We were really looking forward to trying Docks. We had a great table near the bar overlooking the water, which was the perfect spot to enjoy the sunset during dinner. It was a Wednesday evening, and while the restaurant was busy, it wasn't overly crowded. Unfortunately, our experience didn't meet our expectations. I ordered a raspberry cosmopolitan martini, and when it arrived, there were two ants floating in it. I politely asked for a new drink and even apologized for having to send it back. From my seat, I watched the bartender pour the drink back into the shaker, give it another shake, and pour it into a clean glass. I should have said something, but after already feeling uncomfortable about returning it, I didn't. In the end, I didn't drink it because the way it was handled left me uneasy, and it honestly didn't taste very good. The appetizers were delicious, but we had to ask for plates and napkins because they weren't brought to the table. When our entrees arrived, they were placed on the table before the appetizer dishes were cleared, leaving very little room until we asked for them to be removed. The food itself was good overall. My husband really enjoyed his bison burger. When we asked for a box to take home the rest of his burger, coleslaw, and my leftover fries, we were given a container that was far too small to fit everything. Service throughout the meal was disappointing. Our water glasses were never refilled, and our server rarely checked on us. It appeared she was very attentive to guests she knew, while we felt largely overlooked. I completely understand that restaurants have busy nights, but every guest should feel welcomed and receive the same level of service. We truly wanted to enjoy our first visit because the location and waterfront views are beautiful. Unfortunately, the combination of the drink issue and the lack of attentive service overshadowed the evening. We left disappointed and, sadly, don't see ourselves returning. read more

Jessica, Lauren, Erica And the entire staff are outstanding and so much fun to be around. The views, food and people are amazing, highly recommend read more

Nice enough place with a tiki bar patio area in the summer. Inside has seating that overlooks a lake which is nice. The prices though are sky high. Just met my son there for lunch and it was $50 for two. I just had a grilled cheese (tasted good) and iced tea. Mango syrup squirt was $1.00 additional. Anything I might have wanted for my sandwich like tomato, bacon etc would have been at a substantial upgraded cost. Son had sliders which were $20 no fries! I cannot justify those costs for a simple lunch. read more

Docks Bar & Grill - Tiki feel outdoors in nice weather - American Near Me - Wauconda, Illinois

Yes, the prices are on the high side - but probably one of my favorite burgers around. Not sure if they chargrill the meat? Either way, it's good. Service can get hectic because it can be BUSY - especially if you're outside during a nice day. I love the servers and staff - they're lively, unique, hard working. I highly recommend going but keep your patience and just know the food is good if you don't mind paying a little more. Worth it to me :) Plus - the lake views are pretty. read more

Horrible customer service from a bunch of drunks who spit in the food. Rude assholes! Never go there. Mine as well eat McDonald's lmfao

One simply cannot deny the lake views from the patio (Dock) of the restaurant. There is plenty of seating outside, and some seating inside. They have a nice bar with counter seating outside and covered areas as well. They do have live music on occasion. The food is typical bar type food: burgers, sandwiches, and a crapload of appetizers. However, the appetizers are quite pricey for what they are. 10 wings are $19 with a couple carrots and celery. Heck, potato skins (4 skins = 2 potatoes is also $19 - that's crazy!) I opted to avoid the pricey appetizers (and there are a ton) and went with their bison burger ($16). I asked for it medium rare with goat cheese and fried onion straws. Every add on is $2+ making it a pricey place to visit for basic bar food. According to their menu: burgers are served with your choice of fries, pasta salad, or coleslaw. Sub onion rings +5.25 (really?), Tator Tots, Chips, Fresh Fruit or Sweet Potato Fries +2.95, Gluten Free Bun +3.25, Split Charge +1.50, Sub House Salad +3.95, Sub Caesar Salad +5.50 (this is crazy!) If you want to add cheese: American, Swiss, Cheddar, PepperJack, Provolone $2.00 | Blue Cheese Crumbles $3.75 | Goat Cheese $4.95 Despite the rising cost of my burger, it was delicious! Perfectly cooked and the goat cheese melted perfectly. The fried onion strings added a nice crunch to the burger. Three people in our party of five ordered wings and said they were good. They looked pretty good, but not that meaty. They also ordered burgers and all thought they were good. The server was attentive and and constantly checked on us. I think the main detractor is that it is pricey and anything you add on costs a bit much ($2 for onion strings, $5 for goat cheese, really?). Look, Dock's has good food, their patio is great and the views are pretty nice too. Just know before you go that while some items are priced well, add ons really bulk up the pricing. read more

