An Absolutely Exceptional Experience at Old Towne Hall What an incredible venue and an even more incredible team! When our family needed a place to gather and celebrate the life of a loved one, we wanted somewhere that felt special, welcoming, and memorable. From the moment we walked into Old Towne Hall, we knew we had found exactly that. The charm, character, and rich history of this beautiful building made it unlike any venue we've ever experienced. Learning that it is the oldest operating speakeasy added a unique touch that made the setting feel even more meaningful and memorable. What truly set our experience apart, however, was Ingo and his amazing staff. Planning a Celebration of Life is an emotional journey, and there are so many details to manage while processing the loss of someone you care deeply about. From day one, Ingo treated us with genuine compassion, patience, and professionalism. He sat down with us, listened to our vision, and carefully walked us through every option available. Every little detail mattered to him. He helped us select linens that perfectly matched our invitations, assisted with menu planning, and thoughtfully ensured that every guest with dietary restrictions would be comfortably accommodated. As our RSVP numbers changed, he reassured us repeatedly, "Don't worry, we've got this." And he absolutely meant it. When the day arrived, our family was focused on honoring our loved one and being present with friends and family. Thanks to Ingo and his staff, we never had to worry about a single detail. Everything was handled flawlessly. The entire team was attentive, caring, organized, and always one step ahead. They transformed what could have been an overwhelming day into a beautiful celebration filled with warmth, comfort, and cherished memories. We are beyond grateful for the kindness and care shown to our family. If you're looking for a unique venue with incredible history, outstanding service, and a team that truly cares about making your event special, I cannot recommend Old Towne Hall in Downtown Crystal Lake highly enough. Thank you, Ingo and the entire Old Towne Hall team, for helping us create such a meaningful and memorable celebration for someone we loved so dearly. read more

Amazing catering job. Staff and chef were fabulous. The food was top notch. The best salmon I ever had. I would most definitely hire them for all my upcoming events. read more

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I cannot say enough for how magical my day was thanks to Ingo and Sandra. I never wanted to leave the building whenever we had meeting leading up to our wedding day! I always felt so comfortable. If it was possible I would give them a lot more than 5 stars:) If you want my full opinion I'm gonna have to have a 12 course meal so explain how thankful and appreciative I am for them! read more

This hall is great! The food is amazing and the owners are a delight to work with! They make it very easy to throw a great party. I've been to parties, weddings and events there. They never disappoint. read more

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I shot a wedding here. Just the right size room for a small wedding. The manager and staff were all very nice. brooksideweddingfilms.com read more

Ingo and Sandra are the greatest! After touring a couple other places to hold our wedding reception, my fiancee and I had no doubt in our mind that Old Towne Hall was where we wanted our reception. They pride themselves on being affordable, and that they are! When you meet with Ingo and Sandra you are able to make your own menu. Ingo has been a chef at many area restaurants and is able to cook a great meal. You aren't getting your standard "Chicken Marsala for $48.99/per plate" here at Old Towne Hall. Also, some places when you go for a tasting its a little bite of this... little bite of that. When you go for at tasting at Old Towne Hall, its a meal that could feed an army. You really get an idea of what he is able to provide. Another bonus, is you are able to provide your own alcohol. This is a plus for a family that has beer snobs and would not be happy with the "premium package" at other venues that say Heineken and Corona are premium beers. You receive so much more working with a hometown couple that is looking to give people the best wedding reception possible. Anyone looking for a reception should meet with them and see what they could offer. Very personable and very easy to work with. Can't wait for the reception in September 2014! read more

I just hosted a babyshower for one of my friends. I have to say this was by far one of the best experiences we've had planning an event. Ingo and Sandra are so accommodating and easy to work with. You can tell they love what they do! Food - We had several pastas, salads and some appetizers. The food was so good! Everyone was going back for seconds and thirds. Space - Very clean and well maintained. Especially for an older building. I love the neutral colors as well. It's such a great space to work with. Very spacious and if you have a day event like we did, great natural light. Our photographer was happy about that. They also have a separate bar off the room that is fun! All I can say is that I hope I have more reasons to use this venue. Working with Ingo and Sandra was just so much fun and they really took all the stress out of planning. We will be back! read more

We have been working with Ingo and Sandra for our wedding in June and they are wonderful. Their facility is so unique and the food is amazing. We are looking forward to our wedding and hopefully other events at Old Towne hall. read more

