McAlister&#x27;s Deli

Stumbled across this restaurant on a trip to St Louis, and we're glad we stopped. The first thing…read moreto catch the eye is a long glass-front counter full of delightful-looking desserts. The restaurant is obviously a local favorite spot as many other patrons were greeted by name by staff or other diners. We seated ourselves in a booth, of which circles the rest of the room with several tables down the middle. Service was quick, sweet tea for me, not often found in Illinois dining, but perfectly done for this southern girl. Hubby was just as happy with his unsweet tea. The homemade vegetable soup was warm, thick with vegetables, even some cabbage, midst the creamy broth. My hand-presses cheeseburger was as delectable as any, and would have been perfect if tomatoes were in season and carried more flavor. But the lettuce was crisp, the onion sharp, and the pickles crunchy. Hubby has a tossed salad and the catfish dinner. The fish was cooked in cornmeal, a real "down home" dish, plenty of it and plenty of flavor. Hush puppies were delicious, but not enough of them. Then, we both ordered dessert even though we knew we couldn't finish them: strawberry cake and a lemon crème pie. Out of this world! The price was reasonable for the excellent food and service, even in these days of austerity. We definitely intend to return to The Grille!

We stopped at The Grille in Mount Vernon, IL while traveling to Nashville with family. My wife and…read moreI tried the Wisconsin Burger with green beans and the Chicken Cordon Bleu Sandwich with cottage cheese. The food was just okay and nothing really stood out as being particularly amazing. The service was great, and the atmosphere was homey and welcoming. It felt like a comfortable local spot where you can sit down and have a straightforward meal without any fuss. Given the limited restaurant options in Mount Vernon, The Grille definitely gets the job done. I wouldn't go out of my way to return, but if you're in town and looking for a solid place to grab a meal, it's a great option!

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Panera Bread

2.9(47 reviews)

0.1 mi

Can't complain. We've hit this Panera a few times while traveling (the Drury next door is our…read moreplace to stay!). We typically order via drive through or on the app for pickup. Staff are friendly and prompt. When short on certain bagels, they're helpful in letting you know and working out substitutions. Easy, quick stop - quality bagels. Always a win.

While driving by I noticed a Panera conveniently located off the highway…read more I walked in and noticed there was little to no customers(which is great). I didn't see someone upfront- so I went to the kiosk and did my order. If someone else would if came in that wasn't tech savvy they would if waited a while for someone to come up. Which later I learned there is only one upfront cashier and the rest of the crew -what I noticed- was in the kitchen. One manager on site walking around As I ordered I wanted for my order to be ready and asked this nice girl if they could provide me with a printed receipt- she as told that I'd get it when I pick up my food. The receipt wasn't given to me so I went back in and the lady whom gave me my phone told the lady To tell me that she gave me one- I then told them no- I never got one. Service from the young African American was amazing! She was nice and friendly and super approachable then her other coworkers.

Hearty Fireside Chili & Rustic Baked Potato Soup

Kickin' Grilled Cheese & Creamy Tomato Soup Value Duet

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New Sandwiches

Jimmie James Blue Goose

4.7(80 reviews)

2.5 mi

Quiet and cozy with great food! Staff is all very friendly and the gyros are amazing!read more

These people are the sweetest people ever! We didn't get to sample all of their offerings because…read moreYelp reviews led us to believe they had stew and cornbread, which they have NOT had since 2020. (They sell gyros and Kalamata salad, just FYI.) Wanting to accommodate everyone in our party, we chose to move on, unfortunately. They were understanding and even recommended another place, and then when I tried to purchase their baklava, they insisted I take it for free!!! What genuinely hospitable people!! Love this place!! Will definitely stop in again if I'm ever here again.

Showing parallel parking street side.

The outside, but the shadows weren't cooperative.

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If you drive by, turn around!

Double Overtime Grill

3.7(56 reviews)

We ate here for breakfast when we stayed at the DoubleTree hotel. This restaurant is located inside…read morethe hotel. Pros: Cant beat the location and price....it was free since I was staying at the hotel. Staff was friendly and regularly checked up on us to refill coffees. Cons: Seems like the staff had a hard time keeping up with the food in the buffet area. 2 out of the 3 times I went up, the trays were half empty. I had limited time so not having food readily available was unfortunate.

