Don't let the bar owner hand you a shot and beg you to drink it. He is running them on your tab…read morewithout your permission or knowledge. Also, don't touch anything. There's a hepatitis vibe going on in there.

I visited this bar one Saturday night with some friends on a whim. It's in a convenient location in…read moredowntown Peru right on the corner of Broadway and East 2nd Street. Walking in, there was a homemade sign at the door warning that you will be exposed to secondhand smoke, and I could soon see why. I like that smoking was allowed, but Hard Times is in desperate need of a ventilation system. It was so smoky that you didn't really need to light up to get your nicotine fix. It was extremely crowded. Not a seat was left at the bar, but they had some old tables and chairs that were empty in the back room. They had pool tables near the center of the building, but it seemec too small and crowded to comfortably play in there. Players seemed to have to pause every time someone passed by. There was no table service as far as I could tell. We went to the bar and stood at a service station. It took a couple minutes to be acknowledged. They didn't have much on draft. I know Blue Moon and a cider were two of the few choices. The other two were domestics. The girl who was bartending offered to leave a tab open. We retrieved the bottles of beer we'd ordered and returned to our table. A DJ was setting up some equipment, but extremely loud music was already playing. It was hard to hold a conversation, and the array of music was an odd mixture of Bob Marley, classic rock, country, and pop and rap music. The back room contained a tacky claw machine and some odd and lude yet funny bathroom door signs. We didn't use the restrooms, but I imagine they are small, and judging by the rest of the place, dirty. We finished our beers and exited out the side door. Hard Times isn't the worst bar I've ever been in, but I'm not itching to go back. I love holes in the wall, but it was just a little too divey for me. I wouldn't say it was friendly or fun, even though I did enjoy the company of my friends. The positive note I can make is that their beer is cheap. I'm hoping there are better bars in Peru. I wouldn't go out of my way to return to Hard Times, but I might if I were invited again.

After reading the reviews, we were really excited to visit, but unfortunately left disappointed. In…read morehindsight, we probably should have stuck with the barbecue options. We ordered the grouper bites with sides, and the potatoes tasted like instant--very bland and not what we expected. Since the waitress mentioned that some items were made from scratch, I didn't think to ask whether the mashed potatoes were homemade. I wasn't aware of the 4% card up charge until the bill came. I didn't see it listed anywhere so must have been in fine print? That said, the waitress was kind and helpful throughout our visit. Overall, though, the experience didn't feel worth the price.

Always tasty. Love their fried chicken. The vegetable beef soup is excellent. They quit making it…read morewhen the weather gets warm. I buy a gallon of it to get me through the summer. Drinks are inexpensive and nice pour.

Hands down one of the best burgers I've ever had! Period. End of story!…read moreOf course, reviews need more. We came in with 20 people. The food was a long ticket time but the server and owner were great! Rare steaks were undercooked but tasty. We pretty much ordered the menu between us. Always a smile, Capt. Morgan was our server. Great smile and perfect with suggestions and accuracy of our order. The restaurant is decorated for the "Legend" theme but known for the cocktails. Being a Vietnam Veteran group, they weren't much for the specialty drinks but the beer was cold and refreshed quickly. We only come once a year. If we lived closer, I'd come once a week. Great experience. Long wait for a huge party but we are here for each other's company.

What a find! Stopped here on our way to the Honeywell in Wabash and now we cannot wait to go back…read more The atmosphere laid back and the decor is eclectic in a great way including pictures of Peru's celebrated circus past. Autumn provided exceptional service and the food and drinks were outstanding.

Beef 'O' Brady's is located in Peru, and it's also a halfway meeting point for our daughter when we…read morehost our grandson for a weekend. I've visited this location three times in the last six months, and I've been impressed each time we've come here. I don't usually set high expectations for bar food, but Beef 'O' Brady's seems to have a more curated menu than many of their competitors. I've had the beef nachos twice, and it was great both times. Service has always been prompt, and their prices are fair.

Beef O'Brady's is the kind of place where go "I don't know what I'm in the mood for... Okay, Beef's…read moreit is." The extensive menu has the hamburgers covered superbly, does a credible fish 'n chips, has a passable Mexican/American section, good salads... basically if you can't find something that appeals to you here, you need to try harder. The beer list (from a full bar) is also more than adequate. (3 Floyds, I'm looking at you!) And I've never had a less-than-generous sample on the occasions I've asked. Also worth mentioning is the service. I've never once had a bad interaction with wait staff. Patient, knowledgeable, helpful... doesn't matter if they're slammed or dead (and Peru certainly serves up both), the wait staff is great. The whole "this is not quite a sports bar" vibe also works somehow. Lots of reasons to head to Beef's.

