I liked this bar! We went on a random weekend afternoon day. There were some regulars there chatting with the bartender, who was very friendly. The service was great since there were myself boyfriend and myself. We didn't order any food, but the drinks were priced like any other divey bar. read more

Terrible bartender inside bar on Sunday. We were ignored probably because we were female and when we finally got served she was very unfriendly & rude. I'm a generous tipper but not for crappy service & attitude. read more

Garbage service and mediocre food. Don't go there hungry because you'll probably wait at least 30 minutes for anyone to come take your order. We sat there for 2 hours before we got any of the food we ordered. We were informed 20 minutes after placing our order (after sitting there for an hour waiting to order) that they didn't have burgers. Four of us had ordered some type of burger. Some of us changed our order, whereas some of us said forget it. WE were over it after having sat for so long, and then being talked to very rudely by the manager when we complained about the wait time. She said "my shift was over 3 hours ago, so how do you think I feel?" Then she accused the person that cancelled his burger of yelling at her, which he hadn't. He just said again that he no longer wanted it. The waitress claimed it was her first day, which I understand if that's true (although judging by the owner's response to their Google reviews, I suspect management trots that excuse out whenever they don't feel like working to provide good service). The waitress said the kitchen was really slammed, but there were maybe 4 or 5 tables and the whole place was a heck of a lot quieter than when we had arrived. The band outside was gone, as was almost all the Tiki bar crowd. When I brought our bill up to the bar to settle, some very bitchy bartender was extremely rude to me also, but he at least inadvertently filled me in on the rude manager's name, so there's that. I won't get into the disgusting condition of the bathrooms since I feel I've wasted too much of my time already on Boondocks. I know it's slim pickings on the river as far as restaurant/bar choices go, but my advice is to cruise a little farther to Snug Harbor or pack a cooler and some sandwiches. I will not ever be returning here since life is too short to deal with such exceedingly poor service. read more

Beware the scam their running here. Will take a $20 and pretend you gave them a $10. The bartender did it with 3 different groups of our friends and when we all figured it out and confronted him he gaslight us. Beware and count your change read more

The idea of this bar is fantastic, and the bands they get are great, but they are ripping off their customers' BIG TIME! I was there twice listening to the band for that day. Each time I went and sat outside by the river, the experience was not good at all. This last experience will make sure I DO NOT go back! 1. The bartenders were very unfriendly each time we've been there. They barely smile and always act like you're bothering them! 2. I ordered a mixed drink (I don't drink beer) as I've had their drinks already a few times, I, along with others in our group, were commenting on how weak they were. So, as I oredered another drink, I watched the bartender put ice in the cup, pour a shot of alcohol, then POUR 1/2 THE SHOT INTO ANOTHER CUP! The bartender proceeded to pour the mixer into that 1/2 shot and tried to serve it to me, I asked her "did you just pour out 1/2 that shot and think you're going to charge me full price? Not knowing that I TOO AM A BARTENDER at another establishment, she claimed the POUR was too heavy, I said, it looks like that cause you have ice in the cup!" Knowing she was caught, she did give me the other 1/2, but I did continue to watch. They pour only 1/2 of a shot from the bottle. They know most are not paying attention! BUYER BEWARE, if you're a mixed drink person, WATCH THE POUR! read more

Ribeye steak for the wife and cheeseburger with grilled onions for me. I Also had the jalapeño poppers. Food was good, service was good. Band playing in the tiki bar for entertainment and sounds good. Sat in the screened in porch for a view of the river and band. Lots of nice bikes to look at too. read more

Am a local to the area, have seen this place switch hands and have its ups and downs, My review hits a few areas 1, Not 1 employee was practicing Covid-19 protection standard for themselves or for there guests, shame on the manager and or owner for allowing this, have respect for those who work for you and protect them from the flow of many unmasked travelers that visit your establishment. * we where wearing our masks * 2, your wait staff is horrible. I have to say my service was not good all the way around from wrong order to unrecieved food at our table and empty drinks. * table of 4 on a Sunday * 3, the food sucked, Over priced severely. Fries where burned on all 4 of our orders chicken was over spiced and over cooked fried mushrooms where undercooked and under battered. Glass of water taste horrible and reflects on the fountain soda also. 4, buisness practice, We where a table of 4 sitting next to a table of 5, friendly nice people who arrived at the same time as us and since there is really only 2 tables inside, they sat at the table next to us. Eat drink and be merry with good biker company, get a bill with both tables on 1 bill. When we finally get the waitress back to the table and explain that we are not all together and we need our ticket split up, we are explained that ( on weekends we are not supposed to split up group tickets ). Ticket gets split up and each ticket is charged gratuity for a 20% tip rate, I figure this server made roughly $40+ off this only because we where explained that they are told not to remove it, but can leave a note for the owner. Bad buisness practice by the management and or ownership. 5, Tips for those who choose to eat here sober. * maybe you can help the loud drunk folks * 1. The FREE water is HORRIBLE 2. The fountain soda tastes like the water 3. Drink 1 soda ( no free refills ) 4. Check your food over 5. Pay attention to your bill charges 6, to sum it up the best I can. Visit the tiki bar have a beer and find a better place to eat. read more

