My wife and I went to Whiskey River for the first time and we enjoyed it. The ambiance was pleasant with a saloon type of vibe. The bartenders were very nice and made our experience that much better. The food was excellent and very tasty. We love the menu selections as well. We will definitely be back soon. read more

They don't take cash at the door then charge the service fee to your card. Crap policy to force somone to use a card and pass on the service fee without saying so. Bouncer told me it was not his no cash policy and just leave if I don't like it. Went to see a band only to find out the entire band area was reserved. Less than enjoyable experience. Update: whiskey river responded with an interesting answer. The reserved area was for a bday party. Nothing at all that night indicated that it was for St Jude. I arrived an hour before showtime and all the tables/seats anywhere close to the band were reserved. I reached out to one of the band members who I know (and the reason I was there) to confirm and nothing about the explanation I received below seems to be true. My best guess is that maybe just maybe the establishment mixed up what evening I was talking about. read more

Music plays juke box style! Full bar! Seating bar tables high or low. Seating outside also. The server was friendly upbeat and helpful! The smoked chicken was shareable . Corn bread was awesome! Every one's meal was great! I enjoy this place been here twice and will be back again! read more

See all

We didn't feel welcome when we moseyed into Whiskey River one weekend afternoon. It was high noon, blistering hot, and all it needed was the tumbleweeds rolling by. It was very dark inside and we could make out the barkeep and some other patrons at the bar. We sat in a dark section (stuffed trophy animals overhead). I brought my elderly companion to the restroom, it smelled strongly of chemicals, paint? Industrial cleaner? We sat for a few more minutes but no menus, no music, no drink offers, nada. Should we have bellied up to the bar? Not our vibe. We got the heck out of dodge. Maybe a different mood, crowd when the sun goes down? read more

Whiskey River Bar & Grill - Sports Bars Near Me - Glenview, Illinois

See all

Update to previous review. Stopped School of Rock show to watch end of Bears game since a few patrons were complaining. Why did the owner schedule live music on a game Day? Plus service was awful. No servers..had to order at the bar and wait over 40 minutes for food! Terrible! read more

Whiskey River Bar & Grill - Sports Bars Near Me - Glenview, Illinois

See all

Jennifer was awesome! Great burger and bar crowd. Would recommend you stop in for a beer. read more

Whiskey River Bar & Grill - Sports Bars Near Me - Glenview, Illinois

Have come in a few times for live music and karaoke. This is a pretty basic local tavern --surprisingly gritty for the Norman Rockwell suburb of Glenview -- and it fills that bill well. Some nights of live music, some nights of karaoke, a Monday night trivia contest, a Wednesday jam where musicians rotate in and out (mostly straight ahead blues the night I attended), and it does those things well enough. Some beers on tap, a reasonably stocked (if maybe a little slow) bar, and outdoor patio, and a pretty standard bar food menu. Crowd seems to be a mix of musicians who come for the gigs, locals, and as the night gets later, a younger crowd. It's nothing special; at the same time, it's reasonably priced and unique around these parts for its approach to music. read more

Just a bar with sub par food and overpriced drinks with really poor service. They do have a good set up for bands to entertain. You have to be a contortionist though to get in and out of the bathroom stalls but they were clean. Sound was loud for the small sized room and mixing could be better. Looks like a decent outdoor patio to hang out in the summer but not the place to come in winter. read more

Whiskey River Bar & Grill - School of Rock Glenbrook and Libertyville Show Teams each played two sets and rocked the house - Sports Bars Near Me - Glenview, Illinois

See all

Waitress had to check on everything we ordered. Didn't know about sides. Then ribs were overcooked and dried out. Place was so loud we couldn't even talk. Guys at bar were using f-Bonn incessantly!! Bathrooms not handicapped accessible. read more

We held a mostly private event at Whiskey River on a Sunday afternoon (patrons who had arrived before our start time were able to stay). We enjoyed the use of the outdoor patio and bar and used the area adjacent to the indoor bar for a food buffet and a gift/cake table. We worked with Miguel on event details, and he was very helpful recommending food and drink quantities for our large number of guests (about 150 people). Cat, Jack and Mike were very helpful with set-up, A/V support and making sure food and the water station were replenished. Our guests complimented the food and the spacious patio. It's a festive environment and has excellent indoor and outdoor entertaining space. If you are ever there, don't think twice about ordering the fried pickles - they are delicious. Thank you, Whiskey River! read more

Whiskey River Bar & Grill - Sports Bars Near Me - Glenview, Illinois

We can't say enough about how great Whiskey River is... great food like the sliders, Taco Tuesday Dinner, shepherds pie, and fantastic broasted chicken dinner on Thursdays. Their new smoker provides the best rack of ribs and the best wings in town. Great live music on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays every single week. Highly recommend. read more

Just got home from a great time at Whiskey River. Jack helped plan a fun time for my sister's & her husband's 60th bday. Jack was responsive and attentive to what we wanted from the first conversation. Food was tasty and the right amount. Thank you Jack & Staff! read more

Much better this time burger was excellent. Glad I gave it another chance. I'd go back. Excellent service and food

Go try it !!! Seriously it's the best place Service to food to management absolutely amazing !! They were so hospitable, I loved their music play list and they were so grateful to share it with me .. made me my own little play list thanks Laura ! And the owner Ry was absolutely a sweetheart !! Definitely coming back read more

See all

Visited the venue on a weekend night. Enjoyed the live music. There's a cute patio outside. Tiny place inside with a mature crowd.

