I read the review that said no local beer, and I say GOOD! (see my Galena Brewing review. Also, I didn't think any of the Potosi beers were too wonderful) They do have a dark amber on tap called "Hernando's Ale". I found that it is brewed for them by Leinenkugels. And only brewed for the DeSoto House, as I am a Leinie's fan and am familiar with all their beers but this was kind of a little known secret. (Hernando for Hernando DeSoto, get it?) The bartender was nice enough to dig into this when I asked some questions. That did, up his tip! I didn't get a chance to try it tho, opting for Blue Moon instead, also on tap. I didn't find any other place in Galena that had Blue Moon on tap. I didn't hit a shit-ton of places but enough. Blue Moon on tap is WAY better than Blue Moon in bottles. Blue Moon in cans is way fresher and tastier than Blue Moon in bottles, which is available all over town. Get over the long necks. They don't keep your beer as fresh as long as cans do. Anyway, I'm giving it 4 stars mostly based on their Chocolate Martinis which my wife is a fan of. They do a good one here. We stopped in a couple times on a recent trip here and even with 2 different bartenders, each martini came out well. And they were quite a bit less than what they charge in the other bars in town on Main Street. But way better! The decor is fun, very old looking and dark. It's fun to sit in one of the two window seats and people watch. Also, if you stop by, take a couple minutes to walk thru the hotel which this is connected to. A grand old building for sure. We didn't eat here this time, but we HAVE eaten at the other two restaurants in the hotel, The General's and the Courtyard. They likely use just one kitchen for all three, and the other two restaurants were good. Sept 2014 update: we ate here and found the food ok but nothing to rave about. We had the Pastrami Rueben and grilled chicken sandwich. My regular fries were a tad mushy, and my wife's sweet potato fries had a weird flavor. Now, the bar still rocks, although on our visits it didn't have many customers. Darn good Bloody Mary's here. Sam Adams Oktoberfest on tap. Very nice. read more

I and my friends were pretty unhappy with this place. We found it using the cool Google Places app on my G1, but unfortunately that app doesn't use Yelp. Since I mentioned it I wanted to like it, but... Service was sloooow. At first I thought it was because we were outside, but we moved inside and it got slower. Everything came on paper/plastic plates that made the meals feel cheap (unlike the interior which looked nicer). The food was kind of cheap tasting also, fries with spice but without flavor, soup that was weird without being interesting. And they never brought our second round, which is a shame because we went in planning at least three rounds. We should have gone straight into Fritz and Frites near where we parked. That place sounds cool. read more

General's Restaurant - New American Near Me - Galena, Illinois

Pricey ! Pricey ! However, this is a classy restaurant with a lot of history and great ambience! Jeff was a great waiter ! He provided great service as a waiter, bartender, and a hostess ! My fiancé and I had cocktails before dinner. The cocktails were complimentary from the hotel stay at the DeSoto House Hotel. Our meal started with warm cheese bread. We had a house salad with French dressing to start our meal. I ordered the pretzel crusted walleye with baked potato and seasonal veggies. My fiancé had the 8 oz sirloin with seasonal veggies and red mashed potatoes. Both of our meals were good. I would recommend the walleye ! It is a big portion of fish. Fish was moist and delicious and cooked just right. We ordered chocolate cake for dessert. The dessert was rich but good. This is a great place to go to when staying at the DeSoto. read more

This is my family's favorite restaurant in Galena. They have a wonderful atmosphere, terrific staff and amazing food. Everyone who visits Galena should come here for a romantic evening. read more

I thought this place was really good but I went with a group and I am basing my three stars on the opinions of the group, not just mine. The ambience is very quiet and dark. It looks pretty fancy but it's casual dress. This place is supposed to be haunted. I personally felt nothing paranormal in the restaurant. The waiter had five tables, including ours. That shouldn't have been overwhelming but I felt like he could have been more attentive. We had a lot of plates on our table that could have been cleared off throughout the meal. I ordered the scallops and I thought it was great. I'm picky about how my scallops are cooked and these turned out great. Someone else in my group ordered the halibut. I tried it and it was so dry and overdone I could barely swallow it. If I had ordered that, I would have sent it back. Someone else ordered the filet, I thought it was great. To finish the meal, the waiter asked if we wanted anything else and brought our check but I said I wanted desert! The raspberry cheesecake was DELICIOUS. Personally, I would go back but the other members of my party felt that it wasn't the best, feeling like their meal was bland. read more

