When I think of martinis, I think of Bossanova and when I think of Bossanova, I think of martinis. 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. read more

Bossanova Restaurant and Lounge - Extra Dry Vodka Martini with a Twist - Lounges Near Me - Alton, Illinois

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Downtown Alton on a Saturday date night! First time at Bossanova was a hit. The musician covered Phil Collins and various TV show themes. Excellent environment. $9Martinss in nice Martina glasses, not those little cheap ones. One 007 for me and a Octopssy for my wife. We did all appetizers. Great crispy shrimp. Very hot crosni olive deep. Goat cheese salads and salmon Rangoon. Absolutely wonderful. read more

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This is a small cozy neighborhood restaurant and bar with real class. The entertainment is always jazzy and food is perfect! I like the bar seats because the staff is friendly and always in the mood for a nice chat. read more

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Omg. Our photos tell it all! We can't say enough about their food! I had the warm goat cheese salad. 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 read more

Bossanova Restaurant and Lounge - Lounges Near Me - Alton, Illinois

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We had a great night here! Service was great and so was the food. My dad and I both got the blackened salmon and it was so good! Large, perfectly cooked filet. It was nice to sit outside in the middle of downtown Alton, beautiful small town. I was very impressed with the price given the portions and quality. This was a first stop for us but we'll be back! read more

Bossanova is a really cool place. It's in downtown Alton, and Bossanova makes one feel like they're in much trendier area (I love Alton, but it is very laid back.) The lighting is nice, the servers are always kind, and the food is interesting but still has familiar elements. It's all very nice to get away from the world in this James Bond-themed lounge. I recommend the buffalo chicken pizzette! read more

Great food, great drinks. I had the noodle bowl with chicken and vegetables and my husband had the filet. The Octopussy martini was great!

Ambience was nice for this place. I've been here several times in the past long before they were known for food. Our server was amazing. She was the only waitress working on the early evening we came to eat. The drinks were very good! The con was the Caesar salad. I had mine with salmon and the fish was okay, however, the croutons were fried and also over fried. I've never had a greasy Caesar salad before and this one was very greasy (not from the fish). It was not good. The margarita pizza was good and so was the rice bowl. I probably won't come here to eat again but they had decent service and drinks, plus a great server. read more

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Walking into Bossa had a great vibe. Half price starters from 4-6 Asian Nachos that were delicious with a peanut sauce. Service was quick and "Kitty" took good care of us. Now for the discouraging news. The wings we ordered were described as naked and tossed... the tri-piece wings were the smallest wings I have ever seen. They were clearly "tossed" into a soup bowl with 2 cups of sauce poured into the bowl. The presentation turned my stomach. I did eat them and the sauce was on point, just entirely overdone and the Chef / Cook clearly had no pride in what left the kitchen. I ordered an Old Fashioned and it was Woodford on ice with maraschino cherries, it was not an Old Fashion. The Mediterranean Salad we ordered had more vinegar in the dressing than herbs and oil... the dressing may have been spoiled, but I will give it the benefit of the doubt and say someone was heavy handed with the vinegar. All in all the wings and salad were a $60 disappointment. We may go back sometime and try the beer and pizza, but it won't be until we try all the other places in the neighborhood. read more

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They updated the place since I was there ages ago, ambiance upgrades galore. The bartender, who was my server was great, the food is still great, they have local breweries represented. What's not to love. read more

Bossanova Restaurant and Lounge - Meat TeePee - Lounges Near Me - Alton, Illinois

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So exciting to go for lunch. All the old memories came flooding back sitting on the front patio for lunch today. It was so nice to enjoy sitting outside, with a drink & food..just like old & now new times! The French dip was so good I forgot to take a pic! read more

Bossanova Restaurant and Lounge - Pretzel appetizer.. so good! Strawberry margarita! Delicious - Lounges Near Me - Alton, Illinois

I've been going here for years, but we went tonight and I got a classic dirty martini and it's the martini I SEARCH for. I'm always disappointed with martinis I think because it's not what I'm getting here! It was so cold, just the right amount of olive juice, 3 solid olives. Just perfect. read more

A spontaneous moment brought me to Bossanova. I bellied up to the bar and was greeted by another patron and the bartender. My caesar salad with salmon was to die for! The wine was good. The price was affordable. I would definitely go back. read more

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Great James Bond themed martini menu!!! Lots of fun and a great story behind the painting. read more

Bossanova Restaurant and Lounge - This is a print of an actual painting. The name of the painting is "Dawn", but that is not who is in the painting. - Lounges Near Me - Alton, Illinois

