On a long drive, it's so nice to come to a place, so warm hearted, and kind, good beer, great food, wonderful spot.

Got some great drinks and pretty okay food at this Lexington bar and grill. It turned out a lot better than we expected to be honest. Kemp's is probably the best place to go eat in town it seems. A good reason is because there's not much else. The food is pretty average but there's some good things for adults and families. Chill atmosphere even at times when it's crowded. It's located in the middle of downtown or whatever you call it. There's not a whole lot else to go to for a meal. Certainly explains why it gets busy. People only have a few choices and this is one of these. It's about $6 for a basic cocktail. Whole lot of great stuff including whiskey. It's about $5 to get appetizers. We got the Chips And Salsa. Has a lot of greasy fried things like wings and other meats. The menu is pretty standard as far as fried stuff. Has a lot of the basics. It's closed Sundays. That's pretty strange for them to lose out on all that revenue on weekends. read more

Kemp's Upper Tap - Whiskey With Chips And Salsa - American Near Me - Lexington, Illinois

Fantastic local pub in downtown Lexington, Illinois. We selected this location as it already had great reviews and was very close to the northeast trailhead of the "Constitution Trail" of the Bloomington/Normal area. The staff here was fabulous with a special shout-out to John. What I found particularly impressive was the amazing selection of craft brews for a small town. The staff was particularly knowledgeable about both the selection and even the breweries that supplied them! I even found some of my favorite and uncommon Chicagoland brews, although I selected some excellent brews from the Bloomington/Normal area. ( Drink local!) Food was wonderful and quickly delivered. I gave five stars on food because it is top quality relative to pubs in general. The Blue Cheese burger was great. I sampled the butterflied pork chop sandwich of the other meal we had and that was a standout! Ambiance is nice as if fitting a local pub in an older downtown building. One notable feature is the walls and ceiling are covered in banners and flags of various kinds which dramatically limits the amount of background noise that would normally be in such a building. There is also a nice outdoor beer garden. This local establishment is well worth the extra minutes off Interstate 55. Also highly recommended to cycling who travel out to the northeast terminus of the trail! read more

Excellent service, drink options are many and delicious. The food is excellent. Garlic cheese curds holy yummmm! My boyfriend got the jalapeño bbq pork sandwich...I took a bite..so juicy and flavorful! I got garlic parmesan tossed chicken tenders....buttery garlic with fresh parmesan! I am impressed. Such a cool atmosphere. Good music, super friendly workers, met the owner and his wife who are so friendly! Definitely recommend and I definitely will come back! read more

Kemp's Upper Tap - American Near Me - Lexington, Illinois

Consistently the best tap list in the Blo-No area. The cocktails are amazing as well with the Banana Old Fashioned being the star. While the normal menu is well executed bar food, the Cure on Saturdays is where it's at. I've had probably the two best sandwiches I've ever had as an edition of the Cure. read more

Might be the holy grail of restaurants tucked away in a small town. Amazing food and outstanding service. I would definitely not think twice for a place to eat. read more

We had the pickle chips and pot stickers both excellent. My blue burger with was just the right amount of messy, and super delicious. Friendly staff. Highly recommend. read more

Good quantity of okay food. Cute decor. Good minimal service. Also, didn't like being offered a choice of meat on nacho like it comes standard and learning there's a charge for it when I get the receipt. There's also a dollar charge for water, FYI. I know I appreciate transparency. read more

Kemp's Upper Tap - American Near Me - Lexington, Illinois

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A fun environment with a great beer selection, especially for a tiny town near route 66. The pepper jack bites were quite nice and the service was good as well. read more

Kemp's Upper Tap - Cool Oberon license plate. - American Near Me - Lexington, Illinois

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The burgers at Kemp's are definitely the best in the Bloomington/Normal area! Fresh, not frozen and locally sourced! My wife is a huge fan of the BBQ Pork wraps served on Saturdays! On top of that, the people are some of the nicest people in the food service industry! read more

Last night went here with my fiancé and in-laws to celebrate my fiancés grandpa's memorial. The staff knew Ron who passed and were so sad which made us feel good that he had to many people around him. The beers were very delicious and the food came out pretty fast. Definitely worth checking out. read more

As an update, we continue to applaud John, Megan and the whole KUT family for finding ways to persevere thru these challenging times. While I don't understand why the patio bar with TV hasn't been open, the colossal city tent next door surely was a godsend this summer. But as it gets colder and additional rules and restrictions on indoor dining rollout, we need to better investigate the curb-side pickup options, which are likely to expand in kind. But the truth is we come for the beer you can't get anywhere within 60 miles, the plethora of apps and the daily (incl Saturday 'Cure') food specials. The uniqueness and taste definitely also exceed in this 60-mi radius and are on par with things much further away! Thanks for keeping it "Diner, Drive-Ins, and Dives" worthy...AND worth the 20 mile drive! read more

