CHEYENNNE, our waitress rudely informed us that we couldn't just come in, have drinks, and play bingo; that we had to order food. so after we ordered 2 orders of fries and one order of onion rings, she helped herself to an $8.00 tip. when she brought the change back, she threw it on the table! and said something to the effect of "since you think I'm rude" *....I guess she had to show us a little more rudeness. no dip for the onion rings and no receipt. of course no offer of refills on the drinks or to check back if we needed anything else. this is the worst attitude than any of we 4 former customers ever had. we won't be back. *we'd asked another waitress who our rude one was since she got so "busy" she didn't come back for a long time. read more

Hey you've gotta support local. Good people. Good service. They give back to the community. Typical bar food and as someone who doesn't do gluten, that can limit your choices, but I will say they really have great salads! read more

I want to update my review from this summer - I stopped in to meet the same friend on February 7th, the place was clean and my burger was good. Keep up the good work. ////:////// Supposed to meet a friend for dinner. Photo doesn't even come close to the huge amount of dead bugs in the doorway of the restaurant. Told my friend we are leaving. What does the kitchen look like?? read more

Boars Nest Bar & Grill - Photo doesn't even come close to the huge amount of dead bugs in the doorway of the restaurant. Kitchen like this? - Bars Near Me - Athens, Illinois

Normally this place has been pretty good. Unfortunately the last 2 times I've been there, the food was cold for 3 out of 3 people. The other time the chicken tenders were not tender at all. In fact they were tough. Hard to chew. This is strike #2. Everyone knows what happens after a 3rd. strike read more

While visiting family in Springfield, IL we were told this was a "must stop" for lunch. We arrived just at the end of the lunch rush - REALLY popular - but by the time we ordered, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. Our waitress was friendly like everyone is in the Midwest (the kind who calls you "Hon") and had our drink orders on the table right away. Biggest plastic glass of iced tea I've ever seen!!! Nothing fancy: tables, booths, and a bar. Be warned, this place serves LOTS OF FOOD, everything from sandwiches, salads, pizza, chili, soup, alligator bites for the more adventurous, and breakfast even, but they are most famous for their "Shoe Collection." As with the type you wear "shoes" come in various sizes: the "Shetlandshoe" & "Ponyshoe" are for beginners ("sissies" some say). Veterans order the "Horseshoe" (my brother & nephew each ordered these) but only the most serious of eaters order the "Clydesdaleshoe." There's even a disclaimer at the bottom of the menu that states "The Clydesdale is a "single person" item only. If the person can eat the shoe in full in less than 1 hour, shoe is free." A "shoe" consists of Texas toast - the larger the shoe, the more toast (2 slices on the Horseshoe), your choice of meat: chicken (grilled or buffaloed), pork (tenderloin), beef (ribeye, Philly or Italian), and a MOUNTAIN of french fries, all topped with their own homemade cheese sauce and I'm not talking about the canned orange nacho-type either. I didn't order any of the shoes but I did taste the cheese sauce and it was top-notch. I played it safe and ordered a much smaller Italian beef sandwich on a big fluffy french roll topped with sauteed onions & bell peppers. Instead of french fries I lived dangerously and ordered the tater tots (OMG remember tater tots, I HAD to order tater tots...deep-fried!) The roll was huge and I ended up eating only half of it. After we left I imagined the waitress snickering about the food left on the plate and saying "Must have been from Cali" (why do they all say "Cali" in the Midwest?) Anyway, this is a regional kind of place that serves food the locals like; nothing fancy at all, just good honest food. Something we don't have much of in California anymore. It was a pleasant change. I'd go back and maybe even try the "sissie" Shetlandshoe.... read more

Great selection of appetizers the fried pickles and mini tacos are my favorites. Excellent burgers, and specialty sandwiches including delicious horseshoes. Very good thin crust pizza with a large selection of toppings. Tasty salads here as well. Taco, buffalo chicken salads are especially good. Nightly specials include Mexican, steaks and fish. Fully stocked bar with lots of flat screens, and a wide selection of bottles beers. Live music on most weekends. Great spot for a bite to eat and a night out. read more

Used their drive up to pick up meals on 2 separate trips, they were exactly as ordered and ready on time. The food was great and there were more chicken tenders than I expected. The lady at the window was pleasant and I enjoyed talking to her. I think the food has greatly improved since the last time we were there. Defiantly a HIT. read more