Great place to have a drink, play some darts or play some pool. They have 9 dart boards and two…read morevery well maintained pool tables. Drink specials every day of the week.

Great food and service! I had never eaten there, and my husband and I stop and we were quite…read morepleased and will return to the future!

If your a close friend of the bartenders you will get what you want regardless of the time, but a…read moreregular customer comes within the hours of operation in the very close end of it, your fucked, it doesnt matter you drove 3o mins to get there before 3 to get your alcohol, they will denie you even tho its before 3am....there closing time because the bartenders decide they want to quit before its time for the commercialized times for them to quit......there hours of operation are only dependant on how thier employees feel in the moment and if they want to uphold those hours of operation! The business has nothing to do with it, its totally dependent on how the employees feel in the moment!

This place is a great hole in the wall in a small town. The staff is fun and friendly, drinks are…read morecold, and the crowd is a great time. I must look young because I got my ID checked three different times when getting a drink / walking around.

There comes a time once a summer season where a group of 6-10 F**kin' Illinois People (FIPS, as I…read morehear we are referred to) migrate from the bustling city of Chicago to the small beach town known as Monticello, IN. You see, a large group of us college friends living in the city, and some new friends we've picked up along the way, enjoy visiting our friend from college working her dream job in the dreamy Hoosier State. Our plan is simple: travel by car to the land of "two-bedrooms with parking, a yard, in-unit washer/dryer, and a dishwasher for $400 a month", load up on sustenance, cruise on the boat in Lake Shafer all day, get silly, take over a bar, and make decisions that should only be made by freshman college girls. Our usual poor decision spot closed a few months ago and, this time around, Sayler's became our latest watering hole debacle. And so begins my open letter to Sayler's. Dear Sayler's, Thanks for gracefully dealing with the presence of by 6 FIPS and our 4 local friends this past weekend. From the moment we hit the boat at 11AM Saturday morning we knew that any establishment in the Monticello area would be "happy" to have us as patrons. Your close proximity to our home base made you an easy target for our debauchery and fun that we surely brought. Your $12 beer buckets and less than $3 shots insured that we would be even more fun than we already were by giving us crazy amounts of liquid courage. This helped us negotiate with the DJ when choosing songs for the bar (we were sad to find out he did not have "Midnight Train to Georgia"), populate what was a vacant dance floor, and demonstrate to the rest of the bar patrons how to do planking exercises in multiple places throughout the bar. I can only hope that we were not only a fun presence to be around, but that we also taught your customers important fitness techniques. Although we felt we may have overstayed our welcome by the end of the night (thanks to the girl who tried to "start something" in the bathroom with a friend), thankfully we had one friend who was able to keep us in check, offer a shield or protection, and help us get on our merry way. We still hope you welcome us back the next time you are in town. Signed, Me PS Terri, I hope you had a great 50th birthday party. We sure had fun!

WOW Not the same place!!!…read more Service the way service should be. Food was good but I will always come back for how you make me feel. This location is on its way to Changing the perspective. It's starts at the top and the GM here is setting the example of how to treat employees which in return takes care of the customer. Chelsie is the example of this. Nice work all around. Stoked to come back.

Food was fantastic! Hummin' Hot Honey and Teriyaki sauces are great. The onion rings are 9/10 on…read morethe Moby Dick scale and the Southwest sauce is fire. Service is top notch too.

Can't tell a book by its cover...I'll admit, I walked around the entire bldg until I found the…read moredoor, a little unsure. Once inside I was warmly welcomed, provided a menu and served a Cold Coors Lite. The food was very good...Pulled Pork Cobb Salad (sm) was fresh and tasty, and there onion rings were terrific, large, crisp. Bartender was friendly and attentive. If you're in the area looking for a place to chill, this is the place.

What a pleasant surprise. Don't let the outside turn you off, the food inside is delicious! My…read morehusband and I were driving back to Lafayette from Fort Wayne and found Harry's from Yelp reviews. I got the breaded tenderloin and fries and it was wonderful! My husband got the breaded hot chicken and onion rings and he really enjoyed his meal. We wish we would have known the specials. They also had Spanish dogs and ribs with two sides. The people next to us got the ribs and they looked and smelled fantastic. Great little dive bar with friendly staff.

