FITZ’S | FOOD, FLOATS & FINS    

6605 Delmar Blvd. (314-726-9555)—Begun in 1947 as Fitz’s Drive-In at Clayton Road and Brentwood Boulevard, Fitz’s American Grill & Bottling Works has been bottling and serving root beer (and nostalgia) since 1993, in the cavernous space of a former bank building at the heart of University City’s Delmar Loop. The two-story restaurant, often filled with families and young people, also attracts those old enough to remember hamburgers and fries prior to the franchise variety. Burgers, sandwiches, wraps, salads and soups are washed down with shakes, floats and cream soda. The time to witness the fascinating brewing process is the weekend. This happy place recalls a time of innocence in America, a simpler time when gas-guzzling, long fin cars were all the rage, and a guy and his girl ordered “one soda, two straws.” Fitz’s