I'm from this riverbend and there's a lot of great restaurants in Grafton, but I will say that The Loading Dock has become my favorite place! I just love the beach feel with the yellow umbrellas, enormous patio, and of course the food & drinks. I opted for the catfish nuggets and a frozen strawberry drink. It was so good. I highly recommend checking them out. read more

The Loading Dock Bar & Grill - American Near Me - Grafton, Illinois

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It was a very nice day to sit out and I really enjoyed coming here for first time. The views of the river are incredible, the wait staff was so nice and food was good. It's not a huge menu but perfect for a quick bite. read more

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I love this place. The atmosphere is so fun! We did a girls Sunday funday and made this our first stop. The bartenders/servers were very attentive. My guests ordered food and loved it but i just enjoyed my adult beverages. They have a nice variety and i love all the outside seating and multiple bathrooms. Has a very "Lake-of-the-Ozarks" type feel. read more

Food was great and it was a nice patio, really enjoyed the scenery. Served was really nice.

A great place to people watch and watch the river flow. Great food, great drinks and excellent service. The drive on the River Road is beautiful in the fall especially! Kid and dog friendly. read more

We've eaten here before, but not for a few months. I am hesitant to review, because I'd like to give them another chance. We all ordered different meals. My friend's catfish nuggets were nice and hot, but not very crispy. The fries were very good. My other friend had the fish tacos and was disappointed for the price. We understand we are "paying for the view", but we still expect hot and fresh food. We will go back when the weather is nicer. read more

The Loading Dock Bar & Grill - American Near Me - Grafton, Illinois

We were excited to hear that many of the businesses in Grafton were open after the flood and we wanted to visit the Loading Dock. I have never been here before and was excited to check it out. The view of the mighty Mississippi is breathtaking. So beautiful and majestic! I would come back for the scenery alone. I learned that the waitresses will take your drink order only. On the weekends, you DON'T get free refills on soda and tea. I found that quite disappointing because soda and tea costs $2.25 for a small cup. The food order is taken at a different location and they bring the food to you. The kids enjoyed their chicken strips. My wife ate up her tasty chicken wrap. My burger was cooked to perfection and the fries complimented the meal. The restaurant was very busy so there was a wait for food and drinks as expected. A busy restaurant means a good and successful restaurant! Overall, I would give this establishment 3 1/2 read more

The Loading Dock Bar & Grill - American Near Me - Grafton, Illinois

Located on the Mississippi this restaurant/ venue offers a beautiful setting and view in a relaxing environment. Parking is plentiful for almost any vehicle and they offer a wide range of music groups on several nights. The food here is extremely expensive for portion sizes as you can see in the attached pick of fish tacos without tortillas for $13. The meal came out cold and simply put was a ripoff. read more

The Loading Dock Bar & Grill - Fish tacos no tortillas. $13. - American Near Me - Grafton, Illinois

So picture yourself on a 70° sunny day, its lunch time and you're in Grafton, whats on the agenda-a good burger, a beer and a view of the river, this place has them all. The place has a very corporate FLA vibe to it, an oversized patio with lots of umbrellas and tables, a big indoor/outdoor bar and of course satellite bars and a corn hole game complete with astroturf. My burger was cooked just right, the service was very good and the view excellent. I understand they also have live music here but not the day I visited. If you're doing the river road a great place for lunch, the menu is generally pretty skinny and limited to bar food+ so I'm not sure sure if a supper destination. read more

Love the atmosphere! Yellow umbrellas on the Mississippi River. Food was decent. Not great but not bad. Paying for the atmosphere. Food was slow but it was packed and there was also a private party. It was a happy spot! Live music on Sunday when we were there. read more

Very casual riverside restaurant with basic bar food and a stunning views of the Mississippi river. Have waitresses come to your table to take your drink order, but it is counter service for food. Mostly have outdoor seating. Live music F-Sun night. Have one of the region's largest flea markets on the 4th Saturday & Sunday, April through October, from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m Overnight accommodations. Ice skating rink in the winter read more

