Sat at the bar (by the kitchen). Bartender and cook were extremely welcoming and friendly. Just passing thru so it was our first time here and would definitely go back. Smash burger was amazing. Hubby had the octoberfest burger on a pretzel bun with amazing beer cheese and awesome German potato salad. The atmosphere of the workers was extremely positive, great to see young oeople enjoying their job! read more

Let me start by saying I've been going to Green Gables for FOUR DECADES. I was seven when my grandpa first took me there for cheese balls and a dozen night crawlers on the way to the cabin. This place holds a lot of childhood memories, which makes today's experience that much more disappointing. The wifey and I planned a hiking trip with our pup around Lake Evergreen and Lake Bloomington, driving nearly two hours round trip, with lunch at Green Gables being the highlight of the day. We called at 11:50 to place a carryout order and were told they weren't taking orders because the Bears were playing and they were busy. We'd literally just driven past, and there was plenty of parking unlike the last weekend we went there and you couldn't find a spot anywhere(they had no problem serving us carryout on this day). The kicker? They could serve us if we came inside because they had "plenty of available seating". We absolutely would've eaten there if we could, but our dog is highly reactive due to abuse at a shelter. That's why we always plan to eat at the picnic tables across the street. Zero notice on social media, no mention on the website. After 40 years of loyalty, we couldn't even get a simple carryout order. I understand restaurants get busy, but you don't build decades of customer loyalty just to leave people feeling like an inconvenience. It's a shame. This place was part of my childhood, but after today, I'm seriously questioning whether it'll be part of my future. Nostalgia only goes so far. read more

Stopped here for an early lunch. The new building is beautiful. It's louder than average. TV's and lots of loud talking. The staff is friendly and attentive. The food was delicious. The water was from the tap and the tea was made from the tap. Very funny taste with both. They obviously cut as many corners on cost as possible. No plates or glass or plastic cups. No silverware. Again, the burgers are good but making this place a regular go too on my rotation is a no. read more

See all

Excellent food. Wait staff good but place seems to have staffing shortage just like every other place in the states

Went there for burgers recently, first time ever. It was great. Can't wait to return. Our server, Lucy, was amazing and checked in often. read more

After a great day on the water what more could you ask for than a good beer and a burger wrapped in paper. Nothing fancy but you have great people and a wonderful out door spot to enjoy friends. Our waitress was very nice and attentive. The burger and fries were what we needed and we washed it all down with a cold beer. read more

Green Gables - The spread - Grocery Near Me - Hudson, Illinois

Been here one 9/25.. nice bar, clean spacious good for groups. They have good burgers. Greasy but goood

I had the fortune of checking out the 'new' Green Gables when I was back to Btown for a visit. The burgers are still as good as the old restaurant and they've done a great job making a new restaurant that should carry them well in to the future for the Lake Bloomington community. They now have a beer garden option as well as the nice indoor seating. The group I was with all enjoyed their cheeseburgers and we also enjoyed some of the cheese balls. Yum! read more

Green Gables - Cheeseburger - Grocery Near Me - Hudson, Illinois

Stopped by to see the new building. So much space! Bright! Looking around and there are games (a pool table and arcade). We sat on the patio (big open space). Picnic tables with fans to help cool off. I liked the two large television screens. Dogs are allowed on the patio I believe. Food was alright. Beer was cold. Local options are a plus. read more

See all

Food was great, service sucks. They never brought or drinks. We were so disappointed we left with out even getting or refund.

We went back today (summer time and right before the evening lake rush). Food was delicious and came out quickly. They now have crayons and coloring sheets for kids which is great. Our waitress was nice but we were kind of forgotten a few times. In her defense it did look like they had her sections scattered all over the place so not easy to streamline. We will still keep coming back though! read more

Green Gables - Menu - Grocery Near Me - Hudson, Illinois

See all

Food is just like before the fire burnt the original building down. The burgers are delicious as always and the apps/ sides are just as good. But wow has the environment been elevated! Love the paint, atmosphere and inside upgrades. It's just great and a local staple! read more

