I just recently started popping in here with a little bit of Saturday night regularity. Why? Well, give me karaoke on a Saturday night, near my house, and I'm not going to complain! Now, the first time I stopped in here was in the 1990's, to watch a game and eat some burgers... and I didn't go back again until the mid-2000's, just once, for karaoke. I had little kids and didn't get out much, met up with some friends and made it a quick stop for the evening, since I had to work in the morning. Here we are, 2026, and I've been in a few times in the last few months. I've got to imagine you're wondering why I'm only giving it three stars, it's the ambiance, to be honest... there's something that isn't for everyone here. I like the place, a little dive bar and a bunch of regulars, but it's not super inviting and I guess that's the issue. The crowd is also a bit on the older side and it's generally pretty dead on the weekends. The food, though... the only thing I have had and wasn't all-in on was the Caesar Wrap, because it was an oil based dressing rather than creamy and it was very messy - everything else I've had (wings, burger, fries) have been quite tasty! Yes, I'll be back, I like the Saturday-Night karaoke, the bartenders and the food. read more

Saturday night when your inner vocals come out to sing!!! Come out, have a drink, meet some strangers, bond over some karaoke!!! They have great daily specials, staff are friendly and great! Recommend... read more

Rand Road House - When the karaoke gets a little wild!!! - Sports Bars Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

Friendly and fun staff. Great place to watch a game. Food is really good. Wings are top notch! read more

Rand Road House - Spicy Chicken Sandwich - Sports Bars Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

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Made my night! Much more than a dive bar. I've driven past the Road House over the past year and always thought it was a dump, but never went inside. Aesthetically it is a bit of a dump, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good bar. From the moment I walked in I felt welcomed and invited even though I was on my own. The bartender Amanda is much more than a bartender... She has an infectiously awesome personality that makes you feel she is sitting next to you joining you and helping you to have a good time. This is the first time in my life I've sat at a bar and the bartender shook my hand and asked my name. That alone made me want to stay and have fun. Amanda recommended the hot buffalo wings as the best food and I was highly impressed. Honestly some of the best wings I've had.... Very good. It is small inside, but has a large personality. The music was cranked up loud and people were dancing and singing along. There are a lot of regulars that go there, but they all started talking to me. If you don't care about it being an old and dark bar, this is a great place to have some fun and feel like you are at a bar where "Everyone knows your name"!!!! read more

Rand Road House - Best Buffalo Wings - Sports Bars Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

Friendly neighborhood bar where you can grab a quick bite and watch games all at reasonable prices. Though the menu isn't huge and the restaurant is a bit on the small size, they maximize their use of space with a reasonably large parking lot, good layout inside, and maximizing their wall space. The small size also makes it easy to interact with other patrons and the staff. read more

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Inside, the ambiance is cozy and warm. The staff is super nice and welcoming. The food is terrific. Great specials! it is a forgotten gem of a place to hang out with friends. Check it out! read more

Truly, a dive bar with entertaining bartenders and cook staff. Half of pizza on Sundays and half off burgers on Tuesdays the burgers are phenomenal with a crispy vine to go with a half pound delight. read more

Great food , outstanding cozy atmosphere and The home town feeling you get with the best bar maid I've ever had the pleasure of meeting in my life. It reminds me of the tv show CHEERS,, and expect to see Norm and Shelly Winters their one day...!!! read more

Kelly took great care of our big group, 100% recommend! wings and fries were good, very attentive to drinks and making sure everyone was happy and taken care of read more

Amanda is amazing! Welcoming for day 1 . Will continue to make this a regular place because of her! Hope they look at these! Clean bathrooms , fun staff! 5 out of 5! read more

If you're like me this place doesn't look like much and you question yourself on who would go here... well I decided to stop in after always driving past. The workers are fabulous, the TVs are in great shape and the food is delicious. Definitely the wings in town! They also have some yummy specials like ribs and 1/2 pizza Sunday's. I now frequently visit Rand Roadhouse and it's up there as one of my favorite local spots. read more

