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    Emerson's Ale House

    3.8 (486 reviews)
    ModerateBars, American
    Open 11:00 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)

    Order Emerson's Ale House Takeout or Delivery

    Emerson's Ale House Photos

    EMERSON'S ALE HOUSE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Emerson's Ale House

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    Italian Beef Egg Rolls

    Wings were probably my favorite! Hot Honey wings are a must have!! Short rib grilled cheese was good, could've had a little more flavor but would def order again. Italian beef rolls were surprisingly delicious. My family and I love this place for a quick bite with some great service. Love having option to sit indoors and outside. Can't wait for my next visit!

    Jordan C.

    Cute spot in downtown Mt. Prospect. They have daily specials, and Tuesdays are all day happy hour which includes some drinks and food. The cheese curds were a bit too breaded for my liking, but still good. They have different salads that you can get as a wrap- I'd definitely get one again!

    Sliders
    John S.

    Dined in on Monday and they had $10 slider special. 3 sliders of your choice. I went with 2 prime rib and one buffalo chicken. They were all good. We were seated quickly and had a great server. Standard sports bar atmosphere. Would come back

    Xavier Thomas M.

    This was a great place to visit! A friend and I visited after a workout and it was perfect. Shoutout to Mimi for being a great server, we definitely recommend her if you ever have a chance to get her. But, in general, the overall experience was great! In terms of food - definitely get the cauliflower appetizer. This was probably the best cauliflower one I've had. I couldn't get enough. The El Fuego burger was really good and I would definitely get it again. I might want more hot sauce or something for a bigger kick but still really good! And I asked for medium rare and it was spot on. The ambiance was great, a great sports bar type of environment but still has areas in the restaurant that other vibes were, from what I saw. There were families, girls night type of groups, sports, etc. Honestly 5/5 we'll be back!

    Short Rib Grilled Cheese
    Brian D.

    Emerson's Ale House has exactly what you are looking for in a Sports Bar. I've been here a number of times, but feel it's time for a review. Julie was my bartender/server and was phenomenal. Give her a raise. She did everything right. I ordered the Braised Rib Grilled Cheese (Julie's recommendation). It was full of flavor and accompanied by a Tomato Bisque soup which was perfect for dipping the grilled cheese in actually (not sure if that's the intention but the combo was super good). Mediterranean dressing for the side salad was excellent. I had a Red Ale (or a few) and watched the games. 90s music on while I watched was a plus as well. 5 stars to Julie and Emerson's Ale House!

    Buffalo wings & Parmesan Truffle Fries
    Patricia P.

    Great bar food! Always a good spot for football sunday & the service is great every time

    Quesadillas
    S T.

    We arrived very full lots of people. We just waited few minutes and got table. Food comes very fast and very fresh and hot very tasty. I don't like very loud music but is ok .

    Taco Tuesday.  Our first visit to Emerson's and we shall return.  Excellent service and very tasty  meal
    Kenneth A.

    Great local bar. Awesome service, nice selection of beer and very filling food, that is meant to be a compliment . We shall always return to Emerson's

    Cajun chicken sandwich and sweet potato fries
    Kristena R.

    Great place if you want to catch a reasonably priced bite to eat and have some drinks! The food is very good here and they have a big menu with a lot of different options. I also really loved the atmosphere - cozy and relaxed, and the interior is pretty and modern. We ordered the cauliflower bites for our appetizer and they were soooo good. They're breaded and coated in sweet chili sauce and served with ranch. I think it's a really unique appetizer that I haven't seen offered anywhere else. I had the Cajun chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries. The sandwich was way bigger than I expected! It was really good- melted cheese on top and peppers on the inside. Loved the fries and they were the perfect side! My friend says she always orders their ale house fried fish. I took a photo of her plate so you can see the portions they serve. I did try her mashed potatoes and they were delicious. Our initial server was very nice but could have done a better job. We didn't have utensils when we were given our cauliflower bites appetizer, and we were so hungry that we started eating with our hands lol. Server didn't come back for a long time, but we luckily got our utensils from the guy who served us our dinner plates. This is a simple mistake and I won't let it deter me from coming back in the future!

    This is AS presented by the bartender.
    Fast Eddie F.