The Loading Dock Bar & Grill - American Near Me - Grafton, Illinois

This is a really cool location right on the river in Grafton. It's built off a rustic warehouse. You gotta check it out! The food was good, but not fantastic. I had the ranch chicken wrap. The chicken was fried. The veggies were chopped. I was slightly disappointed with the ranch. I don't think it was homemade. The fries were ok. Definitely could have used some seasoning. Biggest complaint I had was the wait. It took about 20-30 min to get my food. Pretty long for a wrap and fries. Place wasn't super busy. All in all, it's a cool place. I'd definitely go back. read more

The Loading Dock Bar & Grill - American Near Me - Grafton, Illinois

had a great time here! the atmosphere is great on a summer day! the fish tacos were a little underwhelming but nonetheless still enjoyed them. the frozen dock lemonade was so good and refreshing! read more

The Loading Dock Bar & Grill - dock frozen lemonade - American Near Me - Grafton, Illinois

Very cool place to hang out by the river! It gets pretty busy sometimes especially if you got at peak hours. It's fun to take the ferry if you're coming from the Missouri side! It's also a great place to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, or just a day out with friends. The food is typical bar food but not bad. Give this place a visit! read more

We came in on a very slow night so we got our food and drinks very quickly ! I enjoyed the fish tacos. Chips and salsa were also very good. Drinks were delicious and prices reasonable. Have visited before and will visit again. This place is even better in the summer ! read more

The Loading Dock has a great location right on the water! It's all outdoor seating and first come first serve. There are some "indoor" tables, but there's no A/C - it's all open air so be prepared. People come for the location. The family members who had drinks said they were good. The food was fine, but nothing to rave about. The burgers were very over-cooked, same w/ the chicken fingers. The taste was fine tho & no one complained. We enjoyed the view & ambiance! read more

Didn't care for it. We sat at the table and no one came to service us. It wasn't until we moved to the bar that we were served. The service at the bar was great. No a fan of the food. read more

Food is always good and the beer is cold. Servers are always friendly. The atmosphere is always laid back. I like getting the macho nachos with chili when it's available. read more

I think 4 stars is pretty accurate place. Come for the location and the hangout, the food isn't anything fancy or worth bragging about. There is nothing bad about the food, but it's just very very standard American cuisine. Hot dogs, burgers, chicken fingers- that realm. It's all pretty good but I can just get the same thing from McDonald's. It is a step up in quality from that, though. Service is friendly, but a bit confusing. Several different service windows each serving something different. One only had nachos and chips, the other served the rest. All 3 had drinks. We didn't know whether to sit down and wait for a waitress or go to the window until we asked and were told to have a seat and our order would be taken. Then a waitress came and told us to go the window. Pretty confusing. We were also duped into paying for a refill. Refills were not included in the price of a $4 soda- we weren't told this until the check came. I struggled between 3 and 4 stars here, but I'm going with a 3 due to the confusion and sneaky up charge. The view/ambiance is still nice and the food is pretty good, basic as it may be. read more

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4 - Atmosphere. Nice environment for wanting to eat and drink outside on a nice summer day. Too bad they only have 2 bag games. Could use more games. Can get super busy with people and kids running around. Music they had was a nice touch. 2 - Service. Really it's help yourself if you need it. They will bring you food and take your drinks, but don't expect to get it quickly for either item. For drinks, it is easier to get it yourself. For food, you have to go order it and they will bring it out to you. Takes a while for food to come out. 3 - food. Some are good. Some are average to below avg. Order the cheeseburger, chips and salsa, macho nacho pork. Those were all satisfying. Wraps seemed okay. The catfish was chewy and overdone. Fish tacos we're blah in taste and expensive because you get 2 and no fries. All fries were good and extra crunchy which I like. 3 - drinks. Nothing too special here. They could have more of a selection. Some beers are not even on the menu. Go to the Cabana or ask your server. 1 - price. Pretty expensive for the drinks and food. Drinks were roughly $5 and food is around $9. Spent about $65-70 on 3 of us. read more

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With views of the river, sound food options, and cold beer, how can you go wrong!! Jump on the ferries, see the country side, explore the countryside, and have a relaxing afternoon on the river!! read more

