The Burger Barge has been dry-docked in East Peoria for eight years now and the Captain of the ship is Gigi Irwin. She’s the owner and a friendly hostess who knows all her regulars by their fist name, it’s that kind of place. I found out that first timers are treated the same way and the bartenders, staff and patrons are all friendly and fun. There’s a large dining room in front with a large screen TV, colored lights and assorted tacky and wacky bric-a-brac on the walls which make for a fun and festive atmosphere in the joint. There’s a nice Tiki Bar to enjoy drinks and menus from the eclectic menu. The Burger Barge has an excellent river view and there’s a large  outside porch plus a little beach area with chairs and tables to fully enjoy the view on a nice day.

There’s a full bar at Burger Barge with a large selection of canned and bottled beer available. Cans go for $2.50 and bottles are a buck more. On Mondays cans of beer can be had for $1.75 a pop. The menu is huge, with burgers being their specialty. There’s 17 varieties to choose from and even a vegetarian one for those who don’t eat meat. Also on the menu are their Barge Sandwiches served on Pelican Bread and piled high with all kinds of ingredients. There’s also five assorted pork sandwiches, stuffed baked potatoes, hot dogs, fish sandwiches and appetizers. I recommend the Luciano Cheese Blobs (named after Peoria Journal Star writer, Phil Luciano). After all, I’m having lunch with him today.