    Wow. Major disappointment. When we sat down at the rail, the bar tender left dirty glasses in front of us until we had to tell her to take them away. Kinda gave me the side eye when I made this request. Ordered a Makers rocks. See the picture. MAYBE a one ounce pour. I was shocked. She did ask if I wanted another. Well, no. When the bill came, the drink was $7.00. Redemption. But why didn't she up sell us into doubles instead a serving a thimble? I'll try again; but I won't be in a hurry.

    Espresso martini

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    Food was very good service was great and attentive drink was tasty but did not have garnish but everything was enjoyable

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    Great spot to have drinks with friends! Met up before Christmas with friends from FL. May start a new tradition and do this each year.

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    Page 2 of 13

    Ask the Community - Emerson's Ale House

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    3.7(149 reviews)
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    Hands down my favorite pub in Arlington Heights! The atmosphere is exactly what a local spot should…read morebe. A huge shout-out to Dan and Mikaela behind the bar--they are fast, friendly, and always make you feel welcome the second you walk in. Our waitress Kelsey was also fantastic; she's incredibly attentive and kept the drinks and food coming without a hitch. If you want great service and a chill vibe, this is the place. Even when the place is slammed, Dan and Mikaela never let a glass go empty, and Kelsey is incredible at managing the floor without ever making you feel rushed.

    Our first visit to Eddies (spoilers alert) and we are not ever coming back!…read moreOn to the review Our family heard how wonderful the fish was on Fridays at Eddie's. So we had out of state guests coming in and we all decided on a Friday fish dinner. We call early in the week for reservations for eight plus a child. We called again at 3 pm to confirm our 4pm reservation. They said to get in early about 4 pm because it gets wild at 430. So we arrived at 4 and the bar tender told us of the side room of the bar area. We went into the side room and nothing was set up for a table for eight plus a child. What I presumed an employee came in and set the table up. Several minutes later the bartender came in and said the server was on the way in and should arrive shortly. OK (not) the manager comes in and said you guys don't belong in here and need to leave. She asked who set up the table and the bartender is in tears. I said 1st of we did not set up the table your male employee did. She said we do not have any make employees. Ok I can't do anything about the bartender crying so why are you telling us this. So the eight of us got up only to find not one table for eight was set up in the bar area. Sad ...... So Our out of town guest one a foot surgical foot boot and me carrying my young grandchild walk out is total disbelief. (SHOCKER) We walked a quarter of a mile and had an excellent meal at Mago Grill at 115 Campell Street. The manager at Mago said thanks for coming and I said thank the manager at Eddie's. I highly suggest if you make reservations at Eddie's have a back up plan. The only reason they got a one star rating is because 0 or less was not an option.

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    Cool aluminum cups

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    The Prospect - Rigatoni

    The Prospect

    4.2(111 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    This is my second time to the prospect and I wanted to try out their brunch because we were there…read morefor dinner previously and we liked it so we wanted to see what they had during the day We went with our friends and this was a good middle meeting Point. We got a few drinks. They were awesome as usual. The service is also great our waitress was very nice. Everyone ordered something different so we get to try a little bit of everything and we were not disappointed. So based on the dinner menu and the brunch menu, we really enjoyed them and we will be back for one or the other in the future.

    Made reservations to celebrate our anniversary. Had such a bad experience within the first 20…read moreminutes that we walked out. We reserved to be at the Chef's counter which was not ready at the time of our reservation, that was no problem for us - and the hosts offered us a different table if we wanted it, but we did want to eat at the counter so we wanted to wait. We looked at the menu and decided while we wait we would go grab a drink at the bar. There were no open chairs at the bar and people were standing around the area as well so my girlfriend walked over to the side of the bar to order drinks near the spot where servers will pick up drinks at the bar counter. My gf was not in the way or anything and the bartender points at her in disgust and says "you cannot stand there you need to move". Not one moment of this did he look friendly or happy to serve a customer. My gf stood there for another 5 minutes, neither of the 2 bartenders acknowledged her, or said they would be right with her, they even took an empty glass of a customer at the bar and asked them if they wanted another. Both my gf and I have held jobs involving customer service. I have worked in restaurants for many years of my life when I was a younger adult. We are reasonable and patient people. The Prospect claims to be classy and fine dining, which I will say, the ambiance is wonderful, but your customer service sucks. I'm a big believer in "you get what you pay for" and this does not match. I hope you treat other customers with more care in the future.

