$187 for a family of four to have a breakfast on par with the Holiday Inn Express…read more So disappointing. We were excited to get a reservation for this breakfast experience. Unfortunately it was awful. We were sat on the enclosed porch. We had Christmas music blaring so loud that you had to shout. (Someone later unplugged the speaker.) The temp on the porch reached 79, which was quite uncomfortable. We waited about 45 minutes for our food. And, boy was it awful. Frozen pancakes, frozen biscuits, ok gravy, ok casserole and really good sausage links. No serving utensils for anything - had to use my fork to get gravy. No butter. I will say, the place is decorated really well. Top marks for that. As far as food service - this place has no idea what they're doing. All in all - you'd be better off getting a room at the Hampton Inn. It would be cheaper and the breakfast is better. Guess you have to determine how much you're willing to pay for a photo of your kids with the Grinch. (Which we didn't get because we were so hot and uncomfortable.)

This is the ULTIMATE Christmas bar, and is well worth the drive to New Baden, IL. Not only are…read moretheir cocktails delicious and high quality, but the venue is decked from head to toe. You can tell the owners put a lot of love, care and Christmas cheer into making this place special and memorable. The entrance even has a photo station so you can get adorable group photos easily. This is one of the few Christmas bars that also offers family-friendly brunch in the mornings. I heard the Grinch brunch is amazingly silly and fun for Grinch lovers. Highly recommend requesting Ali as your server as she is an absolute delight and such a happy Elf! Be sure to try the Dubai Chocolate or Peppermint Patty drinks.

Good people! Great food! Different but nice vibe and ambience…read more Went with a friend and we were both greeted warmly by all. Questions about the food were answered with a genuine smile. We both ordered the Filipino style chicken BBQ. To me it was somewhat similar to chicken teriyaki but better. I enjoyed everything on the plate. They all paired well together. I found myself eating the cabbage before anything else. I dipped it into the side cup of vinegar type sauce. My friend asked staff what the sauce was for and was told it's to dip the chicken in but he eats it on everything. . I took his advice and dipped my chicken in it and the combination was similar to a sweet and sour chicken. I also poured a little on my rice and that taste was good as well. The inside of the place has a cool relaxing vibe. The only problem I had that I drove past the restaurant twice without noticing it. I have added pictures from across the street hopefully that's helpful to someone else. I will definitely return soon if not this upcoming week for lunch.

I was in the area and decided to give The Fattened Caf a try, and I'm so glad I did! I got the…read moreFilipino Style Chicken BBQ to-go. Although the wait was quite long (25 minutes), the wait was worth it! The chicken was cooked perfectly (not dry at all) and the sauce seasoned and sweetened (but not too much!) the chicken to perfection! The Java rice was also absolutely heavenly, and the cabbage atchara/seasoned cucumbers added a freshness that accentuated every bite. Service was super friendly, and there was also a cute and homey set up with sofas, fun chairs, and a coffee table (dining tables were further inside of the restaurant). Would be a great spot to spend time/study!

Went to a wedding tasting for my nephew. It's an old church converted to event space and a…read morerestaurant. We had a table set up for us in the middle of the redesigned cafeteria. It was a beautiful table set with a very eclectic mix of dinnerware. Really cute. The tasting consisted of two appetizers, two salads, two entrees and two sides. Everything that we tasted was delicious. goat cheese and duxelles on toast, shrimp cocktail, chicken piccata, beef tenderloin, pasta with green peas and dill, green beans, mashed potatoes and wine. The chef who prepared the food brought it out and explained it all to us. Very impressive. The menu has a large variety of choices. If you are planning a wedding, the space includes a chapel, bride and groom dressing areas and a lounge upstairs. It is a very cool space. The people were super nice and explained everything to us. What a nice evening. Nestled in the cute Holly Hills neighborhood. I highly recommend!

