One of the nicest surprises for dining in the area (Wilmington / Coal City / Braidwood).... Nelly's is a rare find in a small rural town....a place that has GREAT command of flavors, especially the meats. No matter what you choose - The Reuben, Italian Beef sandwich, Meat Loaf, Carolina BBQ with Slaw, Philly Cheese Steak or any of the burgers, the MEAT rules your taste buds. Very tender, flavored and a very "fresh cooked" feel to them. You would have to travel deep into the Chicago suburbs before you find another place that has such great meat flavors across an entire menu. In fact Nelly's apparently preps a lot of their own foods. I find the fresh french fries ok (a tad soggy for me) but the fresh Onion Rings are KILLER. To die for. The Jalapeno Poppers as well. Sides like fried mushrooms and green beans are excellent choices to add to your meal. Whether you are travelling on I-55 or just in the region, Nelly's is a first rate - small town eatery. The atmosphere is simple, nothing fancy but there are interesting things to look at while you are waiting. There is Weak/No signal for internet from your carriers, and no Wi-Fi as I recall, so don't plan to be texting too much while there. Probably for the best, you will want to focus on the savory food. I eat there 5-7 times a month......and consider myself a "foodie". Talk about an endorsement! Keep up the good work, Nelly's~! You do Wilmington proud. read more

My husband and I went here last night. I had the Chicago beef and he had a triple hamburger. The beef was tender , juicy and served wet on a fresh delicious bun . His burger looked equally amazing! We will definitely be back . Finished off the evening at Route 66 brewery next door. read more

Hesitate to give it one star. Stopped here on way home from a day trip. It was around 7 pm. Later than usual for dinner. Three tables were occupied. There were only four of us. Ordered our food from a menu on the wall. Kept asking for each item.... do you want onion? Grilled? Sour cream? Whip cream? Pickles? Etc. Come to find out all of those items were calculated as extra without being told at .15 cents a crack. 2 burgers, one Hoagie, a salad, coke, small fry and large fry ( even the girl at counter couldn't tell which was large or small as they both were the same 1/2 full containers) and 3 shakes. $67.00!! Everything came out in bits and pieces. Therefore up and down to retrieve it at the counter for every item ordered including 4 shakes that were made last and then the food was getting cold. Never go back. read more

Was in the area for the flea market and just walked over not knowing what kind of restaurant lay around the corner. We saw the Nelly's sign and gave it a try. Kind of a low key place to eat with the menu written on chalk boards. For some reason it was had to decipher everything that they had to offer. But seeing the Chicago dog and fresh cut fries, they had me. The counter crew seem friendly and ordering was pretty easy. Like other people have stated, there is all kinds of stuff around the restaurant, so while you are waiting for you food it is easy to stay occupied. The fresh cut fries were cooked fully and not greasy at all, and the amount in the basket was good sized. The Chicago dogs were made with all the regular toppings you would expect on a hot dog. Another thing that I like is free refills of you soda. My only two complaints would lie within the hotdogs. One, with all the cold toppings on the hot dogs, they got cold instantly. And two, after the first bite, the hot dog ripped through the bottom of the bun. So the hot dog had to eaten like a sandwich with the toppings dripping down my hand. read more

Always a fantastic meal! Best food in Wilmington! I prefer to eat inside, can't wait to do that again, but we have been eating here as carryout every weekend since the pandemic began. Great atmosphere here! read more

I love Nelly's. Their fried pickles are my favorite. I also had the smothered chicken sandwich....yummmmmmm... The service is friendly and the atmosphere is so unique and so much fun! read more

The burgers and fries are terrific, you really can't do better. It takes a while to get your food, plan ahead

They wait is always extremely long and the food is very average. Lots of different burger options, but it really nothing special with quality. Live in Wilmington and still only go to Nellys a few times a year, there are just better options around. read more

Stopped here for a quick bite to eat before a baseball game. We each got something different and really liked it: hamburger, chicken sandwich and a pizza burger. Would recommend for a quick lunch or dinner. read more

Nelly's - Burgers Near Me - Wilmington, Illinois

Just driving through and Yelp didn't steer me wrong. Great place with a big selection of yummy food (pulled pork, onion rings, hush puppies). Plus the food came fast and the staff was super friendly. Highly recommended! read more