Finally made it to GG 2.0. As much as I wanna give them 5-stars based on the historic rebuild that's been anticipated for a couple years now, I just can't do it. First of all, with the help of a couple of our friends, the place turned out quite different, but really nice. It is NOT however anything like the old place save for a single wooden booth stuffed in a front corner. The attraction USED to be inexpensive beers in a dimly lit dive bar/convenience store with the oldest, most well-seasoned flat top in all the land cranking out the tastiest smashburgers in the area - long before anyone knew that's what they should be called. The new version is quite comparatively modern, bright and comfortable. And altho none of those descriptors applied to the previous iteration, we were frankly disappointed by our initial Green Gables 2.0 visit and it boils down to the fact that over a month in now, the place was still WAY too crowded and too correspondingly loud - in this case on a Wed mid-afternoon?! We also noticed that the MANY new TVs were tuned to programs like soap operas and infomercials?! We could put that stuff aside and be happy for the owners triumphant re-opening if the burgers were still the real McCoy. The smashburgers were cooked fairly well with a bit of crispy-edge lacing, but perhaps it's the brand new grill top not having that familiar decades worth of seasoning combined with the complete lack of supplemental (even just salt and pepper) seasoning during the cooking process that left us wanting. We suspect that the seasoning we are now used to with other smashburger joints that now exist, likely plays a role here? Last but certainly not least, we definitely noticed that the affordability that used to keep'em coming back, seems to be gone now too - our tab made me do a double take. I settled on 3.8 (rounded to 4 here) stars based on everything in the positive column - the comfortable new chairs, tables, bar and barstools, the money spent modernizing with TVs everywhere, an actual POS system, a commitment to a much larger beer selection, including 6-8 taps, lots more canned options and a large packaged to-go cooler too! We dig the hand-painted wall mural(s) as well as a full blown/mostly covered beer garden with HOUGE TVs. And although the service was a bit rough at first with the over-crowding, it settled in nicely over the 75 or so minutes we were there, even if we couldn't hear each other at times. We hear rumors that sound baffling ceiling treatment is on order and I believe that (much like Kemps down the road in Lexington) it will help the address the fascination and popularity that is likely to be a reality throughout the summer. In the mean time, Brew-Ha's burger baskets still employ the old school prices and taste of the original 'Gables', while the Pop-Up Chicken/LoveShack smashburgers still get our vote for tastiest in town. They're also now about the same price and a whole lot closer. read more

Although I miss the old green gables I do love the new one also, a big makeover from the old. A must see. Once you get here order the quadruple bypass 4 burgers with 4 layers of bacon and cheese. The waitress came right away and gave me the order right away. I'll definitely be back read more

Came here on a Thursday evening and the place was packed. Could have been because of their recent reopening and could have been due to weather-related cancellation of Tailgate 'n Tallboys. Anyway the parking lot was full and the place was packed except for the outdoor tables. We were seated there. They did a very good job with the rebuild and the place looks beautiful, much bigger than before the fire. They have pool, gaming, and enormous TVs so it has a sports bar feel. The biggest problem is that the kitchen staff can in no way keep up when the place is full. We waited over an hour for a couple of burgers and sides. I saw the flattop and it really isn't big enough to service a restaurant that size. I had the Buoy burger. It was advertised as a double burger with BBQ sauce and pepper jack cheese with bacon on sourdough bread. I couldn't taste anything spicy or any BBQ Sauce on the burger. The sourdough bread was soft and didn't really taste like sourdough. For sides we ordered onion rings and mozzarella sticks. Pretty sure those came out of large bags of frozen food(i.e. not homemade). I've had better burgers at Five Guys, Shake Shack, and Meatheads. Not sure where their reputation came from. Our waitress was brand new, working her first night. You could tell she was working very hard and it was definitely not her fault. Overall, a very mediocre experience. Can't say I would never go back, but it will be awhile. read more

Been here the last 2 times and this will be the last we waited for 45 minutes to get our food tables that came in way after us were served

Good food but 1 hr 10 minutes for 4 cheeseburgers??? Labor Day and busy, but over an hour for burgers?

We ordered our food. The music seemed to get louder and louder. After a while, I began to feel actually sick to my stomach from the noise. Unfortunately, we were seated in a booth in the bar area. There were subwoofers mounted on the ceiling nearby. My wife asked for our order to go, and we ate in the car. Same great cheeseburgers and cheese balls we have eaten there for decades. DO NOT EAT THERE UNTIL THEY FIX THE SOUND! read more

I sat at the bar and although it was super busy, the service was still pretty good. Most importantly, that smash cheeseburger was really awesome!!! read more

Cheeseburger was good and cheese balls were good 5 stars. Service was good. The new design was good.

