Latest reviews from Palatine
| 86 /100 Durty Nellie’s (Bar) 180 N. SMITH STREET “"Downtown" Palatine, right off the Metra in a strip mall having somewhat limited parking. A bit awkward. Cool bar area, although not large, with gathering areas, and multiple food rooms. Great taplist; Hopslam. Zombie Dust. BCBS 2019. A Speedway. Dissident. Rubeus. A Revolution special. Double Jack. A Hammerheart. Some local CHI hoppy brews. Multiple Pipeworks.
... would go there weekly ....“ |
| 66 /100 110 N BROCKWAY STREET “First time here since reopening (which apparently was like 7 years ago). Very large, sterile atmosphere, like a chain Brewpub, which I guess technically it is. Smart, attentive bartenders. Small beer selection--like 5 to choose from on a Saturday night. Huge place, and of course no available seats. Beer decent, not great. I hear good things about the food, but if you are just going for beer, Durty Nellies is a much better option, and just a couple blocks away.“ |
| 60 /100 Durty Nellie’s (Bar) 180 N. SMITH STREET “Saw the band Bird At The End Of The Road play here many moons ago and drank maybe one beer... too high to drink, but cool place all the same.“ |
| 58 /100 Durty Nellie’s (Bar) 180 N. SMITH STREET “I’ve been here a few times specifically because of the above average selection of beer. The food is ok but the staff and service pretty much suck. The Good: Durty Nellie’s has the best beers in the NW burbs. They keep their menu updated online which is really nice. I was able to buy a bottle of BCS Bramble Rye to go earlier this year and they recently had Zombie Dust on tap. Maybe a little pricey, but not unreasonable and I dont mind paying a little extra to get a premium selection. The Bad: on more than one occasion (and with different bartenders), I had to sit at the uncrowded bar waiting to get a beer while the bartender stood 10 feet away talking to a coworker and/or eating. One time I interrupted the young lady’s dinner to ask for a beer and I’ll be damned she finished her fucking sandwich before getting my pour. I always leave there pissed off but then enough time passes for me to forget just how much and then I go back. Note to the owner: hire better people, that’s the only thing missing.“ |
| 74 /100 Durty Nellie’s (Bar) 180 N. SMITH STREET “One of the better choices for beer in the NW burbs. A little dark on the inside with small outdoor patio area also. probably about 30 taps and 80-100 bottles. A good mix of craft and foreign bottles and all styles represented. Some of offers were limited seasonals that don’t last long in the bottle shops. Pricing varied with some bottle I found close to beer store prices and other marked up quite a bit. Draft pricing was mostly $5-7 for 12-16oz pours. Food was okay, decent selection of standard stuff. Service was the only thing missing - server waswn’t knowledable, beer took way too long to get to the table and they couldn’t locate a couple bottles that wew on the menu. As a plus they do update via beermenus.“ |
| 74 /100 110 N BROCKWAY STREET “Decent selection of their beers, and some pretty good food and service.“ |
| 60 /100 Durty Nellie’s (Bar) 180 N. SMITH STREET “Durty Nellie’s is two establishments in one. There is a music venue (stage and open area) in the back and then there is a restaurant with a bar in the front. The two are attached, but separate. Often times they will have bands playing at the music venue, but this doesn’t affect your ability to go in and sit at the bar.
The bar itself has a wide selection of beers. There are some dedicated GI lines and they always seem to have the GI seasonal. Beers tend to focus on American craft, though some British, German, and Belgian beers do make appearances. On a recent visit they had DFH My Antonia, FFF Powder Burns, HA Daisy Cutter, Founders, Boulevard, and Rogue. All in all, the selection is pretty good and they’ve been known to get some quality one-offs here as well.
Service varies widely. There are a couple of bartenders who know beer, then there are a couple of bartenders that are familiar with the beers they have on tap but little else and then there is the majority of the wait staff whom doesn’t know anything about beer other than that the bartenders pour it and they’ll bring it to your table. If you know what you want, this isn’t a problem. If you don’t, you’re not going to get much help.
The food is mostly bar food. In general, the food isn’t very good, but the menu changes a couple times a year and there have been occasions when the food hasn’t been all that bad. However, I used to go to DN on a regular basis and the sole reason I have stopped is that their food isn’t worth it.
Atmosphere is typical for a bar-restaurant. DN is not upscale by any means, but it is also not a dive. They do have a nice patio area for the warmer months.