My last review stands but with updates. While I'd still say this has to be the best place available…read morein Peru, there are some inconsistencies. The ordering process is quirky. During the day, you order at the counter. Menus on a barrel to peruse. Nothing on the wall. You normally receive a number (not today) & your beverages & food are brought to your table. Today, I was given my coffee & water at the counter to carry, but my food was brought out. So, it's counter prepay, & you tip at that time, but it's also self serve at the condiment station while you're also being waited on table side somewhat, some of the time. Confused yet? I did dine here once during dinner hours. Since I was used to the other process, I didn't know you are seated in the evening & fully waited on. I like dinner time best though it's busier. You can get takeout anytime & sweets to go from the case or table. I believe they cater & might possibly deliver, at least for groups. There is also a section which can be reserved. I hadn't been in for a couple months, & hadn't seen my favorite lady for even longer. From chatting today, I don't think she remembered me. The man working the floor is especially great. He's a food runner & busser, etc. I was confused today, as was he, as he'd set something on my table while I was prepping my coffee at the sugar station. He asked if I'd had a bread stick or a pretzel, so I responded it was a pretzel because I had indeed ordered a pretzel stick from the menu. He ended up bringing out a full size pretzel after I sat down, & I felt badly because he thought I'd ordered that. I discovered the pretzel STICK is the same as a bread stick. He was friendly & told us to enjoy the mistake. The person with me was happy to find a device charging station. I'm not sure those are available at every table nor if WiFi is offered. The first timer liked her peach tea. You can get sweetened, unsweetened, or half n half. Cheese sauce is nacho with a lil kick. I fully appreciate that the staff will make me a fresh pot of decaf when I come in. Apparently, decaf isn't too popular around here, I'm finding. I rolled with it, but Garden Gate had Folgers in the past. The Kroger brand they used today definitely didn't taste as good. When I walked up to get a refill, I noticed it was really weak & watered down. I could see through it more than tea. Sometimes you get refills at your table. Not consistently anymore. None today. No non-dairy creamer or milk options nor raw sugar. Again, I roll with it. It's not really a coffee shop per-se. However, with "cafe" in the name... Garden Gate has surprisingly good spaghetti. Not like what I can make at home, but far better than what I expected during visits before today. I would like to see more plant based options, but I remember what town I'm in. You get used to making due with what you can get around here. No fish on the menu either nor any fried foods. Sandwiches come with chips or slaw. They do have a fired pizza oven. If you like meatloaf and mashed potatoes with green beans, this would be the perfect place for you. They have daily specials on a board. Their veggie wrap is okay. The bread/pretzel sticks are buttered & also okay. Mashed potatoes, great. Never had the green beans since may contain bacon. Garden Gate good with accommodating substitution requests. I do like the long bench in back so you can sit as you wait for carryout or to be seated in the evening. Quality furnishings & ambience although the barrels from the brewery this once housed don't exactly jive. It's nice there is a private parking lot with a side door since street parking downtown can be hairy, especially this close to the courthouse. Some outdoor seating. A lot more seating inside & much better air conditioning than the old location. Better tables and chairs which are actually comfortable unlike the old place. I don't like that they pool tips. I tip extremely well, & I would like it to go to the person I tipped. I'm also not a fan of tipping at the beginning of the visit. I'll over tip & not get stellar service afterward. Did they even see it? Now I feel like George Costanza. I have been given rather large to go cups of decaf in the past. I didn't even want to ask for one today. It's usually clean though sometimes the tables & ladies' room could use extra care. Dirty tables can pile up at times. Confusing system. Good food but not much that I want. I really just go to have somewhere in this town to sit & to KNOW it's actually decaf in my cup. Sometimes it's loud, sometimes not. Service isn't quite what it was when this location first opened. It can be hit or miss where I can feel #1 or forgotten. Service usually good but not above and beyond like 6 months ago. I'm sure I'll return because, honestly, where else am I going to go? Possibly the best in Peru, yes, but I'm adjusting stars for everything stated above. It could easily be a five with some tweaks, but I won't hold my breath.

I was visiting Peru with a friend and we had some time to kill and wanted a place to get some…read morecoffee. This was the closest open cafe. It's really a full service restaurant with salads, sandwiches and brick oven pizza. The ambience is industrial chic with some bare brick walls. Our coffee was served in clear toddy glass. We also ordered the blueberry scone served with Devonshire cream on the side. Wow! The scone was so moist and stuffed with blueberries. The cream was, well, creamy delicious. This was my first ever visit to Peru and if I ever return I'm heading right here! I might drive to Peru just for the scones!