Needs a complete overhaul. This GWL location is one of the more updated, but Barnwood is laughably bad. Understaffed, one server for the whole restaurant. Even during slow times, service was horrendous. Bar is understocked. Could only make one mojito, didn't have the ingredients for a second. Children's portions are minuscule for the price. Was served very undercooked chicken. Thankfully I cut my chicken sandwiches in half before eating, and even in the dim lighting saw that it was not cooked through. Wasn't offered a different option... I called after the fact because I was told there was no manager to speak with and that someone would call me the next day. After about an hour on hold I got an empathetic manager who was able to give us some credits on our stay... but you couldn't pay me to eat there again. read more

Just ok. We didn't have a reservation and didn't need one as it seems we may have arrived prior to the dinner rush. Glasses were water droplet stained which was kind of ick. Cocktails were ok. I orders the chili line chicken rice bowl. It was good but didn't necessarily seem to fit the description. It had rotisserie chicken in it which was different. It was just such a huge portion I felt like I barely ate half and I was full. My husband had a burger that he liked. My kids had pasta. It's pricey, but what do you expect for GWL. It was nice and quiet though which was nice. read more

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I popped into Barnwood to grab a bite while my best friend was walking around the mall with her babies. I didn't expect it to be so good! But it was delicious! I grabbed a quick appetizer and tomato soup. The portions were actually pretty large. I sat at the bar and the service was excellent. The bartender was very attentive and very nice. The ambiance was pretty cool. Huge windows overlooking all the people having a great time at the water park. read more

Barnwood - Gurnee - Tomato soup - American Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

My shrimp and steak was swimming in olive oil, the flavor was lacking, the music was incredibly loud, and my kids could barely color on their purple kids menus with the two crayons they were given: blue and green crayons. Positives: my kids liked their cheeseburgers. The food was fine, the beverages were 3/5. Everything was fine. Nothing was really good. read more

Overcooked shrimp. Grey, floppy, undercooked steak that looked like it had just been thrown in a microwave. Green beans so fibrous I couldn't swallow them. Absolutely NOT worth what they charge. read more

The chicken nachos were terrible. It was basically chicken cat food with a nacho cheese sauce over it. The kids meal mac & cheese was extremely small for a kids portion. Don't eat at the great Wolf Lodge you would be better satisfied at the nearby Culver's or a local pizza joint. read more

Ordered to go. They gave us the wrong order, instead of BBQ wings for my kiddo they gave us hot wings. Tried to call to get it fixed but they have the phone shut off. Have one sad kiddo now. read more

Surprisingly they were not accommodating to families with a toddler. One of the alleged benefits of GWL was having this type of restaurant available but that didn't work out this time. I'd say definitely don't go out of your way to eat here and maybe think twice if you're a guest here. Not surprised the restaurant was empty even when the lodge felt packed. read more

I'm not a reviewer typically but that Roasted Chicken crispy skin, charred garlic green beans, buttery mashed potatoes, thyme chicken glaze was Amazing! Price is slightly more here for the food options but it's the only sit down served food in the resort not fast food, pizza or tacos! The steak frites were also delicious but the steak was a little chewier and more medium rare than medium but it paired nicely with french fries and aioli. My daughter's mini corn dogs served not from a bag and freshly battered to perfection. Recommend this place if you want a treat night with a beer or glass of wine each to expect 100 dollars per couple. Carlito N served us and was very attentive. Side note: This place is definitely bettering their image as different staff members asked us multiple times if we needed anything and if our food was cooked to our likings. read more

Barnwood - Gurnee - American Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

Convenient if staying at Great Wolf Lodge but not worth the price. Of course all restaurants here are a little over priced. Staff were friendly and accommodating. Food was ok. Best thing was the soft pretzel. Definitely one of the nicer restaurants on-site. read more

Barnwood - Gurnee - Pretzel appetizer - American Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

$30 hospital food is a good description. I wasn't expecting much from a resort restaurant in Gurnee, it was impressively below my expectations. Order out or get a pizza from GW. read more

Honestly this is a step above hospital food. It's like I would expect a dying patient to get this as a last or close to last meal. Like it looks pretty but it's ultimately a disappointment. The food is like getting an Otp handy on your birthday from your soon to be ex wife who just wishes you would leave already. Also my margarita was carbonated. read more

Nope. Overpriced. Not good. We ordered the chicken lime bowl (one vegetarian and one chicken). They barely had black beans and the chicken looks like it came from a can. The bowls were over $20 for mostly rice and mystery sauce. Not good. read more

Barnwood - Gurnee - Chicken lime bowl - American Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

Overpriced , small portions. Lettuce wrap had little flavor. The ribs didn't fall off the bone and skin was tough. Kids spaghetti meal looked like a chef Chef Boyarde can meal (for $10). Initial table was dirty. Tomorrow night we will find a better dinner option. Place was a rip off and won't return or recommend! read more

Meh slow service mediocre steak. Forgot our drinks I hate complaining but for a $50 New York I was hoping it would at least taste decent wrong it was rubbery af. Go down the street to Cracker Barrel. read more

