The food was fantastic. I got the cheeseburger and my Dad got the Chicken fajitas. We also split…read morethe Key Lime cheesecake. Delicious!! The service was excellent as the waitstaff was very attentive and friendly. The ambiance was very charming and geared towards Independence Day! See pics. We will be back again.

Firkin is a fun, Irish-style pub located in downtown Libertyville, which serves over 100 types of…read morebeer, Ale, IPA's, etc. What keeps us coming back to Firkin is the consistency of the higher-end pub food and great service. We had fish and chips, fish tacos, hard cider on tap and one of their featured beers. Fun spot to meet up with friends!

Best line dancing. Really, don't bother going to other places for dance. I've been to them all, and…read moremany around the country; Sundance is superior. On nights where there is line dancing (often Wednesdays and Fridays), you can expect a FULL night of GREAT music, all of which have line dances. Couples dancing is also integrated into the night. It's a good balance. It's beginner friendly, but also challenging in the best way. Very strong community. Food is also really great.

I've heard of this place for so long and have finally made my way out there. On Wednesday night…read moreit's country night where they teach line dancing. I do wish there was more line dancing taught. It opens at 6pm, line dance lessons started at 8pm and again at 9pm but it was like 15 minutes long and the rest of the night they played songs for line dancing but I spent my time on the sidelines since I couldn't pick up on the steps fast enough. I wish the instructor was able to be on the stage to teach it was hard to see with the crowd that was there. It's a $10 cover charge to enter and then whatever you spend on drinks and food. It's a place people come to week after week. I'll come back after I go to YouTube to learn some more of the dances.

Came here on a Tuesday evening with coworkers. None of us had ever been here so we were in for a…read moresurprise! Upon entering, it sounded like a club (not in a bad way); tasteful even. We were seated in the incredibly large heated patio. Our server was super nice and attentive. I ordered the Parmesan fried calamari to share with a coworker. It was super greasy. I liked the taste but after a while it was giving me a slight headache, which I will safely assume is from the grease. Following, I ordered the bread pudding, which I did not anticipate being so large! And it came with whipped cream and ice cream. The photo doesn't do it justice how large and wide it was. Super soft and I enjoyed the flavor. I'd return to try another dish or two.

I would give them five stars however the last time my wife and I had dinner at Austins Mark treated…read moreus very poorly we supported then covid and the way we were treated was poor, We left a review and he never responded. We have not returned. I had a lot of respect for Mark until that day. They have a great restaurant however never expected that kind of treatment from a then loyal customer!!

