Very unique restaurant with good service and great food. By the Capitol and the lake Unusual in that they ask you to pick up a menu and order before you sit down. read more

My girlfriend found this place on her exploration of her new town. One afternoon she told me we had to go here for lunch so I could check it out. She had been raving about the food and knew I was missing out. We got there on a Saturday afternoon just after the lunch rush. We were able to get seated almost immediately. It has a quant atmosphere of a distressed store/office. The waitress we had was attentive and quick to take drink orders. She was also very thorough going over the menu and specials. Speaking of the specials, that's what I sounded good to me. It was difficult to choose, but I went with the Meatloaf and mashed potatoes. I can't say a lot about the presentation... but honestly I don't care what it looks like because I'm going to eat it. It was real mashed potatoes, with two thick slices of a delicious meatloaf. It was absolutely delicious. My girlfriend had the Black & Bleu salad. She was very please with it. For desert we got the deep fried Oreo Cookies. Okay, yes they are a carbilicious, deep fried sugar bomb... but they where so very good. The nice thing is that they are just the right size to satisfy the sweet tooth, but not so much as to make you regret it... too much. If you're in the Freeport area and looking for a nice meal in a casual setting. This is it... read more

This Is It Eatery - Delicious Meatloaf - American Near Me - Freeport, Illinois

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Really good food. Came in while driving though with family, I've never been to Freeport and wasnt she where to eat when I found this place. The food was spectacular. Good burgers (we got 4 different kinds, all cooked perfectly), great soup, sandwiches, and fish. The sides were all delicious. Even the fried foods weren't greasy, it was some great comfort food. The restaurant was nice and warm inside and nicely decorated. I also thought the server was so sweet. I feel bad I didn't catch her name but she was attentive and fun, threw out some jokes and even got us to get some of those famous fried Oreos (which were incredible btw) I don't know when I'll be back in Freeport but if I do, I'll definitely be coming here for a meal. read more

Good food and the bartender was very helpful and friendly. I had the bourbon burger with potato wedges and a side salad all very tasty. Small menu but enough to fill you up read more

This Is It Eatery - Menu - American Near Me - Freeport, Illinois

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My husband and I were in Freeport for a Saturday evening concert at the Masonic Temple. We stopped here for a late lunch, around 3:30pm. We started with onion rings as an appetizer. See the photo I posted. They were very good. They were made with what I would call a Tempura batter rather than with bread crumbs. It was an ample size to serve 2 to 3 for an appetizer. I had the Smoked Apple Wood Bacon and Cheddar Cheese Burger on a pretzel roll. I chose the french fries as my side for the burger. Since we had all those onion rings as an appetizer, I was kind of fried-out and regret not having selected the seasonal vegetables as my side. The burger had a delicious grilled flavor. The pretzel roll was good but I wasn't real sure how fresh it was. My husband had the soup of the day, which was beef stew and salad combo. He really liked the beef stew. We both thought the salad was a pretty small serving. The soup and salad came with a small pretzel roll. We ordered 2 fried oreos. It was as fantastic as other reviewers have noted. The servers were all very friendly and stopped by to make sure we had everything we needed. They serve Pepsi, not Coca Cola. I'm glad we chose this restaurant/bar. If we are in Freeport again, I'd stop by. read more

This Is It Eatery - A section of the eating areas. - American Near Me - Freeport, Illinois

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Finally tried this Downtown restaurant. We were pleasantly pleased with both food and service. I had a burger and my husband had the fish fry. Both were served quickly, hot. Our drinks were never empty and the price was reasonable. The serving area is small but is well lit and we were not rushed. read more

My friend and I went to see a movie down the street and stopped in for a beer and a bite. Sheila took care of us that night at the bar. I ordered the Steak wrap shown in the picture. I normally don't order wraps because it's not usually what comes to mind for me. I really was blown away, it was so delicious! They raise all their own beef and even make their own homemade ranch which was the best ranch I ever had!! The steak was tender, juicy and very flavorful. A perfect medium how I like it. Cooked to perfection. Inside the wrap was lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, spring mix and homemade ranch wrapped up in a tortilla with a flat top sear. There were multiple sides as options but mine was the french fries. The fries were a light golden brown color, crispy and delicious. The bar is nice! Sheila let me use the remote to change the channel to something I wanted to watch. I can't wait to go back for more steak guys! Made my night! read more

