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    The Side Lot

    3.7 (98 reviews)
    Closed Closed
    Updated 3 months ago

    Order The Side Lot Takeout or Delivery

    The Side Lot Lounges Photos

    THE SIDE LOT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Trendy
    Classy

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    Recommended Reviews - The Side Lot

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    Stout And Fries
    Steve A.

    Checked out this brewery pub recently and tried some beers. It also has a pretty interesting food menu. The Side Lot is one of the more interesting places in Wauconda. A bar feel, but there's also a lounge area for meetings, of which there was one going on when we were in here. The prices are okay if kind of high for the beers, and food is about what to expect for this kind of place. Best beer was the Stout, which was strong and bold flavored. It's $8 a pour. This is one of the pricier beers, but it's also about the strongest. As for the food, more than just typical stuff for a bar. Just not much in the way of vegetables. Fries are about it. It's about $5 for most sides. Among the entrees are the chicken and waffles, and they seem to have a big menu for brunch. The prices are okay as far as food. Good if not great place for beers. It has a little bigger food menu. This is also next to SLYCE, the pizza place, and you can order from there.

    Chicken banh Grilled Chicken Banh-Mi
    Ruth L.

    Came here with my friend for a trivia night, ordered a chicken banh-mi and a smokey old fashioned cocktail, my friend had a burger and a beer. Cute small-medium size eatery and bar/brewery in Wauconda - lots of locals frequent this place. Food was good, the chicken banh-mi was okay. It clearly wasn't authentic Vietnamese banh-mi, but I was curious so I tried it. The American food however was good. Gets busy on trivia night, the game master was okay, I personally thought the questions were a bit dry and dated...but I also opt for more pop culture or themed questions. This seemed more difficult then it had to be, just make it fun ya know... Anyway, cute spot, I'd probably stop in again if I was in the area.

    Rotating draft beer menu
    Eric B.

    This neighborhood brew pub is small in size but big on its offerings. The casual interior is both pub and event space, and there is also a spacious patio with lounge furnishings. The recent launch of the kitchen has made it a dining destination with some fairly sophisticated small plates, bites, and sandwiches. Think lunch, cocktails, or supper. There is also a weekend brunch menu. And, while you enjoy the food and drink, you can play table games or video gaming machines. Occasional movie nights and live music provide even more incentives to hang out here. A rotating selection of beers is brewed in-house. The two that I guzzled - "Pump Track" IPA and "Atmospheric Conditions Wild Ale" - were not exactly award winners, but were good and quite satisfying nonetheless. We shared pickled vegetables, chicken & waffles, and ribeye and chicken skewers. The meats, marinated and seasoned, were served with flavorful dipping sauces. This is an ideal place to host a party because it's intimate, flexible, and the staff is enthusiastic and helpful. They say the inside and/or outside can be reserved.

    Empty on a beautiful Sunday
    Tom T.

    Should have left when the host didn't get up from the bar to seat us. Empty on a beautiful Sunday. Food was forgettable and not many gluten free options Owner Phil - thanks for responding. I stand by my comments and do not plan to return. No idea who the guy/non host was at the bar at 1 something on a Sunday but he seemed too know his way around the place and gave us menus as we sat ourselves. I wish you well

    Jabroni flatbread
    Tracy L.

    My friend recommended this place. It has a great outdoor space for those summer days. It's comfortable and relaxing. We certainly lounged for a couple hours and never felt rushed. I had an ipa, can't remember the name, but it was good. They were out of a few food items, so of the ones we asked about, jabroni flatbread was the only one available (from Slyce). The flatbread was okay, no complaints but nothing special either. Everything was well priced. If I'm in the area again, I'd visit again!

    Jhordin A.

    This is a cute spot with a nice outdoor patio. They have a food and drink menu on the smaller side. The service was good, drinks and app were good! Check it out for a drink if your in the area.

    Randa U.

    Great brewery on Wauconda (not Wakanda). Great setting, not real huge. You can try any beer you want and they will make sure you find what you like. The sell beer to go in cans called Crowlers and the typical Growler. I had an Australian wheat beer and it tasted light and wheaty. They sell other kinds of beer, but go for the Side Lot brews. They brew all sorts of beer and have 10 SL brews, at least, to chose from. We were there on a Saturday night and had some tacos. They had beef, chicken and elote tacos, which were fantastic! I do wish they had some desserts, but the tacos were pretty awesome so I'll take it!

    SmashBurger Chicken & Waffles Extra Waffle Extra Waffle Extra Waffle Belgian Waffles SmashBurger

    so good will eat again for sure the next rime i come i didnt get my shirley temple but its whateva! its so good he was really nice. his aura was immaculate, i ate it in 10min. service was amazing. his tattoos were cool

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    6 months ago

    Cozy, warm with good service. Loved the xmass set up. Food menu a bit lacking but good for what it was.

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    1 year ago

    Service and food was excellent. The burgers are great. The draft beer choices really put this place over the top.

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    2 years ago

    The drink was fabulous but wasn't too thrilled with the sandwich, but loved the fries.

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    3 years ago

    BEST BEER EVER great people and delicious food. Literally have the best time every time we come.

