The old wood work in this place is beautiful with the original bar saved from the great Chicago fire. Love the nostalgia of these old places. I ordered the broasted chicken but have to admit it was dry n a bit overdone. It was served with slaw n a few fries. Overall it was just ok n can't say there's a reason to return. Perhaps I should have ordered a burger. Staff was friendly n attentive. There is outdoor seating available. Parking is convenient in adjacent lot. read more

We hosted our annual extended family Christmas party with about 60 people (adults and kids) in the basement pool hall at the Village Tavern, and it was perfect. The space worked wonderfully as a private event venue for a large group, and several relatives even drove up early to shop around the area, making it a great day trip. Everyone enjoyed playing pool and watching games and movies on the big screens, which added even more fun to the day. We set up a few tables for food and kids' crafts, and worked with the owners to create a reasonably priced meal package. Appetizers included salad, chips and salsa, and the most crave-able cheese curds I've ever had. Dinner was served family-style with German sausages, roasted chicken, German potato salad, and sauerkraut. We also had our own private bar for drinks. Highly recommend the Village Tavern for your next event--and for supporting a great local business. read more

The Village Tavern - Family Style Buffett for Private Events - American Near Me - Long Grove, Illinois

The food was really delicious and fresh. They nailed the drinks and offered water. Inside was not my vibe but historical and classic. The outdoor patio was super fun and they accommodated switching tables sample ! They were very friendly and had prompt service. The prices were fair. read more

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We had a very disappointing experience at the restaurant. The old filthy carpet has heavy stains throughout and appears to not have been cleaned in many years. There's an odd unidentifiable odor throughout the restaurant. I can't imagine what the kitchen looks like.   I was served a very greasy plain portobello and cheese sandwich that sat on an otherwise empty plate. No garnish to add to the sandwich or to make the plate visually appealing. The server didn't inform us they had specials that day, we learned on the way out and definitely would have preferred the other options. This restaurant is clearly "phoning it in", they don't seem to care read more

Great food Friendly service with a calm atmosphere Love the warm woodwork Great specials, Tequila shrimp bowl, French onion soup and braised bone in short rib my favorites read more

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Village Tavern is Super quaint, homely restaurant in downtown Long Grove. Holiday time is especially beautiful with all the surrounding lights and Santa even stopped by during dinner! The staff is so welcoming and sweet. This joint is much bigger inside and offer live music (there is a stage with piano). They have a bar and gambling lounge and is walking distance to the brewery and wine bars after dinner. They are known for their fish fry, but my favorite is the German platter. I enjoy their cocktails, they always hit the spot. read more

The Village Tavern - Enjoying the lights Across the street - American Near Me - Long Grove, Illinois

Village Tavern is a cozy restaurant in Long Grove which is decorated nicely every winter to celebrate the holidays. The menu includes all the standard selection of appetizers, burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads, and a handful of entrees that you'd expect to find at any tavern. The prices are reasonable, in line with the pricing that you see at other Long Grove restaurants. The service is friendly here and reasonably quick. This helps to make it a reasonable place to spend an afternoon or evening with friends, in addition to having a large dining room and overall restaurant size so you don't feel cramped. The food is pretty standard fare here, nothing particularly out of the ordinary for tavern standards with pretty standard portion sizes as well. Of the items I've had recently here, the grilled cheese is probably the most memorable due to the contrast of textures between the crispy bread, firm tomato, and squeaky cheese. Overall, a place to stop by if you're looking to experience the oldest tavern/restaurant in continuous operation in Illinois, attend one of their events, or enjoy some holiday decorations in the winter with a menu that contains all your favorites. read more

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We stopped in for lunch during Long Grove strawberry fest. They did not disappoint. I had a pulled pork sandwich and a strawberry lite beer. Service , price, food , all fantastic. This isn't the first time I've been here and certainly won't be the last Thanks for a great lunch And we will see you again soon Thanks read more

This place was really nice. A unique interior. Friendly service. And all the food was very good! Went with a party of 4. First time here. Everyone said their food was great. The service was great. Will be back for sure when in the area again! read more