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This was the best meal of our trip! We chose to dine here because we were looking for a restaurant that had great food with strong local ties. We were not disappointed. The tables are well spaced apart for Covid and all of the staff wore their masks correctly. This made us feel more comfortable eating inside. The food was outstanding, and our server, Maggie was excellent! We ate here on Halloween night, this added an extra layer of fun and local charm because the restaurant is allegedly haunted. However nothing supernatural happened during our visit. read more

I wish I had taken a photo of my meal but I forgot because I was hungry! We went for my Bachelorette party and didnt realize we should have made a reservation but the staff was extremely kind and said if we were able to wait they'd find out if they could fit us in. 20 minutes later, we had a table! Our waiter was kind and attentive. The food was phenomenal and seemed fair for the price at a fancy dining place. I would definitely go back. Each of us tried something different. One of my sisters did the scallops, the other the stuffed chicken, on did the alfredo, I did the sirloin. It was cooked a perfect medium. read more

The DeSoto has a family of restaurants and offers a VIP membership for rewards at The Generals. Last night we attended the hotel's Premier VIP five course dinner with accompanying cocktails and wine tasting. It was an exceptional event. The evening started with a three wine tasting and was then accompanied with an awesome charcuterie. Next was a mozzarella Cap salad accompanied with a grapefruit pepper original creation cocktail. The next cocktail was a sampling of an orange martini followed by a Cabernet sorbet. The main course, accompanied by a Wisconsin old fashion and your choice of wine, were twin tournedos of filet topped with bleu cheese and Italian sausage and Yukon mashed potatoes with squash wrapped asparagus. We were stuffed and had no room, until the dessert arrived, with an after dinner cocktail of vanilla vodka, Godiva liquor and other secrets, absolutely needing to be enjoyed. Chocolate dipped coconut praline cups filled with fresh berries atop creamed brûlée mousse with a side of chocolate mousse and a piece of solid chocolate. We even received a gift! The food was exquisite, both in taste and presentation. The staff is wonderful!! We have always enjoyed the food here, especially the pretzel encrusted walleye. That's our favorite. The tortellini carbonara is delicious also! As far as we are concerned, The Generals is the best kept secret in Galena. read more

General's Restaurant - Main Course- Twin Tournedos of Beef (not currently on menu) - New American Near Me - Galena, Illinois

Traditional fine-dining restaurant which has been around for a long time. Started with bread and butter, which was tasty. Good thing, because it took a half hour for the soup to show. Entrees were another half hour in coming. Wife: ribs (sauce good, meat so-so) green beans (good) August gratin potatoes (undercooked) Mine: prosciutto stuffed chicken (good) asparagus (good) mashed potatoes (room temp) Overall, service friendly but very slow, food pretty good if you're not in a hurry. read more

The service was really good, the location itself is charming, and the food was very tasty. Get the chocolate cake- you won't regret it!

Stopped in for a brew and some food, they offer Galena beer in bottles which is a plus. Food was like the other reviews say, just average, nothing jumped out at us. The tavern has a few TVs, wood bar, tables and chairs. Quiet atmosphere. A connected; "polite sit down" room in the back. Although at the time we were there in the afternoon, it wasn't busy yet for that side to be opened. Fish n'chips were alright, a bit too pricey. Service was meh, but when passing through town, I guess it's ok to slow down a bit. read more

We aren't high brow people, my friends and I, but we were expecting better pub food and service then what we got on Sunday. We stopped in, after a long day of traveling round the area. We sat outside and waited a good 5 mins before we were even acknowledged by our server. Once she came over, we ordered a round of drinks and the artichoke appetizer, which were real good, and the home made, lightly fried pita chips were excellent. But that's about it. I got the taco salad, with vegy meat instead of steak or chicken. It was small and would have been better if it had chili. We ordered blue cheese soup, which was gross and garlic fries which consisted steak fries with garlic salt on it. Blah. And on top of that, we moved inside after the wasps tried to attack us. We told our server, but she only came to our table once after. She forgot our second round of drinks, I had to ask for napkins, water, our bill and our receipt from the other servers. The place wasn't even busy. Plus there was about 10 people standing around and no one was bringing helping our server out. Pass it up.... read more