I've gone to Bossanova several times in the past 15 years and I'm never disappointed. I just wanted something light since I had eaten just a couple hours earlier. I couldn't pass on the fun sounding martinis and I ordered the Holly Goodhead and my friend got the Dixie Normous. I picked the "Holly" for the cherry/chocolate combo and it was very good. My friend got the "Dixie" because of the tropical vibe and she enjoyed it. I ordered the crostini and dip and it was presented very nicely and she ordered the pretzel dip. The kalamara olives and feta were warm and pleasant. She liked her dip, but thought the pretzels were too hard. I wanted to try their Olde Bakery Brew fusion drink, but it was unavailable. After I finished my martini, I got the Heavy Rift, but I'm not sure if that was the brewery name or drink. Either way, it was tasty. Becky the bartender allowed me to taste it before committing and I was pleased. My friend switched to some classic American light beer after martinis and I believe she liked them too. Overall, great food, service, and atmosphere. I look forward to returning again read more

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My friend and I went here for dinner and sat at the bar. It was clean, and the furnishings up-to-date. The bartender was very friendly and engaging! For dinner, everything was very good! I had the peanut shrimp skewers with Chinese nooes, and my friend had a pizza with shrimp on it (I don't recall the name of it) that was awesome! read more

Bossanova Restaurant and Lounge - Lounges Near Me - Alton, Illinois

Awesome food & service! I couldn't love this place more or recommend it more highly! I've had good service from every employee I've come across but Jessie is the best!! read more

My sister and I went to Bossanova around Valentines Day to try the special Martini menu they had crafted for the occasion and oh my goodness yum! The chocolate covered strawberry martini was quite enjoyable! I will be following them on social media so I know when another special menu will be available to try! read more

Bossanova Restaurant and Lounge - Chocolate covered strawberry martini - Lounges Near Me - Alton, Illinois

I really like the restaurant's feel and the food was delicious. We came on an unexpectedly snowy night and they welcomed us in. We started with the calamari and the coconut shrimp. Both came out quickly and were delicious, especially the calamari. For dinner I had one of the thai pizzettes and again it was good, but I will say my friend's petite filet with blue cheese fondue was amazing (although they were out of the crostini. I also like that they had a good beer selection. I definitely will go back when in Alton. read more

It's was a great place to hang out. The food was pretty good. The drinks were good as well.

Has been wildly popular in the past. Come early. Great food and wonderful bar. Parking can be troublesome though.

The food here was very good and our server was terrific! The food is reasonably priced. I ordered the panko crusted chicken breast with garlic potatoes and green beans, $14 for two pieces if chicken, al dente fresh green beans (cooked perfectly) and a large helping of the garlic potatoes, which were almost a garlic/lightly cheesey au gratin type (tasted great! My husband order the ahi tuna tacos. They were the large hard tacos with the flat bottoms so they stayed upright. His meal was $14 also and came on a bed or shredded lettuce with a generous portion of guacamole and sour cream. He claimed it was very tasty. The only reason we didn't rate it 4 stars was the wait time on the food. We ordered a garlic crostini and feta cheese appetizer (good when it came out) $8 but it took way too long considering there were not many people there on a Monday night at 7:30. There were only a few other customers and our server hustled so I can only assume it was the kitchen. Will I go back? Sure to try the sirlion with the bleu cheese sauce. It looked amazing but it was too late to eat something that heavy! read more

Bossanova Restaurant and Lounge - Ahi Tuna Tacos - Lounges Near Me - Alton, Illinois

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Took a trip across the river for a wine tasting and decided to stop by next door to this little place. We walked in and instantly asked if we could sit outside because it was so nice out. They have a pretty small patio, 4 tables or so but it was enough. Wasn't the prettiest setting but it worked. We ordered the house brown ale which was delicious and was a steal for $4! Very impressed. All their other drinks were responsibly priced and it looked like they had great happy hour deals. The menu is very eclectic; there's even an Asian fusion section that really confused me at first, but it looked decent enough. I ordered the Thai pizza and my husband ordered their Sicilian shrimp pizza (can't remember the exact name of it). Mine was eh, okay. It had good flavor, but the crust was a little dry and the carrots on top of the pizza made it taste more like a garden than Thai. The service was great, drinks were good, but the food was just okay. read more

