The Katy Trail and Rock Island Trail

switch to Rock Island map

Restaurant recommendations?

Go to Forum

Beth from Denver on 9/3/2011 3:36:07 PM:

We are a group of 10 who will be riding the trail in early October. Any recommendations of places for dinner in Clinton, Sedalia, Rocheport, Jefferson City, or Hermann. (We realize not all restaurants are open every day.) Thanks!

Cathy from Jefferson City on 9/5/2011 11:58:27 PM:

Jefferson City part I:

We have plenty to offer. I'll only discuss places that may be able to handle a party of 10.

Paddy Malone's, on W. Main (close to south end of new bike/pedestrian bridge over MO. River) has burgers, and other food. It's an Irish pub which is why we go there. Across High St. from the Capitol is Arris Pizza, a Jeff City landmark.

Madison's Restaurant, on Madison St., is another Jeff City landmark, excellent food. Across the street is one of my favorite bars, Gumbo Bottoms. No food, but nice place for a drink.

To be continued....

Cathy from Jefferson City on 9/6/2011 12:05:45 AM:

Jefferson City part II:

J Pfenney's Sports Grill & Pub is 217 E. High. This is a new place in an old building (used to be Mike's Corner Pocket). Check out their facebook page. They don't take reservations, but you might enjoy having you dinner and watching a game there.

In the same vicinity you'll find Mortimer Kegley's and Bones. I don't know for sure if Mortimer's can handle 10, but I think Bones can. You enter Bones off an alley (we actually call our alleys "Ways" here in the great capital of the great state of Missouri).

Ok, the best of Jefferson City dining is yet to come in part III....

Cathy from Jefferson City on 9/6/2011 12:12:43 AM:

Jefferson City Part III:

Ok, so let's get to the East side of Jefferosn City. Oh, wait, I forgot Sapphire's, on Monroe St. at the top of the Double Tree Hotel. Very very nice restaurant. Prices are kind of high, but the food and the view are excellent. We love going there.

Ok, now on to the East side: at 900 E. High you'll find O'Donohue's. Again, one of my favorites. Great food. Call ahead so they'll be ready for you. It's not a big restaurant, but they can handle a party of 10. We love the food. It's in a building over 100 years old, an old general store, beautifully restored, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Around the corner on Ash St. you'll find Prison Brews. It's a micro brewery, they serve very good food, their pizza is my favorite.

At the corner of E. High and Ash you'll find the Mission. It's a bar that focuses on having local bands. There's no food, but it's a great place to end the evening.

Oh my, I'll have to continue this in part IV, what am I to do? I can't help it, there's just too many wonderful restaurants in Jefferosn City.

Cathy from Jefferson City on 9/6/2011 12:18:03 AM:

Jefferson City Part IV:

Ok, I'm doing Part IV, then I'm going to bed, maybe:

Now, on the Southside of Jefferson City, what we call Old Munichburg (on other side of Whitton Expressway) you'll find the Ecoo Lounge at the corner of Dunklin and Jefferson. This is the place my husband and I go the most because the food is great and so are the prices. Call ahead so they'll be ready for your party of 10. They renovated the place a couple of years ago, upgraded the menue, and it's a wonderful place.

And of course, the most important place you must go to in Jefferson City is Central Dairy, for ice cream. It's on the southside. I'm not going to give you the address. Just ask anyone in Jefferson City where it is and they'll tell you how to get there.

Ok, ok, so I'm going to do a Part V. I can't help it.

Cathy from Jefferson City on 9/6/2011 12:26:12 AM:

Jefferson City Part V:

Come on! What are you talking about, "dinner in Jefferson City." Give me a break. You need to spend a couple of days here.

Talk among yourselves. I'll give you a topic: What to do in Jefferson:

1. Tour the Capitol. One of the most beautiful capitols in the country. They spent over $1 million on the art in the early 1900s. They do tours I think every hour, 7 days a week.

2. Schedule a tour of the Missouri State Pennitentiary. Contact our Convention and Visitors Bureau to schedule. Really, if you do anything in Jefferson City, this should be it.

3. Go to Lincoln University and see the Soldiers Memorial Plaza. It is moving, it is inspiring, it is very very special.

4. Take a leisurely walk in our downtown, check out our gift shops, coffee shops, bars, or just sit on the benches and enjoy the day.

5. See the new federal courthouse over by the old prison. We're very proud of this.

6. Go dancing at The Mission.

7. Play Bocce Ball at Prison Brews.

Ok, I'm done.

Beth from Denver on 9/6/2011 6:21:27 PM:

Thanks Cathy. If anyone has suggestions for other towns we'd welcome them too.

Trek on 9/6/2011 8:51:20 PM:

Abigails is a top contender as well as the bistro at the winery in Rocheport. Madisons and Aris in Jeff City are both close to ride too from the trail. In Hermann, the restaurant at Stone Hill winery is good as well as Simons on the riverfront downtown.