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    Jimmy D's District

    Jimmy D's District

    3.9(99 reviews)
    4.1 mi
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    Our Burger Club finally made it's way to Jimmy D's back in December of 2025. It was a Monday night,…read moreand kinda cold outside. There were seven of us and we all converged from Buffalo Grove and Vernon Hills. Jimmy D's doesn't come up on your normal burger place lists in and around the area, but we saw a post somewhere and knew we had to check this place out, especially if it ended up being across from the future home of the Chicago Bears. We'd probably end up hanging out there and wanted to make sure it was a good enough place to hang and be a part of the action, whilst not paying for said action. Anyhoo, we all pulled up to find a nice parking lot next to/behind the restaurant. It's a cool place with a couple entrances (one in the lot and the other from the street). It's a nicely adorned building and has the requisite sports decor on the inside with plenty of televisions to watch many games at once. There was plenty of seating for our group as it was quite empty on a Monday night and there wasn't any game of note when we were there. We called ahead letting them know our numbers and they accommodated us with a reserved table. They were attentive and constantly refilled out waters and sodas and brought more beer when needed/requested. The service was friendly and attentive. We were there for the burgers of which there are four options: the House burger, the Fried Egg Burger, the Mac Daddy, and a Black Bean burger. However, stipulations for being in our club is that you can only order a red meat-based burger. We did order the buffalo sauced wings as an appetizer to share. They were sauced nicely, not too hot, and quite good. I would definitely recommend getting them if you visit. I also ordered the cream of chicken soup. It was a perfect option for the cold night and I rank it among one of the better cream of chicken soup options in the suburbs. While not a sommelier of cream of chicken soup, I do rank it quite well: I think it matches Jameson's Char House for quality, thickness, and flavor. Mama clearly knows what she's doing with her soup. I opted for the Mac Daddy burger. It's prepared with: black angus beef, boom boom sauce, house mac n' cheese, bacon, fried onions, sliced jalapeños, toasted brioche. I normally don't opt for the special/signature house sauces as I've been burned before by these so-called "recommended" house sauces (I'm looking at you, Lucky Burger, with your terrible "dijonnaise" sauce - ugh, don't get me started on THAT sauce). However, I was told it's a hot sauce for the burger and figured it wouldn't overpower everything else on the burger. The mac n' cheese was a tad creamy, but so what, the bacon, fried onions, jalapenos, and boom boom sauce cut into the creaminess a bit and it worked. And it didn't overpower the flavor of the burger, which I thought it would, but somehow didn't. I really liked this burger, the bun held up, the bacon stayed crispy, and jalapenos and sauce added a nice kick but not overwhelmingly so. I would get this again. The sandwiches come with housemade fries or tots, but I know that if tots are offered, you can (generally) never go wrong with tots (I'd point out Puck's Pub but they closed and did the world a favor in doing so). Everyone generally liked their burgers and would return again. In our 5 point scale, Jimmy D's District got a 4.25. They have a nice brunch menu and drinks to match and I want to try them out someday. Let me know if you're going and I'll meet ya there if available.

    Talk about a hidden gem! Jimmy D's sits in Arlington Heights - a Northwestern burb of Chicago…read more Having a heavy Greek influence, Jimmy Ds was started by Demetrios "Jimmy D" Demarakis, after he migrated to America from a small village in Greece back in 1968. In 1986, Jimmy D's was born. Food & drinks I tried: Buffalo mac & cheese Cream of chicken with rice soup The Mac Daddy Burger with Greek Fries Apple Walnut bread pudding Espresso martini Mapleberry breeze The Mac Daddy Burger deserves respect lol It comes with their boom boom sauce, mac & cheese, fried onions, bacon and sliced jalapeños on a brioche bun! The buffalo mac & cheese truly surprised me. It's covered with an ale cheese sauce that is full of flavor and on top, there are buffalo chicken crisps! So good! The Greek Fries were my other favorite! It has a roasted garlic aioli, crumbled feta and oregano. I could eat an entire plate of it with no problem! On Fridays and Saturdays in the evening, there is live music but outside of the live music, the environment is lively, the service from everyone was pleasant and attentive, and there are TVs everywhere, like literally! I can totally see why this place is a neighborhood favorite and if you visit, you'll understand why too! Stop by and tell em that Bri from Planes and Plates sent you!

