Solid 3.5 stars so I rounded up for the pleasant service. I can see this being a great joint for a summer stop on the way to/from the lake. On an early May weekend it loses a bit of the summer vibe charm. The food was not great, the breaded chicken sandwich had a frozen patty feel to it. The bierra tacos were small, and the chicken schwarma was dry but flavorful. The kids plain smash burger was actually the best meal served. The craft beer menu was sufficient. Not sure Hamm's qualifies as craft but it's always fun to see it pop up at a beer pub. It got the job done for late lunch. Not sure we would hurry back. read more

I was craving hush puppies and The Side Lot did not disappoint. Friendly staff. Good eats. Great spot if you want to chill and watch a game. read more

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I went here for the first time and it was very good. I recommend sitting outside but the inside is nicely decorated too. The menu is very limited but the potstickers were good and same with the double Smashburger which is ample for two people. I give this place 3.75 stars. read more

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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. read more

The Side Lot - Stout And Fries - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Wauconda, Illinois

I don't get out to Wauconda often, but our group of six wound up at The Side Lot Brewery for beverages in early October before heading to our lunch destination. They serve food here too, but we did not partake in any food during our pleasantly sunny stay in the outdoor Backyard patio. The taproom allows only adults, and since our group included two younger ones we were happy to hang out in the Backyard. Our server could not pour a full glass of the beer that I chose, so he gave the partial pour to me on the house. It was still good! All in all, we were satisfied with our noontime visit to The Side Lot. read more

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. read more

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We ordered Wings and Cheese Puffs for takeout. Everything was wonderful. The regular wings were very tasty and the cheese puffs were quite crunchy. Highly recommend Side Lot. Great people and food. read more

Food and drinks are good! Bartender was very inattentive even though there were maybe 10 people in the bar. A simple 30 minute dinner turned into an hour of just waiting for service and to pay (we had to go up to the bar after waiting a bit). We would've gotten additional drinks but didn't feel like adding an extra hour to our outing read more

Won't be returning. My husband and I stopped in on Saturday afternoon, and there were 2 tables open, one of which hadn't been cleared yet from previous customer. So my husband and I sat down at the clean table and were never welcomed by anyone. Few minutes after we sat down 2 gentlemen came in and sat down at the table which still needed to be cleaned. The bartender came over to their table, cleared it off for them and asked what they wanted to drink. No one ever came to our table so we unfortunately got up and left. Poor customer service. read more

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

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. read more

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

With all the microbreweries and brew pubs available it's difficult to single one out. Side Lot has great beers, very good food, friendly bartenders and waitstaff with a wide variety of great people patronizing the establishment. The only thing missing is their former "friendship/relationship with the restaurant next door. 5th star pending read more

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 read more

The Side Lot - Empty on a beautiful Sunday - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Wauconda, Illinois

Amazing! Inside and outside! Huts outside in fall and spring to watch sun set and drink and eat great food!! Truly Liza and Dr Brad Johnson read more

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

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! read more

The Side Lot - Jabroni flatbread - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Wauconda, Illinois

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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. read more

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The Side Lot, located in the charming town of Wauconda. Known for its rustic ambiance and commitment to fresh ingredients, The Side Lot's Signature 110 Burger steals the show. Crafted with a blend of high-quality grass-fed beef, topped with thick-cut bacon, onions, pickles, fried egg, and a truffle dijon sauce, this burger is a masterpiece of flavors. The Side Lot not only excels in culinary burger craftsmanship but also offers some of the most wallet-friendly burgers on the list, with a single for only $5 every day. I was shocked there wasn't a line out the door. read more

It's the "new" Bulldogs. Love the smash burgers and fries. The service is always friendly and kind and helpful when you're unsure what to drink. The biggest decision I've had to make is where to sit...., indoors or outside :-). read more