A convenient place to eat if you're staying at the Doubletree or one of the other close-by hotels…read more I was staying at the Holiday Inn, and the desk clerk mentioned that if I showed my room key, I'd get a 10% discount. Had she not mentioned the restaurant, I probably wouldn't have tried it or even found it! I think I would have been better off had I not found it. I ordered a BLT. There was a good amount of B to go along with the L&T on that sandwich. But it was average tasting at best. Very greasy and salty. It was served with salty fries. It didn't take me long to finish my beer. The fries were shoestring, and there were quite a bit of em. If you're on a shoestring budget, you could probably get away with sharing the sandwich with someone. I couldn't finish mine. I'm not really sure if it was because it was a lot of food, or if it was the salt saturation. Either way, I didn't ask for a box. They have steak and burgers, too. I saw some of those making their way to tables, and the folks seemed to be enjoying them. So you could probably give it a try. Quick Tip: I saw a sign stating that if you pay with cash, they'll give you a 10% discount. I tried using cash AND show my room key to get a combined 20% off. That didn't fly with my server. I only got the 10% off. Who knows if it was the cash or room. I was hoping that the server would ask which room I was in. Just kidding, NMT. It's a good thing I had a couple of beers in my room. I'm still dry from that darn salt!

Front of restaurant inside of DoubleTree hotel.

Mozzarella sticks with Marinara sauce

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Farmhouse Bakery & Cafe

4.3(37 reviews)

2.0 mi

I think it is closed much like many in this small town so we did not get to try it. Probably should…read morehave been closer to the interstate to survive.

Cute homey atmosphere. Adorable staff. Great coffee and tea. Tons of tea varieties and coffee…read moreflavors. Lots of preserves and fresh tomatoes for sale!

Cherry pie

Window into bakery. Fresh strawberry pies on the counter

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Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Bandanas BBQ - Mount Vernon

3.8(124 reviews)

0.2 mi

I had an excellent experience at Bandana's Bar-B-Q. The ribs were outstanding. The smoke, exterior,…read moretexture, and temperature were all exactly right. I have eaten at many BBQ spots in Kansas City and Texas, and these ribs were on par with the best. The baked potato was cooked perfectly, just as expected. The garlic bread was a little different but very satisfying and prepared the way I like it, nice and crisp. I also had a side salad, and the BBQ ranch made from their original sauce was very good. One small note. The side salad came out with the meal. I prefer it a bit earlier, but service was very fast so everything arrived close together. If that matters to you, I would suggest asking, as the servers seem happy to accommodate. I tried several sauces. I am not a fan of sweet sauces, so I stuck with the original and spicy. Both were excellent, and I could not pick a favorite. Overall, a great meal and a place I would return to. Easily a five star experience.

Stopped in on our way to St. Louis. The service could have been better, waitresses were more…read moreinterested in talking with each other in the beginning, Had the burnt ends and pork lunch. The pulled pork was pretty good but the burnt ends had too much of a molasses bbq sauce on them for me. Fried okra was very good but baked beans were a little too watery.

Kitchen area

Budget pork plate otherwise known as kids barbecue

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Menu

Show Down Steakhouse & Saloon

3.9(54 reviews)

0.5 mi

So sad. Walked down from the hotel and it appears that the Show Down got shut down. This was a…read moredecent food place with great service and so convenient to the hotels in the area but is gone now.

I was not expecting much but I should know better. We ahve passed this on our way to some other…read morestate from time to time and alwys say we should stop here. So we did. Its nt the decor or the location that gt 5ive stars. Its the great steaks and attentive friendly service. Very local vibe, people seemed to know each other and the staff was very chatty. Maybe a little too much because we ahd to keep flagging our waitress down who seemed a bit scattered. But still she was very nice. Other staff members checked on us several times so we were never lacting in anything. The stake I ordered (medium rare) which I always order came out very rare. If it was a little more done I would not have said anything. But someone from the kitchen stopped by the table and asked if I was ahppy with the tempature. I was nice about it and said, well not really, this seems very rare to me, not medium rare. WIthout complain he quickly took the stake on a side dish leaving the rest of myt meal to enjoy. Teo minutes laters a perfectly medium rare stake came out with a bit of char on the outside, hot and pink while still juicy inside. And it was a very good, very thick streak. Honestly I had wished I'd ordered a large cut. ANd isn't a great steak your looking for when going to a steakhouse?

8 oz. filet

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One desert choice.

JJ’s Sports Bar & Grill

4.1(57 reviews)

Good food. Good service. Great vibe and nice bar. Solid choice when I'm in town for business. A lot…read moreof great Mexican options. Good spot!

We have had several people recommend JJ's to us, so we drove up on a Saturday to check them out for…read morelunch. I had the special, which was two chicken tacos. My husband had the shrimp tacos. We had the chips with queso and salsa with our meal as well. Everything was delicious. Service was good. We will be back to try other menu items in the near future!

Large screen TV inside.

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Our menu

The Frosty Mug Bar & Grill

4.2(169 reviews)

2.3 mi

Great food and service. Pork loin was excellent. Server made me feel at home and was so kind.read more

Fries were soggy and fish was overcooked to the point it was hard!!!…read moreHave not had a good experience the last three times we've been there! We're done!

Delicious, fun stop!

