Seven is one of those places that confuses me. They have two bars. One downstairs and another up (though when I was there only one was staffed). And yet? They're not a bar? I really feel like half of the restaurant (the downstairs) truly is trying to be a bar, while the upstairs is trying to be a restaurant. That leaves both the food and the drinks in limbo. They're neither terrible nor fantastic.
The service is a bit slow as well.
I'd go back if a friend of mine on the Illinois side suggested it, but I know I wouldn't suggest it.
Situated in Downtown Belleville, right next door to a sushi place you would not expect much from them. They have an artsy vibe as soon as you walk inside. If not a live person playing, good music and pictures adorning the walls (even the bathrooms).
They had a decent beer selection though they were out of what I wanted. I decided in the end to go with a martini. Good choice. The boyfriend and I had a hummus plate, delicious. The chicken curry sandwich was total yummm. I cannot remember what he had but he really enjoyed it as well.
I think we will be returning here. Great place for drinks and a simple lunch but good lunch.
While downtown Belleville isn't as trendy as, say, the Washington Avenue district in St. Louis, places like Seven Restuarant & Lounge and The Wine Tap have done much to improve the atmosphere in downtown Bellleville.
If nothing else, they've raised the bar for other other drinking establishments in the city.
I often visit Seven after work, and it has a good selection of beers and spirits. In addition, staff members like Amanda, Valerie, Becca, James and Doug make people feel very welcome and are knowledgable.
The food at Seven is very good! Unlike a lot of eating establishments in Belleville, Seven isn't afraid to use spices to enhance their dishes, and the cooks know how to hit the right balance. Even with something simple like a burger, Seven hits the right balance of spices to make its burger more distinctive than other burgers in the metro-east.
I particularly enjoy the Cajun Shrimp Pasta, the Shrimp Grinder and the Gumbo. Again, these dishes has the right amount of seasoning.
GREAT STEAK
Not many bars serve a steak worthy of honorable mention but the steak at sevens rivals those of the local chain steakhouses.The service was great, friendly and knowledgeable.My wife was pleased with her shrimp pasta dish even though it was slightly over her spicy tolerance she enjoyed every bite.
We were very impressed when cook or should I say Chef came to our table and checked with my wife about her meal and offered to redo the dish if it was too spicy for her. Overall we had a great experience, they have a good selection of imported beers, big screen TV's for the sports fan and basically not bad for a small neighborhood bar.
My spouse and I stopped here for a bite and a few beverages after a visit to the Art on the Square art show. The place was packed and the upstairs staff was stretched to the max. That being said, service was still  acceptable and the food was way above average. As we waited for our apps to arrive we observed meals being served to other patrons. Even in the harried environment, the kitchen staff did a great job of maintaining high presentation standards for the meals. It all looked really good. Worth the long wait. Prices for food and beverages were reasonable.
Review Source:Seven is a little place in downtown Belleville that has a very small street presence but a very nice presence inside. There are seats in the bar downstairs and more seating upstairs. They even have live music some nights. The food there has never been a disappointment except when I ordered a burger medium well instead of medium-my bad. Won't make that mistake again. Â The chef is very eager to please his patrons and does his best to make the food to your comfort level on spiciness. Â He will even come out and talk to you. The friendliness and service from the staff from the waitresses/bartenders to the chefs is something we see a lot of but nice to see here in town in so many places including Seven. I had a spice Cajun pasta that definitely lived up to it's name even though I asked for very little spice because I have a tender mouth when it comes to spice. It was great. And I even took my leftovers to work for lunch the next day. I would recommend Seven to anyone.
Review Source:Seven is a restaurant and lounge that tries to bill itself as hip and trendy. I guess it IS pretty trendy for Belleville, and apparently it's the newest place in town to be seen...but I'm not as impressed.
It is well-intentioned. The space is narrow, but long, and the owners did the best that they could with it. There is an outside patio and the first floor has an eating area and a bar. The upstairs is a repeat of the first floor, except the emphasis is more on the eating area. The concept should work well, but here it doesn't. On busy nights, Seven is just a cacophonic mess of noise...music, tv talk, dishes, and clientele talk. It's just too much going on at one time.
Several of us went on such a night. The waitstaff was scurrying around and told us to seat ourselves. That really wouldn't have been a problem, but there were really no clean tables available. Finally, one of the waitstaff cleared off several tables that a baby shower party group had just vacated.
We ordered appetizers. Both the coconut shrimp and the crabcakes were decent, but they were smaller than what I would have liked, considered the price (both $7).
My dining companions ordered a wrap and a salad respectively. They said that they were good. I should have stuck with something basic. I went with the mussels served with fries. It was a total nightmare. It definitely was a pound of mussel shells, but the mussels themselves were mostly missing. I would have to say that about 30% of them were just shells. And the fries were pretty cold. That might have something to do with the fact that our waitress brought out my friends' entrees about 10 minutes before mine.
It's probably a great place just to hang out and talk...in other words, it works better as a lounge than a restaurant. The alcohol is good, the atmosphere is pounding, and you don't really mind when the waitstaff brings your drinks twenty minutes after you've ordered them. But if you're looking for a dining experience, pass and keep looking.
Finally! Â A darn good steak in downtown Belleville.
Decor: Nice bar decor. Â Has a "finished" feeling to it. Â Small downstairs, shotgun style but has a nice sitting area out front. - there is a room upstairs however that has a bit more room with its own bar. Â The noise level upstairs can be a bit of a problem if you are trying to talk. Â Nice clean bathrooms (the mens at least...I assume the ladies is at least as nice)
Staff: Very friendly, some of the servers are a little green still but they do try. Â When they get very busy the staff is not quite there (yet) - but they are getting better and better. Â Bartenders have always done great and the manager really seems to be on top of his game.
Drinks: reasonable - not cheap but well put together. Â Would like a bigger wine selection by the glass. Â However, they have some nice top shelf booze.
Food: Steaks - always good, the soups are also always good.
I really love the gumbo - and a cup is only something like 2.99 - sometimes I will just stop in for that! Â The nightly specials seem to have gotten a little same / same lately - I would really like to see the chef stretch out there a little more.
Over all this place is a winner and a great addition to the Belleville downtown scene.
Oh yeah, they do some live music as well - worth calling ahead if you are looking for something like that.
Good place in Belleville to go for dinner. Small, narrow building with two floors for eating. Have never had anything bad to eat here but it does seem to take a while to get your food sometimes when busy. Â The Cajun salmon is excellent. Â Pretty popular place to go to eat or just get some drinks. Some outdoor seating and nice bar with a number of big screen TV's. Â They also have live music on the weekend. Â Highly recommend and your best bet for a good evening!!!
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