Let me start by saying I have been going to Hackney's for four decades! The Lake Zurich location mainly, and since that one closed I hadn't been to another location. I was beyond excited to go back for a birthday celebration and enjoy the Hackney's experience. We were greeted with a smile, the gal who sat us was cheerful and sweet but after that, things went sour. Of course we ordered the onion loaf (two actually) and it was so overcooked it had no moisture left and even less flavor. Next on to dinner, hopefully that would be better. Nope. Two of us ordered the French Dip sandwiches. They were so overcooked, it was like leather sliced between the two buns. The $17 chicken sandwich consisted of half of a chicken breast on toast with a slice of American cheese melted on the inside. All bread. And Finally the turkey melt was cold! How? It's a melt! Our waitress was apologetic and asked if the kitchen could have a do over, but zero management interaction. No, I'm so sorry that your birthday dinner was hot (cold) garbage. It made me so sad that a restaurant that held so many memories has gone down hill in such a disappointing way. Sadly, I will not be going back! read more

Review #2 @ Ten years later, nothing's changed. Summed up in one word - Cringe. If you have never been here and you wish to set your expectation beforehand, I would suggest viewing it as an event space that offers food options and has a bar. Or put another way, view it as Chuck E. Cheese minus the fun. I have been here for all the above. As an event space, it is familiar to locals, conveniently close to home and gets the job done acceptably. As a bar, it always has people in it and is always challenging to order a beverage, not sure why that is. As a restaurant to eat, hot mess. I never come to Hackneys to eat. Every time I give it the benefit of the doubt for whatever reason (usually because of someone else) I am reminded yet again why I do not come here to dine. Packed into a small overcrowded dining space, small children crawling around the tables on the floor, other children bouncing up and down in their chairs, the parents of these same children seemingly unphased and showing no signs of leaving anytime soon. As for the food, I would honestly say that nothing on the menu here is beyond mediocre with one bizarre exception, the cheese curds. I do not care for cheese curds, but having tried Hackney's, I think they are better than most I have tried, which is not many. Everything else...honestly, you are going to pay north shore prices anyway, so why not eat some good food for the money. There is nothing worse than dropping a chunk of change on sad food. Your salad will be iceberg, your sautéed spinach will be a pathetic show of having been in the pan just long enough to get wrinkled from the heat, your chicken breast will be tiny, your avocado barely discernible, your medium rare burger medium, etc etc etc. What else is irksome about this location? The fact that they turned their old laundromat into a brewery, yet offer none of the beers from that brewery in the main restaurant. I'm sure there is a reason that I am unaware of, but honestly, I don't care, it seems like a no brainer. Having said all of this, people still show up and give them their business, I don't get it. read more

See all

Sat next to a disgusting table of four, seemed to be two couples. Two old men and two old women. Seemed to still be living in a time when being an overt racist was acceptable, because one of the old men pulled an employee aside as he was walking by and said, loud enough for people to hear, "Get me someone white to wait on us." I caused a scene and went and found the manager only to be met with ... nothing. The employees and manager agreed with me that it was disgusting, but nothing was done. The manager even said those people had been there before several times. He didn't do anything. I asked if they could be asked to leave. I said they weren't protecting their staff. I was met with quiet shrugs. If that's how this place treats their staff, I'll never be back and I'll make sure no one I know is, either. The food isn't even worth the trip there. read more

Went to Hackneys on Lake. First we ordered the cheese curd Appetizer. Delicious. Then my wife ordered the cheeseburger on a pretzel bun. Very good as always. I ordered the patty melt medium. They forgot the grilled onions. None. So then it was a well done cheeseburger. I ate half andd told the waitress. She apologized and brought out some grilled onions. she started to talk about changing price but I said no, Don't worry things happen. I brought the other half home. We have come to this one and the one on Harms many times over the years I did pay the whole bill and tipped her 20% cash because like I said things happen. Still recommend. read more