Me and my dad and step mom went to eat we all threw are food away we spent 40 dollars on food. My food was tasteless and my dads and step mom. read more

ok......I'm sure that the individuals who have rated this with 4 or 5 stars had a great experience. My husband and I did not. I had the pulled pork, advertised as the best ever! Sorry....that was not true in my case. 1) the bread was very very soggy making it almost impossible to eat the sandwich without it falling apart. The pork was "passable." 2) My husband ordered a polish sausage. The skin was so thick you could NOT cut into it. The worst part was when he took a bite and had to spit it out because it burst in his mouth.....and not in a good way....steaming hot water because the skin was not pierced allowing the hot water to escape. NOT a good experience. 3) The fries were the best part although after our disappointment with the sausage and pork sandwiches, they became an after thought. NOW, my husband is not one to EVER walk away from a sandwich without finishing the entire thing. This was the first time I have ever seen him leave food on his plate. :( Lastly, the hand railing leading up to the restaurant needs repair and SOON! This may be a landlord issue but if you are an unsteady person or heavy, if you lean on that railing you ARE going to fall. It was not just a LITTLE loose, it was VERY loose, rocking back and forth. We were going leave one star but the staff was pleasant and the service was pretty good. We MAY try the burger if we are ever down that way again. read more

This place is embracing the Route 66 nostalgia bit. There are a lot of kitschy decorations, including several old gas pumps. I am not sure how genuine they are but they look old, as does most of the kitsch. There was a spotted cow sign which I know was modern. Looks to have been opened on 7-22-2010 which was nicely signed. This is a walk up and order place. The staff was enchanting, polite and fast. It appears that everything is made fresh to order. I had a southwest burger on a pretzel bun, and an order of garlic Romano parmigiana fries. The burger was good and fresh as was the fries. I happen to see the tubes of ground beef they use for the burgers, defiantly not preformed Pattis. I saw the bomb challenge afterwards, 2lbs of burger with 2 lbs of fries eaten in 15 minutes. Freaking crazy. They also had bison burgers as an option. read more

Such a cool lil spot! Grt atmosphere, amazing food, charming staff. Added bonus is the scenery and neat lil town it's set in. Will def make this a go-to on our to and from St Louis and Chicago. read more

Wanted to avoid all the fast food joints along I-55. Good alternative for a fresh burger and fries. Clearly a popular local lunch spot. Friendly staff. Tried the bison burger, which was fine. But probably should have just stuck with what they're known for... burgers. My teenage son had a cheeseburger and enjoyed it. read more

So I was very hungry I saw a place to sit and eat and it was Nelly's I asked for a simple chicken sandwich and their was jizz in my drink

Delicious burgers and fries. Plenty of specialty burgers and originals at this place! The seating leaves s little to be desired, but good buildings are hard to come by in Wilmington. It's an order at the counter and seat yourself kind of place so grab your food and enjoy. No matter how long you stay, you won't be pressured to leave, so when you're done eating you can sit and talk until you're ready to go. read more

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Nellys is a great place to eat if your hungry and don't want normal fast food the place is nice and so is the atmosphere. personally the walls are cool with them all being signed and written on and the menu is unimaginably huge. Especially the employees there very nice and respectful. read more

What a pleasently surprising visit here for lunch. This was a luck strike for the day. They have a very extensive menu, with burgers being their specialty. I had one of the chicken wraps with fried mushrooms on the side. I was very happy with the wrap, very fresh ingedients, and the chicken tasted right off the grill. The mushrooms were typical for fast food place and free refills on the drinks. Very pleasent atmosphere, it's a place where people write on the walls. There are many people that have come a long way to visit here, Rt66 does Nelly's well! Great place to eat, I will return. This is a 4 star fast food restaurant. read more

We have always loved Nellie's but was quite disappointed this visit. They got a simple order, cheese burger with lettuce ketchup and mayo, wrong twice! And the counter staff laughed at us the second time we brought the burger back to get the correct order. Instead of fixing the second time, it had mustard - no mayo on it, they just added mayo. read more

Best spot in Wilmington for a homemade burger and some fresh cut fries. The ladies in the kitchen were very nice and helpful with the menu. I had the State Champ (or the Mac n cheese burger) and it was fabulous read more

Nelly's - Burgers Near Me - Wilmington, Illinois

Ordered two Polish and fries, unsweet tea, $20. Looked for unsweet tea, told they don't have any, got water. Waited nearly 20 minutes, only get 40 for lunch break, still waiting. Ask if it is getting close and young lady says almost done. Ok, good. Then the cook says in a loud tone that the polish are this thick *makes circle with finger and thumb* and asks me if I want them raw. Walk back to cashier and tell cashier that I would like my money back because I am not dealing with an attitude. She gives me my money back and when doing so the cook says something else but I didn't catch it because I wasn't paying attention to him. I said not a good way to run a business, he tells me not to come back. No problem. read more

Awesome food, fun atmosphere, bring a sharpie and find a spot to leave your name! The whole place is amazing and we love to go there.

