Alright this is not the greatest place in galena. However this is a dive place that has it pluses and minuses. First off, the customer service is awesome. Our bartender knew where all the beer came from, told us about its history. Her shift was over and she sat next to us and we talked with her. She was the bright spot of this place. She may have been slower than some, but she kicked ass and all I ever ask is people to be knowledgeable and try. She was one of the bright spots of the place Cleanliness was ok. One of the urinals were clogged and spilled on the floor when you flushed. Men's bathroom was kind of dirty. However, the bar itself was pretty clean but it was in the afternoon The food in my opinion was nothing spectacular. It was just ok. We just got a couple of appetizers. Wings and potato skins were fine but again, nothing to go on for. Liquor prices seem to be cheep in my opinion. I believe for this spot in galena it's on the cheeper side. 66 dollars for the food, 4 beers, Bloody Mary and a whiskey on the rocks. You won't beat that in most spots. So would I come back? Absolutely. Yes the men's bathroom is a huge thing in my honest opinion. However, the bartender recommended certain items that we didn't try because we wanted to not eat a ton. The liquor prices seemed quite cheep and the bartender who I believe was Linda did an amazing job. read more

This place is miserable!! Bachelorette Party doing a bar crawl at 8pm on summer Friday. Wanted to play shuffleboard and play the jukebox. We were basically kicked out for spending over $100 on one round of drinks. Hardily no one in the bar with "America's got Talent" blaring on the TV. We were told to "know our audience." We went to the VFW, warmly welcomed and had a blast!! GO TO THE VFW!! read more

Not sure why they have a big sign that says Family friendly dining! Completely opposite of that and I will also disagree with the bloody Mary's. Not the best in town either. Family and I decided to check out galena for the first time and decided to check this place out since the galena brewing company was closed. Not sure why because the sign said open and it was 11:15 am. The food here was alright, wings didn't come out with the celery and we felt rushed. We asked for menus and he said we needed to wait till after 11 am! It was 11:15 am lol. Food is nothing to brag about, but it did the job after a 3 hour drive. I should've read the reviews before going into this place. Not a top choice if we go back. Be aware this place only takes cash and checks. No credit card payments. Found that out at the bar when I had to go pay my bill because the waiter didn't mention anything! Lady at the bar said the ATM is at the front. Terrible way to start a Galena visit. Here are some pictures of our food and hopefully this place has better management and nicer staff. read more

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With this restaurant being located in such a charming little town such as Galena, IL, I was a little disappointed in the service. From the get go, the lady taking our order was in a bit of a rush. My family was with me and we had a couple questions regarding the menu. I felt that our server's response was abrupt and felt like she was brushing us off to get to the next customer. The food was meh. I mean it wasn't terrible but it was pretty basic. The hubby got a cheeseburger, my daughter got the grilled cheese meal, and I got the buffalo wings. The menu said that celery and carrot sticks came with my order but I just got the wings. When I was able to finally flag down our server to inquire about my veggie sticks and dressing, she said "oh we're out of those" and was about to walk off until I quickly asked her what about the ranch? She then quickly pointed to the little square ranch container that was in the middle of the table. I mean maybe offer other things to accommodate for what's missing or at least tell me that off the bat would have been nice. We pretty much just ate our food and was ready to go right after. The name Paradise Bar & Grill is an oxymoron as we did not feel like we were in paradise. read more

Paradise Bar and Grill - Grilled cheese - Bars Near Me - Galena, Illinois

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Hotter day and had to sit outside because we had a smaller dog and they didn't allow them inside. Reasonable but it was really hot. The fans outside were not helping at all. Would of felt better without them. Service was okay the lady was friendly and got our drinks right away. We waited about 30 for the blt and appetizer of wings. Lemonade was watered down a lot and the sprite was okay. The Paradise BLT 4/10, the bread was semi hard, there was one chunk, a chunk of tomato, and the lettuce was your normal lettuce. The bacon was really greasy, the mayo on the side helped but it was really nothing special. I had to take the other half to go. The fries obviously were frozen fries but seemed like they weren't cooked throughly and i've had good frozen fries before The appetizer wings 3/10, there was like barely any meat on the wings. The sauce was not a true buffalo sauce and the texture was off. Fries had the same problem. The other place we wanted to go to didn't have outdoor seating so we sat here and then saw the reviews and gave it a chance. We'll now we know. read more

