I stopped doing New Year’s resolutions years ago. I had reflected on what resolutions meant to me, and realized I shouldn’t be aiming to be a “new” me each year, but continue to maintain my goals and convictions, just in increasingly meaningful ways.
It’s no secret that our world has become less affordable, and it can feel overwhelming trying to be a mom and provide fun, exciting outings for our kids while also being budget-minded. If you have read my other blogs, you will know that supporting local businesses is a big priority for me. Lately, I have seen many local restaurants close their doors in a difficult economy. I make it a priority to continue to find ways to support local restaurants while staying within my family’s budget. Here are some of my favorite affordable ways to eat local in 2026:
Winslow’s Table
University City
This one is an absolute GEM! Located off of Delmar just west of The Loop, Winslow’s Table is a beautiful, intimate restaurant offering local eats to enjoy on-site or take home meals. They have a gorgeous patio space to enjoy once the weather warms up. The best part for families is they have free kids’ meals in the evenings with a $20 purchase. This includes the weekends! My husband and I can both enjoy a meal and glass of wine while our kids have a locally made kids’ meal and color on the patio.
Steve’s Hot Dogs
Chesterfield / South Grand / Delmar
Steve’s Meltdown
City Foundry
What do kids love more than hot dogs, grilled cheese, and mac n cheese?! Steve’s is a fun stop for delicious food and affordable kids’ meals cleverly named the “I don’t know” and “I don’t care”. Steve’s Hot Dogs in Chesterfield is located in the District with great outdoor seating options. Steve’s Meltdown is located in City Foundry which is perfect to grab a quick dinner before Puttshack or VR experiences nearby. On Mondays, kids meals are $2.99 at Steve’s Hot Dogs.
Porano
Des Peres
My husband and I have been big fans of Porano since they were originally located downtown. They have now returned with a new location in Des Peres, right by Trader Joe’s and Crumbl Cookies. Dangerous, I know. The best part is if you come dine with them on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, they have free kids’ meals with adult meal purchase. Kids’ meals of handmade pasta, what kid doesn’t love that?! We order a Detroit-style pizza, pasta, and fresh Meyer lemonades while enjoying a family dinner and a side of foosball in the lobby.
EDITORIAL NOTE: Porano permanently closed their doors in March of 2026.
Session Taco
St. Charles / Kirkwood
I love Session Taco, and there are many more locations than what I have listed, but I wanted to highlight the location that has an awesome arcade in the restaurant for kids. Stop by on a Sunday night, and you’ll enjoy free kids’ meals with adult meal purchase and the kids can run off some energy in the arcade while maybe you can enjoy a paloma with your partner. They have one of the best palomas in town! Session Taco will be closing their Kirkwood location this week, but in addition to St. Charles, you can visit their Delmar and Soulard locations.
EDITORIAL NOTE: Both of these locations are now permanently closed.
Eckert’s Country Restaurant
Belleville
I grew up in Kansas, so I am a sucker for a good country food restaurant. I love visiting Eckert’s with the changing seasons as they always have something fun for the kids, whether it’s picking fruit or veggies, hunting Easter eggs, visiting the pumpkin patch, eating apple cider donuts, or enjoying live music on the patio. When you bring the kids on Thursday evening for dinner, they have free kids’ meals with adult meal purchase. Bonus is you can get some grocery shopping done in the market store.
Sugarwitch
Carondelet
It’s a little cold right now for ice cream, but regardless of the temp, we always have Sugarwitch in our freezer. The location is in the beautiful Carondelet Bakery building and it feels like walking into a soda fountain. They have rotating flavors of ice cream sandwiches with fresh, interesting, local ingredients. The mom hack is to buy the “hexes” which are bundles of edges that didn’t make the cut into full squares. You’ll get a lot of slices for little money, and the slices are already perfect portioned treats for a little dessert after a meal at home. Bonus, they always have dairy-free options to fit specialized diets.
Fitz’s
The Loop / South County
Everyone with kids probably knows about Fitz’s and their giant floats. What I didn’t learn until recently is the half-shake option, which is a total mom hack. With my two young kids, we usually order one float to share. It never fails, someone is yelling about not getting toppings or unequal amounts of ice cream. I found out that you can pay an extra $3 to split the float into two glasses. Why is this is a great deal? You get a large float piled with ice cream and both glasses get all the toppings. They look the same and no arguing about sharing! Plus, the burgers are great too. I recommend the bourbon burger.