Fun place by the river. The food was good bar food and the atmosphere was like a fun summer party with live music

Unfortunately the last two visits have been subpar. The server at the Bar has been unpleasant and rude. Was there to order a few orders of fried mushrooms that I have heard ate pretty good, and neither the kitchen staff or the server who took the order were able to produce. The wait time was more than an hour. Do not recommend ordering food... read more

Best oysters in the middle of no where. The waitress/bar tender was very friendly, if not exactly helpful. Take the risk.

Awful. Don't go there if you're hungry. We went with 20 other bikers. We sat outside and the waiter warned us it would be 30 minutes before they could begin cooking our order. No problem. We had 3 tables. Table number 3 (served by a waiter) got their drinks promptly. We did not. Table number 3 got their appetizers before we even were asked for our food orders. Long story short, it took an hour & 40 minutes before we got our food, and some of us never got it. Table 3 had great service, drinks, food, separate checks (which we were told we couldn't have and paid BEFORE we even got some of our food.) Our server may have been new, I'm guessing she was, so don't give her a large table. Or watch over her. At one point, she took a tray with two burgers on it and placed it on TOP OF A GARBAGE CAN. Ugh. Awful. read more

To start, I'm writing this review as an EMPLOYEE, a cook who worked there one day to keep the restaurant open after I quit the establishment for abusive management. Know that as of 8/22/2021 they have a severe rat problem, half eaten buns with rat shit in the bag that they are trying to serve you. I quenched this on the single day I worked so if you ate here 8/22/2021 you hit the lottery for gastric distress! After a long, hard day, dealing with employees who were new or simply did not understand their job I was *robbed* by the owner who cut me an hour of pay for burning burgers on the grill I was not managing (I was working the middle, which has no bearing on meat cook times) but know that if you are eating at this establishment, know if you get sick, it's because the owner, Martha black, simply does not care about the customer. read more

Boondocks Food & Spirits - Half eaten buns with rat shit - Bars Near Me - Seneca, Illinois

If I could give this place zero stars, I most definitely would! If you're hungry go to the local gas station and pick up a cereal bar there, definitely would be better tasting than their dry bland food! read more

Great location, food and drinks! Had a great time and will be back soon. Great stop, especially if you ride. A big thank you to Nikki who made my Bloody Mary, made food suggestions and had a quick wit to my comments...thanks for making me laugh! read more

Boondocks Food & Spirits - a drink in a plastic cup - Bars Near Me - Seneca, Illinois

Stopped here on our boat on a Saturday afternoon. Cheap beers, decent band, free bags, and a tiki bar. We're off to a good start. I went inside to order a couple appetizers for our crew. You would think they would do food service outside. There were burgers being made, but that was it. I ordered pickle chips and an order of potato skins. I ended up with two orders of potato skins. I didn't bring it to anyone's attention as I didn't want to wait for another order to be prepared. The waitress that took my order inside didn't seem very pleasant and almost like I was a bother. On a bright note, the potato skins were delish. One skin is basically a half of a whole potato. And generously topped with cheese and bacon bits. We may come back for the atmosphere but improvements could be made. read more

Friendly server - Lisa & young gal bartender (who makes an awesome bloody mary). Three of us shared crab appetizer, bought 2nd for $2. Swiss & mushroom burger, extra $2 to substitute onion laces - all very good. Plus it was Thursday Taco day - great taco for $1.50. Just south of river, with riverfront dining. Very very casual! Parking lot. Beer specials. Also has a Tiki bar. read more

Always disappointing. Bad food,bad service. Through the years we have never had a friendly bar tender. We have had servers that were belligerent. I would go hungry rather than eat here again. Shame because the location is great. read more

Awesome! Great River views! Killer drinks good food! We've been coming here for years! Boats, bikes, cars, food, drinks and music. Doesn't get any better. read more

Boondocks Food & Spirits - two tacos on a plate - Bars Near Me - Seneca, Illinois

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The best thing about this place was the Loaded Bloody Mary's! Spicy and had lots of different garnishes. We went in for lunch and there were very few customers. We sat at the bar to eat. Initially, we were greeted by a friendly lady who took our drink order, read us the specials and gave us water. After that, we were handed off to the bartender who took f o r e v e r to take our orders. She was too busy chatting with another employee to pay attention to us. There were several people working in the place but they seemed too busy loudly gossiping about the owner. Apparently a "she" because she was mentioned a lot and "she" wanted things a certain way for an event happening later in the day. I really wanted to like this place, and they had every chance to get it right...The food was good, the service was a mixed bag, and I was all set to give them a 3 star rating, but then this happened... at the end of our meal, the bartender swatted a fly, killed it, and then laid the fly swatter on the bar! Mic drop... read more

