I believe they're still closed due to a fire. Hopefully they'll be back up and running again soon it's one of my favorite places in town. It's a cozy place with great food and service. read more

The food and service here was great! We called ahead for a large party and they were ready for us when we walked in. I don't have a photo but the double burger was huge and sooooo good!! Everyone enjoyed their food. No complaint! Good for kids for dinner too! read more

Found on the way to Chicago. It's a little drive off the freeway but if you have time to sit and have a drink and grab a bite to eat it's worth the stop. It's just a couple blocks of the old town square which I still get a kick out of that little town layout. It's located in an old building with not front windows which is a little weird when you are walking up to the door. I set at the bar and ordered a cheeseburger and a cup of broccoli cheese soup. Now, this is a little bar in a small town. So understand that when you go in. The soup was delivered in a styrofoam bowl, but was good soup. Great cheeseburger and good conversation. read more

Idle Hour - the outside of a brick building - American Near Me - Lincoln, Illinois

Great food! Especially the gyro! Great prices! Cheap beer! One of the few great place to eat in Lincoln.

Chili was good! The California style burger was good! Service was great Place was unique Place was clean Food came out pretty quick Ice was cold Catsup was red and tasty Yellow sauce was tangy and good We just passed Thru the area and had tire problems so we had time to kill and it worked out well to eat there I'd eat there again read more

A friend and I happened upon the Idle Hour. The decor was unique and relaxing, music of all genres. The generous Gyro Burger with Fried Mushrooms was totally delicious! The service was pretty exceptional. I wish we had one in Decatur. read more

Idle Hour - Gyro Burger with Fried Mushrooms. - American Near Me - Lincoln, Illinois

When we are in Lincoln, Idle Hour is one of our first stops! Love the Gyro's. Great service, food and drink. Highly recommend

Awesome little hole in the wall, the gyro and fries are amazing. If you're looking for any kind of specialty drink this is not the place.

Good food and decent prices. (On some things) Service is always kind and quick to attend for refills but when it comes to bringing food out be expected to wait 40 minutes to an hour for your food. It's basic bar food besides their gyros and horseshoes. Which the gyros and horseshoes are just about the only things that aren't overpriced for quantity. I recently wanted to try some of their other menu items. They were out of the pork fritter I tried ordering initially. I ended up ordering the chicken strips which were a joke. I felt like I ordered a kids meal due to the size of my portion. I was joined with a couple friends and they all agreed that my portion was much smaller then all of theirs. For relatively the same price. read more

Love the gyros! Don't forget to order cheese sauce so you can dip your fries in it!!!

The food was good and I enjoyed my lunch but the place smelled really weird. Maybe because it's an old building? Pretty good place to try. My wife and son really enjoyed their meal too. read more

Quality has gone down..ordered tonight and 1 of 3 dishes was not in bag. Went back to get it and brought it home to find it had sat there 15 minutes. Returned it and was told "its still hot" with soggy fries and all...DONE!! read more

Excellent fool & Friendly staff! Very clean, pretty cool environment I love what they did when they remodeled

Stopped in for gyros and onion rings. Excellent find and very cool location. This one's a hidden gem! Definitely worth a stop.

Maybe I just went on a bad day. A friend and I went over lunch during Covid (had to eat outside) and we both ordered cheeseburgers. I ordered mine with everything and with french fries. My friend ordered his differently. They messed our very simple orders up. As I said earlier maybe it just a bad waitress, bad day who knows??? The food was decent but usually a cheeseburger is pretty safe anywhere. read more

This is a town staple. If you are visiting lincoln, make a stop to try our famous gyros. they are to die for! i am moving away from home and i do not know what i will do without this great recipe! read more

They are always reliably very good! Even the kids are happy when we eat here! We've dined in a few times and enjoyed it too! Small town feel and always good music. read more

(People concerned with aesthetics are not going to be pleased with this atmosphere. It looks and smells like a dive bar) HOWEVER, their gyros are worth it by far. The rest of their food is also great. I took 9 people there of varying tastes and they all loved it after getting their meals. (people concerned with eating healthy stay away unless it is your cheat day) They shave their gyro meat in front of you off of their vertical rotisserie. You can audibly hear their fryer. They have NASCAR stuff everywhere. It is however safe for groups and families and children (except if you go there after 8pm according to a friend). Pro Tip: If you want more than a minuscule amount of tomatoes and onions on your gyro then you'll probably have to ask them specifically. (also the gyros are $5.25 as of this review and $6.00 if you want extra meat. Don't order extra meat unless you are have a much heftier appetite than a 230 pound male) They also have great fried food and sandwiches per my family and friends whom accompanied me. You can find the Idle Hour Inn a block behind Lincoln's train station on Broadway. ***CASH OR CHECK ONLY*** read more

Under new owners and recently remodeled.The place looks great!The menu is the same with horseshoes and salads added.

very poor quality burger,low portions,high prices i got charged 18$ for at best 7$ worth of trash food

This is a great hole in the wall bar! One section of the menu is dedicated solely to food "From Our Fryer"! We sampled the fried cauliflower, mushrooms and cheddar cheese curds. Delicious, but how can you go wrong with deep fried anything?! Also got iced tea with is freshly brewed and strong. The gyros are huge and I can't imagine ordering it with the extra meat option. The meat has a nice crispy side, pita is soft and fresh and the yogurt sauce was spot on. Waitress was very nice. read more

Gyros!! Wow are they good. And packed. I've had the gyro and fries for lunch twice now. So good. Don't care what the place looks like. Keep making food like this and I will be back. read more

Been visiting here with friends for serval years, tonight was a huge disappointment. Waited 10 mins just to get two waters and meet the waitress, yes I understand being busy but the restaurant was indeed not full. Does not help when they keep themselves understaffed. After 30 mins I called the manager as I was unable to get one of the waitress to come over after servals waves, a lady picked up the phone and was extremely rude. I asked for a manger to speak with and she was not so cordial either. Eventually got our food about 15 mins after the phone call, came out missing the fries which they shortly got but the food came out "warm" if best and found a couple hairs on the peppers as well. I did not want to say anything any longer as I figured the management response would not be any better. So I put them to side. My friend and I have finished our meals, our "waitress" was nowhere to be in sight and never came by once! We set our payment, receipts and dirty dishes at the end of the counter, another 10 mins go by as our waitress and another walk past us serval times. I finally managed to flag down a waitress and be able to leave. This ends a long line of serval families coming here! Extremely Disappointed! read more

Very good food and great environment!!! Very friendly staff. Good selection of food for everyone in the family. Definitely recommend this for anyone that loves a great Gyro. But the best is the Gyro burger!!! read more

Walked in not knowing what to expect. Pleasantly surprised. I've lived in Lincoln 3 years and have never been in the Idle House before. From the outside I could never tell if it was open or closed, a bar or a dinner. Walking in very cool, old decor in a highway 66 vibe. Bar on one side and tables on the other. Very clean which is a huge plus. Menu short and complete Gyros, burgers, horseshoes and apps. Can and bottle beer available along with mixed drinks. Sitting at the bar and talking to Tyler the bartender they have been reopens for about 3 weeks and the renovations will be ongoing. Order a Gyro and fries, probably the best Gyro I have ever had. Plan on being back soon definitely recommend read more