This place is interesting in that it really serves a variety of purposes.
1. A restaurant. I have never eaten here, so I cannot honestly rate this place as a restaurant.
2. A bar. I have imbibed at this place several times. Whenever I am here, I am always here for live music which in my opinion is there biggest strength. The bartenders are always polite, friendly, and quick to serve you your drinks. The atmosphere of the place changes depending on where you are. The main room/restaurant area is cavernous and open. People usually crowd the bar area, and it is very bright (not my style). The upstairs is usually extremely crowded if you can even get up there. The bar is smaller, and the area is pretty generic and plain but you can see the stage. As a bar I would give this place 3 stars. My favorite place is on the floor in front of the stage. The back of the room is a huge bar, and they have a decent light and sound set up. Which is the last purpose...
3. A venue. I have seen several bands here. The band that plays every Thursday (Rod Tuffcurls & The Bench Press) are a lot of fun, and they play anything and everything, from Call Me Maybe to the Wrigley Doublemint theme to Magic Dance from the Labyrinth to the NIN classic Closer. I went here and saw 16 Candles (80s cover band) recently. There show is always fun, but it is pretty much the same every time I have seen them. The lights are always great, and the sound is always clean and crisp and LOUD. I would rate this place as a 4 to 4.5 as a venue.
The only drawback I would say is the crowd can be really hit or miss or miss. I have been here and been surrounded by a bunch of tank top wearing bros and/or pop collared dbags, and I have also been here and been surrounded by a much older crowd. The place can get messy, and I have had beer spilled on me more times than I would like, but I am not entirely convinced that my friends aren't responsible for that. Overall, I give this place a 3.75 and round it up to a 4.
Haven't been there in 5 years due to a bad experience, but it was a warm spring evening and we wanted to eat out side. After a 20 minute wait for an outside table(even though there were no less than 3 open any time during our wait. When seated, we waited 20 minutes for our drinks and to order food, and the waitress noticed we had no silverware and said she would be right back with it. 20+ minutes later, a Hispanic man delivered our food, we told him we still needed silverware and more drinks. He nodded and walked off, not to return. My 9 year old ordered a hot dog and it was so charred black, it looked like a marshmellow that fell in the fire.
Our food sat cooling on the table for over 10 minutes with no staff anywhere near until a Manager came to a nearby table to field some other complaints. He was about to walk away and I had to speak up, then shout "SIR" to get him to turn around and see about our problems. He got our silverware, but by then our food sat in the cool evening air long enough to loose all warmth. He got another hotdog for my Son, but did nothing for our food. He also offered nothing for the bill either.
They must have been daring us to walk out because it took 20 minutes from when we were all done to get the bill and another 10 to get my credit card back.
I won't be back. EVER.
I recently rented a room at Durty Nellie's for a fundraiser. Bridget and Mark were pleasant and responsive, and made it a priority to take care of my guests. I have had some terrible experiences with venues, so it was a refreshing change when they made this so easy. Everyone had a good time and got their fill of food and beverages. I will definitely work with Durty Nellie's again for future events.
Review Source:Been to Wednesday night Trivia several other times now & an update is in order! Â Service for the packed trivia night has definitely improved - server Jen/Jennifer is fantastic! Â Always friendly and smiling even when swamped with customers & orders and checks back regularly.
The food has always been good and it's truly one of my favorite burgers around - a "medium" burger that is actually cooked to medium, too! Â I especially like the variety of sides you get to choose from for your burger/sandwich...from salad or soup to tater tots, waffle fries, sweet potato fries and many more.
Disappointing St. Patricks experience
Raising the cover charge, drink prices, and having no drink specials for the night didn't seem to make anyone too happy. The whole bar was also relatively empty, suggesting that other people went to one of the other numerous nearby bars.
But, if you love cougars and overpriced drinks, here's your haven.
Totally random, but we agreed to meet at Emmitt's Brewery.
About two miles from Emmitt's, my wife looks up the menu, and notices there aint sheeee-it for a vegetarian. So QUICK! We had to change shit up! Nearby we found Durty Nellies.
