Ya know, for a place that could easily be a tourist trap, we left pleasantly surprised with the quality of our meal and service. I guess I should make a special note that we came in the dead of winter during a snowstorm, so we were the only patrons in here for a good 1/2 hour, then 2-3 tables trickled in. I'd imagine if they were busier like I've heard it is at Starved Rock during milder months, that your experience could greatly vary from the one we had, but as far as today, January 1st, 2014, at about 3pm goes, this place is better than A-OK for a lounge in a state park lodge. First off, our server was Nolan and Nolan was a damn gem. Attentive, suggestive when we needed to be swayed in a decent beverage selection, and just generally a whole hell of a lot friendlier than the average person who gets stuck working a customer service-oriented shift on New Year's Day. Big ups to Nolan. He deserves it. Back Door Lounge, despite what you might think at first glance of the name, is not a gay bar. It's just a regular old bar located inside Starved Rock Lodge that you can get to by walking through and across their restaurant, or by entering through the lodge's back door. Clever, eh? Inside it woodsy and casual lodge-like. They had a pretty decent beer selection including a number of the craft variety. I got the Bell's Winter White and my dining/drinking companions got the Ranger IPA -- both on tap, along with 10 or so other beer options. They carried a ton of hard alcohol and at one point I saw the bartender making what looked like a mini martini sampler. Their food menu is limited with just a few pub items like burgers and nachos, but what we had, like I said, was surprisingly good. I mean, if it weren't inside a state park with nothing else around it besides giant, jagged rock formations, I wouldn't be rushing back, but for what it was it was excellent. In addition to our beers we ordered a veggie burger with cheese and sweet potato waffle fries, a salmon burger with sweet potato waffle fries, and a side of regular fries with a side of their gorgonzola cheese sauce. The veggie burger was decent. It was still a pre-made packaged burger, but it was a good one. No Garden Burger or Morningstar here. The salmon burger was also a pre-packaged burger (it might even be the same kind they sell at Costco), but it was moist and delicious - not dry like every single time I've ever had or made one. The burgers run from $7.50-$9.99 and in some cases cheese will run you an extra dollar, and they have quite a few different cheese options to choose from. The burgers come with house-made potato chips or you can sub for fries by adding an extra dollar. It's a bit of a price gouge with the etxras and upgrade, but I have to say as a person who detests sweet potato fries, these were probably the best sweet potato fries I've ever had and my Dad, who's apparently a connoisseur of the sweet potato variety, agreed. If you're at Starved Rock and it's not the madhouse I've heard it to be in warmer weather months, this place is totally worth stopping by, at least for a beer. read more

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After my hike, I just wanted meat. I went for the first hearty-looking burger I could find, and the Signature Rock Burger sang to me from the menu. I got it with regular fries. I could have eaten two burgers! The burger arrived at my table and the only change I would have made to this tasty morsel would have been the bun. I am a huge fan of the pretzel bun. The flavored spicy-raspberry mayo they use on the burger is amazing. I wanted a whole side of it with my fries. Had I known it would have been that good, I wouldn't have ordered ranch dressing. I think they had a steak sandwich, and perhaps I should have asked which had more food. That will teach me to only eat a pear with bread and hummus before a five-mile hike. My hunger was even worse by the time my food arrived. I had downed a chocolate martini while I waited for my food. I needed the sugar to wake me up, and the booze to kill the pain. Otherwise I am not a huge flavored-martini drinker. It tasted like a spiked chocolate milk. Not too sure if that makes a good martini or a bad one. It was heaven to me once I could feel it working! Back Door Lounge is cozy. The service was stellar. The lounge was crowded. We had 8 people at our table and our food was out in less than 15 minutes. I can't wait to come back here as a guest. I want to spend the night and participate in the activities Starved Rock has to offer, along with the rest of Back Door's menu! read more

My aunt suggested we visit Starved Rock and we were starved, so we came to the Backdoor Lounge for lunch. While you can sit either inside or outside, we chose inside since the weather has been finicky. Good thing we did since it started to sprinkle halfway through our meal. My dad ordered the Starved Rock Burger - well done with French fries. My aunt ordered the Strawberry Chicken Pecan Salad - it had chicken, glazed pecans, and poppy seed dressing. It looked really good and the pecans were delicious. I ordered the Illiniwek Chicken Sandwich - grilled chicken breast with Gruyere cheese, wrapped in bacon with BBQ sauce and sweet potato waffle fries. My sandwich was amazing. The chicken was super juicy, tender, and flavorful. The bacon could have been a little crispier, but the cheese and BBQ sauce more than made up for it. It was a delicious mess and I enjoyed it extremely. The waffle sweet potato fries were okay - they had both cinnamon and chipotle seasonings on them which I wasn't a fan of. Overall, it was a great meal and we all enjoyed ourselves. The menu is pretty extensive and had a delicious looking dessert menu. I'd love to come back to Starved Rock and eat here again! read more

