Went here on a Friday night for the first time. Didn't get a good vibe from the patrons when we walked in the door. It felt like everyone in there knew each other, and here comes a couple strangers walking in. Who are these people, and what are they doing here, vibe. We ordered a glass of wine, and a martini. The wine glass was half the size of a normal wine glass, maybe smaller. I've had bigger glasses of wine at other establishments, and paid less. They had a gentleman who was playing a solo acoustic set. He was the highlight of the night at this place. He was more accommodating than the people that worked there. He acknowledged us with a smile, while he set up his equipments. He played some good songs too. I'm not sure if they sold beers, but I did see a couple people drinking beers, but there weren't beers listed on their menu. After we finished our drinks, and an appetizer. We ended up going across the street. Al in all, it's not a place for us to want to go back to for a second chance. We tried a new place, and that's pretty much it. read more

Drinks were delicious and the staff were amazing. This is a great place to go with friends.

Friendly, knowledgeable staff. Good cocktails with variety. Lots of live music. Laidback vibe in a relaxed two story space.

The martini selection is wonderful, with an array of creative and delicious options to choose from. The bartenders here are true mixology artists, crafting cocktails that are bursting with flavor. Strawberry Moon's cheese fondue is so good. It's a must-try! The warm, gooey, and incredibly flavorful cheese fondue is a perfect pairing for any martini. Whether you're a cheese enthusiast or a newcomer to the fondue experience, you won't be disappointed. The live music and the ambiance make it an ideal spot for a romantic date night or a night out with friends. If you're looking for a unique and memorable experience I recommend giving Strawberry Moon a visit. You won't be disappointed! read more

Very surprised how disappointed I was by my latest visit here. Pre-pandemic, I visited a number of times and always enjoyed the drink selection and small plates to share at our table. However, my visit last week was like visiting an entirely different establishment. The drink was the best part, and the service was great, but the food was inedible. Not only was the selection disappointing but then the item I settled on (charcuterie board) was like a glorified lunchable. The cheese was not good (flavorless, soft, and waxy cheddar) and the salami was comparable to cheap greasy packaged lunch meat. If you plan to visit, stop by for a drink and then do yourself a favor by going somewhere else for food. read more

This place was rowdy and packed downstairs on a Saturday night. Drunk suburbanites were scream-singing along with the band. The upstairs had plenty of tables open and we ordered some drinks. The martinis were delicious. Points for having a bathroom upstairs and a bar. It was nice to be able to rise above the masses, look down on the debauchery, and join in on the singing with friends. Great layout and fun menu. read more

Strawberry Moon - Chocolate martini and a cosmo - Bars Near Me - Wauconda, Illinois

If your looking for a fun girls night out or date night, this is the place!! Settled in downtown Wauconda, it simply screams suburban nightlife! The bartenders are amazing and can even make to order.... But you won't need it with the menu they have. read more

Strawberry Moon - Made to order or celebrate drinks! - Bars Near Me - Wauconda, Illinois

We went on a rainy night to see Dan Peters play and sat upstairs as the main floor was full. Our server was great although they ran out of some small plates. Drinks were terrific and so was the food. Everyone was having a blast and very friendly. Highly recommended. read more

Beautiful interior, fun (and super super sweet) martini offerings. Live music, and the second floor has a big screen displaying the band downstairs so nobody misses a moment! Servers kept us flowing with drinks, absolute pros with recommendations too. read more

We popped into Strawberry Moon on a Saturday night and had the best time. I enjoyed a dirty martini and the Folie Chardonnay. We also had the cheese and charcuterie plate which was very good. The staff was attentive and fun. We sat at the bar but there is table seating as well. Definitely will be back. read more

Strawberry Moon - Dirty Martini - Bars Near Me - Wauconda, Illinois

Best martinis and atmosphere. Food is awesome. Service is great!!! Love the owners and employees. read more

The service is great! The bartenders are quick, helpful and friendly. Great ambiance as well!