Great, lengthy beer menu! I had Three Floyd's Creepy Raider... never had it, or seen it anywhere else. Also, they had Great Lakes' Burning River for $3.
My salad was excellent and unique and the side of Mac n Cheese was great! My wife's black bean burger was house made, and kind of spicy. She loves that shit, but I don't. Then again, I didn't order it!
The waiter was super nice and the host-guy went out of his way to goof off with our son. All around great place.
I have been here so many times, it's hard to have a non biased opinion. But, this place is a lot of fun.
Coming here for a show is really great. The space is decently large, has a bar within the performance area, and has ledges along the side for those who want to lean. It's easy to get up close with the bands that play here, and even get backstage! (What what...)
On the other side, the regular bar/food side, it's a typical bar. I've done parties here, had dinner here, done work during an afternoon here, it's got something for everyone.
I prefer it for bands though - come here during the summer and enjoy the heck out of your night!
Go here for Wedding Band, or Your Hero My Villain. Â Best shows around the suburbs and definitely a great venue to see them at! They do have cider for us celiacs out there in the burbs! Â It really depends on what nights you go there to know what kind of crowd you will get but I can promise you get that happy Palatine mix of dirt bags, rich kids, cougars, and college drunks. Â Under-agers beware, there is no sneaking in here, but they do not card as hard as you would think. Â I was going here for years before i was of age and now since I am legal it isn't as much fun as it used to be. Â
Take note, when there are no taxies out front, there are three times as many cops. Â Vise versa, so beware. Â The more taxies, the less cops. Â Yeah, they might do that on purpose!
This place is full of youngsters 21-25yrs olds. If you are in your 30s you'd probably feel way out of place. On the other hand their Smith Street STATION seems to be for older people 50yr olds and up. Durty Nellies keep inviting the same lame bands over and over again. Most of these bands play at local Village Festivals. Now tell me why would I wanna pay $7 to go see a band at Durty Nellies - when I can go see it at a local street parade for free? Their whole marketing strategy makes no sense. I think they invite these local bands out of convenience vs what patrons really want to see and jam to.
Summer of 2011 they had great bands like SUPERNAUGHT / ROCK UNIVERSITY etc.......I wouldn't recommend Durty Nellies thus I gave 2 STARS - they need to try something new that caters to all age groups . Â OH YEAH - on a worst night you have drunkards throwing up. Â However I do like their upstairs patio in summer.
Good place that could be great if they tweaked a few things:
-Bring back the sweet potato veggie burger.  I was freakin in love with this thing, but they recently replaced it with a fine-but-wouldn't-seek-it-out black bean burger. Nellie, if you're out there, please bring this back!! So much more unique and tasty. I even  tried to make my own version at home.
-When you run out of a beer on tap, have a server erase or cross out the beer on your chalkboard. Easy fix that avoids disappointing people who have to run through 2 or 3 options to find something.
Those comments aside, this place has a lot of good food options including a lot of veggie/vegan ones and lots of fun, seasonal beers. Also enjoy their upstairs area (although hate their boring, slow trivia nights) and have heard good things about their concert area.
Usually the bf and I just get takeout, which is convenient once you can get a server on the phone. They have always had the food ready when they'd said to drop by and they are quick about processing payment etc while juggling hosting duties.
Get:
-wonton cheese sticks
-jalepeno hummus
-tots
-'vegan slayer' burger topping
-tacos
Meh:
-mac n cheese
-soft pretzels
At first I wasn't so psyched about driving all the way to Palatine to see a band play, but the layout of the place and their drink menu made me a fan. Â
They have a great selection of craft/micro brews and the service at the bar was very good for Friday night with a band. I was surprised to see we were allowed to see people were allowed to bring glasses into the concert area, I saw at least 2 people drop and break them.
I'd definitely go back for another show, and maybe try some food.
Durty Nellie's is good for a quick drink (ie. after work or a stop on a pub crawl). Â If you stick around longer than that, you may find yourself wanting to punch people in the face. Â When the clock strikes a certain hour, the d.bags of the NW burbs start swarming with their ditzy lady friends. Â A few positives though: They have a nice rooftop patio, there are good craft beers on tap, and it is one of the only places with a full stage for live bands in the area.
