Local place very large for it's location. This is a great place when it's a beautiful day and you wanna eat outside. When it's too cold to sit outside, you have the main building or the Leinie lodge to choose from. Volleyball is either outside or lodge. Main building is more like a local watering hole, but the service has always been good and the specials are pocketbook friendly. Large parties can rent the lodge out and the food menu is small but good. Get the Irish nachos if you really want to be stuffed. I enjoy the thin crust pizza. read more

I came here for the first time with a few friends to watch a hockey game. There's an indoor and outdoor area, as well as a volleyball area. I'm going to ignore the volleyball area. Of note: their outdoor area is a smoker's area. Expect to smell cigarette smoke throughout the bar. The indoor area is alright; it's definitely older and shows its age in the form of low ceilings, creaky wooden floors, etc. There is no end to the televisions here; you can sit anywhere and expect to have two or three televisions in good view. My friends and I sat outside. Most beer besides the typical Miller product is bottled or canned. We ordered several pitchers of Miller and were not disappointed. The TV outside is very large and easy to see. Their audio set up leaves a bit to be desired; there is a lot of echo inside and outside. Nearby housing means they cannot increase their volume too much, which makes it somewhat difficult to hear the TV outside. There is plenty of parking and the service is acceptable. The prices of their drinks are low. The food is fairly good. The atmosphere is friendly. Not a bad place. read more

I play volleyball here every week - It's honestly the highlight of my week!! I love it here! There is a bar inside so friends and family can come & watch the games, they serve great food & drinks, and of course the volleyball games are awesome!! Highly recommend!!! read more

Great place to relax on a warm summer day and get in a game of volleyball. They have volleyball leagues that are well organized as well as many open courts to just play with friends and enjoy a good meal and drinks. I plan on spending a good part of my summer at Jessie oaks! read more

Jesse Oaks - Playing in league, as well as playing for fun. - Sports Bars Near Me - Gages Lake, Illinois

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Jesse Oaks is a good dive bar. the food is great, drinks aren't bad. there's a new waitress there that felt the need to bring me a straw & place it in my drink for me, no wrapper, so that was pretty gross. so watch out for the 7 foot tall skinny blonde who has no concept of cleanliness. otherwise, I like sitting outside & the volleyball area. they have a lot of seating too which is nice. would prefer the father/son music duo to no longer play there. the father was actively trying to get his son laid via the sexual jokes to women over the microphone. it was very creepy & also disrespectful. the parking lot could use some work towards the back too. but after a day on Gages Lake, Jesse Oaks is the best place to go to. very chill vibe. read more

Glad this Bar has good food. The service is horrible. Been going for years. in the past 2 months the service is pathetic. Went there tonight to pick my order up waited 15 minutes told the bar Tender I was there for a pick up she looked at me and said in a minute. 15 minutes later no help. Left the place. I would highly recommend for a good time go to one of the other bars on the street. read more

Amazing Skillet. Chorizo tater tot Mac and cheese. Will definitely be returning. Looks like a fun night time place also

I have ordered from JO religiously for years. Game day...I placed a substantial order via Uber Eats shorted by a simple boneless wing meal. No biggie. It happens. I called back and spoke to Hannah at the bar. She said she would have it ready if we had the driver return. Uber said the driver was already off so my daughter went there on her way home after class. When she arrived, the Manager, Barb, told her it had been too long and wouldn't give her the order. I called and explained my conversation with Hannah and she said Hannah is just a bar tender and can't make decisions like this. She went on about how Uber policies have recently changed and that she personally packed my order and it was correct. Apparently, Barb never makes mistakes. We ordered through Uber to avoid going there on game day...who would make up such a ridiculous scenario for a few boneless wings? In short, I paid for wings I didn't receive and Barb's customer service skills are horrible. She said she was too busy to deal with this anymore because it was Game Day and hung up on me. I'll blow my game day budget for the season somewhere else now. Peace! read more

Pretty cool place. I'd recommend it to friends and family. The bartenders are fast and the place is really welcoming.