Pork Tenderloin Sandwich

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Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

3.4(87 reviews)

Another Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and another satisfying experience. The hostess was…read morefriendly as well as my server. My food was served hot, in a short period of time after ordering, and it was very good. The only little hiccup was that I ordered grilled sourdough bread and instead they brought me sourdough toast - no big deal. There wasn't a full house so the noise level wasn't bad and thus made for a more comfortable setting. The store had a lot of seasonal items for sale. Along with Autumn themes, Halloween and even Christmas items were also available for purchase. I started looking through one of the books they had for sale, "Devotions from the Horse Farm" by Cara Whitney, and had to buy it. If you've never been to a CB, I recommend you check them out.

Excellent experience! I ordered the fried catfish with the loaded hash browns and onion petals…read more Very tasty! I tried the fried okra and they were ok. My first time trying okra and I know my friend loves Cracker Barrel's fried okra. So it's probably me. Just not to my taste. But what added to our culinary experience and made it enjoyable was the attendant for our table. Her name is Jordan. She has brown hair and was friendly and diligent. She was quick to get our order and very helpful with our questions. While we were eating, I also saw her not only sweeping up after messy patrons, and not only wiping down the tables, but also conscientiously wiping the salt and pepper shakers, etc... It was refreshing to see such a hard worker during a lull in the business day. My husband and I travel many times a month and so we eat out frequently. Many times, we've seen workers going in the back and we end up waiting a long time for service. Or they're more engaged on their phones or chatting with one another so they don't notice the customers. I get it, it's a long day for them. We wanted to give Jordan her props as well as the cooks that day. Like I said, the food was excellent and the people manning the gift shop were very nice. We'll definitely be back!

Cracker Barrel, Mount Vernon IL

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Cracker Barrel, Mount Vernon IL

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2 reviews that are not currently recommended

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Wellma S.

0

3

0

2 years ago

My sister agnes and I, we're craving some of that soup that got the broccoli in it. So we stopped by mt. Vernon's McAllisters. We got some of THE BEST sweet tea in mt. Vernon. Amazing work read more

Shooter M.

1

12

2

4 years ago

So pleasant that their landscaper is a crackhead and thinks 10pm on a Tuesday is a great time to be loud. This guy and this buisness are socially inept read more

McAlister's Deli - delis - Updated September 2026

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4.1

(53 reviews)

Nothin' like a good breakfast to get'cha goin'! I'm not sure what mine was called (maybe a…read moreHaystack?), but it was DELICIOUS! Took half of it home for another meal... Service was good and the atmosphere was like a nice diner. Great value for your money.

Outstanding breakfast! Fast, friendly and attentive service. If you like French toast, this is…read morethe place.

Jimmie James Blue Goose

4.7

(80 reviews)

Quiet and cozy with great food! Staff is all very friendly and the gyros are amazing!read more

These people are the sweetest people ever! We didn't get to sample all of their offerings because…read moreYelp reviews led us to believe they had stew and cornbread, which they have NOT had since 2020. (They sell gyros and Kalamata salad, just FYI.) Wanting to accommodate everyone in our party, we chose to move on, unfortunately. They were understanding and even recommended another place, and then when I tried to purchase their baklava, they insisted I take it for free!!! What genuinely hospitable people!! Love this place!! Will definitely stop in again if I'm ever here again.

The Grille

4.2

(98 reviews)

Stumbled across this restaurant on a trip to St Louis, and we're glad we stopped. The first thing…read moreto catch the eye is a long glass-front counter full of delightful-looking desserts. The restaurant is obviously a local favorite spot as many other patrons were greeted by name by staff or other diners. We seated ourselves in a booth, of which circles the rest of the room with several tables down the middle. Service was quick, sweet tea for me, not often found in Illinois dining, but perfectly done for this southern girl. Hubby was just as happy with his unsweet tea. The homemade vegetable soup was warm, thick with vegetables, even some cabbage, midst the creamy broth. My hand-presses cheeseburger was as delectable as any, and would have been perfect if tomatoes were in season and carried more flavor. But the lettuce was crisp, the onion sharp, and the pickles crunchy. Hubby has a tossed salad and the catfish dinner. The fish was cooked in cornmeal, a real "down home" dish, plenty of it and plenty of flavor. Hush puppies were delicious, but not enough of them. Then, we both ordered dessert even though we knew we couldn't finish them: strawberry cake and a lemon crème pie. Out of this world! The price was reasonable for the excellent food and service, even in these days of austerity. We definitely intend to return to The Grille!