First time at Lake Street. I usually go to Harms Road. Food is the same. Servers did a good job. They need to get rid of the paperboard boxes for doggy bags. read more

Had lunch today with my husband at Hackney's on Lake. Hubby had Fish & Chip dish which was mediocre, I ordered Baby Spinach salad with grilled chicken. It was supposed to have caramelized nuts, but did not have any! Chicken was dry too. Very disappointing experience. read more

Hackney's On Lake - Menu - Burgers Near Me - Glenview, Illinois

Hackney's has been a standard but it seems that they're pretty average as of late. The service here is pretty good but the entrees have been underwhelming lately. I got a turkey sandwich here which was literally slices of turkey on white bread--super dry. Cole slaw arrived in a tiny plastic cup. read more

This place was okay. Had a party of 15 and they fit us all in with a big table which was nice. It was really dark inside but it had like a cool Victorian-esque vibe. I really liked the Wisconsin cheese curds but all the other food was just alright. I had the chopped salad with balsamic vinaigrette instead of blue cheese dressing and it was pretty good. The staff was rude and when we ordered our food our waiter she rolled her eyes and answered sarcastically. We had a good time but don't go out of your way to come here. read more

I really enjoyed this restaurant surprisingly. I visited them in the past and had a terrible experience due to an undercooked burger. But to my surprise they have gotten much better since then. The atmosphere is unlike any other- an inviting and cozy experience. The food was delicious. I ordered an Onion Burger, which was perfectly cooked and seasoned. The waitress was sweet. She was very attentive to our large group order. Overall, I would recommend Hackney's for some solid food and an even better atmospheric experience. read more

What happened hackneys owners? I've been coming here for years and even when they were in lake Zurich. Your prices have skyrocketed AGAIN....lets blame it on everything else. You changed your fries for the worse also. My order arrived with a large amount of black debris on them clearly from a uncleaned fryer. Addressed it with waitress no offer of a replacement. Then comes the best part. I go to pay and you hand a machine to me that who knows how many people touched this thing....GROSS!!!! Then your waitress stands there instructing me how to and that I need to add a tip watching me and insisting I hit the 22 % button. NOPE you're going to stand there and insist on a tip you get and got NOTHING..... how rude of your people. I must say I will not be back . read more

Absolutely pains me to leave this review. This used to be one of our family spots for decades. Came in today and was shocked. The years have not been kind to this place. Broken seating, everything is sticky, dingy, and tired. Onion loaf was a burnt brick. Burgers were way overcooked. Chicken sandwich was a mushy tasteless mess. Prices way up. Portions and quality way down. Owner has a decision to make...either put some money into this place and do it right or just bite the bullet and close up shop. The server was great. Friendly. Prompt. She deserves better. read more

We were there to celebrate a friend's 50th. They had rented a room downstairs. The room was decent size with a bar. A full bar. I was amazed on how big the space really is. For appetizers we had the fried onion appetizers. It was decent. Could have used a little more salt. There was no dipping sauce provided so went with the last resort, tabasco sauce to help with the lack of flavor. For the main entree I ordered their broiled chicken sandwich. Again, no flavor. Had to sprinkle some salt. Mayo helped. The chicken was dry and hard to chew. The fries were probably the best thing I had. The waiter who served our large table was attentive and made sure we were content with drinks and food. Honestly, I would not return on my own. Glad I got to try this place out once. read more

Food is classic. Very good. However it took like 12 centuries for our food to come out.

I highly don't recommend this establishment. My Aunt came here to eat. She brought her service dog with her and sat on the patio which was pretty much empty. Her dog is small, quiet and wasn't in the way. And the manager refused to serve her. He told her she needs to go put the dog in the car! It was 90 degrees out! That's unacceptable! Her dog is a service dog & that's against the law! She left the restaurant! What kind of cruel person would want to put a dog in a hot car! I'm personally disgusted and will be making a tik tok on the situation! read more

they've built up decades of goodwill. it seems like they are trying to burn through all of it with erratic food quality and poor service.