We come here often and it's because of the bartenders and the service they give us. The food is excellent and drinks are even better. Worth a trip to see the views of bangs lake and enjoy the summer time vibes. Bartenders Lauren, Erica, Jessica and the entire staff are very professional and make it a comfortable and fun experience that keeps us coming back. read more

We had an amazing time here. Tiffany is a superb bartender. We felt very welcome when we arrived and she was attentive the entire time we were here. Jessica & Tiffany are literally the best! I've traveled everywhere and nobody has anything on these girls! Dynamic Duo! They have both been working here about 10 years and are very passionate about their work. Tiffany is so friendly and fun. She is as very helpful with making food suggestions and said the cheese curds are popular. We enjoyed her high energy and fun conversation. I am so pleased we were waited by Tiffany. She is very energetic and I have already told 3 friends to check this place out because of our experience. This place has several open air seating options. A great selection of drinks and food. Gorgeous view of the water and a killer sunset. The blackened tuna sandwich is AWESOME. We also loved the cheese curds and shrimp appetizer. A great location -- and most importantly the staff are so good at their jobs. We will be back. Thank you for a nice day!! read more

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Fun bar and grill located on a small lake (chain of lakes) in Wauconda. Large outdoor deck with a bar and plenty of tables to enjoy outdoor eating and drinking. The service was great; however, the food was just average. The burgers were good, but the fries tasted like they had been sitting awhile. We also tried the walleye which was pricey so we had high expectations. The fish tasted fresh, but the entire entree was disappointing, as the mashed potatoes were lukewarm and dry and the vegetables tasted like sautéed frozen veggies. We saw several apps that looked tasty and were great for large groups including the giant soft pretzel. Our cocktails were tasty and overall, I would recommend Docks for drinks, apps and casual fare. read more

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We live Docks. They have great food, great service and the best (and cheapest) drinks in Wauconda. Their outside bar and deck is unbeatable and the inside bar is so much fun. read more

Seemed like they had some issues with getting food out. To be fair, they also had an event inside so likely that impacted things. My grandsons apple sauce was old and seemingly past its prime. Waitress brought another one and same thing. Perhaps not a quick mover but nonetheless, not ideal. Overall friendly staff, clean and great atmosphere. read more

Came with a baby stroller and none of the waiters directed us to the ramp & when we paid, we split the check in 2. We each had our own pouch with the check and we put in our cards in. We got our check and the waiter mixed up our cards. Good food but not a good experience dinning here. read more

So sorry to leave a bad review but I must. I should have paid attention to the number of stars on yelp. We've passed this establishment many times and finally decided this weekend was the time. We ate at primetime at 6:30 PM on Saturday night. We started with the calamari appetizer this came out lukewarm and quite spongy. For the entrée, I ordered the queen cut prime rib, medium rare. It came out very gray and well done no pink at all. The other entrées ordered were the salmon, it was described as just OK and came with the wrong side dish, which we did not complain about. The other entrée was the fillet sliders which were described as not very good. The service was OK. Our waitress did spill some beer on the outdoor table and dripped through onto the lap of my guest. She did apologize and wasn't a big deal but worth noting. The only highlights were the atmosphere and the weather. The draft beer was fine. My recommendation would be to skip the food and have a drink at the bar and enjoy being outside. read more

I have only ever left good reviews but this was just horrible for the price. Only positives were the view, cocktail and live music. Food was bland and subpar. Cream of broccoli soup tasted like over cooked broccoli in half and half. Entrees were worse then a school cafeteria. Server would say she'd come back with things (twice) and forget and we'd have to get here attention 5 minutes later as we watched her walking around looking for things to do. We really wanted to love this place. read more

Came here for a view and had Lakeside Brunch! It was perfect! Drinks were on point , I asked the server what's the best drink and he said it was the mai tai , and lemme tell you... it was lit! Absolutely delicious, we also had some great local beer on draft. We ordered fried coconut shrimp, and a delicious bacon cheese burger on focaccia bread. You can choose from a variety of breads , focaccia, brioche & more. It was massive and delicious. My husband and I didn't finish the food since portions are very generous. I want to come back for drinks and nachos to share lol I'm sure they will be massive too! There's valet parking and self parking, also boat deck parking so you can just drive your boat , park and here you are drinking by the lake and enjoying some delicious burgers or seafood. It was beautiful and I loved the ambiance. Waiters were very knowledgeable when it came to the menu. I love it when they tell you what's the best thing to drink and eat and they get it right! read more