My wife and I could not have been happier with choosing Old Towne Hall as our venue. Ingo and Sandra were amazing to work with, and we couldn't have done it without them! They worked with us every step of the way, and anticipated most of our questions and concerns with the professionalism of seasoned veterans to the wedding game. The food that Ingo prepared was outstanding, even better than the tasting. They even surprised us with a late night snack near the end of the reception, which was a fantastic idea. Every one of the guests had nothing but stellar reviews on the food. Sandra ran the rest of the staff, bartenders and servers. She was a godsend. There were a few minor problems that came up and were taken care of without my Wife and I even knowing about them. Because of her, we had a nearly stress free wedding day. I will always remember the hard work and dedication to making our day special that each of them showed. They were the pinnacle of perfection, champions of champagne, executors of excellence! Words don't do justice to the kind of work that they do. read more

Yummy food good friends great time Here fir a birthday party. The place is amazing Thank you Sandra and Ingo Will be back soon read more

I loved working with Old Towne Hall, and the managers, Ingo and Sandra. I had my wedding reception here in November 2014. DECOR The room is awesome, with tall ceilings and chandeliers, it is definitely a special venue. The bar is off in a cool, side room with lots of vintage details. Very 1920's feel. FOOD/DRINK Ingo is an amazing chef! He customized a menu made of great staples, and then added wonderful tasting flair. He also kept in mind some very strict dietary restrictions, and even made a special plate for my mom. The tasting was a great event, with my parents, my then-fiance, and his parents all got to sit down at a beautifully set table for a full course meal. Ingo brought us all the options we discussed, and we tweaked the menu for the reception a little. We laughed, ate, drank, and it just set the mood for the reception two months early. The pricing is incredibly reasonable, by far the best in McHenry County, and most likely in the Chicago-land area. Everything is customized, no cookie-cutter menus. The meal the night of went perfectly- just as delicious, beautifully served, and the buffet line moved very well. We had Ingo make chocolate covered fruit to supplement our wedding cake, and the fruit was a huge hit. An amazing aspect of OTH is that you can bring your own alcohol! It is by far the best cost saver, and our guests loved it. Sandra and Ingo even decorated a huge chalkboard with all of our drinks for the evening, which looked so cool. SETUP A great thing about OTH is being able to decorate pretty much however you like. I ordered colored tablecloths and napkins, and my bridal party came in and set up/spent time together the day of the rehearsal dinner. Sandra was there the entire time to help and give advice. I was able to rent uplighting for a Chicago-land vendor, and could set them up myself, which was a great cost saver. Sandra also had a great display of lantern's as a focus point for the room as well. The DJ came on Saturday before the party, and had no problems setting up in a great spot. TEAR DOWN One thing I really hadn't thought about while ordering my linens, and even setting them all up, was how was going to get all of my belongings back? Would I have to ask family to stay after the reception to gather up everything? Nope, for a small charge, OTH took care of collecting everything for me, including my uplights, cake stand, centerpieces, and linens, and had them waiting for my family to pick up the following Monday. It was great not to worry about it the night of. The reception went off without a hitch, and Ingo and Sandra were so supportive through everything. I hardly noticed all the staff they were so efficient. The buffet went quickly and we had plenty of food! Sandra is great, she knows so much about alterations (she can work on your dress!), that she managed to bustle my tulle ballgown, when I beat my bridesmaid (who knew how to bustle) to the hall and want to get out and greet guests. I am very thankful I found Ingo, Sandra, and the Old Towne hall for my wedding, it was perfect and had everything I wanted. I would highly recommend working with them for any number of events, and will recommend their services to my friends/family. read more

I recently attended my daughter's wedding here and I was quite pleased. I'm a chef with 40 years experiance and I'm also certified to teach sanitation. So, naturally, at any new place my first concern is the kitchen. My first sight was Ingo scrubbing everything, top to bottom. It was the cleanest kitchen I've ever seen (that wasn't my own). And the food that came out of that kitchen . . . Well my daughter chose a buffet style dinner, but I've had plated dinners costing twice as much that weren't half as good. I give Ingo and The Olde Town Hall my highest recommendation. read more

Ingo is not only a fantastic chef, but he's a great person. He's catered many events for my family, and he always out does himself. On behalf of my family, I cannot recommend these folks enough! Great food, great people! read more

Beautiful space. Delicious food. Friendly helpful staff. Highly recommend!

