Great Food, Great Staff, Slightly Less Than Great Bill…read more(Thanks Trump) My Place Bar & Grill in McHenry is one of those places that looks like a regular neighborhood bar from the outside, but once you sit down and order food, you realize it is something a little different. The food is genuinely excellent. What makes this place stand out is the fusion of classic American bar food with Indian flavors. You can go the traditional route with burgers, wings, and fries, or branch out into dishes with real spice and depth like samosas, curry plates, and tikka-style options. Even Curry Pizza! The flavors are bold, unique, and far better than what you expect from a casual bar and grill. It is the kind of menu that makes you want to try something new every time you go back. The atmosphere is exactly what a good local bar should be. Friendly crowd, welcoming staff, TVs for the game, and a relaxed neighborhood vibe. We were fortunate enough to show up on Wednesday, Karaoke Night! It feels like the kind of place where regulars hang out, newcomers are welcomed, and nobody is taking themselves too seriously. Now the only small sting, the prices... The food is great, but the bill can creep up a little faster than you might expect for a bar and grill. That said, food costs everywhere have been climbing thanks to the current administration's Big Ugly Bill, inflation, tariffs, the cost of war, and the general economic circus we are all living in right now! Still, despite the bite out of my bank account, we can't blame the restaurants when everything from basic ingredients to beef to cooking oil and staffing costs more than it used to! Nevertheless, when the food is this good and the atmosphere is this easygoing, it is worth it. Bottom line: Great food, friendly staff, fun neighborhood vibe, and a menu that is way more interesting than the average bar. Prices might make you raise an eyebrow, but the flavor makes up for it. Definitely worth stopping in if you are going anywhere through McHenry.

We ordered carry out, the entire meal was fantastic! Mine started with samosas and then chicken…read moretikka masala!

Really nice bar in downtown McHenry! We stopped in for a drink and to listen to their live music on…read morethe patio. Service was fast and friendly, the patio was super nice and spacious. The live music was a local guy, pretty good! Found out he was just 15!!! We didn't eat here but the food coming out looked amazing, next time!

Service was great. Sat at the bar outside, and the bartender/server was fine. Attentive, no waiting…read morefor anything. Early evening on a Sunday. Almost no one there, presumably because of the early hour. Have walked by at night and usually pretty busy on weekends at least. That said it was Sunday at 4:30. Ambiance was nice. We sat outside on their patio by the fans and temps were a relief after the dire temps in previous days. Food: wish I'd taken a picture before we ate some. It was presented nicely. We had the Asian chicken wraps. It came with four almost, kinda sorta, wilted romaine leaves that were hard to wrap around anything, so that was interesting. I woulda preferred a larger colder iceberg lettuce. Room temperature white rice in the middle of small cube chicken, also room temp? with a teriyaki like sauce on it. On the side and in small containers, it had pickled onions and cucumbers, which were wonderful. Some sort of sweet /hot sauce I'm guessing and radishes with crispy wonton strips. I liked it all ok taste wise, but thought the rice and chicken could have been warm to hot. We also had each a flavored lime mule which was very good for $10 each. Not a lot of alcohol but tasty. Had cold things been cold and hot things been at least warm, it would have been much better. My friend wasn't too hungry or impressed so I took most of it home and warned it up and that is what you see in the picture. It was way more appealing and I just ditched the sorta wilty romaine. The menu doesn't know what it wants to be. It's mostly bar food, some Asian influences and some Greek, thrown in with 3-4salads. I almost like it better when they first opened with a very limited and kinda pricy small bites menu, but I suppose in McHenry you gotta have basic bar food, so I get it. I just wish there were an upscale pub type menu for something different. But that's just me.

This place rocks love it it's my favorite go to local joint service is always friendly. Food is…read moregreat. Tried the broasted. chicken. Love the big pretzels. Chicken is great and burgers yum

Great service. We drive 1.5 hours for a dr appointment and we try and eat something different each…read moretime. This was a great choice. Food was great

One of our favorite spots. The food is consistently good, especially the Thursday specials. The…read morehomemade soups are always a win. Staff is friendly and attentive, and the chef truly knows what he's doing. In the summer, the deck is the place to be. Great atmosphere, great meal every time.

Worst experience of my life. I was with my wife and two friends, had to flag down another waitress…read moreto get a refill on drinks. My wife and friends received their food, but not mine. After 10 minutes, I asked another waitress where my food is. She found my waitress after another 4 mins and got my food 5 mins later. The problem is that the waitress decided to lecture me about how people make mistakes, I did not say a work to the waitress to prompt this lecture, I only talked to the other waitress about my food. I was embarrassed as I was with my friends. They gave me a $15 credit on my bill, but it was not worth it. Neither me nor my friends will ever go back. This staff does not care about customers.

A little downtown diner serving up your typical bar/diner foods. They have fish fry on Fridays, and…read moreopen mic night on Wednesdays. They do take reservations, be prepared it gets busy. We sat at the bar and ordered: ** Garlic butter mozzarella bites- DELICIOUS ** Ribs and onion rings ** Cream of wild rice and chicken soup Our food came out fast. The bartender Regan was very friendly, quick with the drinks and gave us several menu recommendations.