I really wanted to love this place but for so many reasons that just didn't happen. The service was very slow. It took a long time to get drinks. Soup for an appetizer also took forever. It wasn't that busy either. The food itself was slightly better than banquet food. Some of the staff decided to hold a meeting at the hostess stand which was near our table which was really annoying to hear them cavetch about the restaurant and the customers. Our server disappeared several times for an extended period of time - we figured that one out when we saw her smoking outside when we drove away. I don't give many 1 star reviews but General's worked hard to get it. Don't bother with this place - there are a ton of other restaurants in Galena for you to enjoy. read more

My husband and I went to this place looking for a quick lunch, and as we were one of only 3 tables, I can't complain about the lack of prompt service as others have. The food quality was mixed. We ordered the "Wings n things combo" and it was a sad thing. The first issue was that despite its name, this combo came with no wings. They gave us these little chicken-nugget-like things, but they had no sauce on them, so they were not even close to a wing substitute. The mini-tacos were vile. They looked (and tasted) like pieces of tanned hide fried in a corn tortilla. And that's a generous description. The onion haystack, or thin onion rings, had good flavor, but were cold. My husband ordered a bowl of chili, and again, it had good flavor, but was served at barely room temperature. I ordered the Chicken and Strawberry salad, and the over-all result wasn't terrible, but there were some things I didn't like. The chicken was really dry and looked like it was cooked a few days prior. The strawberries were fresh, and they were generous with the feta and walnuts, but the dressing was almost the consistency of jelly. It was edible, but I was disappointed. Especially with only two other tables competing for our order, I felt that very little time and effort was put towards our food. I would maybe give them one more chance because some things had potential, but I would be sure to be specific about how I order my food. read more

We had the Apple & Mixed Berry Salad and the Cheese Steak Sandwich with the Onion Haystack. Food was very delicious. Server was friendly and had fast service. Also it was my first time having a Moscow Mule it was yummy as well. Would eat there again and again! Prices are reasonable. Neat place located inside the De Soto Hotel. A lot to look at after your meal if you like to check out places. read more

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Good, but not great. They had Guiness which is good, but no local beer. There is a brewery two blocks down the street for crying out loud. Not to mention Potosi which is nearby and whatever the fine City of Dubuque may have to offer. The blue cheesecake was M.I.A. That's the reason I stopped here. The cheese plate was nice on cheese, average on sausage, and light on crackers. I wonder what Abraham Licoln ate after he spoke here? read more

This restaurant is in the historic DeSoto hotel. Love all the wood on the bar and beautiful lamps in the back room. We had lunch and the food was very good. I had the Cuban sandwich and it was an interesting mix of flavors. Their ice tea was fresh brewed and great on a hot day. Our waitress seemed distracted. My husband asked for more coffee several times with barely a response. But we enjoyed the food and ambiance. read more

The scallops were amazing!! I highly recommend them. Nice atmosphere. Kind attentive staff. I'd come back.

Super grill cheese and pastrami Reuben! Fun atmosphere. Love the doorman with the tophat. read more

General's Restaurant - Great spot for lunch! - New American Near Me - Galena, Illinois

Sooo good! I was nervous about this because it only had 3 stars. But after reading the other reviews, it seems like people had more complaints about the service than the actual food. So we thought we'd give a shot! There was a group of 8 of us and they were able to accommodate us after calling in a last minute reservation --which again made us nervous, but all of the other highly rated restaurants in Galena wouldn't accept late reservations for groups 6 or more. The ambience was neat. Low lighting, a pianist playing music. Definitely felt fancier than most places. Our server was great and he had a good sense of humor. The boys were happy because the domestic beers were only $3.75! And the server provided a chilled glass with their bottles of beer. The bread was soft and delicious with a Parmesan crust and herbed butter on the side. The majority of us ordered some type of steak and everything was cooked perfectly! We also liked that we were able to split our meals with our husbands for only $5 and we each got to pick our own 2 sides. This place ended up being a pleasant surprise and we'd definitely go back! If only we would've had room for dessert read more

In the area and found ourselves starving. This fulfilled the need and then some. Definitely recommend the sweet potato fries! The battered cod was good too, but overcooked. read more