Food was good but , I have never had a waitress that had such a poor attitude for a service person. Four of us went to play bingo there. We sat down and ordered drinks. The waitress brought menus and very rudely said you cannot think you are going to play bingo without ordering food. We then ordered something. It was brought without the sauce it was supposed to come with, by another waitress, so we asked the name of the first waitress and said she was rude to us. She went and told the first waitress and when she came to get our money and returned she threw the change at my husband and said we were the rude ones. When ask why others were not ordering , she said well they are regulars. We never received a receipt and believe she helped herself to a large tip. We were told by another couple that she complained to they about how rude we were. We will not go back. Hope you will avoid them too. read more

Hard to give anything positive since after 25 minutes can't get waited on. Have been pointed out but to no avail. Good luck to anyone else - we left Update, tonight service and food were great. Could not ask for better. Will definitely be back again read more

Very disappointed in our visit to the restaurant. The menu had a small piece of paper attached which indicated prices may vary but when the bill was received the prices were 30% higher than the menu. When asked about the prices they continued to talk about us in the restaurant like we weren't there. It would seem an update to the menu prices are In order, or maybe that's the intent read more

Boar Bites are our Go-To appetizer. We live them and they are sometimes our whole meal. They have a good selection of beers. Great cheeseburgers too. Service is hit and miss. Sometimes we get a great server and sometimes not so much. read more

Ok. I can say I've had a horseshoe. "Shoe" bring the operative word here, since shoe leather was the texture of the fried steak. The bread was just bread, the fries were just fries, and cool when I got to them since the sandwich came 3 minutes after the app, which I was enjoying more. (Not the servers'e fault, I'm sure.) The cheese was just cheese, nothing special. I should have stuck with the pony (half order) since I only ate about half, and I think I'm going to regret even that. The server was pleasant after I finally went in to ask if I needed to order inside (since no one told when they directed to what could loosely be called a patio so I could sit with my dog,) and she did bring the food out to me. The bottled apple cider was cold, so that's good; none on tap (actually nothing on tap.) The homemade (elsewhere) blackberry pie was good. I wanted the cherry-rhubarb but was talked out of it as being too old and "gross." No atmosphere inside and especially not outside. The folks playing volleyball were having fun. Guess it's something to do with their friends and it's nice they have that option. Probably fun when they have live music. Not recommended. Especially not if you drove from Petersburg as I did (and now have to drive back with this ball of carbs and cheese in my stomach.) Stay there and have the Mexican place instead; it sounded better. read more

Cool bar. Usually always something fun going on. Hand breaded tenderloin was great, it was the lunch special, only $5 with fries. Good beer selection. They carry a Hand of Fate beer on tap always, which is a local brewery. Great service, super friendly staff. read more

I am a local who can easily manage a trip to Springfield to fancier and more popular locations but will not as long as i have the choice of going to The Boar's Nest. Their Shoes are exquisite, crinkle-cut fries perfectly matched with white cheese and thick texas toast. Their crispy chicken is hot and delectable. The wait time is slightly lengthy but is most definitely worth it and not that noticeable because staff is there when you need your refill. The decor is a set recognizeable theme (which is rare among small town restaurants) of hunting which gives the outdoorsy appeal and they have two flat-screens as well which gives a more modern, comforting spin on it. Pricing is reasonable considering the phenominal food quality they serve. Take-out is a swift and accomodating process. read more

We've been to the Boars Nest numerous times for food, volleyball night, wing and sing and band nights! We always have a blast! There are so many fun things going on besides just lunch or dinner. Volleyball in the spring and fall are super fun and a great thing to do with your friends! Wing and sing on Wednesdays are awesome! Go in for great deals on wings and get your lungs ready for some karaoke! Most weekends they will have a band. They are usually awesome locals artists that make your typical boring Friday/Saturday night into a BLAST! There are many nights when they call last call and we don't want to go home yet. It's so much fun! read more

Stopped in for fish on Friday night. Some of the best fried catfish I've ever had. And a draft beer from local Hand of Fate brewery. . Only down side was the "buttery spread" served with the tasty marble rye bread. Sigh. Why can't we get REAL dairy BUTTER. read more

Had a basketball tourney in the area, went on two different occasions. Thought they'd be prepared- they were not. First one ordered and never got the order two hours after and kid had to play a game without lunch. Second time - giving them the benefit of the doubt went the next day. Same thing....if you wanna wait two hours for a mediocre pizza or a burger - this is your place. Not a good experience and won't be back. Will drive back to Springfield to get food from here on out. read more

I don't understand the poor reviews. I ate breakfast here and it was great. Heard that they have a very good steak too. I visited today and the restaurant was "clean as a pin!" read more

