Beautiful park, beautiful weather, lots of food trucks, and a lot of people!…read more With the increase in the number of participating trucks, the lines are somewhat shorter and more good food and drink to choose from. Bring a chair, a blanket, some friends or family and settle in.

I was there this Friday in front of the hot dog stand and a group of foreign people budged in front…read moreof us and when we said something to them they acted like we did something wrong. The people running the hot dog stand were oblivious to what was going on and handled it horribly. I put a review on Facebook and they deleted my comment and now banned me. This is how a place reacts. Not very good if I could give less Stars I would

Surprisingly good for casual street food, nice people, good service, and great prices especially…read morefor the portion sizes.

The Funnel Cake is Delicious + a large lemonade…read more Ed is very friendly and is seen keeping the establishment cleaned. Workers are nice!

If you have never heard Winston's Bagels, let me introduce you...Foodie, meet Winston. Winston,…read moremeet foodie. You can now fall in love. Winston's Bagels are LEGENDARY in Carbondale, IL. The genius behind the tasty treat is Winston. He's a hippy 60(?) something man with a food cart who, in my day set up his mobile shop on "The Strip" - Carbondale's main bar scene. I hear he's moved onto Grand now, but wherever he is, YOU NEED TO BE THERE TOO. Here's the scoop... Winston comes out at night, just about the time the college kids are bar hopping. He sets up his small mobile cart, and starts cranking out The. Best. Bagel. Treat. You. Will. Ever. Eat. Winston grills the bagels over charcoal, which gives the bread a traditional char taste and creates this fantastic crunch when you bite into it. He drizzles the bagel with margarine (I think it's Parkay from the yellow and blue squeeze bottle), and generously tops each bagel side with plain cream cheese. Then the magic happens. You choose your toppings. I'm partial to the Everything: apple, cinnamon, sunflower seeds, cucumber, red onion, garlic powder, bacon bits, and raisins. It's the perfect morsel to have when you're out drinking in Carbondale - every college student learns this lesson to perfection at SIUC - or even if you just have a late night craving for a sweet / savory treat. Of course as alumni (Class of '95!), we all crave a Winston Bagel now and then, and when we go back it's a must eat treat! I've tried to make them at home, but it's just not the same. It's missing Winston's je nais se quoi. He generously doles out hugs, stories, jokes, and charm along with his bagels. Plus the man is a total genius. He charges $2.25 for a bagel. That fits any pocket book - and more often than not - you give him three dollars and tell him to keep the change. The man is making some dough. I hear he takes a couple vacations a year just with his tip money. Go fall in love with Winston The Bagel Man. He'll be there in Carbondale grilling his bagels into the wee hours of the morning!

I noticed that Winston's Bagels has 5 stars with 11 reviews, and I am not surprised one bit. This…read moreis the ONE THING every SIU-C graduate talks about and craves after they move away. At last visit, they were $2.25 each and still worth every bite. Winston sets up shop across the street from Pinch Penny Liquors near Saluki Bookstore. Options are the same as I remember: Cream Cheese, Garlic Salt, Butter, Ground Cinnamon, Cucumber, Apple, Raisins, Sunflower Seeds, Bacon Bits, Onions. I used to get sunflower seeds, butter, and cucumber but recently tried all-but-onion and am not quite sure I can go back. Remember cash only, and they don't break $20s. Definitely tip Winston or any of his helpers running the cart! Truly an institution in Carbondale!

I'm from Houston and my brother in law is from Mexico so I've had many a tamale. They are usually…read moredirt cheap ($0.50-$1.75/each). I'll pay a premium for quality food and don't like the cheap stuff. However, I doubt these are, like, organic meat tamales. They're good, but they are priiiiicey. $3.50 a tamale! They are sold single which kind of blew my mind. I'm used to buying them by the dozen. They are pretty big, however. I was telling my sister about my tamale purchase today and she asked the price. I was honestly too embarrassed to say how much I paid. They would laugh at me for paying that much. They are good but be prepared for burrito prices, not tamale prices.

What a find! At the S 9th St. end of the veggie isle at Soulard Market. Very reasonably priced…read moreand truly flavorful vegan and vegetarian options!! Great green and red sauce. Get there early because when they run out the close up. The bad review posted for this place is ridiculous.

