If you could use a little Luck o’ the Irish, then you’ll want to hit up some of the local coffee shops, breweries, restaurants, and other establishments offering special St. Patrick’s Day drink menus. Whether you’re a wee bit excited for the upcoming holiday or you’re ready to slip into your leprechaun outfit, these nine drink menus are sure to have you dancing a jig!
The Washington Coffee Shop, Washington The menu features items that will appeal to coffee and tea drinkers alike with the Pot of Gold latte, Leapin’ Leprechaun Cold Brew, Irish Apple Chai, Lucky Charms Latte, and Shamrock Frappe.
Good News Blooms, Sips, N’ Sweets, St. Clair This crafted soda and sweet shop once again flexes its holiday menu muscle with offerings that sound tasty, refreshing, and fun. The Irish themed menu options include the Pot of Gold crafted soda, the Irish sunset tea, and Over the Rainbow Refresher lemonade.
Lang-A-Tang Cafe, New Haven The cafe has released special drinks for the season like the Lucky Charm, complete with green cold foam, the Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake, Raspberry Mocha, and the White Chocolate Lavender.
Clark Street Cafe & Bakery, Sullivan The cafe’s holiday drink menu features teas, flavored sodas, and coffees. The options include the Leprechaun Chai, the Nutty Irishmen, Shamrock Italian Soda, Lucky Clover Latte, Rainbow Matcha, Pot of Gold Honey Latte, Irish Cream Dream, and St. Patty Thin Mint.
Andy’s Produce Too Ice Cream Shop, Union Andy’s in Union’s ice cream shop has paired the iconic Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies with the shop’s Central Dairy ice cream. If you love chocolate and mint, try the thin mint milk shake, available throughout the month of March.
Old Bridgeview Brewing, Washington You won’t find any green beers here, but as luck would have it, Old Bridgeview Brewing did whip up an Irish red ale called They Killed Kenny and released it just in time for St. Patrick’s Day.
Sarah’s on Central, Eureka The eatery has two drinks available for St. Patrick’s Day. The Shamrock Bushwacker is a frozen cocktail, while the Shamrock Shakeup is a non-alcoholic treat for all ages.
Serendipity Slush Co., Washington If you’re looking for a few green drinks, then Serendipity Slush Co. has got you covered. The options include classic cocktails like a Grasshopper or a lime Margarita, along with the Midori Sour slush.
Little Ireland Coffee, Pacific With a name like Little Ireland, of course you can find tasty St. Paddy’s Day themed coffees and teas on its March menu, along with some of the cutest, coziest Celtic decor around.
Whether you observe Lent or you’re just looking for local fish fry Fridays, seafood options, or fish dishes that aren’t fried, there are numerous churches, Knights of Columbus halls, and area restaurants offering diverse Lenten menus.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but rather features selections that span various communities in and near Franklin County to give readers options no matter if you live in Sullivan, Eureka, Washington, or other communities in the area.
Knights of Columbus Hall, Gerald Bring your appetite to the K of C Hall in Gerald for its Friday all-you-can-eat fish fry. Available from 4-7 p.m., the offerings include fried cod or shrimp, with a number of meatless sides to choose from, along with an assortment of desserts and drinks. Learn more on Facebook.
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Washington Every Friday during Lent, the church is offering a fish fry menu from 4-7 pm. Available as dine-in, carryout, or drive-thru options, the menu will feature catfish and cod, along with sides and desserts for $15 per adult, or $6 for kids 6-12. Find out more on Facebook.
St. Bridget of Kildare Catholic Parish, Pacific With options that include cod, catfish, shrimp, and sides, the menu is available Fridays from 4-7 p.m. Get more info, including pricing on Facebook.
Que Pasa Mexican Restaurant, Union If you prefer your fish or seafood with a bit of heat, Que Pasa in Union has Lenten offerings that include fish tacos, shrimp cocktail, seafood fajitas, and more. View all the selections on Facebook.
