We had our New Years Eye dinner at the Broaken Oar for their Winter Wonderland since my mom had seen the event featured on the news & were pleasantly surprised by the level of decoration & attention to detail even down to the fun winter themed menu! The place was packed & the staff still made us feel like the only ones there, all of this made our night extra special, we can't wait to come back! Happy 2026!! read more

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Great place! Live music! Great energy! So much fun! We only went one day while visiting our friends that are local to the area, but the website has a variety of shows and performances that I would've like to go to. read more

Broken Oar - Broken Burger - American Near Me - Port Barrington, Illinois

Great music and beautiful views! Plenty of room for a large group. Year round entertainment on the Fox River

A casual local bar with good food and live music. Located on the Fox River,the Broken Oar has indoor and outdoor seating along with a dock where you can park your boat . They have live music Thursday -Sunday and most shows don't charge a cover. We went for a 2pm Sunday show and it was awesome. You seat yourself and the servers are amazing. Our server Lilli was very helpful and attentive. We started with a few beverages ( Huge selection with good prices) and had their Smoked Whitefish dip which you don't see much in our area. Mixed with creme cheese,red onion and jalapenos..it tasted fantastic. Served with crostinis,celery and cucumbers. Also tried their shrimp ceviche with lime marinated shrimp,mango,red onion and jalapenos served with tortilla chips. Very fresh and flavorful. The only complaint we had was lack of bathroom facilities for the size of the bar. If you are looking for some great local entertainment and decent bar food,this is definitely a place to visit. read more

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Visited for lunch today with friends. Loved the Halloween decor. Super cute! It was quiet for lunch but looks like a place that would be very popular on weekends with music. It is on the river so you can get there by boat. Menu was decent. A bit on the expensive side. Friend got a bowl of soup which was actually more like a cup for $7. She said it was good but not a lot of soup. Other friend got a salad. Lots of lettuce but the rest was sparse. I had an app of cheese curds which were good but for $14 and it just being cheese - it was pretty sparse as well. Server was attentive and kind. read more

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Cute idea, but everything else is lacking. Broken Oar is a lakeside restaurant serving American cuisine and a full service bar. However, the place just isn't very good. Interior-wise it's kind of dated and old, but the view is pretty. Service was friendly but quite slow and inattentive. I hate when the place is empty yet the service is super bad. Food sucked, to be honest. Two guests got the Corned Beef Sandwich, which they said was full of fat. My BBQ Ranch Chicken salad was.. edible at best. Large portion, I'll give them that. My Dad's Fish Tacos were so fishy he could barely eat them. We won't be back. Once again, nice views, but everything else was below average. read more

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Came here over the weekend with a group of girlfriends to get together for a late lunch and listen to serendipity the opening band and then seventh heaven. The new and updated outdoor venue looks great. As usual the place was packed with a variety of Harley Davidson writers, people just enjoying a beer in the great weather to families with young children. That is one of the great reasons why I enjoy coming here. People of all ages can come and enjoy themselves. Who can beat the location on the Fox River? They have a burning pit, lots of outdoor seating options and another bar beyond the picnic tables. The food is decent. Unfortunately, they have well water so if you don't want to drink that it will be the outrageous $3.50 for a bottle of water. The parking lot is interesting. There's a specific area for motorcycles and for custom cars. Then the rest of us get the parking along the back! A receipt says Tristan as our server, but I'm not sure if that's who was truly our server? A young woman with silver glasses and longish light brown hair. She did a great job for us. Definitely hustled and was kind enough to split checks. Highly recommend . read more

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We came here to see our favorite cover band Anthem doing their Styx cover show Grand Illusion. I was nervous when I saw the stage was outside but in a heated clear plastic tent considering it's still winter. It was very comfortable inside with heaters on. While the band finished setting up we enjoyed sharing the Whitefish Spread appetizer and the shrimp ceviche. Both were delicious. Our server was very attentive. Great way to enjoy a Sunday afternoon down by the river. read more

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Best day today: perfect weather, Hi-Infidelity band full of energy, and an awesome server named Betsy! Perfect way to welcome fall. Food was good too read more