This Is It Eatery - Restaurant front - American Near Me - Freeport, Illinois

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Food was so delicious we met Chris the cook that made the delicious food and the bartender Matt was awesome too

We stopped here on our way back to Chicago from Galena. It was a small town and we decided to go here because of the good reviews. We ordered the fried green beans based on reviews they looked good, and they were! Served with ranch dressing and perfectly fried. We both ordered salads, I tried the strawberry and chicken salad. It was delicious and the ingredients all seemed extremely fresh. The chicken was still warm when it was plated. My mom ordered the southwest chicken salad and said it was good too. Our server Kelly was amazing! She was super energetic and made us feel right at home. We also tried the fried Oreos with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The Oreos were amazing! Definitely order! read more

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Freeport doesn't seem to have a lot to offer when it comes to restaurants. We assumed 'This is It" implied "look no further! We are the best" and maybe that's true, but it's not saying much. My boyfriend ordered a coffee and it came long after his food. The food was ok, edible, but nothing to write home about. The service was bleak. Our very pregnant waitress made us well aware she was miserable and could've done without our visit. I don't say this often, but choose Applebees instead. read more

Food is every time I order or dine in. Friendly staff as well. The brisket is the best I've personally had since I moved to Freeport.

Excellent food, I had the pork ribs. Meat was tender and delicious. I had fried green beans as a very good appetizer. I come to Freeport several times a month and will be back....and back... And back read more

I've eaten here quite a few times with my husband or with friends. It was always a fun atmosphere with good food. It had been a while since we had been so my husband and I went recently on a Friday night. We waited a bit for a table which is fine, they were busy but not full and we were told the kitchen was a bit backed up, again not a huge deal we can wait a bit. Another couple got sat right before us and then us. Got drink orders and food orders in and received drinks with a minimal wait. After quite a while, the couple that got sat right before us got their food so we figured ours would be out soon. But it was probably another 30 min. Most of the other people in the dining room were there already when we got there and had their food and/or were waiting for a check so unless there was 100 people on the other side that I couldn't see I don't understand what took so long. Our waitress was nice and apologized for the wait but the kitchen being backed up is not her fault. I did get a bit annoyed however when I heard the kitchen ring a bell for what I was hoping was and ended up being our food but they had to ring it again because she was talking to someone. I think it was about an hour before we finally got our food and I asked for the check almost right away because at that point I just wanted to go home. I ordered Alfredo with vegetables, the Alfredo was pretty good, the vegetables was basically a frozen bag of California medley which is fine. My husband ordered a chicken sandwich but asked for a regular bun instead of the pretzel bun and while he said the chicken was good the bun was stale and crusty. Overall a disappointing evening. I see other people on here had recent positive experiences so maybe we caught them on a bad night but definitely not eager to go back again. read more

We were seated and had drink orders taken quickly. She was prompt to take our order. It took 30 minutes to make 2 burgers and return them to our table. I asked for the sauce that was supposed to be on my burger. We finished our meal and the sauce never arrived. read more