Back Door Lounge - Illiniwek sandwich with sweet potato fries. - New American Near Me - Oglesby, Illinois

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Came in here after a hike for lunch with my wife and son. Over all it was was what I expected: bar food. My wife had the Gorgonzola nachos and they were edible. Son had the pizza which was what they used to serve in high school cafeteria. He liked it. I ordered the fish tacos which were disappointing to say the least. Fried, bland, had some sort of lettuce cilantro mix that looked like it was made a week earlier, and oohh what's this??? A flavorless layer of relish at the base?!?! How inventive!!! No, Dogwood. To add insult to injury, our server never came back to check on how our food was (serving 101) but noticed me noticing her noticing my barely touched plate as she passed 5 times with out saying a word. Nada. Bill comes, "Fish Tacos $10". Nice. Outcome... 15% tip Never coming back Get to write a nasty Yelp review read more

We stopped in here for a quick bite to eat and relax a bit. The outside Veranda where you can eat or sip on a cocktail offers a spectacular view overlooking miles and miles of wooded trees and also the winding IL River below. That's worth the price of admission right there...well, if you were to actually be charged admission, which you aren't....and incidentally is one of the great things about visiting Starved Rock and its Lodge....almost everything is free of charge, such a nice contrast in comparison to City living where seemingly you get nickle and dimed at every conceivable turn. read more

So glad I paid $60 for lunch next door in order to spend time in nature but instead got Ed Sheeran and Coldplay blasted at me. The point of coming out here is to be at-one with nature, not listen to pop music. C'mon guys. read more

I got my pulled pork, $9.5 and it was not that good and juicy. I won't come back to this place for lunch again read more

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The setting can't be better, perched on the edge of a cliff above a lush green landscape next to a big lodge, in the beauty of natural canyons on a nice summer day. The menu was a modest "bar menu" but the food tasted so good after a long day hiking, just a simple burger and fries hardly tasted so wonderful. The food came quite fast (they have an outdoor BBQ in the summer) but it took twice as long to get our drinks, which is unusual, but they spontaneously apologized about it. They should be more clear in the main dining room that "seats on the porch" are actually part of the Lounge and not the same menu as the main room, when we were directed to grab a table outside based on our request they didn't clarify this, but no matter since we wanted to be outdoors anyways. The prices are modest for what they could be in a tourist destination, if the weather is in your favor I recommend you sit here outside! read more

After a long morning of hiking, we decided to stop at the Back Door Lounge for a bite to eat. We decided to eat on the veranda, and tables covered by umbrellas overlooked the beautiful state park. Our service was top notch; the waitress was attentive and fast. We ordered two margaritas to drink, and they were perfect. Our flatbreads, the Roni Roni and Presto Pesto, were filling and had a good flavor. Additionally, they were made in an outdoor brick oven. This is a great place to stop for a quick bite to eat after hiking! read more

Back Door Lounge - Presto Pesto and Roni Roni flatbread. - New American Near Me - Oglesby, Illinois

I've been coming to Starved Rock State Park for years. Sometimes we'll head to one of the surrounding towns for a bite or during warm months I love to eat on the Versnda patio outside the bar and lodge. The food and service has always been very good. The menu outside is smaller, consisting g of a couple apps and a few sandwiches- everything served on paper plates and disposable cups. Today our service was spotty and slow- it wasn't that busy and it seemed there were plenty of staff so not sure what the issue was. Our sandwiches came out quickly but without all the condiments which took forever My chicken sandwich was dry and boring, the bun tasted slightly stale, there was literally 3 slices of barely grilled red pepper and not much more onion- And I didn't realize both an extra buck-each! the tomato slice was a welcome addition with a side bag of good chips. Hint: toast the bun on the grill and add some seasoning or at least add enough onion and peppers to taste them And warrant the upcharge! Maybe offer a side of ranch. Then we waited forever to get our tab and then zzzz until she returned with our card. She was nice enough when she spoke but since I too am in the service industry I couldn't leave what I usually do. We're pretty laid back and were enjoying the atmosphere but had long run out of beverages and needed to hit the road read more

Went last week and sat at the bar difficulty getting waited on. When I finally got my beer I asked for a menu he handed me the menu and never returned. I swore I wouldn't either. Unfortunately yesterday my girlfriend wanted to go out there. We sat at a table finally got waited on, ordered onion rings waitress said One order would feed two people after a long wait because the waitress said they lost her ticket we got a plate of onion rings there were 10 onion rings at $9 per order that makes it $1 per onion ring, they were good but not that good. Most of the waitresses there and definitely the bar people are rude and apparently don't like their jobs I've never burned anyone on a tip but it sure crossed my mind. I'll go back I'm sure I won't have a choice obviously the only game in town but I definitely intend to treat them just like they treat me from the way I greet them to the way I tip them read more

