Love this place. Great spot to stop for a couple of cocktails. Have a diverse array of things on…read morethe specialty drink menu, and serve some small plates as well. Has turned into a semi-regular stop when we're out and about

I've been to The Alchemist multiple times because my boyfriend loves it, even though I've always…read morethought it was just alright. We usually sit inside, but I wanted to sit on their patio. We came about an hour before their kitchen closed. For some reason the service was just bad this time. Our waitress took a long time to come and check on us, forgot to bring us our drinks, forgot to bring our food to us (the waiter serving the table next to us brought it... he was doing a great job and kinda wish we had him instead lol), and took forever to come pick up our check. Just overall felt like we were questioning where she was the entire time. We got the focaccia bread with side of vodka sauce, togarashi fries, tenderloin skewers, and oysters (forgot to get a photo). The food was good and the cocktails were refreshing. My favorite was the focaccia with the vodka sauce. The fries were also crispy and flavorful.

I visited Rec Haus for the first time a couple months ago, and have been there a lot since. I…read morerecently looked at their Yelp reviews, because I wanted to leave one of my own. I'm going to leave my honest review while also noting what I saw from other people -FOOD is actually really good here! And it's gotten better since they first opened. They added a lot of stuff recently. My first time there I had a wrap that was huge and really good, fries are epic. -DRINKS Their beer wall is literally local, not "fake local" with Chicago beers lol. They have a really wide range of things at the bar and cocktails were cool, but I haven't tried too many of them. -GAMEPLAY has content deals going on, huge selection of games, impressive variety for the space. -VIBE is EPICCCCC. They hit the sweet spot for being kid friendly, corporate friendly, and college frat boy friendly all at the same time. Super rare to be able to pull that off. It's laid out well and designed well for that to happen. I've seen moms work at the bar tables with a beer and lunch whole their kid goes to play games. I've been there myself with kids around and during late night hours and never once felt like I was around a bunch of children or a bunch of belligerents. Impressive. Good for LITERALLY anyone and everyone. -STAFF has been pretty helpful 10/10 times. I feel like they're all super kind which reflects on the management in my opinion. When I've had a problem or noticed someone else was a bit upset or hadn't gotten fast service on busy hours, they seemed to be willing to problem solve (I like to eavesdrop). I think they're well trained to work with customer service in mind, again has to be reflecting on management, -NO CASH! This seems to be the new norm at a lot of places, and they don't do any extra CC fees that literally every other business has. Honestly, I've seen some people that maybe had a bad experience and they could have been more understanding before reviewing, but I've been the same way. All that said, I love this little gem in St Charles and it's nice to have some variety in options out here. I want to see small businesses do well so they've got my loyalty for sure!

Came here on a date to watch the USMNT in the World Cup. Big mistake…read more It was bingo night so no game sound. Game was only less than half the TVs. I'm sure that there were folks there who really wanted to catch the Yankees game. Anyway, the woman calling bingo was losing her voice and did not really add to the experience. (She was very friendly as opposed to the rest of the staff.) They allowed young children to sit at the bar for bingo, which surprised me and is uncool in my book if not illegal. I don't want to sit at the bar next to your hyper pre-teen. The food is self serve. You order via your phone. Pick food up at the kitchen window. Food was decent enough. Plastic utensils. The bartenders (and I was one back in the day) were inattentive. Asked the busboy, who sort of lurked behind the bar washing glasses from time to time, for a box to go and he pointed to a table set up for to go orders. Thanks, man. Charging a 3% credit card fee when you don't accept cash is absolutely lame. Yes, debit cards are free. I didn't see that until after I paid the bill. There is a pour your own draft system with about a dozen beers but that doesn't impress me. An undersized bags, bocce and putting green. Some decent new arcade games. I guess it works just fine as a Chuck E Cheese alternative with fewer games and a full liquor bar. I can safely say that I won't be going here again for a date night or otherwise.

Fun spot with unique cuisine, this restaurant may be small but the food packs big flavor. On my…read morevisit here, I had the opportunity to try two dishes off the shareables menu and was super impressed with both of them. Service was also quick and friendly throughout the entire meal. The Birria egg rolls were a bit on the smaller side but made a big impression with its preparation. I've never had birria wrapped in anything as crispy as the wonton wrapper this was wrapped in. The birria was flavorful while being tender and not being too salty. The white cheddar and chihuahua cheese added a small amount of extra saltiness and a bit more fat, which matched well with the chipotle aiola. The duck poutine was incredibly flavorful, while sitting on the edge of potentially being too bold. The fries were incredibly crispy though there was quite a bit of gravy on the dish and the white cheddar cheese curds did a great job of keeping the entire dish hot throughout the meal, while adding a little bit of extra flavor. The bacon and onion added some umami though it almost made the dish a bit too salty and the duck confit added a nice protein element. Overall a little pricey, but given the more unique menu and quality of both the flavors and textures, it's worth the premium. The food here is definitely memorable and in line with excellent options available in Geneva.