My husband and I just came from our honeymoon in Galena and found this to be the simplest place to just get a bite to eat. Most other restaurants had very heavy menus with large meals. Their wraps are lovely, so are their burgers, but their sweet potato chips are AHHHh-MAZING. Most notably, though, was a server, I think his name was Jake? He was super adorable, and very sweet, and each time we came back he remembered to bring me a glass of water. Now - this may not sound exciting, but as of recently, I have noticed that restaurants DO NOT give glasses of water unless you ask anymore. On our first visit, I asked for water and he brought it...every visit after, he remembered and brought me (not my husband) a glass. No other tables had glasses of water either Maybe I'm getting way too excited about a glass of water, but the POSSIBILITY that a server might have had those kind of customer service skills to really impressed me. Also - their Bloody Mary is LOVELY. read more

No regrets with choosing this venue for our anniversary dinner. Server Jeff was at "the top of his game." Both the ribeye and the filet mignon were grilled to perfection. Cabernet Demi glaze added dimension as well. Crab bisque cup of soup was tasty and just the right size. Root veggie side a great compliment. Finished with fresh brewed coffee. Viewing the desserts which consisted of cheese cakes and flourless chocolate cakes and though probably of a good quality, we took a pass. Wish a gelato flight or a fruit cobbler or anything else would have been offered. Of interest is that having lived in the area (5 yrs) and follow restaurant reviews we never though of The General's. A little better marketing would go a long way. We'll definitely "be back!" read more

Our first time in Galena and we were looking for some good food. After checking a few menus on Main st. we decided steaks and mashed potatoes sounded good. We had read the menus (there were 2 one was labeled one wasn't) outside the Green Tavern and thought that it was all Green Tavern. I did think it odd for a pub to serve some of the fancy items in the menu. Once we were seated and handed menus I quickly realized this was only half the menu we had seen outside so I asked the waitress. She was polite and said it was for the restaurant downstairs. She personally escorted us and our drinks down for us. The decor was elegant and I voiced to the waitress that I felt underdressed in shorts and a collard shirt. She assured me I was fine. So no real dress code. We ordered French onion soup for a started. It arrived within 10 min and was hot and delicious. For entrees I had New York strip cooked med-rare, mashed potatoes and green beans. My wife had the Filet cooked medium, mashed potatoes and wilted spinach. My steak was excellent 10/10 cooked perfect, thick cut and juicy. My wife's filet was an 8/10. It was good but not epic. Potatoes were lumpy and lacked flavor meaning no herbs or garlic. The wilted spinach was soaked in butter. Too much butter. We had butternut squash cheesecake for dessert. It was different, but good. You could taste a touch if cinnamon and didn't taste like squash at all. Server was friendly and helpful. I consider it an expensive restaurant. steaks were all $25 and up and the chicken and duck started at $19. For those prices the sides could have been better. Still service and main course easily score this 4/5 stars by my standards. read more

Had a nice lunch on a Wednesday afternoon. We just walked in and enjoyed lunch. Historical building. Good food and service. Would recommend. Sweet potato fries and blue cheese soup was delightful. Would recommend and go again. read more

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Went here for dinner and set my sunglasses on the table. After the meal walked upstairs and realized I had forgotten my sunglasses so went back - at most 30 seconds later. Wait staff had already partially cleared the table and my sunglasses were gone. There were no other patrons sitting in my section of the restaurant. If you want to get robbed go here, dishonest staff will be happy to steal from you. Food was mediocre as well. read more

Don't even bother going in!! The service(or lack there of) is a joke! We entered, were given menus without a greeting or drink offer. Nobody ever returned. We waited a minimum of 15 minutes before walking out. The place was not busy by any means. Other tables were approached by the bartender, but wait staff failed to return to our table. I'm from this area and have no problem letting my friends and family know not to visit this establishment. We crossed the street and were greeted and treated as patrons should be. Date of visit: August 7-2015 @2:15 pm. I suggest you utilize those specifics to re-train your staff on the importance of proper customer service. read more