After a long hike, we were looking for meat and beer. While they have a good beer selection, we were not expecting pre-fab food at these prices. The salad we ordered came in a to-go container and clearly had been made hours earlier. The burgers are pre-made patties and are only served well-done. This made for a rather dry sandwich. Prices are high for what you are served. I would skip the food at the Back Door lounge and just do drinks. You can get the same food or better for half the price at the Visitor's Center down the stairs. read more

The food was pretty good, this review will be about the service. The attitude of our waitress was uncalled for. The bartender, Nick, is the only reason this isn't 1 star. When we walked in, all tables were full - inside and outside. So, we decided to sit at the bar while waiting for a table to open up. The friendly bartenders asked for our order and offered the food menu. We ordered our food with the bar because it didn't seem as though any of the tables were going to free up. Well, a few minutes later...a table opened up! I asked one of the employees if we could just sit at the table even though we ordered at the bar- they said it wouldn't be a problem. Our waitress hadn't come by yet, and the bartender noticed. He came out to clean off our table! The waitress finally had some time for us and when we told her that we had already ordered at the bar- she didn't even let me finish asking her if we could transfer the tab to her....she just scoffed with a huge attitude and walked away!! Who does that!? When she passed by again, I was able to stop her and ask her if she needed me to get the tab transferred. Again with the pissed off look on her face, she mumbled a few words and never came back. Granted, she looked very young and maybe she didn't have very much experience working with people. Someone may need train her on her customer service and how (especially as a waitress) her attitude can make or break her tip. She made me feel like we did something wrong! I've come across some bad waitresses, but the way she treated us was just terrible. Luckily, the bartenders were awesome. They showed they cared...which goes a long way. They kept coming back to check on us! Thanks, Nick! You and your team were great! read more

Awful service. Took an hour and a half to get our food. Waitress kept talking about a lunch rush when there were more empty chairs than bodies. The food was good but not worth the wait. Even the drinks took 20 minutes, for a draft beer and a bloody. Save your time and your money. read more

Ate dinner here for the spectacular view. Service was very friendly and efficient. Food was very good.

Our server was nice, but obviously lacked experience. The fried ravioli appetizer was great, but the rest of our food was pretty disappointing. My husbands chicken sandwich was dry and I'm pretty sure my stuffed shrimp were just tiny cocktail shrimp with some canned crab meat and mayo rolled into a ball and fried, my side dish of rice was super sticky and I'm guessing had been in a warmer for hours. My biggest issue with the restaurant is that you would think that in a state park they would be a bit more earth conscious, but we were given our drinks in plastic cups and they used paper napkins. Very disappointed . read more

Came here for drinks after a long day of hiking around the park. The bartender was friendly and prompt. They had a decent selection of beers on tap and the price wasn't too bad. It was very relaxing to sit and enjoy the view at the end of the day. read more

Will never go back to this place. Rude staff at bar. And I really love starved rock. Its ashame.

We had been hiking all morning and stopped in here for lunch. We sat inside to enjoy the air conditioning and it took forever for anyone to bring us menus. Our waitress ended up being very sweet. The food was sub par for the price. I had the chicken sandwich without the bun since I have a wheat allergy and the chicken was pretty dry - the sautéed mushrooms were anything but sautéed. Our youngest son got the cheese flatbread and it was not $9 good. Burgers were just ok. Again, good for a quick bite but not somewhere I would go again unless in a pinch and super hungry. read more

STAY CLEAR. HAD HAIR IN FOOD. Had lunch there yesterday. Had a HAIR in the burger. I didn't finish it and I turned down an offer by management to replace it. They did not charge me for the food that I couldn't not eat but the manager refused to compensate our dinner for my husband's $10.50 burger. I personally talked to the manager and he would not do it. I told him that this is what YELP is for. read more

Super nice service, and opened till Midnight when we visited in April. Ordered the 1/2 fried chicken with upgraded white meat to split for two adults. They even brought out an extra roll for us. Wish they had more selection from local breweries and wineries. read more

This place was average. Nothing special stands out, kind of cute inside but food and sevice was nothing to write home about.

The Back Door Lounge is located on top of a bluff in Starved Rock and has a great view and atmosphere. Although the restaurants location and feel is good, the food's quality and taste was lacking. Both my friend and I ordered the Beer Boiled Brat, which was tasteless. We even added grilled onions to the brat which were undercooked. The restaurant also made homemade potato chips which were hard and over cooked. Overall I did not enjoy my food. read more

The food is good but way overpriced. Why should I have to pay 9.00 for a 2.00 hot dog please let me know

Service was excellent! Wait staff amazing and attentive! Food was ok. I had the cheese burger and my wife the brat. and they were priced appropriately. And our view was heavenly! Not many options but id have no issue eating there again. read more