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!

We ordered take out so can't speak much on the ambiance or service but food wise it was delicious…read moreas usual. My husband had the marinated pork chops and I had the marinated chicken. All of it was very good.

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!

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.

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

Route 66 icon! If memory serves me it's been in operation since 1924. Inside the decor is…read moreauthentic to the 1950's, but this is obviously well cared for, which was very apparent when I saw the counter swivel stool-chairs: they look brand new! I was on a road trip up from Florida to Wisconsin with a friend. We were going through Springfield, Illinois, so we could visit the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum & Library. So that's how I ended up in this neck of the woods. Needed a spot for dinner and this popped up as an option and sure glad it did. My friend & I both opted for the Fried Chicken dinner and this place makes the best fried chicken I've had in decades! OMGOSH! The meat was fully cooked, but still so incredibly juicy. The crispy skin and coating was unreal, it was so good - it was truly "finger-lick in' good". While I'm borrowing that old slogan, The Ariston Cafe's fried chicken is like the fried chicken ideal of perfection. They have a classic salad bar and that hit the spot, especially on a road trip where you're not often getting enough veggies. I'm writing this review some weeks later after getting back home. If the place had been average, I wouldn't bother, but when a reminder to do a review popped up, I had to do this as the waitresses and cooks deserve it, as do the owners & all the staff. Waitresses were all nice as could be and helpful. It's like walking back in time when you go inside, and it reminded me of great restaurants in the area I grew up in. If I make it back up that way again, I'll plan my travels to include another stop in at The Artisan.

My husband and I were looking for a place to eat supper and were heading toward a Taco Bell when…read moremy husband saw the Ariston Cafe. He noticed that the restaurant's parking lot was packed and said, "This must be a good place to eat." We then noticed the signs on the outside that said, "A better place to eat." While walking into the restaurant our appetites were stimulated by the wonderful smell of steaks cooking. We went inside and were pleasantly greeted and given a choice to sit at a table or a booth. We chose the booth and were seated right next to the salad bar. We opted for the Icelandic cod fish special which came with one side and unlimited trips to the salad bar. The salad bar had a lovely selection of vegetables and toppings. Several choices reminded us of dishes that one would bring to a family reunion. One was a sweet corn salad with a tasty dressing that tasted like hummus. It was delicious and I went back for seconds, another was a sweet carrot salad-equally delicious, another consisted of Brussel sprouts (I thought it would be pickled, but it was not), again, I had seconds. The cod fish came with unlimited servings, but the three large pieces were more than we could eat. We wanted to save room for dessert. The choices were many and we had first eyed them coming into the restaurant. They included: German chocolate cake, coconut and chocolate creamy pie, baklava, cheese cake topped with strawberries or blueberries, lemon meringue, and bread pudding with bourbon sauce. I had the coconut cream pie and my husband had the chocolate cream pie. Both were wonderful. We couldn't finish them because we were absolutely stuffed. So, we took them home to finish with our morning coffee. I wished that I could wrap this restaurant up and take it with me back to Evansville, IN to share with my group of retired friends when we go out for lunch. They would love it. The price for our dinner was extremely good considering the amount of food we had, and our waitress was very friendly and good at her job. We'll be back again next year for certain. This is truly a better place to eat.

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.

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.

Hidden Gem! Great…read morelittle bar and grill with excellent food and drinks. Open kitchen with excellently prepared food and beautifully presented. Service was great too!

What a hidden gem! You've gotta search for this spot because it does epitomize "Hidden!" Located in…read morethe corner of a plaza In Weldon Springs, this place is actually huge on the inside! It has a giant bar top, a semi private dining area with a massive tv and a giant general seating area. This place is great for watching sporting events especially since it's new and not a lot of people know about it! The food was wonderful! The appetizers are made from scratch and reflect that in not only flavor but size and quantity! Some of the best Mozzarella Sticks and toasted ravioli I've ever had! Burgers are also very impressive! This is not your frozen food sports bar. You can tell they take pride in what comes out of the kitchen! The bar top and beer selection are also on point! They have a huge craft beer selection with enough variety to make even the snootiest beer drinkers happy! Our bar tenders and servers were very friendly and helpful when asked what their favorite menu items were! I just hope more people find this spot and it can be around for years to come!