Looking for an out of the way from Chicago relaxed get away bar with GREAT music, stiff drinks and…read moregreat bartenders??? This is the place. Can bring your dog, sit outside and eat BBQ, listen to live music or sit inside and play slots (which let you win-at times). Just outside of little Utica, Illinois with its tiny historic couple of streets. Little over an hour from Chicago. Beers $2.50-3. Big strong drinks $5. Campground out back behind a little stream. B & B down the street and a resort. Thinking of sometime going for the evening, listening to the music, talking with locals and crashing for the night. If you are down this way after a drive in the countryside or heading back from Starved Rock or something you should definitely check this place out. Got a feeling it gets pretty lively in the evening and especially late evening.

Great place, nice people with a wonderful atmosphere at night. Me and my freind were only 17 when…read morewe went but were welcomed by the crazy locals. We learned how to play this ring game and had pizza with hot sauce which was interesting and very good. Not many options for food other than the frozen pizza but many many drinks. Campground was nice and had many commodities with a cool graveyard right next to it

I loved this bar. So much room for big events. Had a live band. Multiple full bars. The food menu…read moreis short but it's good food! Will definitely be back here.

Although this establishment is consistently praised in reviews as "dog friendly", my dog was…read moreattacked here by the owner's two dogs. They charged on sight. This was not a mutual dogfight or provoked in any way. We were supposed to be spending a couple of days hiking and enjoying our gorgeous cabin rental. Instead we made the mistake of stopping for dinner here and spending the night in the emergency vet an hour away. When we arrived, it was dead and Louie was the only pooch in the place. The people were friendly and no one made mention of other unleashed dogs being in the building, or that my dog being there might be a problem on that evening. We would have left immediately and taken our order to-go if we had know there would be the potential for problems. We had dinner, chatted a bit, and were getting ready to leave when two large dogs (Cane Corsos) came charging from a side door directly for my dog. The owner realized what had happened and was able to get his unleashed dogs under control. Apparently his teenage son had let them loose without thinking. Once separated, we realized there was a large open gash on my dog's shoulder and a smaller one on his leg. A helpful man at the bar, who I believe was a paramedic, wrapped my dog in bandages and suggested we hurry to the vet as soon as possible. With no emergency vet nearby, the owner did the right thing and took us to an emergency vet in Mokena. He covered the bill for sedation, stitches, meds, etc ... I do appreciate the way he handled the situation afterwards. He also expressed that he wouldn't be allowing the dogs around other dogs without a muzzle after this incident. However, I still believe people need to be aware of this before choosing to potentially put their pets in harm's way. I really don't believe the owner expected this to happen, but his dogs are not dog friendly and his kids make careless mistakes. If my dog had been smaller, he would be dead, not just injured. My dog is now in pain consistently. We cancelled the remainder of our vacation rental (without refund). We didn't even use it, other than a few hours (to sleep) when we finally made it back from the vet. We had several days booked and planned. I am also out my vacation days from work, which I am now spending caring for an injured dog at home. Not to mention time and money spent packing, preparing, driving, etc... All the work that goes into planning a trip. To top it off, I lost my favorite pair of sunglasses in the scuffle. They're not expensive but had sentimental value to me. They were left at the bar but disappeared by the time we returned. I feel so horrible for my dog and am worried that this will change his sweet demeanor towards other animals. He's never hurt another dog nor has he ever been attacked and this can cause long term trauma and behavior changes in animals. I know a lot of my friends hike and go out to dog friendly places in this area. Please steer clear of this place if you have your dog with you.

