Illusion's is your standard bar. Kid you not. Don't expect courtesy, kindness, nothing. Simply know what you want and order your food or drink. A friend and I went here on a Thursday and it was empty inside. Had to have been a party of 3 old dudes getting ready to leave. You could tell they were regulars. No greeting when you enter and the lady (who I would later learn was the manager), looked like she was on her last straw and nerve. Type of person to be very mean and rude but would say they're not, they're just direct. Mmmmh! Wasn't a clean table in the table and took forever to get a menu and water. When I asked about happy hour that I saw advertised she simply pointed to the menu and said these without recognizing it was the regular drink menu with the regular prices. I simply ordered the chicken tenders and sweet potato fries. She swore to heaven that their honey mustard was bomb. I don't think this lady knew her elbow from her wrist. The sauce was ehh. The food itself was good but again it was bar food so I didn't expect much. I wouldn't return or anything. Absolutely not. read more

Illusion Bar Grill Cafe - Chicken Tenders - Pubs Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

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Great place. Got to chat with one of the ones. Good people. From out of town but hope we make it back again someday.

So disappointed in our recent visit! We waited two hours for our food and barely saw our waitress. In one of the few times we saw her and asked about our food, she explained that the kitchen was backed up and that everything should be out in the next twenty minutes. We ended up waiting an hour (having already waited a first hour). When we had asked for a manager close to hour two, we never saw one. When it was time for the check, she dropped off the bill without mentioning anything about the wait or service. It's just disappointing when this has been such a great spot to us in the past. read more

This is my favorite bar and restaurant. Drinks and food are outstanding! The staff and owners are outstanding.

Great food! Catered chicken kabobs for the holidays and Chris went out of his way to make sure everything went well. All my guests loved the food. This place is a hidden gem. Not a fancy place but the food is great. read more

Ok update, online ordering is not working. She said to just call. lol Anyways I tried their house vodka, it was delicious. Also had to have the pizza again!!! Definitely recommend it. read more

Illusion Bar Grill Cafe - Pubs Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

They mark their place as a Gastro pub,but perform as a dive bar.the food quality is 3/10.pls up your game on the food.

Mixed feelings about this locally owned business. I will always choose a small local eatery when I can. Great menu options but prices are high. Starters are priced like a main menu item. The food was very good. I loved their Pierogies! Will I return and pay $14 for them again? Their Quesadilla was also ordered and very good. Again almost $18 with chicken added. These were starters with no sides. The waitress was so unfriendly! Not a smile or a greeting. Could be having a bad day but I appreciate a greeting and smile. There was only one other table with 4 people at noon and it took 25 min to get our food. Then I had to go find the waitress for our bill. So, not sure if I will return for those great Pierogies. read more

Love this place! A hidden gem with a very nice ambiance. The food is delicious! I had the Chicken Kabob Plate and Spicy Feta Dip, and it was amazing! Our server, Nikki, is the best and was attentive and welcoming. Also, Chris came out to our table to check on us with a smile to make sure we were happy. I couldn't ask for better service. I will definitely come back. read more

Illusion Bar Grill Cafe - Chicken Kabob Plate - Pubs Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

I was very pleasantly surprised with this little place. Looks nothing special from the outside but it has a cute little patio, a bar and a DJ. During the day it's more chill and a great place to hang out for coffee dates and later during the night it turns into a bar and people dance. To be very honest, the Garden veggie wrap looked great but the taste was a little bland. I definitely prefer stronger flavors. The Greek fries were fantastic. They reminded me of home. Big portion with feta cheese on top. There weren't many vegetarian options but a meat eater would love this place. Overall, a solid spot but would suggest trying other items than the Veggie wrap. The Greek fries are a must tho! read more

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Super friendly staff, great food and prices Their wine and apps are my go to and their flatbreads read more

Illusion Bar Grill Cafe - Delicious BLTR flatbread w Avocado so good - Pubs Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

I like this place! It's very unassuming from the outside (since it's in a strip mall) but once you walk inside it feels nothing like what you walked inside from. Cozy, nice atmosphere, good food and drink variety, and feels like a neighborhood place without being a loud trivia night kinda place. Everyone who works there was friendly too. Just moved nearby so this will be in my rotation. read more

My husband and I have been coming here for years. The owners, Chris and Nikki and the bartender, Monica are always welcoming and take good care of us. Nice atmosphere, good company, lots of tvs if you want to watch the game, great music playing in the background. The food is always very good and freshly made. Some of our favorites are the chicken kabobs, the Jerry's Special, and the burgers, which are excellent! Half price martinis on Wednesdays with a long list of options to choose from. We celebrated my husband's 50th birthday there and they were very accommodating and everyone had a great time! read more