We stopped at The Grille in Mount Vernon, IL while traveling to Nashville with family. My wife and…read moreI tried the Wisconsin Burger with green beans and the Chicken Cordon Bleu Sandwich with cottage cheese. The food was just okay and nothing really stood out as being particularly amazing. The service was great, and the atmosphere was homey and welcoming. It felt like a comfortable local spot where you can sit down and have a straightforward meal without any fuss. Given the limited restaurant options in Mount Vernon, The Grille definitely gets the job done. I wouldn't go out of my way to return, but if you're in town and looking for a solid place to grab a meal, it's a great option!

The Waffle Company

4.4

(55 reviews)

Had Biquits and gravy and Scramble Egg's..fantastic..best in town. This place will close down a few…read moreslop shops in town hopefully Parkside Cafe.

Good fast service and a fair price Had the B & G and a…read morecinnamon roll waffle they both are pretty good

Bandanas BBQ - Mount Vernon

3.8

(124 reviews)

I had an excellent experience at Bandana's Bar-B-Q. The ribs were outstanding. The smoke, exterior,…read moretexture, and temperature were all exactly right. I have eaten at many BBQ spots in Kansas City and Texas, and these ribs were on par with the best. The baked potato was cooked perfectly, just as expected. The garlic bread was a little different but very satisfying and prepared the way I like it, nice and crisp. I also had a side salad, and the BBQ ranch made from their original sauce was very good. One small note. The side salad came out with the meal. I prefer it a bit earlier, but service was very fast so everything arrived close together. If that matters to you, I would suggest asking, as the servers seem happy to accommodate. I tried several sauces. I am not a fan of sweet sauces, so I stuck with the original and spicy. Both were excellent, and I could not pick a favorite. Overall, a great meal and a place I would return to. Easily a five star experience.

Stopped in on our way to St. Louis. The service could have been better, waitresses were more…read moreinterested in talking with each other in the beginning, Had the burnt ends and pork lunch. The pulled pork was pretty good but the burnt ends had too much of a molasses bbq sauce on them for me. Fried okra was very good but baked beans were a little too watery.

Ali Asian Cuisine

4.2

(106 reviews)

Stopped off here on my way down south. I picked up some combination fried rice and some spring…read morerolls. Everything was great. The combination fried rice had big pieces of meat, carrots, and huge shrimp. I also noticed that they put in some orange peppers, which was a really good addition . My favorite though was the bean sprouts, they mixed in. Bean sprouts are great in fried rice. I will definitely stop here again, the next time I'm passing through.

Always good food. We normally get take out. Never been disappointed…read more It's fresh and tasty. It's no buffet so it may take some time to get your food ready but it's worth the wait

Sonic Drive-In

3.0

(11 reviews)

It really upsets me when I am on the road and I order food and drive off and non of "my food" is in…read morethe bag. I've learned to pull over in the front of the place to check my food because apparently the people who check the bags at the window don't know their job. Luckily, I checked it. And guess what? My food wasn't in there. I back to the window and the girl that gave me my food wouldn't even come to the window. Some young guy brought it to me and was like as soon as you pulled off I knew it was missing. Hmmm. That is the reason it has 3 stars. I am so tired of people not doing their job! The food was good. The location was a bit out of the way. But overall it was ok.

We went to sonic in mt Vernon illinois just now, the service was TERRIBLE. We waited and waited at…read morethe speaker to order, no one answered. We went to the window three people saw us no one came to the window so we left. Won't be going back too soon. No wonder half the car hop stations are roped off !!

Domino's Pizza

3.7

(10 reviews)

On Aug 5, 2025 our son and hus family drove 2 hours to Mt Vernon to spend his birthday with us…read more Of all things available in our community he chose to have dominoes pizza for his birthday. I ordered 3 large pizzas totaling $43.06. I picked the pizza up at the window and rushed home so they would be hot. When my son opened the pizzas each one was completely burnt up. The look of disappointment on his face broke my heart as it was his birthday!!! I called dominoes and they were argumentative saying the pizzas were not burnt. I asked if they could deliver 3 more since this was obviously their fault. They refused. So I drove 5 miles back to dominoes and returned the pizza. They said they would make 3 more but only made 2 so now I have 1 cold pizza to take back home with me. We had ordered 2 toppings and there was barely any toppings on the 2 new pizzas as staff was mad about having to remake the pizza. It was like eating dry cardboard (pic attached) They acted as though I was the problem. The pizza was so burnt there is no way they didnt see this when boxing it up. It should have never been handed out to a customer and the attitude seriously should have been kept in check. In hindsight I should have just asked for a refund and left. Needless to say my sons birthday dinner was ruined. I wil never go back to this place again. They were uncaring unprofessional and offered absolutely nothing in an attempt to make up for what they did. Free delivery for the remade pizza was even out of the question!! Shame on this business!!! It cost me $43.06 to absolutely ruin a special time for my son and family

Their hot wings aren't hot wings, boneless wings are an absolute joke they don't resemble actual…read moreboneless wings at all. Highly disappointed they consider this crap wings.

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