocked there was not more to choose from since this is in a casino! Some casinos have a buffet but they did not. However the bar tender was super nice. The food was great.

Bakers & Hale is a family favorite and an absolute must whenever I am in IL seeing family. The vibe…read moreis incredibly relaxed and very family friendly, ample space so you never feel crowded. The food is consistently good with generous portions, and the friendly service always makes the experience enjoyable. if your there during the live music, it's a really nice touch. Even though I come here all the time, for some reason I always forget the actual name and just refer to it as "Bangers and Mash." Luckily, my family always knows exactly whatI mean!

Bakers & Hale is probably one of the if not the most popular restaurants in the Riverbend area…read more They are know for their amazing bands on the patio, which is year round and a pretty decent Happy Hour. The other day I meet up with some of my cousins for Happy Hour. I cannot go wrong with one of the HH pizzas. Three of the six cousins, ordered pizza with different toppings. I went with the HH Taco's. I enjoyed Two Shrimp Taco's for only $7. The HH pizzas are $10. Three cousins went with the regular menu and enjoyed salads, chicken wings and chicken strips/tenders. Everyone was pleased with their food. The only thing keeping B&H from getting 5 Stars is the service. It's never consistent. One time it's over the top and the next time it's the bare minimum. It really depends on who you get as a server. The seasoned ones who have been for a long time, know how to work a table. The newer and younger ones, just don't get it. They don't hustle and as their station fills up, they get overwhelmed and everything goes downhill. When: January 7, 2026 Why: Happy Hour with the cousins

We stopped off at Mister Donut during a trip to the Midwest to visit family. This place is great! I…read morehad an old fashioned buttermilk and my wife had a vanilla angel. The donuts were fluffy and well cooked and just the right amount of flavor and sweetness. Aimee and Ceasar, the owners came out and we had a long friendly chat about the resaurant, our trip and so many other topics. They were super friendly and made us feel very special. It seemed the clientele all were regulars and knew the owners well - just like a big family in there! Of course we had to get souvenirs, and there was so much to choose from, so we ended up with 3 t-shirts and both ceramic cup styles. I use my cup at work and it gets lots of compliments! Thanks, Aimee and Ceasar for a very memorable experience! Next time we're in the area, Mister Donut will be a must-visit place for sure! BZ!

I have a new favorite donut at, Mister Donut. It's the Blueberry Cake. I love Blueberries, but…read morewould have never thought to try this donut. That was until, Ian Frobe the STL food critic sang its praises in a review. The next day after reading the article, I went to experience it for myself. Wow, the donut was moist, soft and cake had a flecks of Blueberries and the flavor was strong, but not overpowering. I immediately feel in love. Now, I change my order up. I'll have some donut holes, then I'll enjoy a Chocolate Long John and the next visit is the Blueberry Cake. The sign above the entry door says, World's Best Coffee. I don't know if I'd go that far to say it's the world's best, but for Donut Shop/Diner coffee it is spot on. I like that they let me bring in my Yeti and they'll fill it up to-go. Save those paper cups. The staff is super friendly. It's a hon and babe, type place, but they still keep it professional. Tipping is optional and these ladies deserve some of your change tossed in their box. When: January 8, 2026 Why: Donuts for Breakfast

This is a great little fish shack to grab a bite to eat when your in the mood for some fish. The…read moremenu is pretty simple but the fish is good. It's also fairly cheap for the portions and most people will even have some leftovers. The only thing I wish this fish stand had was some local fish like Bass or Crappie even just as a special every once in awhile, it would take it from four stars to five. But if your looking for a good meal for a reasonable price and like fried fish check it out.

So this is where Halloween 2010 gets kicked off. On my way home from practice in Edwardsville I…read moretook a detour to stop by Kohls and Alton Square to seach for some costume essentials. I really wanted to not eat anything and run when I got home, as the nice days this fall are going to be over before you know it. But then I thought about gorging myself at Chinese Buffet. Sitting all by myself, stuffing myself. Jacki said it made her sad to think about me eating by myself and I would be a little embarassed to be seen eating by myself in Alton... So I drove a little farther and made a quick two lane change and pulled up to this little fish shack. I have been wanting to try here forever (since my love for fried fish began). I'm glad I finally made it by. The lady manning the window wasn't the friendliest, but I'm probably not the clientele she is most used to dealing with. I am not well versed in fish and asked her what she thought of a couple of them before just deciding myself to go with a Jack sandwich. I didn't know there was a fish named Jack, but he was rather tasty. She did inform me a couple of the sandwich varieties have bones in them, so I am happy of that. I also went with a side of potato salad which I was originally disappointed in the size, but the flavor ended up making up for that times 100! It was mustardy and sweet, kind of pickley. It didn't take long for them to fry up the fish and in no time I was sitting in Kohl's parking lot enjoying my bounty. The sandwich came with two filets, two pieces of bread of your coice (wheat), bread and butter pickles, and onions. It was awesome! So flaky and delicious. At first I was a little nervous this Jack was going to be too fishy, but that was not that case at all. I will definitely be making trips back by here.