A new restaurant is coming to the former Agostino’s in Fairview Heights. Here’s what we know

I noticed that over the last few weeks folks have been speculating about recent activity at the former Agostino’s site.

The building at 130 Ludwig Drive is sporting a new, bright yellow paint job, which has sparked online chatter from people wondering if it will be a new Mexican restaurant. Or an Irish pub .

So I called Dallas Alley, land use and development director for the city, in search of a bit of intel.

Alley said that paperwork was submitted for an occupancy permit to open a restaurant.

He didn’t give too many details at this early stage but did say that the applicant has restaurants in the St. Louis area focusing on breakfast and lunch offerings.

I hope to have more information on that soon, so stay tuned.

About 130 Ludwig Drive

The building at 130 Ludwig Drive was built in 1993 to house Carlos O’Kelly’s Mexican Café, which opened Nov. 8, 1993. A December 2001 fire damaged the building, and the restaurant reopened in October 2002. Carlos O’Kelly’s permanently closed in November 2008.

Little Italy, an Italian restaurant that offered “a taste of the Hill,” opened in July 2009 and closed in December 2010.

Agostino’s Restaurant & Bar, founded in 1967, operated at different locations before coming to Fairview Heights. Agostino’s opened on Ludwig Drive in November 2011 and officially closed Feb. 20, 2023.

130 Ludwig Drive Business History by Jennifer Green on Scribd