Review for 2025. Clayton MO…read more There were fewer restaurants than I expected. There were also some vendors and shops for tshirts. I enjoyed the event but it was hot. I tried places I had not in the past. Peacemaker lobster. So good. Had the mini roll. The bread was fresh, buttery, crispy. The lobster was tasty with the right amount of mayo. Juan tacos. Birra taco was the best. Came out hot. Was not greasy at all. Very tasty. Wools get again. The chicken taco was good. The steak taco was ok. The taste frozen lemonade was very refreshing and good. The creek bros lemonade was good but the sugar crystals were interesting to chew on. Parking can be challenging in Clayton but meters are free on the weekend. There's definitely a lot of restaurants. Quite a few caterers. Some brought their own chairs, else eat while standing. There was some shade which was a welcome relief to the 98 degree heat index. Always a good time when looking to try many new things.

There should have been shaded areas to sit and enjoy the ambience, food & entertainment. Should…read morehave been better laid out similar to the Clayton Arts festival. They could have had air-mist sprayers, cooling off areas, tents, large coverings & concern for the visitors. I went on Sunday because I thought it would be a great time since Clayton is a great area for Dining, shopping. Etc... Only stayed for an hour because it felt like a big cheap food truck(s) gathering without much vision, care & empathy for families - especially with children. Saint Louis is a vastly underrated city that needs to step up for events to attract visitors, locals, farmer markets, more diverse restaurants offerings and affordable Options especially in the grueling heat walking on asphalt with no escape/shade from the 100" degree baked sun! Gus's chicken was excellent, Jon's pipe shop was great & the Make-a-wish charities did a great job!

3.5 stars. I stumbled upon the southerner when I was out and about and decided to give it a shot…read more Being from Alabama and Oklahoma, I think I know good barbecue, and this was pretty good. The pros: -The variety of sauces were delicious -The brisket was moist and had food flavor -The Mac and cheese had fantastic flavor -The plate was served with pickles and onions, which I haven't seen since I left the south -Great value! The cons: -the pulled pork was dry -The Mac and cheese was super saucy -not a big variety What I sampled was delicious, and I'll keep up with the Southerner to try more food (I have my eye on the chicken and waffles on a stick).

I don't normally give high praise to food trucks. But think of this as BBQ delivery more than a…read morefood truck. The meats are properly smoked. Walking through the office today I caught the smell of delicious smoked goodness and instantly wanted some for myself. I can't tell you how happy I was to find that the aroma that caused me to lose track of my engineering responsibilities was located directly outside the front door to the building. This was my 2nd time to get a mouth watering BBQ sandwich from The Southerner. The folks running the truck are always more than helpful and provide a meal that's a good value proposition. Quality, quantity and price seem to be well balanced. Albeit a tad bit on the expensive side. Look to spend about $12 for a sandwich and side. The turkey, brisket and sausage are all great. The brisket is pulled not sliced or chopped. It makes for a great tasting sandwich that doesn't need much sauce at all. Although the sauce is pretty darn good they get 5 stars for not needing it.

Staff was very friendly…read more we had to cancel our order because a storm came through. Next time I am not missing out!

The cheese shack food truck is one of the best food trucks around. They have a variety of…read moresandwiches and they are family owned and the family works in the food truck. Of all the food trucks that I've seen I really enjoyed their is the most they're friendly they're fast and the food is really to die for and the price is right. Look for them on Facebook under the Cheese shack..

The best of the best! Eat and enjoy! Quality dedication and…read morethe love of a great Hotdog makes K's HotDogs unique and special on top of all the delicious bites K's Unique Dogs will inspire you to savor you will love K.. herself

K's Unique Dogs is the best place to get some ballpark food right before a game! Karen is always…read morethere ready to serve you the hottest hotdogs, burgers, and bratts right off the grill. Definitely better than the food you would get in the stadium and what is even better is that you can take it inside and get more food for you money! She always treats her customers right and make them feel right at home! Thank you Karen!!

I eat off this truck every Friday. They have a great menu selection, the workers are super nice and…read morethe food comes out quick. I have never had a bad meal. Get the steak burrito with the green sauce.

A regular lunch spot for my workplace. Awesome, truly great food, flexible and really nice staff…read more They should open a brick and mortar so I'd always know where they were!

