This place rocks. Group of 5 of us came last Thursday afternoon for drinks. There was only 1 bartender / server and she was working her ass off! Kudos to her for kicking ass. Came back Saturday before a soccer match at Soldier Field. Perfect place before the match to pregame. Just steps away from the stadium. Great food, great drinks, great service, right on the water. One of the best places we found while in Chicago. read more

I got a baked potato with brisket from the BBQ place. The potato was undercooked and they didn't have any cheese (that was supposed to be included). They didn't tell me, then when I asked for some and was told there was none, there was no concern or apology. The brisket was not great. My kids got the fried chicken sandwiches from the main restaurant and liked them, but for $17 way too expensive and only came with chips. A soda water was $5. read more

Boat Drinks - Smoked brisket w/baked potato - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great outdoor boating spot for live music, food and drink - accessible off Chicago's bike path across from soldier field and northerly island. So when at a concert and have time to kill stop by for a drink - food - music and atmosphere read more

See all

The menu says 10 and they charge 14. I ask why and they say "the menu is out of date." Inexcusable.

Great place to grab some food, drinks and listen to live music. The staff was helpful and very friendly. Will be back soon.

Specifically checked website to verify hours. Website verified the restaurant would be open at 11.00. We were so looking forward to a late breakfast/early lunch sitting outside on a beautiful day. Arrived after 11:15 and the place was a ghost town. So disappointed. read more

Tiny little harbor bar with food right on the edge of the lake. Service was a bit slow but they were crazy busy when we stopped in. Self seating and we never found a table or chairs that didn't wobble or lean but we got over it. They have a few little cabana spots which were nice but all the cushions were torn and dirty. Was a fun atmosphere and if going for a few drinks would love to return. Not sure if I would return for food again. Food was good but nothing special. read more

Great service, awesome music, and even better food! Highly recommend for an afternoon or evening off the harbor.

Stopped here during my walk today for lunch. I got the mahi-mahi wrap, which came with kettle chips, a pickle, and coleslaw. This was a great deal for only $13. The wrap is priced at $10, with an additional $2 to add the fish. The wrap was just okay. It was supposed to come with spinach, cheese, mayo, and tomatoes. However, the cheese was missing, and there wasn't much mayo. Honestly, the wrap lacked taste and flavor. It was so bland that I had to request some ranch. Once I got the ranch, it tasted a whole lot better. read more

See all

Great food and vibes along the water. Plenty of tvs and sitting options at the bar or by the live band. Great service and selection of drinks. The beef is one of the best menu items!!! read more

Boat Drinks - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Location is a perfect spot for this to be a hidden gem. Boat beach feeling with a great setup. Bar by the water and a raised wood deck with couches and benches. It's great to have a drink and be next to the water. The music was great as well. The guy here the night we went was really good and it wasn't too loud where you couldn't converse but at the same time was great quality music. The food was so so but the vibe and location make this a great place. We will be back read more

Boat Drinks - Cheeseburger - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Fun atmosphere, good drinks and great views. Just could use some additional bartenders for busy times (Sat evenings) but would def recommend a visit before shows at Northerly Island or Soldier Field. read more

See all

Good food good service nice people great band. I love it.!!! They have friendly service great atmosphere. New pizzas are very good. Also, we're lucky to have them at the harbor. read more

Great place to chill - live music nightly. When we were there in June they were making improvements to the expanded deck area under the trees. (Be ware of bold Canada Geese...) read more

See all

So much potential and they fall short all the time with service being just terrible. It takes forever to get a drink when the place gets busy and that's a big deal for people who want to unwind and catch some music. read more

I wish I could give this place 10 stars!!! Tyler is AMAZING! Chucho is also an amazing bartender! The vibes are top tier. Food timing was fast. Music was awesome. Will return! read more

Perfect pre concert location. Great views of the boats/water I ordered from bbq restaurant next door and got my food instantly. My friends that ordered from Boat Drinks waited and hour for theirs only to find out their order was "lost" despite being told they were "making it" Good drinks at both spots read more