Great food, nice ambiance, and amazing service. The waitress at the bar, Nikki, was attentive to our needs, and friendly. We will definitely be back! read more

Illusion Bar Grill Cafe - Chicken Avocado Panini & Seasoned Fries - Pubs Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

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Food is very well seasoned cooked to perfection. They accommodated a food allergy I have without an issue . Staff is nice owners are super friendly and love to hear how you feel while dining. Drinks are amazing and nice place to go to on a old day or even a nice breezy summer night Will definitely bring more business read more

We are out of town for our 10 year anniversary. We always try to find locally owned Ma-and-Pa type businesses. You can get a chain restaurant meal anywhere. Illusion Cafe did not disappoint! The owner immediately recognized us as new, but spared no hesitation in treating us like family and her regulars that were sitting at the bar. We learned the chef is a Polish native, and we were excited to try some of the Greek and Polish inspired dishes on the menu. Absolutely delicious! My husband's Lemon Drop Martini was perfectly smooth and balanced, and my hamburger was cooked perfectly to temp. The place is clean, and the tables are spaced well apart. Illusion Cafe made the first night of our 10 year anniversary trip one to remember! Dziękuję! read more

Weird name, good food. This is the kind of place you hope is down the street from you so when you want some quick greasy food you know where to order from. While this seems to be typical bar food, many items have Greek inspiration. You can tell this is probably Greek owned because of the items on the menu, such as the spicy feta cheese appetizer. We decided to order a whole bunch of stuff to snack on over the 4th of July weekend, so we got wings, appetizers, sandwiches, etc. Everything was good. I'm only giving 4 stars because there are several other places in this area with better food, but it's a good option for delivery when you need it. read more

Well where do I start, what happened? The old owners must have sold and service absolutely has changed.. this place will end up like many others sadly through these times. Attention to customers is key, and the days of that seem to be a rare occurrence. What happened to detail and the ability to be above average...This place is NOT above average but rather a reminder of what we have tried to rid ourselves from neighbourhoods. I'm giving 2 stars for the beer, because I can't rate the actual establishment with stars, not even 1. read more

Best chill restaurant to go to! Staff is very nice and quick, food was taken and received quick...not busy but no complaints! Nikki was our server (looks like she was the bartender also) but didn't let us (or seemingly anyone else) down. Everything was clean. If you need a cold beer and some tasty food, stop in! read more

Illusion Bar Grill Cafe - people sitting at the bar - Pubs Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

Everything is great about this place I love the staff they are always lovely and keep things up to par. Very clean crew. Food is never a miss. Thanks! read more

I was very surprised how good the food was and how nice the staff was. I got the blackened fish and everything was delicious. Also try the cheese curds if you go. read more

Not sure why the would close off two seats at the bar. When they should have used a table. I am not going to sit by myself. Very rude.

Super cute great bar amazing food outdoor eating area what else could you ask for great spot for me and my son to grab a quick burger and we will be back in with the whole family soon read more

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We were the only people eating in the restaurant at noon on a Sunday and waited over 40 minutes for our food, which was just okay. They also charged us 4% to use a credit card. I wouldn't recommend dining there. read more

I enjoyed my visit here! Dinner was delightful! staff was friendly and always attentive if we needed anything, definitely a 10/10 recommend!! I must say don't judge it until you try it! read more

Cute place- we got apps and they were good! Little patio is nice too. We didn't sit outside because someone was smoking their cigar, but I would imagine it's cute at night time. Nice service and good selection of drinks! Get perogis yum read more

Wow, haven't gotten food here in years and I don't know why...we got takeout tonight and we all raved about how good the food was. 2 burgers and a Mediterranean skillet. Needless to say we won't be strangers. Oh and the girl who I talked to on the phone and picked up my order from(sorry I didn't catch her name) was super friendly!! If you haven't tried it, do it soon:) read more

Go There! Good food, excellent staff, good service. They also have a nice small outdoor area.