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A good location by the lake, which is the best thing you can say about this bar. Dock's is one of the local hangouts in Wauconda, and popular for boaters and other fun. It doesn't get as much attention when it's not summer, but there's stuff going on all year. Mostly it's a casual bar to get some cheap drinks and play some games. The food is mostly typical bar stuff like burgers and pretzels. Bars like this are popular for the location, which is next to Bangs Lake. It's nothing special but it's not that bad to hang out. This is a pretty okay sports bar with TVs for watching games or whatever. Cocktails are about $6 for the basic. The food is mostly meaty stuff. A big ass pretzel is one of the few vegetarian items on the menu. It's about $15, which is a lot no matter how big it is, but it makes for good sharing. As for the rest of the menu, it's typical stuff in a bar. There's burgers, wings, and other fried items. Even though it may not look that great, it can provide a pretty fun atmosphere. It's for sure best in summer. There's still plenty to come here for any month though. read more

Docks Bar & Grill - Whiskey And Pretzel - American Near Me - Wauconda, Illinois

Great spot right on the river... chill ambiance and setting for a rock & roll good time. We grabbed a quick lunch there to enjoy the beautiful day. Good service, decent bar food (we wouldn't come here for fine dining) but would come back to party! They are definitely set up for a good old fashioned throw down- great stage, plenty of parking and space. Would love to come here on a boat and rock out.. just need a boat! read more

Burger are awesome! Awesome outside bar area overlooking Bangs Lake. Live music on the weekends. Great bartenders! Love this place.

Came here for Easter. They had a special holiday menu. Though our reservations were at 10 am there weren't any breakfast items. We had a group of 5 and we were seated immediately. Nicer server. Great bloody Mary's and the champagne cocktail with Aperol were great! Variety of fruity, tropical and umbrella kind of drinks. The salads were huge portions, burgers were great and I had the Chicken Lemon Piccata. We were all happy with our meals. Great location on Bangs Lake. Large outdoor space with a tiki bar overlooking the lake. Highly recommend! read more

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Just walked in and stood at the hostess stand and we stood inches from her whiles she didn't look up from her phone once! Waited patiently to see if she would acknowledge us, nothing. My husband even walked back and forth to see if she would look up from her phone. She didn't. Just sat there with her phone in hand and feet on the counter. We walked out. Won't go back there. read more

Nice servers and management. Great location on the lake with a big bar on the deck. Drinks are reasonably priced. Food is very good.. you get the quality you pay for. read more

We stop here frequently and enjoy dining. Active bar Scene with good menu. Good ribs and burgers. We have mobility issues and staff makes extra effort to accommodate us. Very good French onion soup. Nice beer selection. A very good lunch or dinner spot when in the area. Great view of Bangs Lake with extensive outside seating. read more

This is a very fun place to be on a Friday night. Great views of the lake, fun tiki bar, amazing service. The other patrons were all so friendly and welcoming. No need to worry about parking, the valet will take care of that. Saw an awesome band with Trumpets, Trombones, and the whole 9 yards. Can't wait to go back again! read more

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We planned a party for 40 people to celebrate my mom's 90th birthday I met with Jeff who was very helpful in assisting us with menu suggestions and food amounts to order. The food was delivered warm and set up to our liking. The Chicken Parmesean, lemon chicken, pasta primavera and salads were enjoyed by all. Everyone asked who provided the delicious food. Price was reasonable for the quality and delivery convenience. Would definitely recommend Docks catering read more

Just don't go and you'll have a better day Overcharged for drinks overcharged for food didn't pay attention. Food was horrible. Drinks were horrible. You're better off just staying home. You're better off getting a bottle of vodka and going to McDonald's. My wife ordered a simple drink was 1750. I could've gone downtown to Christie's in the penthouse are overlooking millennium Park for the same amount of money. read more