The food was sooooo good. Best I've had in awhile. I'd drive back to Lexington just to revisit this place. Please order the loaded fries and a slushy. Service was also great. I have 0 complaints. read more

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Best. Food. EVER! I have eaten here many times and the food is delicious as ever. Never an issue with service or food. read more

Looking forward to a late relaxing lunch and was soon disappointed to realize that we had to go to the front counter to place order!! We were NOT told this by the host because we would have left and gone elsewhere! The food was mediocre bar food and might have tasted better had we not been upset by the fact they wanted me to do half the work for a meal I only wanted to pay for.....didn't see an employee discount given to me for that work!! I would not recommend this restaurant!! read more

Met a friend here for lunch. The owner waited on us, wearing an Expos cap-- already a win. But the catfish po' boy w sriracha slaw was just the right texture and heat. Had a couple of local craft beers from their impressive tap selection. Great service, cool atmosphere, looks to be family friendly. Will definitely be back! read more

Gluten free options rock! Burgers are delicious and sweet potato fries. Highly recommend

You must eat here!! Today's special is the Mister Meister- a gianormous cheeseburger with bacon, a fried egg, a few jalapeños, and sweet aioli on a pretzel bun. Holy hell this is fabulous!! It paired perfectly with my Buckle Down Brewing favorite: Belt and Suspenders, best beer in the whole wide world. How lucky am I today?? And on tap at that! We also had some tater tots, typical bar fare. They were fine. Our server was sweet. The place was super full. We were lucky to get a seat. read more

Kemp's Upper Tap - Mister Meister- amazing!! Cheeseburger with bacon, light jalapeño, fried egg, and sweet aioli. - American Near Me - Lexington, Illinois

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Im always surprised by the prices at this place. Food is good but 40$? I saw no signs or updates on food prices increasing. None of these prices match what they have on their menu online. :( read more

Kemp's Upper Tap - 10$ for fries? It seems like I always get charged differently each time I eat here... none of these prices match what they have on the menu. - American Near Me - Lexington, Illinois

The food is awesome!! If you are wanting to try greAt food in a small town setting this is the place!

Excellent food here, we stop in for lunch whenever passing through town. Creative daily specials and an amazing selection of rotating draft beer keep us coming back. Staff is always friendly and helpful. Note that they are closed Sundays and most holidays. read more

To or from Chicago on 55 this place makes the trip worthwhile. We have stopped here several times and it is a stop we look forward to visiting on our way to Chicago. Everything on the menu is good quality stuff. read more

Awesome service and food! Our server was friendly and efficient. Even though it was busy, the food came out quickly and was absolutely delicious. It came with a generous amount of fries. All around great!! read more

I love everything about Kemp's. The FOOD. The BEER. The SERVICE. Can't be beat. What a small-town gem. You've gotta visit on Saturday for the Cure Series of specials. Unique, high-end, tasty cuisine at cheap bar food prices. Last time I visited I had the Chance the Rampper Special --- fried chicken with waffles deliciousness with ramps three ways. Can't go wrong with a burger or if you're super hungry, the Totchos. I love tater tots. Great craft draft selection, hustlin' waitstaff and beautiful decor. Love it. read more

Kemp's Upper Tap - Chance the Rampper. Life changing. - American Near Me - Lexington, Illinois

Clean, cute, and quick restaurant with good food at great prices. Tons of beer choices as well! Great for families or couples. read more

Kemp's Upper Tap - The breaded tenderloin sandwich special was huge! - American Near Me - Lexington, Illinois

Look for the cool blue lights and outline of the pig adorning the outdoor logos/signage to spot this place. There is nothing obvious that says Kemp's Upper Tap until you actually get to the door. It is a great, new space with a large area for private parties. We were told they recently moved from another spot down the street. The draft beer selection is fantastic for a town this size. I was curious how this small town could keep 21 or so draft beers from going flat. So, in asking our server, she pointed out that many of their customers are not regulars and come off I-55 while traveling through. We visited on a Saturday night at prime dinner time and the place was full. We just ate a few appetizers and had a beer. The onion rings were ok - a touch greasy. The wings were big and were very good. The regular menu was fairly ordinary but they have specials. Tonight's special was bbq ribs (half rack for $12 or full for $22 I believe). These were a big draw and they looked REALLY fantastic and come with two generous sides. The server told us to like them on Facebook where they post their specials. Next time we decide to go for a little drive, we are going to hit this place for a real dinner. read more

Pretty good, the more I ate the less appealing the food was. I had the bbq brisket cheddar wrap. Came with lays ruffles chips and they tasted kinda stale. The wrap was okay. Will go again though! read more