An elusive unicorn, that's what this restaurant reminds me of. Can be difficult to spot, only able…read moreto be found during certain times, but when you find it, it is... magical. I say this because the restaurant doesn't have the largest sign in front, and it's only open on Sundays from 9am-2pm. But when you finally visit, well, your taste buds will thank you. I've heard of Seed Sprout Spoon here and there but had never thought of visiting. My spouse and I were craving brunch one day (actually, we crave brunch everyday), so I started doing what I normally do, scroll through Yelp. Seed Sprout Spoon came up, and I looked more into it and realized it was only open on Sundays from 9am-2pm. Wait... it is Sunday and it's before 2pm! We can make it! We arrived around noon and the restaurant was quite busy. We ended up sharing a table a few other people, but that didn't bother me. I ordered the Egg in a Hole B.L.T., and my spouse had the quiche. It took quite awhile for our food to come, probably because it was really busy, but when it did, it was well worth the wait! The Egg in a Hole B.L.T. didn't just come with a fried egg. There's a egg IN THE BREAD! On both pieces! That's next level right there. I loved the brioche bread from Companion, with thick tomato slices, Patchwork bacon, and herb mayo. This sandwich was a work of art! If you love brunch, this is a definitely a place you HAVE to checkout! We'll be back to check out the other items!

Nice spot. Dim lightning, romantic. Attire is dressier…read more We ordered the highly recommended toasted raviolis. It's as good as they say! This is a must get appetizer. The bread was good but had margarine instead of butter. I think they should serve it with butter instead. For dinner: Fiore Borghese Small flower shaped hollow noodle in a pink Cognac sauce with prosciutto, onions, and parsley. This was good! Baked spaghetti - my favorite of the two. The sauce is a little sweet which I enjoyed. Portions are huge. Service was good. It was very busy - definitely make a reservation.

One of the best restaurants in St. Louis. Service is excellent, and food is out of this world. I am…read moreobsessed with their calamari and tortellini alla panna. Cannot recommend this restaurant enough. It's a classic Italian restaurant with authentic dishes, as well as sole more creative plates. They offer a great cocktail menu as well. Bonus points if Wendy is your server!

Delicious food, beautiful decor, and decent pricing!!…read more I've been here a few times, so I brought my mom as she has been talking about this place for a while. Walking up to the entry gives you vacation vibes from The decor, tropical plants and modern aesthetics. Service was 10/10. All the staff we encountered were so friendly. They came by to check on us, and even the owner/manager came out to check in and make sure everything was good. The tacos were absolutely delicious, seasoned well and every ingredient was FRESH. I ordered the Galveston, and the Baja, and my mom ordered the del Rio and the Biloxi, and we shared a trifecta appetiser.. The queso and guacamole and salsa were some of the best ones I've had. The portions are plentiful. Definitely give them a try. They add something new to the menu every so often, and They offer brunch as well.

I took my Kiddos to the Museum of Transportation and decided to stop here after we left the museum…read more I've been wanting to try the restaurant out after learning about it as one of an upcoming Yelp Elite Events. This location was very close to where we were. It was the perfect time to try it! Ambiance: I really love the esthetics of the restaurant. The floral arrangements in the front is very inviting and added a great touch. I also loved the covered outdoor seating areas available, along with the indoor option. We surprisingly opted to sit outside, because heat is not my friend. The industrial fan definitely helped! I felt like I was sitting on one of friend's veranda in the carribean Food: I really enjoyed the food. Tacos are a la carte. For appetizer we opted for the Trifecta which came with guac, queso, and rojo salsa. Let me just say, their happy hour deals are a great steal! Order: There are a couple different ways to order & pay. Use the traditional way of having the server take our order by raising the card "Lets Taco Buddha it," or by scanning the QR code and placing order yourself & pay online. At first, I started the online order because I felt like this would allow me more time to read the menu and order on my own terms. I ended up raising my card and having someone take my order despite having it all in my cart. Tacos are served "family style" comes out on the same platter. We opted for the Baja ( battered pallock) & The Jodhpur (marinated grilled chicken). The kiddos opted for the quesadillas and fried chicken taco. Everything was flavorful (with the exception of their hot/mild sauces, those were flavorless, however not necessary to add). Not going to lie, I made a joke to my mom about the food being served on a surgical tray or "doggy platter." LOL lol. Service: They use a team model. I saw multiple staff going throughout the restaurant checking on needs & refilling water pitchers. Everyone was really nice, they had small toys for children to play with at the table and it's always a plus when they strike up a conversation with my kiddos. Parking: We arrived shortly after 4pm and there were lots of spots available. By the time we were leaving, there were two cars waiting for spots. It is also located alongside a busy street, the restaurant did get packed for dinner on a weekday. Pricing: Prices does add up very pretty quickly, however 1 Taco can be very filling especially if you opted for appetizers. The only thing I would have changed is not to order my meal the same time as my appetizer. It came out almost together. I would have liked to enjoyed the appetizers prior to my entrée.