Muddy Banks Brewing Co., Sullivan The brewery is offering a fried fish meal every Friday during Lent that consists of fried cod, hushpuppies, and fries. See Facebook for more.
Sarah’s on Central in Eureka Located a short drive from Franklin County, the Lent offerings at Sarah’s on Central, in Old Town Eureka, go beyond the typical fried fish selections. The menu features items like calamari, shrimp po’boy, shrimp and grits, blackened shrimp pasta, and much more. Get all the details on Facebook.
Robin’s Rustic Nest, St. Clair The St. Clair eatery’s menu features fried fish selections, along with a salad bar or a number of sides from fries to mashed potatoes or vegetables. Visit the restaurant on Facebook to find more info about the menu and daily specials.
White Rose Cafe, Union Each Friday during Lent White Rose will offer a Fisherman’s Platter, available in a full or half-size portion. The menu special features coconut shrimp, crab cakes, cod, hushpuppies, a choice of two sides, and assorted house-made dipping sauces. Learn more on Facebook.
Knights of Columbus Hall, Sullivan Find fried fish, fried shrimp, and baked fish along with a number of sides like green beans, fries, and hushpuppies at the K of C Hall in Sullivan on Fridays. Served from 4-7 p.m., the cost is $15 per adult, or $6 for kids 7-12 and kids ages 6 and under eat free when dining in. Get more information on Facebook.
Old Bridgeview Brewing, Washington With a Lenten menu available Thursday-Sunday, the brewery offers items like shrimp po’boys, fried fish or fried shrimp baskets, fish sandwiches, and more. Get the menu details on the brewery website.
Next to fall and Christmas flavored drinks, Valentine’s Day drink menus offer some of my favorite ingredients. Many drinks feature flavor profiles that include berries, chocolate, and rose, and so many of the drinks also look gorgeous, by incorporating elements of red and blush hues, as well as botanical or fruit garnishes.
If you’re like me and you want to try Valentine’s drinks, luckily there are several establishments in Franklin County that have a selection of drinks – from cocktails to coffees, crafted sodas, teas, and more.
Scarlett’s Bar & Grill in St. Clair The establishment has a few themed drinks available, like the Cupid’s Arrow, Chocolate Covered Cherry Martini, and shots like the Chocolate Rose.
SmoothE’s and Morein Sullivan Locally-owned smoothie shop SmoothE’s and More in Sullivan has two Valentine-themed smoothies available. Try the chocolate covered strawberry or the chocolate raspberry cheesecake options while they’re on the menu.
Good News Blooms, Sips, & Sweets in St. Clair Wet your whistle with a variety of Valentine’s themed crafted sodas like the Be Mine Cherry Vanilla, or Cupid’s Strawberry Cream. There are also special tea drinks including the Cherry Vanilla Love Tea and Sweet Tea Valentine, or lemonades like the Cupid’s Blush.
Clark Street Cafe & Bakery in Sullivan The coffee shop, cafe, and bakery has a lovely sounding Valentine’s drink menu with drinks like the Cupid’s Chai, Strawberry Shortcake Mocha, and Love Potion, to name a few.
underGROUNDS Espresso Bar in Washington Can’t decide on one holiday flavor? Try a Valentine’s coffee flight at underGROUNDS Espresso Bar in Washington.
If you try one of the drinks at the above establishments and like it, I’d love it if you would tag me on Facebook.
A couple of years ago, friends Mary Stevens and Judy Mattox felt called to make meals for people in need. At first they organized a small group that served meals at their shared church, and while that was a successful effort, they both felt led to do more, but in order to do that they’d need to take a couple leaps of faith, like registering as a nonprofit, finding a kitchen where they could prep and cook meals, and raise funds.
Feeding on Faith has been official since November of 2024, after everything was finalized – from becoming a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit, to meeting health department requirements, to finding a kitchen and place to serve meals, all of which took about six months.
Things really started to pick up for the organization once they were able to begin organizing community meals served at the Marylou Community Building in Truesdale, located in Warren County, which started this past summer and is still going strong.