Simply, Green Gables makes the best cheeseburger I've ever had. Hands down. Consistently. They aren't fancy. They're just made really, really well. Smashed patty style. I'm not from the area but insist on visiting every time I pass through. The burger is perfect - every time! Keep it up. Green Gables is the standard I use to judge all other burgers by. read more

Green Gables - double cheeseburger. - Grocery Near Me - Hudson, Illinois

Not the same Green Gables. Food okay but burgers below previous. Too loud for family dining. Wait staff very slow. Waited 20 minutes after being seated to give order and only after tracking waitress down. Food slow to come after ordering. Seems to be more of a party bar than the great grill they used to be. Sure that is their intent, but sad change. read more

Have been coming to Gables since I was a kid. Love this place, and the cheese balls are the best! If you like a good burger this is the place to go! read more

Green Gables - The best cheese balls! - Grocery Near Me - Hudson, Illinois

Here for a concert, Brushville, plenty of space beer trailer, BBQ. Inside open. Awesome venue. Been here for lunch before. Excited to see concert. read more

Green Gables - Concert - Grocery Near Me - Hudson, Illinois

On a little side trip from our Chicago-Santa Monica Routee 66 journey we happened upon Green Gables just before the lunch rush. It was okay. Nothing that we would go our of our way for. The smash burgers were done well and tasty but nothing extraordinary. The side of deep fried cauliflower was forgettable. It is a quaint place that knows what the year around clientele expects. If we were in the area we would stop again. read more

Green Gables - Good but not outstanding. - Grocery Near Me - Hudson, Illinois

I have to rate placed by local and availability near by - but that doesn't mean a 1 star place in the middle of nowhere deserves three or four stars due to availability... WITH THAT SAID - Green Gables definitely deserve the four stars I am giving it.. Service was decent and the food was great! I wish I would have came on a Monday to try the attractive HORSESHOE... BUT I got a double cheese burger and jalapeño cheese "balls" (Yes they are like cheese curds if you from the rest of the world) The burger was excellent.... but get the double! If they shared a parking lot with those "Other Guys" I'd be at Green Gable every time! The cheese "balls" were manufactured but tasted okay and the fries were pretty good !! Top that off with great beer specials and it's a no brainer If you're i the area - Give it a try!! read more

Green Gables isn't just great because it's convenient to people in the vicinity of Lake Bloomington. Green Gables is great, PERIOD. It's a trifecta of bar, grocery store, and restaurant, and it does all three well. Sure, the grocery store part is a little janky, but the next closest one is at least 30 minutes away, so it gets the job done. If I hadn't gone in as an adult advisor to a gaggle of youth group girls, I would have happily stayed at the bar for hours. And that pub food. My god. Three-ish dollars gets you a burger that is AWESOME. One of the best burgers I've had in recent memory. For a couple of dollars more I also got an order of spicy cheese balls. They were were good too, but it's the burger that I can't get out of my head. According to friends who live in the area service, at Green Gables can get pretty spotty, but our waitress was very efficient. The only snag we ran into was that they only accept cash, but the in-house ATM was on hand to immediately remedy this problem. I'm in love with Green Gables! Sad that our relationship has to be long distance, but I think we'll be able to make it work. You should definitely get there ASAP! read more

Never disappointing. Best and most reliable cheeseburger in an old school lakeside bar/restaurant setting. Not the quickest service you'll ever have, but great throw back environment you gotta love. Sure, a beer garden in summertime would be nice, but Lake Road Inn currently has that covered. Cash only, but there is an ATM. read more

Green Gables - Grocery Near Me - Hudson, Illinois

Greatest burger I've ever had. Everything here was excellent. Hopefully they will reopen after the fire.

Word of mouth and a few select "Notable Burger Blogs" had this on my radar for some time. A Top Burger Destination!!! Bad timing. Arrived around 9:00 AM. Observed several patrons at the 10-12 stool old wood bar. No room here, so we took a seat at one of the 5 partitioned booths as you enter. And then we waited...and waited some more. Unsure of the protocol, we waited again. Finally noticed by the staff "NO Burgers to 11:00 A.M." We Gambled on an early arrival and lost". OK! Settled on the breakfast menu with remorse! The staff, not too swift here...apparently this place opens early but they remain somewhat Sluggish & Sleepy at 9:00 A.M. We had to clarify specifics on a basic breakfast menu order 4 times. "What"?...the choice is on a printed menu!!! At this point I just smiled. I was on a "Road Trip". After that, the "Greasy" breakfast was delivered promptly. "I got her order........she got mine"! read more

The perfect combination of Bar, Restaurant, Grocery Store, and Bait Shop. Okay, so the groceries are often expired and a bit over-priced, and they haven't joined the 2000's and started accepting credit cards, but their burgers are stellar! Living on the lake, we eat here a lot. Any time friends from out of town are over, we have to take them. I don't think they've ever cleaned the grill, and that's why the burgers are so good. Don't bother getting anything else, because the burgers are the sole purpose to visit the Gables. It's slow and has really bad (rude) service much of the time, but I love it! read more

Best cheeseburgers in Central Il cold beer good prices great service!!!! Yippee!! And you get buy groceries.

