Review Visit: June 8th, 2013 A seasonal place that sells Christmas trees during the cold weather days. That's right, Lou's is a place you can get food during the warm days and Christmas trees during the cold days. At least, I've always seen them selling Christmas trees in the fall and early winter. But, this was a bright and sunny summer day and my father and I were wanting to try Lou's for lunch. If you don't know Lou's, its kind of one of those old places that you order at this small building and then you eat outside, in your car, or get the food to go. Think an ice cream shack, but a focus on food instead of soft serve delights. I could picture this place in the past being one of those places that you ordered from your car and a lady wearing skates would be the one to bring your food out to you. Not so much anymore. We pulled up and had to look around for a parking spot. The parking situation here isn't ideal but with the space they have and the layout of Lou's, it's the best they can do with what they got. We hopped in line and waited our turn. The menu here is not any different than most places. Again, think ice cream shack but with the main draw being the food instead. I knew I would have to try their root beer. Something in my memory told me that this place was well known for that and I knew I would have to try it. I also like root beer, so that's another reason I wanted to try it. I think we both got your standard burger with some french fries. With the heat, we didn't want to spend too much time trying to figure out what we wanted. Burgers, fries, and a soda. A classic lunch. Despite the crowd at Lou's, we were able to sit down at one of the few tables that had an umbrella. For two Irish guys, this was a blessing. While we waited, we took the lovely photo used above. It was a bit of a wait as they were busy and places like this usually cook their food to order. That was fine by me as it gave my dad and I time to chat and people watch. At long last, they called out our name and we quickly grabbed our food so we wouldn't lose our table. The first thing I tried was the root beer. It was a great root beer. But truth be told, all root beer is great to me and tastes the same for the most part. So, the root beer at Lou's was great but didn't taste much different than others, in my opinion. After using the root beer to cool down a bit, I started working on my food so that wouldn't cool down too much itself. First up, burger! You don't come to these places expecting to be blown away by gourmet food. You come here for the experience of eating at a unique place, the low price, and the staple foods they offer. That is to say my burger was just that. It did everything a burger should do without showing off. It tasted good but didn't feel the need to blow my socks off and sometimes that is all you need. The same can be said about the french fries. Not every meal has to be the best ever. Sometimes getting exactly what you ordered and expected is all you need. Lou's is a fun place to stop at in Peoria for a meal that will be exactly what you expect and nothing more. Should there be snow outside, you can stop and get a Christmas tree instead.

Fantastic food, we love the atmosphere of an outdoor restaurant. Tables and the area were clean. Workers were prompt and friendly.

Very good service and food yesterday and was just 3 of us for our party and it was very delicious and a pleasant day outside.

Lou's has been a family favorite for many years. The food is good and they are known for their root beer! It seemed to be a little over priced this year... I miss the skate-up curbside service there used to be when I was a kid, but the counter style isn't terrible.

A gem on the north end of Peoria. Is it gourmet or hipster? No, but it has some of the best chili dogs in Central Illinois. At lunchtime you go up to the counter to order, and good luck Finnish a seat on a nice day. The fries are crispy and crinkle cut, and the tenderloin is more than just flat breading you get at so many places. Do yourself a favor and stop in!

Food was good. Just about what you'd expect from a place like this. Burger was hot, juicy and tasty. Fries were really good. Service was decent taking into consideration that it was pretty busy. I wasn't expecting to have red carpet service like some people seem to expect. I also don't expect them to raze the building or buy adjacent properties to make room for more parking and complain on here about the parking. Atmosphere was great. Very nostalgic and nice to eat outside on a warm summer day.

Best chili dogs in Peoria in my opinion. Any time I drive by in the summer it's hard not to stop and get 2 of them with a root beer float. You can't go wrong with that. I only wish they were open longer, but it's probably better for my health that they aren't.