Me and my friends have sat here for 30 minutes without service. We watched other patrons leave due to lack of service. read more

Strawberry Moon - Band - Bars Near Me - Wauconda, Illinois

Very cute bar perfect for a date night if you are local to Lake Z or Wauconda. Very clean thank you! Bartenders have always been kind and helpful. Sometimes there has been a band which was great! Not a place to really meet new people. It would be better to go on a nice "date night" or for 1-1 friend chats. My single friends see that everyone has a date that comes in. Owner is very nice man great story of how he opened it! read more

Stopped by here during a week night to listen to their live music (we were specifically visiting to check out a guitarist for our wedding). I hadn't heard of this place but it's only been open since the beginning of the year, and from the look of the inside it seems it was completely gutted and renovated; the paint and wood still had a tinge of new smell to it. We sampled a pretty good portion of their menu as we enjoyed the live music for a few hours, my fiancée going for the signature Strawberry Moon martini which tasted pretty good to me. The beer selection is a bit on the weak side, mostly bottled (possibly ALL bottles as I did not notice any taps behind the bar, but I could be mistaken) but they did have a few good micro-brew options (Dogfish Head 60-Minute, Bell's Amber, Sam Adams, etc). My only compliant would be since they are bottled beers that they branch out to provide a few more micro-brew choices, but maybe the current clientèle drives the abundance of watered-down macro-brews they have (after all it is a Martini bar). The food menu is small, but had some good variety to it. We tried the pretzel bites which came with 4 different dipping sauces (horseradish, honey mustard, ranch, and queso) and nice presentation. Also the pork ribs were fall-off-the-bone moist with a tangy soy-ginger sauce and some steamed veggies on the side. That dish seemed more like an entree (not in size) as it was a bit odd as a sharing plate. We finished off the night with the chocolate fondue which, hey how can you mess-up melted chocolate, brownies, marshmallows, and strawberries? The kitchen seemed a little small (reflective of the menu) so I do not think that much of the items were scratch made (if any), most are probably store-bought but the pork was cooked very well regardless. Over all it is not someplace I would head specifically for dinner, but if you go for drinks and are hungry they have some good options. The decor and seating was nice and although there were a few loud groups the music was still easy to hear. They also used an internal security camera to show the guitarist on the various plasma screens above the bar and upstairs which I thought was a nice touch. Service was very good and both staff and patrons were friendly. I am curious if it gets busier on the weekend but I'm not sure if downtown Wauconda has any sort of 'nightlife' on the weekends. Hopefully they get the traffic needed to stay around as it's a nice little addition the NW suburbs. read more

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A Great find. Outdoor rooftop deck. Good service. Nice snacks with drinks. Desserts. Fondue. read more

Strawberry Moon - Snacks on roof top before the fireworks - Bars Near Me - Wauconda, Illinois

Always a pleasure, aways a treat to visit Strawberry Moon! Luscious martinis, cheerful professionals serving you, the friendly owner Tom always making the rounds for friendly chit-chat. Excellent live music with no cover. Interesting, eclectic, small-plate food (appetizer size, fun to share!) at very fair prices. Plus now they've scored a big outdoor patio space 2 doors away for summer and fall...dancing/singing along under the stars is super special! read more

We tried Strawberry Moon as part of a "happy hour" special event this week. Very pleased with all aspects of our visit- good service, good specialty drinks and good small plate items. We especially enjoyed their cheese and fruit plate which was beautifully presented and tasty. We learned that the upstairs is available for private parties and special occasions; probably worth noting for those party planners reading this. I feel that Strawberry Moon is certainly worth putting on your "to try" list for after work or late night cocktails. read more

My boyfriend and I reserved a table here for New Years Eve and had an amazing time. The live music was awesome. We had the cheese fondue and loved it. The Strawberry Moon martini is to die for. Also went here a few months ago for a girls night and had a great time. Strawberry moon by far has the best bartenders around and is my favorite place for a night out. read more

Love this place! Live music is very good, different singers and musicians every weekend! read more

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I had been dying to come here for the longest time and finally was able to try it tonight. The space is very small but luckily there's an upstairs. The music was pretty loud. I found myself shouting to my friend. The martinis were good and we also had the chocolate fondu which was good. Nothing special though. Overall it was a nice place. I would probably come back. read more

Strawberry Moon - The strawberry mood martini, $8 - Bars Near Me - Wauconda, Illinois

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Don't come here on a busy Friday night...actually, they weren't even that busy - but still took long. My wife and I ordered the chocolate fondue only and it took over 30 minutes to come and when it came it was cold...so they took it to warm it up leaving us waiting longer and when they returned, the temperature was still just warm. Hopefully next time we visit the service can keep up. read more

Strawberry Moon - Chocolate fondue.... Took forever to come to the table. - Bars Near Me - Wauconda, Illinois