Kemp's Upper Tap - Bar area - American Near Me - Lexington, Illinois

Really good food for the money. fun place The bb chicken salad was great. Friendly staff, great service read more

I wanted to take a picture, but I ate my food too fast! Seriously, SO DELICIOUS. Great bar food, but with an extra flair. Not the biggest menu, but enough for everyone and the daily specials are to die for! The food is only half of it - the beer menu and drink specials are incredible too! Make sure to get a Crowler or Boozie Slushie! read more

The food tastes good. I love a good dive bar, or fun hip place. This was one of my least favorite businesses I've been in of any variety. Everything but the food (EVERYTHING) was untenable. Nothing happened, there was no event, I wasn't wronged in any way, the order was correct, but their business model is just astoundingly unconsidered. It's difficult to explain, it's kind of an anti-restaurant. They're inventing new styles of self-service which are as inconvenient as they are unintuitive. I really don't mean to complain, I know a small town does not have many choices, but my recommendation is to skip a meal if kemps is your only other option. Green Gables is a much more upscale option than this, comparable to gas station fare. There's a small food mart across the street with packaged foods. Lex social is close if you want an actual restaurant or bar. Kemps operates more like a booth at a county fair than a dive bar. Good food is not in any way worth the kemps experience. read more

Kemp's Upper Tap - Cheeseburger and fries - American Near Me - Lexington, Illinois

Went there on a Thursday night to try out a new place. Kemp's was pretty busy when we arrived shortly after 5. All the tables were full with families or friends having dinner. The only seats that were available were at the bar. The waitress came over quickly and handed us a fairly extensive beer on tap list with a menu. Choose a beer from the list and ordered the special for the night, a pork tenderloin sandwich. Took the opportunity to look around the place while sipping my beer. Flags from various sports teams and universities were hung on the walls and ceiling. A dozen of TVs lined the walls for game nights. Kemp's was very clean. The tenderloin arrived and it was as good as advertised. Saw several nachos being put out to tables too and that will be my next choice the next time I go back. Kemp's Upper Tap is a Good place to go! read more

What a nice surprise this place was! Yelp helped us out on a drive back home when we wanted some decent food and a good beer. I never in a million years would have pulled off the freeway and found Kemps but thanks to yelp we did. Very well done reused space. Large on tap selection of craft beer. Loved the SIU flag! Go Dawgs! The only reason I won't go 5 stars is that there really isn't much for healthy or vegetarian on the menu (think fried and iceberg). Definitely worth the :10 detour. read more

Nice place good selection of beers and good (but maybe a bit hot) back outdoor space. Solid pub good. But it's in Lexington!

This place is legit. The appetizers were great, we had the fried pickles and the sweet potato fries. The beer selection was great. I had the Parmesan garlic wings, I should've tried the hot wings. They were good for mild though. My wife had the bacon cheeseburger and it was very good. The music was great, black keys, foo fighters, Kings of Leon. Brand new, up to date, great service. Definitely recommend, it's worth the drive from Bloomington-Normal. Truly a diamond in the rough in a small town. read more

Kemp's Upper Tap - American Near Me - Lexington, Illinois

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New building with fun architecture and open floor plan. Grill is open to the seating area and fun to watch. Very clean for a pub/bar. Lots of televisions. Good food. 21 beers on tap. Tons of other beverage choices. Local feel. read more

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Wraps, Blue burger, Italian beef, Wings, multiple appetizers that rock like pepperjack cheeseballs and 21 different rotating craft brews on tap make this place a must visit. Lots of TV's and a friendly effficient waitstaff and chefs make it a special visit to Lexington. read more

Kemp's Upper Tap - Tachos - American Near Me - Lexington, Illinois

First off we went on a rainy Saturday at lunch so this place was packed. Our server was wonderful and attentive especially for the amount of tables she was covering. The food is awesome. I had the Bleu burger. The burger was cooked perfectly and the bleu cheese was melts and in the right proportion so as not to overpower the taste of the freshly pattied burger. My wife had the totchos and she had no complaints either. The prices are really reasonable and there were 20 some craft beers on tap. This place will see many return visits from my family. read more

Kemp's Upper Tap - American Near Me - Lexington, Illinois

Food is always great and there is usually a great variety of beers to pick from. I prefer sours and wheats and in the winter they have both on tap instead of just stouts. read more

Food is delicious!!! Very reasonably price. Nice atmosphere. Lots of choices for appetizers. Outside seating available. read more

Finally got to try this place out! So glad we did! Everything was so good. The burger was cooked perfectly. Can't wait to come back again!! read more

Kemp's Upper Tap - American Near Me - Lexington, Illinois