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Went for the Friday Fish Fry...delicious! Generous portions of freshly fried fish, really good homemade Cole slaw. Like that they gave you a bottle of malt vinegar for the fish...nice touch. Topped it off with a slice of warm Appkehaus apple pie...amazing! Server was friendly and attentive. Highly recommend. read more

The Village Tavern is one of my favorite places to go during the holidays. Both the Village of Long Grove downtown and this restaurant are decorated so nicely. This is a favorite of my family. We try to go every year and have a nice casual lunch with a hot chocolate of course. There are daily specials and special attractions to be on the lookout for. The history lover in me loves that this restaurant is the longest continuous running restaurant in the state of Illinois. You can appreciate the history that is home here. The exposed wooden beams, brick fireplace, and cash register are just part of the history on full display. With a full service bar, gaming area, and generous dining room space, there is something for everyone. I had the hot chocolate, baked French onion soup, and grilled cheese on Texas toast with bacon and tomato. All sandwiches came with French fries. The upgrade to items like the sweet potato fries were $4 and were too expensive for me. The food is good but not fantastic. It's really the ambiance and atmosphere that steals that show. If you're looking for a warm, cozy place to spend a good time with good company, I highly recommend The Village Tavern! read more

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Cozy restaurant in Long Grove. Our waiter was very welcoming and fun. Ordered the patty melt and it was really good. Restaurant is large enough to hold many customers. Many options for any type of meals. read more

The positives - a really neat restaurant and bar. A very cozy vibe. And it is neat that it is old and nostalgic. Our sever was nice and patient with some of my families diet restrictions. The prices are reasonable. The bread is amazing! The not so good - the food was ok. I did not like the fish fry. The server said they have been serving it for more than 40 years. Not sure how. The fish and breading was bland. The broasted chicken was ok. The sides were ok. My niece said the burger was good. I would like to go back and give it another try because it is so cute inside. read more

Wow-I know this place is a landmark but how about owners replace the filthy carpet! When we walked in the place had a moldy smell. We almost walked out but decided to stay and try the food. I had the hamburger which was extra large and ok tasting. My friend ordered the fish fry which came with 2 nice fillets. ​​She complained it was tasteless with no seasoning. She asked if she could sub something for the fries but no, not without an upcharge. The Cole slaw and Tarter Sauce was all mayo. The service was very good but I won't return. read more

Spectacular waitress (hard working, too) and delicious food. Haven't been here in 50 years but happened in during the town's Strawberry Festival. Very crowded and historic spot; so glad to revisit. read more

I have been here three times now, and honestly am not sure what's up with some of the negative reviews. They seem to be from awhile ago, so perhaps there have been changes. I have to say that the service and the food is AMAZING. Recently, I went with my family had the best waiter who was super friendly and attentive. I love history and knowing that this is the oldest continuously running tavern in Illinois just added to the experience. You can literally feel the history of this place in the walls. Highly recommend, and we will be back! read more

Perfect weeknight at Long Grove's Village Tavern (LGVT) After a busy day, I was SO Hungry, but I wanted a nice atmosphere too. The LGVT is my 'go to' in all seasons. I had baby back ribs, which are delicious. In the past, I've had a plain hamburger, French onion soup - they have a great sandwich selection. I was lucky enough to visit LGVT on a Wednesday night. That evening they had a very talented musician that performed a variety of acoustic electric guitar selections. Perfect dinner music. LGVT also has live music & a sing along on Friday nights. Downtown Long Grove needs local support. There are several excellent restaurants to choose from. Please think of this area when deciding on an evening dining out. read more

Historic place. If those walls good talk. Stopped in for fish fry and my husband had the steak sandwhich. No complaints. Service was friendly. Highly recommend stopping in to leave your story with the walls of this legend. read more

Hadn't been here in a while. Burger was just ok. Not sure if I would come back for the burger.