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It is a biker bar, so start there. Next door is the Spring Brook marina so you get a mix of characters. Boondocks offers bar seating, indoor table seating, outdoor patio seating, and a Tiki bar close to the water. The most amazing thing is no two visits are the same, so expect a truly unique experience. Personally, I love the place. Food is good and people watching is spectacular. We often cruise down there for drinks and eats. We had difficulty finding it at first as we were told it is off of State Highway 6. Not exactly true. When you come in to Seneca on Highway 6, you will go South at the Main intersection, through town, over the Illinois river, and make a left immediately at the other side of the bridge. You can't miss it on the left. read more

Boondocks Food & Spirits - Bars Near Me - Seneca, Illinois

One of my dad's favorite places to stop on the river after a day of boating; however, I was far from impressed. While the wait staff is very friendly, the beer selection (no drafts) and food is poor. Ordered nachos and jalepeno poppers and was disappointed with both. Nachos came with a chili on top that was incredibly salty yet bland and the poppers offered no heat whatsoever. Will only return if my dad insists on stopping over for a beer again. read more

If you want shit service and mediocre food you can come here. I understand it gets busy but to give us zero attention is not ok. The only reason I give it two stars is because of the view of the river and the beer is cold. Don't go to the actual restaurant go to the bar by the river for your drinks. read more

Both food and drinks were good and reasonably priced. We came here on a Friday night during the off season so it wasn't crowded at all. Service was decent. I thought the bartender would've been more attentive to help get more tips given she only had 5 parties in the entire place. read more

Hard to believe the harsh comments. Been going here for years. Ya when their slammed service can be a little slow. No different than any other establishments that have a run on customers. It's better tan avg bar food in my opinion. Actually I think their food is pretty good read more

PLEASE READ (0 STARS) I've been coming to Boondocks for around 6 years...up until now. There is no better way to end a day of being on the river, than to have drinks and food. Last night, our party of 4 arrived at Boondocks at around 6:30. We were waited instantly, but once we were seated, we were waiting for at least 15 minutes before anybody greeted us again. The place was moderately busy, but there were plenty of empty tables. We ordered our drinks, had to wait an additional 15 minutes for her to take our order, as if she couldn't do it while she was visiting us with our drinks. Finally, we get our food about 20 minutes later, our waitress hands me a cheeseburger once, in which case I didn't order a cheeseburger period, so I hand it to designated guest in my party. She hands me the OTHER cheeseburger (did I mention I didn't order a cheeseburger?), and hand it off to another guest on my party. Then, she hands me jack sticks, which I did not order either, takes them back and gets me what I had ordered. Only to realize the jack sticks she just took back were part of another guests' order. I attempt to clarify the miscommunication, in which they still can't seem to gather. The manager comes out to my party and says "you guys have caused trouble every time you've been here". Then told me I was yelling at her. She literally began pointing fingers at two of us for "causing trouble" Who treats their paying customers this way? Is this an orthodox way to treat people? I couldn't believe my ears. We asked to have our tabs split up, only for the "manager" to come back with incorrect receipts. Lastly, we give payment ($16 tab, $20 bill), and she comes back with no change and states we said it was "okay". The food is mediocre, the drinks aren't mixed well, the waiting staff is far from excellent, and if you hadn't known, the management is blatantly disturbing. I will no longer be going here. I rest my case. (5 stars so this review can be seen) read more

Nice live music, regular bar food but made on grill outside, nice. Right off river. Drink prices reasonable. read more

Boondocks Food & Spirits - Bar - Bars Near Me - Seneca, Illinois

Boondocks on the Illinois River offers good food, a fun bar, a summer Tiki Bar ( on the river) and casual ambiance . Drive, bike or boat in for good, fresh food, a nice bar, good service, and Key West ambiance in Illinois. read more

It doesn't take very much business for theses guys to panic and drop the ball on service. We waited well over an hour for appetizers and another hour to eat. Not worth it for bad dive bar food. They also ran out of appetizers and numerous beers we attempted to order. Water tastes like they got it straight from the river. read more

I don't know how this place stays in business. it is a RESTAURANT, and there is consistently a TWO HOUR wait for food. On weekends when there are bands, I dont understand why they don't bring in more help nor have the BBQ going. Find somewhere else to go, this place is a wreck. read more

This place is awesome! On the river. Live music. Even when the power goes out true party. They keep it going on. Chelsea, April and Gloria are the bomb!! Come see for yourselves read more