Nelly's has great food and friendly staff - it's refreshing to visit a place where everyone takes pride in their work. It really pays off! The handcut fries are always perfectly cooked and the pulled pork sandwich is moist and savory. I crave the food from this place! read more

We stopped at Nelly's after a wake we attended. I ordered a bratwurst, garlic Parmesan Romano fries, and a coke. My hubby had an Italian beef. The bread was fresh and delicious. Our sandwiches were great. The fries were outstanding. I am so glad we stopped. read more

Delicious Patty melt with perfectly cooked onions, melty gooey cheese, and toasted marble rye with thin and tasty onion rings. The Garlic Parmesan Romano fries are D-Lish also. Perfect lunch for our first meal our Route 66 drive! read more

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Nelly's was an awesome experience! Restaurant itself was very eclectic and fun. Food was very good, with lots of choices. Plenty of vegetarian choices! I have to admit I could not put the hand cut Cajun fries in my mouth fast enough they were the best I have ever had! read more

I've never had a bad meal from Nelly's. A bit pricey for Wilmington but the food is worth it. Decent accommodation for dine-in meals as well. read more

This place hit the spot for lunch. The Polish and Italian sausage were great and the service was solid. Staff were all wearing masks and other customers were appropriately spaced while eating. Next time I'm in the area, I will definitely be returning. read more

We just got a camper in Wilmington and stopped at Nelly's for lunch. It was so good we have been back several times! Friendly staff, great food and really neat place. read more

The food was ok fries were greasy and burnt my wife's ham and cheese was very salty and my food was just edible the place was hot air not working no I am sorry no air don't go there my friends you have been warned over priced read more

A prime example of what a RT. 66 grub spot should be. And had more to offer than the standard burger or chicken sandwich. Great atmosphere inside. Make this a stop on the ride through! @guyfieri diners, drive-in, and dives worthy read more

Love Nelly's. Great Sandwiches. Great wraps! Great fried green beans. My husband loves the hushpuppies. By far one of the coolest places in Wilmington. read more

Great little place off the beaten path on our way from St. Louis to Chicago. The food here is amazing and the service was top notch. Wife and I both gave them 5 stars across the board. read more

Nelly's - Burgers Near Me - Wilmington, Illinois

Second time going back to this local restaurant. Sorry to say I used to LOVE this place but it's gone WAY down hill lately. They put WAY too much condiments (ketchup, mustard, etc) on their burgers causing them to turn into sloppy messes. It took more than 45 minutes for 2 burgers at lunch on my first visit So sad to see such great possibilities go down the tubes! read more

We enjoy riding the motorcycle here always have a yummy lunch. Very friendly service and open casual atmosphere. We have tried several different things on the menu and have liked everything. This trip we ordered the fries loaded w cheese and jalapeño, delicious! #SPRINGTIME read more

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First time here and it was amazing.burgers were awesome nice atmosphere some cool stuff on the walls. We will definitely be back with our friends. Lots more to try on the menu read more

Nice restaurant to enjoy a trip on Historical route 66. We ordered route 66 hot dogs, which were tasty. The staff was very friendly to travelers and she passed us some marker pens to sign on the wall, so my children were very delighted. read more

Great food! Awesome selection and service. Free WI FI, can get a beer with your food. Homemade food, not frozen heated up and doctored crap you find at most places. Skip the Giant!! Ever since they got sold and old owners retired, they are aweful!! Dont miss Nelly's when coming through town! Bring your appetite-they have a challenge meal. Oh yeah, cheese bisque soup was excellent! read more

If you are looking for a GREAT hand made burger these are TO DIE FOR! When I want a quality tasty burger I dream about these. They also serve hand cut FF that are perfect with the burgers. Love the fried pickles. Maybe one day I will try one of the other offerings they have but I just can't give up the cheeseburgers. They are the BEST in the area. Cool that they are right on old RT 66 too. They have markers which you can autograph the ceiling with which is cool. Names from all over up there. The people are friendly which makes for a better dining experience in my book. Great place for a GREAT burger on RT 66- a match made in heaven. read more