Since 2015 I've attended yearly. With family living close-by and whom share a love of BBQ too, it's…read morea no brainer. If you have lived in or visited the city during festival season, you know that summers go hand-in-hand with visiting festivals. With that said, most ask for some sort of donation. The donation helps them with festival arranging and the casting of musical talent. Bands aren't free. Knowing a little bit about hiring bands for shows, $5 isn't a bank breaker. I like all kinds of live music and LBR doesn't disappoint with arranging decent Blues bands. The festival will typically offer a handful of local BBQ operators. What is unique is that there is a good mix of different purveyors. (Unlike many in Chicago that tend to hire some of the same old tired BBQ vendors.) Those with restaurants that are open to the public and others that are caterers or BBQ festival operators. This last option means they travel the country for BBQ fests hoping to drum support for their brand. Uncle Bub's is a good example. The last couple years there was a caterer I loved, called The Full Slab. At one time they had a counterspace but ended up closing. Maybe due to a bad location choice. After having their tips, I and family were SOLD. I tried my model best trying to convince family to hire them for a catering party.. Those tips were glorious.. So this year.. The mosquitoes were biting! What is the deal with this park.. They need to do a mosquito treatment in the future. The park is next to a small lake / pond. There is lots of water and after rains the grass can be muddy and wet. As was the case last night. I bathed in repellent and still have got a connect-the-dots of bites from ankles to knees. Food. A handful of vendors this year. I did not see Full slab or Bub's even though they were mentioned on the marketing. That isn't to say they won't be there this evening. Smokin T's. RUB - Real Urban Barbecue, Big Ed's BBQ, BBQ'd productions bar and grill and BoBo's which is a local fast food type joint. There was also a grilled corn and funnel cake vendors on hand as well. The setup was as previous years. Even when lines got long it didn't inundate the rest of the scene. Sometimes at suburban fests, the layout is all wrong. Not the case at all. There were lines but still ample space to maneuver. And with the lighting, passers-by could see which vendors had what available. But, some vendors could have done a better job with menu marketing. Having a whiteboard with markers positioned at ground level is newbie stuff. Gotta bring your A-game for a festival and market clearly for those waiting in long lines. Best values: Rub's BBQ nachos & Lienenkugel fried cheese curds. $9 or $6 dollars for ample quantity. Nachos were covered in cheese, jalapenos, your choice of burnt ends or pulled pork and BBQ sauce. A notable second for nachos, was from BBQ'ed productions, offering a varying kind of cheese, diced veggies and tasty sauces. With your choice of brisket. Of similar cost but smaller portion. A smaller BBQ company operating right of Smokin' T's was the only provider of rib tips. Talk about a BUMMER. I get that businesses want to make money off selling ribs. But as the other reviewer stated, $25 for a full slab without any free sides is too costly. This is a festival, a marketing ploy, there should be better sampler platters or pricing that is key to meat only. Most restaurants offer full slabs with sides and salad for around $25 dollars. Beer representation was better this year. Lienenkugels Summer shandy, Miller Lite, Fat tire and Revolutions Anti-hero. $5 a beer in 16 or 12 oz cans. Otherwise, they also have wine. I don't recall seeing boozy cocktails unfortunately. Did I mention to bathe in mosquito repellent before heading out? You'll thank me. #Trust. Moving on. Music was solid though I left early due to the biting pests! Opt to grab a seat nearer the stage. We often choose to eat near the rear of the fest where family seating is found. WE always get eaten alive by mosquitoes there. You'll often see people swatting and scratching over here. But, the most comfortable benches that aid large groups are there. Bring cash or card, it doesn't matter much. Feel free to bring lawn chairs to soak in the weather or pick your own lawn space for the Blues. For the most part, dogs are not allowed unless they are service animals. Bring fam or friends, you're bound to have a good time. If you're single.. no better place to find someone. There are lots of ages and most folks are pretty friendly. So, go early. (Single folks in a 30 - 50s range can be found.) Many of the parking lots in the area become free parking lots for festival goers. If unsure, ask a crossing guard or law enforcement working with the fest. Gripes: The fest marketing and communications department could have done a better PR job. I had found postings with incorrect vendor info and dates, times for the event.

Good selection of ribs, beer and bourbon. A strong focus on excellent blues bands each night…read more Well worth the money, especially if you like live blues.

Went on a Saturday night with my best friend and it was surprisingly not too busy. Service was…read moregreat and the food did not disappoint. Axe throwing with more restaurant seating in the back with a bar cute aesthetic. They don't have steak sauce for the steak, but the garlic butter makes up for it. We also tried a couple of their Old Fashioneds, solid variety and really good. Definitely a good experience overall!

Up North Axe & Tap occupies the former Chili U location. There are entrances from Milwaukee Avenue…read moreand the parking in the back. If you're interested in the axe throwing, enter on Milwaukee Avenue as the restaurant is in back and easier to get to from the rear. You can enter either way. I didn't get a chance to check out the axe throwing part during this visit so I won't discuss it. We met another couple and entered from the parking lot at the rear. When you walk in the vestibule, you can only enter or exit on the left as the right side corner of the restaurant is used for live music. On this occasion there was a singer/guitarist playing when we arrived. The other party was seated already so we made our way to the table. There are a bunch of tables and seats at the bar. And the place was packed. Clearly people knew the singer and were there in support. The speakers were turned up and it was hard to hear the conversation at the table. It's a nice menu and has a lot of options. This would be a good spot for our Burger Club, as there were a few options to choose between. In addition to the burgers, there were other handhelds, some nice looking entrees, salads, and nice starters. I opted for one of their burgers and asked for it medium rare. It was perfectly prepared and was quite delicious. My wife got a salad and added chicken. There was a ton of chicken in it. It looked nice and she said it was good. Our two companions ordered burgers and a chicken sandwich respectively and also commented on how good the food was. Our server was very attentive and was constantly refilling drinks before being asked, asked how we were doing, if the food was to our liking, and cleared up finished plates. By the way, their ranch is a dill ranch and is quite tasty. I'd give five stars, except it was extremely loud and hard to hear.

