Del Taco—Multiple Locations

Del Taco is a fast food taco place like Taco Bell, but I think it is much better. There are four Del Tacos that I know of in St. Louis. There is one in North County off of Lindbergh, one of McCausland, one of off Natural Bridge and on by SLU off of Grand. For exact locations visit their website.

The inside of every Del Taco is the dirtiest place that I have ever seen. It is disgusting. That is why when I eat there I always go through the drive thru. Del Taco is a little slow, so hope the drive thru is empty when you pull up or else you will be waiting for a long time.

The food at Del Taco is very good. They offer a wide variety of items similar to Taco Bell, but they offer burgers and fries as well. Their fries are surprisingly good. I have yet to order a burger from Del Taco, because if I wanted a burger Del Taco is not what pops into my head. I like their quesadillas, tacos, fish tacos, and macho nachos. If you go you have to get their Macho Nachos. This is a ton of nachos piled with everything that should be on nachos.

Prices: $6.85 for a fish taco, chicken quesadilla, and a big fat chicken taco

Crown Candy
1401 St. Louis Ave
St. Louis, MO 63106
314-621-9650

Crown Candy is still a favorite lunch, dinner and dessert place among the St. Louis people, despite their location. Located in North St. Louis City, and opened in 1913 this little hole in the wall place is a throwback to how things used to be. Everything is old, but it adds to the atmosphere of the place. Crown Candy is famous for their BLTs and desserts. If you go for lunch you better get there early. We went on a Sunday and got there at 11:30 and got the last table available. At about 12 o'clock the line was out the door waiting for tables.

I ordered the Roast Beef Melt and split it with my girlfriend who ordered the BLT. I also got a chocolate shake and my girlfriend got a chocolate and banana malt, which is much better than the chocolate shake that I ordered. The best thing about getting the shakes is that they serve it to you in the silvery mixing cup and you get a lot. The BLT had a ton of bacon on it. It was piled so high I could barely fit it into my mouth. It was very good. The roast beef melt was surprisingly juicy and loaded with melted cheese. Both sandwiches were very good.

Prices: Two sandwiches and two shakes for $20

Flannery's Pub
1320 Washington Ave
St. Louis, MO 63103
Phone number: 314-214-8885

Flannery's is located on Washington Avenue in Downtown St. Louis, where people are know building lofts by the hundreds. I ate Flannery's for lunch. The inside of Flannery's is a bar atmosphere. They have about 12 flat screen televisions, a few wooden booths and a bunch of bar tables. The menu has a variety of appetizers, burgers, sandwiches, and salads. It has all of the usual pub and bar food. I don't know what it is about these places on Washington Avenue that makes them think that they can price their food so high. I would rather go get some good food at a cheaper place than go to these places. The menu at Flannery's didn't have a burger on it for under $8. The service was good at Flannery's. I had nothing to complain about, so if I don't notice that the server is doing a bad job, then the service is good. If you are looking for a good bar atmosphere and a place to eat lunch in the city, Flannery's would be a good place to go

I ordered the Taco Burger. This was a burger topped with salsa, jalapenos, and taco cheese. For the side order I got some fried corn. The burger was a huge patty and was pretty good. I have had better burgers before, and I have had much better burgers for less than the $8.25 I paid at Flannery's. The fried corn things were delicious. They were little balls of sweet cream corn, coated and fried. I would get an order of those next time. The food at Flannery's was pretty good, prices are a little high, but the Cardinal's game was on so that made my experience better.

Prices: $8.25 for a hamburger, and a side.

Contact us at Tim@StlStuff.com

The Boathouse in Forest Park
6101 Government Drive
St. Louis, MO 63110
Phone number: (314) 367-2224

Here is a description from The Boathouse website.

The menu at the Boathouse is designed to be family-friendly, featuring angus burgers, chili, hand-tossed pizzas, and delicious salads, along with some signature dishes such as flank steak rarebit and salmon BLTs. When the weather turns and there is a chill in the air, our housemade soups and hearty stews will be sure to warm your spirit. On the weekend, come by with the morning newspaper and enjoy a relaxing brunch by the lake. Parties of 10 or more may make reservations by calling Ann at: (314) 961-7588 Ext. 251. Reservations are not accepted for Sunday Brunch (10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.).

