Breakfast now available in Belleville café, plus other southwest IL restaurant news
There’s been a bit of activity on the restaurant and business front in the last several weeks.
Honestly, it’s a lot to keep up with, and it can get a tad overwhelming for one person (that would be me) to stay on top of everything.
So here’s a quick rundown of some things going on in our area:
Clara B’s Kitchen
Fans of Clara B’s Kitchen Table will be pleased to know that some of the popular restaurant’s breakfast items are now available at LongStory Coffee in Belleville.
Since Wednesday, Feb. 1, items on offer include the breakfast burrito, vegetarian breakfast burrito, maple griddle sandwich, a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, and an egg and cheese sandwich.
These items are prepared in advance, so no substitutions can be made at this time.
The new breakfast offerings were announced by LongStory Coffee owner Erik Busch, who included the news in a recent video on the café’s Facebook page.
Clara B’s owner Jodie Ferguson closed the location at 106 E. Main St. two months ago.
She stated in December that the East Main Street kitchen was too small, making it difficult to take on more catering opportunities.
Ferguson also said at the time that the new kitchen at LongStory will provide at least twice the space they previously had. Until the new kitchen is ready, Ferguson planned to rent a kitchen space for food prep to stock the food truck.
For now, the food truck can be found outside LongStory on the weekends, from 9 a.m. to noon, or until everything is sold out.
The new breakfast items are available daily, again, until they’re sold out.
So drop by LongStory for a delish coffee (I’m a big fan of the La Llorona pour over) and some breakfast by Clara B’s.
Curbside orders, including Clara B’s yummy offerings, can also be placed online at longstorycoffee.com.
LongStory Coffee is located at 732 S. Illinois St. in Belleville. Hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.
Follow LongStory Coffee and Clara B’s Kitchen Table on Facebook for updates.
Tequila Olvera’s Mexican Restaurant
Get ready to rock some guac!
Tequila Olvera is opening a Smithton location in the former Mi Jalapeno at 500 S. Main St.
This has been a work in progress for a while now. I’ve been borderline stalking the location and social media to get updates. I also sent messages but haven’t received a response yet.
Photos posted on their new Facebook page show just how much work was done on the restaurant.
It looks awesome, and I can’t wait to check it out and sample their margaritas.
No word on an opening date yet, but I’ll be watching for one.
Tequila Olvera has three other establishments:
Tequila Olvera’s Mexican Restaurant, 341 Marketplace Drive, Freeburg. 618-539-9820.
Taqueria Olvera, 335 Market Place, Fairview Heights. 618-398-9840.
Next Up Sports Bar and Grill, 301 Marketplace Drive., Freeburg. 618-710-0046.
You can follow the new restaurant online at facebook.com/TEQUILA.SMITHTON.
4 Hands Brewing Co.
4 Hands Brewing Company announced this week that a second location is coming this summer.
The brewery will open the new site at The District, 17057 N. Outer 40 Road, Chesterfield, Missouri.
The brewery will feature a free, family-friendly arcade area, according to a press release. Also included will be a private event space with a huge patio and a kitchen featuring fare from Hi-Pointe Drive-In.
The District is a growing entertainment venue that already includes The Factory, a music club; an art gallery; Main Event, an event venue with bowling, laser tag, arcade games and tons more stuff to do; and more.
It sounds like this will be a great destination for fun, food, and beer, of course.
The new 4 Hands location is looking to open this summer.
The original 4 Hands Brewing Co. can be found at 1220 S. 8th St. in St. Louis. Learn more at 4handsbrewery.com.
Scooter’s Coffee
Two new Scooter’s Coffee locations opened in December.
The location at 5709 N. Illinois St. in Fairview Heights held a grand opening Friday, Jan. 13.
In Swansea, another grand opening took place Friday, Jan. 27 at 2700 N. Illinois St.
According to media releases on the Scooter’s Coffee website, both locations are owned and operated by Amit Patel, Nitesh Patel and Zachariah Hamilton.
The area saw multiple Scooter’s locations open in the last year, including Mascoutah, Waterloo, O’Fallon, Breese and Centralia.
Scooter’s Coffee was founded in 1998 by Don and Linda Eckles in Bellevue, Nebraska. The company’s headquarters is in Omaha, Nebraska. There are more than 300 locations in 20 states across the U.S.
For more information about Scooter’s Coffee, visit scooterscoffee.com.
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This story was originally published February 6, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