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Food was good waiter was the only one and the place was getting busy. Italian beef was really good. read more

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Definitely, not the best burgers or food period in Galena. The service was awful, and the food was even worse. My burger was uncooked, and fries were hard. My Aunt ordered the shrimp basket and half of her shrimps were undercooked. There was only one server who was trying her best to serve a bunch of hungry customers. This caused a slow down for people to check out and pay their bill. Please skip this place if you're ever visiting in Galena. There is another burger place down the street who does serve the best burgers in Galena. read more

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We had an incredible hamburger and a cold tap brew/beer. Food was fantastic and service was excellent. Will be back to play some shuffleboard. read more

Worst service, bad food, unethical waitress I sat outside, and my waitress came twice to table before paying. Once to bring menu and once to bring drink and food. I had a mushroom burger. Mushroom was straight from mushroom can with no seasoning. Burger patty also had no taste of any seasoning. Although it was a 90 degree weather, she never came back to the table to see if I need more water. Oh, and they only accept cash. When I paid cash, the waitress took a portion of change without my permission. Although I tipped her (as she seemed pathetically desperate) over 20%, I hope she knows taking customer's money without their permission is theft. A tip is earned, but automatic. Will not go back there. read more

Unfriendly! French fries are crap terrible set up giant tables with horrible table covers

They have a decent selection of alcoholic beverages, and the setting is your typical dive bar. It was decently priced, except that they operate on a cash only basis at the bar. We were able to use the ATM for a fee. Has the gambling machines which was the only noise in the whole place as all the games on the tvs were turned down and no music was playing. The food was mediocre at best for bar food, so if you're looking for a snack and some drinks this may be the place read more

Too many Karen's in these reviews. This is a bar. It has great food for a bar. Therefore I am rating it high! We ordered the Combo Platter to start and we both ordered the Bacon & American Burger. We loved it. Even the Diet Coke tasted different (yummier) here. We plan on returning to Paradise! read more

I had a basic pizza. It was ok. What they don't tell you is they only accept cash, which is fine unless you are from out of state like I am and get charged a huge fee for atm use. They should make that known up front before they take your order. Waitress was meh. I had to go outside to find her to get my order taken. She wasn't very friendly at all. There was a second waitress who delivered the food who was very sweet. read more

I've been to Galena many times over the years and I can never remember a time where I ate and had a bad experience until this place. I hate to mention any negatives, but this is more of a beware for others. Not the cleanest place, but I get the vibe of the place as a bar and eat at home feel. Appetizers seemed like they were bought from the local Walmart frozen section and cooked in a microwave. Drinks not special at all as the Bloody Mary was the worst I've had, yet highlighted on menu as a big deal which is why I ordered it. Burgers tasted like cardboard, yet highlighted on menu as what they are known for. Service is where the main issue was as wait staff not too friendly or very attentive. Ask them for extra anything and they look confused or bothered. The worst was at the end with the bill as we were only then notified cash only? It's 2024! Not to mention common courtesy or sense would be to inform customers prior to them ordering and finishing meals or posting a clear notice as none were noticed by my party. Ridiculous we had to pay money to take money out from an atm to pay for bill. I had to chase down the bar tender to pay the check instead of server. Overall just a trash of a place for Galena being a fun place to visit as tourists are the main business. Act like you like your job, communicate important things like cash only and treat your customers well. Plenty of places in Galena to go as just keep walking to another place and save yourself. read more

Staff were super attentive, kind and friendly. Food was good and loved the fries. Place was clean and comfy. Perfect location on the main strip. read more

Disappointed in the food. The chicken wrap tasted like more mayonnaise than chicken. The fries were cold and the coleslaw tasted spoiled. The biggest problem is no credit cards accepted. Did not see it posted anywhere. I was not the only customer that found this out only when it was time to pay the check. Interesting that they have an ATM machine in the restaurant but not everyone used ATM's. Will never go back. read more