Okay. We were excited because it's supposed to be the oldest continually operating restaurant tavern in Illinois. Three of us ordered three different beers. The Guinness can was flat. The Blue Moon was not opaque but clear like a Bud Light. The third arrived in a dirty glass. The onion rings came with sauce tubs of bottled ranch. The rings were previously frozen from a manufacturer. The only positive was the waiter that sounded a bit Scottish but said he was from the Midwest. A big NO. read more

Pub grub in Long Grove Village. Spacious tavern atmosphere in an old old quaint building. Restaurant and bar seating available. Family friendly. Food reasonably priced. Servers attentive and courteous. Nice stop for a meal when visiting the shops! read more

You walk in the greeters could care less to be there they would rather be anywhere else. No smiling throw a menu at you in silence then tell you to follow this person...blah. The food is very meh The service is slow the burgers have a weird spice in it that isn't good. It would be way better without it $3.50 for a really tiny cup of lukewarm German potato salad again with a weird spice in it skip that. the chop salad was good but this place is old and tired. There are many other places in town --go there. I don't recommend this place. It has a whole room full of gambling machines and it's just nowhere where I wanna take my family. I was there in 1970 all the time with my family for the fish fries. Those aren't even good anymore. Sorry about this place. It could've been the best. read more

Been here many times in past years when historic downtown Long Grove was thriving. Nowadays the area is moribund and the Tavern's owners probably don't need to fret about competition because their historic place itself is a big draw, plus so few other restaurants remain nearby. On our noontime visit, the kitchen was already out of a couple popular menu items. The chicken tenders and fries were well prepared and delicious. A cheeseburger, ordered medium but served well done, was mediocre. The fish fry, overcooked in old oil, was inedible. By far the best part of our meal was the apple pie (baked by Apple Haus directly across the street). At least our server was friendly and on-the-ball read more

The Village Tavern - Established 1847 - American Near Me - Long Grove, Illinois

Great food, ambiance was amazing. Service was a bit slow, but reasonable. I enjoyed reading about the history of the establishment and seeing the old pictures on the walls. We liked it enough that we will be back. read more

Food was delicious! We had wings and French onion soup for apps. Vinnie was our server and he was so nice and sweet. We had the broasted chicken sandwich and a burger between 3 of us. There is a very local vibe and it has maintained that over the years. We haven't been back to Long Grove in quite a few years but this place is just how we remember it. Can't wait to come back! read more

I was a bit worried when I heard The Tav was under new ownership but I was pleasantly surprised at how much it hasn't changed! From Roger on the piano to the amazing fish fry. The fish was crispy and delicious. The coleslaw tastes the same as it has for the last 40 years. Friendly faces, albeit new but still the same welcoming feeling that has always been there. If you have never been, it is definitely a treat. If you are and long term customer, worth heading in again (and again)! read more

The Village Tavern - Fish fry - American Near Me - Long Grove, Illinois

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I popped in here with the group of hangry people I was with during Long Grove's Vintage Days filly expecting to only be able to eat some dry lettuce, but I was pleasantly surprised that there are at least two fully vegan options on the list, a couple of vegetarian options (some could easily be made vegan), and a list of GF options. Talk about jaw dropping! Only downfall was that it would have been nice to have some legit protein on the salad I ordered (black beans, lentils, chickpeas, anything really, as I'm not expecting a non-veg place to have tofu lol). Maybe I can ask next time? Our waitress was super nice even though she was new, she was definitely on her A-game. I'm in Long Grove a lot, so I'm happy to know there's a quick, cheap, and easy option for me in the future. read more

The Village Tavern - Interior - American Near Me - Long Grove, Illinois

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The ambiance at this place was great in downtown Long Grove, felt like walking into an old time saloon. The service was great as we got our food quickly. The Friday fish fry was good but I remember it being better in the past. Would probably order something different next time. read more

The Village Tavern - Inside - American Near Me - Long Grove, Illinois

I haven't been to the village Tavern for many years though I have lived less than a mile away for 50 years. The inside dining room is just as authentic as it ever was, and the menu is basically the same as I remember. At lunchtime, the crowd was predominantly female and older. The food we ordered, a cheeseburger and the chicken fingers were adequate but nothing special. Most sandwich items have a choice of French fries or coleslaw. If you look at the pictures of the coleslaw you'll see that it looks like an afterthought, not a real side. Prices are moderate and service is acceptable. All in it's OK. Somehow that's disappointing compared to what I was expecting. read more

The Village Tavern - Plastic cups? - American Near Me - Long Grove, Illinois

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Ambiance: an historic restaurant with lots of old time charm. Service: attentive, helpful and very nice Food: below average sorry to say. The broasted chicken looked reheated and dry and had very little meat. The Tavern Reuben was too too salty. The Portobello sandwich was reported as good. The chicken sandwich receive an okay rating. We will return to Long Grove but try another establishment until their food reviews improve. It has so much potential. read more