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! read more

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I can't front like I loved Side Lot. I wanted to and thought I would based on the photos I looked at & reviews I read prior. But I just was not feeling it. I am into trying new breweries and all their beer offerings so was excited to try this brewery up in Wauconda. However though they probably had 12 beers on tap, only 4 were their own. Wah wah. So it's kind of a brewery but mostly a beer bar. Half of their 4 beers were quite tasty. Smokin Squirrel was my least favorite of their beers, an English mild brown ale. But most of the other beers were pretty good. The Saucy Minx Champagne Cider was truly an interesting beer. Though I didn't love it, I could totally see it being very enticing for others. Now the Cocky Woodpecker IPA looked really dark for an IPA and had a smokey taste. Honestly didn't have any characteristics of an IPA but I enjoyed it. Then there was Jimmy the Weasel, a Belgian tripel that was milky yellow and pretty darn delicious clocking in 9%. If you're going to get one beer at Side Lot, get this. A flight of 4 beers was $10. Really easy ordering for flights, you just write down the #s you'd like to drink. This also makes it nice and easy to keep track of what you're having. I also ended up ordering a 6" Yardbird sandwich...but got & was charged for the 12". Ah well. The sandwich was really freaking delicious though so I'm not mad at it. $11 for Chicken, bacon jam, honey mustard, lettuce and tomatoes on this really delicious bread. So I just felt kind of awkward the whole time at Side Lot. I usually don't mind going to places alone but something felt kind of off here. I was alone in the brewery for over an hour and just sat in silence. The benches looked deceivingly comfortable, my back was hurting after sitting on them for an hour. I did greatly enjoy the beautiful view of the lake though. And good music! Listen, everywhere's not for everyone and though I didn't care much for this brewery, it may be your dream spot. Give it a whirl, go with friends, eat some of their tasty food, be sure to try Jimmy the Weasel and maybe you'll love it. read more

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Food was tasty and beers were good, but we ordered through the QR code and it was a rough night. The bar tenders/ servers were swamped all night so they didn't get a chance to look at the digital tickets right away. The manager was very apologetic about miscommunications when a ticket was thrown away and having to rerun a couple food items. We will be back in the future read more

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 read more

The Side Lot - SmashBurger Chicken & Waffles Extra Waffle Extra Waffle Extra Waffle Belgian Waffles SmashBurger - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Wauconda, Illinois

They do not have any food but the Slyce Coal Fired Pizza Company is next door and they will bring food over to you. That food is good. They had a nice patio set up because there were Covid restrictions on indoor dining at the time. I was meeting my dad here who lives in Wisconsin while I was in Chicago for work. The drinks and service were okay. Nothing special. We enjoyed the food next door more. They seem to share the same outdoor patio. read more

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Had my niece's baby shower last weekend here. Everything was excellent. Management was extremely accommodating and food was also very good. Perfect shower. read more

During the summer the outdoor patio area is a perfect! However, during the colder weather when the outdoor is closed, inside has also been closed several times for private parties. We've tried multiple times throughout the winter to sit inside but each time they're closed for private parties. All they have is a sign on the door to let patrons know. It would be more helpful to have an update on their website at least before making the drive out there. read more

Overall a lovely place, I had a great time with my family on an event by a realtor another time I went there with the chamber on an event and the food was gourmet and delicious. It is a comfortable space and great staff. read more

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

Cool setting, clean, and nice vibe with the decor. However, the service was really poor. Would return if not for being ignored at the bar for most of the time we were there. Customer service 1/10. Would have been better off going to a liquor store and drinking at home. I tried a flight of 4 beers and didn't care of any of them. To be clear though, the beer is not the reason I will not be back. It is the customer service alone. Even if I liked 4 out of the 4 beers I tried, I would prefer to spend my money elsewhere. We went on a Saturday and it was not busy enough to account for being treated like an inconvenience. If the bartender has time to check his phone, there's certainly time to check on paying guests to see if they need anything. read more

Me and a couple of my friends decided to try this place out because of a FB message about Tuesday Specials. I contacted them to see if reservations were necessary, response was "electronically " Yes. So we go there. Plenty of tables available, was told choose a table we wanted. When server came up, she immediately had a list of unavailable items on the Tuesday Specials list! What!??? No problem, we ordered, drinks were ordered were great. One person ordered a craft beer others a drink special. We were very happy. We ordered our food, along with a loaded fries to share. The cheese for the loaded fries was no longer available!? Really? Why have loaded fries on your specials menu if you can't deliver? Along with at least 10 other items not available that night! Why have a specials menu when you can't deliver?? We ordered regular fries to share instead and they were so over cooked it was like eating cardboard, when we stated how horrible they were, our server, said we were "rude". Really? We said, no, just honest. All in all, server acted like she wished she wasn't there, and when asked about the Polish sausage special, which she never told us about, she said, yes , they did have that on special, after the fact. Cute place, ambiance was nice, sports bar like, but please! Do not leave your place in the hands of inexperienced people who don't care if you're trying to bring new people in!!! I brought people in from out of town and they were not impressed. Btw, the burgers were good. read more

