Food is ok, its bar food.. so what do you expect. Atmosphere is a bit creepy and unfriendly. If you…read morearen't from the town, you get a stare down as soon as you walk through the door. Not a big section on drinks and some bartenders don't know how to make basic cocktails.

Small town bar, friendly staff, has a pool table and slot machines. Laid back, limited menu but…read morealways good. Nothing fancy but makes you feel welcome just how I like it!

We decided to make a whole day in Alton and Firehouse made the list…read more If you decide to make a day in Alton, this spot should be a must visit. They have a great indoor bar area and a fantastic outdoor bar area. I hope they market the outdoor area because it's perfect for summer and fall. The staff (we had Summer as a bartender-amazing) was great! We went right before Halloween and we learned the area always puts in a great Halloween parade.

It's a true "dive bar". It's a cash only bar. It's a heavy pour bar…read more When I moved to the Riverbend area, I thought it would be fun to visit all the local "dive bars". This one is located in downtown Alton just a few doors up from one of my favorite restaurants. I was picking up some bakery items across the street and also shopped at a new boutique next to the bakery. When I finished, I thought it was time for a cocktail and checking out another dive. The bartender was friendly and heavy on his free pour of my Tito's vodka. I use to bartender, so when they free-pour I watch and can tell if they go over or short a shot. My cocktail was refreshing. While I enjoyed my cocktail, it was interesting people watching. Everyone else in the bar knew each other and were buying each other shots. It was a beautiful day and the original garage door to the old firehouse was open. The other day drinkers were going back and forth from the patio and bar area. I am glad I got to experience another dive bar in my new hometown, but I can tell you, my neck is not red enough to return to this one. I truly stood out amongst this crowd. I didn't feel uncomfortable, but I was not a match for the clientele. When: March 27, 2021 Why: Dive Bar & Day Drinking

Oh, Daddy. I like Catdaddy's…read more Catdaddy's recently went under new ownership. It's a new partnership that is mainly women. They are promoting themselves as, "A female owned space where women can let their hair down and have fun...We've got your back." They're promoting a safe place for ladies to have fun and not have to go it alone when feeling uncomfortable. The entire crew will have your back. It's a safe place. I met two female friends here for Happy Hour this past Friday. I thought I'd arrive early to secure a table, when I did the bar was already packed and it was just 5PM. I was greeted by a male bartender, who poured a good and refreshing Tito's with Seltzer. Pricing for a call brand was cheap. Not sure if it was a HH deal or not. I'll update that on next visit. The best way to describe, Catdaddy's is that it is an upscale dive bar. Its crowd was a good mix of ages, sexes and diversity. We were still there during the bartender change and the young lady who came on duty was also, attentive and friendly. There's no full kitchen, but they do offer bar pizzas, if you need a nosh to cut the liquor. I had fun, so I know I'll be back.

Really cool place in downtown Alton. Came here with my family and we had a great time. Very lively…read moreand well decorated place. I would recommend coming here to anybody who's looking for a fun bar experience. Service was quick and everything is great. Nice big space and plenty of parking in the area. I'm looking forward to coming back in the future, surprised I've never been here before as an Alton native.

"Sometimes you want to go - Where everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came." -…read moreThose lyrics from the Cheers theme song is exactly how you'll feel at D&T Wedge. It truly is a neighborhood bar and a true dive bar. D&T is within a mile from my home, so I thought I'd give them a visit. It's a typical dive bar. There was no bells and whistles, it's just a relaxing atmosphere with electronic darts, video games and a few gambling videos as well. Best of all, the drinks are damn cheap. I called my vodka it was the price I'd pay in the city for a rail vodka. What made me feel like I was at, Cheers was the way they greeted all the patrons arriving and leaving. I had a good giggle when one gentleman left, the bartender told him to be sure to text her so she knew he got home safely. When another customer arrived, they asked where his partner was and when he responded, at home. They all laughed and said, he must have been grounded. I can only guess, the partner must be the fun/trouble maker. I also found it nice that as I sat at the far end of the bar for social distancing, some of the regulars still included me in the group conversation. When I was leaving, they all said good-bye and thanked me for stopping by. I may not become a regular, but I'll definitely will be stopping by periodically. March 11, 2021 Why: Checking our neighborhood bar

Great place for a late night pizza and drinks. Friendly funny bartender. They have darts, pinball…read moreand some slot machine games. Good little hole in the wall to see!