I decided to give Lambemi's another try while in the downtown Crystal Lake area…read more This is bar is a staple in the area and you can tell there's a lot of local customers that come back over and over. The bar did not smell that musty this time and this is still a no-frills local tavern. The bartender was very nice and very attentive. The local customers sitting at the bar made me feel welcome. The white cheddar cubes with a breaded coating appetizer was very tasty, especially when I added their homemade ranch dressing. The Labemi chicken that was recommended by the bartender who she said she always orders that dish. This was one of the best chicken entrees I have ever had! The dish has artichoke hearts and mushrooms in a creamy lemon butter sauce with wild rice. The chicken was very tender and outstanding and ample for two people. You can always sub out the wild rice for pasta. This dish comes with a side salad or cup of soup as well. The clam chowder was pretty good. One thing this restaurant is known for is their generous pores. They did not disappoint this time too! I definitely plan to come back to get that same chicken dish! If you have not been here yet, I recommend it for a very low-key lunch or dinner.

What an amazing find off the beaten path. I was lucky enough to be there for Friday night fish fry…read moreand they had blue gill which is a rare find. The fish was lightly coated and the potato pancakes were delicious. I sat at the bar and the staff was hilarious and attentive offering up conversation even on busy Friday night. I live a hour away and will make it back, well worth the drive. Crazy I only ate half of my fish and no room for homemade dessert

I feel there's always a bit of prefacing that the reader deserves when a review slants heavily in…read moreeither direction, good or bad. This is one such case. Disclosure: Your humble reviewer is a longtime hospitality industry veteran. I spent a good portion of my life working front of house jobs in restaurants (all the way through grad school). Additionally, I "ain't from around here". While far from a yuppie, I have also never owned a pickup. So my travels found me in the fair village of McCullom Lake. It's tiny. There's not a lot that happens in McCullom Lake, but there is this bar. The exterior/interior is kind of what you'd expect at locale such as this. Not terrible, though there are signs of some deferred maintenance. The Ritz it is not, but it's also not gross. There's a sort of non-descript "sports bar" thing going on. Something from the Office Space era. Drink selection is also par for the course. You're not going to be getting the latest triple throwdown IPA run through an enamel hop machine or even a single malt scotch, but the selection will be better than your local bowling alley. Pricing follows a similar ethos. Not terribly expensive, though nothing that smacked of a shockingly good value either. So far so good right? I suppose. And if I'm fair, it was a solid 2 star review until we tried to pay our tab and leave. I had left a credit card at the bar to hold my tab. I thought it somewhat peculiar when the bartender used the wrong name with my tab, but I dismissed it as she can't be expected to remember everyone (especially an out of towner she's never seen). She runs the card immediately without showing me the tab or asking if I'd even like to use my card. The total is significantly more than expected. I bought a round of drinks. Apparently someone had either been putting their drinks on my tab all night or the bartenders had mixed up two tabs. Regardless, I was now out $60 more than what I owed. I bring this to the staff's attention and am dismissed like a WalMart slip and fall artist. And since the staff member I had initially started the tab with had left, I was told I had no recourse to speak of. I asked to see an itemized copy. It's filled up with things that, put politely, are not to my liking. I try to plead my case but am shut down by the thoroughly "less than professional" bartender. I leave without signing the credit card receipt. Thankfully, the bartender took the liberty of writing in a very nice tip for herself (as evidenced by my bank statement). So yeah, mediocre place, not terribly memorable in any way except for the shaking down of people that "ain't from around here". Guys, let the $72 this place stole from me serve some good in the world. Save yourselves as it's obviously too late for me.

First the cocktails are delicious. The ambience is fantastic and the music was amazing. Derek was…read moreour bartender and he was very attentive. Enjoyed our few hours hanging out for a girls night. Definitely coming back soon.

Cute place - love the corner with the couch - reminds me of FRIENDS! Cocktails were tasty. Nice…read moreatmosphere!

Loved seeing veggie opts and faux protein additions on a menu. The Bennie i had was smothered in a…read morerich hollandaise with a nice crispy hash. Server was kind and bubbly. Love a classic diner feel with a counter. This place is no frills but good eats.

Ok, we've been going to Cafe Olympic for years. I've never had a bad meal. This is an old fashioned…read morediner that is quaint and comfortable. The waitstaff are phenomenal and attentive. The food is awesome as they have many options to choose from. Today, I had their famous HUGE cinnamon roll that was heavenly and hubby had their deletable breakfast sandwich with American cheese, Gouda cheese, 2 eggs over easy with bacon on a bagel (see pics). Additionally he got the cream of Chicken soup with rice. Their soups are very tasty and they make different soups each day. If you love soup, give this a try. They are very tasty with different combos of flavors and ingredients, varies from day to day- a bit of serendipity. If you haven't tried this diner, try it. You will thank me later. In the warmer months, they have multiple tables outside and dogs are often seen chilling with their owners. It's a friendly and fun place to dine. A+