Nice small casual place for breakfast or lunch buffet. Good prices. Limited menu. Daily specials…read more(Wednesday is Meat Loaf).

Went here with a big group of locals while visiting. They were doing a pork chop family style…read moredinner; those chops were cooked to perfection. Simple, but so good! It came with apple sauce, green beens, mashed potatoes and biscuits as sides. I had a little of each of the sides, and the apple sauce was my favorite, but those chops were so good, I could not stop eating them. Thin. Breaded. Golden fried to absolute perfection, my eyes are rolling back in my head just righting the review. The waitress was wonderful. Speedy. Courteous. Friendly. We were there just to get together with my Aunt and a bunch of her friendly neighbors; we were treated well. She assumed we were there for a celebration, and was prepared to offer some embarrassing celebration song. But, that was not necessary. Enjoyed them a great bit!

Great food for good price and fast service! Catering menu and prices are even better for a large or…read moresmall group at any location.

Everyone and everything I've ever eaten here was great food great service owners there if needed so…read moregreat family friendly staff and friends

We drove to Jerseyville early this afternoon to try Nick's. They close at 2pm on Sunday so we…read morewanted to arrive with plenty of time to eat. We arrived around 1pm, apparently their peak but we were quickly seated. Though busy, noise levels were moderate and ambiance was typical of a family restaurant. We both had the country fried steak and biscuits, Karla with scrambled eggs and American fries, basically seasoned fries cut into cubes. She didn't care for the seasoning but she's admitted picky with a very low tolerance for spicy food. I had mine with traditional hash browns and eggs over easy. I've had better country fried steak but it was decent and the meal was otherwise great. Everything was served on one plate, just the way I like it, allowing me to mix things up with my hash browns and biscuits. The biscuits are served on the side of the plate, not topped with gravy in case you'd rather have butter and/or jelly on your biscuits, and they were hot and fluffy with good flavor. It was a very filling meal. The wait staff were great, friendly and responsive. We'll be sure to return to try other items from their impressive menu.

Great breakfast! Thank you for your excellent service Punky! You really know how to make everyone…read morefeel like they are part of the family

I have been here probably a dozen times. The service was usually good and the food is usually good…read moreas well. Although the last two times I have been in with the wife and kids we had to walk out because we waited so long just for the waitress to come take a simple drink order and say hello. We literally waited 15 minutes to see a waitress on a weekday with 15 people in the place. I live right outside Foley and love supporting small businesses. I stop in Cookes almost everyday and frequent all the other small businesses in the Elsberry, Foley, Winfield area. I am just very disappointed in a small local business not doing everything they can to keep customers when it's apparent they need them very much. Especially in this rural type area. So we headed to the Waffle House in OFallon and will most likely continue to do so when in need of breakfast.

Amazing food and employees! First time customers here. We went for the pork tenderloin as it is one…read moreof my husband's favorites. It didn't disappoint! I got the grilled walleye and bumbleberry pie. Hubs topped it off with dutch apple pie with ice cream. We do not have one negative thing to report. Employees couldn't be nicer!

Great food, massive portions, and a beautiful riverfront setting! Illinois Riverdock is a local gem…read morein Hardin. Our waitress Jeane provided top-notch service--she was cheerful and kept our drinks full the whole time. Highly recommend the catfish and a slice of Bumble Berry pie. We love stopping here to watch the river traffic. Five stars all around!

Cute little place and friendly service. The cheeseburger and sweet potatoes fries were awesome.read more