If you have kids in your group, go someplace else. There is no kids menu so your burger-loving child will have to order a 1/2 lb burger for $12 and pay extra for cheese. If you want to split a burger between 2 kids, that's another $3. No refills on soda served in a small plastic cup. NO CREDIT CARDS, SO BRING CASH. The fries were blah, the burgers over cooked, bacon on the turkey bacon sandwich was limp and fatty, If you take your young girls into the women's restroom, be prepared to explain the photos of men displayed in there. read more

I had the "best bloody mary in town" and it was the worst bloody mary I have ever drank! Flat....No kick....No taste.

Due to several other places being closed, we stopped here for lunch and regretted it. They promote having the best Bloody Mary, and they use Zing Zang which mix I like, but all it contained besides mix and vodka was 1 olive and a bedraggled pickle. Not terrible but not at all impressive. I orderd a burger medium rare and my friend ordered one medium. Both came out the same: medium well, burned on the outside, super dry. Couldnt even eat it. read more

I took my Girlfriend as well as my youngest son and her youngest son to Galena last weekend on a day trip. While we were there we got hungry and the mutual decision was "We want burgers". We happened to be standing by the Paradise Lounge where they advertised "Best Burger in Galena" and they had a Black and Bleu Burger. That's all four hungry people needed to see. Inside we went. I hadn't stopped back since my previous review... so I thought we'd see if it's changed. This place has that Dive bar meets family restaurant feel to it. It's seat yourself and we had no problem finding a suitable table while we were there. After we sat, we waited for a server. I believe they only had two working the floor. One seemed to be very attentive with his tables... the other was ours. He seemed to hate life and wanted to be doing anything but working that day. It took a little longer than reasonable for him to come and take drink orders. Even after he did take the order he was never what I'd call "efficient". All four of us ordered the Black and Bleu Burger. Over all, the burger was good. I don't know that I'd call it the best burger in Galena, but it was still good. I thought the meat could have used a little more seasoning, but nothing bad. They did use a good bleu cheese crumble, and the bacon was cooked perfectly. The fries where decent. Standard fries you get just about anywhere. It also came with coleslaw. No one liked the coleslaw. There was a strange flavor to it, we couldn't figure out what it was, but no one ate it. After we finished our meal, we waited for our server to bring us the check, again he was in no hurry. Then when he did drop it off, he took his time to come back to pick up the payment. That's when we find out they are Cash and local check only, no cards. They do have an ATM on site, but fortunately we had enough cash. And again we waited for him to return to take the cash. Overall it's not a bad spot, but when you're in Galena, there are so many other places you can eat that will have better food, and honestly better burgers. The next part is informational only. You do with this information as you will. It plays no part in my rating. Let your own personal beliefs and politics us this as you see fit. The Staff didn't wear masks Mask wearing was not enforced There was sanitizer offered. The tables were cleaned by a standard wipe down. Social Distancing was not enforced. Limited seating was not done. read more

The service was awful and the French fries were lukecold plus the waitress didn't even ask us if we needed anything else or how was the food. Will NOT recommend this place to anyone (friends and family) EVER!!!! read more

Best burgers in town?? I'd hate to see what everyone around here is serving... Why bother asking how you want the burger if there all WELLLLLL done?? Service was ok, the appetizers were good, the fries were actually bomb. Get someone who knows how to cook a burger please... read more

Patience to a point... My group came in Sunday of Memorial Day weekend so we had pretty low expectations about speed of service as a walk in. While the service was timely enough the food and drink was easily the most disappointing. Bloody Mary's were weak and domestic beers like bud light and Stella weren't even available on draft. Food was equally bad, my bacon and bleu cheese burger had maybe a tablespoon of cheese and a strip of bacon on top of being very dry. The other couple at our table ordered the cheese pizza and it easily could have been confused with a frozen grocery brand. We were also informed at the end of our meal that Cash was only accepted. Do yourself a favor and just wait for another opening elsewhere...would not recommend. read more

