Fast Eddie's Bon Air

This was my first experience at Fast Eddie's, although I had heard about it numerous times. This place is a lot of fun. It's more of a bar than a restaurant, but the food is very tasty and pretty cheap. The Hot Chick on a Stick is a bunch of chicken wings cooked on a stick. It's a little on the salty side, but that is what makes it go so well with a beer. Fast Eddie's offers the classic roadhouse experience. You can sit inside or outside, but, weather permitting, I would recommend outside. Most nights they have live music and it's great to take the beautiful drive out to a place filled with such energy. One thing I really enjoyed was that Fast Eddie's is 21 and up only, so you don't have a bunch of kids running around. It is a place for adults to drink, eat, and be merry.

Fast Eddie's Bon Air is an Alton, Illinois tradition dating back to 1921. But in recent decades it has grown into a mega-bar known well to people throughout the St. Louis metro area.

I hadn't been to Fast Eddie's for several years. The last time I was there it was too crowded to sit. I was pleasantly surprised this time to see that they have greatly expanded the facility to more than twice its former size. There is now a very large outdoor, but covered area with a stage for bands. Our visit was on a weekend and a good band was playing. There was no cover charge.

Fast Eddie's is famed for their low priced pub foods. Note that food can be purchased to "eat in" only. Everything tasted much better than one would expect for those prices.

When you order food, you get a receipt and when your order is ready, the number on the receipt will appear on large screens located both inside near the food counter or in the outdoor covered area. It can possibly take some time for your order to be ready, so I would suggest that you return to your seat and enjoy some drinks until your number is "called."

Be advised that you must be at least 21 years of age to enter Fast Eddie's. No children are allowed even with parents. Also, Fast Eddie's is non-smoking indoors (as are all bars and restaurants in Illinois), but smoking is allowed in the outdoor covered area. We sat outdoors and "upwind." With a breeze coming through, smoke was hardly noticeable for us.