Review Source:This place isn't even in the city and honestly they have one of the best beer selections around for just a normal pub. Â I would go there just based on that alone. Â Selections from Stone, Three Floyds, Goose Island, Lagunitas, Arcadia, Breckenridge...those are good names.
I got wasted here Friday night off $3 Shock Top while watching and dancing to Trippin' Billies (the best fucking Dave Matthews tribute band ever, honestly more fun than the real thing). Â Honestly though, it's a nice room to watch music in.
The burgers have pretzel buns too.
Legit for suburbs bro. Â Don't spill all over my Patagonia.
Can you say "serendipity"? Â I stumbled onto this place quite by accident in the course of an unsuccessful foot search for Emmet's Palatine location. Â I expected no more than lunch while waiting for my train back to Chicago, but to my delight, they turned out to have a much better craft beer selection than you'd expect in a suburban Irish-theme bar and restaurant. Â Currently 29 taps, 109 bottles, and 6 cans, some of which I've never seen at specialty-beer places in the city--even several Mikkeller and Evil Twin lines that were new to me. Â Worth the trip!
Good public transportation access by suburban standards; a block from the Palatine train station, 26 miles out from the Ogilvie Transportation Center on Metra's UP-Northwest Line. Â Service roughly hourly weekdays and Saturdays, every two hours Sundays. .
I was in Palatine last weekend for a 3-day event and, on Friday, a group of 30 of us went to see a Cubs game. We were catching the train at the station right across the street from Dirty Nellie's and had an hour to kill so we all went over at about 11:30 for lunch. I was among the first through the door and encountered a greeter that could only have looked more bored if he was dead. He didn't say a word so I asked, "Could we get seated for lunch?" His response was, "What, all of you?" I would have liked to respond, "No, Einstein. I'm a movie star and this is my entourage and they're going to stand and watch me eat" but I simply said "yes." He reluctantly sat us on the patio and it left me wondering if this was actually his house and the décor was just confusingly set up like a restaurant.
So we're seated and I'm thinking to myself that one jerk at the entrance does not a bad restaurant make. At least that's what I thought until our server came to the table. He was an English "gentleman" who seemed only slightly less bothered that we were there and he started to take a drink order. I asked if they had any good Pilsners on tap and he responded by saying, "Here's our beer menu" and flung a laminated sheet at me. Memo to waiter: you're supposed to know the menu better than me and provide suggestions when asked. At that point my mind was made up. Drink special, appetizer, ZERO tip.
I think the manager got the sense that his staff wasn't exactly lighting up the board in terms of service and made his way to each table and was very pleasant but, for me, it was too little too late. It looked like a nice place but I'll never know if the food was any good because I refuse to spend money where the staff act annoyed that people show up. The joke's on them, though. I know with certainty that there were not a lot of tips left on the tables. Had they acted like anything more than complete turds they would have easily made $200 in tips on what looked like a very slow day.
Team Trivia Wednesday!! So we've come to Trivia at Nellie's before and it was a lot of fun. Â Last night was a pretty good time as well. Â They held it outside on the upper deck patio, and it was the perfect summer night! Â Although I think we ended up finishing in last place, we still had a good time. Â $3 Bud Light Lime-a-Ritas, a warm, soft pretzel appy, Chicken Fajitas, Durty Mac-n-Cheese(heavy on the CHEESE), and an enormous Burger with waffle fries...we left FULL!!!! Â The food is always great here....well great tasting....horrible on the body. Â The service was mediocre, and the atmosphere was perfection! Â I'm sure we'll be back for trivia in the future! :)
Review Source:I went here the other day after not being there for over a year. Not much has changed. They still have the giant stage/auditorium on the side for live music. We sat in the patio where it was a little bit quieter and had the wings for an appetizer. They were really good, with Chipotle BBQ. It had the right amount of crunch and flavor.
For the entree, I had the chicken tacos. They were good portions and pretty good.