Came to check out the revitalization of Grafton and stopped off to grab some grub at the Loading Dock. It was a beautiful evening about 8 pm and the breeze was so nice. Seating was available by th e water with a really relaxed atmosphere and an absolutely beautiful view of the Mississippi River. It has a very limited menu but the food is good. Great outdoor country music over the outdoor speakers. 2 or 3 outdoor bars. read more

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Service is great. Very friendly waitresses. Food is good too. We had the chicken wrap, chicken strips, unwrapped chicken wrap. Drinks are perfect, great atmosphere. Our second time here and both had live music on a Friday. We will be back!! read more

This is a great place to go if you want to have a drink and watch all the activity on the river. If you're going to eat, I would suggest you go someplace else in Grafton because the food here sucks! The waitresses were very good and had no complaints at all, other than the food. It's sad that it's not any better than it is and the prices are way too high for what you get. read more

Bomb.com Love love love coming here. Was a little disappointed in the new "Jamaican Chicken strips" really didn't expect Buffalo sauce to be "Jamaican" but oh well. Still tasted delicious and the drinks were perfect. Came during the flood and got to walk over the catwalk to get in and got to sit right on the water. read more

The Loading Dock Bar & Grill - Yum! - American Near Me - Grafton, Illinois

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Phenomenal setting overlooking the river with band stand, bar and lots of tables to social distance and enjoy the outdoors and some entertainment. Great job designing this with such a picturesque background....complete with bald eagles soaring above. read more

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The service is great! The owners are lovely! I had some kind of chips and salsa that was out of this world - delicious! It's right on the river in the best way - you feel like you're at a beach bar. It gives major ocean and river vibes. They have a stage for live music and a large space, the old boat house (where boats were fixed) that serves as a flea market and event space most of the year and an ice rink in the winter. Super awesome! read more

The food was delicious, minus the salsa that wasn't good. I wanted a crew sweatshirt (didn't have my size, that's ok) I asked my waitress for a long sleeve shirt, she got one down from the top, put the medal hook up & said it doesn't look like we have that size. I would go back because the food was great! read more

One of the worst establishments I've experienced in a long time. I rarely give a place a 1 but this place needs it. The 1 star is for the view...that's it. If you go, just go for drinks which are expensive but you are paying for the view. If you get hungry. Close your check and head out. The food is basically bar food but charged 3 times more. Watch out for the Shrimp Salad. Its just small mini shrimp marinated in mayonnaise and served over one iceberg leaf. Yes 1 iceberg leaf. I guess the kitchen forgot to add the rest of the $12 salad. It was more like an appetizer with ritz crackers. Fish tacos, they use cheap fish (Tilipia) served on a Cold Tortilla and smothered again with a corn bean mayonnaise sauce. And I forgot to mentioned that we waited 20 minutes for it. Had to remind the waitress about the food twice. Again beware for food. Also not COVID 19 protocols. None of the Restuarant staff were wearing Masks.. No one including the staff making the drinks and food. I say...park your car, take a picture of the view and then head out down the street. Way better eats in the area. read more

During the winter the loading dock is transformed into a winter wonderland! We came on a Saturday night to go ice skating on the rink they put up. It is around $15 for the skate pass and the skate rental and it lasts all day. The rink isn't as big as an actual ice skating rink, but it was enough room for everyone to skate on. The ice isn't as smooth as permanent ice rinks like the east Alton one or steinberg in stl so if you cannot skate well at all, this might not be the best option. There are also a bunch of little kids skating everywhere, which is understandable, but they do not care who or what they skate into! Those kids are wild! They have food and drinks available and there are plenty of tables to sit at if you need a break from ice skating. We didn't get any food this time, but I have gotten the dock salsa here before and it is my favorite! One thing that really makes this experience fun is how beautifully it is decorated. You can tell they put some time and money into it! read more

The Loading Dock Bar & Grill - Fire table for roasting mashmellows - American Near Me - Grafton, Illinois

Great destination on a sunny day. Right on a beautiful stretch of the Mississippi river. read more

