Oh wow, finally a dive bar with food as it should be- incredible! Slightly more divey than I'm used…read moreto but that's just because most places are new and not so tasty. Great service. They had the Daytona 500 on which I kind of like, it remindes me off my dad.

Great food. relaxing pub atmosphere. Felt like we were back in Wisconsin. Kelly, our server, was…read moreamazing. Will be back!

Got some great beers from this brewery. It has been one of the main reasons to get off the Metra…read moretrains at this station. Lake Bluff Brewing Company has been in business quite a few years. A kind of limited amount to choose from but these are well crafted. The prices are okay if a bit higher. Came in and we got a table so we could drink and eat. It's only got beers but you can bring in stuff. There's plenty of places within a fast walk. As for the beers here, the selection is kind of limited. It's about $7 a pint. Best one we got was the Sour Belgian Monkey Strong Ale. It's 9% ABV and certainly strong. For food we went to The Otherdoor. It's about $11 for a few tacos. Also Maevery Public House is next to here. There's lots of close by restaurants and stores. Have a good time with beers and games. It's just beers on the menu but you can still bring in stuff. They're open every weekday and open longer on weekends.

Tiny little place. Met some coworkers there the other day. Ordered the Honey Badger Ale and it was…read moregood. Probably should have ordered something a little darker with a bit more punch (ABV) .... Next time. It was a hot summer afternoon so it wasn't a bad choice. Definitely a summer beer. It's really just a beer place but they had a few lonely bottles of whisky on a shelf behind the bar. Bartender was very nice. Knew their products well. He was nice enough to give me a taste of their beers as well. Will go back. The establishment is located just off Sheridan Road in "downtown" lake bluff. There's plenty of parking and it's a nice little area to walk around.

I enjoyed every bite of my food! Had an excellent dinner…read morewith friends. Our server explained the specials, and provided us with recommendations. She was spot on with her familiarity and description of the dishes we we ordered. The establishment was nice and clean and had a mid century modern feel to it. I can only hope to make a dish like Amish chicken some day, the way the green tied into every bite of my perfectly cooked chicken had me wanting more. I also tried the gnocchi which was amazing best I've had, and also fish and chips had the perfect crispy battering and seasoning. Five starts all around. Thank you! We each ordered drinks and enjoyed those also. Nothing else I can say besides go have some awesome food! Dined in 11/22/2025 @8pm

Out of state visitors! Was recommended by my friend that lives here. We had 3 in our group…read more We waited a bit before the bartender showed and filled our waters (pretty sure we were not in his section). Fred was awesome! The restaurant sits in a tiny strip on a very cool looking street. The hostess sat us quickly to the left of the restaurant, a little strip of booth style tables. The lights above the table were not lit. Phone flashlights were needed to see the menu (old folks). Time was 5:30pm. Unsure why, but we had the bartender as our server (Fred). He was lights out! Food. I had the skirt steak. It was ok. The amount of salsa accoutrement was too much, it was the only thing on the plate and matched the length of the steak. The salsa alongside the steak you could tell was not fresh, it had a dull grayish look to it, with no fresh vibrance to it. The potatoes on the side were ok, probably more suited alongside the steak. Overall I'd say, if the middle of the Shepards Pie was cold that tells me it's not fresh made to order, and the not so fresh salsa, they just need to tighten up. I think it's very close to a top notch restaurant in a sought after neighborhood.

I really want to like this place as our options in Lake Forest are limited. But it is hard given…read moreour experience last night. So we pile the family into the car and head to Duffers for an evening bite to eat. We arrive and are asked to sit wherever you like. Plenty of room so we post up at a table near the back. Service was quick - taking our drink order - delivering a few adult beverages and a pitcher of water in record time. We put in an appetizer order of 20 boneless wings and some cheese curds. Curds came out first and were delicious. Boneless wings next - I take a bite and comment they are cold. Daughter has one and said it was ok. Wife bites into one and realizes the chicken is raw! Raw chicken! That is not good or good for you! The staff once back to the table hurried the uneaten wings away. Provided a free round and a $35 gift card. After paying the bill I am not sure why I did not use the gift card as I am not sure I will be returning. I suppose the card is good for cold beers but I would recommend the salads (sans chicken) or something that can be eaten par cooked. Respectfully submitted.