Encountered the rudest bartender I've had in my entire life. Heard good things about the owner, but unfortunate he employs such terrible people. Never returning back ever again. Avoid this place. read more

The service was absolutely awful. After ten minutes, we had to ask for a menu and even when we put the menu down, the bartender never asked if we wanted to order anything. We were completely ignored and felt very unwelcome. If the bar was busy, I would've understood. We left without eating after 45 minutes of sitting. read more

There were only about 12 other people there but they kept the music was insanely loud. Our waitress was very nice, so I asked if she could tell them to turn the volume down. After that it got even louder. Table and menus were sticky, chair rocked, bathroom was like a crevice in the wall you had to slither into. The food was decent. My burger was okay, I tried some of the chicken sandwich, it wasn't very good and it was made with that whole grain bread from the store. Overall, was not pleased. Would not recommend for eating. read more

We go here for lunch on most Fridays. The chicken wings are the best anywhere. Our waitress, CATT is awesome. She gets our drinks and food out quickly and is very friendly. 5tars! read more

We were nearby checking out the Titanic Museum and were looking for a place to have dinner. We hit up Yelp, and based on the reviews decided to hit up Whiskey River. The patio was where the action was but we opted to eat inside. It was really quiet, but it gave us the opportunity to have 5 star service from Ryan ;) We thought maybe all of Ryan's friends had collaborated to write positive Yelp reviews because he was mentioned so many times in them, but nope - it's all legit because the guy is great! We had a party of 5 and started off with the appetizer sampler which was legit! So much food and more than enough for all of us. The Reuben rolls and buffalo wings in particular were amazing. We tried the Wild Bill burger, the pot roast sandwich and a chicken pesto sandwich which were all solid - their burgers are especially tasty! Ryan was a fantastic host - friendly, attentive and funny - and he makes a great drink! As we were leaving the bar was starting to fill up. This definitely seems like a place with a lot of regulars. The outside patio is really pretty and the inside has a homey vibe with good music. It looks like they have a lot of specials and weekly events to check out in a regular basis including brunch. Great service, great food & great drinks. Definitely a great spot to check out! read more

I have been here twice and both times have been cellar. You may look at the beer selection and menu and think what's the big deal Wil. But the star here is the service. Both trips I enjoyed the weather outside and the only person taking orders and running food was the bartender. Two different bartenders I'll add. You'd think this would impact service but I didn't notice any lag at all. Also want a bar to just sit at and enjoy the vibe? Looked great to me and a pool table!!! Stop in, especially if you are picking up someone from the train station in Glenview! read more

My friends and I had the WORST experience here both times we had gone. We are a group of 21+ year olds and staff was less than welcoming. First thing is that the bouncer was not friendly whatsoever when we enter and checks our IDs. Fine, whatever, who cares. We then head to the pool table and just play a few games, and some of us get drinks (not all of us were drinking). Then, a very a drunk man comes up to us. He is wobbly, slurring his words, and asks us for our IDs. We of course ask who he is because wtf? He claims to be the owner and we give him our IDs (which I mean if you don't trust your bouncer get a new one). But again, whatever we don't really care. Also, mind you, the owner is letting his very drunk girl friend dance barefoot on top of the bar so I don't think our noise level was an issue or that we were bothering anyone (we also all have video of this). He gives us our IDs back and we continue with playing pool. Then my friend goes up to the bar to get a drink and the bartender accuses her of being underage. I understand she has a job to do, but we have had our IDs checked two times already and you already let other people in the group drink so like.... Thankfully, things get cleared up because my other friend knows the bartender and confirms that her ID is real (the ID that was checked twice already). Also by this time, there are also other groups of younger adults coming in, but they do not get the same treatment. The final straw is when they called the cops on us and they checked all our IDs. JUST US. I have video of this as well, and they all confirm that we are 21+. This was a karaoke night and there were many other groups of young adults there (we were a group of 9, and less than half were drinking) so I don't believe it was our noise level or that we were bothering anyone. We stayed in the corner playing pool and it was maybe 10:30pm. I understand that this bar is having a problem with underage kids trying to enter. But at what point are you doing too much to your customers and not taking enough initial precautions to prevent minors from entering the bar? Why call the police after you've already served us multiple drinks and we're are a couple hours into the night. We would have loved to take ourselves elsewhere!!!! ***Note: it seems they removed my review from Google Reviews read more

Amazing bar great prices and even greater vibe!!!! I love all the bartenders especially ryan is amazing and helped us have a great time. We come here all the time! read more

