YE OLDE BAIT & SWITCH. First off: I think the food is good at this place - think glorified "bar food," but the service... not so much. Check this out: I went there recently after a long work day, saw a big sign out front saying: "Friday Night Fish Fry - All You Can Eat." I pull in, so far so good. Then it starts going downhill. 1. Sitting at the bar, the tender tells me it's $9.95 for the fish fry, and they have several kinds of fish (cod, perch, etc.). I go for the cod with a pint of Fat Tire beer. Beer was cold, the clam chowder was solid, as was the scoop of home made mash potatoes, small ramiken of cole slaw not terrible, and three small-to-medium sized pieces of fish with tartar sauce. 2. I'm feeling good, and say I'd like another round of the fish (not the rest). She says: "Oh, the cod isn't all you can eat." What? You're kidding. Maybe she should have let me know that when ordering? I shake my head, NOT HAPPY, but decide not to point out the obvious: BAIT & SWITCH. Or, if the other kinds of fish ARE all you can eat, she might have offered that - but does not. I tell her I just want the bill. 3. She brings it over and... it's over $16.00 for what I had. Huh? 4. I put $20 on the bar, not real excited about rewarding this activity with a decent tip... she sees the money, but does anything else except take care of my bill. 5. I finally see the owner & ask he if can take care of it... he looks at the bill & cash, and makes an (unfunny) joke about me wanting money back, but I figure it's better to make a statement with a lame tip (10%) versus fighting with them. While it is true you won't encounter the high society of the NW suburbs in the place, I don't care about that when it's time for a cold beer & some decent food. What I do care about is poor service and thinly-veiled bait & switch from anyone. I'm giving this place a second star for the quality of the food I had, nothing else. read more

A couple years back I'd give them easily a 4 star but my past three experiences there were terrible. Took forever to get served and I was sitting at the bar. I asked what kind of craft beers they had and the lady told me 2 different kind of Lagunitas, oh and anti-hero on tap. I got the Lagunitas and the beer tasted stale.. like when you take a cold beer, allow it to get hot and then get it cold again. It just tastes terrible.. so I ended up getting and antihero. Ordered the chicken quesadillas.. won't do that again. I went to watch a Chicago sports team and when I asked if they could put it on it seemed like it was a problem. Either they gotta charge the remote or something "doesn't work right" but they eventually got the game on.. it blew my mind that it's a sports bar/restaurant and on the TVs they had car shows on and things you find on A&E. I decided to give them another shot and similar situation, food was decent this time though.. but their Moscow mules come in fake copper cups, I asked if they could put on the Bulls game and the person next to me says "no one here gives a sh*t about basketball.. even though he had four TVs in a row all playing game one of the World Series he had a problem to put on a Chicago sports team on one TV.. and we live in the Chicagoland area!! It stinks because this is the bar that's close enough to walk there but the past few experiences make me wanna go anywhere else read more

Turn down the damn music during dinner!!! Geez, cannot even carry on a conversation! This is a family place not a discotheque.

I can only talk about the nachos. I ordered them to go on a friend's recommendation. What a mistake. Canned jalapenos and salsa came on the side of what I can only describe as a taco salad on top of tortilla chips. The cheese was even cold. NEVER AGAIN. Maybe they're made differently for dining in, but I'll never know. read more

Donkey Inn has Bar Food- with a crowd! 'Regular's' line the bar on any given day and the waitresses are attentive. good for families, but not a ton of room to wait for a table. Love the chili, buffalo wrap and tots... Breakfast offered all day is also a nice plus! Wait staff is attentive. Park and enter through the rear- even though door isn't marked. read more

Ate lunch today at the Donkey and it was fabulous! The bar/restaurant is clean, warm and great personable staff. I ordered a flank steak and mushroom wrap with a side of tater tots, that oozed with cheese and was delicious. My girlfriend ordered a chicken wrap, french fries and had to take half home. Been to the Donkey Inn a couple of times since relocating to the area, and I enjoy the home cooked food and neighborly atmosphere. Had lunch at the Donkey on St. Patrick's Day...delicious corned beef. Love it! read more

listen people - this place is a local watering hole with locals who are there and care and make sure the quality of service and food is on par. These guys are professionals and know their business. Give the place a shot - I've been there and it's just what it's supposed to be. A nice little local bar where the occassional biker walks in (and behaves) and the little old couple comes in for the soup and inexpensive manhatten prices. The place is a local staple. Show respect! read more