Possibly the best Barbecue Ribs I have ever had at their Ribfest yesterday. Rand Road House is exactly what it looks like: a working class bar with big screen TVs for the days sports and a jukebox that plays what you want to hear and "everybody knows your name" as the song goes. When we saw the sign for ribfest as we drove by we called in our order for a large party.... Not really useful as they didn't start cooking it til I showed up to pay... I had to wait another 40 minutes after paying til our order was ready... it was packed, all the regulars were there already knowing what they were in for. I had to get in line.... Needless to say I was not delighted but I had already paid so I was committed.... And I found my favorite new rib place as a result! Driving by today I see the tents and outdoor grills are gone as are the crowds of people but having had this good experience once, I will definitely venture back to see what else is going on at Rand Roadhouse. read more

First time ever here. friendly people Good selections of burgers and drinks. We are definitely coming back. read more

If you ever want to see a business case on WHAT NOT TO DO... this is your reference. Rand Road House is your example of why you should go somewhere else when wanting to be at what is portrayed as a neighborhood venue. This is not. You DO NOT treat your neighbors like this place does. - Rude staff...80% of shifts. -You walk through the kitchen (while food is being prepared) or the parking lot to get to the patio. How did the Health Department award permits? - Your experience will be based on who came before or after the Chasers acquisition. (But Chasers won't attach their name to it because of licensing issues) - Your food quality is dependent on who makes your dish. Your choices are salmonela or bar rag. NO STANDARDS. - Although the behind the bar staff works very hard to make you feel welcomed, the operational staff acts as security officers, rather than hosts working towards a memorable, comfortable experience. No regard for service. - The main canned/bottled beer, cider and alcoholic water is in the common patron area and often times customers are on the way, while other times the bartender tells you to get it yourself , therefore breaking with all processes and procedures established. Although this place has no concept of that. Do yourself a favor and find another bar. This place has no concept of customer service. Again, an example of "only because you can buy a bar/restaurant, doesn't mean you should". Unless you want a circus... if that's the case, this is one. read more

I've been coming here for the past two years and no matter who the bar tender, they always remember to personalize your experience to you. They are absolutely phenomenal and set the most perfect vibe for your night. Enjoy! read more

I went there on Sunday night with my girlfriend had few drink and I stepped out to have a cigarette a guy approached my girlfriend and said something inappropriate to her I came back in and was upset after talking g to my girlfriend the bartender was nice bought us a drink apologized for what happened but the guy was never asked to leave. So I will never be going back read more

If you scan the Internet for reviews you'll find one site with a 1 star rating and another with 5 stars. Metromix details them as a "great beer garden with live music in the summer" This is a road house, think shanty, dark colored building with box lettering that reads the name of the bar. Look for an old style sign hanging out front and you're there. Parking is a cluster-fuck of fun that awaits, more so in rain and wet snow. I was told that they did some remodeling inside. From the looks of it, one cannot tell what exactly was remodeled. Weekends can get somewhat crowded and is composed of a mix of very young to older with whitened hair. The bar is made up of a living room divided by the length of the bar leaving little space for drinkers and llamas to move around. To the far end of the road house is seating for those that want to eat and drink, with food served till closing. Per comments from regulars, burgers and ribs are pretty good. Internet jukebox is available as well as Ms Pac-Man and Golden Tee. Rumors of a Big Buck hunter Pro or Safari machine are false. One bartender tends at a time with minimal help from additional staff which seems to kill a beer drinker's spirit; since the minimum wait is around fifteen to twenty minutes. Beers list is barren; you're stuck with the typical domestics, Schlitz and Guinness dark. The bartender is clearly overworked and if you have a tab it's highly likely that you should go over the charges on your bill. One thing that the bar screams to you is the feeling of not enough. Take the Men's room for example, enough space for ONLY one to use at a time though there's the facilities for two. The toilet is between the wall and a free standing wall with a TP dispenser thrown into the mix. Hardly enough space for one of their usual's to use, maybe an anorexic hipster. Beer garden? There's an attached area outside which is fenced, which could be a beer garden? unclear, looks more like a pigs' pen at best. Best when you're dressed in your favorite sportswear or jammies. read more