Comfort food, value pricing, authentic building, good music, like both the bar and dining room - quiet. Great beef stew, sandwiches and German dishes. read more

I had never been here before and had zero expectations was just looking for a nice meal after a lovely day out. This restaurant really took the wind out of my sails. The whole restaurant had an odd prevailing odor in it. Everything had an inch of dust on it. The carpet is grungy, and theres dust shields over the ceiling vents to catch the dust that falls out of the vents. The food was extremely underwhelming. Bland and greasy sums it up best. The prices were good for the quality of food so it's a good value at least. The staff was attentive and friendly. But its just so hard to get past the smell and lack of cleanliness of this place. It may have been around since 1847, but at this rare it won't be around much longer. read more

I'm leaving a one as review score only because I can't leave a zero. Today is Valentine's Day one would think that the waitress would acknowledge that. Not only was Valentine's Day not acknowledged nor were we. We arrived shortly after the restaurant opened and there was one party of gentleman there and maybe a table of two so they were not crowded. The waitress barely greeted us by asking what we wanted to drink. I thought she would tell us what they had on special but she did not mention them. It took her about five minutes to get our drinks and we only ordered water. She said she would come back to take. Again a long wait for her to return to take our order. Insane, there was no one there. My husband ordered a burger, I ordered a full slab of ribs. We had had them last month when they were on special and they were awesome. I was so looking forward to it. After a long wait and an absentee waitress she brought out our food. First impression of the ribs were was that they were burnt. After trying rib I found them to be dry and stringy not like I had the month before when they were on special. There was some char on the ribs but it was dried out, stringy and tough too tough to eat. Way tougher than old beef jerky. I went to the cash out area to talk with someone there because I didn't want to draw attention to it on the floor because I didn't want to draw attention to it to other customers and because at that point it was getting busy in the restaurant. The woman called over a man who said that he'd take care of the matter. He did not seemed surprised at all. He offered for me to order something else or wait the time it would take for them to make another order of ribs. He said he'd give me some time to decide. At this point my husband was done with his burger. I ordered a Ruben sandwich which was average in taste at best. I quickly ate half of it because my husband and finished his burger which he said was "ok". I had to ask for a box to bring the other half home. When we finally got the box i had to ask for a bag for it. A no brainer, of course you want a bag for a doggie bag. Never once did she acknowledge that there was a problem with the meal. Never once did she circle around to ask if everything was ok, or to refill our drinks or did we need anything else. Not even a superficial apology for the burnt super expensive ribs. Not a stitch of empathy. Even if it hadn't been Valentine's Day I would have been upset with the level of rather total lack of service. I've been a waitress in my life. I would have felt bad had I served up a meal that was something other than what was advertised . Especially what was to be a romantic experience. She asked if there was anything else we wanted as she was ready to give us our receipt and when we said no thank you she tossed the receipt on the table. She didn't give us any further instructions on how we should pay the bill. We got no "have a nice day, no have a nice Valentine's Day", no nothing. It's not that the ribs were bad, and believe me, they were, it was the whole experience. It used to be a family restaurant, a friendly place to eat. But It felt more like I was at McDonald's and paying high end restaurant prices and what could have been a warm, cozy, romantic memory of our meal on Valentine's Day ended up a cold "you're just another customers" meal. We got our wedding blessed last month. We were in a romantic mood today looking forward to a nice lunch, this was special day for us and we left the Village Tavern disappointed. Won't be going back there. I wish I had taken a picture of the ribs. read more