I've been visiting Lake Summerset for the past three weeks and my hosts have been talking for most of that time about the fried Oreos dessert served here at the This Is It Eatery and promising to bring me here, a plan of which I wholeheartedly approved. Unfortunately for me, a wrench was thrown into the works when we drove all the way into Freeport on a Monday evening only to discover that they are closed on Sundays and Mondays. I was disappointed, but decided to consider this little setback just a bump in the road and vowed to make a return before I headed back to California. I was warned that you need to arrive early in order to secure a table, and they weren't kidding. The dining room is small (for now) and fills up quickly causing a line to form outside. The dining room is pretty small, but they'll soon be expanding into the space next door which is much larger and the current dining room area will become a bar. The lovely hardwood floors will make a beautiful dance floor once the change is complete. It is attractively decorated with clay red walls and campy paintings and signs throughout. They've packed as many tables into the space as they can without making the customers feel like they've been packed into a can of sardines. Ron decided to order off the breakfast menu for dinner, ordering the sirloin steak (medium rare) and eggs (fried) with hash browns and toast. Unfortunately for him, the steak arrived medium WELL, and both the hash browns and the toast were very dry. He only ate half of it and said he wouldn't order it again, but the waitress never made it back to ask us how our meal was so he wasn't able to share the problem with her. We told the lady who checked us out and she was VERY APOLOGETIC. His order was the ONLY reason this place didn't get the full five stars, but they both LOVE this restaurant so it won't keep them from returning. Tyoni and I fared MUCH better with our choices. We couldn't come to a decision, so we decided to both order different things and then split them. She ordered the Smoked Apple Wood Bacon and Cheese Burger which comes with a side of their double battered french fries and slaw. The burger comes on a pretzel bun with your choice of Swiss, American, or cheddar cheeses (we went with the cheddar). For those who've never had a burger on a pretzel bun, you are missing out. The bun has the texture of those warm soft pretzels that I love so much and stands up well to the cheese, lettuce, tomato, and toppings better than a regular bun. The burger was very good. It was my second experience with sandwiches served on a pretzel bun and This Is It Eatery brought it to a whole different level than the other place at which I tried one. The double battered french fries were sinfully good. I'm not a big fan of slaw, but this version wasn't bad. I ordered Bubba's Smoked Pork Ribs which consists of a 1/2 rack of ribs, hardwood smoked for hours with a spicy barbecue sauce. The meat fell cleanly off the bone, yet still had a little chew to it. They were pretty dang good and the thick and spicy barbecue sauce was a pleasant surprise. I almost regretted having agreed to split meals with Tyoni, wanting to keep this all to myself; she's lucky I care about her so much!! The deep fried corn on the cob was a little confusing. It didn't have any breading on it so visually it looks like regular corn on the cob. My onion rings had a light and airy breading and were a perfect golden hue. The waitress asked if any of us had been there before. My two friends told her they have been here quite often but that it was my first time. She brought us an order of their deep fried Oreos on the house. They were beyond amazing. The breading was similar to that on the onion rings, light and airy and only slightly sweet. They were steaming hot and had a caramel (butterscotch?) drizzle on them and a minimal dusting of powdered sugar. They were simply divine, the cream in the middle melting in your mouth. I could try all day to describe them without being able to do them justice. This is not some tacky hillbilly dessert, but deserves some serious respect! If you're in the area and haven't tried them, you really owe yourself a visit! read more

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Visiting for the weekend and based on Yelp reviews just had to check out this place. So glad we did! Nice casual ambiance with super friendly staff. Lots of fun things to choose from including the famous bubba burger (1 pound of meat stuffed with cream cheese) and their grilled options like fall off the bone ribs. I opted for the ribs as half rack sounded better than 1 pound of beef (I wasn't that hungry!). Wow was I surprised when 6 large ribs showed up and the meat just melted in my mouth. Super awesome good. Sides included deep fried corn on the cob which if you have never tried you must. It's not breaded or anything but the fried cobbs get nice and warm and caramelize on the outside which gives them a small crunch and a deep sweetness. if that wasn't enough joy, I also got a side of onion rings. They were so fresh that when you bite into them the crunch of the batter and ring all happen at the same time seamlessly. No pulling the onion out of a ring of old batter. Now i was pretty full at this time but according to past reviews the Fried Oreos are a must have. So....not to go against the Yelp gods we ordered up a batch. And did they wow me? Well heck yeah! OMG - best way to describe them is a warm gooey Oreo (creamy center melting) inside a funnel cake batter. Do they have these at the state fair? Well if not, they should! But somehow i don't think they will be as good. They also came with honey or a caramel sauce - couldn't quite get the flavor as I ate them so fast! Would I come back? Absolutely. Small town meets great food - yes This is IT. read more

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Stop here, EAT.... and wear an elastic waist band. Driving on 20, we were headed from Chicagoland for a fun weekend in Galena. We realized suddenly, we are starving and cannot make it to Galena without eating. Luckily I was able to located This Is It Eatery on my Yelp mobile, and I'm so glad I did! I cannot say enough good things about this place. We had no trouble finding close parking. We were seated right away. I knew I wanted the pulled-pork sandwich from the reviews on Yelp, and that's what I got. The hubby got the same with fries. I subbed onion rings ( best cooked onion rings I've ever had!). The husband got the corn and I got veggies... would get the corn instead next time. The pulled-pork sammies came out fast. BUT not before my $1 Miller Lite draft beer came out. :) My pretzel buns was heaping with the tastiest pulled pork. I couldn't even eat it all. And it was $7.99- what a fabulous deal. Oh my gawd this place rocks! AND for every patron's first visit you get a free dessert. We got the deep fried Oreos... there really was no competition for that selection. They were bomb! I don't know what I was expecting but they surpassed those expectations. And our waitress was funny as all git out. The only thing I'd pass on would be the mozzarella sticks. I'd pass on those and save more room for the BBQ and the other fried stuff ;). read more