The service inside is slow at best alot of times with unnecessary attitude.. the food is good. The Tiki Bar deserves 5 stars!!!! It is the only reason i gave the place 3 stars. read more

I was just here and it was great. The place is clean and the waitress was polite. Food was really great too. I had a bacon cheese burger

My wife and I have been going to Boondock's in general and the Tiki Bar in particular for years. We have a summer place in Seneca and make it a point to spend our summer weekends and more out there. The Tiki Bar is the biggest attraction for us. Rhonda is the driving force behind keeping the Tiki as good as it is and the ladies bar tending are always fun fast and another good reason to come out. There's always good music and good fun at the Tiki and excellent food and service inside. Try the mushroom appetizer, it's HUGE and a meal for two. Five stars isn't enough!! read more

This is a great place to eat drink and relax. Sometimes restaurants have bad days too I had read the bad reviews and I'm pleased to say I was told that Victor the so called manager had been let go. I'm a returning customer and the food has been great every time. I love the oysters, Jamaican shrimp, prime rib and the weekend specials have been delicious. I really enjoyed the tomato basil flatbread I had last week and the sweet habanero chicken wrap was awesome. Sometimes you just need to try places again this is a must try again. Staff is updated and very friendly. Chefs are doing good as well. I give it 5 stars cause I've never been dissatisfied or treated poorly. Love the hanging fish ornaments. read more

Horrible experience!!!! Labor day, which I know can be a busy time, we stopped in for a bite to eat while enjoying the beautiful weather boating. Sat down, the bus boy cleaned our table and said he would be back with menus. 30 minutes go by, then we finally get our menus. Another 20 minutes to get our drinks ordered, and since we waited so long we decided to order our food along with our first drink. 30 minutes go by and the waitress comes back with our first drink and appetizer. 20 minutes for our food to come out, asked for refills. We didn't receive silverware. I had to personally get the silverware from the bar myself! 3 out of 4 of us got or meals, the one that was waiting ordered a salad with chicken. The waitress comes back 10 minutes later without our drinks, but with her salad and proceeds to apologize for the fact that the chicken had to be cooked fresh.... THE CHICKEN WAS COLD AND PRECOOKED!!!! We are not stupid. So we are done with our meal then our second drink arrives. I asked for a manager, waited. Go figure! So I go up to the bar and ask for a manager and tell him the situation to see if he may comp our last drinks totaling $8. He gives me attitude and tells me that he will not do anything for me. And that I knew they were backed up.... So I let him know that I am never coming back and walked away. went up to the bar to pay my tab, and he made sure to help me with that. Have me an evil smile and rudely said have a nice day. I said f you. And he said "fucking bitch". Mind you, this bar was full of customers, a customer sitting next to me asked, "you must know him" indicating how he was talking to me. I said, "nope. all I know is that he is the manager and I am never coming here again." I FEEL BAD FOR THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE TO WORK FOR HIM!!!!! If I was the owner, he would be fired!!!! You should never talk to your customers like that!! NEVER GOING BACK! I only give it one star so I can let people know of this poor management! read more

Bartender was very friendly. Food was delicious! I had a poorboy with mozzarella, grilled onions and mushrooms. Just the perfect amount of garlic butter. Husband had the mushroom Swiss burger, he said it was good. We sat on a nice outdoor patio, watching boaters go by. Very pleasant! Outside tiki bar too with bands sometimes on weekends. Biker bar for sure but that's why we were there, on a bike ride :-) love these kinda places! read more

Food is great! I love that it is a casual atmosphere and accommodating. Would love to see more drink specials and menu items.

This is possibly the worst place ive eaten in a very long time. After a day of boating we headed to boondocks on a sunday night, they were faily busy and honestly the decor was really cool and it looked like a great place. TOTALLY WRONG. We waited TWO HOURS for our food which was mostly fried food that included fried tenderloins, fried shrimp, and fried fish.... we we got the food it was awful. One person in the dinner party had to wait an additional ten mins because they forgot to make his meal. My shrimp was heavy and gross the asparagus that came with was overcooked, not fresh and frankly looked like it belonged in a diaper and not my mouth. I would never waste my time going to this place ever again. read more

The theme is awesome. Tiki bar, has hardly any beachy mixed drinks, bartender, hardly ever at bar. Music was terrible, hiphop, not beachy, beers are not very cold. Could be great bar, with few changes!! read more

Very rude people! Threw me off the parking lot as we were waiting for other family members to show up from Chicago. We are from Saint Louis! Planned the whole trip out to meet family there to eat and drink as we shared boat rides. We had 10 people total. Wouldn't spend a dime there! Tried to explain we would spend time and money drinking at the bar but the lady was more worried about my RV parked at the end of there lot next to the marina. read more