I visited Emmett's with a large group of people this past weekend.
I was pleased that we got what only could be called superior service; anything and everything that we asked for was taken care of smoothly and efficiently. This made our meal so much more pleasant and enjoyable!
I tried the turkey burger which was a treat being topped with just the right amount of pesto sauce. I chose sweet potato fries for my side and would order them again. Both items were fresh and tasty.
I have to say that I was slightly under-whelmed by Emmett's beers, but they were a solid 8-9 on a 10 point scale. I will have to visit again when I am not having a meal so that I can just focus on the taste of the beer.
One person in our group ordered carrot cake and was brought a slice that looked like a quarter of a cake. Beware if you are not a hearty dessert eater or don't have at least 3 friends to help you polish off this mountain of a confection.
The only negative is that parking is somewhat sparse around Emmett's. There is a fair sized parking lot behind their building but it was absolutely full at 2 PM on a Sunday. I am not sure where all the people that belonged to those cars went?
Overall I felt that Emmett's is a notch or two above your average brewpub and at least one of those notches is the very good and friendly service. I'd suggest giving them a try if you haven't yet.
Been here a few times and by far the fish and beer is what has pleased me the most. Â The Seafood Trilogy appetizer was *the* bomb! Â They basically serve you three of their fish offerings in smaller portions with enough to share for a couple or to knock out as a lighter entree on your own. Â My favorite was the grouper, the salmon was cooked perfect yet I wasn't a fan of the sweeten butter garnish and for the tuna it too was cooked perfectly and the sauce it was topped with was very rich. Â Even the small bed of rice the tuna was placed on was moist and savory (and I'm so *not* a fan of plain rice!) Also, had the single taco and cheddar ale soup offering. Â The soup was thinner than most versions I've tried but was tasty and the warm pretzel stick it comes with made this a filling combo at a nice value price. Â The beer battered cod on the taco was spot on so I'm sold that Emmett's is more of a seafood diner's destination than a place to grab a burger or wings. Throw in that the staff has always been polite and efficient adds up to me visiting more often in the near future.
Review Source:This is the single loudest restaurant I have ever had the displeasure of visiting. I don't know what the problem with their acoustics is - I am rather young with perfect hearing and I literally could not make out any words that were being said by the two people I was eating with. Yelling across the table got old very fast and we decided to text each other if we had something to say.
The food was great, but that's not the kind of experience I am looking for when I go out with friends.
I have been going here for a few years now and it seems to be going downhill a bit, the food is decent, I had the stuffed mushroom appetizer, not really impressed, and the grouper seemed to be undercooked. the cheese soup is the best! a must have. the service is not that great either, they are nice, but disapear for long periods of time. need to be a little more attentive. love the Munich Light Beer.
Review Source:Just went to Emmets for the last time. Hubby had a 9.00 angus burger that was obviously (in our opinion) not freshly made ( it had what looked like manufactured grill marks on it). The burger was just that, meat on a bun, no lettuce, tomato, or onion! I had the pub burger trio (sliders). The buns were so hard you could not bite into them, the burgers were dry and tasteless, the toppings were unidentifiable with strong odd flavors.
The bartender-waitress was absent most of the time and when there she did not seem happy or very friendly.
On the plus, the seasonal beer was good!
I've been to Emmett's a handful of times, and each time I've been impressed! First of all the cheddar ale soup is top notch and comes with a pretzel bread stick which takes it up that extra level for me; Warm freshly baked bread and the perfect beer-cheese soup. But if that's not your thing never fear! They offer a wide variety of other choices like truffle fries (omg yes!) and bar appetizers and great burgers/sandwiches and the like. The beer here is also amazing...which it should be since it's a brewery! I need to make the trek here more often since I have sadly only sampled 2 on the list.
I attended a wedding here a few months ago and wanted to give 2 thumbs up for that! Great venue space, delicious food and drinks, all around good times! Because of the wedding I got to try more of Emmett's delicious offerings. ..all I have to say is Raspberry Tiramisu. *Insert drool icon here* It like Jesus came down and blessed each bite!
Came here for dinner with a group of friends. I arrived later than some of my friends and it seemed that they were waiting a while for a table that could fit all of us (8 people). Finally, we were seated outside. Our waitress told us about their famous Red Ale which they had cask conditioned. My boyfriend, being the beer aficionado, ordered one while I had the regular Red. Come to find out when the waitress returned that they ran out of the cask conditioned ale and they probably should have taken it down from their chalk board. Yeah, probably. The regular Red was good. Had a good amount of bitterness to it but not overwhelming. I also had the Victory Pale Ale which was pretty good. Again, it's a little hoppy, so don't get it if you don't like hops.