Definitely have order Uber eats multiple times and they have never disappointed!! One of our favorite late night dessert go to! Also got the wings different but good! Love their Nutella crepes, the tiramisu, the chocolate cake with ice cream and lastly the baklava cheesecake which is very interesting but good! Yes we've tried them all! Worth a try! read more

A hidden gem. This place has a menu that is actually exciting, and the food is so tasty. Service a bit slow as they are short on staff, but so worth the wait. Everything served was fresh and flavorful. Can't wait to come back here and try something new! read more

Illusion Bar Grill Cafe - Crispy chicken wrap and feta fries - Pubs Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

I got a gift certificate for Illusion from a Fundraiser in 2019. I either paid for raffle tickets and won it that way or bid on a package that had it included. Either way, I paid for it. Due to covid, I was not going out for a couple of years and forgot about the certificate. After all, it did not have an expiration date. Happen to remember it only to find out it would not be honored. I am out the money I spent because this business lacks the class to understand extenuating circumstances and follow through with its commitments. read more

Awesome chicken panini! Have not been there for drinks but will soon try. Friendly staff and quick service.

I just went to this place for the first time tonight. When I pulled up, I wasn't really sure what to think, but on the inside, the place is a very nice bar. Additionally, the food is amazing!!! I kind of expected typical bar food, but the Greek chicken wrap I had was so so so good. The drinks were great too. High quality. read more

Unfortunately after a while being there a regulars on a Sunday, we stopped visiting this place, as much as we enjoyed the laid back atmosphere, the coffee and the food. The last time we were there, one of the servers told us that this is not a child place and children are not welcome usually. Which is fine if we were there on a busy Friday or Saturday night. But it was in the afternoon 4o'clock. We're the only customers - 6-8 adults, having coffees, beer and lunch, with 2 kids and 2 pregnant women. And that poor girl addressed that it is not a kids place? This was so wrong. Ok, we'll spend money somewhere else. P.s. We usually had the Bulgarian waitress , and she is super nice, attentive, she has been nothing but the best. But because if her cowerker we will not visit again. read more

Illusion Bar Grill Cafe - Combo Kabob plate - Pubs Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

The place is very Euro.. lots of my peers hanging out and sipping on good strong drinks. I always go there on Wednesdays; during the summer it's our girls night out, with $5 martinis that are delicious and potent ;). During warm nights, they open up all the windows and the summer breeze reminds you of Europe and sitting outside at one of many pubs. Service is OK. When they are slow, the staff might seem too attentive, when it's busy, you might have to wait 15-20 min for a drink. So, some advice for when it's busy: order your next drink when you're half-way through your current one. The food items they have on the menu are pretty tasty, and I think they might serve it until very late at night (if not the whole night). If you're ever out in the NW suburbs on a Wednesday night, you should definitely stop by and have a drink (they do have about 20-25 different martinis on the menu; plus other "regular" cocktails). read more

Illusion Bar Grill Cafe - yum! - Pubs Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

Great casual place for drinks and apps! I recommend the pink panther martini. Great service and ambience! read more

Illusion Bar Grill Cafe - Gummy bear shots - Pubs Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

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Went there with my daughter for the first time over the weekend. I had the eggscelent burger which was top notch! The seasoned fries were very seasoned and spicy. I'll probably go with the regular fries next time. My daughter is a Mac & cheese connoisseur and ordered. She liked it a lot. The ladies working were very nice and provided great service. We will definitely be returning to support this place. read more

Food was overcooked and took forever. Burger ordered medium rare came out well, as did one ordered medium. Fries burned to dark brown. No offer to refill our drinks. Bartender/waitress was nice but that only carries you so far. We were pretty much the only ones there except for a stream of liquor salespeople, still it took about 40 minutes for 3 burgers. We couldn't send the food back since we had a meeting and it took so long to get. Sorry, not for me. Won't be back. read more

Phenomenal place. Great food, great drinks, great service. Ive enjoyed everything I've ordered from there including food and drinks, and the service is always great. I'm a cocktail guy myself and their lemon drop is my favorite although they have a wide selection of drinks as well as food. I recently got the chicken kebab plate which was a huge meal for the price which I was very pleased about. Become a regular and they will know your name and chat it up with you. Overall it's a great environment and I highly recommend trying it out whether that means going sitting at the bar, dining in, or ordering carry-out. read more

Service at the bar was fine, commenting on the food. I ordered the Greek wrap with a Greek fries. The Greek fries were pretty cheap Frozen ones that simply had feta crumbles sparingly toss on top no seasoning no olive oil nothing . The Greek wrap was not that great, the moment I picked it up it fell apart. No attempt was made to affirm it up or wrapping nicely. It was mostly salad lacking any meat to hold it together. I spent my whole life in fast food and this was not at all good for the for the money. read more