Taste of the Town: Riverside Pizza & Pub making name for itself

ST. CHARLES – Riverside Pizza & Pub owner/president Steve Nilles never knows who is going to walk into his restaurant next.

Country singer-songwriter Vince Gill recently paid a visit to the restaurant. Gill performed in September at the Arcada Theatre, which is located across Main Street from Riverside Pub.

“He was very friendly,” Nilles said. “I got a picture with him.”

Riverside Pizza & Pub is trying to make a name for itself after opening in late July in the former Pi Pizza Perfection space at 102 E. Main St. in downtown St. Charles.

However, it seems the historic building in which the restaurant is located, already has an infamous past.

According to St. Charles Heritage Center records, the building housed the first medical school in Illinois – the Franklin Medical School – founded in 1842 in St. Charles.

Dr. George Richards was director of the school, which was the cause of a 1849 riot in St. Charles, known as the “Richards Riot,” historical records state.

According to the records, late one evening in April 1849, two medical students from the school, John Rood and George Richards Jr. (son of the director), stole a cadaver from a Sycamore graveyard. An angry mob of more than 100 Sycamore residents went to the home of Dr. Richards, demanding the return of the body, which caused a riot, and resulted in the death of Rood and Dr. Richards, records state.

Some of the pub’s drink specials, such as The Witch Doctor, Doctor Richard RX Remedy and The Grave Digger, reflect the building’s history.

Nilles is not new to the restaurant industry. He has been in the restaurant business for more than 20 years, having started as a delivery driver.

Riverside Pizza & Pub is the fourth restaurant that he has owned. Nilles has two partners in the business. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner.

“We were looking for a bigger sit-down restaurant with a bar,” Nilles said. “We liked the location.”

They did six months worth of renovations, including building a bar on the building’s first floor. Bars are now on both floors of the building.

Riverside Pizza & Pub has seating for 60 people on its first floor and 100 people on its second floor. The second floor also offers an expansive view of the city’s downtown.

“I really think we have the best view in town, of any restaurant at least,” Nilles said.

Living up to its name, Riverside Pizza & Pub sells several specialty pizzas, including western – topped with sausage, onion, bacon and barbecue sauce; barbecue chicken – chicken, red onion and barbecue sauce; and Italian beef grinder – Italian beef, giardiniera and red onion.

He knows what works, as the pizza recipes are from the first restaurant Nilles worked at. Other items on Riverside Pizza & Pub's menu include wings, burgers, sandwiches and pasta.

“Our burgers are never frozen and are 100 percent Angus beef,” he said. “They have great flavor.”

Desserts are also on the menu. The restaurant’s cheese cakes and carrot cakes are made by Cookie Dough Creations in Naperville, Nilles said.

Nilles said the restaurant’s mission is simple.

“We want to provide a comfortable atmosphere, and good food at good prices,” he said.

More information about Riverside Pizza & Pub is available at the restaurant's website, www.riversidepizzapub.com, or on its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/riversidepizzaandpub.