Great food, great service, fair prices, feels like you are at home in the space. Still waiting for the store to open next door,

Very disappointing experience. I came here on a date, and we sat at a table right in the center of the dining room for about 30 minutes without being acknowledged or waited on at all. What made it even more frustrating was that they weren't particularly busy at the time. We watched people who came in after us get waited on while we continued sitting there. I tried three separate times to get one of the younger waitresses' attention, but not a single person acknowledged us or even looked our direction. Eventually, after half an hour of being completely ignored, we got up and left. As we were walking out, the owner actually thanked us for coming in, apparently without realizing that we had just spent 30 minutes sitting in his dining room without receiving any service whatsoever. A family member later asked about what happened because I had told him I wouldn't be going back. The owner and the older waitress reviewed the footage and confirmed that we had, in fact, been sitting there for approximately 30 minutes without being served. The owner's explanation was that he thought we had already been waited on and had already eaten. That explanation honestly makes very little sense to me considering there was never any food, drinks, dishes, or anything else brought to our table. The older waitress initially apologized for what happened, but then proceeded to have what my family member described as a nasty attitude toward him for the remainder of his visit, and that attitude apparently continued when he returned another time. As far as the food itself, from my previous experiences here, I've found the offerings repetitive. It seems like much of the same food over and over without much variety or anything really changing. I understand restaurants make mistakes and tables occasionally get overlooked. But they weren't slammed, we were sitting in the middle of the dining room, I repeatedly tried to get someone's attention, customers who arrived after us were being served, and we were still ignored for 30 minutes. The fact that they later reviewed the footage and confirmed how long we had been sitting there only makes the experience more unbelievable to me. One star. I won't be returning. read more

What a wonderful find. Exceptional breakfast, great service and the decor and cleanliness of the restaurant adds to the experience. Stop here, guarantee you will not be disappointed. All homemade food, made with love. read more

Great stop off of I57!! When we arrived at 8AM for a quick breakfast on our journey, did Beans &Barley Brews deliver! Enjoyed the B&G's, Mrs B's Banana Split, coffee and took a delicious raspberry white chocolate mocha for the road. The banana split was full of fresh fruit, homemade yogurt and homemade granola!! Great prices, very good service, super neat barn/country atmosphere and delicious!! A must stop next time we are in the area. read more

Beans & Barley Brews - Mrs B's Banana Split - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Ashkum, Illinois

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Beautiful inside with a great menu. All food farm to table, with craft beer, and wine. We Harvest Hosted (stayed overnight in RV) and the owners we super nice. Great place with great people. read more

Beans & Barley Brews - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Ashkum, Illinois

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Oh, my gosh!!!! What a great place! Excellent food, friendly people and the neatest theme/decor!! We're campers and members of Harvest Host, so when we needed a place for the night, we were happy to find B&BB as an option on our route. Detours caused us to arrive much later than we planned but we were welcomed warmly. The restaurant opens for breakfast at 6 so we got to visit with Dee and Joanie while we ate. Don't miss the homemade raisin toast!!! My husband bought a bunch of funky, fun beers, too. Wonderful HH site, for sure. Be sure to stop if you're in the area. Or find a reason to make the trip if you're not! Thanks to you all!!! read more

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Amazing!!! I was stranded when I-57 closed, so got off at mile marker 293, which is right next to Beans & Barley Brews. These are truly amazing people, going way out of their way on kindness, hospitality, and service. And they go above and beyond to meet my hopes on selection for my snacking needs. And great wifi on top of this. Highly recommended! read more

We've passed this on the way to UIUC. Decided to stop today and had a great experience. We ordered a variety of things. Beer, a delicious iced chai latte, scones. All delicious! We finished our meal with meatloaf sliders. Highly recommend everything. Service was excellent. Worth a stop. read more

Beans & Barley Brews - Sour beer, blueberry pie iced chai and a scone. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Ashkum, Illinois

We had breakfast and it was phenomenal! Pancakes, potatoes, eggs, gravy, sausage, bacon, fruit...everything was delicious! Rae provided excellent service! The atmosphere was so nice. We were even able to sit outside and enjoy the weather, as well. read more

Beans & Barley Brews - Fruit cup - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Ashkum, Illinois

The food was amazing. We almost drove right by this gem and it would have been a huge mistake. Everything was so fresh and so good.

