"Good to KNOW you," the barkeep Gary greeted me soon after I arrived at this underground house of…read morealcohol conveniently located in the basement of the old train station. He must've been a psychic because after about an hour and a few drinks, I did feel like I got to know the guy a bit. It turns out this was just my kind of bar...low key and neighborly, quiet enough for conversation with an interesting focus on regional Illinois beers ranging from the Keg Grove Cornfused (a tasty brew but "not what you want if you're looking for something to knock you over the head" according to the barkeep), the Lionstone Peanut Butter which we all agreed tasted like peanut butter, and a good range in between...including the presumably hipster-oriented IPA "Bro Do You Even?" from White Oak, which at 7.5% ABV probably is what you're looking for if you're a hipster and deserve to be knocked over the head. There's an Atari, a jukebox, a couple of TVs, and a dumbwaiter to deliver food down from the heavens if you need it. I needed none of that. But I did get an hour-long conversation at the bar about death and GMOs and how little we knew about baseball before heading out to get the rest I came to town seeking. "If you want to come back and drink here tomorrow, you're as welcome as the flowers in spring," barkeep said on my way out.

Friendly atmosphere. Hidden jewel in Pontiac. Would recommend for visitors. It has a small town…read morefeel, owner is really friendly. Bar has specialty beers and domestics. Would have gotten the last star but bathroom needed attention.

Love the new menu! Wings are legit and beers are cold. Really like the mac'n'cheese. Will be back.read more

Awesome atmosphere and delicious food! The service was impeccable! Would definitely recommend!!read more

Checked out this divy bar in Pontiac, where locals come and chill. It isn't anything to be…read moreimpressed about, but that's not the idea obviously. PJ's Pub is where to get cold drinks, and if you're lucky there's frozen pizzas. A place that looks like someone's backyard bar. The prices are pretty cheap at least. Basically it's a neighborhood bar. It's close to a lot of things in the so called downtown. The bar is located along some kind of back street with a sketchy looking parking lot. Inside it's not much better. The good thing is they have tons of beers, including a few that are on tap. It's about $4 for a basic cocktail. We got some and these were pretty watery. Food is nonexistent except for bags of chips for about $1 or so. They also apparently have frozen pizzas, but last time they were out of these. Has a few TVs for watching games. The bar is pretty close to houses so there's been lots of noise complaints of patrons. For a bar in a small town like this, it's pretty okay compared to others around it. It's located on Ladd at Madison. They're open every day and early, so customers can have fun in the morning or something.

Awesome people! Awesome atmosphere! Come and relax a bit,…read moretake a load off! Have a cold one one, try a yummy pizza! Just enjoy some good company!

Had to stop in this bar and grill in Pontiac after seeing the prices are cheap. It has about what…read moreyou can expect. The Backstretch has an auto racing kind of theme. Lots of TVs tuned into various games. You can get pretty strong drinks and food that's better than it looks. Certainly there's a greasy feeling about it. It's not exactly the cleanest or nicest but it's better than a whole lot of other places in town to go to. This mostly gets crowded on weekends. Actually it's never too crowded. There's happy hours on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It's about $7 for a basic cocktail. Whiskey and whatever. It's about $7 for most appetizers. The Giant Pretzel is great for sharing. Comes with a beer cheese or something else. The rest of the menu includes things like fish sandwiches. Good place to watch games. It's one of the few places around here that's open on Sundays. That makes sense because races are usually on the weekends.

It has been a while since I have been to this location. In fact, it was called Chump's and Bonz…read morebefore. The old sign is still there but so is the sign for The Backstretch Bar & Grill? I heard some good things about the pizza they serve so I figured I would give it a shot for myself. I placed a carry out order over the phone and was told it would be 20 minutes. The place wasn't that busy when I arrived, and it looked just like I remembered. There were two employees working and I spoke with both. They were both very friendly and my pizza was ready as promised. The crust was about par for the course around here. Not much taste outside of flour. The sauce was decent, and the toppings were plentiful. The cheese is the type mozzarella that turns a bit rubbery, but I must admit, I like that. All in all, I enjoyed the pizza, and the service was friendly. Was it my favorite pizza in Pontiac? No. But, I wouldn't hesitate to come back.

Nice clean bar and grill. Service was pleasant and food was good. Some TVs to watch the games…read more Serves local IPAs.

Ordered on door dash to a hotel because we were visiting. Food was fresh, hot, and delicious…read more Excellent taste and portions.

The Barbacoa sandwich has some of the most amazing flavors I've experienced with a sandwich like…read morethis. The meat was so tender, the onions /peppers were sweet, the sauce so good, and the bread was so soft and had a nice crisp on the outside. The meat was a little spicy but I really enjoyed it however just wanted to point that out for those who may be sensitive to a little heat. The Brussels sprouts had so much flavor. There was a sweet, vinegar, mustard flavor that together really brought out an amazing flavor. The staff were so nice and helped make some awesome recommendations. The ambiance was very welcoming and comfy feeling. The chai tea was some of the best. The chai was perfect it wasn't too spicy and wasn't too sweat like some can be. All around a great experience and I highly recommend this place.

Service was great and food was ok, a bit cold, but 50 dollars for two sandwiches and chips and soda…read moreis insane Meaning a patty melt and a fried chicken sandwich in a small town doesn't cost 50 dollars even with chips and dip and cokes

Great place for cold beer and good friends! Always stop in when I am back in Dwight, Il!read more

If you ever go to Dwight the week before Harvest Days because somebody told you the wrong weekend…read moreand you didn't think to check for yourself and you park your bike in from of Willy's with the lights on, then walk around town and eventually end up back at Willy's to have a couple beers and eventually discover that your battery is dead, you might be lucky you started at-then-ended up at Willy's. If bartender Jackie and patron John are there to give you a jump you might end up writing a Yelp review like this one. Friendly people and a good atmosphere are what you'll find at Willy's if the preceding details don't apply to you.

This was a beacon of light in the area. Met a friend halfway from her house to mine in Pontiac for…read moresome girl time. Looking for things to do and this popped up. We decided to give it a try. It was a nice place to relax and have wine and food. There was enough parking in front and I believe some on the side. Chairs and tables and sofas were available to sit at. There was also another seating area on the side should you not want to be on the music side. Wine is available for purchase and there is a wine club if live in the area. There was music on this particular evening, acoustic rock. It was two men with guitars and you can request music via a scan code. Great idea! They were good and had a lot of songs to choose from. We went for the flight, nachos and a flatbread pizza. The flight was good as we were able to determine what glass/bottle we wanted with our food. The nachos may have been good but unfortunately they arrived cold. I assume as they were sitting waiting for the pizza. The pizza was good and hot. We had the meat pizza with the sauce. It was a little sweet for me, so maybe they were going for a bbq twist on the tomato sauce but still decent. The people at the counter were very nice and answered any questions.

These are difficult times for many of us but especially so for small business owners so it's very…read moregood to meet them and get to shop at their stores or eat at their restaurants. They offer unique experiences that can't be matched. We stopped in Pontiac on our drive up Route 66 and walked around the beautiful courthouse on the day after Christmas, we encountered 4 people total, incredible. We almost walked by without stopping but something caught my eye so we stepped in. Beautiful, well maintained and tastefully renovated shop. Great selection of wine of all varieties and we enjoyed a nice conversation with the owner who suggested a red and white, which we bought. Highly recommended.

The small town feel very welcoming to a stranger walking in. The food was excellent with the…read morechoices given. I had the Pork Tenderloin and corn nuggets 10 out of 10the waitress made you feel like an old friend coming for supper

Food and service were great. My only complaint would be that there were no good liquor options.read more