There is a reason this place has low ratings and I advise you follow the reviews and avoid this place like the plague. We were originally planning to go to Embe across the street but the curb appeal wasn't great (even though the reviews were raving- this is what we should've trusted. We sat at Green Door and ordered apps that were clearly frozen just minutes before. Two of the group ordered Mac n cheese which was also frozen- like legit had freezer burn. We hoped the martini flights would make the experience at least somewhat enjoyable but I'm pretty sure they were just flavored burnettes vodka in mini glasses. After then having the waiter spill a tray of waters on the group we walked across to Embe and had the experience we should've had. Throughout our stay we kept referencing the miserable time at Green Street Tavern and the locals would laugh and say "yea, its gross". So follow the reviews and the ratings- do not dine here unless you're Gordon Ramsey and you're going to fix their kitchen afterwards read more

Very cool place to chill, watch the people stroll by, get any drink you want, and the standard lunch bar food. Every employee was very nice and helpful, even when it was busy. Love the whole hotel atmosphere. read more

As a group, we decided to try a few different things: Deep fried cheese curds - skip it: these were mediocre at best Blue cheese soup - recommended: it had just the right amount of blue cheese to be tangy and rich. Deep fried green beans - good: beans were crunchy and not greasy. read more

The prime rib steak is juicy and tender! We love the live piano as well. The music made you want to dance and added the romantic atmosphere to the wonder meal. We are a bit of disappointed that we cannot substitute the crab bisque with the soup for the daily special. I wish to try the crab bisque next time. read more

General's Restaurant - Very juicy King cut 14oz. prime rib steak. We also love the live piano. - New American Near Me - Galena, Illinois

We tried to eat at General's last time we were in Galena, but couldn't get in, so we assumed this place must be really good. This time we were sure to make a reservation in advance to celebrate our anniversary, and were happy to get right in. Unfortunately the food was very mediocre. We both got the ribeye Oscar style. We asked for medium rare, but they were definitely overcooked. There was little flavor, and we both commented that we get much better ribeyes at Texas Roadhouse!! The Oscar sauce tasted like it came from a can, and the baby red mashed potatoes tasted very strange. On a positive note the root vegetables were delicious. Service was subpar. When our waiter brought the dessert cart over, he didn't ask if we were interested, and just proceeded to show us all the options. When we declined he rearranged a couple of the dishes and then stated that they looked more symmetrical that way. $90 for this meal was WAY too much. We don't mind spending on great food, but this was definitely not great food! read more

We visited on a Sunday afternoon for lunch. They were fairly busy, but not overly so. Still, our waiter seemed to forget about us. My niece waited 10 minutes for ketchup for her burger, which was incredibly bland, no seasoning on the meat. I ordered a cheese steak. The meat was dry and tasteless. There was about a teaspoonful of cheese on the sandwhich, had to ask for more. The fries were good, as were the cheese curds. Overpriced for the quality of the food. Won't go back. read more

The Chicken Caesar and Burger w/ fries were both good enough. Overall the menu is short, but it fit the bill for a quick bite. I liked their fireplace in the back - they should let it be more open to the room so more people know it's there and can enjoy it. read more

Food is mediocre at best. Service is adequate but somewhat odd. No atmosphere to speak of. Skip this place, there are far better restaurants in Galena. read more

I have a love/hate relationship with this place. The food is eh but their bloody marys are amaze-balls. I would go here just for drinks and maybe appetizers. Their outside seating is pretty cool too though and perfect for people watching. read more

Not much to recommend apart from the excellent garlic fries. The service was apathetic and glacial, the atmosphere just OK and the pork flatiron sandwich sounded better than it tasted. Probably wouldn't go back. read more

I went here last Thursday with my boyfriend and we decided to stop in for lunch. I ordered a hamburger with garlic fries and my boyfriend opted for the fish and chips. Both meals were delicious and consisted of an ample amount of food. However, our server seemed a little irritated and it looked like it was a chore to serve us, but besides that we enjoyed our meal. Prices were pretty fair for a touristy location; especially for lunch, so it wasn't too terrible of a deal. read more

Nice place. We came here originally for the public bathroom in the amazing hotel, then decided to stop in for lunch. I saw the others reviews and was worried. But our experience was great. Fast service, friendly service, and good food. I ordered fish to split with my son, and when they brought it, they had split it to two full plates with two pieces each and both plates loaded with yummy chips. That is so nice! read more

Average but good food, average pricing. Nice outdoor area with view of historic properties. Service- average.