Unlike the Beacon, I have only been here once. This is because it was crazy crowded, parking was more complicated than medieval court etiquette, and I like the beer selection at the Beacon better. Rand Road House does have a bigger menu, however. It really is a road house, if you were wondering if they just picked the name because it sounds catchy. It's your classic dive bar with drink specials and bar food, but with a little extra to eat. There's outdoor seating in the summer as well, but it's along a road that gets bad traffic during rush hour, so you may want to avoid the patio at certain times. Service was okay, food was okay, and the bathrooms were not totally disgusting. Again, it's your classic dive bar. It isn't two stars because it's necessarily a bad place, but because sometimes the "two stars" experience is what you you're looking for, and at those times, this is where to find it. read more

I'm very biased here. This is my all time favorite bar. My friends are split. I'm always wanting to come here. Some of my friends refuse to come. Most others need to be in the mood and/or coerced.... I come here on Wednesdays mostly. Why? Karaoke of course! I love me some karaoke. And so do the patrons. Be prepared to wait your turn. Us regulars love to take the spotlight ;) And Jeff and Cindy are more than happy to accommodate! Love them! (PS they also do karaoke on Sunday nights at the little villa in des plaines!) This is a tiny dive bar. It's a small main room. A tight hallway, and a tiny dining area. But it's worth it! Yes there are only 2 bathrooms. They are typical dive bar quality. You're not in a swanky place. One should expect this. The outdoor patio is reached either through the front in the warmer months, or straight through the kitchen and out the door! It's large back there. Lots of seating, TVs, and a bar (granted I've never seen that bar open lol) No matter! They come take your orders! My drink is pretty much made as soon as I walk through the door. Service is wonderful! It can be slow when busy, but they work their tails off! As for the patrons, it depends on the day. On Wednesdays I'm there with my dad. The crowd is older, but they're all friendly and welcoming! Occasionally some youngsters will walk in. The party picks up! The weekends are more or less the same. It's a mix of old and young. I've seen a handful of hipsters. Either way, fun! As for the food, um yum! I adore their burgers! They are second only to Monks in Wisconsin Dells. For a while, I assumed they were only good at 3am when I was schlitzed and starving. Nope! They're just as amazing sober! I also recommend the ribs! And don't even get me started on the annual cornfest! Hello Midwest corn heaven!!! Plus they've got a popcorn machine for munching!! If you've actually read through this "I freaking love the roadhouse" novel, props! Now get on over there! We'll share a drink, a bowl of popcorn and the mic on a Wednesday night! 5 stars! read more

No ferns. No polished brass fixtures. No menu board full of expensive craft beers. No Hipsters. Just friendly people, good hearty bar food, affordable domestic beers and good prices on daily specials. Rand Roadhouse is a nice, working class neighborhood bar, and that's my kind of bar. I try to stop in whenever I'm in the area. read more

Pretty bad, I love a good dive bar but I don't want to get colera... (see attached photo of the bucket under the urinal) the music (bad juke box selection of bad euro style pop tunes) was overly loud for a relatively empty bar. read more

Rand Road House - Sports Bars Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

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The day we were there someone threw-up in the women's bathroom and the outdoor patio was rocking. Hey, it is a Road-House!

My friend and I met here on Wednesday to catch up and for the karaoke. The staff was friendly. Karaoke started at 9, and it was so fun we stayed until 1. The people who sang were all pretty good. You don't see that very often! They worked to accommodate most songs. They had a nice sized crowd for a weeknight. So glad we went! read more