Have never had a bad meal. Ribs are fall off the bone. Thursday pot roast is as good as moms. Heart atmosphere, friendly staff.Cook Valentino is great. read more

My first visit in this place and I was really impressed. I love fish and this place have few choices and very good price. Menu does not have everything they have so don't afraid to ask. Our service Jamie W was great 5 stars. read more

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Over the years I mean a lot of years I have come here first in the early 80's until know I usually go for lunch maybe 10 times a year ( I use to go every day after work until I got married) anyway over the past 40 years it has evolved to a great place, friendly staff, really good food and just an enjoyable time there. read more

Atmosphere is okay... Food and service not so much-- If you want food that is bland and a waitstaff that ignores you, then this place is for you! The Alfredo tastes like its straight out of a can that's been sitting on the back shelf covered in dust. Not once did our server come over to ask if we needed anything or if our food was alright. Last time I checked, that's their job right? When the server finally came to clear the table she asked if I didn't like the Alfredo (clearly since barely any of it was eaten)... I was honest and told her no and you would think she would offer me a discount or a replacement meal but instead all I got was a ditzy "sorry" and she walked away. Needless to say, I won't be going back any time soon. read more

This unassuming bar/grill has excellent food. Their burgers are tasty and grilled to perfection. And it is also a common so for us to get salads! Always fresh and delicious. They always have daily specials too. Great place to stop for your next meal. read more

Top ten worst waitress here. Beautiful short thin young brunette that might be hard of hearing and might not see well as 1 of 3 orders were right on the check so And i know the back of the house was not the problem. I.e. Patty melt ended up being a burger with x patty with no cheese. That is check said. I love this place usually have a great time. This was not a good time. The table across from us also seemed to have issues with her. Spoke to hostess and she was sorry that I had to help train their server. Where is management? Waitress needs training. Good looks don't make a good server read more

First time there, found the place to be nice. Good food, great service (Karen was the one who took care of use) thanks. Going back today for dinner read more

I have always liked Donkey Inn; good food, casual atmosphere, and usually very good service. Went last night and wasn't really happy with our experience. We got there at 5:40 without reservations. We figured we would have to wait a while because it was a Friday night. Came to realize that an entire section of the dining room was converted to a video gambling room. I have nothing against video gaming; I am a frequent visitor to Las Vegas. And I assume this is a good money maker for Donkey Inn. Consequently, we waited about 45 minutes for a table. Six of us squeezed into a high top which was fine. The music was way too loud and the drinks took a really long time. The server is someone we see all the time and she is always busting her butt waiting tables and she was very good as usual. I'm still going with four stars because typically, I really like this place. I'll just avoid Friday and Saturday nights. read more

The Donkey Inn is not family friendly, as I read from the review in the Daily Herald. It's a sports bar staffed with female servers who are not the warm & fuzzy kind you find at Red Robin. Once the server determined we were not ordering alcohol, she became nonexistent. The Friday Fish Fry (recommended by the server) was OK, if you like rubber fish. And if you like the sound of beer bottles crashing continuously into the rubber garbage bins located 5 feet from your table, then you'll fit right in. However, if you like sports, beer and pretty servers, this is the place for you. read more

A hidden gem. Driving by, I would never have even noticed this place, let alone stopped there. But having found it on Yelp, and reading generally good reviews, my girlfriend & I decided to give it a go. I can say we were pleasantly surprised. Menu was solid but unsurprising (all-American bar & grill); food quality and quantity were both good; and service was attentive but unobtrusive. Draft beers tasted fresh, so we know they take care to clean the lines and rotate stock. Prices were inexpensive, so you really feel like you're getting more than you paid for. Only negative is that the place is noisy - both the bar patrons and numerous TVs make casual conversation a bit difficult. Not an intimate date spot, but a lot of fun and good eating. We'll be going back. read more

Went to have the Friday fish fry- Ocean Perch. They need to change the batter. I don't feel like eating oily fish batter. More people will order if you have a batter like Shore Lunch. The place is nice to eat at and service was good. read more