Mary, left, and Judy, right, are the duo behind the nonprofit Feeding on Faith. Photo credit: Feeding on Faith via Facebook.
The meals they’ve served have changed along with the seasons, over the summer the ladies served items like “walking tacos” for lunch at the concession pavilion located outside of the Marylou Community Building. During that time, they fed a lot of kids since school wasn’t in session, as well as some single adults, retirees, and families.
Mary and Judy say they still see “a pretty good mix of people” at each community meal, with many return attendees.
“We see a lot of families and we hear the same thing each time: ‘you don’t know how much this helps,'” Mary shares.
And since the women both feel like creating this nonprofit was a calling from God, it’s important that the help they provide often looks like the kind of comforting meal you’d get if you were invited to a friend’s house for dinner.
Casserole meals are popular dishes, but the ladies have also made hearty meals like scalloped potatoes and ham, soups and chili, as well as sandwiches and chips, and chili dogs. Although both ladies love to cook for others, Judy is the baker of the two, so every meal also includes a dessert of some sort.
Although they’re a fairly new organization, they’ve made a significant impact for those in need. So far, they’ve served over 900 meals to the community, helping to feed people at the community meal events as well as providing meals to nearby shelters.
“We really wanted to serve 2,000 meals last year, but in the beginning we had some delays with renting a kitchen,” Mary explains.
In addition to feeding people at the every other Monday community meals, some of the shelters and other groups they’ve provided meals for include a domestic abuse shelter and they’ve helped make lasagnas for the Lincoln County chapter of the nation-wide meal train program called Lasagna Love.
Having access to the space inside Marylou Community Building once every other week means they have a place to keep their supplies, a requirement per the health department, but also it means they’re able to preserve any leftovers and purchase more perishable ingredients in advance.
“We were able to buy a freezer, so now we can buy things when they’re on sale,” Judy says.
The ladies make all the meals that they serve to the community. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz
As a nonprofit they rely on donations and volunteers, and whenever they’re able to make ingredients and funds stretch, the more people they’re able to help. Mary shares that since they’re such a new organization, a lot of volunteers at Feeding on Faith have been friends and family, although they also welcomed a Girl Scout Troop to help serve a community meal last year.
And there’s also been support from individuals and organizations in the community, including Cuivre River Electric, Long Row Lavender Farm, Woodbridge Corp., Sam’s Club in Wentzville, and many more. Without those donations – of both funds and supplies – the nonprofit wouldn’t have been able to make such a profound impact.
Planning for the future
Both Judy and Mary see Feeding on Faith expanding to help even more people.
“Judy wants a food truck,” Judy says with a laugh.
The women hope to grow the nonprofit by purchasing a food truck or food trailer so they can be mobile to meet, and feed, people where they’re at.
“That’s this year’s partial goal,” Mary adds.
Mary also envisions having a bigger space that’s all their own, so they can have premade, frozen meals ready to help people whenever they need it.
“We’re very grateful to be able to use this space, but unfortunately we don’t have access to it all the time,” Mary shares of the Marylou Community Building. “I’d love to make up individual meals in advance and put them in the freezer at our own place so that if someone reaches out and needs a meal for that day, we can easily help.”
Mary and Judy work together to make multiple lasagnas in an assembly style at the Marylou Community Building in Truesdale. In January 2026, the Feeding on Faith community meal was lasagna, salad, garlic bread, and dessert. Photo credit: The Socialite_Amanda Bretz
The next community meal served at the Marylou Community Building in Truesdale is on Monday, Feb. 2, from 5-6:30 p.m. If you’d like to learn more about Feeding on Faith, you can follow the organization on Facebook, or visit its website.
Note: This article is part of a series highlighting volunteer groups, individuals who give back to area causes, and people who are building community, such as the piece I wrote on The Homemade Exchange. If you know someone making a positive impact in or around the Franklin County area, email me at smalltownsocialitemo@gmail.com and I may feature them on the website.
Small Town Socialite 