Love this place, the burgers are amazing! I also recommend the fried pickles, and I love they give…read moreyou a fortune cookie!

I finally tried a Hot Dog at Burger Bar and it was as delicious as their burgers. It was National…read moreHog Dog Day and I thought it was the perfect time to give one a try. Their dogs are 12" and All Angus Beef. It was served in a 12" bun that was lightly toasted. They have a variety of Specialty Dogs to choose from, but I went with a plain dog with onion & relish. Once the dog arrived at my table, I added, mustard and ketchup. Yes, I like ketchup on my hot dogs. The dog came with a side of crispy fries and the portion was just the right size of a serving. My server was the same one I have had numerous times for burgers. He has always been friendly and attentive. Being a single diner, he gave me the same attention that he was giving to his tables of 2 and 4. If you're a game of chance person, they've got several video gaming machines for you to play. The ambiance is plain and simple, nothing fancy. You're here for burgers and dogs and that is what you'll enjoy.

This has always been my favorite Alton area restaurant and I have lived here over 40 years, known…read morelocally simply as "The Moonlight". From its humble beginning as a chicken shack on Fosterburg Road, this Italian family owned and run gem has grown to become the best in the area. They are most known locally for their outstanding "talk n chick" fried chicken and their fabulous Italian dishes and soups. They have a popular take out service with a separate counter and room on the south side of the building with slightly lower prices. The interior is unique with several odd-shaped dining rooms and two bars due to building expansions wrapping completely around the original chicken shack, which now is the kitchen, with a salad preparation basement room underneath. The Moonlight still has one dining room with now unused large interior front staircase that goes to the old front east entrance since the main entrance was relocated to the north side of the building where the parking lot is located. On the west (rear) side is the primary bar and a banquet room that is frequently used for local seminars and marketing presentations. Special meeting or special occasion? This is your place. Love the tortellini soup and the Italian dishes are top notch. Nice main bar and a great side room off the lobby for special gatherings. You won't go wrong if you go here.

Do you love large breast? If so you need to visit Castelli's and have their fried chicken dinner…read more The breast they serve, are the largest I have ever seen and the accompanying pieces are impressive as well. Thick meaty thighs, curvaceous legs and wings that look as if the chicken has been pumping iron at the local gym. Big pieces, crispy flavorful coating and juicy meat. I primarily do carry-out and the quality of their take out is equally as good as when dining in the restaurant. Pick-up is smooth and fast, as they have a separate entrance and room for take-out. The staff is friendly and very professional. The service has that family owned business feel. If you're a fan of Onion Rings, I recommend enjoying an order as an appetizer. Their rings are super big and made in house. I do not like onion rings that come from a bag. When ordering my sides, I like mashed potatoes with white gravy. They also offer brown gravy, if that is your thing. My other side is always green beans. They make their green beans with bacon and onion. It reminds me of my momma's. With those two sides, it is a true Sunday Chicken Dinner on any day of the week. I've been coming to Castelli's my entire life. I started coming here as a child when it was called, Moonlight. Many of the locals still call it, Moonlight and no-one will correct them, because we all know where they are talking about. Service in the carry-out room is always speedy and friendly. So if you're a fan of fried chicken, I recommend ordering on-line for a pick-up. Or, treat yourself to a night out and dine in the restaurant. Remember to order the onion rings.

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.

Ashley never smiles. Ashley is not nice to the staff. I saw this on Bar Rescue. Why Ashley, why ?read more

We stopped here on a whim (cute diner atmosphere) and I have to say this place has THE BEST…read moreburgers!! The 1/4 lbs cheeseburger was great but the patty melt was FANTASTIC!! Would have given it a 5 star but the service was really bad. The waiter barely waited on us and he decided the chips I ordered should be fries instead. ($1.50 up charge and I don't even eat fries) He never came back to see if our food was ok (we were sitting at the counter and ignored) so I was never able to get it corrected so we had to pay the up charge. Plus people at other tables were yelling at him from a booth over the counter "can we get some boxes and our bill" and another booth did the same, so evidently everyone got the same crappy service.

A hidden and not talked about much, diner in Wood River. It's one of the better diners in the…read moreRiverbend area. It's a dive and that is part of its charm. The food is simple, made fresh and is totally affordable. I ordered, Breakfast Special #6 and it was only $8. I enjoyed, two scrambled eggs, bacon, one biscuit and gravy and tater tots. They offer 3 choices of potatoes; Hashbrowns, American Fries and Tater Tots. I was going to order American, but the waitress said her favorite was the tots, so I took her advice. They were a nice change of pace. I was surprised, about the seasoning. Most diners I have eaten at, are heavy on the salt, but not here. I actually had to add salt to my food and I am not a big salter. 6th Street is on my way to my part-time job and I am fairly certain, I'll be stopping for breakfast on the regular.

They reopened last week and I finally got a parking spot. Food was not only cooked perfectly and…read moreserved hot, but service is top notch. Price? I got 2 eggs, 3 sausage patties, 3 pancakes and coffee for under $10.