This place is good in Long Grove, but it can get PACKED, especially during the fests. We waited in a line for like 40 minutes before sitting down at a table, and they kept telling us how packed they were, but once we sat down, we noticed there were some empty tables... so we were annoyed. Idk if they take reservations or what, but there were literally 4 free tables. The food is pretty good here, but the service is always pretty mediocre. I also got chicken tenders last time I was here, and they were extremely salty. I still ate them because they weren't awful, but I ended up drinking a lot of water and our waiter never even asked how our food was. Again though, we came during apple fest so I understand they were busy, but too busy to ask if everything is okay? He also forgot my barbeque sauce when I specifically asked for that instead of honey mustard. Guess who got honey mustard? During fests, the menu is pretty set and you cannot substitute anything on sandwiches or plates unless you don't want an ingredient on it. I get why though because a huge line of people end up waiting in line to sit down so they want people to basically eat and leave. Overall, I've been coming here with my family annually since I was a baby, so I think I just like this place mostly for my family tradition because nothing else is so amazing that I crave coming here. read more

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I have been a resident of Long Grove for 10 plus years. I agree the food is not high end. It's a bar. I try to stop by once every couple weeks by myself or with my wife. The best meals are Patty Melt, Ruben, Fish Fry and Texas Toast Grilled cheese. The Best appetizers are onion rings and wings. The bar is amazing and we love the grandfather clock. The Wait staff are friendly and efficient. Bar tenders are great (Mike, Mike and Aleyce). The amount of regulars and repeat customers should tell you it's a special place. read more

The Village Tavern - Patty Melt - American Near Me - Long Grove, Illinois

Popped in the Tavern a few nights ago and I was pleasantly surprised by what a nice evening it was. Our dinner started with a really nice server greeting us, with a big smile on her face, her name was Kerry She recommended the Rueben and she was spot on, the sandwich was good, my husband had a burger which he said was good as well. Over all the food was good and fairly priced. Our evening was made amazing by our server, she was attentive, nice and was correct in all the suggestions she gave us. Will definitely be back to the Tavern and will always request Kerry from now. read more

One of the worst meals in recent memory! I had a hamburger (served on a salad plate) which was tiny and poor quality. My husband had the fish fry, he said it was the worst ever. Place was crowded, don't know why! read more

Beautiful place oldest continuing operating restaurant in Illinois. Started this restaurant in 1847. I would like to report on the food but we couldn't get any. We called up to see if we needed a reservation and they said no we could come in anytime on Sunday that they were slow enough that they could always see us, so we went there and found a place hopping. We got there we told them we had to be out of there by two because we had a play to go to the college of Dupage, which is a 30 minute ride from the restaurant they said no problem they get us in and out we came in the guy didn't come to water us for 10 minutes. The waiter then took our order of two salads sound simple doesn't it well we waited an hour and then I said, and I spoke to the waiter several times about getting out of the kitchen and he kept saying he would check with the kitchen. I don't know whether he ever did or not but we left at 2:05 because our place started at 3 o'clock 33 minutes away, so we never got to eat there, but I did take some pictures of this old beautiful restaurant, but I'm giving it one star for service. The waiter was shitty and there was no service so enjoyed the pictures. read more

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Great food and atmosphere! I know where to find the German food I want! The staff was great and so was the entertainment on Saturday afternoon. read more

Ok spot - a low 3 stars. Not great food, but has kid-friendly entertainment on Fridays. They had a singer/keyboard player who had the kids on stage singing along. There was also a balloon artist earlier that night. It was a bit crazy with the singing and the kids so maybe avoid one of these family nights if you're looking for a nice evening out. There's a lot of history to this place that's explained in your placemats - the original owners in the 1800's were German, but this is not a German restaurant (as my parents mistakenly thought). As a side note there is an area with slot machines. THE COST: $104 total including tax/tip. Not worth it. THE SERVICE: Not too impressive. Our server forgot the bread we asked for to go with a soup we ordered. When he came over to ask if we "needed anything else" and we mentioned that, he played it off as "I'll go check with the chef." He did a little too much checking in and asking how our food was when we were enjoying our entrees. My boyfriend thought our server was annoyed when we were taking a while to order but I didn't notice that. * Tavern Potato Skins ($9.95) - 3 stars Fine, not amazing, quite oily. * Authentic Broasted Chicken ($14.95) - 2.5 stars Fries were dry. Chicken was fine, nothing too impressive. * NY Strip Steak ($19.95) - 3 stars Like everything else, ok. Steak was decent but not worth the price. * Village Tavern Stew ($13.95) - 2 stars Really unappetizing, way too thick. * Fish Fry - 3 stars Fine, quite bland. Fish texture was pretty good. read more

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