I love Boat Drinks because it makes me feel like I'm back in Florida. Great views of the marina and plenty of shaded seating. Drinks are kinda pricey but it's Chicago. The Italian beef quesadilla is good! Bartenders are always nice. One of my favorite day spots to hang out & read a book in the summer. read more

Great location and views. Food is decent and service can be a bit slow if they are busy but that's to be expected I guess. Love the free music and vibe read more

Such a fun place to go to in the nice weather. Sit outside and watch all the boats! Full bar!

I don't often give 5 stars for restaurants that aren't Michelin level, but we had what was basically a perfect experience at Boat Drinks this past weekend. First, we were lucky to snag a table in the shade, on the water...our server Jesse was amazing...both friendly and attentive...drinks were great, and I thought reasonably priced for a bar/restaurant right on the Lake.... And finally, they serve an absolutely PERFECT grilled cheese. Nothing fancy...just a perfectly greasy, perfectly grilled, sandwich on cheap white bread, with a ton of melted American cheese. Seriously...nothing goes better with a sunny day at the harbor!! You can thank me later. I can guarantee I'll be back...I'll be the one with the yummy grilled cheese sandwich. Cheers!! read more

Boat Drinks - Drinks with a view! - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

I've enjoyed the live music at Boat Drinks several times. There's just something about good music, cold drinks, and the lake breeze and that puts a smile on your face, and the bonus firework show on Wednesday nights doesn't hurt! read more

I really wish I could give this place a higher rating because their location is awesome. They are walking distance from Soldier Field, right on Burnham Harbor next to some gorgeous looking boats, they have a TON of outdoor seating, dog friendly, and have live music...but wait staff could be better. We've came here multiple times and they are always moving slow, with no personality, no "please" or "thank you"...they look like they don't want to be working. Maybe that's a management thing? Either way, I hope they some changes by next summer because we're locals. read more

See all

Best hidden gem of the entire city. Great nightly lineup of bands, all styles. Excellent food options. The ownership is incredible & generous to the staff & the performers get treated better than we could ever hope for. Great views of the city. Great place to chill, ambience, full bar. Dog & cougar friendly. Best Mahi-Mahi sandwich you'll ever have. read more

Boat Drinks is a hidden gem, it is the perfect place to relax on a summer day. I was pleasantly surprised to find out it's more than just a bar; the food there is delicious and it's one of my favorite places to get a burger and sit by the water. They have live music in the summer which is a treat. read more

Where do I start, beginning of the season, this was my and girl's go to after work. September.....not sure what happened, tiny weanie drinks and bartenders with terrible attitudes. Big ups to the cooks! Keep jamming. Bartender!!!!! Treat everyone the same... damn. It's not hard. read more

Boat Drinks - a group of people sitting at a bar - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Love the Mahi Mahi sandwich. Have tried that and mostly everything in the menu. Yummy. And they give Very generous portions so great for sharing. read more

Cool low key place on the water for drinks and bar food. I'm a big fan of the Italian beef quesadilla. The staff and service is good and pleasant. read more

Exactly the spot two hot, tired walkers needed on a sunny afternoon - cold drinks, and comfy seats in the shade, head-bopping music and chatty-ish staff. perfect combo. read more

I stumbled on this place a few months ago on a bike ride. I had no idea such a lovely place existed in Chicago. Chicagoans pride themselves in our beautiful lakefront, but there are so few places to sit down, have a bite to eat or a drink, and truly enjoy. I wanted to go back and finally made it there last Sunday. Excellent service ( Maggie is the best!!), good food and the best Bloody Mary (yellow tomatoes) I've ever had. I thought twice about leaving this review as I wasn't sure I wanted to share this special place. read more