BATHROOM REVIEW
 After several drinks, my bladder decided to swell up to the size of a peanut so I had numerous opportunities to check out and do my due diligence to of my bathroom review. It was OK -- just one urinal and one stall. The stall door was rickity with a latch for a lock and the urinal was a little crammed as it was right between a wall and the stall wall. I only wonder what happens when the place is bumpin' and people need to piss... I guess have patience and hope for a short line. Sit or squat? I'd squat.
Try the PB&B (Peanut Butter & Bacon) Burger! You've likely never had it and it is delicious!
Durty Nellies is one of the more well known Palatine establishments despite the negative reviews you see on Yelp.
One of the first things you should know about Nellies is that the owner is FREQUENTLY there and is very dedicated to his customers. He continually checks in on the tables to see that everyone is having a good time and has an established rapport with many of his clients.
The food at Durty Nellies is, on the overall, very good. It is nothing to write home about and certainly not the best I have ever had, but they have a wide variety of burgers that rivals some of the better burger joints I've been to. The rest of the menu is fairly atypical Chicago food and the quality again is on the higher end of good.
The environment at Durty Nellies is fairly typical bar and restaurant. They do have their fair share of events and live music, which helps to distinguish it from your typical bars. One thing I particularly enjoy about Dirty Nellies is the layout of the main room.
As a whole I think Durty Nellies is a little underrated on Yelp. Give it a chance and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Trivia has a hold on meeeeeeee.
Wednesday night at Nellie's (we're cool like that) for Team Trivia. Â Look below at Ashley's review, she hit it right on the head. Â Usually when you walk in on trivia night the hostess asks if you want to do trivia so they can seat you where the trivia is taking place. Â Anyway, the food was a giant mess of waffle fries, bbq pork, and cheese. Â It was very tasty, but I would never order it again....ever.
We came in 4th place...not bad for a 2person team against teams of 8!
I've had great experiences here before. Â During Halloween in 2009 I won 3rd place in the costume contest. Â Last Christmas-time, we held a Christmas party here which was a lot of fun. Â They have good burgers and great wings. Â I've also had their mac & cheese and some other foods that I can't remember....maybe I haven't had other foods. Â Hmm...what is this place called again? Â Oh yes, Durty Nellie's. Â I'll be back.
Bought a Groupon for the Led Zeppelin 2 Concert on 7/27/2012. It included 2 tickets, an appetizer, and 2 hours of "bar package 2"
As late as noon on the 27th bar package 2 included wines, call liquor, domestic beers and microbrews including Great Lakes Brewery.
When we got there we were told that the only drinks available were tap wine, well liquor and Budweiser.
I immediately checked the website and noticed that they had changed "bar package 2" by omitting call liquor and Great Lakes Brewery. They also added another bar package.
The manager Jimmy offered me ONE free beer of choice for the "mistake" He wouldn't offer a refund.
I tore off my wrist band and threw it in my complimentary plastic cup along with my coupon for an appetizer. On my way out, 2 hours before the concert even started, I handed my cup, wristband and appetizer coupon to the oaf bouncer explaining what happened and he couldn't have cared less.
This experience along with my last time here when I saw the bartender rinsing out the bar rag in the glass sanitizing sink has pretty much set my opinion of this place in stone.
GO SOMEWHERE ELSE, ANYWHERE ELSE.
Durty Nellie's is misspelled. The whole operation is just plain DIRTY.
So, before last night I would have given Durty Nellie's three stars. Â They usually have good bands.But the customer service SUCKS! Â After last night, I want to give them one star. Â Here is what happened to me last night, as I reported to groupon.
My friend and I bought tickets with the wristband package for the show at Durty Nellies. Â She tried calling calling to find out what time the wristband deal started. Â She was directed to the answering machine for the event planner and was never called back. Â I tried calling on Friday and left a message on the manager's voicemail and never received a call back. Â At this point, I was a little frustrated. Â I called the same day of the show and the girl at the front desk had no idea what I was talking about and when to get the manager. Â The manager told me the two hour open bar started whenever you got there and they would write the time on the wristband. I asked him what time the bands started and he said around 9:30 or 10 pm. I told him we would be there then.
