King Louie's Drive-In is a good old fashioned Root Beer Stand. What? Give me a break, I am old and…read morethat is what we use to call them when I was a little person. It's a restaurant that makes its own Root Beer and serves burgers. The King is not in my immediate area and it's not even in one of my regular driving routes. So I don't think of him that often. I need to change that, because the short out of the way drive is so worth it. I haven't used the car-hop service, but there are always lots of cars with the cute little tray attached to their drivers side window. So, I have it on my bucket list to try on a future visit. Perhaps, I'll bring my fur child to enjoy a plain burger. Since I don't use the car-hop, I go inside to order and eat in the small dining room. Yesterday, it was full of workers from the refinery and other local businesses. Lucky for me after ordering at the counter, I was able to snag a two top table to enjoy my meal. I normally get the Lion Tamer which has jalapeños on it, but today I went with a King Louie. It's a single smash burger and I added cheese. My topping were only pickles, lettuce, onion and a smear of mayo. I had them hold the tomato. I'm not a fan of mayo, but for some reason I like it on my burgers here at King Louie. The edges of my burger were crisp, it had an odd shape so you know it was hand pressed. It explodes with flavor, just like an old time 50's drive-in. The fries are equally impressive. They are super crispy and done to order, no fries sitting under a hot light waiting to be served. What impresses me is they are fries that still have their skins on. For me, that just adds flavor. Of course, the main attraction next to their amazing burgers is the refreshing homemade, Root Beer. It is always the perfect accompaniment to a burger and fries. Next visit, I having a Root Beer Float and really have a flashback to my childhood.

I just went there for my first time today. Kind of unsure what to order, I went with the old school…read moresteakburger as it comes. It was pretty much perfect. Fries are crisp and delicious too! Service took a bit, but that's because it was decently busy when we arrived. I honestly didn't expect the flavor I got with the price I paid. Some say it's overpriced, but this is a local mom and pop place, so you know what kind of quality you're going to get. I definitely recommend this place! Loved it and I will go back.

I am so proud of myself. Today, I went to The Pump House and I did not order chicken wings. It was…read morea struggle, but I forced myself to order something else off the menu and I am glad that I did. Instead of my typical order of wings and fries, I got the Pump Jack Burger. It's made with Angus beef topped with Pepper Jack cheese, Grilled Balsamic Onions, Mild Banana Pepper Rings with a Sweet and Spicy Sauce, all served on a Onion Roll. It was served with a side of Fries. I was impressed by the size of the burger and that it was hand pressed. A hand pressed burger always tastes better to me. I requested that it be prepared medium rare and it was done perfectly. The fries were soft, I'd prefer mine a little crispier, but they were seasoned well. I got a giggle from their ketchup bottle, it said it was "Fancy". They have an impressive variety of beers. They offer draft, bottle and canned. I personally always go with one of the many craft beers they have on the menu. When dining alone, I always sit at the bar. The bartenders are typically female and are friendly. I am fan of hooks under a bar and Pump House takes it even a step further. They also offer, outlets. If your phone needs a charge and you've got a cord, you are set to go. Offering outlets under a bar, is top notch customer service. Now that I know they have great burgers as well as their wings, I'll have to rotate between the two when coming to dine.

Update Haven't been back here too much but called in for an…read moreorder to go tonight. Pump House! You need new cooks! The ones you have don't know how to cook basic food. Like I said in my first review you need to learn low and slow for a pork steak. Oh we don't have that anymore. Thank goodness. Your pork steak was chewy and not done appropriately. Horrible to try and eat. Tonight one of us got the chipotle chicken sandwich. The chicken was cooked to death. Ugh. Came out like chicken powder, you know the kind they put in your dog's food? Way too dry. Hard to eat. All the menus online are out of date so just about everything we chose we were told oh we don't have that anymore. Not good business practice. Put out a new menu and delete the old ones!! You fit right in with the rest of the crap food we are served in this area. Not a bit better. We won't try again.

I follow Chez Marilyn on FB and I am glad that I do. I saw their posting about a Thursday night…read moresteak special and thought I'd give them a try. They were having three different steak specials and I choose the Rib Eye. It was a 12 oz Rib Eye, served with Grilled Asparagus and a Baked Potato. My steak was perfectly grilled to my medium rare request, the Asparagus was tender, but still had enough snap to it. My potato was huge and was soft and fluffy throughout. The special was only $24.99 and was hefty portions. I took a third of the steak and half of the potato home. The next morning I re-heated the steak, diced up and fried the potato and fried me up an egg. Damn, that breakfast was as good as my previous nights dinner. My adult beverage of choice was, How To Marry A Millionaire, which is a Dirty Martini. It's fun that all their martinis are named after classic movies, or have a reference to them in some way. Service is always attentive and friendly. Chez Marilyn is becoming a regular in my downtown Alton rotation.

We love this little place in Alton. We have been several times and the staff is always super…read morefriendly and helpful. The bar area is fun and they have great music and drink specials. The restaurant is laid back with an old school vibe. The burgers are amazing. We went last night for steak night. Our steaks were perfectly cooked and the baked potatoes amazing. I definitely recommend it.

i used to love coming here. 30 minute drive thru wait for…read morejust a drink. three cars ahead of me & at least three more behind me. sitting at the window for 10 minutes minimum waiting for the drink and was almost skipped over i completely understand being slammed, but sitting at a window waiting for the drink for that long when it's been done and sitting inside??

I love sonic, but this experience has changed my view. We waited 30 minutes for our food, to get…read morecold clumpy fry's with random tater tots (cross contamination), both burgers wrong, watered down drink (didn't get a straw either), and melted shakes (whip cream is basically non existent being melted). The service has gone down hill recently. Something needs to be changed or happen.

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.

I try to post positive reviews. I cannot this time. This evening I drove through and ordered…read morefood. I ordered sour cream (2), which they charge for. Got home and no sour cream. My receipt showed they charged me a quarter, which I believe is the price for one. This has happened EVERY TIME at this location. Never once has my sour cream been in the bag, yet every time I get charged for it. What I find interesting is that they put several ranch sauces in the bag. I never even ask for ranch. From this point forward I am never ordering sour cream here again. I am tired of paying for something I don't get.

i got wedges and the portion was tiny as FUCK! WTH?! it took 15 minutes to get two meals (fries…read morewere saltier than the ocean) with 3 cars in the drive thru TERRIBLE SERVICE, the place was clean for the most part except the over flowing trash cans in the kitchen. IF I COULD GIVE 0 STARS I WOULD!!! The bread on our sourdough jacks were stale too and my sourdough jack was cold!