This Is It Eatery - ONE DOLLAR. Jazz hands!! - American Near Me - Freeport, Illinois

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As a soon to be resident of Freeport, I love to try out fun local places. My realtor recommended as it is just down the street from her office. Very friendly staff, fun atmosphere. I am a French onion connoisseur and the have a great one. I will be back just for that. Had the BLT and fried corn on the cob. Never heard of that before. It was tasty. Wish I had more time to enjoy a dessert, but I will be back so there is always next time. Can't wait to see what else I will enjoy on the menu. read more

Only one server for the whole place including bar...she was really stressed. Had ahi tuna tacos which were not bad, but the hub-bub was not conducive to eating. wouldn't go back. happy trails read more

Disgusting! Ordered chicken fingers for my kids and when we got the plate, the chicken was completely RAW from the inside! Literally raw, if it wasn't for me cutting them in half to get my kids to split them, they would've bit the chicken and probably gotten salmonella. Oh and we also waited 40 minutes for the (raw) food. NEVER GOING BACK!! EVER I would give them zero stars but I guess one is the lowest. read more

We were on our way to Galena and stopped here based upon other yelp reviews. We were not disappointed! The mushroom onion Swiss Burger and ribs were delicious! 2 great meals with sides, alcoholic beverages and dessert for under $40! read more

Seven of us went for a late lunch yesterday afternoon. The food was incredible! Started with the appetizer special which was pulled pork potato skins. Delicious! Everyone ordered a different entree, and everyone raved about what they got. One of the specials that day was the steak fajitas. Great flavor and the most tender meat I have ever had. The owner informed us that they raise their own cows. My friend's brisket was so good that I had to order one of those to take home. Finished with at least one of each of the desserts and a few fried Oreos. Everything was so good all seven of us ordered a variety of desserts to take home. Well worth the hour drive to go again! read more

Location / Atmosphere - Downtown Freeport. Very nice this time of year and the towns pretzel theme is very fun... Food - I had the 'Bourbon Chicken Sandwich' which was very nicely done. Served on a pretzel role which held the sandwich together very nicely and tied with the theme of the town. My wife had the 'Turkey Club' which looked great and her review was possessive as well. And one of our friends that was with us had one of their burgers. All meals came with fries and coleslaw. I really enjoyed both of them. No complaints from any of us. We were all very satisfied. Service - Great job and very friendly... We were very happy with everything and the 'fried Oreo's' were a nice gift. In summary - This was our second visit to This Is It Eatery and both visits were very nice. Good enough for us to return.... The only thing I would suggest is to update the staff's uniforms. This restaurant has a very nice atmosphere, upgrading your staff's look is in order as they should look good as well. Their 'coffee / candy shop' across the street is nice as well. Our waitress suggested we visit on our way out of town. Thanks for the suggestion and plug, Very impressed with our visit and all around service. read more

This Is It Eatery - American Near Me - Freeport, Illinois

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This was out first time at This Is It. Based on previous Yelp reviews decided to give a try. Good restaurants in Freeport pretty limited. Had heard mixed reviews from family on this destination but had to see for ourselves. No wine list available but had glass of Cabernet and was pretty good. Beer list on wall. Had the breaded green bean appetizer and was really good. I had black and blue burger on the infamous pretzel bun and I have to say, was pretty exceptional. Husband had rib eye. Was good we tried the deep fried corn on the cob. Don't bother. Incredibly chewy! Son had Alfredo. Have a feeling it came out of a bag. Was good but nothing to repeat. I'd go back for hamburger. And am interested in trying the pulled pork we read about. Have to admit the fried Oreos were AMAZING. who knew? Was close to rating a 4-star. Would need to try one more time. Restaurant a bit on the noisy side. A couple of flies a bit annoying. But we'd repeat! read more

This Is It Eatery - Amazing fried Oreos! - American Near Me - Freeport, Illinois

Excellent service, food and selection of bourbons! The jambalaya and spicy chicken were very good!