Peacemaker Lobster and Crab was absolutely amazing. We ordered a ridiculous amount of food because…read morethere were so many things on the menu we wanted to try, and somehow, nearly everything we ordered was a hit. We started with Stella on tap, which just felt appropriate while visiting St. Louis, especially after touring the nearby Anheuser-Busch brewery. It was easily one of the freshest Stellas we've ever had. For food, we tried the lobster mac and cheese, lobster bisque with pieces of lobster, a pound of steamed crab legs, fried green tomatoes, and the warm lobster roll. The lobster roll was phenomenal. We shared it, but I honestly could have eaten the entire sandwich myself. The real standout, though, was just how perfectly the seafood was cooked. Both the lobster and crab were juicy, sweet, and tender with just the right amount of chew. Nothing was rubbery or overcooked, but it wasn't soft or mushy either. I genuinely don't think they could have cooked the seafood any better. The fried green tomatoes were also cooked perfectly and something I was excited to try since you don't see them on every menu. Unfortunately, they were a little too spicy for my personal taste, so we didn't finish them, but that's definitely more about my spice tolerance than the quality of the dish. The atmosphere was another plus. It's a really cute setup with great ambiance, and our server was wonderful. We also walked right in without a reservation and had no wait at all, which has honestly been one of our favorite things about eating our way through St. Louis. Coming from California, we're used to having to plan ahead for popular restaurants, sometimes weeks in advance. Here, we've been able to discover some fantastic places without having to plan our entire trip around restaurant reservations. I will say, this was probably the most expensive meal of our trip. The one pound of steamed crab legs was $65 market price, and the lobster roll was $37 market price, so Peacemaker definitely isn't the cheapest place we've eaten. That said, considering the quality of the seafood and how much we enjoyed everything, it was absolutely worth the splurge. From the crab legs to the lobster roll to the bisque and mac and cheese, everything we tried was delicious. Combine that with the atmosphere, great service, and being able to walk right in, and this was easily one of our favorite meals in St. Louis. I'm actually hoping I can convince some of my coworkers from my training class to go back with me before I leave Missouri. I think that probably says everything you need to know about how much I enjoyed it.

My partner and I saw the Mardi Gras themed pop up menu and knew we had to stop in! The interior is…read moredecorated throughout with cute Mardi Gras decor that really sets the vibe. The staff were very friendly for our first time. Our server dropped off waters for us right away. It was a seat yourself concept where you order via the QR code, which made ordering easily. We started with caviar deviled eggs and fried green tomatoes, both of which we devoured. The green tomatoes are thicker and had a good bite to them! The gator po'boy was good, though on the dryer side. I would have loved more of the sauce on mine. The chips were perfectly crispy crunchy! My partner got the lobster roll and scarfed it down in a few bites. A bit on the pricier side since it's based on the market value, but still delicious. Great location and delicious food, we'll be back!