Although it was raining and we couldn't dine outside, a man came to our car as we pulled up and took our order immediately (no inside dining due to Covid-19). We already knew what we wanted as we'd been craving the delicious burgers from this place. We had cheeseburgers, fries and can of Budweiser. We are it next to the lake in the car with a nice view (although stormy). It doesn't get much better than that. read more

What an amazing place, one of the best burgers I've had in years. If ever on 55 - take the time to get off and hit Green Gables, so worth it! read more

Green Gables - Grocery Near Me - Hudson, Illinois

Knowing what it expect is half the battle. This is a small way station surviving from the 80's or maybe even 70's. Their burgers have enough grease that there were fully solidified, tan droplets of fat BENEATH the liquid pool that accumulated in the wax paper they serve on in place of using plates. It's good, it's a staple here at the lake, and it's the perfect place to go after a long harley ride covered in bugs, or after a long day on the lake with dirty hands, a fishy smell, and a blood crusted t-shirt. A word of warning, check the expiry date on anything you buy at the shop. They only put one out at a time for a reason. Even after the pandemic, when canned goods everywhere got a thorough refresh, I found most canned goods there expired in 2019 (during June of 2021). read more

Some friends who grew up in Bloomington-Normal recommended Green Gables. It is a one of those must visit local spots. The restaurant is small and the sitting is limited. Honestly, I would come here more often if I did not feel I might not get seating. My last visit was around Mother's Day. My mom came down to visit the Friday before the holiday. Unfortunately, it was the same night as ISU's graduation. I knew that any restaurants in town were going to be packed. That's why I remembered Green Gables. The parking lot was packed but it felt like there were cars than people. All the booths were full. My mom and I sat at the counter that faces the wall. I do not know the official name for it. It's the counter that you're staring at the wall if you look forward. We didn't really care as long as we got served. I ordered cheese balls as an appetizer. They were some of the best cheese balls I have ever had. The cheese was so creamy and the breading was crispy. I decided to order a double cheeseburger. Oh man, it was soooo good. I really want one now. My mom ordered the butterfly pork chop. She absolutely loved it. My mom is small woman. It was comical seeing her pick up the sandwich. It is huge! All the meals come with crinkle cut fries. The fries are nothing to celebrate. Standard fries but I don't mind. The server was attentive and friendly. I was little worried when we first sat down because it took her awhile to come over. Once she got going, things were great. The guy running the register was friendly too. He made conversation with us. My mom was really impressed with the food and the service. She was really pleased I took her here. read more

Food rating: excellent Service rating: very good Atmosphere: excellent* Price: very good Will I come back: definitely Rating out of 10: 10 *Yeah it's old but it's like stepping back in time, I wouldn't change this place at all I've been coming here all of my life. They have the best burgers in Central Illinois and beyond. Fries and cheeseballs are also excellent as is most of the menu. Over the years the staff has obviously changed but more often than not service and staff are top notch, though the place will fill up and if busy you may have to wait a bit for your food but it is worth it. It's also unique in that there is a grocery store (still) attached. Back in the day the grocery was actually larger and there were magazines and movies but the restaurant has grown and most of that is gone now. It's a fun place to get drinks, play pool, and listen to the jukebox too if you aren't hungry. read more

Great burgers, cheese balls, fries and beer at a great price. This no-frills cash-only bar is a classic, and now I see why. Hardly anything on the menu over $5, quick service, and tasty food. Everyone needs to experience Green Gables read more

Located next to Lake Bloomington, Gables is truly the definition of a hidden gem. Their burgers, cheese balls, and corn nuggets are the best items in the menu, and they are definitely worth the drive from Bloomington-Normal. Honestly, Gables has some of the best burgers in the area, if not the best. The restaurant itself is pretty funny, combining a bar and a grocery store into one establishment. Also, the service is usually pretty sketchy. The servers are always nice, but it is unbearably slow. There have been times that I've waited nearly an hour to get our food. But, the burgers are so good that it keeps me coming back! Definitely a great local place to eat. read more

Best burger in the area hands-down. Also great cheese-balls. Just don't get anything other than the burger and something fried. Also, there aren't free drink refills, they only take cash, and the service is terrible. But you can get away with that when you are a tiny bar/grocery store that serves the best burger in central IL. read more