Broken Oar - Outdoor seating - American Near Me - Port Barrington, Illinois

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The food was good. The staff (depending on who was serving you) was either quite accommodating and friendly or argumentative. The sound guy they hired for concerts was rude and throwing fits of rage in front of the audience; blaming band members and lighting staff for their shortcomings. The audience noticed and was NOT pleased. There are better places to visit read more

Broken Oar - American Near Me - Port Barrington, Illinois

Tennessee Whiskey band was playing here. Very fun place to watch live music, chill by the water and get a cool drink. Casey was an amazing bartender and very attentive. We really enjoyed our time at this establishment. read more

First time here and its has been in my list of places i wanna check out. I love the vibe of the place. Very chill by the water bar and its so relaxing! I love 7th heaven and decided to visit the day they were playing. Service was great and we were hungry so we ordered some burgers and an appetizer. The Shrimp Ceviche i thought lacked seasoning at first but then i kept eating it and i actually loved it! Their burger is one of the few that i have finished because im not a huge burger person. It was cooked and seasoned well. I ordered whats called the Renegade if im not mistaken. And I dont like my stuff slathered in sauce so i had em put the bbq sauce on the side. It was perfect! I am definitely coming back and bringing more friends! Happy eating! read more

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This place is cozy and quaint. As a water front restaurant and bar, the options are endless. They do have a music venue that has bands. I'm looking forward to attending one in the future, check their website for the music action. We decided to get dinner and had pretzel bites with cheese and mustard dip. Additionally, my kids had Clam Chowder and the Renegade burger, see pics. The food was good and the wait staff were friendly and attentive. We will be back for drinks and "rock n roll!" We probably won't bring the kids as they are minors. Lol Great place to relax and check out the action with the boats and jet skis cruising by. read more

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HORRIBLE SERVICE! Went on a Thursday from Grass Lake thru locks to the Oar with 8 people. In order to get service or food you have to be at a table with a number. It was hot we needed shade, it was NOT busy they had 5 servers standing around doing nothing. Sat at 2 tables with a number which our server was great we asked if we can move to under pavilion he was so cool about it. The rest of our party sat at another table and had a server with a real shitty attitude her name was Zury. We got our food other party did not, Zury gave them their check before even got food and said that she is no longer serving us and to get service from another server with the worst attitude I have ever seen. I have been in the restaurant industry for 30+ years from bartending to serving and even management. I would have sent her home. She should NOT be serving tables with a Piss poor attitude. It's like no one could walk an extra few feet to accommodate our party didn't want to move tables together either in shade. Ridiculous when you see servers standing around doing nothing. I understand sections I get it BUT you should ALWAYS accommodate your guests and would understand if they were busy. Between Zury and the fat ass bartender behind the bar with her attitude also they should find new careers they are no benefit to any bar or restaurant Best part our server Kayden was AWESOME and we tipped him very generously for being so kind and accommodating! Zury sucks to be you, you lost out and when you treat people like that you get what you deserve.......which is nothing!Bonnie I know you need servers but find better staff! 5 stars to Kayden our server this review is solely on Zury and the bartender read more

Management is super rude and the drinks are WAY too expensive for a plastic cup! DONT COME HERE! Absolute trash!

It's been a long time since my last review. The problems that I had before with this establishment have been corrected. The food is good and served timely. They have been doing it well for a while now and I figured it was time to update the review. Also, during the summer, great bands every weekend with no cover. It's a lot of fun. read more

Come for the atmosphere, not the food. Service was very friendly. Fleetwood Mac cover band, not so good. It's on the river and on a gorgeous day it's nice to sit and have a drink. I got a patty melt, mostly bread and way over done. Fries tasted like they were reheated. Not good, not worth the calories. Hubby had a Cuban, light on meat, actually light on everything. People have reviewed that this place is over priced. If the sandwich is good I have no problem with the pricing, but the food is horrible. And if you hate smoking don't sit near the water. Smokers just walk to the ropes and smokebut let's end with staff is very friendly, not their fault, it's the cooks and management. read more

