I haven’t been to West Town Tap since the pre-pandemic times, so I thought we’d stop there for a Lunch At First Bite post. And we’re meeting a special guest who has the honor of being the only luncheon guest star on this series to make a second appearance!

Scroll down to see who this mystery luncheon guest is!

Here we are at the West Town Tap on Western Avenue in West Peoria.

The wild, wild, west of P-Town!

This is one of the few taverns in town that serves breakfast and it’s open at 6am! If you’re a third shift worker, you need to check this place out for after work breakfast and beers!

There’s the bar and I snagged a seat on the far end of the square bar that dominates the left half of the space in here. Friendly bartender Shesna was on duty and she took my request for an iced tea.

I have to work in a few hours, so no booze for me. Sob!

Speaking of booze, here’s the daily drink and food special in the West Town Tap.

There’s the dining room and comfortable booths line the walls with vintage baseball photographs hanging on the wall.

Here’s two shots of the bar from both sides.

Yes, I’ve looked at this bar from both sides now…golly, I feel just like Joni Mitchell!

Here’s the discreet gaming area in the back corner of the bar.

I love that photo of Muhammad Ali and there’s the West Town Tap logo on the wall.

Meanwhile, back at the bar…

Here’s this week’s Lunch At First Bite mystery guest star, my friend Michelle, looking pretty as always!

Michelle’s the first person to appear on this series twice! Click on this link to see her first appearance here!

This bar is where Michelle and I first met, back when it was Champ’s West way back in 2013. Both of us had just moved back to Peoria and I was doing a blog post in the bar. I was taking photos and Michelle was the very first person to recognize me from the blog.

I’ll never forget her saying: “Are you the guy who does that Peoria blog?” I was thrilled to be recognized by someone who was following the blog and we’ve been friends ever since.

It’s always fun to see Michelle and hang out with her!

I decided to try the legendary Butler’s Chicken for lunch.

Shesna took our orders and through the miracle of these here interwebs…

Here’s our lunch, I got the two piece Butler’s chicken dinner and Michelle got the nachos.

They both look fantastic!

Michelle said her nachos were fabulous and this chicken dinner was unbelievable.

The fries were nice and crispy outside and fluffy when you bite into them. The coleslaw is seriously the best I’ve ever had. It was crunchy and tangy with a subtle sweetness coming through.

The star of the lunch was the chicken though!

This is some of the tastiest fried chicken I’ve ever had! The breading is super crunchy and seasoned nicely and the chicken is plump, juicy and so delicious!

This is the man responsible for the chicken, Jeff Butler.

He told me he had several Butler’s Chicken restaurants around Peoria through the years and he’s now creating his fowl magic exclusively at the West Town Tap.

It was great to meet him and if you like fried chicken, you need to stop in here and sample his magical way of preparing it!

I had a blast hanging out with Michelle as always and now it’s time for…

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The Same Three Fucking Questions!

As I noted earlier, Michelle is the first person to appear on this series twice, so she’s already answered these same three fucking questions once but now she’s going to have to answer them for a second fucking time. Holy fuckballs! Here we go!

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1. Does ketchup belong on a hot dog?

I believe ketchup belongs on nothing. I dislike ketchup and hotdogs.

2. Is deep dish pizza really pizza or is it a casserole like Jon Stewart says it is.

Deep dish pizza is high carb casserole...I never thought it was a casserole until the last time you asked me.

3. Why do fools fall in love?

Why do fools fall in love? Well, once again…

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Great answers Michelle and thanks for playing along a second time!

Thanks for meeting me for lunch again, I had a blast, as always! I’m looking forward to your third appearance on here already!

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West Town Tap