Made our third visit to a place that will certainly play high in our rotation. Went for lunch on…read moreMonday, realized this was the first time we had been other than a Saturday. The larger open area we had sat in prior was closed. We were in a smaller more intimate bar part with a a few tables. We had a very good lunch, and the single bar tender/server, Rebecca, was holding court masterfully. Right after we got seated the place filled up and she was off and running. Got everything right at every table, gave each of us the right amount of attention. Really enjoyed her suggestion on the "Prairie Sauce for my wings"... The wife got a burger and fries, always a solid choice here. I had a Chef's Salad along with the 6 wings (Mon. special) and was stuffed. The only thing I would want different is a slightly larger plate/bowl for the salad, early on it was hard to move it all around. It all worked out, but those first few moments were a little messy. Adding photo of Chef's Salad, very well executed, appreciate the volume and presentation, the chopped meats is the right move.

It was a perfect sunny day for the Prairie Inn. The place was very busy outside so we decided to…read moresit inside. The bartender was the only one taking drink and food orders for the entire inside so she was extremely busy. They seemed understaffed but noticed there were food runners to help her. Fries and tots were just okay but the chicken tenders and ranch were good. You also can't beat the cheap drinks

Excellent food, courteous service and spotlessly clean! The meal started with a friendly greeting…read moreand warm, fresh, chips and tasty salsa which we enjoyed with their homemade guacamole. The birria tacos were superb and the variety of enchiladas we ordered were all very good. They also made a top notch michelada. Highly recommend.

For the quaint and quiet town of Staunton this restaurant was pretty damn good. Great atmosphere,…read morevery clean and I loved the rocks glasses! Food was really good, especially for a small town, but I have definitely had better. The flavors were a tad bland on my tacos, the chips and salsa were delicious and our drinks were massive! We had multiple servers, all were friendly and helpful, all in all my family would happily return!

I love me some, Flock. It's a food truck park with a kick ass bar…read more The bartenders are masters of their skill. They can make you a classic cocktail, a simple liquor and mixer drink, or one of their specialty cocktails. My personal favorite from the specialty menu is, "I'll Have What Phil is Having". Imagine a cocktail if an, Old Fashioned and Manhattan could have a baby. It's taking the best of each of those classic cocktails and combining them into one. Thursday nights are for Trivia. This past Thursday, I thought they were too easy, but they got harder and harder as the rounds progressed. I still did okay, but some had me saying, What? Who? and Where? Occasionally on the week-ends you'll be lucky to catch live music. It's all outside, don't you don't have to worry about it being too loud. Listening to local musicians, helps the cocktails go down smoothly. The Brydies food truck is always there and at times you'll see a guest food trucks offering more variety. As stated earlier, the bartenders are awesome. However, sometimes I worry about myself, because a bartender at a food truck park knows my name and what I drink.

We came over from Missouri to check this spot out for Father's Day - mostly because my nephew loves…read morespace and we were excited for the space ship food truck but alas....they have weird hours. The bar is awesome, love that it's locally owned. The drinks were SO GOOD. I wanted to keep drinking!! We ended up at the truck with the different types of loaded fries and woahhhhh so good. The hardest part was trying to figure out which flavor profile we wanted because all the options seemed so delicious. Such a cool spot in a great location. We will definitely be back.

Solera is a great start to your evening in downtown Alton. It's a simple and intimate wine bar with…read moregood offerings and knowledgable service. It has become my place to go for a glass of wine before enjoying dinner at one of the nearby restaurants. Solera is strictly a wine bar, but they do offer various cheeses and meats to nosh on while you enjoy your wine. They also offer desserts so you can end your evening in downtown Alton with a glass of wine and offerings from a local bakery. Solera had to close down during the pandemic, but they are totally back and I highly recommend that you check them out.

The atmosphere was nice. Small and cozy to what you would find at any local bar. The service here…read morewas great, but items on menu were limited. NOTE: they no longer serve "food" since COVID 19 from what the bar tender told our group. Nonetheless a good place to go with plenty of options to eat close by.