A night out with the ladies left took us to this quaint little nook of Alton, Illinois. We walked in and were greeted and sat almost immediately. Both the drink and food menus were very appealing. I ordered the Tito's Moscow Mule. It was like heaven on this hot sticky humid night. I sipped away as the others ordered Arnold Palmer cocktails. I admit I tasted and it was delicious as well. My friend actually ordered a mule like me but was given an AP instead. She doesn't like Tea at all.. The waitress was apologetic and brought her a new mule lickety split. I wanted a salad so I ordered the spinach. I took a picture, but it does no justice. The bacon combined with egg, cheese, and Apple was the perfect mix of flavor with the vinegarette dressing. It wasn't swimming in it, just enough. Kudos to the food prep in measurements. Three stars.., but why? The girls had a hankering for some dessert. The waitress offered a torte with a look. She said it was lemon and berry but looked like cake not a torte. Then she said they have a coffee cake. My friends were perplexed, but said.. Okay we will go with one slice of coffee cake with 3 forks. The waitress comes back and places the lemon berry torte on the table. She then states, "I'll be honest, I don't like the coffee cake. We were gonna not serve this torte because it's too small. So I'm going to give you the torte but make it cheaper. Hope you like lemons." (talk us into dessert, bring us something different...,mkay) Now we did laugh about this. She did receive gratuity but I have a feeling most people would have been aggravated with The situation. So, I will be back. I will enjoy drinks and food. I'll order pizza and get pork. I'll order a mule and get a Palmer. It can be like a new game!! read more

Bossanova Restaurant and Lounge - Spinach Salad - Lounges Near Me - Alton, Illinois

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Completely worth making the trip to Alton to check this bar out. This is simply not even close to what you would expect to find in Alton, considering most people just go there either for (1) the Alton Belle, or (2) to go to Fast Eddie's. However, add this to the list of Alton destinations, because it's a seriously, SERIOUSLY fabulous bar. The place is pretty loungy and largely caters to those craving Martinis and good food. They have a HUGE assortment of martinis as well, which is great for someone with my taste in alcohol. The drinks are all well mixed, creative, and delicious, also they don't scrimp on the alcohol, gold star for that. If you like sweet drinks, I highly suggest the Jaws....vodka, cranberry, and a sugar rim, amazing. The honey rider is incredibly rich, but if you can handle tons of chocolate and banana in your mixed drink, you just may like it. If you like your drinks tart, go for the Odd Job. It's amazing with just enough lemon to make you pucker but not so much that you need something else to wash it down. The beer menu is substantial as well, but I have not yet felt any urge to drink anything but the fancy martinis. As the food goes, I haven't had a ton of it, but what I have munched on, I did love. The Smoked Eggplant Dip is one of the most interesting and delicious appetizers I have ever eaten (and it's totally vegetarian). The Crostini with Dip is amazing as well (baked feta and pita chips), and there is a huge assortment of fish dishes that my friends have raved about. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite reasons to come to Alton, if not my favorite. You simply must check this place out. read more

Bossanova Restaurant and Lounge - From their website - Lounges Near Me - Alton, Illinois

What a gem nestled in old downtown Alton!! I enjoyed a Pussy Galore, a Dixie Normous and a Kissy Suzuki Martini while breaking bread with a few friends. From the sensual artwork smack dab in the middle of the bar to the modern masonry work this place is a class act. The service here was great, the drinks amazing and artfully presented and the ambiance cool and chic. Our waitress even looked like Juilanna Margulies. (totally adorable) Next time I am in this neck of the woods I will come back and try a few more menu items on the food section and maybe even a few of the Austin Powers or James Bond themed martinis. If you live in St. Louis and like a sophisticated martini bar and enjoy Chocolate Bar or SubZero you will feel right at home at Bossanova. read more

Bossanova Restaurant and Lounge - View from the back. Adorable little place. - Lounges Near Me - Alton, Illinois

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I love this place! Every time my boyfriend and I are out in alton we always end up stopping in here for a martini. I would recommend getting a classic dirty martini or the pussy galore (chocolate martini) depending on what you are in the mood for. It wasn't until recently that we found out their food is also amazing! We get the stir fry with pad thai noodles, blackened salmon, and thai peanut sauce or traditional stir fry sauce. It's always great. The salmon is soooo good. Definitely stop in here at least for a martini if you are in downtown alton! read more

Were it not my city cousin transplanted in Alton telling me this place is as good and as sophisticated as any classy city bar, I would never have believed it. But, it's true. This is not what snob me was expecting. This is a first class fabulous restaurant and bar. They have a HUGE assortment of martinis and all else. The menu was sophisticated in that they don't serve "barf-ood." My seafood gumbo was superb. My cousin's personal size pizza with fresh carrots and other veggies was creative. And Jill, the legend of Alton's East Side, I hear, was our bartender... and excellent. Why go elsewhere? No point. read more