I actually really like this restaurant! Considering it is inside Great wolf Lodge, it was really a pleasant surprise! Most of the food was great! And not all deep fried and bar food like a lot of the other choices here. The service was good, however you could tell they were short staffed. We had the same waitress both nights and she was wonderful! They also offer both 6 and 9oz wine pours! And they have good options for wine! The first night we had the lettuce wraps, which I wouldn't recommend actually, the steak and Fries, and the power greens salad with shrimp. The steak and the salad were awesome! I also loved how they did the Parmesan fries. The second night we had the grilled shrimp over cauliflower rice and it was nice and light and super flavorful as well as the braised short rib bolognese, which was incredible! The kids can watch the water park or play in the lobby while you wait for food which is nice. Very kids friendly with food adults would actually like! read more

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We were there for thanksgiving dinner. We could only book 8:30PM which was fine since we were out of options. The food we ordered was taking 50-55 minutes. The food was "Not hot" since it had to be sitting in the kitchen for a while. Food taste was just okay. read more

The food there is pretty nice. I give four stars because when I went there two days ago, i had to wait 40mins to receive my salad. They did have only two servers and i was told they were busy and sorry that it took too long. A few months ago, we went this restaurant, and that time everything was great. I will go back when i visit great wolf lodge. Kids like their kids meals, adults get to have nice cocktails, food is decent. Ill update next time i go. read more

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Worst restaurant experience ever. I was served room temperature meat, and when I complained I was refused to speak to the floor or kitchen manager. Eat here if you're willing to get sick read more

Food was gross. Nasty. First bite of bacon, I ran to the rest room wasn't sure I would keep down the eggs I ate. Just about every table there was a lot of food waste and knew why. The eggs were okay. I eat protein for breakfast and no processed carbs. There were many of them. Biscuit and gravy, donuts a plenty, pancakes, toast, think bagels too. Fresh fruit which was all empty but a spoon in each dish which was a challenge to get any. Yogurt and cottage cheese, sausage (cold) and bacon was so bad nobody ate except those that doused theirs with hfc syrup. Price for this nasty food. $20 plus drink plus a 20% forced gratuity fee. And $10 for kids. My three year old ate nothing. Drank her $4 cup of chocolate milk. Service was nice enough. Considering they rarely were there to serve us. I got only one cup of coffee. Never came back to refill. read more

Horrible. Skip this restaurant. How long for a table ? 40mins okayyy. How long for to go order? About 20-25mins. Okay placed an order. It has been over an hour - no food. Food finally arrived we bring it to our room. No silverware (ordered soups and salads) No ketchup for sandwiches, fries burgers. Messed up order. A complete waste of time especially when you are here with kids who have been in a water park all day and are "starving"! read more

Bartender was also server. Some drinks didn't come. Food was below average. No positives I can think of

We stay at the Great Wolf Lodge with our grandchildren and could not have been more impressed. We ate at the Barnwood Restaurant two nights and found it to outstanding. The service was exception, Eric was great. They were very considerate of the children and accommodated every request. The chicken was perfect, moist, and very flavorful. The salmon was a huge success with my wife. The Barnwood is a hidden gem and worth visiting. Very impressive. read more

Atmosphere was nice and the server was great however, my boyfriends burger was still raw in the middle. Not pink but raw, like cold and raw. I ordered a steak med rare and it was definitely more rare too but that was fine with me. The tables are very small if you have 4 at a 4 top. We couldnt even finish our appetizer because when the entrees came out there was no room. Very uncomfortable. Just not what id expect for the pricing. read more

Service was incredibly slow for us. We waited an hour between ordering and receiving our food. For simple burgers, fries, salad this was really unexpected and frustrating. Fries were cold. The food in general was heavily overpriced. If you're at great wolf lodge I recommend venturing outside for food as much as you can. read more

The service was good... but there's a reason this place was empty at dinner time. Drinks were weak and the food was not good. Very convenient if you are staying at the hotel, but it might be worth it to order out. read more

My wife and I started coming to this location even before it was Great Wolf Lodge and the present Barnwood Bar and Restaurant. It was called Key Lime Cove and the restaurant was another name. Before visiting Barnwood I reviewed most of the reviews and many customers had different impressions of the facility and I wanted to judge it for myself. After making reservations we entered the restaurant and there were about five customers in total there. I noticed immediately that it was very dry and the lighting was not appropriate. As we were not greeted by a host we walked over to the bartender, who seemed quite dry-faced and unfriendly. He asked if he could help and we said we had reservations for two. Soon a waiter came from in back and seated us. He was very friendly and professional. The menu was very limited and the prices were truly steep for a small water park setting. The food was pretty good however basic dinners of baked chicken and vegetables for me and braised pork pasta for my wife along with two drinks cost us $84 with tip. The food was far too overpriced. Although the restaurant and food were far better than the other reviews had expressed, the decor and ambiance were truly lacking. These meals would cost no more than $45 at restaurants like Cracker Barrel! In addition, as the bar staff are many times the first to come in contact with the public, a more friendly attitude would go a long way. Rick Rodgers Vice President Retired Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin read more

