True hidden gem! This is a local favorite and run by an awesome couple! Note: it's behind the circleK gas station. There's plenty of parking but behind circleK and the subway. Ok. Outside- yes, it used to be a pretty rough bar but was taken over and made into a great tavern. The burgers coming out on brioche grilled buns looked amazing! Wasn't too hungry so went with pick two on the apps. What I liked? The pick two isn't limited.. like they tell you which couple items you can pick. That's small but greatly appreciated bonus. Went with the clam strips (good) and the house battered mushroom slices. And get with their house made ranch! In this cold weather, they also have a great fireplace in the middle, so wherever you sit, you're getting some heat. Looking forward to coming back for dinner! If you want to support a local, family owned restaurant, this is your place! read more

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The Wharf and The Winery are two of my MUST visits whenever I'm back in Decatur- gosh I miss these spots and hope they always stay around! Cozy atmosphere, great service, and good food! read more

The Wharf - coozies for beer - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Decatur, Illinois

I wavered between four and five stars, but I always rate according to expectation and experience. It's not always about how fancy a place is or how amazing the food is. I had my reservations about The Wharf because it's a nondescript, little brick building with no windows. When I pulled up, I wondered if I had made mistake. But I decided I would proceed with this culinary adventure. I was greeted by the bartender right away. Very down to earth and welcoming. It's not particularly stylish or refined inside, but it has a delightful midwest charm and a cool local vibe. It isn't a large space, but tables aren't bunched together and it wasn't noisy. Everything is sort of hodgepodge and mismatched, making it fun. It seemed a lot of people knew each other, with people leaving their tables to chat with patrons at other tables. The "Cheers" sign on the entrance door holds true. This is a "dive" spot for people who live here, but welcoming to all. The inside is a little dark, but that's okay. They also have a patio with tables outside. I had the cheese curds for an appetizer. I'm not a big fried food fan, but always have to try the server recs. The cheese curds were quite good. I had the classic burger. Cooked medium as requested, juicy. Maybe not seasoned as well as I would like, but still tasty and enjoyable. My second choice burger would have been the wharf burger, made with lettuce, tomato, 1000 island dressing, grilled onions, Canadian bacon, and Swiss. Was this the best burger I've ever had? No. Was it a DAMN GOOD burger for 10 bucks? Absolutely! They have several burgers, with multiple types of toppings: bleu cheese, BBQ sauce, various cheeses, grilled mushrooms, chipotle, etc. They also have several types of wraps: buffalo chicken, bourbon chicken, garlic parmesan, chicken bacon ranch, and turkey. They have sandwiches: fish, tenderloin, club, bacon Swiss chicken, BLT, turkey rueben, prime rib, and more. They have a few entrees: battered fish, pork chops, glazed salmon, hamburger steak, country fried chicken. They have wings, shrimp baskets, a vegetarian section, and soup and salads. They also have "shoes." Shoes is based on the "horseshoe," created in Springfield, Illinois, an open-faced sandwich made with thick-sliced toasted bread, hamburger patty or other meat, French fries, and cheese sauce. I had the Calico punch, a cherry rum with some tropical flavors. Pretty good and easy to drink. Not too sweet. They have a smaller cocktail menu with rum and whiskey drinks, as well as a beer menu. The service was great. Real hometown type of service, no nonsense, but very warm and pleasant. My server was the bartender, Lisa, according to the check. She was awesome. Thank you, Lisa! I got the cheese curds, the burger, the Floyd fries (they were fine, but seemed like they were made with an air fryer, and that's ok), and the calico punch. Before tip and including tax, my bill was 30.93. Great value. So is this a Michelin star restaurant? No. Is it sophisticated and fancy inside? No. But this was a fun place to eat, great value, with REAL people who live in this community. Totally glad I took the chance and will remember this for a long time. read more

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This hole in the wall is a great place to eat. We had a hard time finding it. But once we walked inside. It was pleasant. The waitress quickly seated us and took our drink order. She came back. Took our food order in a very timely manner. We ordered catfish and salmon. Both tasted incredible. The food was priced very reasonable too. Would definitely go back. read more

One of our favorite local restaurants with excellent large hamburgers, and nice dinner entrées. Their appetizers are very generous and portion size! read more

Love the onion rings on point. Breading wasn't soggy. Long Island ice tea was the best I've had in town so far read more

The Wharf - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Decatur, Illinois

The food is good old burgers and fries, excellent ones at that with lots of variety. I'm not a fan of mushrooms but their fried mushrooms are good and a family favorite. The ambiance is relaxed and friendly. Great after work hangout spot. Been going here for years and it is never bad. read more

Always excellent service and food, love the fried mushrooms and chicken livers too !!