I recently had my wedding reception at the Old Towne Hall and it was wonderful. Sandra and Ingo worked to make sure my event was a success. They are an absolute pleasure to work with. It really made the planning process so much easier for me knowing that, if something came up, I could talk to Sandra about it and she'd have a solution. I never felt like an inconvenience, she was always so gracious to respond and has marvelous ideas. I was just so comfortable because they are so positive, so flexible. I can't reiterate enough how key I thought this was. My guests really loved the food and we received many compliments on it. We had a few vague ideas about food, and Ingo took those suggestions and created a fabulous menu. Everything tasted fresh and homemade. I wish they had a restaurant here, because I would be there all the time. One thing that's usual at the Old Towne Hall is that you bring in your own alcohol. That worked out really well for us, since we did not expect our guests to drink a lot, but still wanted to provide a limited selection of alcohol. This was very cost effective. The venue itself has a lot of character and doesn't need extensive decorating. The tin ceiling and the period (dimmable) chandeliers were my favorite parts. I wouldn't hesitate to use this venue again if I ever need to host something on the scale of a wedding. read more

My daughter was married here and aside from her new husband, this was the best decision she has ever made. Location is great, parking is great, the staff is beyond warm and welcoming, they are like old friends from the very start. The space is so cool and unique we felt like we went back 100 years to a great old dance hall with all of the charm and detail you could want. The food was AMAZING, simply beyond my expectations. The price was fair and reasonable, for the value...it was way more than reasonable and gratuity was left to my judgment, which I was more than happy to provide accordingly. These are people I will recall with fondness and gratitude, I truly expect to use this venue again and again. read more

The Old Towne Hall is THE place to hold a wedding reception! My husband and I had been searching all over McHenry County for a venue to host both our wedding ceremony and the reception. After a few recommendations from friends, we met with Ingo and Sandra and knew in an instant that we had found THE place! The moment we stepped inside and took in the "Old Chicago" style decor, we fell in love! From the ornate ceilings, to the original chandeliers, it was amazing! The set-up of the reception hall with full bar located in a separate room just off the hall, was just what we were looking for! Ingo and Sandra were both so warm and gracious in spending time sharing ideas, photographs and suggestions for our big day - it was more than we ever expected! Being a chef by trade, Ingo had some fantastic ideas for the menu for a bride that was feeling MORE than overwhelmed in all of the planning for the upcoming event! Ingo also made the suggestion to have wine carafes and water (with fresh lemon slices) at each table with some light appetizers during the wedding ceremony. We elected to close down the bar during the ceremony and EVERY guest remarked on what a nice touch this was! No one had ever experienced this before and it was a big hit with our guests! What's more, I was SHOCKED and super excited to learn that while the bride and groom get to decorate the hall to whatever scale we would like...Ingo, Sandra & staff take down the decorations - leaving the happy couple to enjoy their first "morning" as husband and wife, instead of waking up early to get to the reception hall to take everything down!! That is a HUGE perk that NO other venue in McHenry County had offered! Invaluable! We were able to sleep in, enjoy our "first" breakfast together and came by much later the next day to retrieve our decor which was all boxed up and ready for us!! How amazing! We brainstormed on decoration ideas and had everything set except for one, somewhat important spot within the hall. Sandra jumped right in with suggestions and pictures for an idea that turned out AWESOME!!! I had a crew of my girls ready the day before the wedding to decorate, help set-up, etc. When we arrived at 8:00am in the morning, Sandra had already ironed ALL of the tablecloths, chair covers, napkins and chair sashes, had set it all up and was busily affixing the sashes to the chairs! She is amazing! I can't believe all that she did in preparation for our big day before we even arrived to start the "set-up"!! Compared to most of the over-priced venues in McHenry County (I won't name names), when you consider the "basic" menu of services, food and drink that they offer, compared to the level of service, the incredible menu (all hand-prepared by Ingo), the setting and the fact that you get to bring in your own alcohol....it's astonishing that The Old Towne Hall is a fraction of what you would pay elsewhere! We had such an incredible wedding experience with The Old Towne Hall and Ingo, Sandra and their staff that my husband recently arranged for my surprise 40th birthay party to be held at OTH!! Once again, Ingo and Sandra outdid themselves!! The array of appetizers (complete with light and smoke display from underneath the trays) as well as the open bar and decor that Sandra put together was phenomenal!! Ingo and Sandra even arranged for a pub crawl after the birthday party at OTH for me and my guests to continue the celebrations into the wee hours of the morning! It was an unforgettable night!! I would more than highly recommend the Old Towne Hall to ANYONE looking to host ANY event. Ingo and Sandra provide elegance, class, superior service and a personal touch at a MORE than affordable rate! Simply put, they are the best in town!!! read more

My son and new "daughter" just celebrated their wedding at Old Towne Hall and it was fabulous! Sandra and Ingo were wonderful, the food was fantastic and all our needs were taken care of so we could relax and enjoy our beautiful wedding. Old Towne Hall is definitely a class act with a wonderful vintage flare. Let Sandra and Ingo guide through your special occasion, you won't be disappointed. read more

