Metro-east restaurants: Check out the list of what’s new, closed and coming soon
I’ve been reporting on businesses and restaurants in our area for about two years now. (Two years! Already?!)
And while I can’t report on every single business or restaurant — I’m only one person, after all — I do my best and like to think I do a decent job of it.
I hope readers agree.
As I continue to gather information and write up the stories I think will be useful (and entertaining) to the public, I wanted to share some quick tidbits that include recent openings, closings and what’s coming.
You know. To tide you over until the next feature is ready for you. (Believe me, there’s more good stuff in the works.)
What’s Open
Fanatics Sports Bar & Grill
Fanatics owner Demarcus Scott told me in a brief phone call that the new restaurant opened “around a month and a half ago.”
The menu posted on their Facebook page lists a tasty-looking selection of appetizers (including buffalo cauliflower!), salads, burgers (plant-based options too!), chicken, pasta, seafood and brunch specials.
Scott said more items have been added to the menu since its initial release.
He also mentioned that some of the prices listed have been adjusted as well. (Just a heads-up so there are no surprises later.)
Fanatics can be found in the former longtime home of English’s Restaurant & Pub. The location also housed multiple other businesses, including Stevie Ray’s Bar & Grill and Raymond’s Place.
Fanatics Sports Bar & Grill is located at 9735 W. Main St. in Belleville. Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Call 618-213-7600 or visit facebook.com/fanaticsportbar for more info.
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Village Pizza To-Go
Village Pizza To-Go is family-owned and operated by Joe and Robyn Patti.
The business is only open evenings Wednesday through Sunday because, according to Joe Patti, as a family man with four kids, he doesn’t want to work six days a week.
He said the to-go only concept was developed with COVID in mind.
There’s no dine-in option, so if things were ever to shut down again, the business will still be able to operate, said Patti.
He said that even the kitchen is designed to allow for social distancing among the employees.
Patti said that Village Pizza To-Go had a soft opening in June so he could train new employees, starting off slow with business picking up as they learned.
However, word quickly got out, and the business was slammed, overwhelming the staff, said Patti.
Employees are still being trained. Patti said that once they’re more confident handling busier days, they will hold a grand opening.
Village Pizza To-Go offers a menu that includes specialty pizzas and “authentic Italian flavors,” sandwiches, salads and starters.
And cannoli. Gotta take the cannoli.
Watch for pizza specials on their Facebook page.
Patti’s parents, Gaetano and Fara Patti, own and operate Village Pizza & Deli in New Athens.
Village Pizza To-Go, however, is an independent business, separate from the New Athens restaurant, according to a Facebook post from Gaetano and Fara Patti.
Village Pizza To Go is located at 13 S. Main St. in Smithton and is open 4-9 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday.
For more information, call 618-416-5116 or visit facebook.com/villagepizzatogo or their website.
What’s Closed
Bamboo Valley Buffet Mongolian BBQ & Grill
Bamboo Valley Buffet closed earlier this summer after nearly 20 years in business.
An update posted on Google by the restaurant in early July thanked the community for their support over the years.
“We share the same grief, if not more, of this situation,” stated the post. “However, this is not a farewell since we know for sure that we will always be in touch with many of you. Again, we are so grateful to have been able to get to know you and view all as part of Bamboo’s family.”
In June, Bamboo Valley was included in a TripAdvisor list of the top 10 restaurants in Belleville for “cheap eats.”
Bamboo Valley Buffet opened in 2003 at 653 Carlyle Ave. in Belleville.
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Mike Shannon’s Grill
It may come as no surprise that Mike Shannon’s in Edwardsville has permanently closed.
Phone calls to the restaurant were met with a busy signal, so I sent a message via the restaurant’s Facebook page.
The site’s admin replied shortly after my inquiry with “Permanently closed.”
The sports-themed restaurant, located at 871 S. Arbor Vitae in Edwardsville, announced a temporary closure on its Facebook page on May 31, citing lack of kitchen help as the cause.
The restaurant never reopened.
What’s Coming Soon
Dogwood Social House
According to the Dogwood Social House website, the place where “fun, food, family and friends come together,” is soon opening in O’Fallon.
The entertainment facility is located in the former Gold’s Gym at 1206 Central Park Drive in O’Fallon.
Dogwood Social will offer family-friendly games and activities as well as a full restaurant and bar.
Originally slated to open in August, their social media site now states they will open at the end of September.
You can keep up with their latest info at dogwoodsocialhouse.com or the O’Fallon location’s Facebook page.
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Scooter’s Coffee
A Scooter’s Coffee location in Mascoutah anticipates a Sept. 26 opening, according to the location’s owner, Laura Hearen.
Hearen aimed for an Aug. 1 opening; however, construction is taking longer than planned.
A big part of the delay was a lack of concrete for the parking lot, said Hearen. (I could see the issue with that, given that Scooter’s is a drive-thru coffee shop.)
Hopefully there are no other delays, said Hearen, who said in April that she couldn’t “wait for it to open up.”
Scooter’s Coffee is located at 1300 W. Main St. in Mascoutah at the former site of Jefferson’s Restaurant.
The restaurant was demolished to make way for the new coffee shop.
This story was originally published August 25, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