The food was okay. My burger and fries was good but then again it's pretty hard to mess that up. I got it because it was the cheapest thing on the menu. My bf decided to get the pork tenderloin for $17. That's pretty pricey for a little tavern restaurant and he was pretty disappointed with it. Only three little pork squares! For that price at a place like this, there should have been way more on the plate.
My friends held out until 9pm and ordered from the late night menu which I definitely would have done if I wasn't so famished. For $1.50, you can get a mini burger with a side of fries. That's a great deal. You may not be getting a lot of food, but you can order something else and you might end up getting more food that way for the price than ordering off the menu.
Overall, this isn't my favorite place. I've had better craft beers elsewhere and better food. This is pretty standard and I guess okay if you're in the area, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.
First, I'm not a beer guy (I'll have one or two a week, But Light, frosted glass, and I'm good) -but all my friends who are love this place...I just don't get it - beer should be cold and taste like beer (got the sampler - the one that tasted like coffee was gross, I put ice in the room tempature one - and the rest for me were.... ehhhhh) - sampler at Lucky Monk MUCH better.
Food was OK - nothing to write home about - but a nice interior, and the bartender was nice and, in addition to my sampler, gave me 3 more sampler sized beers - none of which I'd recommend).
Don't get the food. Â It's....meh. Â I can't think of a better way to describe it. Â It is just food. Â Nothing to see here folks. Â
The reason you SHOULD go here, though, is the beer. Â That Oatmeal Stout they have is maybe one of my favorite versions of fermented grain juice ever. Â It's so good. Â The servers here are usually pretty good, too. Â Especially accommodating to large parties and people trickling in and out.
I have been here twice. The first time was around the holidays, and the cozy atmosphere was charming. The food was great and our server was attentive and kind. Both times I went with my four year old.
Last time didn't go as well. It was a Sunday evening and it wasn't crowded. I am not a beer drinker so I can't comment on the beer selection but the wine selection is good. First off our server forgot the menu for my son. Not tragic but he forgot it twice. The menu he finally brought had drawings from another child all over it. That was just weird. Then the server disappeared for twenty minutes (seemed to be his MO that day). I was annoyed at best, I mean we are in a restaurant, we are hungry and thirsty you know. He made an appearance so we ordered, I decided on the beer battered cod and it came with soup, Â which was chicken with rice. They were good and satisfying. But our server was just terrible. He constantly disappeared, never offered refills and had to be reminded constantly for things such as a glass of water. I will go back as it is close by and a fun place, but that waiter needs to be retrained. I have had better service at Denny's for a third of the price.
I dropped into Emmett's while driving through West Dundee on the way back from Galena. There seemed to be a lot of nice places to dine in West Dundee, but my wife having eaten at he Palatine location suggested we go to Emmett's. The decor is very warm and cozy and they make a nice Martini. Now for the real outstanding stuff, the food. I had the Pan Seared Grouper, Jasmine Rice and Roasted Garlic Edamame. The Grouper was amazing and I adore Grouper and due to it being scarce in most places I order it whenever I can, and Emmett's is right up there with the best I have had. The truly amazing part of the meal was the Roasted Garlic Edamame; I have never had anything quite like it and can't wait to return to have it again, this place is right at the top of my list!!!
Review Source:Good beer. Â Overpiced food. Â
SERVICE: (crickets churping) Where the f is my food?! Where the f is my beer? Where is my server!? Â Why is my bill so frigg'n high? I only has 3 beers and a burger. Â Why does this place close at midnight? And why are they so smug about it? Â Why does the wait staff try to push me out at 10:45? Â Could it be because my server is sitting at a table with her friends? Â
IT'S BETTER TO JUST GO FOR THE BEER.
A very solid pub/restaurant. Â Went after work for dinner and drinks. Â The beer selection was limited beyond the house brews, but for an occasional stop by that isn't a factor. Â The lack of options would prevent it from being a regular stop. Â The menu is standard bar fare with pretenses of gourmet. Service was good, actually better than I expected as the bartender was working the entire room but still managed to be responsive to both myself as well as the other groups around.
As this was my first visit, I started with the sampler platter of the house brews. Â I'm a big hoppy beer fan and I was impressed by the Pale and Red Ales. Â The rest were fine, but not my cup of tea. Â After finishing the sampler platter, the bartender let me sample the two seasonal brews. Â The Second St. Amber was good, while the other wasn't memorable (as I can't recall the name right now). Â Overall good beers, not great ones.
