Where do you eat in Old Town Florissant on the busiest Sunday of its fall? The Florissant Fall Festival takes over Rue St. Francois this Sunday, October 11, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. On a Sunday, the three Old Town kitchens with the strongest followings are all closed.
Hendel's, Made. by Lia and Red Oven Wood Fired Pizza all post Sunday as a closed day. The festival fills the street on the one day of the week those dining rooms are dark. Food vendors on the street, a 24-hour doughnut shop and a tavern carry the day. Everything else is a reason to come back on a Tuesday.
The Festival, by the Basics
Old Town Partners organizes this event. This year is the 29th annual, according to Fun 4 STL Kids, which also lists it as free. The official 2025 listing called last year's festival the 28th, so the count lines up. Handyman Hardware is the 2026 sponsor on the Old Town Partners event page.
The 2026 poster lists:
- Live music
- Food vendors and craft/retail vendors
- Pony rides
- Pumpkin decorating
- A car show
- A dog show
This year's materials don't name bands, post an activity schedule, or list street closures and parking. The most detailed description of the setup is from 2019. That year Community News reported that the festival closed 11 blocks from Florissant Road to the St. Ferdinand Shrine and ran a free FLERT shuttle on St. Catherine for visitors who had trouble with the St. Francois hill. That was seven years ago. Check with Old Town Partners before planning your route or parking around that layout.
Sunday Is the Day Off for Old Town's Best-Known Kitchens
Each restaurant's own posted hours tell the story. This is how the week breaks down for the places that usually anchor a trip to Old Town:
| Place | Address | Posted hours | Open festival Sunday? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hendel's Restaurant | 599 St. Denis St. | Tue–Thu 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–9 p.m. | No |
| Made. by Lia | 610 Rue St. Francois | Tue–Sat 7:30 a.m.–2 p.m. | No |
| Red Oven Wood Fired Pizza | 315 Rue St. Francois | Wed–Thu 4–8 p.m., Fri–Sat 4–9 p.m. | No |
| Bunker's Tavern | 297 Rue St. Francois | Mon–Sat 11 a.m.–1:30 a.m., Sun 11 a.m.–midnight | Yes, per directory listing |
| Old Town Donuts | 510 N. New Florissant Rd. | 24 hours | Yes |
Hendel's is closed both Sunday and Monday. Made. by Lia keeps a Tuesday-through-Saturday breakfast-and-lunch schedule. Red Oven serves only Wednesday through Saturday evenings. So the spots most likely to come up when someone says "let's eat in Old Town" are all off on festival day. The festival poster's food vendors fill most of that gap.
Two Doors That Stay Open
Old Town Donuts is open 24 hours at 510 N. New Florissant Road. It's the original location, open since 1968. In June it won The64's "Best Donut in America" tournament for the second year in a row. KSDK reported that it beat 63 other shops and faced Jason's Donuts of Eagle River, Alaska, again in the final round. The shop thanked the community in its Facebook post after the win:
"As a matter of fact, this community has been showing up in a big way for us since 1968!"
The first title changed how busy the shop gets. In August 2025, St. Louis Magazine reported that after the June 2025 win, owner Keith Took was buying 30 percent more flour each day, his staff was working longer hours, and the line ran out the door day after day. That was after one title. It has two now, so expect a wait on a festival Sunday. Because the shop never closes, you can go early, before the 10 a.m. start, or after the street empties at 5 p.m. The company also runs a Cottleville shop, open since 2012.
Bunker's Tavern at 297 Rue St. Francois lists Sunday hours of 11 a.m. to midnight in the Old Town Partners directory. That would make it the one sit-down option on the festival street itself. Call ahead to confirm. The same directory still lists BJ's Bar and Restaurant at 184 W. Washington St., and KSDK reported that BJ's would close after June 28 this year after operating at that location since 1956. The directory is a helpful starting point, but some listings are out of date.
The Return Trip, Day by Day
Festival Sunday shows you the street and its shops. The weekday schedule is how you get the kitchens. Based on posted hours, this is the earliest window for each one:
- Tuesday morning: Made. by Lia. Doors open at 7:30 a.m. and close at 2 p.m. It's a bakery with coffee and tea, run by Lia Weber, who won TLC's Next Great Baker. It has been on Rue St. Francois since August 2020.
- Tuesday lunch or dinner: Hendel's. It opens at 11 a.m. and doesn't take reservations or parties over eight. There's a Toast waitlist, and the restaurant notes that joining it holds a place in line, not a reserved table. KSDK's Show Me St. Louis has featured it for preserving Old Town's history and sense of community over 30 years.
- Wednesday evening: Red Oven Wood Fired Pizza. Wednesday is its first service of the week, from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday run until 9.
Saturday is the only day all three are open. A full Old Town day on a Saturday could run from a Made. by Lia breakfast to a Red Oven dinner, with Hendel's in between.
The Street Stays Busy Through November
The Fall Festival is the start of a stretch of events in and around Old Town. Once the festival is over, these dates are next on the calendar:
- October 9–11: "Anastasia the Musical" at the Florissant Performing Arts Center, overlapping festival weekend.
- October 13–21: The Old St. Ferdinand Shrine at 1 Rue St. Francois holds an online auction.
- October 17, 2 p.m.: "Magic of America" at the Performing Arts Center.
- October 18, 3 p.m.: Northwinds' "Sunday at the Pops," same venue.
- October 23, 6–8 p.m.: Boo Bash at Eagan, from the city parks calendar.
- October 28, 5–7 p.m.: Spooky Swim at JJE.
- November 6–15: Hawthorne Players stage "Present Laughter" at the Performing Arts Center.
- November 8: Florissant Veteran's Day Parade, listed by Old Town Partners.
- November 18, 7 p.m.: Feast of Mother Philippine Duchesne Mass at the Old St. Ferdinand Shrine.
- November 20: Holiday Market Stroll, from Old Town Partners.
- November 28: Miracle on St. Francois.
The parade on November 8 is also a Sunday, so Hendel's, Made. by Lia and Red Oven will be closed that day too. Miracle on St. Francois falls on Saturday, November 28, the one day all three are open. The Old Town Partners listings for the parade, the market stroll and Miracle don't yet give hours, routes or exact locations. The Shrine's Christmas concert follows on December 6 at 3 p.m.
Which businesses are open, and on which days, is part of what sets the pace of a block like Rue St. Francois. If you own a home or rental near Old Town and want a clear read on what it's worth today, Yuede Brothers can walk through the numbers with you. Request a Free Valuation & Investment Consultation.
