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    Crystal Lake Junction

    4.5 (33 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Crystal Lake Junction Photos

    CRYSTAL LAKE JUNCTION ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Crystal Lake Junction

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    French onion soup and fajita wrap!
    Mary P.

    A friend of mine recommended this place. The first time we went, it was on a weekend afternoon. The atmosphere is delightful! Fun and cheerful, with comfortable seating. I love the decorations hanging from the ceiling. But it is small and parking is that downtown Crystal Lake parking. We were greeted by two very enthusiastic servers. Our server TONY was beyond amazing. He started by giving us this corn salsa and chips! OH MY GOSH! Delicious. He was extremely attentive and refilled our drinks. He would check on us often but was not intrusive. We ordered the Mediterranean flatbread! We actually saw it go past us and had food envy. lol I also had the pear salad. I took most of that home and loved it for dinner. So so delicious. The last time I was in was during the week during lunch. Our server was not very attentive. I went a third time and again the waitress was not like our Tony. The food was still delicious. I had a french onion soup and a wrap. So good. I will definitely try another time. Hopefully when Tony is working.

    Rosé Gin Fizz
    Holly K.

    My parents have been on my ass about going here for the better half of a year. We got here tonight & our server (anthony ur so cool) immediately recognized them which was crazy and my mom is still giggling about it. love her lol now did i have a Häagen-dazs ice cream bar and a fresh Costco croissant before hand but oh boy and i'm mad i don't have more of an appetite tonight. got the mediterranean Caesar wrap and oh my GODDDDDD? i think i breathed in and it was gone. literally so good wtf sat outside & their little couches and tables are wonderful and cute. tables are a bit close together but the restaurant itself isn't big so they worked with what they have. 10/10 i have no choice but to come back bc my parents will drag my ass here in approx. 1 month for their monthly dinner and maybe, just *maybe* that time we'll try to milkshake

    Waffle flight with bananas and strawberries
    Sven B.

    My husband and I went here on a bit of a whim today, tired of the same 'ole places we have gone to over and over again. Found them on Yelp and checked out some Google reviews too. I can say with confidence, I am so happy I saw this place on Yelp this morning because WOW - it did NOT disappoint! We had a bunch of things while we were here - quick review of all of them: - Guinness Stout Beer Cheese Soup: I really enjoyed this - veggies were a tad on the crunchy side in it and the stout flavor was very pronounced on the pallet at the end of each bite. That said, very rich and tasty. My husband wasn't a fan but yeah - more for me lol! 4/5 stars - Shrimp Avocado Toast and Bacon & Cheese Avocado Toast: Absolutely delicious! Highly recommended. Came with breakfast potatoes (unsalted / unseasoned, but that was ok as they were fresh, fluffy, and crispy). I also ordered two eggs to go along with it. The eggs were a little runny with the whites and I'm not a huge fan of that. That said, it was still great overall. 4/5 stars - Breakfast Quesadilla: WOW. Incredibly tasty. Came with guacamole, sour cream, and house made salsa. Great! 5/5 stars - Banana and Strawberry topped Waffles: This was very surprising to us. It was absolutely delicious, it was like a waffle flight that came with three individual small waffles. The waffles were unique in that they were like sugar crusted. It came with syrup, but you really didn't even need it. Super delicious. 5/5 stars - Iced Caramel Macchiato with Oatmilk: Delicious, not too sweet, very tasty. 4.5/5 stars As you can see, everything we had was great! The server was bubbly and fun and really engaging. The place itself was very cute. The only complaint I had was that there was this like one fly that wouldn't leave us alone lol. The server made a comment about how they're not scared of humans anymore lol :-). I thought that was funny. I'll attach some pictures so you can see what we had. A few of the things we already started eating lol sorry about that. We were super hungry when we got there. Not even kidding, this place is going to be one of our frequented spots. They even said they have breakfast every day now because it was so incredibly popular that they have breakfast every single day from open until 2 PM. Definitely check this place out. It is fantastic!

    We went there for dinner this evening. I was very disappointed. I will say my husband enjoyed his dinner. All I wanted was nachos with melted cheddar. Simple. Right? Wrong. The first order they brought me was poured on cheese. They next one was the picture below. Where is the cheese? $15. For that. I don't mind paying that price if they would have put cheese on it. Anyway we were going to play the slots. We each had a match play. We tried to redeem and the waitress said they are not accepting their own coupons. Expire 9/30/2025. No notes on the door when you walk in or in the restaurant stating that. She just said NO they stopped taking them. Very disappointed!

    Amigos Ahi tuna tacos
    Chris H.

    Enjoyed this new location in crystal lake. They have indoor and outdoor seating. We thought everything on the menu looked good. It wasn't crowded which we wanted because we bailed on another location. Love the chips as apps and amigos tacos. They have a huge milk shack selection.