The best thing here - it's divey looking, but really cozy and there is a dining room to the side where you aren't eating on top of the people at the bar. The bathrooms were clean, tables clean and service overall good. The other best thing here - the blooming onion. It is soooo good. Really nice batter and dipping sauce with a kick. This definitely beats the one they have at Outback. We tried their rib special one night, and that's why we gave it only 4 stars. We love ribs, so we do know a good amount of how they should taste. These were boiled and pretty slimy. We're used to the ones that have the crispy edges where they've been slow cooked for a long time and baconized on the edges. So, just don't get the ribs. Everything else so far - very good. My favorite is the options they give you. if you don't want french fries, you can have cottage cheese, tator tots or a side salad. That's pretty sweet in my book considering some places say they won't do it or if you want a tomato it's extra. Donkey Inn also serves breakfast all day. I like that too! read more

My daughter had a soccer game in Palatine and we were all starving after. We found this place and heard good things about it. It was kind of dark and dingy inside but the menu was huge! Lots of good things to choose from which made it difficult to pick one. They serve breakfast all day. I love breakfast but I choose a mushroom and Swiss burger. It was very good! They didn't give a lot of fries on the side though. I will definitely come back! read more

Genuinely can't say enough about the pizza here. I tried it once about a year ago and remembered loving it. A few friends and I just ordered two different pizzas for the Cubs World Series game 4, and everyone was shocked a how good it was. Today (game 5), we just reheated some of the leftovers. This pizza is truly outstanding. The cheese is weirdly so much better than any cheese I've had locally anywhere. Not sure what they use, but it's outstandingly good. Everything else is perfect as well. So impressed with this gem of a restaurant. Haven't spent much time inside, or tried anything else. The inside is pretty nice and "homey" -- and everyone I dealt with has been super friendly. Try this place out, you will not be disappointed. I'm shocked. read more

Donkey Inn has been great to us over the years. The patty melt is my personal favorite and the Reuben is also quite good. It seems like their menu is a bit too large-- I don't know why they have tacos-- but I've never had a bad meal there. Good service, good layout, lots of TVs, nice beer list. Will keep going back with the family. read more

Drove past here again and that can't miss orange sign read "Wed $5 Burgers"....hmm, would be rude not to, right? It was good and came w fries or tater tots, I chose the latter. Nice and crispy on the outside and plenty of finely diced potato inside. The burger was pretty big in size, I think a 1/2 lb. Came w. LTO which were plentiful and and very fresh. The burger I believe was pre-made and reminded me a lot of what Jury's or Hackney's puts out, but the DI, doesn't quite get to their level. Not bad but nothing that would bring me back again and again. read more

We were undecided by all the menu items and finally settled on the pizza. BIG MISTAKE! Having eaten here many times and being happy with our selections, we were very sad when the pizza was less than appetizing. My main beef is with the crust which was tough and tasteless. The sauce was delicious, not too tangy and had a fresh tomato taste. The cheese was good. If they would change the crust, they would have a desirable product. So, stick with the specials, they are yummy..... read more

I just discovered this place a few weeks ago and never knew it was there. It has been around for several decades apparently. You can't miss it's tang-orange sign. I have never drank here, but it seems like a good tavern type place....the sort of place my family would go back in the 1980's...it oozes casual comfort and Midwest bar/restaurant. A lot of nice wood on the inside. I have only been here for breakfast and lunch, but there are always regulars in there eating (or third shifters drinking)....the menu is pretty big - breakfast skillets, breakfast sandwiches, burgers...TATER TOTS!!!! Bar food, but a fairly extensive menu...prices are pretty reasonable... To me, this is the sort of place that never really pops to mind but the kind of place that when someone says "Well, do you just want to go to the Donkey?" you wonder why you didn't think of it....it is a-ok in my book! read more

Good food, friendly service, although it can get a little harried and indifferent on weekend nights, especially if you're in for a late dinner. Better to go in the early evening during the week, when it's a little less busy, or for lunch. All the food I've tried is excellent, and the servers/bartenders have been friendly and helpful. Note: They did look at me a little sideways when I asked if they could add bacon to my veggie burger. read more

Monday's is Enchilada night. Excellent food. Ease up on the cheese a little. Food is always consistent. Nice neighborhood place to go read more

Donkey Inn - Burgers Near Me - Palatine, Illinois

This is our "local watering hole", that also has great food! Everything I've evered ordered over the past 20 years has been really good, no exceptions. The "G" wrap is one of my favorites, but breakfast is great too with healthy proportions. Pizza is very good - crust, sauce, cheese and toppings in good proportion. Tonight I ordered a "medium cook" bacon cheeseburger that was one the best I've eaten in a long time! read more