Words will never be enough to describe Old Towne Hall and the owners Sandra and Ingo! They always go out of there way to ensure whatever party or event you need meets your every expectation! I have my wedding scheduled for July thanks to Covid we had to postpone but they were more than willing to help us with whatever we needed! The minute i walked into the hall i knew that was were i wanted to get married and i knew that they were the people that i wanted to help us make our dream a reality! Ingo's cooking is honestly to die for it is not your average wedding food and there is so much to enjoy your guests will be raving! Then we have the beautiful Sandra who is always right there for you with any questions or concerns you may have! We needed to find a hotel for our guests she knew just who to call and the hotel even gave us a good discount! We needed to find someone for hair she was on it! I mean i think you get the point but i would recommend them over and over again! read more

Had my daughter's bridal shower here last weekend. It was an absolute success!!! Rather than cater the food, we had their chef make all of it. Not only was it priced well, but the food was outstanding. The owners are very straight forward, they pay great attention to detail, and everything was fantastic. You can't go wrong having an event here read more

If I could give Old Towne Hall more than 5 stars I definitely would. Ingo and Sandra were AMAZING through our entire wedding planning process. From the moment we called, the process of organizing and setting up our wedding reception was flawless. Ingo and Sandra were prompt in setting up a menu and tasting following our booking of the space. Sandra followed up with setting up the color scheme well before the reception date. We were allowed the entire day before the wedding to set up, and Sandra and Ingo were both there to assist us with the decorations! She assisted my bridesmaids and I in putting together centerpieces (which I borrowed from the venue at no cost!!!) and with the head and dessert tables (she had safety pins and batteries for the décor). They had even set up the room with the tables and linens two days before which Sandra sent pictures of putting me and my husband at ease before entertaining 100+ guests. In addition to that, the food was delicious (my mother loved the homemade bread so much, she's an avid cook/baker, that Sandra wrapped the leftovers for her to take home with her). And if that wasn't enough, my husband and I planned a bar crawl for guests who wanted to continue the party after hours, and Ingo, at 11:00pm the evening of, booked us taxis to return all of the 20 guests who attended the bar crawl to the hotel (Comfort Inn in Crystal Lake). The cabs arrived at the bar promptly at 1:30am. And again, if that wasn't enough, the Sunday after, all of our decorations and desserts were packaged and waiting for us exactly at the time we scheduled to pick up everything (and Sandra and the venue bartender, a dead ringer for Jason Statham, helped my new husband and I pack our vehicle with all of our stuff!!!) If you have ever been married, you know how exhausted you are following the big day. This was such an incredible help in the process of planning, putting on and wrapping up the perfect day. I also want to add that the venue recommended the DJ we used, Megan Young-Grassel. She was phenomenal. Guests raved about her music! She was another wonderful person to work with throughout the wedding planning process. Her relationship with the venue allowed me and my husband to have no worries that when we arrived, our music selection would be flawless though the reception, dinner and dancing hours. Plus, the up lighting was beautiful!!! Like I said, if I could give more stars, I would. Old Towne Hall is a top notch venue, based on my experience and our guests rave reviews', such as "This was the best wedding any member of our family has put on" I will definitely be booking the venue again for future parties/functions! (Oh, and if that wasn't enough, Ingo and Sandra were prepared to be our rain plan for the ceremony as well. My husband and I were married outside-and were fortunate enough the have a gorgeous sunny day. We were assured though, that if necessary, Old Towne Hall would be set up for the ceremony before the reception.) If you are looking for a wedding venue in Crystal Lake, IL, look no further!!! read more

I created a yelp account just to be able to write this review. I am so glad that we chose Old Towne as our venue. We couldn't have been any happier on ourspecial day, and Sandra & Ingo were a huge help in making it happen. They even weathered a bridezilla moment of mine perfectly. Everything came out beautifully, the food was wonderful, the staff was amazing and ALL of our guests told us how awesome everything was. Sandra even helped bustle my dress. If you're looking for people who are professionals and yet yay you like family, this is your place. read more

Sandra and Ingo did a wonderful job from the very beginning. This couple is very detail-oriented and will do much behind the scenes work to make sure your day is everything you imagines. Communication was fairly effective between the owners and my husband and me. We must say, we very much appreciated the opportunity for a private menu tasting with our parents when selecting our wedding menu. When it came to our wedding day, everything was so well-timed, especially considering we had a plated dinner. Our guests were satisfied with their meals and the vintage ambiance. Many thanks to this couple for pairing their passion with their work. read more