Found this basic looking bar in Galena. Gold Room is a small place with a bar and a few tables and not much else to be honest. They have a couple TVs so you can watch games or whatever. A lot of the basic beverages. There's beers on tap as well as mixers. Chill place when nothing is going on around. It's also not that crowded when other places are full. The only thing on the menu here is alcoholic beverages which is a good thing. All one needs to have fun. It's about $6 for a basic cocktail like whiskey mixed with Coke or whatever. Can also bring things in. There's a lot of close by restaurants. Got the basic drinks like beer and cheap cocktails. It's open later than most places around here. They have grill in the name but no food so eat before or bring in something from wherever. read more

The Gold Room - Whiskey - Dive Bars Near Me - Galena, Illinois

Super towny bar. It's the kind of bar where the regulars not only give you the long side eye, but the bartender won't directly address you until it's established that you "fit in." (In this case, have cash ready to go and don't order some ridiculous cocktail. Stick to beer and shots and you're golden). After that the bartender was pretty fantastic. Cash only. It was absolutely packed. a Completely SRO and it's not a small place. The bar is quite long and there are a few tables here and there. Prices were really cheap. They had Touchtunes but it was so hopping that after an hour, not one of our songs had played yet. read more

Please note this is a dive bar. Bring cash or your atm card to take out cash as that is all they accept. Beer is in cans, you can get shots, play the jukebox or shuffleboard. read more

Fun place to hang out and play shuffleboard or slots. Reasonable pricing. Cash only bar.

Had so much fun there Sunday night. Friendly bartenders (April and Stacy). Made us feel right at home. Other customers were friendly too. We will be back next time we visit Galena. read more

I really think people should read the CATEGORY before going somewhere and expecting something more than is offered. This is a DIVE bar and is best at being a DIVE bar. If you're going to review a business you should review it for what it is, not what you think it should be. This place is where the tourists come to mingle with the locals. You can truly get a feel for the real Galena by spending a little time here talking with the regulars and the bartenders. This is Galena's neighborhood bar right down at the end of Main Street. (there is another neighborhood bar but you'll have to get up into the residential area to find it - just stay on Main Street if you're a tourist) We are regulars here and have met many interesting people during their visits to Galena. And yes they have a shuffle board table and they even have shuffle board league on Thursday nights. Yes, most of the beer is served in CANS. They have a few bottles of imports but that's only because you can't get them in CANS. If you're looking for $10 martini's go across the street. If you're looking for a can of beer or a well drink (the do have some call but no top shelf) then you've found the right place and you'll fit right in. They have a very limited menu because all they have is a grill. No Fryer, no oven, no way to make salads. Just a grill that churns out some of the best hand patted burgers you'll find anywhere. They also open daily at 5 am for breakfast and get a pretty good group of locals as well as some of the area farmers. Oh yeah, they have a JUKE BOX, not some machine that surfs the internet for whatever kind of music you want. A real JUKE BOX that allows the owners to control what music is offered based on thier own clientel. And it's played often and it's often played LOUD. read more

Not the only bar in Galena open on Thanksgiving and Christmas! Best deal for real eggs and bacon and mysterious "side meat" breakfast on the planet. And when they're out of Jameson, just throw some Jack in that coffee. It really is the best deal for breakfast in downtown Galena, IL. Even secret, meat loving, vegetarians love their eggs cooked on top of where sausage was just prepared! Open even earlier during hunting season... I think at 4am - but you can't get booze until 6 or 7 am in Galena. read more

The Gold Room - a woman standing in front of the door - Dive Bars Near Me - Galena, Illinois

We were in Galena with some friends for a fun weekend. We were bar hopping up and down the street and noticed they had a shuffleboard table and thought we would stop in for a quick game and some drinks. The atmosphere fits the category, this is a dive bar. It's not well maintained, it's not the cleanest, and there is nothing fancy about it. The beer is served in cans, at least all of the beer we ordered, and I don't think I'd risk ordering a mixed drink here that had more than two ingredients. They are obviously a shot and beer bar. So if you take your wife in there and she wants to order a cosmo, you might want to think about going elsewhere. The beer they have seemed to be mostly domestic large brands, Miller, Bud, Coors, etc. I don't think I saw any craft beers, but I'll admit I could be wrong on that. We didn't try the food, but I know they offer it. We were in there twice on our weekend. Both times we had fun, we were able to play shuffleboard with some of the locals. Talked with the bartender, and in general had a good time. We'll probably go back the next time we're in town. Overall if you are looking for a hi-end bar with fancy drinks or a great beer selection, there are other bars in town. For the price, if you just want to step away from those bars and just have some fun, you can't go wrong here. read more

Great dive bar with friendly bartender. Hung out for a few hours watching the Cubs, playing Galaga (only $0.25 per play) and shuffleboard. They do serve food - burgers or cheeseburgers. Saw not only do they feature Jell-O shots, but also had pudding shots. read more

The Gold Room - Great Atari arcade table in the back. - Dive Bars Near Me - Galena, Illinois

Free shuffleboard table, good drink prices, friendly staff. It's a must stop local spot.