We feature live entertainment outside in the beer garden Friday and Saturday evenings, weather permitting.

The above description sums up what The Boathouse has to offer. The Boathouse is a great place to sit outside for lunch or dinner, and look over the lake in Forest Park. The Boathouse is a great place to start off a day in Forest Park with a little lunch, or it is a great place to end the day with a nice dinner outside on the dock. The Boathouse is perfect if you are looking for a nice dinner or just a place to enjoy the weather.

Our experience at The Boathouse was a long one. We at about 7:30, put our names in and they said it would be about a two hour wait. That was fine with us, because we were in no rush, and we knew the wait would not take two hours. It was a great night and the band outside was very good. While waiting for a table, we were able to order drinks at a window, and sit on the various rocking chairs and benches that are set out on the patio. We ended up waiting for a table for about an hour.

We were then seated outside over looking the lake, it was very nice. We waited about 15-20 minutes before anyone acknowledged our table and took our drink order. We saw that our server was also serving a pretty big party, and a few other tables. We knew this was going to take a while.

So, when our waiter finally got around to our table we were ready to order. We ordered the nachos for an appetizer and I ordered the Salmon BLT for dinner. The nachos came about 30 minutes later, and they were huge. They are made on a 12 inch pizza dish and are covered in toppings. A very good appetizer for four people. When the nachos came out, one of the four salads that we ordered came out with it. This waiter was getting annoying, I know he was taking good care of his big table, but we would not even look at our table when he walked by. After we ate the nachos we were ready for our food. The waiter struggled to keep our drinks full, and it was getting old.

There was a table that sat down about 45 minutes after us and got their food about 20 minutes before we did. They did not have the same waiter as us. When our food finally did come it was very good. The Salmon BLT was done perfectly, and I had a bite of pizza which was good as well. The food at The Boathouse was excellent, but the service was not so great. I think the bad service we had was the exception, because there were other people there that got their food in a timely fashion. After we received our food the waiter cam up to us and explained what happened. He said he forgot to put our order in because the other table had him do a bunch of stuff. The computer where every waiter was putting in orders was two feet from our table. I hate when waiters try to make excuses to tables. I was a waiter once and I can understand a lot of thing, but I hate when waiters make excuses.

Prices are very reasonable and the outside deck is great when it is nice out like it was on Saturday.

Prices: Nachos - $6.95, Salmon BLT - $7.50, Pizza - $8.95, Beers $3.50, Mixed drinks $5.75

Go to Page 2 >>>

Broadway Oyster Bar
736 S Broadway
St. Louis, MO 63102

The Broadway Oyster Bar is a small little place with a nice patio on Broadway close to Busch Stadium. The Broadway Oyster Bar's menu is loaded with southern Louisiana cajun style favorites. The menu is filled with Jambalaya, and southern favorites. The inside of the Broadway Oyster Bar is a small place with a bar. The outside patio is covered and enclosed in the winter. This looks like a nice place to hang out on a chilly fall evening.

I ate at the Broadway Oyster Bar for lunch. We arrived there at about 11:45 a.m. and we the only ones in there for the whole time we were eating. But, the food here was great. I ordered the shrimp grinder. This was a loaf of soft french bread filled with cajun style shrimp. This was a very good sandwich and came with fries. I wanted to try the Jambalaya and I will the next time I eat there. I would definitely go back to the Broadway Oyster Bar.

Prices: About $8.50 for a Shrimp grinder and fries.

Blues City Deli
2438 McNair
St. Louis, MO 63104
Phone Number: 314-773-8225
Website

Blues City Deli is a great little deli that is close to Gravois and Highway 55. From the minute I walked into this place I knew this was a good deli. The feel of Blues City Deli encompasses what a deli should be. A deli should be simple. And this place is simple. There is a counter to order sandwiches and about 10 tables for customers to sit.

I arrived at about 11:30 and there was not a line and about 2 tables that were open. I walked right up to the counter and ordered my sandwich. But, by the time I left the place was packed and there were no seats available at all. The staff was friendly and brought my sandwich to me when it was ready. Blues City Deli has all of the sandwiches that you would expect from a deli. They have roast beef, turkey, salami, ham, meatball, and they have some original sandwiches like pulled pork.