I'm a fan of Strawberry Moon. I enjoy the creativity of their cocktails and the waitresses are always attentive. I've been here three times with some girlfriends and each time we have a lot of fun.They are a bit pricey for the Wauconda area, but things are stepping up this way as they seem to be turning Wauconda into a bit more of a resort/tourist type town. Which I don't mind since that means fun restaurants and nice bands at the bars. The food is lacking, so I wouldn't bother too much with the appetizers. Definitely eat somewhere else (Lindy's or Slyce) beforehand and then end your night at Strawberry Moon. read more

Love this little bar. Great Martini's and fondu. Great wait staff. Feels like you are in a different city. Who knew such a great little place hidden in Waconda Illinois. read more

Strawberry Moon - Bars Near Me - Wauconda, Illinois

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We had the PERFECT gender reveal party at Strawberry Moon! As always, the food and drinks are amazing and they were so accommodating with my requests and countless questions. Very reasonably priced too! It was the perfect venue for our exciting day - thank you to the amazing owners and staff!! read more

My hubby and I love Strawberry Moon! We are here at least 2+ times per week! Craig, Gerry, and Becky are the best bartenders! Always make our drinks perfect! 10/10 recommend the Kettle One Cucumber Cosmo Martini, it's a martini they all created for me. If you come here on a busy Friday or Saturday night and have to sit upstairs, don't expect 12/10 service, ain't gonna happen. If you come here earlier in the evening or on a weekend you'll get the full Strawberry Moon experience. As someone in the restaurant Industry this goes without saying, but some people on here obviously don't get that when restaurants get busy service is slow. All in all, I love the moon! read more

Went to Strawberry Moon when they opened Saturday with a group of 7 of us.......the martini selection is very good which I'd expect from a martini bar. The quality of the martinis was excellent, I had the mango martini made with mango puree, it was incredible! They also serve beers which was nice for a couple of our group who preferred that to drink, beer selection was decent. We sampled several appetizers (pretzel bites w/sauces, cheese and charcuterie platter, crab dip) everything was excellent - portions are a bit on the small side for the prices, but they were delicious.......just be prepared to spend some money. What really stands out though is the excellent service from the bartender Craig as well as the warm greeting and attention to details by the owner.....she really has a lot of pride in the place and it shows! We'll definitely be back! read more

Hidden gem. Solid wine list, live music, really friendly staff and a very very strong ap menu. The fondue is excellent. I would really recommend. read more

Great service and a good time! We finally decided to try Strawberry Moon. It's a little awkward walking in...everyone seems to know each other and since most of the tables by the door were reserved we didn't know where to sit or if we should seat ourselves or not. After we asked, we took the table in the back corner and it was a great spot to people watch. We started with a glass of wine and a martini. The martini was smooth and served in a chilled glass. At about 8 pm the band started playing and the lights dimmed low. The musical duo on tonight was really good and fit the atmosphere perfectly. It seemed people were there to see them and everyone was enjoying themselves. It isn't a college crowd here it's a more relaxed, adult crowd. We ordered the beer cheese fondue because we came there to try the fondue specifically. It was good, but the cheese took a while to warm up so we ate a lot of it cold since we were really hungry. We finished with a chocolate fondue which was served warm and came with strawberries, angel food cake, pretzels, and marshmallows. It was delicious! We'd highly recommend this dessert. I could have had the white chocolate too! As we were finishing, a man that appeared to be the owner noticed us and it seemed like he knew we hadn't been there before. He came right over and shook Ben's hand while making some small talk. It was a nice way to end the night. Our service from both bartenders was excellent all night too. They did a great job. We left happily and will definitely be back for more chocolate fondue! read more

Strawberry Moon - Friday night at 7:30 - Bars Near Me - Wauconda, Illinois

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My girlfriend and I went here on a Friday night. There was no one greeting at the door, so I picked a table and sat down to wait for her. I was flanked on all sides by different groups of "sex in the city (suburbs)" diva girls. Guess this is a trendy place for Wauconda. Our server was very slow, but she was extremely friendly. She and the bartender went out of their way to concoct martini's for us that weren't on the menu, but catered to our tastes. The menu is somewhat limited. We had the fondue, which was good, but only came with bread or apples. Mealy apples. I asked if we could possibly get some type of veggie.... broccoli, cauliflower perhaps? Nope... they didn't have any. For a low-carber, I had no choice, which was disappointing. All in all, I would probably give it another try. It wasn't very busy, so on one hurried us, and the drinks were reasonably priced. read more

