Castle’s Patio Inn is a classic Peoria tavern and restaurant that has been on the corner of Loucks Avenue for decades.
It was recently sold to new owners and I’m anxious to go and see what it’s like under the new ownership.
I’ve been going to this bar since the ’70’s when it was Ray’s Patio Inn, so let’s go and see what the new Castle’s Patio inn is like under the brand new ownership!
Here we are at Castle’s Patio Inn at the corner of Loucks Avenue just off of Sheridan Road.
Even though there’s new ownership here, it looks exactly the same and that’s a good thing! I hate it when someone takes over a classic Peoria place and changes it all around.
They still have the neon signs in the windows and a reminder that Castle’s Patio Inn is the “Cheesiest Place In Town,” due to their delicious and one-of-a-kind cheese spread.
Let’s go in and take a look around at the new Castle’s Patio Inn. This is exciting!
It’s really nice in here and I love that while it looks fixed up, it still feels like the old Caste’s Patio Inn in here! The vibe in the place feels the same and that’s a beautiful feeling!
There’s Michelle who was the cute bartender on duty serving me up a glass of iced tea.
She told me that business has been great and it’s nice to hear that people are supporting the re-opening of this classic Peoria tavern and restaurant.
She showed me a couple of archival photos of the tavern from back in the day. It was originally called the Lido Inn and then Bill Baxter’s “Angle Inn.”
You can see more archival photos at Michelle’s blog by clicking here.
They have a new selection of beers available here and as you can see, there’s a nice selection of bottled beers and beers on tap.
There’s the dining room and they’ve kept the vintage Budweiser sign and Spuds MacKenzie neon light burning! Nice to see that they’ve left a lot of things the same in here!
One thing the new owners did was move the gaming machines to a more discreet area in the back of the dining room. Nice move!
And here’s our luncheon guest star of the day, Terry Towery!
Terry’s a former writer and editor for the PJ Star and he’s currently a freelance writer and novelist these days.
Check out his novel, “The Final Victim” and three preview chapters of his current novel in progress by clicking here: Terry Towery at Inkitt.
You can follow him on facecrack and Twitter to keep up with his each and every move!
I haven’t seen Terry since before the rotten pandemic came to town, so it was nice to hang out with him and catch up on things.
Castle’s is serving food for lunch and dinner and here’s their menu.
Right on cue as we were perusing the menu, the two chefs of the day came out and said hi. There’s Kevin, who’s been here at Castle’s from back in the day along with the new chef, Shaun Chef Soul Food.
Shaun’s guided the menu into a more soul-food infused taste and he and Kevin said they’d deliver a sampler platter for Terry and I to try out.
This sounds exciting and I can’t wait to see what they cook up for us!
There’s the refrigerator section where the legendary Castle’s Patio Inn Cheese is housed and Michelle brought us a surprise while we waited for lunch to be done…
They have a brand new flavor of Castle’s Patio Inn Cheese, it’s a Jalapeno flavored take on the classic cheese spread and she delivered it with some of the classic cheese spread.
Both of them were delicious and a wonderful start to today’s lunch!
And here’s today’s lunch served up by Michelle, Becca, Shaun Chef Soul Food and Kevin. This is beyond a sampler platter, it’s a whole smorgasbord!
What a fabulous feast they delivered!
There’s a classic cheeseburger, fried catfish, corn on the cob, collard greens, spaghetti, deviled eggs, pot roast, French fries and homemade mac ‘n cheese.
Wow! What a fantastic lunch!
Terry’s thinking, “Will you put the camera down and let me dig into this cheeseburger!”
The whole meal was fantastic.
As I said, Chef Shaun has moved the menu to a soul-food comfort style and the offerings they brought were unbelievable and so tasty!
Everything was fabulous and they have two of my favorite things in the world, deviled eggs and mac ‘n cheese and both of them were rich, tasty and decadent treats!
They’re serving lunch and dinner here and you need to stop by and try this new soul-food infused menu out!
And dessert was a sweet ending for sure. We had two of their homemade peanut butter cupckaes and what a sweet treat! They were chocolate cupcakes with sweet peanut butter frosting and pieces of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups on top.
This was one of the best lunches I’ve ever had and thanks to Shaun and Kevin for the delicious and tasty meal!
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And now, without further adieu, because who wants any more adieu in their life, it’s time for…
The Same Three Fucking Questions…This Week With Terry Towery!
1. Does ketchup belong on a hot dog?
No. Ketchup doesn't belong on anything, except bad restaurant fries.
2. Is deep dish pizza really pizza or is it a casserole like Jon Stewart says it is.
Only if it's Lou Malnati’s. Otherwise, it's a casserole.
3. Why do fools fall in love?
Because they're fools.
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Thanks to Terry for joining me for this week’s luncheon episode and thanks to everyone at the brand new Castle’s Patio Inn for a wonderful lunch and for keeping it the same cool place as it’s always been.
It’s still the cheesiest place in town and that’s a delightful thing!
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802 W. Loucks Avenue
Peoria
309-685-9570
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Related Posts: Lunch At First Bite @: Untamed Chef, Blue Margaritas Mexican Bar & Grill and The Pour House.