“ |
| 82 /100 110 N BROCKWAY STREET “Emmet’s is one of my favorite brew pubs in IL! Their Palatine location is is housed in a beautiful building and is warm and inviting. Their bar area is accented by dark tones and a sweet fireplace. The bar itself is very cozy but enough room when full. Dining area is open and classy feeling. I’ve never had a bad item off their menu. The pricing is reasonable considering the quality of the food. On to the beer... it’s pretty damn good! 5+ tap lines are a standard. My personal favorites are the McCarthy Red & Victory Pale Ale. There are other locations as well, find one and treat yourself!“ |
| 68 /100 110 N BROCKWAY STREET “Went here for a party. Nice service, decent beer selection, nice outdoor patio. Okay food. Worth a stop.“ |
| 84 /100 110 N BROCKWAY STREET “Emmett’s is a large pub across the lot from a Chicago Metra Blue Line station. The place is large and open inside, with the brewery somewhat visible. There were 7 or so house beers available, and all were solid. The food was quite tasty and priced reasonably. Our service was good, along with the attention from the bar tender.“ |
| 80 /100 Durty Nellie’s (Bar) 180 N. SMITH STREET “A nice place across the street from a Metra blue line stop (Palatine). We had the whole upstairs for a company function, and the food provided was finger foods. The food was not that appealing, with the chicken wings a bit fatty and undercooked (not raw though), and the quesadillas not much more than cheese and shells. The beer selection is fairly good, both tap and bottled. The upstairs patio is a nice place to sit and relax.“ |
| 80 /100 110 N BROCKWAY STREET “I frequent Emmett’s in Palatine. I love the beer and the staff. Very friendly and the food is great.
The Robust Porter is delicious along with the Oatmeal Stout (I’m a dark beer guy).
Tuesday is $3 pints, Thursday is 1/2 off pitchers (makes them $7.50 a piece). They also recently started a late night menu that has a bunch of the appetizers half off that starts at 10pm.
Haven’t tried a beer here that I don’t like.“ |
| 72 /100 110 N BROCKWAY STREET “(Visited 10/2009): Emmett’s is a few miles off I-90 on N Brockway in downtown Palatine. There is parking on the street next to the building as well as a lot in front.
The interior boasts brewing equipment right as you walk in, and is segmented into a couple different rooms with the bar area on the right and table seating on the left. There is a lot of wood and a cream/dark brown color scheme. The bar has several TVs and a fireplace. Some outdoor seating is available as well.
The beer selection veers toward German/Bavarian styles (as it appears the food does) such as a Dortmunder, Zwickel, and Oktoberfest. The beers are all a but above average, and a sampler is available.
Service was pretty good on an early weekday afternoon. I was super late getting back to Midway so I was not able to spend a lot of time asking questions.
I did not try any food on this visit.
Overall this is a pretty nice brewpub that is worth checking out again when I have more time.“ |
| 64 /100 Durty Nellie’s (Bar) 180 N. SMITH STREET “I can proudly say I rank Durty Nellie’s as a ’meh’. I have been here several times - often to meet up friends, but not very often to try a selection of their beers. This is indeed not a very astonishing place on it’s own. The atmosphere is equivalent to a college bar, and the clientele seems to match. If you go here on a weekend, please understand that any of the bars within the establishment will probably have a 10 minute wait to get a beer. There is nowhere to really sit in peace and enjoy a brew. If this doesn’t bother you then you may find a few good brews on the menu here. They do offer a decent selection for the suburbs, but in my honest opinion it is only better than other local offerings. My advice would be to skip Durty Nellie’s, get on the train nearby, and go downtown to one of the great brew-bars in Chicago. You will have a *much* better time if packed college bars aren’t your thing. - Woody“ |
| 68 /100 110 N BROCKWAY STREET “Similar to West Dundee with a small, cozy bar and larger more formal dining area with a big patio that also has a firepit for colder weather. Same menu as the other locations and fairly consistent. The downside, like Downers Grove is that you don’t get to seem much more than 1 or at most 2 specials or seasonals beyond the regular rotation. Fortunately the Victory and McCarthy are just as delicious here as everywhere else. Emmett’s won’t blow you away at any locations but it is family friendly, serves high quality beer and above average brewpub food.“ |
| 62 /100 Durty Nellie’s (Bar) 180 N. SMITH STREET “I had passed by Durty Nellie’s on several occasions, but I always avoided it because it looks loud and crowded.
When I discovered that they had a selection of great beers, I decided to ignore my distaste for the atmosphere and give it a shot.
After parking in the garage behind the bar and walking around to the front door, my first surprise was that they were charging a cover. I don’t pay cover to buy beer, so I was about leave. When the door guy realized that we didn’t even know there was a band playing, he was cool and let us in for beers.
It was crowded, loud and it felt disorganized. This made me tense, but checking out the chalkboard beer menu, I was happy that I made it in. Ordered some Stone IPA and a Troubadour and things were better.
I don’t fully understand the layout of Durty Nellies. It appears to be multilevel and multi-room. This was fortunate because as we were enjoying our beers, someone came through a large metal door and there was a very loud band playing. We stayed out of there.
