Mac's on Main, Heaterz and what's next on the metro-east food scene

If you’ve been waiting for a reason to mark up your summer calendar, the metro-east is delivering some new destinations.

A long-vacant Belleville landmark is getting a second act, a Nashville hot chicken concept is heading to a new O’Fallon food hall, a Finnish-style boutique market is now open, and the St. Clair County Fair is back after more than a decade — with Noah Cyrus and Bret Michaels on the bill.

Here’s your insider rundown.

Mac’s on Main brings 4204 back to life

Summer has arrived, and with it comes the long-awaited opening of Mac’s on Main, the Belleville reboot of the building you may remember as 4204. Owner Rob Lenhardt grabbed the property in January and went right to work breathing new life into it.

Mac’s opened on June 11.

The bones are familiar — the bar, tables and booths in the main dining room were all salvaged and repurposed — but a lot has changed. The patio area has been enclosed with a smoking lounge with a bar, pool table and darts. A gaming area is going into a front corner. The east end of the building has a separate, spacious room ready for events and bigger parties.

The real selling point? The outdoor area at the back of the property includes a large garden with picnic tables, string lights and plenty of shade, plus a concession area and restrooms. That’s where I’m planting myself on a Friday night.

About the brewing equipment from the old days: it’s still there. Lenhardt couldn’t sell it, so he’s leaving it for now and covering the windows with Clydesdale decals.

Operator Abby Ferbert Lalor says the menu mirrors what’s working at Mac’s Downtown Alton.

“Everything that we’re known for in downtown Alton, we want to bring here,” she said, calling out the hand-breaded onion rings and pickles and the all-you-can-eat wings on Wednesdays.

Expect hand-breaded toasted ravs, onion rings and mushrooms, chicken strips, shrimp, salads, sandwiches, pizza, seafood, sliders, burgers, steaks, pork steaks, pulled pork, kabobs, desserts and weekly specials. A veggie burger is in the works.

The menu also pulls in select Olga’s Kitchen favorites — the partnership Mac’s struck in December after the last Illinois Olga’s at Alton Square Mall closed following 45 years. Since adding Olga’s in Alton, Lenhardt said it’s made up 10% to 15% of food sales there. He thinks Belleville could push 30% or more. Those Snackers will travel.

Mac’s on Main is at 4204 W. Main St. in Belleville. Hours are 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Live music and Sunday brunches are coming.

Heaterz heading to Old Base Factory in O’Fallon

Heaterz, the Nashville hot chicken concept that won Illinois State Fair best food concept in 2024 and 2025, is the first vendor confirmed for the Old Base Factory food hall near O’Fallon Family Sports Park, opening later this summer.

Heaterz already runs spots in Alton, Swansea, Wood River and Normal, plus Kirkwood, Missouri. The O’Fallon location will be number six. Founder Dan King — a former nurse — built the menu around hand-breaded, hand-spiced chicken sandwiches (plain or hot-sauced, served with pickles), tenders, wings, livers and gizzards and shrimp, with sides like sidewinder fries, street corn, collard greens and spicy cheese curds.

“What makes this one special is the opportunity to be part of what Old Base Factory is building,” King said.

Co-founder Eric Wallace and his brother Mike Wallace converted the old Velocity Metalworks Industrial building — a 12,000-square-foot tool-and-die shop on 2.5 acres that produced every Major League Baseball base frame for Rawlings for nearly 30 years — into the hall at 230 Oberneufemann Road. Future vendor categories may include barbecue, craft burgers, New York-style pizza, Mexican, juices and smoothies, desserts, ice cream and coffee.

“Heaterz is exactly the type of partner we hoped to attract when we started building OBF,” Wallace said.

Old Base Factory will also launch Soulcial Kitchen’s Currency of Caring program at the site, where guests can pre-fund or round up to cover meals for neighbors in need. Hours will be 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Preloved opens in O’Fallon

Thrifting hit a new level with Preloved, now open at 750 Cambridge Plaza, suites B and C, in O’Fallon. The store follows a Finnish “kirpputori” model — flea market meets high-end boutique — with sellers booking booths for a week, setting their own prices and keeping 60% of the profits.

Owner Savannah Romshek, who also runs the Edwardsville store, said booths come in four categories — men’s, women’s, kids’ and home — with 73 spots and fresh inventory every Saturday morning. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

St. Clair County Fair returns with Noah Cyrus and Bret Michaels

After more than 10 years, the St. Clair County Fair is back at the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds, July 30 through Aug. 1. Noah Cyrus headlines Thursday, July 30, with Franklin Jonas & The Byzantines opening. Bret Michaels takes the stage Friday, July 31, in Bret Michaels Live & Amplified 2026, with Goodbye June warming up the crowd.

Gates open at 6 p.m. for each concert; general admission tickets are on the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds website. The fair itself opens at 10 a.m. daily and includes stock car races, rides, games, a petting zoo, agricultural exhibits and food trucks. There’s also a Lego building contest at Expo Hall 1 on Saturday, Aug. 1. Belle-Clair is at 200 South Belt East in Belleville.

Ice cream stops and other openings worth knowing

Mount Prospect’s Cap’s Ice Cream was named the best ice cream shop in Illinois by Tasting Table in a June 13 report. It’s a family-run shop where owner Meg Dix bought the retail side after her parents, aunt and uncle ran it for 25 years.

But closer to home, White Cottage remains the Belleville mainstay — homemade ice cream plus sandwiches, banana splits, a hot fudge waffle sandwich and ice cream pies. Other metro-east favorites include Dairy Haven in Caseyville, Happy Days in Millstadt, Walton’s Ice Cream & More in Smithton and Oh Sugar! in Waterloo. Across the river: Ted Drewes Frozen Custard and The Fountain on Locust.

A few more bookmarks: Skyview Drive-In in Belleville — voted No. 5 best drive-in in the U.S. by USA Today’s Readers’ Choice Awards and top spot in 2024 and 2025 — is now for sale, though the gates stay open. Collinsville’s Herald Square — home to Ardent Spirits, The Press House and The Daily Draft — is listed at $2.75 million, with tenants staying put. And in Fairview Heights, Bob’s Discount Furniture is taking over the former Value City site at 10705 Lincoln Trail, projected to open this fall.