    Patio Seating

    Beautiful patio seating, with excellent chips and corn dip for a starter! Along with some great seafood

    Espresso

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    4 months ago

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    7 months ago

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    10 months ago

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    8 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    9 months ago

    Great food and service. The atmosphere was awesome. The shake was a culinary delight.

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    10 months ago

    Every thing was delicious! Our sever was so nice and attentive. Cute little funky place for lunch. Love it!

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    8 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

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    10 months ago

    They allow dogs when Dukes next store sent us away! Staff refilled our ice tea without flagging her down. Good service!

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    1 year ago

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    9 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great new addition to downtown! Good menu and love the atmosphere. Everyone there was very nice and look forward to visiting again!

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    11 months ago

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    2 years ago

    Casual restaurant, comfy seating, friendly staff. If you like mussels, you gotta try this place!

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

    Best chicken sandwich! The Ranch water drink is a thirst quencher. Great food, Great service!

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    2 years ago

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    Duke's Alehouse and Kitchen - The Duke Abides

    Duke's Alehouse and Kitchen

    3.7(673 reviews)
    0.0 mi
    $$

    I like Dukes, it's ok most times. Some things on the menu I'd never eat again like their beet…read moresalad(usually I love beet salads) Been there a lot. But I'll try to stay focused on this visit. Stopped for a drink and maybe some eats. Got a good gin and tonic and decided on an order of fries. The service was good this time, and that depends highly on who's behind the bar.if you are sitting there, which I was. The fries were excellent actually and I took half home, while still eating a large portion. The only thing I will say is the order had lots of tiny bits, really tiny bits of baby fries not big enough to be counted, never reaching their full fry potential. Lol. Just fillers or maybe they just put the potatoes through a cutter and toss the whole thing in?? Later I ordered the little app bites of veggies and hummus or ranch. Pretty straightforward and good but I found it odd that it had two little peppers stuffed in there whole.? Was I supposed to munch around the edges avoiding all the seeds? Just odd. Seemed like someone got tired of chopping. Anyway all was good. Certainly nothing to stop me from recommending or going again, just once in a while wonder about some smaller things you'll find.

    We hadn't been to Duke's in a very long time. My husband and I always enjoyed going to Duke's for…read morethe food and atmosphere. The atmosphere and service have not changed but the prices are unreasonably high and the food is mediocre at best. Our bill for two drinks, a mocktail, soda, sandwich, and burger was over $100 BEFORE tip. That is absurd amount of money even for our current economy.

    Photos
    Duke's Alehouse and Kitchen - Back Deck is always a great spot to hang out

    Back Deck is always a great spot to hang out

    Duke's Alehouse and Kitchen - Mussels were delish

    Mussels were delish

    Duke's Alehouse and Kitchen - Veggie app. You can't see it easily but two small red and yellow peppers are in there too. Whole?

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    Veggie app. You can't see it easily but two small red and yellow peppers are in there too. Whole?

    The Cottage - The nasty oysters that turned my intestines inside out!

    The Cottage

    3.6(189 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $

    Visited today for an early St Patrick's celebration! They had a St Patrick's menu with means like…read morebanger and mash, corned beef and cabbage etc with desserts and festive drinks as well. Friend had bangers and mash and it was so well presented - he took a picture because it was so well prepared! He said it was delicious and scraped the plate clean! I had a quesadilla meal and the guacamole was extra good! They now put popcorn and shelled peanut on the table which we enjoyed while we chatted. The patio area is covered and they have plenty of seating. I'm sure it will be packed for St Patrick's day!!

    Checked out this Crystal Lake bar and grill. It happens to be a bit farther away from the happening…read moredowntown but worth venturing out to get here. The Cottage is one of the long time favorites for locals. A lot of great drinks and unexpectedly great food. You can find meaty and vegetarian options including burgers, fish, and pizza. Basically we weren't expecting much from this bar. It's mostly like a sports bar, cluttered inside. The food was to be an afterthought, we thought. Actually looks like a cottage inside. Lots of wood fixtures and paneling. It's about $12 for cocktails. Seasonal ones include margaritas for summer, toddys for winter. It's about $18 for a pizza. We got the Veggie Pizza, which has green peppers, mushrooms, onions, spinach, and tomatoes. Also there's Mexican options including burrito bowls and fajitas. There's even vegan chorizo as a topping. Great options in this bar that's better than typical bar food. It's got a rotating menu with lots of things added for the season. This is located on Crystal Lake Avenue at Walkup.

    Photos
    The Cottage - Bar

    Bar

    The Cottage - Quesadilla

    Quesadilla

    The Cottage

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    Crystal Lake Junction - tradamerican - Updated June 2026

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