Went there for brunch, the biscuits and gravy were delicious- perhaps some of the best I've ever…read morehad. Also, the service was fantastic!! Christina was our server and she was great! Highly recommend this restaurant. Well done MSS.

Had dinner here with a friend. I called ahead to ensure they could accommodate celiac/ gluten free…read more They said they have lots of options and their staff is very knowledgeable. We made a reservation for 5:30pm on a Friday night. They do not have a dedicated menu and their menu doesn't list any options as GF but the server explained what I could have. They do not have a dedicated fryer for the fries which was disappointing but they do have GF pasta. I started with the Main Street Spritz. It was delicious and not overly sweet. My friend ordered the hot honey flatbread and I got the pesto cavatelli with GF pasta. My pasta was perfect and the sauce wasn't overpowering. We also shared a crème brûlée. The server and food were great.

Went out to dinner with a friend and family. Decided on The Tavern…read more Overall ambiance is still an old world steakhouse. Hostess and servers were very nice. Patient and helpful. We started with Caesar Salad and a Prosciutto and Mozzarella dish. Both were good. The Caesar greens were a little "old and brown" but still tasted good. The Prosciutto dish was really good and fresh. Everyone doing great. We ordered some cocktails that were on point as well. Service was slow - probably had a little to do with being on a second floor of the restaurant. But we enjoyed the pace. Entrees ordered were 2 different steaks and one Bacon wrapped chicken. The steaks were amazing. A lot of places, even steakhouses, are cutting back on quality due to costs. These steaks were delicious. I ordered the Allen Bros Ribeye which was cooked perfect and was sooooooo flavorful. It was awesome. The Bacon Wrapped Chicken however, was actually black on top and the chicken dry and over cooked. My wife couldn't eat it. To the restaurant's strength, when we alerted the waiter, they immediately took it off the bill and offered to get anything else. When my wife passed (she ate some of our steaks), they bought dessert for our table too. It was the carrot cake and delicious. We will be back and enjoyed our evening out.

The Tavern in Libertyville continues to distinguish itself as one of the stronger steakhouse…read moreexperiences in the area. After several visits, it is clear this is a restaurant that understands the fundamentals of fine dining: atmosphere, execution, and a menu that extends well beyond its steakhouse label. What first sets The Tavern apart is its ambiance. The space leans into a dark, romantic, dimly lit aesthetic that feels both polished and inviting. On our most recent visit, we were seated upstairs according to our reservation, and that remains the preferred setting. The quieter noise level above the main floor allows for more comfortable conversation and a more intimate dining experience. Service was solid, if not especially memorable. Our server was efficient and capable throughout the evening, though somewhat lacking in warmth and guidance. Fortunately, the kitchen carried the night with ease. Every entrée at the table was excellent. My wife's lobster was particularly well received, while the steaks were cooked properly, deeply flavorful, and presented with the kind of care expected at this level. Presentation across the board was refined and appealing. The wine program also deserves recognition. The list is extensive, thoughtfully selected, and offers strong choices for diners who appreciate pairing a serious bottle with dinner. The Tavern is undeniably a high-price-point experience, but it largely delivers the quality and atmosphere to justify it. For those seeking a refined steakhouse meal in Libertyville with strong food, notable wine, and an intimate setting, it is easy to recommend.