Whiskey River Bar & Grill - Sports Bars Near Me - Glenview, Illinois

See all

Food wasn't the best... Service from the owner was even worse, overstepped boundaries and made me and my friends feel uncomfortable. The Ambience was mostly peeping old men. I would NOT go back. read more

This was my first visit. It was very empty but that was okay. Only us seniors have lunch at noon on a Friday afternoon!. Our waitress was adorable and how she didn't grab a drink after serving four seniors is something special; or maybe she did when we left. I am not Catholic but the fish fry sounded delicious. It was prepared nicely. Also nice that balsamic vinegar was available. Place is a nice size. I would definitely return. My only suggestion is to add more short tables. The room has plenty of high tops but only 3 lower tables. High tops are fine for the younger crowd but if I came and there were no lower tables/chairs available, I would probably go elsewhere. read more

Service 10/10. I have picky taste when it comes to wine/wine spritzers. Bartender Jennifer brought me her personal concoction (resiling and Cabernet) Perfect combo for my preference! Came on Taco Tuesday. 2 street tacos with plenty of meat, tomato, and lettuce on double corn tortillas with chips, salsa and sour cream on the side. Nice. Also had wing. Really good! read more

Enjoyed Whiskey River on a lively Saturday night. $5 cover charge for a band inside, a mixed age crowd. Expansive patio outside skewed younger. Friendly staff. Only negative was cigarette smoke. I would return when in the area. read more

Great bar with live music!! Had a little birthday gathering at Whiskey River Friday night. The manager Ryan was super great and helped accommodate our party. The bar is a fun spot with good drinks at a fair price. We had lots of appetizers also that were good- mostly typical bar food. We will definitely be back and highly recommend this place. read more

Terrible bartenders. Plain and simple. I purchased a drink from a brunette with tattoos who was kind enough originally. When I went to purchase my next drink, she ignored me completely. After a while of waiting, the kind man sitting at the bar next to me got her attention. She told him that she doesn't serve people who don't tip... Lady, I tip at the end of the night. That is what I have always done. To have the gall to essentially cut me off because I didn't tip her after she handed me a Miller Lite is just laughable. To negate this, I had my buddy purchase a beer for me instead. Another friend of mine was ordering from another bartender who gave him the exact same issues! This bartender, a middle aged man, said that they don't serve those who don't tip (because my buddy gave him exact change). Jokes on them, they still served us! We walked out without tipping a cent! And the world is better for it. Just go somewhere else. Or, if you must go, make sure not to tip! read more

Not crowded even on a lovely Saturday night. Nice outdoor patio and bar Reasonable prices and really good burgers. Try It, you will like it.. would hate to see this place go away! read more

Fish Fry was quite good. Service was also quite good. Ambiance was quite good. I liked the place and will go back.

The music was so loud our server couldn't hear our order the first two times we tried ordering. Whiskey selection was abysmal for an establishment titled "Whiskey River", it was all more or less gas station caliber whiskey. And then fried pickles tasted like they were frozen and reheated. Would not return again. read more

Highly recommend!! Came into town to see some old friends and wanted to go out for some food and drinks. The servers Audrey and Hannah made us feel so welcomed and like family :) very attentive and offered great suggestions as someone who doesn't drink often. The manager Emily even came over to check on us and made sure everything was good/check if we needed anything extra. We happened to go on karaoke night and the vibe was vibing!! Such a fun atmosphere and great staff! read more

The food was amazing , I got a burger and it was incredible. The staff are so nice and caring, wonderful job and I will be back no doubt...

We have visited this restaurant a few times this summer and it was excellent! Great food, atmosphere and a kind and caring staff. The new manager, Ryan, took great pride in the restaurant and all of the nice renovations he's been making. He made our experience there extra memorable. My Chicken Caprese sandwich was excellent. Served with delicious homemade potato chips. We'll definitely be back! read more

Bartender with long black hair (Katie) was completely unprofessional to us. We had Awful experience with her. I feel the bar is being run by young kids now? Let's hope they get better staff and or manager. read more

New manager, great customer service and the food was outstanding. Would recommend this one!

Very awkward and uncomfortable experience. Showed up an hour after Sunday open for brunch. Found it odd we were only patrons there. Walked inside and had to ask make and female employees if we could be seated and served. They just stared at us. Upon ordering at the table, the male bartender appeared to be very drunk and inappropriately touchy. The female server did not know if they had high chairs for our two children, which we also found odd. We got up, walked away and went to a different spot for brunch and would never ever return. read more

Whiskey River is such a great place to go to on the north shore. Service is A-one and the food excellent. You're greeted walking in like family entering a thanksgiving dinner party. The staff is the friendliest and take a personal interest in making your stay there the most comfortable for you. read more

This place is incredible and the staff is first class. Recently had dinner there and left a jacket at the restaurant. The manager, Ryan, was incredibly responsive and not only got the jacket to us, but also invited us back on the house. Truly an incredible place in the north shore and highly recommend it! read more