August 06, 2021

Every year Feast Magazine asks its readers to vote for their favorite chefs, restaurants, bars, brewers and more across the Springfield area.

And, every year, Downtown Springfield is everywhere in the Feast 50 winners list. This year is no different as more winners call Downtown home than any other neighborhood in the region. Here’s a rundown of this year’s honorees!

Still Springfield’s most-caffeinated neighborhood

We’re beyond proud of the coffee culture in Downtown Springfield. With good reason. Some of the region’s best coffee shops call our neighborhood home. Feast readers recognized this and honored two of them. Mudhouse Coffee, a longtime Downtown business, took top honors for Coffee Shop and runner-up for Coffee Roaster.

The Coffee Ethic, an anchor on Park Central Square, flip-flopped those awards. They took top honors for Coffee Roaster and runner-up for Coffee Shop.

Secret Sandwich gets well-known

The new kids on the block cleaned up! Secret Sandwich opened up its doors in the back of Sweet Boy’s, but quickly outgrew that space. They now serve sammies from their walk-up window at 208 West McDaniel.

That success earned them Best New Restaurant – Past year as well as Best Sandwich Shop. It’s an impressive pair of awards for Secret Sandwich, which features an evolving and innovative menu.

Prairie Pie doubles up

Another newcomer has caught the eye of Feast readers. Eleanor Taylor earned Pastry Chef honors for her work with Prairie Pie (307 South Jefferson). She opened her storefront earlier this year and won top honors for Bake Shop as well.

This Girl is Golden

The Golden Girl Rum Club took top honors in the Bar Program — Cocktails category. Rogan Howitt, the man behind the drinks, was named the city’s best Mixologist. He’s the Beverage Director for Good Spirits & Co., which also owns Best Of Luck Beer Hall and Sweet Boy’s Neighborhood Bar in Downtown. Best Of Luck took runner-up honors in Bar Program — Beer.

European Café continues to shine

European Café, at 207 Park Central East, continues to catch the attention of pastry and coffee lovers alike. Christina Sava took runner-up honors for top Pastry Chef, while the Café was named the Springfield area’s top Confectioner.

Hotel Vandivort elevates its game

Hotel Vandivort and its properties captured three runner-up awards. Beau Norman, of The Order, was second in the Mixologist category. Vantage Rooftop Lounge and Conservatory was runner-up for best Bar Program — Cocktails and Happy Hour.

More winners

Seven other Downtown Springfield businesses took honors in the 2021 Feast 50 Awards. That includes a pair of first-place finishes. They are:

• Black Sheep Burgers & Shakes: Best Burger
• Civil Kitchen: runner-up Fried Chicken
• Flame Steakhouse & Wine Bar: runner-up Steakhouse
• Gailey’s Breakfast Cafe: Best Diner
• Hurts Donut Co.: runner-up Donut Shop
• Rama Thai: runner-up Thai
• Sweet Emotion: runner-up Ice Cream & Custard

Come enjoy the best food and drink in the region in Downtown Springfield!