I had the BBQ pulled pork sandwich with the upgraded truffle fries. Â The sandwich was tasty. Â They didn't smother the sandwich with BBQ, the meat was allowed to carry the sandwich. Â The truffles fires were quite good, much better than the ones at the Lucky Monk.
The bar was fairly loud, but that's to be expected. Â I would go back with a group.
I probably go to Emmett's about once every couple of weeks. My favorite beer is by far Victory Pale Ale The bar/restaurant itself is beautiful and the waiters/waitresses are oh so nice! My favorite items are the walleye bites, cheddar ale soup, pretzel bread sticks and the sweet potato fries. The only complaint is about the red velvet cupcake. It was pretty dry. My friend loved the French Onion soup and said it was one of the best she has ever had. The brewmaster platter is also fun to get. Just a mixings of bread, meats, cheeses and spreads. Very yummy. Thanks Emmett's for  a relaxing time, every time!
Review Source:This review is based soley on drinks and atmosphere, as I did not eat here. Will amend if I ever do.
So this seems like a pretty popular place. They have an outdoor patio that everyone waits for. They also have a variety of their own beers. Bar tenders and servers were pleasant and friendly. I asked the bar tender her opinion between two beers, she described them to me, I picked one, and then she brought me samples of both, which I thought was really nice, I ended up picking her original suggestions.
I would equate this place to a Rock Bottom Brewery. Will have to go eat here sometime in the future.
Went to Emmett's for the first time last night. Â I'm not a beer girl so I had wine and for a brewery they do have a decent selection. Â The people I was with did order beer and thought they had a good selection though.
The food was ok, nothing special and nothing you can't get anywhere else. Â It was 50cent wing night on Wed. but you had to order a dozen which was a lot of wings for 1 person. Â Truffle Fries were ok but didn't taste like truffles at all, just tasted like normal fries only differentiation was with Parmesan cheese curls on them. Â The rest of the menu was very odd, not normal appetizers or entrees one would expect which is not a good thing in my opinion. Â Also, food was very pricey compared to other bars/grills in the area.
Service was acceptable. Â The waitress was quick to get our first drink order and drinks delivered but wasn't very quick with refills. Â
Overall, this place was ok. Â I won't protest if we go back there but won't suggest it as a destination either.
We come here for the weekly pub quiz on Thursday's (which gets four stars, if you're asking). Â Our server, Briana, is exceptional; however, the owner has very little clue of how to staff his restaurant. Â Our room of a dozen or so tables eats and drinks prior to the quiz, and we usually have one server tending to all 50+ of us all night. Â Considering that servers earn about $4 an hour, the management could book another server for that 3-4 hours and not even pay $20, ensuring that no patron will be ignored, no dish uncleared, and no glass in need of a refill. Â And even scheduling a runner/busser would keep our food from dying in the window. Â The food is good, but priced ridiculously ($8.99 for 4 pretzel breadsticks?). Â This guy needs to take Hospitality Management 101.
Review Source:We had dinner at Emmett's last night. It was a party of 10 and some of the people in the group are very picky and demanding. With that being said, the food was great and the service was as good or better. Our server was very attentive, helpful, friendly and prompt with greeting, taking orders, bringing drinks and seeing to everyone's needs. Surprisingly everyone went home full and happy.
I had the blue cheese steak salad which I enjoyed every morsel of it. Others had the fish tacos which I must try next time. I was told that the pork loin sandwich was very tasty and tender as was the brisket. I think their selection of beer does not need any extra embellishment as it speaks for its self.
I think we will soon become regulars here.
While back in my old stomping ground we decided to pop into Emmett's for a lunch rendezvous and I have to say, I was very impressed. I'm not sure if they are part of a chain (it screams Firkin & Pheasant corporate entity) but it had a certain homey vibe none the less.
Our waitress, whoever she was, was by far the perkiest and most professional server I've ever encountered in the greater Fox Valley Area so Manager, it was the shorter of the two working on 3/4/11 at lunch time. Seriously, way on top of just about everything (except switching my Swiss for cheddar on my club) and very pleasant, hitting on all points of service a secret shopper would be looking for i.e. 1 minute greet time, two minute drink service and up-sell, add-on and impulse options. We were on a tight schedule so no extras, however, I wanted to steal the beautiful pretzel sticks parading by but me and the girls opted out!