We stopped in Duffer's Pub, down the street from Chief's, which has been one of our mainstays…read morerecently. The first thing I noticed was that all along downtown Lake Forest were large LF flags so it must have been before the football game. There were lots of families in Duffer's, and they had the windows open and the setting seems rather spacious, with golf simulators. We ordered burgers and tots, which were decent (tots - yum!) although we were let down by Beer Nuggets, which were like pillsbury crescent rolls with red sauce and neither beer nor nuggets. The Detroit style pizza did look very promising and I saw lots of pizza being carried out. Duffer's had a fun, friendly vibe and I'd come back to try the pizza.

A fun dive bar. There's a limited food menu. I would love to see a band there…read more The bartender was nice and attentive. Check it out

This is a great bar. Very friendly staff, and great food. Also has great music on weekendsread more

I love this place. Have been here at least 4-5 times. Loud, unpretentious, regular Irish bar. Good…read morewhiskey selection traditional beers What I really like about this spot is the owners intelligence I'm not putting a kitchen in. They are CONNECTED to a restaurant next door if you want food or order from anywhere along the street for delivery or pick up! Note this is only a challenge on Monday's (Hospitality day) when many of our hard working service industry pros take a day off!

As the theme song from Cheers says "Where Everyone Knows Your Name", Toadstool Pub fits that…read moredescription 100% and is a staple in Highwood. Tommy and his entire bartender staff are great. And they were one of the first bars in Illinois to serve Yuengling Beer once it was released. The live music and the outdoor venue during the summertime is a great atmosphere. If you are looking for an evening in Highwood stop by, have a drink, and say hi to Tommy.

Stopped at a Route 66 diner in Pontiac, IL for lunch, The Log Cabin. It was established in 1926…read moreand they are celebrating their 100th anniversary in May 2026. The Yelp reviews were mostly five stars, and it was touted to be a locals' favorite, so we decided to give it a try. We both chose the patty melt with a cup of vegetable soup. The soup sounded like an excellent choice on this cold cloudy day. The food, the service and the ambience were all wonderful. We finished off the meal sharing a slice of hot peach pie with vanilla bean ice cream. It was all fantastic.

Sports bar with good Polish food and the vibe of a tiki bar mixed with a pirate bar with multiple…read morebocce alleys out back. This place is a little slice of heaven. Established (as the wall told me) in 1936, I expected "Polish" to be in menu alone...and I was wrong. The gal behind the bar had an accent. Halfway through the Bears game, I started hearing folks concerning and cheering in Polish. I felt like I had slipped into a cool little club to which I would never have otherwise been invited. Loud (but not too loud) and boisterous. I read some other reviews talking about rude regulars: rubbish. Chicago is loud and direct. If you don't like that vibe, the shoulders in this city may just be a little too broad for you. The pierogi and the pyzy were great, both served with sour cream. The beers, while not draft, had a wide, Euro-leaning selection but still respected some local favorites (Old Style). Good food. Good folks. Confusingly brilliant ambiance. You're missing out if you skip The Log Cabin.

Attentive bartender! Little dive bar! One pool table and…read moredarts, good for a night cap.

This is a neat looking bar in the Crystal Lake area that primarily focuses on Whiskey which I do…read morenot drink they do however have a small kitchen and this is a old place looks more like a rural Iowa or Wisconsin bar then something one would expect to find in Illinois

My sisters and I were looking for a cozy spot for lunch and decided on The Lantern. We were so…read morehappy we did! The corner bar ambiance was so welcoming, offering charm and character. The main bar area and two more dining rooms offered a ton of space without feeling big and cold. Dan was THE MAN! He was so sweet and helpful. He was busy but not rushed at all. All smiles and positivity really made our casual lunch something special. We all tried burgers with different sides so we could all share the fries, tots and rings. We also tried the homemade chili and it was tasty with a kick. The Lantern is a great choice for a casual meal or maybe just a cold beer.