Saw a tribute to Bob Wier, Grateful Dead, by the Blotto Band in the Arctic Winter Bar - enclosed, heated, lots of picnic tables and high tops. $10 cover, which was great. Had wine, a Cosmo, and salad. Very reasonably priced! Mistletoe Margarita was way too sweet, unfortunately. Service (Betsy) was wonderful! What a fun place! read more

First time there and wasn't what I expected. Asked the server what do they recommend and response was, well what do you like, not the answer I expected. Atmosphere was nicely decorated and the food was okay. I expected to be a better experience since it wasn't busy at all. read more

This is either the third or fourth year that we've gone to The Artic Bar. When it first started it was $5 and you got a free drink and now you pay $11 and no free drink. The drink I bought was $12 and it was 3/4 ice 1/4 alcohol served in a plastic wine glass that is not the serving size of a rocks glass or martini glass which most of the drinks are supposed to be. Will not be going back. The Arctic Bar is a bust. read more

Food is good. Service is slow at bar when bartenders talking to friends. Ambiance is loud and fun depending on night! overall good experience. read more

We've been here before and wanted it give it another try. We were told to sit anywhere and picked a popular place not in the sun. We arrived just before 5pm on a Friday and the place wasn't that busy - lots of available parking in the lot. The wait staff was just standing around and the 2 waiters that got within 3 feet of our table tended to the 4 other tables around us. The assignment of who has what table made no sense. If you are going to walk by 4 tables to get to the 2 that are yours - not a good set up for the wait staff and not great customer service for your clientele. When our waiter finally appeared, she was very nice and got us our drinks. We each ordered hamburgers - Bang Bang Burger ($17) & Renegade Burger ($18). (A bit overpriced IMHO) We finished our beers just as our burgers arrived. The overpriced burgers were rare - we didn't complain as we were starving. We ended up eating only half and took the leftovers home. We cooked them in our skillet the next day for lunch. :/ Still weren't that great a day later. Usually, waiters will ask how you want your burger cooked (like it is a steak!) but our waitress didn't. The atmosphere is entertaining - the boats and people that get out of their boats, & the boats that go flying by. However, that will be our last visit. :/ Almost forgot - the pickles! they were mushy!! Yuck! read more

We went for the Luau show on Wednesday night. Had to pay for a reserved table and was informed to get there by 6:00 pm to order dinner before the 7:00 pm show. We were seated in the Barn and no one was in the restaurant. We had pork sandwiches that tasted like the pork was sitting for a long time. The show didn't start until 8:00 pm and lasted about 50 minutes. We left disappointed and then we both had G.I. problems that night into morning. We will NOT eat there again. read more

Ridiculous. Tried to order a well done burger...was informed by the waitress that they wouldn't cook the burger over a medium. I said what I wanted again and was again told that they wouldn't cook it past a medium. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? I thought the customer was right. A simple request - a well done burger. Will never go to the Oar again. Dumbest 'rule' ever. read more

Came here to listen to some live music order some drinks mine tasted like watered down cranberry, I got Titos and Cranberry asked the server for a other one came back with exactly the same pour I'm not paying $9.50 for watered down cranberry So I finished it and left! Teach your bar tenders how to pour a drink or stop giving out watered down drinks for $9.50 Docks had great drinks!!! read more

Nice place by the river great place for a motorcycle ride lunch and live music. Food is always good.

Right on the Fox river! Very good burgers and fries. This is not fancy at all. It's just basic pub and bar food done well and in a great location. The Bloody Mary was good. Large drink selection. Great service. read more

Lady wearing a turkey on her head was so rude as we walked in. Charged at the door with no where to sit. Place was empty. Avoid. Much better options to attend near by. Very poorly setup and managed. Won't be back no time soon. read more