Barnwood - Gurnee - Rick and Jewel sharing an anniversary meal at the Barnwood Restaurant - American Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

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Our last dinner night at Great Wolf and we decided on the Barnwood. I was greatly disappointed with my drink and meal. More so the meal. I ordered the crispy chicken sandwich and believe me it was so crispy that there was only crust! The chicken was over fried!!! Also I substituted a salad for the fries. It was served with fries and I had to remind the waiter of my order. He did take the fries back and told me they had ran out of balsamic dressing and had to run downstairs to get some. I canceled the salad because I had already waited a while for the sandwich. The waiter did apologize for everything and voided my meal. I do understand that Covid-19 has changed some things but we must work with the staff we have and teach them correctly!!!! read more

This restaurant is on the Great Wolf Lodge property, so I expected them to be able to deal with the dinner rush well. We had 8:15pm reservations for a family of 4, didn't get our order taken until 8:32pm & the food didn't arrive until after 9:15. When it did arrive there was a bug on the celery that came with the kid's meal. The management was very accommodating & gave us coupons to eat at another restaurant on the property, but I wouldn't eat here again. We used GrubHub to get Happy Meals & it came in less than 20 minutes. read more

I didn't have high expectations for Barnwood being it was a restaurant at Great Wolf Lodge, but I was wrong! There for an overnight we ate here twice. Once for dinner and lunch the following day. The children's meals are what you would expect but the rest of the menu offered thoughtful, perfectly prepared innovative dishes. There was something for everyone.....lots of veggies to be had, great gluten free options, etc. i ordered the mushroom risotto the first time and seriously considering having it for lunch the next day. The rice was perfectly al dente and it was loaded with a variety of mushrooms. Instead though I had a perfectly cooked medium rare burger with fries (gf!). If they happen to offer the s'mores sundae (gf w/o graham crackers) get it but split it....it's super rich and very large. It was so much better and of greater value than the ice cream place in the resort. I think the prices of Barnwood were fair and typical for this type of place. read more

Food was 'OK'. The two entry doors to the hotel lobby where the restaurant is were stuck open and we literally froze during the entire dinner. We asked the server and he said they have been trying to get them fixed for several days but hadn't gotten it figured out. Good grief. Its January in Chicago. Fix the doors!! read more

Just had a fantastic meal here. The grilled octopus app was amazing, the rissoto was really great. Dessert was the smore sunday. Even the kids at other tables were well behaved. Our waitress's suggestions were really on point. Would come back even if I wasn't staying at the resort. read more

The service was great, but the food was garbage. the worst restaurant in the great wolf lodge, and easily the most expensive. the salads were inedible, the bread was cold, the white wine was warm, and the cocktails didn't seem to have any alcohol in them. save your money. eat some dirt or bugs or something. read more

We celebrated my mother's birthday here and had an awesome bartender! Courtney was such a pleasure during our appetizers and drinks. She added to the conversation when appropriate and had everyone cracking up! The time flew by and we didn't even notice it. My mother isn't an easy lady to please, and even with the first two drinks she asked for unavailable, Courtney had her happy as a clam! Highly recommended. :) read more

Do NOT waste your money. We stayed inside the lodge and were really looking forward to eating dinner here the first night. This was probably the most nastiest overpriced food my family and I have ever had. The waitress was at least nice enough to tell us what to completely stay away from. read more

Would give 6 if I could. We're here with my soon-to-be mother-in-law for her bday and we came in for a few drinks and apps. Sat at the bar and the bartender Courtney was awesome! Chatted with us, made us feel at home, and made super good drinks. Oh, and also gave us info about the area as we needed it. Food was good but service always makes or breaks a place and if Courtney is around, we'd definitely be back. read more

We stayed at the Great Wolfe Lodge and this was our last night in town. We made reservations and the time of seating was spot on. After that the experience went down hill. We ordered your drinks and food at the same time. Our drinks came out shortly after. So we waited for our food for over an hour and stoped our waiter to ask what was going on. There a mixup in the placement of our orders. He check and said 5-10 minutes. Half hour later as we are all getting very upset he says they are running behind. Obviously!!! We where offered apps for free which came right out. All the while all the tables around us put in and received the he orders. We finally got our food 1 hour and 40 minutes after they where order. Quality was poor and not what was specified on the menu. We eat out all over the country and this was in the the top five worst experiences we have ever had. Management should have been involved in this disaster of an evening. We will "Never" eat here again. read more

Best octopus ive had in awhile, along with my perfectly cooked new york strip, Barnwood youve really out done yourself

Service was amazing! Food was a HUGE disappointment ESPECIALLY for the price! The spicy shrimp pasta was basically spaghetti that u can make at home. The chicken tortilla soup was broth and carrots and tomato. had to add lots of pepper to ale it worth eating. After this it was $52 bill.... for food I did not care for at all. It was freezing in the restaurant. read more

We were staying at great wolf lodge and we decided to eat at barnwood. Service and food was horrible. We didn't even get offered water. Do not go there read more