BEST BURGER I HAVE EVER EATEN! Hidden Treasure! The Wharf Burger was perfection. The Franklin Fries and creamy coleslaw was absolutely delicious. We had a wait but it was totally worth it.Friendly Service too!! read more

A hidden gem! This hard to find tavern is definitely with the effort. We were looking for seafood in Decatur and The Wharf looked like a good choice. It doesn't look like much , outside or inside. But the friendly hard working staff, huge portions and fair prices makes up for it. The decor is charmingly dated and worn. I'd call it a dive bar but I love dive bars so it's a compliment. We ordered the Cod dinner, the Bacon and Blue Burger with the Fried Mushroom appetizer. All were tasty and found that one dinner could easily feed two hungry people. That explains the $3 for an extra plate. Heck, the appetizer was enough for a meal. read more

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Great little gem nestled in behind a service station/convenience store. Great home style food. Try the fried chicken livers and Floyd fries. Or equally great, try their burgers, made from choice top shelf, never frozen hamburger. read more

The restaurant decor felt gloomy. We ordered the three appetizer option with shrimp, onion rings and chicken livers. We got four shrimp, six small onion rings and some very overcooked chicken livers. None of it was good. The burger was good but not medium rare. When asked if I wanted lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and Mayo, I thought that was standard. Uh no, each cost 15 cents. Ridiculous. My $3 French fries were soggy. The snowshoe sandwiches were drenched in cheese sauce and no way prime rib. We had good service and our server got all of orders correct, there were six of us. The prices aren't bad but I think you get what you pay for. When we left, the dinner crowd was coming in. They were getting busy, people most like it there. read more

The food was good the 1st, 2nd and 3rd time I went and continues to be good every time I go, and the Staff is pretty great too!!

I had a child PUKE all over me and they did nothing about i!!!!111 There was a kid in the kitchen with long hair and his hair was all in my food! I told the waitress and he SPAT in my food and said to off myself!! read more

Newly reopened and staff trying hard to deliver service and hospitality. Beautiful location hope to visit again when in the area. The Nanny works there read more

Used to be one of our favorite places. It does not have the same owners, servers & regulars that used to go there. Lacking the friendliness like it used to be. read more

The ingredients here are very cheap, the house salad was just a bag of iceberg lettuce with bottled ranch and it was $5. The portions are small for the price of ingredients and service was incredibly slow. We got our food 40 minutes after we ordered and our waitress did not check up on us once while we were dining. We came around 7PM on a weekday night and about 60% of the tables were empty. She forgot part of our order and didn't bring us the bill. We waited at our table for 30 min before getting up to pay at the bar. read more

First time to this little treasure in Decatur and we really enjoyed our experience. Fun little bar area and plenty of seating for the evening rush. The outside could use some picking up - patio with tables. We ordered the onion rings (super crunchy and good), country fried chicken and a chicken sandwich. Everything was delicious. We will be back for beers at the bar and appetizers. read more

Great food and good service, the burger was nice and big, cooked perfectly and the horseshoe was very good too! Nice neighborhood bar vibe will definitely go back! read more

Great place for fish. Small but cozy. Always friendly staff...because it's a bar. There is a patio area for outside dining

Service is ok and food is mediocre - drinks are a no go for me. My fish was overcooked and the bartender really didn't know how to make a proper drink read more

Good food. Great prices and very large servings. Not really what I expected but was pleasantly surprised.

Food and service is great. They have salads that are very good. Staff is friendly and keep your drinks full. One of my go to places.