Very much a restaurant for the locals. Who cares about those dang tourists? Lots of ambiance, not trying to be more than they are. We had the Sunday buffet. Standard fare where nothing really stood out, but it was edible. In fact it hit the spot for us. The only negative was that the only took cash or checks. When restaurants do that it screams of tax evasion all the time to me. read more

It states best burger in Galena, as well as best Bloody Mary. They lie. I hate McDonalds and they make a better burger. It's a Sysco patty with zero flavor. The bun is dry and too thick. The mushrooms are canned and slimey. The Bloody Mary is just zing zang. They do nothing to make it special. If you are going the doc bear route, at least make a good burger. read more

Poor service, slow, pretty sure the food was all frozen stuff. Only positive is that it's cheap, but you get what you pay for. Plenty of better options to choose from. read more

Zero stars. Paradise was disappointing in every way. First off: CASH OR CHECK ONLY. There aren't any signs in the business stating this, and the server will tell you when you're trying to pay that there's an ATM around the corner with all sorts of lovely fees. Secondly, there was only one server working for the entire place over the lunch hour. We gave her the benefit of the doubt because that really sucks (bad management, maybe someone called in sick, etc.). However, even when we did have service, it wasn't great at all. For example, we ordered two of the same beers. The first was fine, but the second had clearly kicked the keg, and it was obviously discolored. The server did not care and served it anyway instead of getting the bartender to go change the keg. For Pete's sake! Thirdly, we ordered the pork tenderloin special. You guys, it was a pre-battered, frozen tenderloin that was so thin, all I could taste was the fryer, and THEY SERVED IT ON A HOAGIE BUN. We were baffled because they claim to have the world's best angus beef burger, so they obviously have to have round buns (and let's be honest, it's probably frozen, too). We asked for pickles to put on it, and the server brought out spears. What?? So, we cut up our spear pickle, folded our tenderloin in half, and ate that sad, sad excuse of a sandwich. The fries were meh. The coleslaw was cabbage with mayo dumped on it--zero flavor. Four: Our server came over, gave us our bill, told us she was going on break, and to pay at the bar when we were ready. Never mind, all of our drinks were empty, and she hadn't bothered to stop and ask how the food was. She said the newly arrived server could help us if we needed anything. Well, that new server completely avoided our table. At one point, she looked directly at our empty drinks and turned around to go chat with the bartender. I'm furious. Mind boggled. And unhappy I had to pay money for that entire experience. Unfortunately, the internet is spotty in Galena, and I couldn't look up all the other reviews warning away from this place. Here's to hoping you have the internet and can read this warning! read more

Nothing to brag about here. Way over crowded, all silverware and cups are plastic. All chairs are back to back. Hard to maneuver around chairs and tables. You have to wait forever to order. They only take cash but don't tell you until it's time to pay. Better off going to dirty gurts down the street. I bet they would give you more than 10 French fries with your burger there too... read more

Paradise Bar and Grill - Filthy. - Bars Near Me - Galena, Illinois

Such a friendly bar! The bartender on was so nice to my group of guys. Wonderful service and drinks. Highly recommend this bar. Plus they stay open longer than others in the area read more

That wasn't paradise that was, that was hell. I had the Philly Cheese steak. I don't know why that was. had mystery meat probably raccoon. My girlfriend had the burger. Literally was a dry rock with no flavor. we couldn't even finish our food it was so bad. At the end was told that they only accept cash. Only thing that's was exceptional was our server. She seemed to be the only one working and busting her butt off. I hope the money spent was going towards her because the food was not it! DO NOT GO HERE! read more

