Alex at Cork Bar in Joliet deserves a HUGE shout-out! Three of my girls and I went to celebrate our friend's birthday and discovered he was running the entire place by himself--taking orders, serving food, making drinks, AND cooking! Through it all, he never lost his cool. He smiled the entire time, stayed so friendly, and made us feel welcome. Eventually, another employee arrived, and the two of them worked hard to keep everything going. Their bosses should be incredibly grateful to have such dedicated employees. Alex, thank you for making our birthday celebration special! Your hard work and kindness did not go unnoticed! read more

Walked in on Saturday October 17 2026, doors open, for a reservation at 2 and no one is to be found. Waited around until 2:10. Still no one.

Food: this visit, I did not order food. Service: I went on a Monday. The service was super attentive since it was a quiet day evening. Mondays have a special where the crafted cocktails are $8 instead of $14 which is great to save a few dollars on a cocktail you wanted to try. The bartender was informative of the cocktail list. 5/5 Ambiance: I have been here a few times now and every time I go there is a new theme. This particular time there wasn't, however, I have been there was a Halloween theme, a Christmas theme and even a Taylor Swift theme. 5/5 read more

Cork Wine Bar - Sol Colada - Wine Bars Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

Very festive and requires reservations. Great stop if you are going to the Rialto during the holidays. Don't order food so cannot comment read more

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Absolutely perfect time from the intial booking through Facebook- to our final tab! Booking was a breeze- I receive a confirmation text and a reminder! Then the day of received a personal text from Gilbert checking again on our reservation! Ambiance was adorable, small cozy but not jam packed! The staff did a wonderful job accommodating the parties, highly recommend reservations for the themed bar and weekends! The menu is limited - but every thing was fantastic- we had a party of 4 and ordered the steak fries, steak sliders, fried chicken sliders and the coconut shrimp! Everything was fantastic. They had a variety of flatbreads as well. The drink selection was wonderful they have something for everyone! We tried the shots they had featured and the northern lights! They were beyond yummy and I could've had them by the pitcher! The entire evening by far was perfect! Cannot wait for their next event! Absolutely recommend, do not miss out read more

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The staff is friendly and helpful. The place is decorated nicely with festive additions and photo spots for the holidays. While the beverages are not consistent between different employees, the appetizer that we shared was good. As with other reviews, the staff is attentive. Plenty of parking on the polar day we went too! read more

Came across this spot for a Christmas pop up and wasn't aware they had a late night kitchen. The place isn't big luckily for me it wasn't packed. It has a nice ambience and staff was friendly. When u walk in there's a couple couches then bar loaded with tvs along with table tops near the bar. The drinks were good and the food was great. Had the coconut shrimp and cork wings which were flavorful and made fresh to order. The steak fries were good the meat was a little fatty but other than that it paired good with the fries. Only down side there wasn't dessert on the menu. It's a great place for a date night i definitely will come back. read more

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I am so glad my husband and I stopped in cork for cocktails and appetizers. It's been hard to find bars around with comparable drinks to Chicago, and this place has become a new favorite. Their craft cocktails are unique and delicious! Not to mention, the flatbread was a showstopper! Also, they had a fun Halloween theme with the whole place decked out and playing scary movies. We will most definitely be back! read more

Highly recommend a reservation if you go during one of the popup events. We did not have one, but seats opened at the bar and were able to take a seat. The staff was friendly and they offered food until around 11pm. There was a 20% tip automically added to the bill. We tried a few of their holiday drinks. They had some Christmas music playing to match the decor and around 9:30pm or so on Friday a DJ came to finish out the night. read more

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Maybe because the reservation was not ready when I arrived with my family. We waited 25 minutes to be seated. We ordered drinks before we got seated and 40 minutes later we still had no drinks. We had to go back to the bar to remind the bartender we had ordered. We had to go to the bar for to ask for water. They didn't have ice cubes they gave us crushed ice with it the sweetest Old Fashion ever made and they charged me 20% on my bill and the server only brought me I drink. We tended ourselves. If you have time to kill it's for you if you are on a schedule skip it! read more

Drinks are never the same unfortunately you either get straight alcohol or it's just juice. When me and friends checked out we tipped 20% on top of the gratuity that they didn't tell us they added. I work in a restaurant and i get that most places are doing that now but don't add it and not let anyone know. I don't think it's right that we are tipping 40% for bad service and drinks. If you're going in make sure you either have Jovany, Pablo, or Luis. read more

Service is amazing and the food was great we will all be back. Thank you gain for your amazing staff and service. read more

Cork Wine Bar - We better just grab an Uber! - Wine Bars Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

Vontee our server and he was very personable and gave us good recommendations. Our flatbread was really good. Our drinks were fantastic. I would recommend cork for a place to stop after work whether you're a couple or a single seems very open and safe. The bar itself was very clean and nice. read more

Amazing atmosphere! Outstanding service! The best!! Their Christmas drinks are amazing!! These guys do it right!! A must to stop by and enjoy great food, drinks, and atmosphere!! Cork does it right! I promise you will not be unhappy! This will make you year! read more

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The ambiance was amazing! Service was Great. The first time I went. I went there this evening and it was so so. I'll wait a few weeks and give it another try as the drinks are amazing. And it's a very nice place to have a drink. read more

