The Rotten Apple

NEVER. AGAIN.
We have gone to The Rotten Apple for several years now during an annual girls trip to Grafton. In the past (previous owners) the service was never wonderful, but the atmosphere was fun, the food was good, and it was a good way to start off our day together.
The menu has been drastically cut and no longer has the cajun theme as before. The Shrimp Po’Boy which was THE BEST thing on their menu before didn’t make the cut. Very sad.
This year… it took 1.5 HOURS to get an order of fried pickles and then 30 minutes later we finally got our food. The place WAS NOT so busy that it would take 2 HOURS to get our meal.
To top it off my friends chicken sandwich WAS RAW in the middle!!!
We were not the only customers unhappy with our service this weekend as we spoke to several other people who are highly disappointed in the service since the new ownership.
Sorry…but The Rotten Apple was truly ROTTEN and we will unfortunately not be going back. :(

This place is soo sad now. The food is non-​descript. The beer is boring. The waitresses are slow and uncaring. And they don’t take credit cards anymore. We won’t be back.

This place use to be good but has since been taken over by new owners. They cut all of the Cajun out of the menu and now it’s a very simple burgers, salad, wings type of menu. This would not have been a problem if my experience there last Sunday wasn’t so horrible. We walked in and it was super muggy. I know that the weather is transitioning right now and not all businesses have their AC on but we had to open the windows ourselves and turn the fan on. A bit ridiculous. Then our waitress was inattentive and criticized the food we ate. «Oh I think that’s gross.» We waited 45 minutes to receive our food which consisted of 2 sandwiches, a salad and 2 appetizers only to be told that one of the appetizers they were out of stock on. Seriously? 45 minutes later? The waitress was very uncaring and didn’t even comp us free drinks or anything for our wait or the messed up order. I will never return there again.

Rotten Apple rocks my socks off.
Two words describe my experience: Das Boot.
That’s right, you can get a boot of Stag– 96 oz– for $ 6. Seriously, what’s more fun than that?
Oh, I’ll tell you what– the décor. Rotten Apple is covered from floor to ceiling in dollar bills. And, as I easily found out, the bartender is more then welcome to pass over a sharpie and a stable gun for you to add your creation (if you can find a free spot that is!). Rotten Apple was stop #3 on my Alton/​Grafton trip (see reviews for Fast Eddie’s and Loading Dock too!) and it could not have been a more perfect way to end my Sunday funday. The drinks are cheap (they had $ 1 stag and a pickle and $ 3 lunchobox shots on special), the bartenders are friendly, and the atmosphere is chill.
I knocked off a star because of the long drive (about an hour from downtown STL) and becuase the food was sub par (I had the pulled pork sandwich).

Went to Grafton for the ubiquitous pub lunch at the Loading Dock (where I once had a passable fish sandwich, and which happens to be right on the water, or slightly underwater as is the case this July). They were far too full of sunburned hillbilly Harley enthusiasts for our taste. We proceeded past the towns selection of «wineries» and suddenly remembered a spot we’d spied last dear during the off-​season (during which most of Grafton is closed, including this spot). We were very fortunate to find parking out of the water across the road, and proceeded into the bar area, with little or no expectations other than «cajun food», which is usually a good thing.
Oh my, were we happy we did. The staff are friendly and cool (not so friendly that they knock you over and ask for your name so they can find you on Facebook, and not so cool that they’re too cool to be nice to you). The bar guy — sorry bar guy, didn’t get your name — was most patient in listing their extensive selection of drafts, and our server «Walker» the «professional student» was talkative enough to make us feel welcome without freaking us out (see «Facebook» comment above). With all this going for it, the food didn’t have to be great but, fortunately, it was even better than the beer or the company. I had the Red Beans ‘n’ Rice with andouille — a favorite which didn’t disappoint — and my wife had the «Boss Hogg» which, despite it’s truly unfortunate moniker — apparently derived from the fact that it’s a pork burger — was amazing (the inclusion of chopped up andouille in the burger patty is pure genius). The food was just spicy enough for two people with a serious tolerance for spicy food. All in all the spicyness and cold beer made for a perfect combination on the balcony overlooking the Mississippi river on a 85 degree Sunday afternoon.
I could not recommend this place more. We’re so glad we didn’t stick with the pleb’s down at the loading dock, and we’ll never make that mistake after our amazing experience at the Rotten Apple. Five stars doesn’t even come close. More than worth the drive up to Grafton.

Stopped into the Rotten Apple during our pub crawl one beautiful Saturday afternoon, and we’re sooo glad we did!
We sat at the bar and the owner, Scott spent a lot of time chit chatting with us about all the different beers. The guys HAD to have the Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout, and can’t recommend it enough. I’m not really a beer drinker but I love hard cider and ordered an Original Sin Cider which is now my favorite. Scott even let me take it to go in a plastic cup.
The place is small but very cozy and there are dollar bills customized with grafitti from various customers stapled to just about inch of the ceiling .
We hope to come back someday and order food next time.

I would have loved the Rotten Apple even more if it had been on the water. As it is, it’s right on the street. Which is fine, but it’s hard to tear yourself away from the view and breeze of the River on a beautiful day to sit on a concrete patio overlooking a road.
Otherwise, the Rotten Apple was a pretty cool place. I had the fried peanut butter and banana sandwich with sweet potato fries, and it was absolutely delicious. My husband had the shrimp Po Boy and loved it too. We also tried the hush puppies which were spicy and very hearty.
Our server was nice, the food was good, but I really wanted that view of the water. I bet at night this place is a great bar. They were setting up for live music while we were there, but we missed the band. Oh, and we also saw them stir a huge pot of crawdads. I bet that would have been good too.

The Rotten Apple Cider-​house is located across the street from the Piasa Winery in Grafton, IL and is another one of the many great little places you should visit along the Great River Road between Grafton and Alton IL. It’s scenic confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers and the palisades should not be missed!
The Rotten Apple carries the area’s largest selection of hard ciders. Menu items include burgers and sandwiches, Ettoufee of the Day, Muffalata, BBQ Brisket, cream cheese grits w/​gravy, smoked potato salad, braised greens and others.
The Rotten Apple sits right on The Great River Road. It’s tiny inside with a fireplace in the bar and a dining area upstairs. They have a tiny patio outside. Make no mistake, this tiny place makes big Cajun food, hearty drinks, has great entertainment and is a rockin ‘lil restaurant/​pub!
The customers are a mix of cyclists, motorcycle groups, locals, tourists, etc. Everyone is there to have fun. This road trip is always a good time. It’s the drive home that’s not so fun! Bring a DD.
Dinner is served Wed-​Sun and Lunch Fri-​Sun. This is one of the few places on the River Road that are open year round.