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    Inside Jimmy D's District. Sport Bar . Cool! 1718 W Nw Hwy, Arlington Heights, IL

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    The Log Cabin - 5 TVs wide across the bar.  Probably another 12 scattered indoors and outdoors.

    The Log Cabin

    4.3(98 reviews)
    4.0 mi
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    The Log Cabin is quirky gem of a find in Northwestern Chicago. From its straightforward,…read moreorder-at-the-bar menu with homemade Polish specialties as well as standard fare, to its nooks and crannies that make for intimate seating for groups of any size, it is an affordable place to relax amongst of an eclectic collection of farm implements, vintage signage and more than a little of the macabre. You and your fellow guests will have much to talk about as you wander around its sprawling outdoor spaces. Stop by for a music night or even just a slow hang and you'll want to share your experience, including its lack of cannabis smell. Staff are polite, friendly and are more than willing to share its little nuances. Located just east of the 294 tollway, off of Dempster St. or Golf Rd. exits.

    Stopped at a Route 66 diner in Pontiac, IL for lunch, The Log Cabin. It was established in 1926…read moreand they are celebrating their 100th anniversary in May 2026. The Yelp reviews were mostly five stars, and it was touted to be a locals' favorite, so we decided to give it a try. We both chose the patty melt with a cup of vegetable soup. The soup sounded like an excellent choice on this cold cloudy day. The food, the service and the ambience were all wonderful. We finished off the meal sharing a slice of hot peach pie with vanilla bean ice cream. It was all fantastic.

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    Palm Court

    Palm Court

    3.1(442 reviews)
    4.0 mi
    $$$

    I absolutely loved it. First time dinning experience and the dinner was lovely. Stared off with a…read morecrab cake appetizer, which was very delicious, followed by french onion soup and steak dinner. I had my steak medium well and they did it perfectly 10/10. Delicious house wine followed by a gigantic key lime pie. Our server was so sweet, attentive and made this a very pleasant dining experience. The restaurant is very nice inside, we set in one of the booths which very cozy and intimate.

    This is not the same palm court as it use to be. We went here for Father's Day brunch and being…read moredisappointed is not even the right expression. The buffet was dirty and messy, there was no food to choose from as the trays were empty- mind you we were there at noon. When my father went and said something the owner was a quite defensive but did not like his feed back. She was even worse to her employees. To top is all off she even came up to my dad and asked what it was exactly he was looking for and when he said better quality she went absolutely ballistic and ask him to pack him a bd his family of 10 and leave. The level of customer service was appalling. If you would like a messy, dirty and poor quality brunch this would it. WORST EXPERIENCE AND THE OWBER SHOULD BE EMBARRASSED. Update: I stand by my review and appreciate the reply from the business owner. Unfortunately this is not what had unfolded and she did ask my dad to leave... we could have left a tip, but there was no level of service provided that would have been gratuity worthy. If you would like a poor executed brunch and disappointing experience, please make a reservation.

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    Palm Court
    Palm Court
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    Whiskey Hill Brewery & Kitchen - Smashburger

    Whiskey Hill Brewery & Kitchen

    3.6(33 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    I really liked the Whiskey Hill Brewery & Kitchen in Mount Prospect…read more They have a bunch of tables and a big bar you can sit at. They also have their own beer selection that they brew - I got to try some of them - pretty tasty! I enjoyed the Hush Money IPA- pretty good, not too heavy or bitter , a very easy drinking IPA. The other good one was their pilsner - Gotti Gold - very light beer that's refreshing. I also tried their double burger - it was good, the food is kind of pricey but it was tasty, and they do have some daily specials. Overall, I'd recommend a visit if you're in Mount Prospect and want to try a new bar/restaurant.

    The food was actually pretty good. HOWEVER.... There was a…read moredoor with a note marked not to use it (Because it was very cold and windy). After a waitress went in and out 2x each, we asked her not to use it - and she argued with us. In the mean time, my gf ordered a spicy margarita which was supposed to come with a Tajin rim. It came with salt instead. The bartender didn't want to re-make the drink, so he poured it in another glass, making it very salty. When he had to remake it, he still didn't put the Tajin rim on it. Lastly, the manager/owner walked in the door that staff isn't supposed to use. We asked him about it and he said 'yeah, they don't listen to me when I tell them not to use it' - well - you're setting the example there.

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    Emerson's Ale House - bars - Updated July 2026

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