The area of St. Louis known as the Loop is a mixture of shops, clubs, bars and restaurants. Fitz’s, located at 6605 Delmar in the heart of the Loop is a St. Louis classic known for it’s root-beer and hamburgers.
Fitz’s originally opened in 1947, as an idea to serve the finest root-beer along with already popular hamburgers. After becoming a famous hangout, the hamburger joint closed in the early 1970’s. Then in 1993 it reopened under new owners as a restaurant and root-beer microbrewery. Then in 1998, a second restaurant opened in West County at 14810 Clayton Rd. Today diners can enjoy watching the brewing process while sampling the finished product and dining on gigantic portions of food.
The drink of choice at Fitz’s is the bottomless mug of root-beer ($1.75). Served in a frosty mug and always kept on tap, one sip will have you hooked for life. If root-beer is not your drink, Fitz’s also serves all their other flavors in ice cold bottles. If choosing one is tough, try the bucket of five favorites ($5.99).
Old favorites such as buffalo wings line the appetizer menu, but it still contains a few surprises like the Cajun quesadillas ($6.99). Chunks of chicken breast, cheeses and a variety of spices fill the quesadillas.
The dinner menu offers a variety of items, enabling even the pickiest eaters to find something appealing. The hamburgers are thick juicy patties of beef, grilled carefully to lock in all the juices. The River City Burger ($7.29), topped with Wisconsin cheddar cheese and smoked bacon, served on a toasted sesame seed bun along with fries is a great one to try.
If the sound of hamburgers fails to sizzle the taste buds, Fitz’s offers a selection of sandwiches including the pulled pork platter ($7.49). They take lean pieces of pork, cover them in a tangy barbecue sauce and serve them on a twist top roll.
Fitz’s menu also lists a variety of wraps and rice bowls, a smaller and lighter choice to the hamburgers and sandwiches. The curry veggie bowl ($6.99) contains a number of vegetables, rice and a curry cream sauce. The taste of curry is evident and at some points too strong. The bowl could have contained more vegetables, but overall it is a light and tasty choice.
Fitz’s not only offers a dessert menu full of sweet and tasty treats, but also a selection of shakes, malts and floats. The classic root-beer float ($3.99), a frosty mug full of root-beer and topped with scoops of vanilla ice cream was overwhelming. A close second would be the chocolate shake ($3.99), made with real ice-cream and topped with whip cream. It was colossal, and the waiter brought the extra shake that would not fit into the glass.
Fitz’s offers filling meals at low prices along with their classic root-beer. The food is good, the service is above average and a trip to Fitz’s will leave Saint Louis University students with a new favorite hangout. Nothing beats a frosted mug of Fitz’s root-beer.