Robata is a small place with an ample parking lot size for its seating, or close to ample. I think…read morethere may not be enough seating for its customer demand... that's a sign of a popular place. Happy hour prices + the food quality are what had my friend invite me here. Some rolls are half off and so are a few beverages, like hot sake. I had never had hot sake. I've only had any sake once. I liked it fine, but I didn't want a second order after I finished the first. I was disappointed that Robata was out of plum wine. Instead I ordered what was described as a white sangria, but it tasted more like a brandy. I had a few sips and gave it to my friend. I had 4 vegetarian sushi rolls. Only the asparagus was included with happy hour. My 3 other rolls were takuan, pickle plum and BB. As much as I like plum (keep reading), and takuan was a pleasant surprise, and the asparagus was good, the BB, which has tempura asparagus, cream cheese, and sweet soy, was my favorite item of the evening. I was happy to see umeboshi onigiri on the lengthy menu. These were of a good size, but I think it perhaps would have benefitted from a higher pickled plum to rice ratio. (The only time I've had it has been from a food truck and I don't know how representative it is of onigiri.) Each order of food took a while to come out. My friend had trouble getting the server's attention when she wanted to put in more orders. Robata is not a place for a quick happy hour bite. It's going to take a while, especially if you're ordering in multiple rounds like we did. When the kitchen got too busy, my order another roll was denied. That happened well before dinner service ended and it was disappointing. I would have waited a bit longer. But it was probably good to get cut off from sushi at some point. We were a little confused by the bills. My friend may have overpaid (not gotten happy hour price) for some of her items, and there was some question about whether mine had been billed correctly, but in the end we decided that mine was probably correct. Hers, though... we aren't sure. I think I'll return to Robata for the BB roll, plum wine, and maybe something new, but I will be sure to have plenty of time, order a bunch all at once, and check the bill.

Since my source for umeboshi onigiri seems to have ceased operations (does anyone know what…read morehappened to the Izumi food truck?), i was pretty excited to see pickled plum rice balls on the menu here. I came with a friend for happy hour. We got the half off sushi (which included the mackerel nigiri, which is my FAVORITE (Tho, theirs isn't as good as Sushi Hanna in Alton)) and house hot sake, which was perfect for this freezing week. The heat was out? Which the waitress apologized for. They had a space heater out, so we sat right by that. I also ordered a few of the onigiri to go. They aren't the best I've had, but I'll probably be back semi-regularly to get my fix of the flavor, which is just so unique. Same for half off mackerel Maybe one day I'll even try their non-sushi offerings...

Orange Blossom Coffee: Polished Pop-Up with Signature Flavor…read more I discovered Orange Blossom Coffee at the Edwardsville Fall Makers Market and was thoroughly impressed. Despite being a mobile, events-only coffee shop (they've only been around since the summer of 2025!), their setup was incredibly polished and trendy. They clearly put a lot of thought into their presentation, making the mobile espresso bar feel just as professional as any brick-and-mortar shop. I ordered the Man in Black latte, one of their signature drinks--a combination of blackberry and vanilla. The description promised "timeless and classy," and it delivered. The espresso was smooth and pleasant, thankfully lacking the sour notes I often find at other local shops. The blackberry flavor was wonderfully forward but was beautifully rounded out by the creamy vanilla notes. It was an absolute delight to sip on this hot latte while enjoying the crisp fall air. The service was charming. While the speed was about what I expected with a line, the two women working the tent were incredibly welcoming and engaging. They happily shared parts of their business story as I gushed about their cute and professional setup, answering all my questions with a smile. Their genuine enthusiasm added a lovely personal touch to the experience. Their pricing is quite reasonable for a high-quality, specialty drink. Lattes are a standard price point at about $6 for, I believe, a 12-ounce size. If you're looking for value, their Americanos are only $3, and their lemonades are a steal at $2. Chai lattes clock in at $4. I highly recommend seeking them out at an event and giving them a try! I'm already wondering if their pop-up espresso bar would be a great fit for my organization's next event, or even a wedding or shower brunch. If you have them at your event, definitely send me a message--I'm eager to try the Salted Maple Latte off their fall seasonal menu! Atmosphere/Vibe: ***** Quality: ***** Service/Staff: ***** Value for Price: ****

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