Our food was decent by not only FV standards but by my ridiculously high standards in general. Kobe burger was so deliriously delish I actually stole a bite from my bff. My club (sans ham) was tasty and filling while my other companion enjoyed some very passable fish tacos. Sides offer fries, sweet potato fries, fruit or cole slaw and while the fruit was mostly honeydew the appropriate (I mean not overwhelming amount) serving of fries and the sorta sweet slaw were hits. I was kinda glad the fries weren't abundant because I would have eaten every one so the serving size was just perfect.
Huge beer selection, decent wines by the glass and they were pimping the Hurricanes on Fat Friday but alas, no drinking for us because we had to workity work work later. Saving the fifth star for when I can do me some drinking! And be warned, you are walking distance from my bff's house......get ready Emmett's, I'm coming back!
Alright, let's qualify this review.
Beer: 5+ Stars
Food: 3 Stars
Hence the 4 overall.
I've been a regular patron at Emmett's since the place opened 10 or so years ago. My review is going to be biased towards this place as I love great craft beer and this place delivers in spades. The beer (especially the hoppier ales) are some of the finest examples one can find anywhere at any price. Having been across this great nation of ours sampling craft brews throughout, Emmett's still stands up as one of the finest such institutions in the US.
Strong words, I know.
But Ryan Clooney (the brewmaster) is a true master of his art. If you're a beer geek/connoisseur/fan and are within an hour of this place YOU MUST GO. Folks you'll thank me for this.
Many years ago the food would have equaled this rating, but since losing their original chef, the food has been hit or miss ever since. There are still great epicurean moments to be had, but there are quite a few swing and a miss instances as well.
But you don't go here for the food. You go here for that sweet, sweet ale in copious quantities.
Here's the short of it:
Their Beer-4.5- I love the Victory Pale Ale
Their Food-4.0- The Portabello Fries w/ sauce are unreal. Â Walleye Bites very good also.
Their Service-1.5- Except for a few rare occassions, their service is horrifying. Â Why do we keep going back? Â Because we live here and because the quality of the Food and the Beer outweigh the terrible service.
Emmett's always delivers on amazing food and beer. Â It is a brewery, so you go for the beer and enjoy the food. Â I love that if you are unsure on a beer, they will bring you taste of it. Â I love to try new beers, but I am really picky about what I like. Â I don't know enough about beer to just read the description and decide if I will like it. Â
The food is wonderful. Â The meat here is always high quality. Â From the burgers to the beef brisket to the steak salad, it is delicious. Â I love the spinach artichoke dip. Â If you like carrot cake, you have to try it here. Â I would say it is by far the best carrot cake I have ever eaten!!!! Â Between drinks and food, the meal can add up . Â They do have different specials on most nights. Â The last time I went I was delighted to learn it was half price pitchers! Â Awesome deal! Â
It is a great place to go for a good meal and a good beer!
After my previous great experience I wanted to bring a few friends here for lunch.
Emmett's wasn't busy, maybe 2 or 3 other tables, so we were seated right away... and then came the waiting. We waited for menus, we waited to be waited on, we waited for our food and then we waited for our check. All for unacceptable lengths of time. Our waiter kept disappearing somewhere in the back (maybe he had other tables to wait on?) but what bugged me the most was that the other person servicing the only other occupied table in our area completely paid us no heed. Neither did the person tending the bar. We just sat there waiting and waiting.
To make things worse when our food finally came only one person's food was hot, the rest of the group had luke warm, dry food.
It was really disappointing, especially since I had recommend this place, brought my friends in, and raved about how great the food was.
Not much else in the neighborhood when you are holed up at a crappy Marriott waiting to meet buyers from Sears HQ. What a gem to find though. 4 stars for the beers. The cask conditioned ales are friggin out of this world... too bad we drank them out of the current one. I mean, thanks for the blue balls... they poured two frothy ales out, then two more, and then they were empty! Although the 12 other beers on tap were great, nothing compared to the cask. Service was friendly and pretty quick.
Food - just okay for bar food. Well, I assume definitely above Chili's or Applebees, but I have not been to either of those since my early 20's. Deep fried cheese curds were good, and the wings were massive, with good flavor. We went back the next day (in hopes the cask was changed, which is wasn't... BOO!) and I ordered a salad which was at best mediocre. Anyway, great drinking spot.
I can't believe I haven't put in a review for Emmets yet. Â I'm not one to go back - I always like checking out places I've never been to before. Â However - hubby and I do seem to end up back at Emmet's every couple of months and a beer, and depending on hunger, appetizers and/or dinner.