Great dive bar with excellent pub burgers. No pretense at RRH. We stopped in on a Friday night and had burgers and beers. They have a limited menu of apps, burgers, pizza and a few wraps. We started out with a basket of onion rings that were some of the best I've ever had. I ordered the mushroom & cheese burger and it was excellent! This is not one of the gourmet burgers where you wait in line for 40 minutes, deal with indifferent servers and then get a burger piled with so much crap on it you barely taste the meat. (Where's the beef!?!) No, instead you get a 1/2 lbs Angus beef burger with mushrooms & swiss topped with OLT on a nice bakery bun. It really was delicious. Everyone in our group loved them. Served with great crinkle cut fries too. And the burgers are only $10. They have macro brew (Old Style, Miller Lite, Coors Light) mini pitchers for $5. The staff are nice even if you are a first timer. You can wet your whistle and fill your belly without doing a lot of damage to your wallet. I'll be back. read more

What to say about The Shack (as my friends and I fondly call it). It's a neighborhood bar full of townies, but the wait staff and manager are awesome! My cousin and I stumbled upon this bar by accident during karaoke night on a Wednesday and had an amazing time. The locals are very friendly and made us feel at home and we've become regulars ourselves, although we both live quite a ways away. Although the acoustics aren't the greatest for karaoke, they have a decent selection of songs and the clientele are always diverse, fun and supportive. Oh, and Gary makes a mean Patty Melt! read more

Great atmosphere and good food. Stopped in one night for some pizza and beer let me tell you I was not disappointed. The pizza was simple but good and it was just what I wanted that night. We ended up sticking around and watching a the game and it was just an all around good time! read more

Visited Rand Road House which I think about 20 people showed up in honor of the birthday boy. I have to completely agree with Jacob when he says the bar leaves you with the feeling of "not enough". It was worse than my neighborhood hole-in-the-wall bar and that says enough. They had mini-pitchers on sale for $4.00 which poured about 2 1/2 pints. I had 2. Jacob gave you a run down of the men's restroom so I guess I can give you the scoop on the ladies' restroom. Quite spacious with a shin-level shelf that came in handy from keeping your purse from sitting in piss-tainted mop water. But very difficult to access. It was in a narrow "hallway" behind the mens which was constantly clogged by the people trying to get a beer from the stressed bartender. Anyhow, I prefer my hole-in-the-wall bar that's a 5 minute walk and even if I can't get mini pitchers I at least have a bathtub covered with plywood to set my purse on in the bathroom there. LOL.... no I'm not making that up. read more

This place isn't charming, it isn't cutesy or quaint but it is the perfect neighborhood dive to blow off some steam with friends while keeping the tab cheap. I haven't eaten there, but both the pizza and the wings look solid. They have decent specials on pitchers and bottles. This place has no frills, except for plenty of parking (a plus if you live in the city and are used to circling the block quite a few times). The service is snappy and efficient. That bathrooms, well stay out of the bathrooms if you can. The popcorn to munch on while you drink is a huge plus. It's not movie theater quality but it'll do. read more

First time ever after passing many times and it was great! Nice televisions to watch the Blackhawks and super friendly bartender. Had the bacon cheddar burger and it was among the best. Bar was super clean and everything sparkled, from all the bottles on display to the counters and taps. Nice job-I'll definitely be back! read more

By far my most favorite bar in Des Plaines. I always feel so welcome by the staff and customers. Very good craft beer selection and also great deals every day. Oh yeah and they have great pizza and jalapeño poppers. read more

Good neighborhood bar. The new owner is a great guy and has done alot to fix the place up. This is not a night club just a quite place for a cheap cold beer and some good food. D read more