One of my favorite bars in Galena. The Gold Room gives me everything I want in a dive bar: 1. Dedicated booze hounds drinking with gusto. I've yet to see anyone pass out at the bar, or piss themselves, but I feel like it could happen. 2. Jaw-droppingly cheap booze. 3. A fascinating variety of human wreckage in varying states of (un)dress and decline. 4. Some kind of built-in suburbanite repellant. Thank the gods. I don't know what you do, Gold Room, to keep the golf-and-antiques crowd at bay, but please keep doing it. This bar stays relaxed, cheap, refreshingly free of both douche- and boob-oisie, and never lets you forget that everyone knows that you don't really belong there. What more could you ask for? read more

We were visiting Galena over the weekend and just wanted a quaint soot for a beer. We walked in on Saturday evening and the entire bar turned and stared at us, including the bar tender. She, the bar tender then gave a dirty look without greeting us. She then mumbled something (which I can only deduce was an insult) to the patron sitting across from her bc they both smirked. Needless to say we didn't stay. I can't speak to the quality of the products, but the service speaks for itself. read more

This place recently opened again and it is great- came here over Thanksgiving weekend a while back when it was finally open again, and it is the epitome of a dive bar. Beers by the can, music playing on the juke box, and for dirt cheap. Great local crowd, and by far the cheapest drinks in Galena. Shuffleboard for free as well to pass the time. No food is served, just drinks. Stop in if you want to avoid the tourists and get the cheapest drink in town. The current owner, who is also the bartender, is very friendly and talked with us the whole night. It does not have regular hours still, as it is only open on the weekends for now I believe, but it is still worth stopping by if you can catch it while it's open. read more

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This is one of my favorite places ... If you are in galena you must come here . The place is really good and perfect to relax and listen to music .( junk box ). But it gives you variety. If you want to meet galenean this is the place. Cheap beer , great people , very fun place . And the bartenders are amazing and fun they make you feel welcoming ... No need to say more .... love it !!! read more

Excellent place in galena. A real bar, real people.. This sounds dumb but many places in Galena are far away from being a normal typical Midwest restaurants/bars. read more

Stopped in here after I got out of Jo Daviess County Jail stemming from a previous visit to Galena for a bachelor party. I was bummed about the whole jail thing but this place picked up my spirits with some spirits. An interesting guy bought me a shot of Tequila and told me of his days hanging out with Carlos Santana and Chrissie Hynde's son. A lady in a St. Louis Blues jacket was tearing up the dance floor.with some hot moves I only had my GovPayNet card so a nice Blackhawks fan with a man bun also bought me 4 of their special Jello shots. To sum this place up: good times, good vibe, good camaraderie. This was 9AM on a Tuesday I'd love to see the place on a weekend once my probation gets over with. read more

Update: ended up here on 12/19/09 and it was just as I'd always remembered it. I was wrong about the timing.... the kitchen shuts down at midnight, so if you want to sample aforementioned Greaseburger, make sure you get there before midnight. read more

Was craving a good Bloody Mary and to watch the Bears game but didn't want to go in a full restaurant. Stopped in and was satisfied with both! read more

If you are looking for a fancy place to hang out, go to the other places along main street. If you are looking for an old fashion bar for a cheap beer and friendly locals, this is the place. Yes, they have a working shuffle board and serves some basic food. read more

Hands down the BEST cheese burger on the planet !! Every one talks about breakfast but the burgers rock !! Do your self a favor, give em' a try with grilled onions. read more

Nice little place with an awesome sarcastic bar tender. It made for a great night. Descent priced beers and the jukebox had a huge selection! read more

Lets just set the record straight. We know if you are from a population of more than 3,405 the minute you walk into the bar, it doesn't matter what you order. The Goldroom is a great hangout for the LOCALS as well as the city slickers. Cold beer and a kick ass breakfast. read more

The very best in breakfast, Shredded hash browns from real boiled, and peeled potatoes. Their pork "side meat" is nearly unique and only found in the Midwest. Eggs prepared to perfection. Simple, basic farm style breakfast. Very reasonable prices, not tourist prices. read more