So - ended up there this weekend. Â There's something comforting to me about the historic building and the worn patina of the beatifully done interior. Â I like the photos on the wall, the layout, the people watching - And the beer is really really good.
I had Lobster fetuccini (sp?). Â It was delicious. Â So was the beer. Â Hubby had chicken-caesar salad - not bad, but not great - it's touted as "traditional" caesar salad, but there was not an anchovy to be tasted - so, if you like anchovy style dressing, skip ordering here. Â If you like creamy caesar dressing, then maybe give it a try. Â (For the record - we both like the anchovies - hard to find.... Â if anyone knows where to find that, send me a message!)
We do occasionally get less-good service. Â This weekend was great, though the kitchen was a bit slow. Â However, I see that as an opportunity to enjoy the beer. Â (Have I mentioned - the beer is really yummy.)
Would I recommend: Â Yes.
Would I return: Â Yes.
It has always been a mixed bag when I have been here.  First the beer is always good which I like and being a brewpub they usually have several styles on tap.  The food has been the miss part for me.  They have constantly either left out an advertised item or the fries were really greasy and cold or the burger was not cooked correctly.  This has happened  every time to at least one person at our table to the point we just go for the beer and appetizers.
Review Source:I absolutely love this place.
So so good. Great food. The food is a little pricey. But worth it. I haven't yet had a chance to have drinks there, but my fiance loves there beer. The pretzel bread served with horse radish cheese? Oh yeah. The big delicious burgers? Oh yeah. The service? Oh yeah.
I've been to some private events there as well. I would definitely recommend having any event there.
I will agree that it is tragic that they no longer have $2 burgers as we were able to go there quite a bit more often in those days. But tough economic times call for tough measures.
We go in with big groups of friends at times or with just a couple of us. Consistently delicious.
Sadly, Emmett's no longer offers the $2 burgers so I don't get back as often as I used to. Â Their food tends to be predictably good, the selection of beer is very good as well. Â The downside is that their prices are a bit higher than what I feel they should be, which is part of the reason why I only visit Emmett's once or twice a year. Â
All in all, a decent place to dine and grab a few brews, but plan on spending a few bucks because it isn't cheap either.
Mmmm. I want to go back to Emmett's. Too bad we don't live in Algonquin anymore.
Honestly, I don't 100% remember what we had here anymore. But I remember liking it and being suitably impressed.
The service was very good. We shared a pretzel appetizer, which was completely delicious with a fantastic cheese spread. Dinner is where it gets hazy. I think I may have had fish (potato tilapia?), and I believe The Husband had a burger. I recall us being very satisfied.
It being a brewpub, we could not let the beer go unnoticed, despite neither of us being big beer drinkers. I had a hard cider as my main drink (yum); the awesome waiter brought us samples! of three different beers for us to try. And honestly, they were really good. I believe we liked the 1 AM ale the best. I would never drink a random can of Bud or whatever, but I would have a beer at Emmett's. And that's saying something for this wine-lover.
I would love to go back. I'm just looking for an excuse.
Uniquely bad. Â We had a totally abrasive waitress who took forever to get our food (either that or the kitchen is completely ill equiped to handle a massive group of 4). Â My prime rib sandwitch was gristly. Â The only decent things were that the cheese curds were ok and the jameson was poured pretty tall to keep me at bay.
Review Source:I usually go here on Tuesdays for their Burger specials so I'm not sure how the other nights are. The burgers here are big and juicy. I usually get mine done medium rare and it turns out about right. I wouldn't recommend medium if you want a little pink in the middle. Sometimes they overcook it.
THE TUESDAY DEAL:
$2.00 8oz. (1/2 lb) Angus burgers after 8pm with purchase of a drink. It's also a micro-brewery so u can sample their stuff.
The service is hit or miss. Sometimes I've had spectacular service and other times iIve left only a dollar.
The place gets pretty busy around 8pm so if you plan on checking it out I would call ahead to make a reservation -- just in case. ;-)
Overall review for me is good burgers for the price. And if the service is good that night I usually hang out and spend more on drinks.
I took my parents out to Emmetts on Father's Day and we all had a great time. Â
Our waitress was very nice and polite, plus she had a great sense of humor. Â She really served us well.
Our food was great. Â Portion size was very generous. Â My parents had pork, which was very lean and very well prepared. Â I ordered a black pepper crusted halibut, which was excellent. Â
Beerwise, Emmetts is as good as, if not better than the now overly commercial Goose Island. Â I will dare say that Emmetts Pale Ale rivals some of the brews I enjoyed from some microbreweries in the Vancouver, BC area.
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