Cute place right off 57! Stopped here around lunch time on a Saturday afternoon on our way down to Southern Illinois. Food was really good! Both of us had breakfast. Ended up ordering a fruit plate to go because the people next to us had one and it looked so good. Coffee was good too! There were not that many workers and the service was slow. She apologized for it taking long but we were hoping for a quick lunch (one of the reasons we sat at the counter). Giving a 1 star deduction for this. We'd definitely stop there again if we were in the area. The woman behind the counter told us they've been around for about 3 years and the owners did all the work there. They made the tables out of bowling lanes. Note to restaurant: your sign outside it really hard to read. Granted there isn't too much around, but the letters are thin and hard to read. read more

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Great food, ambience and service! Staff is friendly; a nice clean covered patio to dine with our pet. Definitely a place to stop in for breakfast and lunch during the week and dinner on weekends. read more

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Hosted a bridal shower brunch for my future daughter-in-law today. The food was exceptionally good. And, honestly, anytime I've been in, it's been very good. Today was the first time I've been in the east wing for an event. It worked perfectly for our group of 30. There was plenty of space to move around, have good conversation, and watch the bride unwrap her gifts. The staff were very helpful, particularly as it related to answering questions & assisting with making changes to the space to meet our needs. I'd definitely do another event here! read more

I haven't been here in a long time but when I was the food was very good. The service was amazing. I love the vibe inside it's rustic and cozy. I would definitely recommend! read more

A neat find while heading north one day. Needed a coffee, found this extraordinary venue. Breakfast, lunch and supper check their times and days open. Coffee, pastries, food, all excellent. Ambience! Wow! You need to plan a trip. read more

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What a surprise!! When you pull off the highway to a restaurant your expectations aren't very high. This place is AWESOME, just what you need as you're traveling! They serve pretty decent BBQ - pulled pork, brisket (my husband had that, said it was super), chicken, mac n cheese - along with salads. Everything we had was really good. It was a very welcoming place, and the waitstaff were helpful and friendly. THe restaurant was surprisingly modern, very open and airy. We'll definitely go back, I'd highly recommend stopping there! read more

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driving from Chicago to EIU, so glad we found this place. We stopped for breakfast and it was great. Nice ambiance and a very friendly staff. I really wanted them to have their own beer here, but they only sell others' stuff. they do have their own coffee there which I liked. We'll probably make this our regular stop on the drive down 57 to visit my kid for the next few years in Charleston. read more

Great local spot right off the highway. The outside of the restaurant makes it look a little basic, but the inside is very nice and comfortable. The food was very fresh. Definitely seemed like they used a lot of locally sourced ingredients. I got the banana split and the three egg omelette. Both very good. The service was outstanding as well. I would definitely come back here again if I'm passing through. read more

Beans & Barley Brews - Outside - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Ashkum, Illinois

Great food and great service. Can't wait for the blue building to be finished! Meatloaf and fettuccini Alfredo tasted pretty good, so did scones read more

Great service, atmosphere, food and drinks! Can't wait to go back and try more items on the menu Awesome place to stop on the drive for food, coffee and drinks! read more

A great local food and drink place - a small town establishment with a bit of modern character. The owner has been present each time I have dined there. We seem to go there more for breakfast after church which is down the road. Good coffee, h/m pastries, pancakes, omelets and more; good variety of sliders (and meat in general) and adult beverages. A large party would work there, the facility is spacious - houses an event room. read more

Wonderful interstate stop reminiscent of the vintage diner, remodeled future forward farmer atmosphere, extremely polite and well trained staff, lots of space and stuffed menu! Too bad I did not have time for breakfast but made a beeline towards the espresso bar which doubles as a proper bar as well, living up to their name. I was shown a large menu with the standards of every fruit bean, yes coffee is a fruit, brew house. This is the first place in all of my extensive catering to the inner caffeine connoisseur that offered a pecan flavor so props to you guys for an original and turned out very necessary option! Pecan and coffee is one of those new essentials I cannot fathom no one else put together until here. My caramel pecan latte was the perfect fix for my post wedding road trip Father's Day weekend. Unfortunately I never get around this part of Illinois but this is definitely a great reason to do so! read more

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This restaurant has terrific food and a great selection of craft and regular American beer. We actually met the owner and he is very nice. He checked in on us several times during our dinner. The selection of beer is amazing. I tried several I've never had before and they were all good. Our waitress was great too. I think I spoke to the owner's wife when I called for directions. We have been traveling for days to Ft Myers, FL after learning that our home is under water. Meeting nice people that go out of their way to make your dining experience great really felt good. The food is great. I had the Mac and cheese with brisket. There are more expensive menu items but this one hit the spot. My wife had a the brisket boat (brisket over tortilla chips, baked beans, cheese, onion, etc.) I didn't even get a bite. So I know it was great! read more

We have never been at Beans & Barley Brews before, and boy are you missing it! Good food, really lovely people and great place.