Would have never found this place if weren't for a lunch meeting with a client who has a location across the street from them. Yes, it's in the middle of nowhere, but their food can compare to those in bigger cities. They have something called "The Horseshoe" on the menu which from what I understand originated from Springfield, IL (not too far from Athens). What it comprises of is a foundation of 2 pieces of Texas toast smeared with butter, topped with a thinly pounded fried tenderloin, with a mound of fries on top of that then the grand finale is nacho cheese!! I personally did not order this dish, but was happy to have a few bites from my co-workers plate. I have no words to describe this dish. It's amazingly fattening and just utterly mind-blowing when you see it. They also have a "Clydesdale" portion of this invention and it's a whopping 7lbs!!! Maybe we should send Adam Richman there to conquer the Clydesdale. Definitely an experience and why not stop by if you're in the area. read more

My parents live nearby to this place and I can testify that it's the place that most locals will recommend if you ask about good food near Athens. Service, atmosphere and food is good and folksy. You can expect live entertainment from local bands on Saturday nights. read more

We went on Saturday and sat in the bar area. Early evening with college football on silent and noise from gambling machines. I played the juke box so they got drowned out. We both got Tenderloins and they are so good that I may repeat if I go again. I am not in the area often. read more

First time for me there, I went in for dinner were seated right away. I quickly found out that there was a bar with a live band next-door. I opted for their specialty pizza that has a white sauce instead of red. I've had Alfredo sauce pizzas in the past and I've enjoyed them, it may be acquired taste of some but for me it was later in the evening and I opted for a pizza that would have less of a acid taste so I didn't pay for it later with indigestion. It wasn't the best pizza I had, but for the area it was better than I thought. I had a side of french fries as an appetizer that was good, and my Guest had a burger that she enjoyed. I ordered iced tea to drink, it was a little on the weak side, so I ordered the raspberry tea and that was fine. And check out there was some peanut brittle and toffee, we bought some of that and I like them both but I really really like the peanut brittle. I've seen some negative reviews, before I went there and was a little hesitant. But I can tell you I think it was from people that were not used to rural areas. I'm not from the area that the boars nest is in, where I live is very similar so there wasn't any surprises to me. There was a previous post about a lot of dead bugs this place is surrounded by farmers fields and certain times a year. I didn't see anything like that but I'm well aware of that at different times of years certain species of insects can all of a sudden appear for a few weeks and then be gone. The fact of the previous poster noted that the bugs were all dead is indication that they were on top of it, And had taken measures to control them. And from the pictures I saw it was all external to the building anyways, again I think this is just perception there insects like there is wildlife in rural areas. I was dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt, but I saw other people dressed up so it's seem to have a vast clientele. If I were in the area again I'd certainly stop in and try something different on the menu. And get some more of that peanut brittle. This seem to be a family run Business and in my opinion you just can't get better than that when it comes to service, and the overall feeling of the place. You feel more like a gas than a customer. read more

Boars Nest Bar & Grill - Bores Nest Special Chicken Alfredo. Cooked to perfection I might add. - Bars Near Me - Athens, Illinois

The dining service is terrible. I am a waitress and this place is very unorganized and quite pitiful with service. I have been there a hand full of times because it is close to where I live. And EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I had a bad experience. Not only with the service, but the food as well. I kept going back to give the menu items the benefit of the doubt, but always ended up disappointed. Tonight I went there and tots were burnt, ribeye was terrible, DO NOT ORDER YOUR KID SPAGHETTI, and the service was awful. Never will I ever give it another shot. Two thumbs down to The Boars Nest for sure. The bar will be the only thing that will keep them open. read more

This is a good place for a decent meal. It could have been cleaner but when i was there it was during rush hour and the staff was really busy. (The bathrooms were clean though). The service could have been faster, but as i said they were very busy. The waiter was very polite and was on top of his game when it came to getting us refills. Overall i would recommend this place if you aren't trying to spend too much and still want a decent meal!! read more

Had breakfast and it was excellent. The bacon was the best Clean and good service. Will come back soon.

Great small town bar and restaurant love going there for fish on Friday nights, enjoy the bands and the friendly atmosphere

Great food and service! A little pricy but well worth it! Huge portions of food. Great wraps sweet potato fries and they're horseshoes are huge! Attempt to finish the "Clydesdale" and u get it for free. Think it's only been done a few times tho lol read more

Ate there once after so many hyped it. I ordered the pork tenderloin, wife got the chicken bowl and son got chicken strips. The tenderloin was soggy and the breading would just peel off. Was not very crispy for being fried. The wife's chicken bowel was cold, the biscuit was still frozen! As for my son's chicken strips they were more like chicken jerky way too dry.Service was okay, but you can come to the table too many times. All around even though its a local business I'd rather just drive by it. read more