As a child my family often dined there. Food was always great. I brought my son , his wife, and my grandson there today. The food was as good as it has always been. I had the Hackney burger and we split the large order of fried onions. My 2 yr old grandson lived there onions as much as the rest of us did. Hackney's hasn't lost a thing The food is great and we enjoyed it. From the looks of things so did all the other people we saw. read more

having grown up in the northern Chicago suburbs - Hackney's was THE PLACE to have a great burger .. good drinks .. fine service .. eclectic atmosphere .. had not been to the Lake Ave location since "Ivory at the Ivory's" entertained in the lower level pub .. took my daughter for a quick lunch during a weekend visit to Chicago .. Aaww - the old memories returned and DID NOT DISAPPOINT .. please go and visit quickly before this Glenview institution disappears ... read more

Hackney's used to be a good restaurant but now it close its doors. Just a bad experience. Sticky table tops, dated decor that belongs in the 70's average food and the "onion loaf" was so disappointing. read more

Server Jack very good Food great Onion loaf and burger prepared perfectly and they have Green River soda read more

Here again for a family gathering. This place still amazes me how it can stay in business. First, the drinks available are in a QR code that is barely visible on the placemat. My wife asked for a glass of white zinfandel that was clearly shown on the google doc accessed with the QR code. Nope, told they do not sell. Then update your Google doc. Should take all of one minute. Next, the website menu shows that the mini hackneyburgers are available, the portion of 5. Nope not available,but you can order the kids version of this where if you buy two orders you can get four but are more expensive ( I guess the applesauce with the kids version must be priced like caviar). Please update the menu on your website so it accurately shows what someone can truly order. Also, the burgers must now be purely fat since they have shrunk. The old weight before cooking caveat. Please also put some heat into the bathroom. All my guests said it was like 30 degrees in them. Place could use a good cleaning. Noticed the vent by the kitchen door was full of stuck on dust. Maybe the location on Harms is better and I can suggest this gathering try that location. read more

The service last night for 20 seniors was beyond outstanding. Server agreeable, accommodating and friendly. Beyond expectations with a delightful atmosphere and great food. read more

Hackney's On Lake - Dining room - Burgers Near Me - Glenview, Illinois

See all

I've been going to this location for 45 years. Incredible family memories. Sadly, this establishment is experiencing a big decline in quality and staffing. After two really mediocre visits, I'm resolved to not waste my time and money for such a stark experience. I thought "is this place closing? Going out of business?" Dirty dishes, undercooked fries, weird turkey breast, weird pickle, weird coleslaw. Kinda grimey, and baby flies hatching nearby. read more

Decided to check out this place based off a recent review that it was the best burger in Glenview... Ummm, let's hope it tastes better than it looks... *One bite later* it wasn't... read more

Hackney's On Lake - Breaded cod - Burgers Near Me - Glenview, Illinois

See all

Soooo disappointing. Had lunch with friends at Hackney's and will never return. Always remember how yummy burgers & onion rings WERE. All 5 of us disappointed in cold onion rings, cold French dips, soggy bread on burgers, cold skins, tasteless burgers! All in all, just awful! No wonder restaurant was empty. I don't know what happened to the Hackney's of old ? What a shame! read more

So disappointing. I remember going to the Hackney's I. Wheeling when I was a kid. We loved it. Great memories and great food. It was considered a special treat since it was an hour away from where we lived. I specifically remember the onion loaf and burgers. I even went back to Hackney's as a adult, with the last time being about 15 years ago. So, I was excited when my son had a wreslting tournament in Glenview and I could stop by for some great food, only problem is, there wasn't any. We ordered the onion loaf and burgers. The onion loaf was absolutely tasteless, except for the flavor of grease. No seasoning what so ever. The birgers were not much better, mediocre at best. $70 for two burgers, an onion loaf and one pop.......never again So sad that this place has lost its way over the years, or maybe it was never really as good as I remembered in the first place. read more