I think the band pulled some people from the initial bar room because it got a little less crowded. We decided to get a real table and some food. There was a lot of stuff on the menu. The pulled pork sandwich was tasty and the Albany chicken sandwich was spicy!
Of course we sampled more of the fantastic beer selection with our meal. New Holland Dragon’s Milk is delicious.
The men’s room is disgusting. (Hey, when you drink beer, you have to give some back eventually.)
Overall I am still turned off by the atmosphere. Maybe I am too old. The beer selection is impressive for the suburbs and the food was good. If only I could have the atmosphere of Emmett’s, which is just down the street, mixed with the food and beer of Durty Nellies, then I would be happy.
I would return to this place, but I would have to be in the right mood, and only if they don’t charge me a cover.
“ |
| 68 /100 110 N BROCKWAY STREET “Stopped in with my wife for some dinner. Very large upscale building split into a dinning room and a bar area with quite a few table. Hostess seemed a little stuck up. Waiter was a younger kid and service was a little slow. Food was really good. Had the fish and chips and it was solid. My wife had chicken with goat cheese and pesto and she really like it. Beers were decent. A little too upscale for me to go there just to have a few beers. Will go again for dinner.“ |
| 72 /100 Durty Nellie’s (Bar) 180 N. SMITH STREET “Big, clubby place with lots of trixies. Beer list is awesome, but sometimes they don’t have everything on the list. I still got Surly Furious here, which was fucking awesome. Food is ok, but the service was mediocre when I was there. Food was ok.“ |
| 76 /100 110 N BROCKWAY STREET “Great food!!! Nice upscale casual dining restaurant...decent service and solid beers...“ |
| 70 /100 Durty Nellie’s (Bar) 180 N. SMITH STREET “Big clublike place...didn’t eat...no one really knew shit about beer, but they had a pretty good list...especially in this part of town...started getting packed around 9pm on a weekend for the live band at the venue...“ |
| 80 /100 110 N BROCKWAY STREET “This place just reopened. Beer selection is a little thin, since they are not brewing yet, but word is that they will be up and brewing mid-February. Until then, they are shipping in their beer from the Dundee and Downers Grove breweries.“ |
| 88 /100 Durty Nellie’s (Bar) 180 N. SMITH STREET “Holy Cow! This might very well be the best hidden gem in the Chicago area, only 5 ratings, rarely mentioned after the big 3 downtown beer bars. Beer selection on tap and in bottles was incredible. Food was astoundingly good (excellent Carolina pulled pork sandwich, fries stellar too), always a plus. Service was friendly and timely, but not with super-beer knowledgeable wizards (including the bar tender). Oh well, can’t have everything. Environment was clean, slightly upscale. This was a great stop w/o the downtown commute on a freezing cold night. I highly recommend this if you’re in the area but not downtown.“ |
| 82 /100 Durty Nellie’s (Bar) 180 N. SMITH STREET “This place made working in Wheeling for 4 months so much more tolerable! They have a large bar and dining area with an even bigger concert venue attached. The beer selection is very, very good, bordering on excellent with rare 3F seasonals sometimes available (which led to a text message I sent one night.. 8 Behemoths are like way too much!.. and I somehow ended up in a kilt contest.. then things went dark..), Brooklyn BCS, and lots of other goods (very good bottle selection too). I’ve had several things from the menu, and all were at least very good. They bring in lots of good music as well. Great stop!“ |
| 82 /100 Durty Nellie’s (Bar) 180 N. SMITH STREET “Went there today for Mother’s Day brunch, the only day of the year they actually serve brunch. They should do it more often. Very nice spread and the food was delectable. Service was mostly good. Our waitress seemed to be having off day; perhaps due to an on night the night before. Good thing it was a buffet. Mark, the owner, was everywhere making sure people were taken care of. Beer selection is impressive for the Chicago area. The beer menu was bigger/longer than most restaurant food menus. It was a little outdated. It was labeled as their April beer menu and their draft list was listed as March. A number of the draft beers actually on were not listed in the menu. A surprise was DFH Black and Blue. The bottle selection is more impressive than the draft selection for pure quality; perhaps a result of the fact this place regularly has live bands on a stage, likely with a clientele that prefers Bud and Stella to Dogfish Head. This is a large place, with upstairs seating and bar overlooking the stage downstairs. There is also a large upstairs outdoor patio as well as a street level patio. There’s a lot going for this place. If you like enjoying good beer in the sun or watching live music, you definitely need to try this place.“ |
| 76 /100 Durty Nellie’s (Bar) 180 N. SMITH STREET “Its interesting. Before comming to this place and reading the reviews I was thinking along the lines that this would be kind of a frat boy bar smoking grungy place. Its really not and is actually a pretty cool place. The bar/restaurant is like what you would find in a college town and young but not really in a bad way. The music in the background was great and was all stuff from the 90s. There is a great rooftop patio which is probably better when it is not snowing. Waiter was cool, food was typical and reasonable and their beer list had some great finds including Three Floyds Alpha Klaus and 2 other imperial whatevers (the names are leaving me now). I will definately return.“ |
| 76 /100 110 N BROCKWAY STREET “first time i’ve seen more than a couple people there - then i find out it’s closing for good the next day. so that’s why it was packed. they also had some awesome beers on tap that i imagine were because it’s closing down. imperial pilsener and imperial amber, victory pale, belgian pale ale and tripel. a couple others. awful expensive, i mean, $5.50 for a half pint of imperial amber? even if it is almost 10%abv, that’s ridiculous. the waiter knew what he was talking about, that’s a big up. good experience, too bad they’re closing. i gave the selection an 11, but it’s relative. for the type of establishment, it seemed to have a lot of awesome beers of theirs. especially compared to my visit a couple years ago. but very limited guest choices.“ |
| 68 /100 110 N BROCKWAY STREET “6-3-06
The Palatine location is now closed. The newsletter states that they lost their lease but will move this location to another northwestern suburb soon.