Lisa from Belton, MO on 9/7/2011 9:16:49 AM:

Our group of 12 rode from Columbia to Hermann in June. Our first overnight was in Jeff City. We had a fun night at Paddy Malone's downtown. It was a beautiful night and we sat outside on the patio. We had the best waiter EVER! And he kept us supplied with our favorite beverages all night. In Hermann, we enjoyed the Barrel Inn. Good food and drink and friendly people. On our return trip to Jeff City we had dinner at Arris Pizza. Superb! Delicious greek style pizza and great beverages and wonderful service. Both restaurats are easy to get to from the Bike Trail Head and the pedestrian / bike bridge across the river is amazing and fun to ride across! I highly recommend riding into the city just so you can see the river and cross the bridge! Enjoy your trip!

Anonymous on 9/7/2011 11:22:54 AM:

Sounds like you know whereyou'll be staying at night.
Other eating possibilities include the Thai Kitchen (outdoors) at Cooper's Landing near Easley
Dotty's Cafe in Hartsburg
Trailside Cafe in Rhineland (4-miles west of Hermann)and
several places in Hermann itself where the Oktoberfest will be going on that month. You might or might not want to miss that depending on your objectives.
Personally, I like the countrified food at the Trailside (Rhineland) or the down-to-earth Deutche food at the Rivertown on 1st Street in Hermann (first street after crossing the bridge). But the wineries there, like the Stone Hill, will offer upscale Deutche dinners. Enjoy.

Cathy from Jefferson City on 9/13/2011 1:49:34 AM:

Did I mention you could get a tattoo in Jefferson City? They changed our ordinance a couple of years ago and we now have tattoo palors all over the place. Oh and the person asking about how to get across the river at Jefferson City, see my comments earlier in this thread about things (other than getting tattoos) to do places to stay and where to eat in the great capital of the great state of Missouri.

Anonymous on 9/13/2011 7:40:16 AM:

Can you get a kitchen sink in Jefferson City? With a group of 10 they may need one and you failed to make mention of anything like that.

ChuckM from Houston on 9/13/2011 8:10:38 AM:

Looks like Jefferson City has a LOT to offer. We plan to stop there for lunch/breakfast a couple times. Are there secure places to park bicycles at Prison Brews, Arris Pizza, etc? The Penitentiary tour sounds great if we can secure our bikes somewhere.

Jim from St Thomas on 9/13/2011 3:48:58 PM:

Just bring a cable lock and lock them to a street sign. I won't say there is no crime in Jeff City but all in all it's a pretty safe place.

Anonymous on 9/13/2011 7:59:57 PM:

Most of the free/inexpensive stuff is near or around the Captiol grounds, except for the big ice-cream shop at 6th & Madison street. :)

Anonymous on 9/13/2011 8:21:44 PM:

>Just bring a cable lock and lock them to a street sign. I won't say there is no crime in Jeff City but all in all it's a pretty safe place.

You might be careful to find out the local laws regarding this. It can be easy to run afoul of such things - I'm thinking this because I did read a couple of stories about bicycles being "detained" over chaining a bike to a street sign. Obstructing a public right-of-way or something like that.

Just be careful and be sure to cable lock to something solid and out of the way and you should be fine.

Anonymous on 9/14/2011 5:04:44 PM:

Lunch & breakfast. Hmm. You might try Ricks in the airport terminal. Fabulous buffet reported there several times; can easily handle 10. It's on the east-west road just north of the MO-River bridge and pedestrian pathway, just east of that 54/63-Hwy. Fried chicken and ham!

Darrell from Jefferson City, MO. on 9/15/2011 9:41:56 PM:

Don't know what your plans are Beth, or for anyone else, but if you are in or near Pilot Grove at breakfast, lunch or dinner I suggest you visit Becky's Burgers & Cones. They are just off the trail, half block from the trail head, look to the right you can see the back of their yellow building. They have excellent food at a very reasonable price, and plenty of room for 10 to dine inside or out. Not just burgers and cones.

I give directions because I had ridden to or through Pilot Grove numerous times but didn't know where Becky's was, so did not go there. Have always heard they had really good food, so this past week I decided to find it, I had been riding past it but didn't see the sign.

Beth from Denver on 10/5/2011 6:44:04 AM:

Ok, we're half-way through our six day ride and here are some places we've enjoyed so far. Kehde's Barbeque in Sedalia (which seemed to be the only place in town open on Sunday night) was great--good food and great service, very accommodating for our large group. Becky's Burgers & Cones in Pilot Grove was a good stop for lunch. And we enjoyed both Paddy Malone's (good cold beer after our day's ride) and Arris Pizza (good salads, Greek food & pizza). It's really nice when a place is willing to do separate checks for a group. As our waitress at Arris put it "with technology it's easy to do that" but some places still don't want to go there.

Specialized on 10/7/2011 9:51:07 AM:

you have had some great weather! thanks for coming to ride on the Katy!!! We were out there on this past Sunday and it was beautiful!!!!

FEEDBACK! - Please let us know if you have suggestions, corrections, complaints, or ideas. Your input is valued and appreciated - thanks in advance!

More info: KT Home Katy Trail Map Trip Planner Travel Timeline Forum Towns & Services Mileage Chart Events Trail Merchandise Search Advertise Contact Us

By using this website, you agree to the Terms and Conditions.
how this website uses cookies
This information may not be copied or reproduced in any way.
© Copyright 2026 BikeKatyTrail. All rights reserved.
BikeKatyTrail and BikeKatyTrail.com are registered trademarks.