This place is pretty good and the atmosphere is so chill, especially because it's near the water and you are looking out to boats and docks... hahaha get it? Because it's called Docks? Okay okay! The drinks here are so tropical and delicious that even my fiance (who doesn't enjoy drinking) enjoyed his drink because he likes the sweet-tasting drinks. Docks has a large outdoor patio, and many people can fit on the patio. I never came here at night, and I know it gets very busy at night, but during the day on a Sunday is the perfect time to come. I am not worried about COVID as much as many others in these reviews, and it is true that they don't adhere to the guidelines too much, but quite honestly, I don't care too much because I never had anyone up my butt here. Honestly how I look at COVID is if I am uncomfortable at a place, I will leave myself because honestly if I had that much of a fear, I wouldn't be going out to a restaurant right now. When I came here, the staff was all wearing masks, as well. It is definitely ironic though that their menu says to wear a mask and when you first walk on the patio, there is a sign that says to wear a mask, but then people are saying the staff doesn't wear a mask..? That's pretty hypocritical. We must have been the lucky ones because our service was pretty good and our waiter was nice and quick The food was good, but it is pretty expensive for what you get! I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich, though I wish they had a spicy one, too. The cool thing about this place is that you can also build your own burger or grilled cheese (tons of possibilities)! They also have bison, turkey, or veggie burgers to choose from if you do not eat meat. I do not live in Wauconda; I live in Chicago about 45 minutes away, but I'll be back in the summer, for sure, when it gets warmer and when I can sit outside and look at the water! read more

Docks Bar & Grill - American Near Me - Wauconda, Illinois

I've always loved Docks. Great place to sit outside, have drinks and listen to music. But what's going on with your menu prices. Ruben egg rolls were a favorite but now $18.95? That's almost doubled in price. Sandwich all $17-19. I know food prices have gone up but these prices are outrageous. Sorry but not sure sitting outside is worth this cost. Crazy new prices. read more

Ambience is nice with views of Bangs Lake. And if you are only looking for a bar, this looks like a good bet. But the food? Awful. I had the seafood Pasta. It was pasta with tasteless seafood floating in a water like substance...which was supposed to be wine in butter sauce. BF had cheeseburger and Cole slaw. Cole slaw inedible, cheeseburger passable. Never again. Service was just meh. read more

Really good place to eat! Cheap! The waiter kept coming back to see if we were ready to order and checked if we needed refills! Very good and friendly! read more

Docks Bar & Grill - Meatball sub with fries and angry orchard - American Near Me - Wauconda, Illinois

This is a great place to go eat outside in the summer with a beautiful view of Bangs Lake. The service is good and the walleye is delicious. read more

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I've been coming here for many years, as always the food is great. We here this past Monday May 16th. for lunch. As always they never fail, started out with a great Saganaki & we both had make your own burger. I had Swiss cheese on my burger with sweet potato fries. My wife also had a cheeseburger and fries. They were awesome. The waiter Jose was great. We will be back. read more

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Great views! Had a burger, fries, and ice cold beverage. Great service by Jose! Food was good & didn't break the bank (not what I got anyways). High top chairs not super comfy but they were discussing replacing those. * Warning - they do charge more if paying by card read more

Three of us went out for a nice dinner on a patio. Service was alright - one exception was that we were still eating our apps when the entrees were brought to us. The bus boy (who brought the entrees), just stood there waiting for us to move the plates with our apps on - but we were not even half done! Since there were three of us, we used the 4th chair to pile on dishes and clear the table for our food. Rueben - my son could only finish half and said he did not feel good. Salmon - was dry and my daughter could only finish half. Wings - terrible. Salty, mushy and the sauce was just limey tasting. For $18.50 I expect more and I am not sure how you screw up wings so badly. Bill was $100+ for just all this and one cocktail. Complete rip off! By any measure - there is no value to going here. read more

What is happening at Docks? New management? New kitchen staff? Did we clean house? I'm sorry but this place has gone downhill this summer. My husband hates this place but I can usually convince him to go see our favorite bartenders which we recently discovered they were "let go" said a regular patron. Letting go of Jessica and Tiffany was probably the worst decision! They ran around while super women making sure everyone was taken care of. The older redhead is also good just not very friendly. The new bartenders are slowwwww, I get they are new but come on! Chatting with locals while you have 20 people waiting is not a good look, go back to the dive bar you came from. Let's talk about getting a table. My husband was starving and since we stood at the bar for a good ten minutes without being acknowledged we decided to get a table. The man at the host stand was extremely rude! His phone was more important than customers, he shouted "you want a table?" As if we were bothering or interrupting what he had going on with his phone. No greeting. He was angry. My husband politely said no thank you, we will leave. All we got was a "good, bye" Not to be mistake as a good bye. We will not be returning. Do better Docks, you got rid of the wrong people read more