When we went to redeem our groupons, we were told the open bar would be over in 15 minutes. Â When I explained what the daytime manager told me, the current manager was extremely rude and indifferent. Â He told me "no one else here seemed to have a problem with figuring out the start time". Â I later found out this was untrue and that there were several people unhappy with the groupon deal. Â I was a bit upset at this point. Â In the hospitality business, you to not just turn your back on someone. As he turned to walk away, I said "how do you plan on fixing this? Â It was your manager that misinformed me?" Â He offered to buy me one drink. Â I told him that would not be acceptable. Â At that point, another manager came over and told me he would contact groupon and tell you to reimburse my friend and me. Â
When we did enter, there was a lack of communication with all of the staff. Â They would not let us enter the area where the wristband package was being offered telling us it wa a private party. Â Then, I saw them serving well liquor when it said the package was call liquor. Â The bar that they allocated for the groupon deal was double booked with a birthday party. Â It was small and staffed with only two bartenders and there were a lot of complaints about not getting drinks and people were literally pushing to get to the front! Â I also found out that the band started closer to 8:30, so we had missed the Green Day cover band that I really wanted to see!
This experience left a sour taste in my mouth. Â Pair that up with the fights, drunk people spilling liquor on you and girls falling all over the place slipping their nasty hair back at you... I really hate other people's hair.
Ughhh I really hate this bar sometimes. The cover really ticks me off, especially if I go on a night when a band is playing. Even if you aren't watching them you still pay for it. I hate that.
The bar is quite large, but can get really packed still. It is no fun when it is packed. You'll end up waiting a long time for a drink. Good selection of booze, once you get to it.
Service is meh. Bouncers are cool, but the female bartenders can be rude, and tend to ignore a lot of people.
There is a nice outside area though, both upstairs and downstairs. In the summer people can play bags outside. And smoke, mainly why people are out there.
Prices are more on the pricey side. There aren't really anything good specials there.
I avoid going here cause I seriously hate paying cover (many times I don't drink so why would I want to pay 5-7 bucks to sit sober at a bar!) at that place.
Oh and parking SUCKS. Have fun with that.
I do not go to the suburbs. Â Do. Â Not. Â However, I was introduced to Beer Fest at Durty Nellie's last year and am now a repeat customer! Â The event is awesome and I highly recommend buying tickets quickly because they sell out fast. Â
Fest aside, the bar generally is a nice space. Â It's huge! Â There are several rooms to move around, a great band space, a rooftop and a beer garden. Â The food is pretty good and you get a lot for your buck. Â Yes, it's in the suburbs, but it's literally steps from the Metra. Â No excuse to drink and drive. Â
Would I come to Palatine any month buy May? Â No, but thanks, Nellie, for taking good care of the Chicago folks streaming up your way for a day of indulgence. Â See you next year!
Does it look like I have a six year old? Â No? Â Well, I do! Â And in our family, we do birthdays up right.
Enter Durty Nellie's.
This was just our first stop on our Day O' Fun for her birthday, and it was a great start to a fabulous day. Â We were catching the train to the city around noon, so we needed a quick lunch spot for me and some of the other special adults in her life. Â My mom and mommy 2 worked around here, and they suggested Nellie's.
Sounds good to me! Â
I have been here before, but only to see bands play. Â I had never had their food until that day. Â I was definitely missing out!
The food was fabulous. Â I like how many options you have to choose from for your side (salad, fries, waffle fries, mac n cheese, etc). Â The waiter was honest and said that the regular fries are hit or miss, but the waffle fries are ALWAYS good. Â Thanks for your honesty, sir. Â I will take some!
I ordered the cheeseburger (made breakfast style with the egg, cheese, and bacon), and my sister ordered the pulled pork sandwich (although I am not sure it says it on the menu, but this comes with onion strings on it, and my sister is not an onion fan, so this wasn't an added bonus for her).
We did what we usually do, and we split our sandwiches in half. Â This way, I get to try more that just my meal. Â I love it that way! :) Â But sandwiches were very good, but the pulled pork was VERY dry. Â I asked for a side of BBQ to go with it. Â So did my sister. Â That livened it up a little.