It's really sad what has happened here. It used to be great. Management really needs to train staff. No one was rude, everyone was nice enough just clueless. I watched one server almost drop multiple meals- by the food sliding off as it was being carried sideways. Another table gave up ordering cocktails and just went directly to the bar Huge pet peeve when your "starter" comes with the meal. Never have seen buffalo sauce on the side for an order of buffalo wings. Not a fan of dipping my own buffalo wings. The Kitchen was "backed up" which supposedly accounted for waiting 40 minutes for our food.not sure how that accounted for the appetizer coming out with the meal. Zero refills offered for drinks during any part of the meal. The server made sure we knew it was her break and someone else would help us. Which was essentially meant someone tried to clear my plate while I was still eating. The quality of the the food is not at all what it used to be. All around disappointing experience. read more

We had heard about Hackney's, especially the onion "brick", and don't get to the north suburbs very often, so we were happy to try it on a Friday night. We were surprised to see the restaurant around 1/3 full around 7:30pm, and figured that we'd have good service if there were few diners. We waited a long time for our appetizer and food to arrive, and while the wait staff were very nice and polite, it was a long wait even for water refills. The disappointing part was the lack of seasoning on the food - both the onion loaf and burgers were bland. I hope this was a one-off experience, since I know the restaurant has been open a long time and has lots of fans - our experience just wasn't great. read more

From the time of my first date, many years ago, Hackneys has been one of my favorites. Their onion loaf is legend. Although I don't eat meat any longer, there are so many great options. We live nearby and Hackneys on Lake as well as on harms is a monthly visit for us. read more

Nothing good to say. I've eaten here occasionally over the last 40+ years and things have gone progressively downhill. We arrived with our party of 8 a few minutes early and were told that no table was available yet. After not going to the bar they finally took us to a distant room where we passed at least three empty clean large tables which we could've been seated at. Our waiter tried rushing us and then eventually brought our subpar drinks. My vodka tonic was lacking vodka as were a few other mixed cocktails. Then we ordered dinner including onion rings. 40 minutes later the dinners arrived but no rings. They'll be right out we were assured. Then a couple new wait people arrived and announced they were taking over for the first guy and would be back to check on us in a bit. We quickly asked about the rings and were told they'd be right out. Finally after we'd all finished over half our main course they arrived. The burgers lack their previous quality and they continue to skimp on fries. In my opinion the onion rings lacked onions while the breading was top notch as in the past. I'm guessing they're using more thinly sliced onions to save on costs. The place gets filthier by the decade and the ambience is now largely gone. I don't plan on returning. read more

We have eaten at Hackney's on Lake for years. The food is usually good. A few months ago, we booked a party for 30-40 people. We specifically requested a room on the main floor due to several guests having mobility issues. We went in for dinner a few weeks before our party date, and we were told that we gave them the wrong date. We definitely had the correct date. The manager got it wrong. We were forced to have the event on the lower level. The restaurant has steep stairs and no elevator. Some of our guests were truly inconvenienced, while others couldn't attend. We were not offered anything for the trouble. That was our last time dining at Hackney's. There are other venues with better customer service. read more

Came here for my father's birthday and it was pretty bad. We waited an hour for our food and we were talking to the tables next to us about how awful it was (one of them actually walked out after waiting an unreasonable amount of time). I will say that it WAS NOT the wait staffs fault and it was all the kitchen, our server was stressed and I honestly felt bad for him as he did everything he could and even voided our drinks. I did like my meal and so did my father. However, my brother and mother got incorrect orders and due to that, didn't like their meal (which could've been rectified by asking to fix it but we didn't want to run the risk of waiting another hour). Like I said, the wait staff is honestly great but the last two times I've been here, the kitchen has taken FOREVER which makes me think that they are understaffed and shouldn't be fully booked. read more