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Fun atmosphere for adults and kids during the week. Excellent Miami Vice drink and good food a little pricey. Right on the Mississippi River in Grafton, Illinois. Staff did not wear masks and slow service. read more

The Loading Dock Bar & Grill - American Near Me - Grafton, Illinois

We didn't eat here, just had some drinks. I ordered the Dock Lemonade, since it seemed to be their specialty. It was good and cold, but too sweet for my taste. And the only cider offered is Redd's. Kind'a sad if you ask me. Wouldn't refuse to go back, but wouldn't go out of my way to either. read more

The Loading Dock Bar & Grill - American Near Me - Grafton, Illinois

Live the atmosphere at this place! On a not so busy weekday with nice weather the atmosphere is 5 stars. Service is ok. It took a while to get drinks and put our order in, but she was friendly. Pretty reasonable prices as well. One small issue, which was handled appropriately. Two friends I had lunch with ordered the chicken salad combo ($11), took one bite, and didn't like the chicken salad at all. Our server quickly got the manager and she resolved it by getting something new out to them very quickly A burger for one, she said was very good. The other got tacos and said they were good except the taco shells were stale. It happens. Not the worst thing in the world. I had the side salad ($4) and turkey burger with fries ($11). Mine was delicious. I'm not a fan of this place when it's slammed on the weekends, but that not a problem they can help. Clearly they do good business! read more

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We came here after having a few drinks at fast eddies down the road. (Should've just stayed there..) we get there and sit at a table at the back of the restaurant. Our server greets us immediately and says "where we're you guys before here?? They clearly over served you. I'm a cop so..." I think she told us she was a cop 4 times throughout the thirty minutes we stayed. She also still grabbed us drinks even though we were "over served already." Ok then as your job as a server, you shouldn't have served anyone if you thought we were already overserved...It made me super uncomfortable. She had a slight attitude and just didn't seem happy with our group. We left after one drink (our friend wasn't feeling well) and the vibes from this "cop" were just unwelcoming. On the bright side the salsa was delicious. That's the only positive I can say from our first time here. Our other friends with us have been here multiple times, but I'm not sure why. read more

The food was fine but the ambience was bad. It was a nice day so management had the big garage doors to the patio open. When the doors are open they allow smoking inside the waitress said. An ardent smoker then shared her cigarettes smoke with the other indoor customers. Today is the first and last time I will visit this restaurant. read more

One of our favorite places. When we moved here from California 12 years ago someone told us to visit Grafton and stop at the Loading Dock We did and the first thing that impressed us was it was a restaurant on the water. Ok we were used to eating at seaside restaurants on the Pacific Ocean. But when we moved to East Alton in 2009 we thought eating with a water view was gone forever. Since our first visit we visit now about once a month in warmer months. But even go in the winter a few times. Oh yeah, the food! Not elegant but very tasty. My wife loves the chips and fresh salsa. I am a fish taco guy and theirs are great. But the view of the Mississippi River is outstanding. read more

This is a great random stop along our drive. Close to 5 stars, just need a couple things like metal tables and ensure the fish isn't gone lol especially for a "fish restaurants. Staff is great, and food was delicious though! read more

Well, was pretty hyped about coming here, we drove 40 minutes from St Louis. They are really hit or miss on a lot of things. Hits: Environment and music. Really chill outdoor area with lots of seating, great music, games (or just 2 bag toss games, when we came) Miss: Price, Food. I guess the price should be a little higher when they provide music, but, man I don't know really know. $5 dollars for a small beer, and 9+ for other food items. I was extremely disappointed with the Fish Tacos, they just were not good, and they only gave you to small ones, without fries. Chicken Tenders were solid, Fries were great, guess you can't go wrong with those 2. Nachos were delicious, but pretty much everything else was not that good. Their menu's are missing some of their drinks so I would definitely go to the bar and ask what they have. read more

Enjoyed the fish tacos and shrimp roll. Pretzel sticks were piping hot accompanied by warm cheese sauce. Wife loved the dock lemonade as well. Great view of the river and friendly prompt service. Worth the stop when cruising the river road. read more