1 Star Terrible Service - We Walked Out Hungry We had a really disappointing experience at this bar/restaurant. We waited over 40 minutes for food that never arrived, and in that entire time, our server only came to our table twice. No updates, no apologies -- just radio silence. After sitting there for an hour with nothing to eat, we finally decided to ask for the check and leave. When the server brought the bill, they just shrugged and said, "We can't do anything about it," as if we were asking for something unreasonable -- like being served the food we ordered? We didn't expect the whole meal to be comped, but some level of accountability or basic courtesy would've gone a long way. Instead, we felt completely ignored and unimportant. Definitely won't be coming back, and I'd suggest others think twice if they're expecting decent service or even just to be fed. read more

Really enjoyed the patio area here with the Fox River next to us, and a beautiful view. The live music was awesome, not too loud where we were sitting. Our server was incredible, so nice and always asked us how we were doing. My Mai Tai was delicious and the soft pretzels and chicken tenders were good. Will be back. read more

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Food was excellent and a good value, relaxed atmosphere and good service. The specials ( oysters etc) were very fresh read more

The Halloween decorations were awesome! Original and creative both upstairs and downstairs! Had lunch upstairs with wonderful 180 degree views of the river! Love the seasoning they use on their fries!!!! Yummy! Service was impeccable! read more

Neat place with fun indoor & outdoor settings, great bands, and interesting food and drink options. Huge patio on the water. The Arctic Bar set up in the winter is especially enchanting! read more

Our waitress was amazing - great recommendations, explained menu items and attentive! Food was fantastically awesome! Different areas to enjoy, including a screen porch area overlooking the river! It did not disappoint!!! read more

Broken Oar - Build a Burger!!! - American Near Me - Port Barrington, Illinois

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Went here on a busy Saturday afternoon and had a great time - weather was nice, band was fun, and specifically came here to compliment our server Tom! He apologized for being late to greet us (we had a drink from the bar and just found a seat) so it was no big deal for us! We ordered food and he warned us about the wait time due to some kitchen issues (totally out of his control) and just being busy with bigger parties at tables. Again, wasn't an issue for us! He checked in regularly and had a fun and positive attitude. 10/10 for Tom! read more

We ran across this place for the first time a few days ago. Awesome atmosphere and great service. Our only issue was the food - the coke tasted odd (maybe mixed with iced tea), and the kabob plate was really salty. We will definitely give this place another try in a few weeks though. read more

Actually embarrassed. If you have a baby who clearly requires milk to survive, you will be kicked out for bringing in bottles of milk. Just drove 30 minutes here with my wife and 3 year old son. The guy at the door who thinks he is super cool told us we weren't welcome inside because in our backpack full of diapers and such for our toddler is his medically approved Toy Story water bottle with special water in it for his stomach that he HAS to drink with his food. This dude straight up told us, "No outside drinks, it says it on the sign"... cool story bro, I'm not 19 trying to sneak in alcohol, I'm a Father with a 3 year old who needs special liquids for his stomach... Not a family-friendly place what so ever. I also emailed the law enforcement as well. My wife has a fractured foot, and all of their handicapped parking is blocked off. So we drove 30min, parked in the far back, habbled up, just to be told by some power tripping goofball to leave because we have a Toy Story water bottle with medical water (miralax) for a 3 year old. What a joke. And notice - the owner won't reply to this just as they didnt to FB, or email. They literally don't care and are just as rude. read more

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Was there on a Wednesday afternoon, food is really good, servers attitude not so much. Told our server the water and soft drinks tasted bad she responded with we use well water and you still have to pay for them. I had no problem paying for them even though they are over priced. They seem concerned about running up the tab. read more

Do not pay for the Arctic wonderland! It is a total rip off! $10 per person to get in, then all it contains is some cute decorations. Upstairs they had a live band and from our table in the arctic wonderland, all we could hear was the boom from the base drum! I have never been more disappointed with something in my whole life. It's a fun concept, but to charge $10 per person to sit here is ridiculous! read more

Order Draft beer we had to ask for a glass of ice as it was not cold. We order a can of beer still not cold so more ice. Then I went to order a burger but wanted to change the cheese from Swiss to American and I was told they couldn't change it so I aske to just not put the Swiss cheese onto the burger she said no they couldn't do that either. Then we went to pay with part cash and part credit she told us they can't do that either. The owners are for the owners not their customers. I will say the entertainment that day was good. read more