Got to say I been here few times before my party was rudely served, went on a Sunday for some lunch drove 20 mins for some good pizza. Only for my party to be treated like garbage. We waited. Over 20 mins ; sat their and watched three server walk passed us, only to say someone will be with you. Didn't even take a drink order... I had to get up and ask for service ; while other parties came after and where treated with kindness; . Finally the male server realized I was getting discriminated; he took it apon his self came over and apologies to my party. Offered us free shots and drinks . 60 bucks of free beverages. Nice right? No I didn't go to be petty I just wanted to hang with my guys and have some good pizza. Sucks that this attitude is Tolerated, ( leaving out that I'm black and was with another black friend, with my Hispanic friend) simply because that shouldn't matter.... everyone should be treated fairly . Every time I've been their I always leave a good tip. I'm known for that. But to have 3 servers walk right by me and no service ; while only attending to max two tables, yeah . Hope that this place isn't another like hey, black folks ain't welcome. I just feel disgusted. I really do. The pizza was great , they just had to send a brother to serve a brother ; I guess your servers are scared of our kind. Thing is why are we living a life like this; why are business supporting these behavior? Why did Jessie oaks allow this, might just have to go with my whole friends and get free drinks more often, . read more

This place sucks, there were two drinks spilled by accident and they nearly had a coronary over it. Why would anyone purposely spill a drink that they paid for? And then we're accused of being "over served" This place is suppose to be a bar, they own a mop for a reason but apparently it was stuck up the bouncers ass. Moral of the story that's why we were kicked out. Fuck Jesse and his Oaks read more

This restaurant is great in the summer when you can sit outside and eat. Really good food

Worst burger I've had in my entire life. Had no seasoning and taste like cardboard. Please please season your meat.

Go for the drinks and the biker type local atmosphere... very disappointed with the food, especially the pizza!! My advice....Eat before you get there. read more

If I could give it a zero star I would. I've never been here before today and I will never go back. I sat on the patio and ordered the Spinach and Artichoke dip and when the waitress sat it down I grabbed the plate to bring it closer to me and burned 4 of my fingers. I said to the waitress " Thanks for letting me know the plate was hot ". She didn't say a word and just walked away. Then as I'm eating a gentleman comes on the patio with a small black dog and the dog takes a crap right there on the patio where everyone is eating. This was witnessed by several of the wait staff and no one said a thing to this guy. Are you fucking serious??? Maybe that's normal in Gages Lake but not where I come from. 0 Stars. . read more

My friends and I went to Jesse Oaks after work. We sat down and waited for 20 min. before anyone came over. Finally Amanda came over, and very rudely said can I get your drinks. Ordered ice tea and diet coke. Diet coke tasted like swamp water. After 20 more min. Amanda came over to get our order, told her about the drink. She rolled her eyes at us. Really, if you are having a bad day, do not take it out on your customers. Did you forget where you get most of your pay. Well Amanda, I guess you are poor. With that attitude. I do know you get rid of bad reviews. You cannot get rid of reviews in the paper. By the way, when you threw the ranch dressing at us yelling that we are rude. When you got belligerent and threw the dressing, it stained my dress. Obviously the place is not staying open because you have a good staff. In the future, think of who that customer was before being so rude. The party I was with was mystery shoppers. The paper will love this one. read more

This is a bikers bar that is totally family friendly. Solid bar-grub and great peeps. Be sure to check out the MASSIVE beer garden... which has its own volleyball court! And... in the rear of the beer garden is indoor music stadium the size of a good sized high school gym. read more

Not my first time at Jesse oaks but not a positive experience. Sat at table in the bar for 5 minutes before bartender finally made one of the waitresses that were talking to one another wait on us for drinks. After that she took our drink order. We ordered the 1 and 1/2 lb boneless wings and another 1 lb boneless wing order so 2 1/2 lbs of boneless wings. They came out and I find it hard to believe it was 2 1/2 lbs of chicken. They seemed sparse. In the past when we were there they were much more generous. We had to ask for ranch and blue cheese dressing because she brought us nothing and didn't ask if we wanted anything. We never saw the waitress again until we asked for the bill. We had to walk up to the bar and ask for a water. We never got another drink because we weren't offered one until we were ready to leave. Keep in mind, the place was slow, not but maybe 15-20 customers in entire place. Our waitress sat and talked to the other workers and made us feel as if we were an inconvenience. The place has the potential to be good, however they will need some serious customer service training. Boneless wings and beer is a dime a dozen at bars around town, I can go somewhere else and likely will so I can actually get a second drink. Not sure I will frequent Jesse oaks again. Very disappointed. read more

Excellent bar food & good service. Shockingly delicious Italian beef pizza, worth a try!