I was pleasantly surprised. DJ's is a family owned, country dive bar. It's located just off the…read moremain drag in Jerseyville. It has a welcoming front patio, a pool table and a popular salad and soup bar. I wanted something new and different for lunch, so I went to my "Want to Go" list and found DJ's. As my typical routine, I found a space at the end of the bar. I was greeted gruffly by the bartender, which took me off-guard. Don't worry, she finally loosened up and got friendlier. The menu is short, which proves to me, they focus on what they do best. I was torn between their Pork Tenderloin and the DJ Burger. Bartender said, they were both popular, but once she told me the DJ had fried Banana Peppers and Pepper Jack Cheese, I was sold. I chose fries as my side. Being a fan of Onion Rings/Straws, I enjoyed an order as my appetizer. OMG! Their straws in my opinion really weren't straws. They were more like super thin onion rings and they were the bomb. The bread was crisp and the peppery seasoning is what won my tastebuds over. The DJ Burger was equally as good. It was a hand pressed patty, simply seasoned with salt and pepper, the fried Banana Peppers had a light breading coating them and the piece of Pepper Jack Cheese covered the entire burger. The accompanying fries were long, skinny and crisp. The food runner from the kitchen who delivered my food was bubbly and friendly. I didn't experience the salad and soup bar, but lots of the diners around me, were taking advantage of it. Before I left, I went to the other room to take a peek, but it was already closed down for lunch. I'll be sure to check it out next time. DJ's was almost a 5 Star Dive Bar, but they had Fox News on and that lost them the extra star.

Catfish heaven!!! This restaurant on Route 66 is the best spot for local food and clearly popular…read moregiven the totally full parking lot. Friendly midwestern waitress big salad bar definite destination!!

Entering The Ariston Cafe is a trip back to an earlier time. The entire decor is vintage and it is…read morewell maintained. It's a simple cafe with delicious food and it's served as if it is a white linen restaurant. Yep, all tables have white linen tablecloths and napkins. All the wait staff are wearing black slacks, white shirts with black ties and looking mighty fine. I happened to be visiting on a Sunday during Brunch hours. I'm typically not a buffet kinda guy, but I was today. I thought by doing the buffet, I'd be able to experience many of their different menu items all in my initial visit. After saying I wanted the buffet, my server brought me a clear chilled plate for the salad and soup bar, which was included with the buffet. She also gave me a warm dinner plate for the buffet line. As I dined, she checked with me and when needed she gave me a clean plate for my next trip through the line. The variety of foods were impressive. They had a section with all the typical breakfast foods; scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits & gravy and potatoes. It all looked good, but I focused on lunch items. My first trip through the line was, a HUGE fried chicken breast, green beans and mashed potatoes with white gravy. It was some of the best chicken I have had in a while. The seasoning was great, it was super crispy and crunchy and the meat was juicy. Their green beans were made from scratch with bacon and onions. The salt and pepper seasoning was just enough flavor. Then real mashed potatoes and a true country white gravy. I was satisfied with that plate alone, but went back to try more. Second trip I had Mostaccioli that tasted as if an Italian grandma had made it. It was super cheesy and the right amount of Italian seasoning. Then I had a couple Catfish Nuggets, General Tso's Nuggets, Mac-n-Cheese and Roast Beef. I was getting so full, I didn't even get anything from the soup and salad bar. I was seated close, so I did take a peak and it had a good variety of offerings. I'll be sure to try it on my next visit. My server was stellar. She was very attentive and friendly. I liked that the entire staff were dressed as if they were in a 50's diner or perhaps an upscale restaurant being the black & white. It's the Centennial Celebration of Route 66 this year. That should give you reason to go eat at the oldest restaurant on Route 66, which is The Ariston.

The food here is very good I always get the double bacon cheeseburger with curly fries, they have a…read moregood variety of food for not a bad price either. The service is very good they always have good staff behind the counter and the ambiance is nice it's clean and I always feel welcome. I haven't tried the drinks but the food is great.

Great service. Fast and friendly. We ordered a pizza to go and it was very good. Plenty of…read moreparking and plenty of room inside. They have gaming slots as well.

Sort of rustic decor, huge bar. Noise levels pretty loud despite only about half full in the dining…read morearea. Our waitress was nice, if a little shy (probably new) but service was fine. I ordered a cobb salad, the chicken was marinated and grilled and quite good. The house vinaigrette was tasty. My dining companions got salads and a wrap. Everyone was pleased with their meal. Next time I want to try the buffalo chicken salad.

Everything I've tried at this scratch restaurant has been fire. I'm so glad this new restaurant is…read moreonly 5 minutes from my house. Service 10 Food 10 Ambiance 10 Highly recommend the goober old fashioned!