I should have read the reviews first as I never would have gone in if I had. Warning: cash only! No signs stating this anywhere. At the very least the server should let you know when she first comes to your table. The combo appetizer is a bunch of obviously frozen items that appeared to have came from the frozen food section of the local grocery store. Avoid this item. My girlfriend had the Patty Melt which was overcooked and lacked much flavor. She ate half and took the rest home for the dog. After thinking about it, she decided the dog deserved better and threw it away. I had the Italian beef sandwich which they proudly say is "The best in town". This could only be true if they were the only place in town that served this sandwich. Cold roast beef that appeared to have come from a bag of generic lunch meat. Served on a toasted hoagie roll with a side of au jus that tasted like weakly flavored beef water. The fries were just ok. The service was lackluster and unless I called her over we never would have seen her after the food arrived. Upon leaving we encountered another couple about to enter and advised them that they would be better off to find someplace else to spend their money. I advise you also to do the same. read more

Make sure you are up to date on your tetanus and have cash or check with you! Very disappointed. We were looking for a drink and appetizers. Minimal selection of beers. Our combination appetizer consisted of overly fried frozen food entrées that can be found in any freezer department at your local grocery store. Upon trying to pay our waitress kindly informed us they only took cash or check. Of course there was an ATM nearby with unknown fees for our pleasure. When exiting we looked for a fine that maybe we had missed upon entry. Nothing exists. read more

We walked in and we were completely ignored. A customer had to tell us to take a seat anywhere. Then we sat for almost ten minutes without anyone coming over to us. We just got up and left, which went unnoticed as well. read more

Stopped in for a quick burger... Should have kept walking down to Dirty Gurts! Absolutely terrible!.... Asks how I wanted my burger... Didn't matter... Over cooked and dry as hell.... Cash only or check... Makes you wonder if they are reporting all their income... Avoid this place read more

As we were walking down Main Street my friend stopped and said, "I want a really good Bloody Mary." I pointed to the sign behind her, "this says they have the best." And that's how we ended up in here. We've be coming to Galena for 9 years now. This was our first time in this restaurant. I'm a fan of divey places and this fit the bill. The bloody Mary's were pretty delicious. My fish sandwich was awesome- large, flakey, filet was crispy and no soggy spots. My friend liked her turkey club more than she thought she would considering it was just a turkey club. My other friend's grilled cheese was "alright." Free wifi was helpful as service is spotty (even with Verizon). So why only 3 stars? Server's attitude was terrible. Barely personable. Which I actually wouldn't even care but I noticed she was chatty and friendly with surrounding tables. But every time she neared our table it was a cold front. No clue why. We weren't rude or demanding or complex with our ordering. As she put the check on the table she mentioned "cash only atm in front" as she walked away. I find it hard believe this is the only way they can make this known to customers. Especially in a town that has so many visitors. It was good but it appears based on my experience and the reviews the only consistent thing about them is inconsistency. read more

Paradise Bar and Grill - Bloody Mary - Bars Near Me - Galena, Illinois

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TL;DR Food poisoning from quesadillas Came with two friends and we ordered two dishes of quesadillas at 10:30pm, as our first stop on a road trip from Chicago. They gave plates of eight quesadillas each. I ate one (wasn't hungry), and the flavor was okay with this artificial-looking cheese (slightly rubbery texture), Half an hour later, my friends started getting heavy cramps and one friend was constipated the next day. Absolutely horrible place, should have checked yelp. On the plus side, they had free WiFi. read more

Typical hometown bar feel. Not fancy but good bar food. Had appetizers only, nice staff ice cold beer.

Simple food, Cash only!! Good service and atmosphere, did however see they had killer Bloody Mary's and a breakfast buffet

Dirty bar, food was awful.. Italian beef was tough like it came out of a tub... not home made...fries were awful too... skip this one... there are plenty of other bars... read more

My mom and I were in the mood for ice-cold beer and a plethora of fried goodies after our Main St. shopping extravaganza - this was the perfect place. Fried green beans & mushrooms were awesome - the shrimp were a bit on the fishy and limp side (a la frozen) but we're spoiled by Phil's shrimp in Chi-town. Beers were perfection on tap - Stella and 312 - what more can a girl ask for on Saturday afternoon? Nothing fancy - I enjoyed our pub table by the window though rather than the cafeteria-style ones ... read more

Paradise Bar and Grill - Fried food bonanza & ice cold pints - Bars Near Me - Galena, Illinois