The HD bloody is so delicious! It's the puuuuuuurrrfect Sunday Funday hang out. Great motorcycle parking!

While not anywhere near me, this place is awesome! Amazing food specials for quality food (e.g., $4 for 1/2lb burger and fries). Great drink specials, too (e.g., $1 beers). I wish this place was closer to me - I'm sure I'd be a regular! read more

I've been going to Jesse Oaks for many years, way before the bar out back, before the brick patio, and I always enjoy the atmosphere and the staff. I have so many stories over the years and they are all good ones! This bar may not be for everyone, but I've made many friends here! read more

Stopped in here at around 2pm on a Sunday for a Bloody Mary and to watch a little football. This was my first time here, and I brought my out of town sister with me. Bloody Mary: 4.5 Stars. My gripe: There is so much going on in it it's almost overwhelming. Great price, the mix itself is great... is there vodka in it? Maybe, maybe not. There is like 12 pork products on it. Next time I am going to ask to omit the hardboiled egg (just doesn't go well with the bloody), and the sausage hot dog, only because it has sausage already in it with the tatertot and egg skewer. Honestly, their bloody would be even better if they omitted 3 or 4 ingredients but sugared the bacon, maybe added a beer chaser or something along those lines. I will for sure go back for the bloodies but will customize it. The bar: The outdoor area is large, but now its too cold to go out there. The indoor area was small. There are these weird video poker machines. Kind of reminds me of a hole in the wall bar that you would find on the side of a highway. There are some TV's at the bar only. Apparently there is another dinning area, but it was empty that day and I didn't see any TV's. Beer selection is nothing fancy. Not sure how everything else is as far as how they make their drinks etc. The staff: The man behind the bar seemed to be running the show, he seemed knowledgable and tried to serve the semi-busy environment. The younger girl however.... she kept sneezing, or coughing into her hands and NEVER went to wash her hands. She also rubbed her hair, or played with it, then went to fill someones order or bring out an appetizer. My sister and I counted about 5 times in maybe 30 minutes. Then we looked around and we could't visibly see a hand washing sink or hand sanitizer or anything. By law, I am pretty sure they are required to have those. That was really gross because I am in the health industry, my sister is in the hospitality industry. We are very attentive to that stuff. With flu season going on, I hope that the staff here gets educated on hand hygiene. Other then that, the service was pretty prompt, with how huge the bloody's are I know they take some time to garnish. I will probably come back, I'm not sure if I will order food or not... depending on if I see anyone sneezing in their hands and not washing them! read more

Place is fun but the service sucks! Even when there is no one else at the bar waiting for a drink the bartenders don't walk over and ask what you need. I had to grab their attention every time and it took several attempts then what seem forever before they brought me one drink. read more

I like the food here. Everything I've tried was good. I also like a bar I can go to on Sundays to watch the game of my choice, consume copious amounts of hops, and don my Black'n'Gold jerseys without any hassles. The size of this place with all it's different areas with TV's allows me to do just that. The service while I sat and watched my game was okay. But when I was ready to leave, I wanted to order some food to go for the family. And the girl tending bar in the area I was in told me that I had to go to the front bar to place my to go order. Which I didn't appreciate given the fact that I had tipped her $2 or $3 for every beer I had ordered. And with the amount of beer that I drink during a game??? I'm sure she pocketed $25-$30. Which isn't bad considering all she had to do was refill a glass... Strike #1 for Jesse Oaks. So I continued to the front bar to place my order where I easily waited 20-25 minutes for someone to take my order. Which after I ordered came promptly. But when the girl handed me my bags and the receipt to sign, she had the audacity to give me an awkward look expecting a tip. I really have no problem tipping a barmaid a modest $5 for doing nothing more than punching my order into a computer and handing me a bag... But when you make me wait a half hour just to take my order when you clearly had several opportunities to take it sooner??? Don't expect a tip!!! If the girl in the back had taken my order to begin with so I WOULDN'T have to wait an extra inconvenient half an hour, I would've gladly tipped her yet another $5... And why COULDN'T she take my order? She was taking sit down food orders all morning long. Why not a to go order for a customer who has been there upwards of 3 hours tipping you to no end??? She wasn't busy. They were in between the first and second games and the Bears had already played with most of the Bears fans having already departed... Strike #2 for Jesse Oaks. I'll be returning however. Cuz as I said, the food here is good and I can watch the Steelers in peace. Just next time I'll phone in my to go order at the 2 minute warning via my cellphone. read more