The birthday girl DEVOURED her mac n cheese. Â I have never seen her eat something so quickly! Â It was amazing :) Â And her kid's meal comes with a side of fries. Â Carb-tastic :)
The food was great overall, but the service was definitely "meh". Â We were one of our server's only tables until around the time we left, and he wasn't very "with" it. Â Whenever you would ask him for something, you would wait for a while for said item, and he would maybe come back with it. Â Or he would come back again and say "oh yeah, you were waiting for BBQ sauce" or something along those lines. Â We had to ask him three times to break a twenty so we could pay. Â He was nice enough, but not very efficient.
But I will definitely be back! Â My husband is practically chomping at the bit for their beer selection! Â I won't be able to hold him back for much longer!!! ;)
most negative reviews for Nellies seem to be for the night bar scene crowd.
I went for the food at lunch, for which this review is for. Â Though I have seen a couple of bands here, also. Â
I have been to Nellies a couple of times for lunch. Â
I had a burger with peanut butter & bacon. Â Don't knock it til you try it. Â Its likely my new favorite burger. Â and i had a side of mac-n-cheese, which is also a rare side choice. Â good stuff. Â
Outstanding beer list too. Â 3 floyds zombie dust on draft, anyone?
I love Durty Nellie's! It's walking distance from the metra station and is close to some other bars.
It's a good place to see a show, and they have a very decent sized stage, and separate room for the people who want to enjoy the live music.
They have a pretty decent selection of beer, but I haven't ordered food while being there.
The parking situation does suck, so try to get there early!
Great suburban spot to see local bands. Â If you are coming from the city (as I have always done), then it's pretty neat to have the Metra drop you off right at Nellie's (if you plan on enjoying some spirits), or the amazing amount of parking (for free!).
The food was really good, and in fact, the black bean veggie burger had to be just about the best thing I have ever tasted.
What a breath of fresh air from the old, run down establishment they used to have in the early 90's. Gone are the sticky floors, bar brawls and platic cups.The food and beer selection have grown more sophicated too. Best way to describe their daily specials is to post it here:
Monday: $4 Half-Pound Black Angus Beef Burgers (tops & sides extra)
Tuesday: $5 Eats (special menu with items $5 or less)
Wednesday: Mexican themed food specials
Thursday: Buy-One-Get-One FREE Appetizers from 4pm-6pm. (This is only type of Happy Hour anyone will find any where in Chicagoland)
On Tuesday, I ordered their Steak and Bleu on Flatbread off their $5 menu with a Coke. It's served super thin and crispy. One of the best bar foods I've ever tasted. Looking forward to coming back on another Tuesday just so I can enjoy it again!
The venue looks like it would be a lot of fun. I have a friend who follows the band 7th Heaven like a die hard groupie. I may have an excuse to come and check both out.
Durty Nellie's has a good beer selection (at least, I enjoyed my Imperial Stout) with an average, somewhat expensive food menu all bundled up in an energetic if slightly off atmosphere. My girlfriend's flatbread was dry and frankly kind of flavorless - and just a little bit sad - while my corned beef and potatoes were decent enough, although I think they believe in the Quantity over Quality mantra here.
I also have a grip with our waitress, who was hardly seen, but mostly it was the food I was disappointed with. Wouldn't mind going back for a drink and a band.
Ok - if you are going to Durty Nellies - you SHOULD be going for one of a few reasons....the NEW chef ROCKS.....the Beer list is INCREDIBLE....the owners Mark and Jim are quite friendly.....and some great bands play here. Â The downsides - regardless if you wanna see a band - go after 8 ish and you pay a cover....oh well - it is a BAR. Â What do people expect? Â Oh - yes...it is LOUD...and CROWDED....and the servers are sometimes slow and forgetful.....OH YEAH..it is a BAR! Â
My band has played here on 2 occasions - once on a weekend, and once for a big fundraiser. Â The club is VERY accommodating to help with fundraisers - this is great for a local spot to do. Â Many places would rather snub groups in order to make more money - this place knows the value of repeat business. Â
On a SUPER cold night a few weeks ago - my hubby just said he wanted a beer and a burger....we trekked on out and headed to Nellies. Â They had the new 22 oz Old Rasputin aged in Bourbon Barrels in......quite frankly - for the same cost as if I picked it up at Binny's. Â Yeah - same price...not marked up. Â The next time we stopped in, they had a new bourbon barrel aged beer...it is now pretty much my favorite....