I went to the Rand Road House yesterday with my wife and her sister after a funeral. The bar was about half full when we walked in. We looked very much out of place in our funeral attire of suits and dresses as the Road House is very much a working man's tavern and we were surrounded by tradesmen in boots and jeans. No matter! The bartender welcomed us like we were long lost friends. We bellied up to the bar and ordered our first round. Out comes a big bowl of popcorn for us to munch on while we enjoy our drinks. Very nice. The bartender was so nice to us! No short "yep" or "uh huh" responses from this nice lady-she was all "Oh my goodness! My pleasure you guys!" and "You are all SOOO welcome!" whenever we thanked her for our drinks. How sweet! Plus, she was quick to keep the popcorn bowl (and our drinks) full, which is awesome. We ordered some bar munchies and the food came out really fast and was very hot and very good. Good to know if you are going to have more than a few drinks (and we did!). I was told by another patron that the ribs are terrific there, so we plan to go back for them soon. There are a few booths in the back where you can actually sit down and have a proper dinner if you like instead of eating at the bar. Soon enough, (and this is very important!) the bar bought us a drink. Yep, they actually bought us a round of drinks, a practice that I thought had gone "by the wayside" many years ago. "These are on the house" is a phrase I have not heard in years and it was pretty awesome to hear it again, I must say! Very cool. Very cool, indeed. Good on ya, Rand Road House. So, we asked the nice bartender to thank the owner for the round of drinks. Evidently she did so because he came over and introduced himself to us and thanked us for our patronage. Excellent. Soon enough, he's taking me around for a tour of the kitchen. It looked older, but it was absolutely spotless. Seriously, I've worked in restaurants before and the Road House kitchen was as clean as any I've ever seen. Spotless. He also showed me the outdoor beer garden which looked pretty cool. It's February so it was closed for the season, but it looks like it would be a lot of fun to have a few drinks in when it's open. The regulars were terrific-I wound up swapping business cards with a few and I hope to see some of them again when I return to the Road House in the future. In summary, we all really enjoyed our time at the Rand Road House. If there is any negative to the place it would be the bathroom where you sort of had to stand at a weird angle to hit the urinal because it's a bit cramped in there! But that's not really a deal breaker for me. It's not a hipster bar (TG!). It's not a fern bar. It's a road house. A really, really good road house! Fine freaking dining it aint. You probably couldn't get a bikini-tini there, but I personally see that as a plus. It's not a meat market pick-up bar, either. But if you are looking for a friendly bar with decent drink prices and good food, then this is the place for you. Go there and watch a game and get some grub. I have a feeling that you'll be glad you did. read more

I love this place. Great bar to hang out at on a nice day

Awesome people both customers and employees. Truely classy staff. 10/10 would recommend to friends. They have an amazing bbq cheesburger too ! read more

Awesome ribs and chicken wings. Friendly owners and friendly people. Great place to hang with friends to eat and drink.

Had dinner here with a group if friends. They brought me here for the food. The roadhouse is full of locals and has a special ambiance. Food is great and the wait staff if super friendly. Parking is okay. Lots to choose from to eat and drink. The friendly atmosphere makes it all worth it. If you want a casual meal and drinks with friends this is a good place to go. read more

I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the Ribs and service at the rand road house last Saturday night. My wife and I heard from some friends how great they were and we were not disappointed. The rand road house is a neighborhood bar and grill, but everyone is so nice and friendly we really enjoyed ourselves. The prices were very reasonable and the service was great, We will be back. read more

Went in at 1:15 am and kitchen closed even though it's advertised open until 4 am. Horse shit!!!

Cheers recreated in Des Plaines! Always fun! Friendly people, cheap beer and good food. Great burgers and they come with fries for 5.99. Ribs are great too! read more

Well it was 2am and me and my friend wanted a place where we can go and just have a few and relax. I new of Rand Road House before, so I gave it a shot as soon as we got their and open the door all 30 people in this little bar turned and looked. With not happy look to. Now I know being only 21 maybe they though we were punk kids until someone ran into me with a cocky look said "oh my sir soo sorry" with his beer spilling on me as everyone laughed. I was getting pissed but whatever it's 2am right. Furthermore me and my friend sat down and are greeted by the owner good guy,we ask for a pitcher of "Miller Light". WOW when the bartender came with the pitcher it was kind of small and for $10 eh but whatever again 2am I though until my friend took a sip and spit it right out and said "FUCK MAN THIS IS NOT EVEN BEER" thinking in my head "relax man that's why it's light beer hah!". Well however when I took a sip words can not tell you and I"ve had beer that taste water down but people this miller light I'd had taste like..... WATER!, not even a beer taste. After I walked up to the owner gave him my thoughts. Last the bathroom is NASTY!!! THEIR NOT EVEN A DOOR FOR YOU TO CLOSE TO TAKE A SHIT!!! read more