Lunch with a friend this past weekend. Had to dine outdoors - as is the "norm" these days. The outside seating area was very nice and there were plenty of tables. There was a good crowd but we didn't have to wait for a table, like we've had to @ other places. Our server was Roxanne and she was pleasant and efficient. Lots of good choices on the menu and prices are very reasonable. Food was tasty and fresh. I had the cobb salad and my friend had the Oriental chicken salad. I will definitely return. read more

I go to Donkey Inn several times a month and I love it there! The food is great and the people who work there are always friendly. I was excited a couple of years ago when I discovered that they are open for breakfast. I love the skillets and they serve breakfast items all day. The burgers are delicious (my personal favorite is the blue cheese burger) and burgers are on special every Wednesday. I love their wraps, too. If you like tater tots, they have the best! The menu is enormous. Something for everyone! read more

This is a great local feel place. Not to date myself but it's like Cheers with food. Delicious food friendly people. The price is right too.

Better than Bar food, they make a really good Ruben Sandwich, and good wraps. On Fridays, go for the Pike it's very good. Service is ok, but gets better as the staff gets to know you... They also make a very nice breakfast, it's a good place to go on Sunday Morning to get all the College football highlights and prep for the coming day in the NFL. Overall their menu has a wide variety of selections at a reasonable price point. read more

The food here is fantastic. I have been eating here for years and I have never left a review. I an always looking for a good fish fry and Donkey inn does not disappoint. I usually have the beer battered walleye, but all the fish is great. They have huge salads and I almost always take food home. This is a good place for kids or groups, as there is plenty of room. Keep up the good work and you will always have plenty of business. read more

Awesome hole-in-the-wall spot! A lot of the negative reviews seem to be from folks that had 5 star expectations. This is a place where you come sit at the bar and meet some great local folks and have great conversations while enjoying decent food and great drinks. I'll be back for sure! read more

We went here for dinner tonight after our son's baseball game! A ton of menu choices! Great food and service! Great bar with a lot of TVs too. Would definitely recommend. read more

The Algonquin location really makes you feel at home. They welcome you to the restaurant with smiles on their face. Josie our waitress was very friendly and professional. Restaurant was very modern and clean beyond my expectations. My son had fish allergies and they did everything they could to help him. The staff is great especially the manger who is a delight to talk too. Great menu with a diverse selection. The pizza was cooked to perfection and when I ask for spices like basil and oregano and hot peppers and cheese powder they were very happy to take care of me needs. It was a hot day with my kids and I really appreciated how fast Josie brought out the water to make the experience for my kids great. I will definitely go back with my wife i just took both of my kids to days in a row with excellent service. read more

We have been to the Donkey Inn a few times and always had a nice experience. Tonight, however, was NOT so nice. Expecting a wait for dinner as they have the all you can eat fish fry, we got a table pretty quickly and it went down hill from there. It took a good 15 minutes for wait staff to take our drink order (including water) but we ordered dinner at the same time to save time and an extra trip for the wait staff. After 20 minutes with no drinks, even though we could see them sitting on the bar - my husband actually got up and got them himself. Our salad came about 10 minutes later but was not what we ordered. Sending them back was not an option as no one came to check on us. Our waitress acknowledged the salads weren't what was ordered and did offer replacements but we declined, at this point we just wanted dinner. (still no water....) After waiting over an hour for dinner, the waitress approached our table to tell us that what we ordered was not available. At no time was there an apology for the wait and there was no management in sight. I would avoid this place on a Friday night as you will leave hangry! read more

When the family is too tired from the workday to talk to each other...come here to the cozy wood paneled Donkey Inn to enjoy a plate of hot food and a beer. Perhaps it will be the foundation for an eventual conversation... or you can just immerse yourself in one of many big screen T.V. s to rest. read more

Good eats at a nice price. Friendly, down to earth staff, and an extensive "just about everything" menu, makes for a great lunch trip. My friends fell in love with the chicken and biscuits. It also looked like they have mean burgers and corned beef sandwiches. I had the tuna melt, which was good, but for "healthy" reasons, I would prefer if they used less cheese. Don't get me wrong, they make it taste great! The mashed potatoes are for real, not the powdered garbage...I think. If they used powder, it would surprise the everliving hell out of me. read more

We enjoy this place very much but today we sat for twenty minutes after ordering our drinks and watched our waitress tend to other tables and neglect to bring our libations. We were severely disappointed in our service because was basically empty. If I could give less than one star for today, I would. read more