Restaurants in Festus

O'Aces Sports Bar & Grill beckons to the burger- and beer-bereft with a bounty of bar-friendly edibles, weekly drink specials, and 35 big-screen televisions. The menu abounds with grabbable grub such as fried cheese sticks ($6.99) and potato skins buried under bacon bits, cheddar cheese, and sour cream ($6.99). Greens-gourmands graze on caesar salads ($7.49) and baked potatoes ($1.99), and Hall of Fame burgers come served on a toasted kaiser roll succulently stuffed with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and a half-pound of Kobe beef, farm-raised by Kobe Bryant in the off-season ($7.99).

For more than 40 years, Rich & Charlie’s menu of sandwiches, burgers, pizza, and classic Italian pasta, seafood, and chicken has fostered higher states of romantic consciousness and the ability to communicate with meatballs. Bid hunger adieu with a baker’s dozen of toasted ravioli pieces ($9.99) or cheese garlic bread ($4.29), then scarf a serving of Rich & Charlie’s famous salad with pimentos, red onions, artichoke hearts, and a generous dose of secret salad dressing ($4.39). Lunch specials include eggplant parmigiano drenched with meat sauce and molten Italian cheese ($7.99). During dinner, weigh the spheres on a classic Italian meatball sandwich ($7.59), or calculate the exact circumference of a deluxe pizza topped with sausage, pepperoni, and a slew of health-restoring vegetables ($13.49/small, $15.69/large). After rescuing a plate of fettuccine alfredo ($10.99) from a cheesy mortality, sample the rich ice-creaminess of peanut-butter friazo ($4.49), topped with chocolate sauce, peanut mousse, Reese’s peanut-butter cups, and a signed page from George Washington Carver’s recipe book.

Since opening in 1996, Roly Poly has expanded from 1 location in Atlanta, Georgia, to more than 125 sandwich shops in 24 states. More than 50 sandwich-wrap choices include traditional combinations, vegetarian options, and rolled-up creations enriched by unconventional sandwich spreads such as red-pepper hummus and mango chutney. Like ill-prepared boy scouts in the wilderness at nightfall, Roly Poly’s sandwich ingredients seek shelter inside fresh tortillas.

Flowing steadily from a fountain, or la fuente in Spanish, water represents luck, promises, hopes, and dreams. For the past decade or so, Las Fuentes restaurant has certainly fulfilled the virtue of its name, as the family-owned eatery has expanded to three locations across St. Louis. At each spot, chefs prepare authentic Mexican feasts fit for meat eaters, seafood lovers, and vegetarians alike. Soft corn and flour tortillas envelop succulent meats, such as al pastor, shrimp, and shredded beef. Cast-iron skillets sizzle with fresh fajita vegetables and a bounty of seafood, including scallops and tilapia. Vegetarians, meanwhile, can enjoy tostadas, chalupas, and quesadillas chockfull of beans and cheese. As patrons chow down, they can also enjoy the day’s event, such as karaoke or a live mariachi band.

Founded in 1964 by a tile maker as an edible canvas on which to practice his square-cutting, Imo’s original St. Louis–style pizza features a thin, cracker-crisp crust topped with homemade sauce and Provel cheese, then sliced into squares. The love child of a culinary fromage a trois between cheddar, Swiss, and provolone cheeses, Provel melts into a soft, creamy pool reminiscent of the delicious dairy lagoons tucked away high in the Swiss Alps, and can be enjoyed on Imo’s pizza for its minimalistic beauty or as a blank canvas for a DIY pizza experience ($12.38–$14.76 base price for a large). Pile on any of Imo’s 14 fresh toppings—including pepperoncini, hamburger, Canadian bacon, and jalapeno—or indulge in one of its popular specialty pies (less than $20 at either location). The all-meat pizza combines sausage, hamburger, bacon, Canadian bacon, and pepperoni, while the veggie deluxe (mushroom, onion, green pepper, and tomato) hosts a stately garden party in one’s mouth.

After walking through a tomato-red foyer ornamented with framed photos and restaurant reviews, diners at Roberto's Trattoria enter an elegant dining room segmented by columned archways and enclosed by gold-stippled walls. Owner Roberto Zanti chats up guests as he walks around the restaurant, checking the quality of his hearty pastas and herb-encrusted steaks. Guests can pair these Italian entrees with selections from an expansive wine list, which supplies more than 15 wines by the glass and more than 65 by the bottle. While noshing on a tasty bruschetta crostini, guests can treat themselves to a glass of sparkling wine or impress a date by pushing a spoon all the way inside a bottle of sparkling wine.