Absolutely fantastic food Perfect choice for every meal Excellent service and atmosphere read more

Great atmosphere, great food and great people. All at an affordable price. Brisket boat aka frito pie (thanks chef for the info) was amazing! read more

This is our second trip to Beans & Barley and after our second trip I feel ok to give them an official review. We stopped by on a Saturday evening around 6 with a group of 6 and we didn't have a server for about fifteen minutes. Like other reviews I'm pretty sure it's a family business and doesn't have too many employees. I ended up ordering the full sliders that came with a side. There was a $1 upcharge to get two different types of sliders instead of the exact same ones. I got the meatball mama d slider and it was full of flavor with an amazing homemade bun. The other slider was a brisket and unfortunately it was very chewy with a lack of flavor. The mac and cheese was very creamy and tasty. A plus was the variety of beers that they keep in stock beyond the norm for this type of area. Keep in mind that this won't be a quick bite and prepare for a wait before your order is taken. read more

Beans & Barley Brews - Full sliders brisket and meatball with mac and cheese side - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Ashkum, Illinois

Outstanding find ez on and off stop from the highway. Service we great and the food was good had healthy food for like minded people.

How anyone can give this place less than 5+ stars is astounding. A farm-to-table restaurant that clearly makes everything with craft and love? Yes, please! We were dropping our son off at UIUC from southern California and stopped by for lunch. It is 5 stars regardless of where you put it. Great ambiance, kickin food, great micro brew beer selection, very friendly service. A revelation tucked right off 57! A blessing for the local community and an oasis for us foodie travelers passing through. Support this unique destination. It 100% deserves it! Just go, and often. Enjoy! read more

Needed to stop for breakfast and found this gem along the way!! Definitely take a stop here, you won't be disappointed with the food! Service was great too! Sorry I forgot to take pics of the biscuit n gravy along with my eggs, bacon, and sausage! read more

Great Location right off the highway. Good food made from scratch. Friendly service. Highly recommend, will return

Causal dining experience with tasty food. They have an extensive beer list with a lot of variety. I had the brisket sliders and the portion was generous. I tried 2 different BBQ sauces and the pineapple was so good. My fiancé has the meatloaf pizza, also a very generous portion and so cheesy. The service was good but not great but there was only 1 server today due to it being the day after Christmas. Still giving 5 stars because it was a wonderful lunch. Left full and happy! read more

Beans & Barley Brews - Brisket sliders with baked beans - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Ashkum, Illinois

Met friends from Indiana and Champaign area at this midpoint location and had so much fun!! Covered outdoor seating, delicious food which is locally sourced. Best of all was chatting with the owner to learn about his vision for opening a restaurant in what seems like an obscure location. If you're traveling along 57 this is a great stop! read more

Working away from home can be hard at times! This restaurant made me feel welcome the minute I entered the building! I enjoyed the food and welcoming I received! If you're in the neighborhood I would recommend stopping and enjoying their food and fellowship! read more

Great selection of locally sourced, homemade meals. If you're wanting a burger and fries, this place isn't for you. If you want a quality meal in a clean, inviting atmosphere....enjoy! The coffee could be stronger, but the freshness of the meal made up for that. I truly hope the owners of this restaurant succeed for years to come! read more

Open garage door walls = perfect for Covid. The breakfast I needed! On my way back to Chicago from Lake Mattoon. Holy cow, what a venue (old church maybe?). This place is adorable. My biscuits & gravy are delicious so it's hard to eat it at breakfast places. I always try it anyway & I'm usually dissatisfied. This was INCREDIBLE! The eggs were fluffy & light. The gravy over potatoes was perfect. read more

Beans & Barley Brews - Gravy over potatoes with cheesy scrambled eggs. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Ashkum, Illinois

DO NOT PASS THIS PLACE! This was right off the highway and we always try to find good local eat stops. The menu offered something for everyone and the scones were so good we ordered some to go. The service was GREAT, home town feel with kindness. The portions were large and the food was excellent. Everything was made on-site and was fresh. You can start your morning here and stop back for lunch or dinner. A really well decorated and new feel. read more

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The food is great & the service is wonderful. I have never had a bad experience there. The outdoor patio is very nice too.

Stopped for a late lunch after visiting Janie's Mill. I had the brisket sliders. I asked to have the apricot BBQ sauce on the side. The menu said it came with jalapeno slices and a side of chips. My lunch came the BBQ sauce on the sliders, no jalapenos and no chips. The brisket was good, the BBQ sauce okay, not much apricot taste. The service was fine and the staff friendly. We'll be back. read more

A must stop! Delicious food and a huge selection of drinks. The service was very friendly and prompt. Great setting as the garage doors were open and letting in a nice breeze as well. Highly recommend the meatloaf sliders and Mac&Cheese. read more