I ordered the Italian beef and a salad with the house dressing. The salad was good. It was a bed of lettuce, provolone cheese, and tomatoes. The house dressing was an Italian dressing that was pretty good. The Italian beef was very good. The roast beef was very tender and the peppers were spicy. Blues City Deli is a great place to eat lunch in St. Louis. I can't wait to go back.

Prices: $4.95 for an Italian beef and $2.95 for a house salad.

City Diner
3139 South Grand
St. Louis, MO 63118
Phone Number: 314-772-6100

The City Diner is a contemporary diner in the Tower Grove Park area in St. Louis. The City Diner is a big place that has a huge menu. The menu consists of the usual diner food, the breakfast all day long, burgers, fries, but they also have a good vegetarian menu. One thing that is disappointing is that the whole place is not smoking. I am not a smoker, but I expect diners to be smoking, it just adds to the atmosphere.

I ordered the Southsider, and this consists of 2 eggs, hash browns, and a biscuit and gravy. I also ordered a cup of chili. The cup of chili was sweet tasting and not very warm. The Southsider was very good and the biscuits were some of the best that I have ever had. The prices were pretty high for a diner. They were not what I expected them to be. To sum it up, the food was good, the prices were high and the service was slow.

Prices: About $12 for a cup of chili, and the Southsider.

Crazy Bowls and Wraps - Find a Location

I went to the Crazy Bowls and Wraps on Lindell, close to the intersection of Vandeventer and Lindell. The location is very close to the St. Louis University campus. This was not a big place, so it is a good thing we got there around 11:30. This place was packed and there were not alot of tables. The service at this Crazy Bowls and Wraps was very fast, considering the amount of people that were in the place. One reason that I love Crazy Bowls and Wraps is due to the fact that they offer a salsa bar. You cannot beat a place that lets you pick your own salsa or sauces.

I ordered the teriyaki chicken bowl with steamed vegetables, and an order of chips. You have to get the chips for the salsa bar that is offered. The chicken bowl is very good, it fills you up and leaves you feeling healthy. One reason I like Crazy Bowls and Wraps is that when you leave the place you don't feel let down like you do at a lot of other fast food restaurants. You will leave Crazy Bowls and Wraps with a good feel and you will feel full at the same time. It is delicious.

Prices: Teriyaki chicken bowl, chips, and a drink cost around $7.50

Atomic Cowboy
4140 Manchester Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63110
Phone Number 314-775-0775
Website - atomiccowboystl.com

Atomic Cowboy has a wide variety of food, from Tex-Mex favorites to burgers and sandwiches. They do have quite a bit of mexican food on the menu, but they don't serve the free chips and salsa that I am so used to getting from Mexican restaurants. Everyone should find something they like at the Atomic Cowboy. The place looks new inside and is a refurbished building with exposed brick on the inside. We sat in the area with the bar, but in the other room it looked like they have couches and other places to sit. The place was casual and there were plenty of places to sit. We got there at 6:30 p.m. on a Friday night to grab something to eat before the Blues game and there was plenty of places to sit.

The food on the menu looked very good. I went for the chicken chimichanga. The chimichanga was one of the better ones that I have had lately. This was chicken stuffed inside a fried tortilla and covered in cheese. And the cheese was very good. I also had a Bud Light, and two rum and Cokes to wash down the meal and get me ready for the Blues game. Next time I go, I am going to get the fish tacos. Fish tacos are hard to find in St. Louis, not many people serve them.

Prices: Chimichanga was $11. I paid $26 for the food and the drinks. Prices are a little high, but the food is very good.

Hodak's Restaurant and Bar

2100 Gravois Rd.

St. Louis, MO 63104

314-778-7292

<a href="http://www.hodaks.com/">www.hodaks.com</a>

I went to Hodak's for a wedding rehearsal dinner.  We had the rehearsal dinner in the upstairs banquet room, which was quite nice.  There were about 25 people that attended the event and there was more than enough room for everyone.  The room had a bar in it and the drinks were flowing all night.  The bartender made a good bloody mary and it included a celery stalk and a pickle. 

The food was buffet style with Hodak's famous fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes and salad.  All of the food was very good.  This was my first time having the fried chicken and it was very good.  I can see why they are famous for fried chicken in the St. Louis area.  The mashed potatoes are also worth recognizing as they were good as well. 

If you are looking for some good fried chicken in the St. Louis area then check out Hodak's in South City.