Boat Drinks - American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I don't know what it is about the Chicago Park District concessionaires. They all have so much potential, and yet so many of them SUCK SO HARD. Boat Drinks is a great example. Right on Burnham Harbor. Beautiful setting right across from Northerly Island. Parking there was crazy expensive ($30), but who cares, we don't come down here often, and I think the parking is more tailored towards boaters, anyway. Lots of outdoor seating. Band playing, and they were pretty good. Restrooms were kinda awful, but I'll give them a pass, as I believe the Park District has a piece of maintaining them. Layout is a little confusing - Boat Drinks in the bar/grill in the little building, and Big BBQ is set up as it's own thing nearby. I think they're two separate entities, so this review is just for Boat Drinks. Food was your basic bar food. Burgers, sammies, fries, etc. Not bad for what it is. Service at the bar was terrible. Like, WTF. Stand there forever waiting for the bartender, as he seems to serve people in random order. Go up there the first time, a beer is $7. Go up a second time 20 minutes later, now a beer is $8. Nothing drives me up the wall more than a bartender who thinks it's OK to make up prices as they go. This place has so much potential, and it seems like a bartender who gives a dang could be raking in tips. Instead, you got a guy who's tending bar with an attitude like he's stocking shelves at Wal Mart. read more

Incredible venue. Amazing food, very friendly and welcoming staff, great music every day... it's a hidden gem for Chicago.

This place is a hidden gem in the south loop, great food, live music almost every night in the summer and reasonably cheap drinks. There's a little bar area where you can order but it's all outdoor seating and they bring your food out to you. read more

The waitstaff are nice and drinks are good. The view is amazing and the bands are cool The food is pretty inedible - just bad microwaved bar food - even basic food is just gross - except when this man brings his BBQ and smoker out front and sells his own ribs (which are excellent). The owner's wife however was awful - she started an argument over someone's dog that barked at her kids who were playing on the ground in dirty in a puddle. She decided to leave her kids there let the situation w the dog escalate while some chick w the dog had to squeeze past w her barking dog. Basically the owners wife ended up throwing her weight around - starting an argument not liking how it went and kicking a bunch of people out for talking back to her. So entitled and haughty - I was a bystander who just ordered drinks and food who said to The dog lady "my dogs act crazy sometimes when they see kids or humans doing something weird or on the floor too" - just to make her feel better as she tried to leave. The kids were left to block the exit on the floor for this dog that was freaking out. So the owners wife starts yelling about how I'm blaming her kids - not the case. It escalated and she was definitely in the mood to argue and fight and I ended up telling her off :-/ Not how you act w a barking dog and he kids on the ground and definitely not how you run a business trying to start fights w customers. I was literally trying to make the lady w the dog feel better as she was leaving. As if the awful food wasn't enough read more

This place is the absolute best, and any time I'm here the staff (Jill especially) were extremely kind and provided great service. Drinks are a plenty and food is unmatched! If you're ever in the area I'd definitely recommend (live music most of the days and let me tell you that the lighting and outdoor scene is calming, yet exciting all at the same time) read more

Good vibes and the live music is legit. The food is pretty good; however, it is very hard to justify the high prices. We paid $41 (pre-tip) for two cans of Miller Lite, PB&J sandwich, wings and fries. I guess if you have a boat, you can afford it. read more

Rude people. Horrible vibe. Bartenders totally rude. Scowling the whole entire time! Really weird weird vibe.

I love this spot. The staff are excellent and the location is unbelievable. They have live music Thursday-Sunday and it's usually pretty good. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because it is definitely overpriced, but I'm willing to pay it for the location and experience. read more

Good location and on the water, however the service was terrible. We had to wait 30 minutes to put in our order or even receive any drinks. After one hour of waiting for our food we went to ask how much longer, and they told us they forgot to put our order in. Terrible service overall, would not recommend. read more

Very expensive, very limited menu and by 1 pm they ran out of one of the main ingredients. Location good, food so so. 4 cheese sticks for 12! Service basic. read more