My girlfriend and I went in for lunch for the first time and was greeted with a smile. The fish tank caught my girl friend's attention and the whole restaurant was decorated amazingly. The food was amazing I was recommended the buffalo chicken shoe by our server and she was right it was so good. My girlfriend got the taco salad and she loved every bite, the taco bowls are made in house and were cooked to perfection. The taco bowl here is better than all the Mexican restaurants in the area. The menu had so many good options. Would highly recommend to come here. We will be coming back read more

Their warf burger is just a great experience! I have to cut it into and the second half becomes lunch another day but it's GOOD!

When you have to order ala cart to get anything and for two people the bill is $50. Nope no way. Thanks

We used to enjoy The Wharf. But on our recent visit my wife and I shared an appetizer and an entree. They charged us $6 extra for sharing a meal. That's absurd. read more

The Warf is back!! My wife and i have been there several times in the last couple months. Its back to the way it use to be..

Don't buy gift cards here. They will not honor them if there is a change in owners. They would rather lose a customer than honor a card that you received as a gift. read more

Expect to wait. Not that it's a bad thing. And the outside is deceiving. I thought it was an abandoned motel. The soup was great but the classic fries just weren't my cup of tea. Maybe I should stick to dishes I'm not familiar with just so my expectations aren't dashed. read more

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Very satisfied! My good was delicious and juicy. Cozy place and good drinks. Recommend. read more

The Wharf - Buffalo chicken sandwich - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Decatur, Illinois

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Excellent fried walleye! Very good burger! Hold on the wall is a fairly appropriate description. Very relaxed.

Stood there for 15 minutes waiting to be seated 2 guys walk in says hi to a waitress she seats them I said "what" loud enough for her to hear me and she turned around and said to me "sir Shut-up". So when my wife returned from the restroom I told her what happened and pointed out to her the waitress that did it. My wife said let's go then, so upon our departure I told the waitress she wouldn't have to hear me again because I was leaving, in return she called me a "big Dick" All I have to say is bye bye The Wharf read more

Sad panda. Revisited one of my favorite haunts, 5 years later, with my lady. What's up with all that, Wharf?! The steak fries that I so loved...gone. Replaced with limp fries made from what I assume were real potatoes, but so greasy and floppy that we didn't even eat them. And this was after asking for crispy fries when I ordered (expecting my precious steak fries). The burger was still definitely up to par, and cooked to perfection, especially considering we got our food to go. All in all, I'll still go try again, if for nothing else but the burger! read more

Their food is always good and enjoy their menu options. I only wish they gave a slightly bigger portion of fries as your side.

The food was absolutely delicious. Service could have been better, but they were slammed. My main complaint is that smoking was allowed on the patio. This is not legal in the state of Illinois and I was super disappointed as we had a newborn with us. Apparently people have no consideration, which was sad. read more

Back about a year and a half ago, the food was top notch for a bar with dining. Now, the past 3 times we've gone, there has been something unacceptably wrong. 1) ordered medium rare, got a still cold and red ultra rare burger. Sent it back only to have it returned as a hockey puck. 2) ordered medium rare steak that was their special while out with friends who also got the same thing: theirs was slathered in sauce and cooked to their specifications, mine was cold and dark red inside, and bereft of any sauce. 3) ordered the walleye, which I had before and thought it was great, it arrived over-cooked, over-breaded, and the tartar sauce had a visible crust on it. If you're going for that Cheers atmosphere, the Wharf is great on service and camaraderie.. but at the prices they're charging, I'll sit home and FaceTime with a 6 pack of cider that costs the same as one draft here. read more

What ever you do, don't overlook this place. Kind of a hidden gem. It is situated in a building that is not well defined. Don't let that stop you! Great place for a burger and beer. They also serve a good taco salad. They offer a wide selection of beers, impressive menu and warm, inviting atmosphere. A fireplace is the focal point of the restaurant Perfect on a rainy day. We love this place and look forward to going back again soon! read more

I stopped in here for the first time in probably 40 years. I had a burger and fries and needless to say it was exceptional. The burger is yuge so if you're not that hungry don't order it but the other food that was coming out looked so delicious and I will go back the service was exceptional friendly. read more

The wait staff was welcoming and friendly. Service was fast. I recommend the Floyd Fries and the fried shrimp. My husband had the swordfish and enjoyed it. read more