Service was good waiting a little, need redbull Blueberry and other fruity flavors though

Jesse oaks is my favorite place to go eat. i absolutely love it. the fried mushrooms are amazing. the fat boy is an extreme amount of food. and the service is amazing. this is an all around amazing place to go. read more

Service is non existent. You usually sit at a bar to get prompt service. Not here. Folks just ignore you.

I would have given more stars but we waited more than an hour for our food. Great shaded outdoor seating. Sunday afternoon live music was good. Very busy. No server for our table so the outdoor bartender stepped up to the plate to serve us. She was nice and apologetic and compensated us for the long wait for our food. They need more kitchen staff and servers for speedy service. But the food was good and good prices. I recommend this place if you don't have a tight time frame. read more

I love going here for a drink but it can be hit or miss. You can quickly become a "regular" and get to know the bartenders and the other regulars, but sometimes it's boring. Saturday nights after 11 are a lot of fun. Great place to meet up with some friends for drinks, but the food is only so-so. I like to come here when I'm alone too because I felt safe. read more

After a visit last night where we were not happy about being able to watch and listen to the baseball game. I was very impressed that the manager reached out to me directly about my concerns and addressed them. Too me that just proves this is a place the values it's relationships with a everyone that walks through its doors. We will be coming back and can't wait for the next visit! read more

Few times I been there and always have a great services, the pizza are great and the atmosphere are good I will back soon to enjoy a nice pizza . read more

Sat here on a lovely sunny afternoon, wonderfully bonkers Bloody Mary drinks. Highly recommended. Read other reviews, and agree with 99%...never met Amanda, but I'm sure she's lovely. Our waitress was Baylie...she didn't throw ranch sauce at us all! Was very nice. Also the dude who gave us an umbrella Great place, loved it! read more

I was there with a party of 5 out on the patio last night. Alex was our waiter and did a great job. Friendly, funny, efficient, and knowledgeable, and he handled 5 separate checks with no attitude and zero mistakes. Tacos were good, a-ok beer specials, good food prices, overall had a great time! read more

I am well over 21, but Jesse oaks would not accept my multiple forms of ID. I am a student out of state, and came back for thanksgiving. I hadn't gotten a horizontal ID yet, but still had a valid ID that shows I am over 21. I was denied. Then, I got my passport, which the bartender still refused. I was then asked to leave. I can use a passport to leave the country, but not to get a beer in graylake IL. read more

If you're looking for a fun night out, check out Jesse Oaks...Great food, Volleyball and fun for Everyone...little and big kids

Worst service of my life. Got ignored the first 30mins we were sitting at the table. Clearly good customer service is nonexistent at this place. NEVER returning again. read more

Jesse Oaks is a great summer time hangout. They have volley ball courts, bags, and drink specials.

The manager/owner, Shaun/Sean (whatever) is incredibly rude to anyone that is not in his circle of friends. He is even rude to the regulars that come every week. Try to act like you want customers and not just running this hand-me-down restaurant. I have found rusty paper clips in the marinara dipping sauce and the food is always cold. I agree with the previous review that the taps are dirty. I have been sick often from drinking from the ones in the Leinie Lodge. The front bar is better. The only good thing is the volleyball courts and great outdoor area. But that is all. read more

I love this place! The bloody Mary HD is amazing! Go on Sundays in the summer for the bands!