Kudos to the LouFest organizers on a fantastic festival this year! This year had a wonderfully…read morediverse lineup of talented acts. I loved the established favorites like Huey Lewis, Snoop Dog, Nathaniel Rateliff, and Weezer as well as the newer artists. ZZ Ward and Lecrae are definitely being added to my playlist. The food options were fantastic! They had everything from Dewey's Pizza and Sugarfire to Vicia and Evangeline's. Something delicious for everyone to nosh on. The lines got long at times as expected, but they moved well. The drink lines were the same. We loved the addition of the Malibu Beach House and the Fizz and Folly area. A bonus that you hardly ever witness at a festival: we never had to wait for more than a minute or two for a porta potty...and there was always paper. This was by far the best festival experience I've had in St. Louis. I can't wait for next year!

Ah, Loufest! 2010-2017. I think its safe to say that the festival is now a thing of the past - but…read moreif it does return sometime in the next few years, go ahead and say "I told you so!". In short, it was fun while it was happened. LouFest was supposed to be one of many "smaller" music and arts festivals that would be nothing like the "big boys" (Bonnaroo, Coachella, Lollapalooza) but more of a community-based festival like the ones that were popping up all over the country. I didn't attend the first five Loufests, regretfully, but the last three years were fun for me and my friends. It seemed that it was getting bigger each year, and the lineup of artists/bands was getting better. Loufest had one of the best diverse lineups, with genres of all kinds as well as past and present acts. 2018 was supposed to have classic acts like Robert Plant and hometowner Michael McDonald, along with current artists like Kacey Musgraves, the Brothers Osborne and Gary Clark Jr. You couldn't find another great lineup nearly anyplace else. Some of the middle-rung acts on the roster were found at some of the other festivals that year (caught some at Bonnaroo) and the headliners were very random. It was always like there was something for everyone, whether you enjoyed local goodness, Christian hip-hop or up-and-coming acts. Because of LouFest, I discovered plenty of great acts I still listen to and enjoy today (Lord Huron, Delta Rae, etc.). You had some of the best indie/alternative headliners such as TV on the Radio and Weezer, along with those that were headlining "big boy" festivals at times (LCD Soundsystem, OutKast). It was no wonder LouFest would have a sell-out attendance in recent years. People came from all around to attend this one-of-a-kind festival. And it wasn't just about the music: it was all about supporting local small businesses - including record stores, and of course the food! It was always great to check out some of the St. Louis-area restaurants and local brews. You had it in a great location in Forest Park - up until last year when they temporarily moved it behind the Muny. It was supposed to happen again this year for different reasons. As the old saying goes, "All good things must come to an end...". Unfortunately, it was a very sad, sudden end as it was announced three days before the 2018 festival that it was cancelled. Let me give you a little background: LouFest was going to continue into 2018, straight after the '17 one. Limited tickets were available in October of last year as well as Black Friday (me and my friend both bought ours that day). Their social media presence was alive and well up until May (the usual time when they announced the lineup). People like me got worried as there was no lineup, but finally in late June of this year, it was announced. Next came all the rumors behind all of the backstage drama. This was all about the financial part, but the people behind Loufest's social media accounts assured things were still happening on 9/8 and 9/9. Well, those rumors were put to rest on 9/5/2018. I really don't need to get into much detail about the cause(s) of the festival's demise. That can be found anywhere online. I do believe one of the reasons the 2018 festival didn't happen was crime. Yes, the C-word that is a common cancer to the St. Louis area. Near the end of August, St. Louis' Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner announced she would be no longer accepting cases from 28 St. Louis police officers. Way to go, Kim. (please note the sarcasm) Coincidentally, this is around the same time the festival's main sponsors bowed out. I'm sure it wasn't just for financial purposes. Of course, the lamestream media is not going to report this. I am glad that people did step up and support the businesses that were to participate in 2018's LouFest. I am still bummed to this day that it didn't happen and how it ended. What even stung more is that Robert Plant (while I'm glad he did perform in St. Louis) played at the Pageant and Loufest ticket holders didn't get first dibs (you know, like a lottery-type of thing...). What really should have been done was moving it to the Dome...after all, it's not like anything is going on there! But, St. Louis and logic don't usually go in the same sentence. Or common sense.