This was not where we'd intended to have dinner, but I'm so glad we did! The place was packed, but the service was still friendly, prompt and professional. The wine list isn't extensive, but offers good choices. They're a martini bar so the martini list is exciting reading - I wasn't in the mood for a martini so will go back for that. HUGE yum factor on the food. The goat cheese salad with pistachios and beets is a must have (and I'm not a fan of beets usually) with the roasted red pepper dressing. We also shared a shrimp and sun dried tomato pizza with a pesto sauce. The pesto had that marvelous fresh flavor of basil just brought in from a sunny spot and the toppings were a perfect compliment. The crust was just thick enough to support the toppings and thin enough to be a crisp texture contrast to the chewy langostino tails. Looking forward to my next visit to Alton, IL. read more

This was my first visit to Bossanova and I am in love. The bartender was friendly. She offered the drink menu which was two pages of martini's. They have taken the 007 theme and the martini' are named after characters in the movie, it was fun to read the menu. I knew that I had to drive so I stuck with wine. We ordered from the appetizer menu, they have a dip with olive oil, feta cheese and kalamato olives served with chiabatta bread. It was delightful, a healthier version of the appetizer. The place must be popular amongst the locals because people just kept pouring through the door. The bad part is no outside seating and it does not open until 4 o'clock. This is a must stop when you are in Alton. read more

Great martinis! I love everyone I've had from here. Great service too! One time my friends and I were there, the bartender brought us our 2nd round, I tried to get up for the bathroom spilling $40 of martinis on my friends lap. It was completely my fault I offered to pay for them anyway but she just made us more! The feel is very cool and loungesque. The food menu is also A++ I love the Thai peanut pizza. Favorite is definitely the Moonraker, gotta love the James Bond menu! read more

Best Salmon fillet, I've ever had. Chelsey is a fantastic manager. Great beverages, great food, great service. One couldn't ask for more from a bar and restaurant.... read more

This is a very sophisticated bar. It has lots of Martini's, James bond style, and it also has many different beers. Though I don't drink beer my friends tell me what they had was good. The food there is good also, but be open to new things otherwise you won't be able to eat there. Some of the things on the menu sound scary but really aren't! I can't remember the name of the dish we tried but my very skeptical friend liked it, he is the pickiest eater on the planet too. I give this bar two thumbs up! Just don't try the Dr. No. Its a pepper martini, my husband who puts Tabasco on everything, couldn't handle it! ____________________________________________________ edit! This has become my favorite bar! the top of the list favorite! It has also been voted one of the "best of stl" If you haven't gotten there yet...what are you waiting for?! read more

Bossanova would be a 7.72 on a 10 scale. They have a great food menu and drink selection. RATINGS (out of 10) Hospitality - 9 - Friendly and attentive staff. Music - 7.3 - Good playlist Wares - 9.3 - Great selection of drinks, good food Atmosphere - 8 - One of the few Alton bars that isn't a dump inside Clientele - 5 - A little too "upper-class" for me read more

Bossanova serves quality food late, and has a wide variety of drinks to choose from. The bartenders are always friendly and the service is prompt. The tables are easy to adjust depending on the size of your party, and if you have a table of 8 or more, there are two tables in the back that are reserved for such parties. The martinis are the best in the area, and there are even bands that play there on occasion. The only negatives that I have are: 1. reservations are not available ahead of time which is understandable due to limited space 2. that the menu hasn't noticeably changed in the year that I have been a patron of this bar Favorite dishes: Beef Tepee, Coconut Shrimp, BST pizette. Favorite martinis: Dixie Normous and X-rated. read more

Very quaint place that serves out of the box pizza/flat bread. By out the box I do not mean the pizza/ flat bread came out of one. they have very unique combos that one would never think of making. Their appetizers are very good we had the tuna and also the bacon wrapped scallops. Nice selection of Martinis and a wide selection of bottled beers. No draft beer but I personally think that is a great idea and limits the risk of bad beer. Really worth the trip for a nice dinner and a few drinks. read more

High quality variety in a tight fun upbeat package in a kind of a Katy Perry quality of body with a Shakira quality of mind. Good prices on unique salads, pizzas and entrees. Well sourced ingredients. read more

My wife and I had dinner on Monday August 12. We were spending one night in Alton at the Bealle B&B and they recommended Bossanova and a few other places. We both had the small pizzas and they were very good. The restaurant was surprisingly busy for a Monday night. The beer selection was decent and the service was good. I would go again. read more

It's 3:42p Sat., 2/4/12, the lights are off, the doors are locked. The business hours listed on Yelp sure are wrong. At least at this point in time for today. read more

Great food. Service seriously sucked. Waited over 45 minutes for food and another 30 for the check.