I love Hackney's. Been eating here for many, many, many,.......damn I'm old ‍ Onion loaf and a patty melt. My mainstay. I actually prefer the 4 ounce vs the 8 ounce patty melt, but both are amazing! Reuben is great too. Burgers are very good. When they used to deep fry them, they were the best! It's funny...I've eaten here for about 45 years, and I've only tried about 4 things on their menu I also love their Harms Rd. Location. Old school and very chill. read more

Hackney's On Lake - Reuben... - Burgers Near Me - Glenview, Illinois

We hadn't been to a Hackney's in over 10 years. They were very busy as there was also a class reunion celebration going on so we were nervous that it might have an impact on service & quality. Much to our delight they gave us great service & the food was just as great as had remembered from the past. The brick of onion rings was great & the burgers were wonderful! read more

This was our second visit to Hackney's, a 70+ year-old Glenview fixture. And what a treat. The restaurant is huge, with multiple rooms, all with an Irish flavor. Check out the "history" room, which is crammed with newspaper clippings and other interesting objects highlighting Hackney's reputation and longevity. There's even a room with electronic games for kids. Which is why the patrons seemed to be "regulars," people who have come here for years. Everyone seemed to be "at home" in the place. Hackney's is known for their hamburgers, all served on dark rye buns, and their fried onion "loaf" a stack of onion rings about 8" tall. The loaf is eaten by grabbing a hunk of onions from the loaf and tearing off a portion. Eat them while they're hot, before the grease congeals. The waitstaff and helpers at Hackney's is amazing. They've all been there for years, it seems, and they orchestrate the ordering and delivering of food, and then cleaning up the tables, gracefully and flawlessly. It's really a treat to watch professionals do their thing. We had a variety of dishes. I'll start with the corned beef, also on dark rye. The corned beef was thick cut and stacked about 3" high. A lonely pickle and a thimble-sized cup of slaw dressed the plate, so we're glad we ordered a helping of French fries. Next time, I'll stick with the burgers. The turkey burger was excellent. We asked for it without a bun and it was perfectly grilled, and garnished with a leaf of lettuce, tomato and onion. The same thimble-sized cup of slaw, plus an even smaller sized cup of cranberries and some French dressing completed the plate. We love key lime pie and try it whenever --and wherever-- it appears on the menu. Hackney's version was good, but the real treat was the delicious whipped cream. All in all, dining at Hackney's is an experience. One that we enjoyed, again, and will be back next time we're in or near Glenview. read more

See all

Always a delicious meal. Great Caring Waite staff. You can order anything on the menu and know it will be wonderful. Their onion rings and Hackney burger are a favorite with us as well as their fish and chips. Save room for dessert and their Leprechaun pie. Yum! read more

Had to wait over 1/2 hour for food. Overpriced burgers. They should have taken off something for the long wait. We will NOT BE BACK EVER AGAIN! After coming here for over 50+ years we are done. Manager said there is nothing I can do. Ok but I can. Never again read more

Nothing was good about our experience at Hackneys on lake. Food was awful. How do you ruin a burger?

Great food, service and atmosphere. Easy parking. Old school style restaurant. Great burgers and onion rings.

Excellent food, great service and very cozy ambiance. Can't wait to go back! This was the first time I had taken my two adult daughters here and they loved it. One of my daughters had dinner here with a friend, telling her friend they'd love it too and they did. read more

I have been at this location a few times. Maybe it's the food selection I make but the food is just okay. I moved to Glenview a year and a half ago and Hackney's was the most recommended location. During my recent visits, I ordered the Ruben sandwich. There isn't a lot of meat in the sandwich. Today, I ordered the patty melt and I could barely bite through the bread. The quality has gone down. Finally, I ordered a whiskey sour. No one puts a lemon in this drink. What a disappointment for a total bill of $37. read more