If I would be able to give a zero I would. I've lived in Wauconda for roughly 10 years my girlfriend and I just tried docs out and let me tell you the food was horrible. At first the appetizers were ok but a little too greasy we waited almost over an hour and a half to get our main courses of which consisted only a salad and pasta. The pasta Was horrible it was very clear that the food was microwaved very rubbery the seafood was microwaved in very rubbery head very bland taste to it extremely dry covered and what looked like oil and Grease. It was extremely unappealing this was our first and last visit to this establishment I strongly advise staying away. Update***About three hours after writing this review and both my girlfriend and I I feel extremely sick from the food that we ate. We've been burping up grease if you have any care for the safety of your own health do not eat here! read more

Docks Bar & Grill - American Near Me - Wauconda, Illinois

We have eaten at Docks for years and brought our service dog. Today the man at the host stand gave us a line of bs saying that the village has an ordinance that dogs cannot sit within a certain distance of the kitchen. We have traveled all across the US and foreign countries with our dogs, have never had an issue before today. The fact of the matter is the village has no such ordinance, Lake County follows the ADA rules applying to service dogs. This man is a liar! And when given pushback he got defensive.... proof again that he is wrong. Shame really because we have always enjoyed sitting watching over the water on Bang's Lake. read more

Great food and service! Enjoyed the view of Bangs Lake as well! Enjoyed the nice weather as well thanks to the outside patio!

It's very important to support the local businesses especially during COVID-19. I've been to Docks many times in the past. This is a staple in Wauconda. I really like the ambience with their remolded and large deck. My waiter was very attentive last night and my grilled chicken wrap (in which I added avocado) was very good. The pasta salad side was just ok. Their cocktails are reasonable and I really liked my strawberry vodka lemonade. Their martinis are always an ample pour too. The only gripe I had last night was there were a lot of bees swarming at the end of bar. Not happy about that. Once I moved to table under the canopy it was fine. I give this place 3.5 to 4 stars depending on the evening. I will definitely be back! read more

Used to love this prior to Covid. As with many others the food got worse as many favorite menu items were removed. Loved their oysters wish they would bring them back. They were the best I have ever had. Their pasta sauce is flavorless, the wings maintain their flavor thankfully. Will keep checking the menu read more

After passing this place on my way to work for years I finally stopped in and had lunch. I went against my better judgment. After reading some of the reviews I didn't want to believe them but I experienced it myself. We arrived around 1:00 pm for lunch. It was a very nice hot day out. We parked in the back lot by the lake. There is a staircase to walk up to get to the outside bar seating. The first thing I noticed when I entered the stairway was the godawful smell of urine. You know the drunk slobs leaving here find it easier to piss in the stairway instead of going inside to relieve themselves. We sat down at the bar and for about 10 minutes we watched the bartender eat her lunch as she watched us waiting for her to come and take our order. I was about to get up to leave because I hate to be ignored when she finally came over and asked us what we wanted. I ordered the Buffalo Chicken Wrap and shared it with my wife. My son had a Grilled Chicken Sandwich. As we waited another 20 minutes to get our food there were a few nasty things I noticed sitting at my seat. 1) The place was filthy. Right in front of me was a dirty stinky ashtray and a bunch of dirty bar mats. 2) A guy sitting next to my son thought it would be a great idea to light up a stinky cigar. Now I thought it was an Illinois law you couldn't smoke in a place like this. Maybe the law is different for outside seating. I apologize if I'm wrong, but it should be outlawed if there are other people around. 3) This is the best..The bartender was right in front of us and I noticed the bottle opener she was using was shoved down the back of her skirt and touching her ass. (no lie, look at my picture) How is this sanitary or acceptable? They say employees must wash their hands after using the bathroom. What about washing your ass before sliding your bar tools in and out of your pants. As for the food, My Wrap was just chunks of chicken with a bunch of buffalo sauce dumped on it. Nothing special. My son said the chicken sandwich was dry. He got a side of mayonnaise to be able to choke it down. And our coleslaw was warm. So needless to say we won't be back. They need to get this place cleaned up and get more attentive employees with better hygiene habits. read more

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