Our burger club just visited The Lantern and it was pretty good…read more Apparently The Lantern has been around since 1934, but not in its current location. It's a smallish place with lots of street parking nearby. It was a cold night when we were there. We thought we would have eight-to-ten people in our group, but ended up with seven people. They don't take reservations, but if you call an hour before you arrive with your largish party, they will hold a table for you. And they did. When you walk in the front door, you immediately walk to the right for the bar or dining room seating to the left. They set our table up across from the door. Every time someone went in our out, we had a cold blast of air hit us and that was a bit unnerving. You just couldn't get warm. There was a wall behind us, but apparently another dining section on the other side, we should have sat there, it would have been more comfortable. Our party was debating about getting an appetizer as we saw someone else get the wings which were big and juicy looking. They couldn't make up their mind, so I got their soup of the day: cream of chicken soup. It was pretty good and much needed on a cold nice, but it was just okay and I can pass on it next time. The soup was warm, almost room temperature, so they'll have to heat it up next time. I ended up getting their 8oz Lantern burger. They have a junior option at 6oz and a Tiffany at 10oz. The middle was fine. I got it medium rare with American cheese, lettuce, pickles, and mustard and a side of tots. They have a lot of options and the server recommended the tots. They were good, but no better than anywhere else. The burger was juicy and good, but the meat is not seasoned. Though if it is, I couldn't taste it. However, the bun held up really well despite how juicy the burger was and the burger was cooked to perfection. Others in our party thought the burgers were just okay. Over all, we had an average score of 4.00/5.00. The burgers were good, but I bet there are better items on the menu which boasts the best burgers in town. Not sure about that, but decent enough.

While the food and ambiance were good, the service was atrocious. We walked in ready for a foodie…read morejourney so we would be ordering a bunch of different dishes to split. The menu sounded delicious. They serve a complimentary bread with butter, but we didn't receive any until we noticed another table did as soon as they sat down. So I asked. And eventually someone brought exactly two over and plopped them down on one of our very dirty, used plates. My favorite part was when the server so confidently plopped down the extremely burnt roll and scurried off. So I asked if they could bring out a new roll and butter. Never received either. To start we ordered the Burrata and the Steak Frites. The Burrata was good and I enjoyed the bread it was served with, but the tomatoes could've been in more bite-sized pieces since they were chunks. The Steak Frites was good too... the steak had the allusive butter. The fries were crisp, I didn't try the onion rings though. I wasn't intending to eat much of this dish, but without asking, the kitchen decided to fully split the dish. Not a big deal and I kind of get thinking. The bread thing was weird. Then there was this weird moment where they just tossed a box on the side of the table and scurried off again. The entire time I felt like my presence was inconveniencing them from doing their job. The whole thing felt awkward and gave a sense like they were bothered by something. Perhaps the way I was dressed, but it's a pub for crying out loud, and if I walked down the street to Le Colonial with how I was dressed, LC wouldn't have even batted an eye or had an attitude when it came to service. So next time I'll walk down the street to LC.

NOTE: PHOTOS were from 12 months ago!! When the food was 5 stars!!…read more I'm truly saddened to write this review, as I've always loved the Deer Path Inn Pub and have had fantastic experiences here in the past. However, my most recent visit was surprisingly disappointing. I came on a Wednesday evening around 7:30 PM with a friend, and oddly, the pub was nearly empty. We ordered the burger, a Caesar salad, and the Basque cheesecake. Unfortunately, all three items missed the mark. The burger patty was extremely thin and lacked flavor it honestly reminded me of a lower quality fast food burger, but worse. The Caesar salad was made with kale instead of traditional romaine, which was unexpected and didn't work well for the dish. As for the Basque cheesecake, it was a very small portion, overly burnt, and unappetizing. I'm not sure what has changed perhaps there's a new chef or kitchen team but the quality has clearly declined since my last visit a year ago, when everything was exceptional. I genuinely hope they can turn things around.