Good was amazing, we stumbled across this place and food, service and tequila was top notchread more

Came here on a whim with a group of friends, we were all in the Starved Rock area for our friend's…read morebachelor party. We were so blown away by this place!! First off, the ladies who work there (shout out to Lily and Alicia!!) were so friendly and so helpful when they took the time to go over the menu with us. The food here..... omg. Coming from Chicago we have high expectations for food, and this place EXCEEDED them. Caviar on the menu in a small town dive bar? Yes please! Everything we had was just so good... that we had to come back for a second time before we left. I tried to order the bread/cheese/jam plate for a second time, but seemed like everyone else loved it too as they were out! The burgers, the oysters, the steak, even the french toast...were also outstanding. From the outside it looks like you're going to walk into a real simple, small town dive bar. But inside has SO much more to be explored. Highly recommend anyone that's in the area to stop in here, you will not regret it.

The place is great, the owner was great & the drinks were great! Never been here before. Ambiance…read morehere was amazing. It's a beautiful place!

What a wonderful place, a hidden gem in the Illinois Valley. Great stop to have a cocktail,…read moremixologist has real talent for making something special. Multifaceted location bar and entertainment has a vintage, unique atmosphere. Dance space, intimate spaces, pool, and gaming were among the many facets they offer. What a fun place. Service was impeccable. Catches your attention, memorable experience.

Fun place, good solid big portions, great huge chicken wings. The only thing is the music is so so…read moreso loud I had a headache, my chest was thumping, and I couldn't hear the conversation with my buddies. The wait staff are very attentive and sweet. They are always running around. Prime rib offered 1st and 3rd Saturdays for $48. They had specials today for V day. Lovely down to earth place. But please lower the volume on the music so I don't get hearing loss for my grandkids.

Excellent chicken salad (can get chicken grilled or fried), chicken tender and fries. Great outdoor…read moreeating area with some outdoor games as well

We just got done hiking at Starved Rock and needed some food. Found this little gem close by! We…read morewere greeted immediately when we walked in. Sat at the bar and the bartender was very attentive. The food was SO good! Didn't try the beer but they had an amazing selection I definitely would've tried if we didn't have to drive 3 hours home! It was just a cute little place! Definitely plan to stop back in next time we're in town!

We were the area for a couple days on Spring Break vacation and I wanted to stop in this…read moreestablishment for lunch on a Sunday afternoon. First the good: excellent beer selection on tap, the prices are reasonable, the service was outstanding, and the building was old & charming. In my younger days it's exactly the type of place I loved to frequent. The wife and kid had smash burgers which were decent. Also ordered breaded mushrooms that hit the spot. And now the not so good: I ordered a fish po boy and what I got was a fish sandwich with cheese on a bun. Not only that but the fish was very watery causing the breading to become a soggy pile. Guess I should have ordered the burger and been content. At least I had a couple of very good ales to drink.

Killer outdoor seating some of the best chicken tenders I've ever had. Great service dog friendly…read more Great place to visit after a day hiking. It was a very cold beer as advertised.

Great tasty food! Service was excellent, friendly atmosphere and great for kids!…read moreAll our food was cooked to perfection. Great prices lots of food.

First time here. I felt very welcome. My cuz brought me in and Lizzie and Pam were working - super…read morenice folks. Great atmosphere and a cute little tavern. Enjoyed hanging out here! I don't think they have food here but we were just here for a drink.

Great little bar to spend the afternoon! Great service!read more

We were served at the Back Door Lounge at Starved Rock State Park today (Thursday May 7th) and…read moreeverything was just excellent. The food. The service. The latter was provided by Megan T. Even though she was the only person working in the bar area, and was running to keep up, she was just excellent. Kudos to her and the entire staff at the Lodge. We also had coffee at the Cafe and that was very good too. Thank you.

Meg is the best host. She has consistently been a great asset to our hiking community. We plan our…read moretrips for when she is bartending and serving. Thanks for her amazing service. We could go to any number of places to eat and drink after our hikes but we choose this one because of the great food and Megs service. Its beautiful and breathtaking.

Stella's Backstreet is my favorite weekday chill bar with the friendliest bar tender and great…read moredrinks!

AMAZING drink selection!!! Any and every flavor you can hope for with the coolest bartenders! Super…read morecute dog and goldfish, too!