All around had an amazing time! Visiting in town for work…read moreand wondered along this place that was delightful and charming. Henry was our server/bartender and gave us excellent service. He was naturally humorous and humble. The best part was my Tuna Tartare. I order it everywhere I go & I must say - it was the best I've had this year! Thank you Barrel + Rye!

Drinks are super interesting and food is delicious and authentic! It's a little on the loud side…read morebut has a cool vibe to it.

We were seated promptly. The SEATS are not good. They have these barrel-type chairs that are too…read morelow for the tables. My husband is 6'2" and he was still low to the table. It was like a little kid eating at the grown ups table. The food was good. Drinks good. But if you are not comfortable eating it, what's the point! They serve on these tiered hot stone dishes. The servers have a hard time handling them and I was afraid she was going to drop it. Get some appropriate chairs and ditch the hot clunky dishes.

Had a great time! Loved the decor so much!! The pinballs and video games were really fun. The…read moredrinks were delicious, they have a great beer menu. Service was fine!

Saw some pics online of this place after searching for bars in downtown St. Charles to check out…read moreand figured it looked pretty interesting. We came during a slower time because we ate dinner early but it picked up later on. The beers on tap were pretty good and the owners and bartender were very personable. The prices were reasonable too. It's really chill and we enjoyed playing bags on the patio in the back. Love the artwork, funky decor, pinball machines, darts, etc. My fav was the "garage beer fridge" behind the bar. The vibes here are great! Would definitely recommend and go back.

A nice spot to grab a drink on a nice weather day - the outdoor patio is fantastic!…read more The fellas and I grabbed a round of brews here while roaming around downtown Geneva and we had zero complaints. It was really nice out so, naturally, we were at the outdoor bar/patio. What a delightful space: open, airy, ample seating, great staff. The biggest bummer is navigating inside for the bathroom but everything else is top notch. We're fans and will return again!

Have always had a great experience at preservation. Their shareable plates are also delicious…read more Enjoy hanging with the live music during the weeknights.

If you're looking for a local pub, that has very good food, and serves Malort, has a bunch of TVs…read morewith a bunch of different sports, I would recommend the Dam bar. The bartenders are friendly, very easy on the eyes, and are simply downright excellent people. Now let's be realistic. If you're looking for a fillet mignon. This is not the place. But if you're looking for good burgers, good sweet potato fries, an excellent Reuben, a monster salad, and a chicken quesadilla that's loaded, and a crazy loaded jalapeño thing, this place is for you. If you're looking for Michelin level cuisine and waitresses that scrape the table cloths during your meal...yeah, no. I've seen a few of the comments talking about individual situations, and I can say if you're looking to be a jerk, then you'll probably be treated like a jerk, then please don't come back and the rest of us will be quite happy not to observe your drama. I would put the Dam bar in the top 5 of all bars in Kane County. And the number #1 pub in Geneva. And we have a lot of good pubs in Geneva too. If you're looking for a casual place to watch the game, then the Dam bar is highly recommended. Thank you for reading my feedback.

If you want a dive bar with solid wings then Dam Bar is where you want to go!…read more Some friends and I grabbed a bite while bouncing around between bars one day. Not only were we hungry but thirsty too. We found the right spot! Sure, it's divey. But I happen to love places like this! They end up having the best personality and the best food. Both held true - the wings were delicious and the cold beer was served by a kind waitress. We'll be back...

On our first night in St. Charles for the Jazz Fest, we headed into The House Pub to hear a great…read morehorn player. Frank Capalano was the reason we went in, but the cool vibe kept us there for a few hours. The vintage building looked great on the outside. The big brick building looked like there was some history behind those doors. We walked into a dark room with two levels, a big bar flanking one side of the room and a stage with a dancefloor. I could tell people have fun here. We snagged a small table and listened to the 4-piece band while sipping on an ice-cold beer. The bartender Chris was fantastic. He got busy but never forgot us. There was a popcorn machine which was great, but I was hoping for a meal or at least an appetizer, since I had just gotten off work. It does have the word PUB in it's name. Oh well, the music kept us too busy all night to think about food. The place seems as though it has gotten a facelift. It looks restored not renovated. Everything was super clean, which is always a good thing. I really enjoyed my night at The House Pub and would definitely stop in again the next time I am in town.

The. Best. Bar. I love this place so much!!! Thank god a cool and not-sketchy dive exists out here…read more Incredible music, friendly crowd, best bar crew in town. Can't say enough good things about House.