Super cool and relaxed vibe in this small but perfect brewery. They have a cute picnic table set up as their outdoor dining and you almost feel like you are at a beach outdoor eating area. Cool live, cute town and great service read more

The Side Lot - Such a beautiful place - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Wauconda, Illinois

Y'all, the brunch menu at Side Lot is SO good! We have had multiple menu items and are continuously impressed. The chicken and waffles is a savory and sweet combo that is done so well. The chicken is crispy, the waffles are fluffy and sweet. I will DREAM about the fried bird. The mushroom gravy is so good and the biscuits are fluffy and delicious. Breakfast paired with an awesome cocktail menu to include mimosas and good bloody Mary's along with great service? We just found our go to breakfast place!! read more

This place was a lot better than some of the other drugs I have been going to lately as this has a huge patio but a small inside they have very good unique bear choices and the two I had were very adequate and this place tries hard and should get more recognition is one of the better breweries in town wakanda is a bit far from Chicago and this area has a lot of strong breweries so perhaps this Brewery has to up their game and put out quality work read more

This was one of the most worst experiences I've ever had at a restaurant. They advertised the Notre Dame Ohio game as a watch party we get to the restaurant, and there is only one waitress outside who did a phenomenal job. When placing an order for food, we were told the kitchen most likely would be closed because they had a private party inside the restaurant. Five minutes to the start of the game. They did not even have the projector up and running yet. We missed the first 10 minutes of the game, trying to figure out where else to go. read more

We are so happy that there is a beautiful outdoor area to enjoy with our kids. The fun games they have for them are perfect. The chefs unique dishes also delicious. And of course we enjoy the drinks! I have to give a 4 because I wish we could go here when outdoor seating isn't available (winter), but it's not really kid friendly indoors. read more

Who would know? I made an order on Grub Hub and 27 minutes later, they cancelled the order and are apparently are not accepting any new orders tonight. I knew this place had a reputation for pretentiousness. I have now confirmed that. Will never order from here again. STAY AWAY. DISHONEST PEOPLE WHO WORK AT THEIR OWN CONVENIENCE. read more

This is a difficult review. I don't want to leave a bad review because the place its self is ADORABLE. It's got a great view. The décor is very cute, trendy, and comfortable. The staff seemed friendly and service was good. They have a really nice draft list with lots of good microbrews from some of my favorite places like Miskatonic and Half Acre. The downside is that their in-house beer was TERRIBLE. They are doing something wrong in the brewing process. My husband (a brewer himself) talked about it for the rest of the day because he was trying to figure out what exactly made it so bad. Maybe they'll get it right eventually, but I wouldn't order it again to give it another shot. Especially not at 7.00$ for a pint. I am not being hyperbolic when I say it was objectively the worst beer I have ever had at a brewery. If you go here, (and I do recommend that you do... like I said - really cute place). don't get a full pint of their house beer. Get a taster or ask for a sample. Don't commit until you've tried it. Then maybe order something else. I want to give it more stars, but they call themselves a brewery and it's pretty much false advertising. This is really a beer bar. read more

The Side Lot - Cozy on a rainy Sunday afternoon - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Wauconda, Illinois

Different type of bar liked how cozy it felt when I walked in with couches and smelled like candles. Comfortable environment would be a great place to come with a group! It is pretty small though.. Beer was good just got a flight however it would be nice if they had beer menus so I could have seen what I was trying rather than struggling to look at the chalkboard that was hard to read. It was also more pricey than any other breweries I have been to. I did enjoy their spicy bacon!! It was hot and sweet. Good combo and a nice munchie. I would come back and recommend this place. Great location. Fun place to go to in the summer. read more

The Side Lot - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Wauconda, Illinois

I really like this place it is really cool place to hang out and the beer selection is good and the people are fun read more

The Side Lot - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Wauconda, Illinois