Pretty nice place. It is much larger than the West Dundee location and it looks like the building was built for this place. Nice patio outside that had a fire running even though everything else was covered in snow. The bar area is quite large with lots of seating. Tables and booths everywhere. As usual a very nice place. One thing tho, the west dundee location has at this time about twice as many beers on tap than the palatine location. The only reason why we came here was to try the barleywine.“ |
| 68 /100 110 N BROCKWAY STREET “Very upscale place. Not used to this kind of a venue for beer sampling. Nice variety on the tap list with about seven at a time that span the spectrum of styles. The food was awesome, though the sandwich was so piled high with pork I had to use a knife and fork. Service was pretty slow.“ |
| 68 /100 110 N BROCKWAY STREET “Well, this is the last of the Emmett’s for me to try and it’s a virtual clone of the other two in West Dundee and Downers Grove. Nice atmosphere, pricey food menu, decent house beers. Had a burger and it was good but not worth raving about. Very comfortable on a weekday afternoon. Our server was our bartender and was very keen on Emmett’s beers... even revealing that there is a Barley Wine being discussed for future production! I still have a problem with Emmett’s limited beer menu and slow rotation. If I were to pick one Emmett’s to visit, I’d suggest Downers Grove, due to the fact that the area felt more quaint, and the bar has guest taps (which is a plus even though their house beers are adequate). The Palatine location is, however, terribly convenient to Arlington Park Race Track and the Rolling Meadows Court House, so stop by to celebrate after you pick a pony or bribe a judge.“ |
| 66 /100 110 N BROCKWAY STREET “The in house beer is actually really good. They have about 6 or 7 on tap. A sampler of five is $5.75, but the douche bartender messed up the order of beers on the tray two days in a row. The same bartender was having a very unprofessional conversation about sex with some at a bar that was really uncomfortable. The food is not too bad. Large menu and a lot of steaks. The restaurant is very large, clean and new. There is an outside area to drink and eat. There’s no tour of the brewery and they only have two kettles visible in the entrance.“ |
| 80 /100 Durty Nellie’s (Bar) 180 N. SMITH STREET “This is a great suburban restaurant/bar. Very large food menu of pretty good quality. Indoor dining area is pretty small but lots of room outside and the roof patio. Beer selection is the best I’ve seen in the Northwest suburbs. Lots of microbrew bottles including Dogfish Head 90 minute and Founders Dirty bastard for $4 a bottle. Downstairs bar has very good beers on tap, eg. Great Lakes, Bells, Delirium. There is a pretty large band/stage area that attracts some decent bands. Great Place to hang out. Mostly 30 somethings.“ |
| 70 /100 110 N BROCKWAY STREET “Nice, large building with hardwood floors and private dining areas. Beer sampler paddle has 5 beers on it for $5.95. They’ll also let you sample the seasonal ones, no charge, as well. Beer was descent but not wowing, but it’s a nice place brewing its own beer and serving good food. I’d recommend it.“ |
| 80 /100 Durty Nellie’s (Bar) 180 N. SMITH STREET “Durty Nellie’s has a lot of everything! It’s a nice restaurant, has a cozy pub, and a huge band room that has live entertainment with surround sound!
It has a great choice of beers - 63 taps (though many are duplicates because of the large building) and I counted 64 bottled beers. Our server was knowledgable and was able to suggest some new beers for us to try. A fun place in the suburbs.
Right next door is a new brew pub, Emmets. So you have your choice of freshly brewed or world wide classics!“ |