Referred to Alton tap house by a family friend. Immediately met with great service and through…read moresmall talk Ellen recommend their Nashville hot sand which. My partner and I tried the horseshoe chicken and the Nashville hot and wow! What a flavor. I will by pass the fast Eddie's and Mac's to trek my way here. Good service and great food. You have earned a customer.

I've been numerous times since I moved to the Alton area and just realized, I've never updated my…read morereview in six years. I think it is time to do so. A couple of my visits have been parties for graduation, retirement and a thirtieth birthday. Food was good, beer was cold and the cocktails had a heavy pour. Sometimes I dined alone and enjoyed a hot chicken sandwich, a cheeseburger, wings and catfish. All of them satisfied my hunger and were better than average pub grub. For a while they served breakfast, but that's a thing of the past. When they did, the chicken and waffles were good. The bartenders and servers are always attentive and friendly. Alton Sports Tap is one of the better sports bars in the Riverbend area.

I have been going to Geno's 140 club for 40 years, and it is one of muy favorites and a popular…read morelocal hangout for lunch or dinner. Reasonable prices, good quality and friendly service. Enter the tavern from the front or the restaurant from the side entrance. It has a Tavern section, a ground floor restaurant and and an elevated banquet/overflow room. Love their catfish dinners. I take clients for great burger meals for lunch in the tavern section. On north side of Hwy 140 (Bethalto Drive) in the middle of Bethalto.

Simple pub atmosphere. Friendly staff. I ordered the cup of clam chowder to start - rich, creamy…read moreand full of big chunks of potatoes and clams. I then ordered the pepperloin sandwich at the recommendation of our server. I was NOT disappointed! Super soft bun, generous portions of meat and the seasoning and sauces finished it off. Highly recommend if you come for a sandwich! Great place for lunch. Next time I am back in Bethalto we will be sure to stop in.

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 had a fantastic Tuesday night dinner. They were offering a $30 3 Course Dinner, but I went with…read morethe $25 Pepperloin Steak. Before ordering, I enjoyed a Tito's Extra Dry Martini with a Lemon Twist. The bartenders here are masters of their mixologist skills. Trust me I know, they've made my a lot of cocktails. Once my entree arrived, I totally impressed with all three items. The asparagus was prepared perfectly. It wasn't too hard and not overly soft. It had just enough snap. The Loaded Baked Potato was the size of a fist, which is a perfect size. It was fluffy and was topped with butter, cheese and bacon. The steak was truly the piece of resistance. It was super tender and they served it a true medium rare. The kitchen truly knocked it out of the park with this meal. I was a happy diner. Good food and good service will have me returning to Gentelin's, time and time again.

Absolutely loved every minute of my first visit here. The two different bread options with butter -…read moreDELICIOUS. One of the best Caesar salads I've ever had and loves the homemade croutons. The steak wasn't the best I've had but still cooked perfectly and the loaded baked potato was equally as good. The ambience of this place is what I enjoyed most, dimly lit and can be dressed up or dressed down. The service was phenomenal we ended up eating at a table and moving to the bar just to stay a while longer and try a few more drinks. Absolutely loved everything about this spot!

Literally my favorite restaurant ever, and it's not even close. If you're in the St. Louis area,…read morethe hour long drive is worth it for the hummus alone. Or the sticky toffee pudding alone. Or the soup. Or any of the entrees. If something is on the menu, it's because it's great-- there's no "filler" options or reheated Sysco food. It's the freshest food I've ever had at a restaurant (you can tell it's farm to table/locally sourced) and I don't really know how to describe this but like... after I eat there, I feel full to the point of bursting, but not in a gross way? Like usually when I eat that much I feel kinda sick or nauseous, but that doesn't happen here. And for how high quality the food is, you'd expect a kinda stuffy environment and high price tag, but no! It's got a friendly, laid back vibe with chill (but attentive) staff. Apps are $10 and entrees are $20. They could charge twice as much and I'd still consider it a fair price. As previously mentioned, everything on the menu is amazing so follow your heart and get whatever sounds good. But I'd personally recommend the hummus, grilled bread, and soup as starters (yes, all of them) and don't even THINK about leaving without getting the sticky toffee pudding, even if you split it between a few people. It's exactly how I imagined ambrosia tasting like.

It was a Friday during Lent and I went to Delmar Public House to enjoy their Fish & Chips. Well,…read morethat didn't happen. In addition to their regular menu, DPH always has a Weekly Special Menu. Once I saw what the weekly special pasta was, I had to have it. I am a huge fan of Smoked Salmon and they did theirs in house. The pasta not only had the smoked salmon, it also had sautéed red onion, a tangy European style cream cheese sauce and cavatappi pasta with fried cappers and fresh dill. The cream sauce was perfect. It was just a light covering, enough for flavor without being overwhelming. As always, the portion was healthy, so I had leftovers for the next days lunch. I enjoyed it chilled and it was like eating a cold pasta salad. DPH always gets bonus points from me for having eco-friendly to-go vessels. My adult beverage of choice for the seafood pasta, was a glass of Pinot Gris. I prefer a Grigio, but they only had the Gris. Gris is fairly similar to Grigio. I always say, it's like a first cousin, once removed. Service is always top-notch. It doesn't matter if you are sitting at a table or the bar, you'll be treated right.