The best thing they do at the holidays is the 12 Beers of Christmas...there are alot  more than 12 beers...do not try to do them all in one night - but DO check it out! Â
It is loud, it is crowded, service can be slow....BUT - they REMEMBER you, they are COMMUNITY friendly, the NEW CHEF is GREAT, the NEW menu is SOOO much better, even has vegan options, and the beer list is, quite frankly, one of the best I have yet to see anywhere.....CHEERS!
This is a great place to go after work with coworkers if you are in the area. If you are with a large group, I recommend asking for a table upstairs so you won't feel so crowded.
The service is usually decent, but sometimes it can take a while to get your food. The bartenders are very knowledgeable and helpful if you aren't sure what to order, and the owner almost always checks on you to make sure everything is ok.
The food selection is good, and the drink selection is excellent. Even I can find something on the list to drink and I'm not really a beer fan. (Try the Cherish Framboise if you like something fruity.)
Objectively, I suppose I should give 4 stars, possibly 3.5, but this is my local, so it kind of has to get 5 stars.
On the weak side: food prices aren't great, menu isn't enormously varied (but don't you expect this at a bar?), and when you go there on weekend nights the crowd tends to pretty much suck, which results in service being lowered somewhat.
On the plus side: beer selection is excellent, bartenders are knowledgeable and friendly, particularly when you go earlier in the day, they have rye, which far too many places don't, believe it or not, and the food's pretty good.
Oh, and it's within stumbling distance of my place, which doesn't hurt at all in their getting 5 stars.
Durty Nellie's is an interesting spot. Â I would describe it as something akin to a frat party on steroids. Â The music is equilibrium startlingly loud, the service is spotty, and the crowd can be a bit chippy. Â That said, it can be a fun time, especially when guitar heroes Mike and Joe are playing.
The dance floor in the concert room is spacious and the patrons are lively. Â On my most recent visit there were several fights that broke out, but all were quickly broken up by a musclebound bouncer. Â If you are in the mood to take a chance on having a fun night, I would say check it out. Â Otherwise, there are some more relaxed places to go in the area.
We have been there about 18 times in the last 2 years, but our visits are getting farther apart. Â Seems that "Something" is lacking in the experience. Â The first floor dining area is very noisy and the menu just doesn't seem to have a Knockout Punch. Â Stew is always pretty good, and the burgers are very average. Â Don't let them seat you on the upper level, it is like the dead area. Â Poor service up there and no ambiance. Â
Just "Average". Â Not great, not bad.
They get 3 stars because they have good bands on a regular basis.
Frankly, Nellie's was much more fun when I had just graduated college, and could wait until 11pm for a band to start without getting annoyed. Â Now, call me an old lady, but if a band is going to start at 10, they should start at 10.
The back room is always jam packed. Â To the point where you don't even want to bother going to the bathroom, or risk losing your group of friends forever. Â The bartenders are okay, but overworked, so I understand their stress.
Had my "birthday party" there a few years ago. Â Another friend organized it, and had corresponded with one of the managers via e-mail, reserving us a space in the upstairs so we wouldn't run into the aforementioned crowd problem. Â The manager confirmed our "reservation" with us, and we were all set. Â This was 3 weeks before the event. Â The day of I decided to call to confirm, and lo and behold, they do not have our reservation anywhere, and there are no managers in. Â It took several HOURS for the situation to be resolved, including being hung up on by rude staff members. In the end, they squeezed in a spot upstairs for us, as they had over-booked the upstairs room and we were just as crowded as we had been downstairs. Â Some of our friends were not able to get upstairs to meet us. Â No one came to apologize.
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