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.

Pete's Lounge is a pretty cool dive bar. The food is good and priced well. The cocktails are strong…read moreand they have a good variety of beers. Their bartenders are friendly and so are the other patrons. Sitting at the bar, all conversations overlap and everyone participates. I've been back several times since my first visit. I mainly come for the Kobe Burger at lunchtime. A cold beer, burger and a basket of crisp fries always hits the spot. Their Friday and Saturday Steak Specials are pretty damn good, too. One visit I added, shrimp. A Caesar Salad, Steak with 3 Shrimp and a Baked Potato made for a great meal. I kept telling myself to try the pizza, so the next time I go for lunch, I will order pizza instead of my typical Kobe Burger.

Nice place lots of TV's burger and fries were very good. Good cold beer and a very friendly…read morebartender and patrons .

We stopped by for a drink after dinner. First impression was an overwhelming smell of smoke…read more Apparently the room in the back is a smoking lounge and of course the smell leaks out into the main area. We got used to it pretty quickly. It's not nearly as bad as bars used to be. The bartender was great. Drinks were cheap and not too watered down like a lot of places. The music was at a comfortable level. We all enjoyed it and will stop by again if we are out that way.

Nice standard Midwest dive bar. Beer was cold and even had a fridge with some locals. People were…read moregenerally friendly but didn't go out of their way; the place you go when you want a drink and to be left alone. Negative: lost an item and not sure where; wanted to check the bar but their phone number sends you to voice mail and no messages. Very annoying...

We were really impressed with Chico's. Went in a Sunday when fried chicken was the special. A…read morefew of us got it and let me say it was amazing! Also a great deal with more than enough for one meal! I ordered the patty melt and a baked potato. Both tasty and served perfectly. Can't say enough good things about her server! She said she was new but you certainly wouldn't tell. Wish I could remember her name because she did a tremendous job keeping up with a restaurant filled up faster than one person could normally handle. She did an excellent job! Can't wait to come back and try some other things! Cute place and very clean. Oh the grandkids also enjoyed the pool table and everyone enjoyed the placement of TVs to be able to watch football.

I love Chico's Onion Rings. I love them so much, that I'm giving this dive bar a 5 Star rating…read more They're homemade and served with a special sauce. They are cut in large thick rings and then covered in a thick crispy and crunchy batter. The batter is so flavorful, I rarely dip mine in the special sauce. Being a single person, I can never eat the entire basket. However, I can tell you they are still pretty good cold at home and reheating them in an air fryer is good, too. When I found out National Hamburger Day was May 28th, I knew I had to celebrate it at Chico's. Lucky for me the special of the Day was a Jalapeño Burger, which is my favorite burger. For my side, I went with their House Chips, which are like an Irish Pub Chip. They're made in house, just like the Onion Rings, so they're extra tasty. The service has never disappointed me. I typically always sit at the bar and not only is the bartender attentive, but the waitresses check on me as well. That's some pretty attentive service for a dive bar.

Omg. Our photos tell it all! We can't say enough about their food! I had the warm goat cheese…read moresalad. Ok, hear me out, I NEVER order thee kinds of foods, but I was feeling wild and crazy today and it paid off! It's probably one of the best salads I've ever had. I added chicken and it was perfect. My husband had the beef teepee which is one of their staple dishes and he LOVED it. We sat at the bar. Everyone was so friendly and attentive. And martinis are superb! Highly recommended! 11/10

When I think of martinis, I think of Bossanova and when I think of Bossanova, I think of martinis…read more The two of them, just go together. I enjoy a relaxing evening sitting at the bar at Bossanova, sipping a Martini. The music is played softly in the background at a level that makes it easy to enjoy and still have a conversation. When I get hungry while I am sipping my martini, I like to enjoy one of their flatbreads, perhaps an order of Salmon Rangoon or a bowl of French Mussels. They're all delicious and will satisfy my hunger pains. The reason I took a star away is, when I ordered my Extra Dry Tito's with a Twist and Make it Skate. The bartender did not know what I meant by, "Make It Skate". I had to explain to her what that phrase meant. She did fairly well, but it wasn't a true skate. I'm confident her eventually master that martini skill.

Place was too crowded, music very loud and the prices were ridiculous the owner's very rude as well…read moreand outside of that place he does alot of things. Service wasn't so good and barely have enough tobacco selection plus the ones that was ordered didn't taste too good. Place was cold and staff needs more teaching

i travel often and want to enjoy my time. If I could give this place 0 stars I would. What a mess…read more Absolutely crowded and smelled terrible. Of course a hookah lounge is not supposed to smell amazing but this? Disgusting. I was stressed instead of enjoying my time.

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.

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.

My wife and I celebrated our 50th birthday at the SJMBC Celebration 2 Center (C2C). We rented both…read morethe main hall space and the upper bar/lounge space. The two spaces were clean, spacious, and worked well with our color scheme and table decor. The C2C staff was great and helpful in the planning, setup, and exercution of our special day. We had about 150 guest that attended this event and the venue accommodated them all well. Our overall experience was wonderful.

We held a Celebration of Life event for my father who recently passed and this venue was just…read moreperfect for it! The main banquet hall is spacious enough for a big crowd and band, the kitchen is large, the bar/lounge area is very nice and comfortable, and the bathrooms were immaculate. Lori and her staff were very helpful and extremely pleasant to work with, and the price was very affordable for the entire experience. We couldn't be happier with our choice to go with SJMBC Celebration 2 Center for our event and 100% recommend it.

It was a Friday night, so I considered myself lucky getting a seat at the bar. It was at the very…read morefar end, which meant I only had to worry about someone to my left. I didn't end them, but I bonus was, a hook and outlet was under the bar right in front of my stool. I didn't want the Friday special, even though some Fried Fish was tempting. All I wanted was some of their incredible hand cut and breaded onion rings. I paired them with a 6 piece bone in chicken wings in mild sauce. When served, I was pleased to see my order had equal flats and drums. The wings and rings were very filling. I ended up taking two rings and one flat and one drum home. They re-heated very well for the next days lunch. The service was a little off, but I will admit they were slammed. The bartender was slow on greeting and doing follow-up. It may have helped if they had an extra person behind the bar. Even a bar-back would have helped. They may have lost a star this visit, but I am sure they'll get it back soon.

Brickhouse has the perfect local dive bar feel but with a really nice setup inside. Huge open…read morespaces, tons of TVs for watching sports, and long tables that make it great for groups and gatherings. The food menu has a lot of solid options, but the wings are easily the best in the area, huge, meaty, and packed with flavor. Great variety of beers on tap too. Definitely a spot worth checking out if you want good food, cold beer, and a relaxed atmosphere.