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Ordered "French toast with Nutella and strawberries" for $14 and it was literally toasted white bread (not French toast) AND it was burnt to a black crisp on the bottom... can't believe they served it like that. Especially for $14! read more

came for the beetlejuice pop up, good small bar! john was super helpful and very accommodating. unfortunately no gluten free options for all the gf people. food menu is small but pretty tasty. read more

Cork Wine Bar - papas bravas - Wine Bars Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

Do NOT assume that this is a cute little Christmas pop-up bar. We had a reservation and they sat a private party instead of honoring their reservations. DJ was so extremely loud and it's a super tiny, packed place that seats maybe 20 people and another 10 at the bar. Absolutely not worth a visit, find somewhere to spend your $. This wasn't worth the drive. read more

After a long awaited opening all I can say is Epic Fail!! The food menu has about 8 items on it. The drink menu is smaller no more wine flights for a wine bar? They have 4 new couches odd placement, with one table. Look up the tape is still on the walls. I expected more after waiting months! read more

Have been coming here for years .. yesterday was an awful experience waiter was eh the food drinks ok very we left very disappointed..

Absolutely love this place! Such an amazing atmosphere, delicious food and great drinks. Have been here a few times and the servers are always nice and attentive. Can't wait to go back (and eat all the avocado toast) read more

Cork Wine Bar - avocado toast with tomatoes and radishes - Wine Bars Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

A bit pricey....sometimes hard to get a beverage...ambiance is really nice. If you're looking to just meet a friend for 1-2 is nice place...plan to spend $$ read more

The wait. Small menu and cooked different everythyme. Lost reservation for a gas leak apparently

Love, love, love this place. I've been here about four times already and I'm obsessed! It may be small but it packs a punch. Beautifully decorated!the workers there are awesome, especially Kimmie! The drink options are great and the drinks taste amazing. Everything I've had to eat there both for brunch and dinner have been so good! Highly recommended! read more

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This is the place I've been looking for. The city come closer to home , had that city vibe. Great food, great drinks, and the staff is amazing read more

Cork Wine Bar - Place is amazing, has thats city vibe with out going to the city. - Wine Bars Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

I wouldn't recommend this location especially for people of color the place was busy for typical Wednesday but when it was time to be seated host kept giving up the run around promising us a table but kept us waiting up to 10 minutes and when other guests would arrive he would chauffeur them to their seats without hesitation won't be coming back here !! read more

They always have a cute theme and the espresso drink is a must try! I have been many times and always look forward to going back

Went there the other night for a small birthday get together. The waitress Sam was so rude. One of them servers that made you feel like you put them out of their way every time you ask for anything. Her attitude was terrible and we were all nice. If I'm gonna go to a place with $12 drinks I expect a smile. I don't even care if you're faking it! read more

Cork Wine Bar - Regular drink is $14 - Wine Bars Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

Had an amazing evening last night at Cork Wine Bar on Essington Road in Joliet, IL. Delicious food , delightful cocktails and awesome service. read more

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In my happy place with great food and drinks. Thank goodness for Cork. Who needs Chicago when you can come for great drinks and a great atmosphere at Cork. Love it! read more

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My wife and I went to Cork on Saturday night, and we loved it!! Don't be fooled by the outside, it's in a strip mall and looks a little odd. But the inside is amazing! The atmosphere was super nice, the bartender were top notch, and the food was DELICIOUS!!!! read more

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Cute little place with plenty of atmosphere and personality - even if it is in a strip mall. They have one of those "garage door" type fronts that rolls up when the weather is appropriate so you can enjoy the day. Couches, pub tables and a nice long bar make up the seating. Super friendly and knowledgeable staff fluent in both their drinks/vino and tapas (that's "small plates" for us locals). Wife loved their food and I had the best Old Fashioned I've ever had. Highly recommended. read more

We loved the atmosphere there! The staff was friendly and fun! The Old Fashioned was amazing and the food as well! We enjoyed our time there very much! read more

So awesome, was there last week, the staff is really nice and the food was good! The drinks were amazing everyone has to go here

Came here for drinks and shareable apps with friends. Pretty good selection of wine. Charcuterie board was great for sharing. Flatbreads were also good. This is a smaller space so there's only three hightop tables, 4 conversation sofas and the bar, but this was enough for the Friday night we were there. If you're familiar with the area this is where Hot Pan Noodles read more

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First time coming here and I was impressed! Bartender/waitress was very nice and she was very knowledgeable on her wine and the whole menu. I love the atmosphere here and I will def be back! read more

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I love this place so much. The atmosphere is so nice and comforting perfect place to wine down after a long day. The drinks are absolutely amazing I recommend the beauty school drop out martini. Also my server Nick was awesome and funny. I really happy I found this place! read more

Cork Wine Bar - Beauty school drop out - Wine Bars Near Me - Joliet, Illinois

A big shout out to Gabe and Kara at Cork. Recently, my family came into town and I wanted to share with them the place my friends and I like to frequent. We had excellent service, great food and fantastic drinks! This place is great! read more

Great vibes and food! I highly recommend a date or girls night out. Dress cute and enjoy yourself!

drink, food, staff was great BUT they played deceptacon by le tigre. they get five stars just for that