In honor of LouFest’s 4th birthday, we’re posting a 4-part series of preview posts, highlighting what we think are the greatest aspects of LouFest: The Bands (duh), The Food, The Location (3-1-4Ever), and The Memories.

Today, 4 LouFest veterans (us), tip you off to the best places to chow down while you’re rocking out:

www.loufest.com

Forever Local Harvest Cafe! Their vegan nachos are exactly what you want to throw down when you grab a midday Schlafly.

Cleveland-Heath, straight outta Edwardsville, IL, is creating some of the most delicious dishes in the Metro area right now, so just having them at LouFest is a big deal. I’m planning to use their gourmet burger to refuel Saturday afternoon.

And last year, Kaldi’s was my Sunday morning saving grace. I walked onto the festival grounds and straight to those guys and gals’ stand. A strong iced coffee and a giant ice water got me ready for another full day in the photo pit.

The Hillbilly Nachos from PM BBQ were a favorite from last year. Maybe I’ll be healthier this year (but let’s get real, LouFest is for celebratin’). Drink tip: Buy a bottle of wine (last year they even put it in plastic water bottle for us!) – guaranteed to be most bang for your buck.

 

 

It’s kind of crazy, because a couple of my favorite places to eat in St. Louis are going to be serving food this year at LouFest. Dressel’s and Mission Taco are go-to places for a solid, non-music festival meal, so I’m really excited those two are in the Nosh Pit. The fish taco from Mission and Dressel’s pretzel with rarebit is what you want to eat all weekend long.

 

For a more complete listing of what’ll be available to snack and sip on this year at LouFest, check out the Nosh Pit section of their website. It might seem silly, but planning out where and what you’d like to eat and drink ahead of time will save you money, time, and confusion when it’s go time. We’ll be back tomorrow with STL tips for our LouFest tourists!