I've been in and around Wauconda for years and just had the opportunity to meet a girlfriend here for drinks, apps and a good catch-up session. Strawberry Moon is such a cute little place, and the bartender was super friendly and nice. Over the course of the evening my friend had the Strawberry Moon martini and a nice glass of Cab; I had the French martini and a couple of glasses of Chardonnay. We shared the cheese and fruit plate which was delicious and very generous. The downstairs is small, so it would fill up quickly. Never saw the upstairs. Toward the end of our stay, some live music had started and folks seemed to be enjoying it (I think it was maybe an Irish folk song?). I'd absolutely go back here again. Thumbs way up. read more

ZERO ZERO ZERO STARS. The owner of this place is a drunken rude asshole, excuse my language! But there is no other way to describe him. I've never been treated so badly by someone who ran a hospitality business. He is a embarrassment to him self and his business. I'm a bartender, and have worked in the industry for 15yrs and have never seen someone act the way he did. In my face yelling, pointing, shaking his finger at me, all because we were 10min late for a reservation we had made for 9:30. Told my party of 15 ppl that "Too bad, he gave our table away and it was our loss, and we shouldn't of been late etc" mind you, I called 5 min after our reservation and talked to the bartender and explained we were 5 min away and he said no worries your table is still reserved! Well that was not the case when we arrived at 9:40 and there was no table reserved anymore . The own could of easily said "sorry we only hold tables for 10 min after a reservation and handled it in a respectable manner, but being drunk, wine glass in hand, screaming in my face and pointing in my face was way beyond rude. None of us will ever return to the place. Good luck to anyone who has to deal with this guy. We went to Middleton's and had a great time! Update: To the owner, You can say whatever you want to make you look innocent, but you're lying. Our party arrived 15 min after our reservation. And either way, it doesn't excuse the way it was handled. A simple I'm sorry but we had to give away your table would of been appropriate. read more

Quaint little tiny place. Really good martini's, my friend and I tried 3 different ones and they were all delicious. I agree with the other reviewer that appetizers are very pricey for the portion. They had a great duo singing last night, but they were very loud. It was almost impossible to hold a conversation, the volume must have been at top notch. Overall, it's a cute, different place. We'll be back. read more

Great place, great drinks, food and music and amazing company! The chocolate martinis are great and the drink menu is perfect. Apparently reviews need to be longer than this, for yelp to deign to consider them worthy of publishing, so blah blah and blah. read more

Great little bar in downtown Wauconda. Came here tonight (Friday). It was full but not crowded at 6pm. They have a fun drink menu plus all of the standards. They also have appetizers and nibbles. The flatbread pizza was really good and the fondu was pretty good too. Service was great too. Very friendly :). Didn't stay to hear the band, but love live music. We would definitely come back. read more

I don't go in there that often, but it seems that every time I do, it's the same issue and that being horrible service! I was in there on Saturday the 20th with a large group. We sat in the upstairs section. The waitress approached the table, didn't say hello, but instead said " if you're thinking of ordering a drink or not sure if you want a second one, just go ahead and order it because the dumbwaiter is broken and that's a lot of running up and down the stairs for me". I kid you not. Then, one of the people I was with ordered a cocktail made with a grapefruit vodka that has a very distinct pink color. Well, the drink she received was completely clear, obviously very watered down with soda water. So, she mentioned something to the waitress who stated she watched the bartender make the drink and then proceeded to walk away rolling her eyes. Wow. Just wow. As I said, this isn't the first time I have received bad service there but it will be the last. It's a shame since I do enjoy the place in general, but the bad service is getting to be a real turnoff. It wouldn't be so bad if this were an isolated incident, but it happens every time I go in. Sorry, but I'm going in there to have a few drinks and have fun and should not have to be subjected to consistent bad service. read more

Great place for a cocktail and live music on a Friday night. Great atmosphere with excellent service.

Great live entertainment along with hand made and creatively named cocktails and the best martinis around. Very quaint environment-dates will love it. Staff VERY friendly and quick with your drink and food order. The live music was an added surprise. We were expecting just a soft ceiling background music. A must see act is-Katie Sullivan and her fiddler LJ. Any requests you want, not too loud, Katie can sing anything you throw at her. Other live music is such a pleasant surprise when you enter the doors. Get a chocolate martini. YUMMMMM read more

Cute place. Awesome drinks and nice appetizers. Loved how personable the bartender was.

Strawberry Moon is a cute martini bar that has live music and a few eats. We didn't have any food, but it sounded so good! They have some martinis that are on special (we tried the Georgia Mule and the regular Moscow Mule). We all said the drinks were very good. It's a small place the some outdoor seating upstairs. The service was good, your waitress was nice and friendly. I would definitely come back here! read more