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    2 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - The Side Lot

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    Kahala Koa

    4.4(33 reviews)
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    This was a spur-of-the-moment choice but ended up being very fun for drinks and dinner!…read more I LOVE tiki bars and my husband noticed this one in the area near where we happened to be on Google maps, so off we went! We had about a 15 minute wait for a table but it gave us time to peruse the menu in the car. They offer many classic tiki cocktails, a page full of seasonal drinks, a page of "Designated Driver" mocktails (nice to have an option for something other than just a Shirley Temple!), Polynesian appetizers and entrees, and then Lola's Pizza. For drinks, I got the seasonal Gingerbread Painkiller and my husband got a Green Flash mocktail. (Pro tip on the seasonal drinks: check the regular cocktail menu to see how many skull and crossbones are listed under the regular version of your drink, if applicable, to see if it's a super strong one!) Mine was creamy and spicy but quite powerful. Props to our waitress, Makayla, who checked if anyone at the table was epileptic, because normally the "flash" part of my husband's drink is a strobing LED ice cube; I actually am photosensitive, so it came in the drink in non-strobe mode and just glowed an alien green. She said this was the first time it had actually paid off to ask, but I'm glad she did! The food was tasty: I ordered rumaki, an old-school appetizer of bacon-wrapped water chestnuts that you don't see very often these days, and he got loaded fries. We also got a small Lola's Pizza, which was very good, with a crisp but also chewy crust. The atmosphere here is pure tiki, with a fountain, swag lamps, bamboo, and Hawaiian-influenced Christmas music playing for the season. Lots of big groups here; everyone seemed to be having as good a time as we were! What a laid-back gem in Arlington Heights! We'll be back. Mahalo!

    Discovered this place 10 mins from me! The decor is a little too much in my opinion but great…read moredrinks and vibes. Parking is a little tight too but I parked across the street at Mugs pizza and walked over. The service and staff were great! Big menu as well, next time will try the food. The restrooms are a little small too.

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    The Greggory - Mushrooms

    The Greggory

    4.3(147 reviews)
    13.0 mi

    This is the first time that I've been to the Greggory I have been here a few times after as well…read more The first time that I was there, I was with my friend celebrating her birthday for brunch, and our waiter was kind of bro-ish and we didn't really enjoy him, but the food made up for that experience. I decided to come back a second time to see if that was the vibe for each of the waiters and it wasn't. They were very pleasant very knowledgeable and didn't say inappropriate things to us. The ambience was awesome if I could design my house to look like that, I would love it. It kind of reminds me of a cigar room. the food for brunch, and the food for dinner was exceptional. If I were to recommend one dish specifically, it would be the octopus I ordered that all three times and I dream about it because it was some of the best I've ever had. This is probably one of the better restaurants in the suburbs outside of the city so if you're willing to travel a little bit to the west suburbs, I highly recommend checking it out plus it is around a lot of things stores shops entertainment, so it wouldn't just be a one and done you can go to a movie and then have dinner just to make it worthwhile.

    Came here last weekend with my fiancé for her birthday and we had an amazing time…read more Our waitress was so nice and gave us a great rundown of the menu as it was our first time eating here. We ended up getting bread and two apps to start off to share. Couldn't have asked for a better way to start off our meals. Everything was great and a ton of good to share between us. We got the chicken and a pasta for our meals and we couldn't finish both because we were so full. We were very happy the next day to finish the food at home. Overall this is a great place for a date night or a place to celebrate a loved one. We will be coming back and have already told our family members they need to check this place out. I suggest getting a reservation as the place is packed!

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    The Greggory - Key Lime Pie

    Key Lime Pie

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    Maxwell Mansion - Nibbly things

    Maxwell Mansion

    4.1(108 reviews)
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    Maxwell Mansion is a wedding venue, motel and a cocktail bar. I was here mostly for the cocktail…read morebar, but I did get a tour of the mansion and grounds. The mansion was built in 1856, making it the first mansion in Lake Geneva. The estate has been completely redone but charming details were kept. Along with a mansion where you can book a room, Maxwell also includes beautiful gardens, lounges, outdoor fireplaces, a heated pool, croquet and bocce ball. There is also a separate area in the back with motel rooms. Like I said, I was there for a lil' drink. There's a bar inside the mansion (Apothecary Bar) with all kinds of medical and druggist paraphernalia, with the space being a tribute to Dr. Philip Maxwell. But it's the speakeasy, which is accessible outside in the front of the house, that you'll want to visit. Ask for the password inside the mansion, and they will let you into a dark, below-ground bar. It's all decorated in prohibitionist flyers, and even the bartenders are dressed up in period costumes. It's a really cool and unique bar in Lake Geneva.

    We went to both the apothecary bar and the speakeasy. We did not spend the night. I don't see that…read moreYelp has a separate page for the food/drink places. Focusing the review on the apothecary bar. You need to know the password to get in the speakeasy. A few days after we visited the speakeasy, we went in to try the apothecary bar to get some food and drink. A friendly helpful bartender, explained all their creative cocktails, shared the pub food that they offered, and answered questions. We ordered a flatbread pizza and a spinach artichoke dip as well as a couple of cocktails. They served us at a table where we sat on a couch in a room just across the hall and were quite comfortable. There are other rooms where you can go - not much seating in the actual apothecary bar.

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    Maxwell Mansion - Secret password to the speakeasy

    Secret password to the speakeasy

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    The Side Lot - lounges - Updated June 2026

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