Charming spot to enjoy all the local amenities. Love the interior (it used to be Fawns - a boutique shop in the most recent past if memory serves - but clearly has a much longer history beyond that), and the food is good. read more

We started going here years ago when it first opened. Over the years the food has varied in quality depending on the cook but mostly hit. About two years the original owner sold it (a bot before covid.) since then the service has gone down the tubes hard. The food quality is about the save but due to the increasingly poor service I would recommend staying away. It's too bad because the original owner prided himself on great service. A sad end to a once nice establishment. read more

I've been there a few times and enjoyed the food every time. The pretzel bun, deep fried corn, and deep fried Oreos are unique and new to me and were delicious. The BBQ was great too. Today the owner noticed I hadn't had my order taken yet and I was waiting for a bit. He took my order and when I went to check out I noticed he charged me for a cheaper beer than what I had ordered. I thought that was a nice gesture for the minor inconvenience :) Never any complaints here! read more

A real diamond in the rough!! I will admit that the surrounding architecture had me wary while I was walking to it from our hotel. The staff there was really friendly and prompt; our server Jennifer was especially fun to talk and interact with. The food was really delicious. My friend had the steak, double battered fries, and deep fried corn on the cobb. The verdict was "steak wasn't anything special but the rest was unbelievable!" I had some really good fettuccine Alfredo and we split deep fried oreos that were out of this world! read more

This Is It Eatery - Wonderful!! - American Near Me - Freeport, Illinois

My wife and I had a terrible experience at This Is It Eatery tonight. they were far from packed, so I don't understand why getting service took an hour. The waitress mostly ignored us the entire time, Even after my wife asked and she took several minutes to "check" and get back to us. It was a good ten minutes after telling us they were cooking mine before we finally got our food. Here is a hint people the operative word in Hot Beef Sandwich is hot, not lukewarm gravy over cold potatoes. When asked if we wanted dessert\anything else my response was "And wait another hour to actually get it? No thanks." read more

Let's start by saying I just drove 1842 miles to Illinois. This was a restaurant we spotted off the main road in Freeport. Upon walking in the atmosphere was welcoming. Until we came across the greeter who was not very happy to see us. It's mid day btw and the place was mostly empty. So she sat us then took our order. Upon asking her basic question about portion size she was giving the most rudest attitude. I was shocked. Made me not want to speak to her after we placed our order, I was short and polite, I was tired from driving and just wanted to eat and relax. Point of story. Great food cute little atmosphere just really impolite server. read more

They use to give everyone a deep fried Oreo at the end of the meal. One deep fried Oreo is the perfect size dessert! Also that fish sandwich is amazing, I always get it grilled (there's also breaded and cajun. Haven't had a bad experience with that sandwich. Haven't been in since they switched owners I don't think but it looks like they're running the same menu. It's a cute location! Oh the chicken quesadilla was worth the price! So good! Hubby always liked the Monte Christo there but it's too dang rich for me. The onion rings have that same batter and I can manage a couple of those. read more

Traveling through the area, we decided to use Yelp to find a place to eat this past Friday. Boy was a Yelp SPOT ON! We could not be more pleased with this little gem, and our friend who was also traveling with us said it was so good she will plan another trip to the Freeport area just to eat here again! The food choices were wonderful, their meatloaf, amazing! The soup was superb, we were sad we were too full for pie or the deep fried Oreos! Wait staff was the best we have experienced in months, very attentive to water and coffee refills. Very very highly recommend!!!! read more

Went in for the first time on a Friday since the new owners have taken over. Looks amazing! Ordered drinks asked for menus as we were not sure if we were eating or not. The bartender spent most of her time with her back towards the bar. Never came over to see if we wanted to eat or even have another drink. Finally got her attention and closed out. Then she started being rude and mean to her wait staff in front of everyone because she was taking a glass. Really? Jill L read more

This is my go to spot when I visit Freeport. I can't get enough of this place and the friendly staff. An absolute must have and best in the area. I enjoy the meatloaf and fried Oreos every time! read more

Very chill spot that's great to unwind. Carol, who works behind the bar, is friendly and attentive. Bar area is setup like a lounge so you can kick up your feet. Honey Bourbon Salmon is a bit pricey, but delicious. Hidden, upscale, gem in Freeport! read more

We stumbled upon this bar and stayed longer than we planned. The service was top notch. Our bartender was knowledgeable and super kind. If you're in the area, I recommend swinging through for an old fashioned or local brew. read more

Hands down the best restaurant in Freeport. they specialize in burgers and BBQ. I'd recommend the ribs, pulled pork or burger on your first visit. They serve burgers only on pretzel buns, given Freeports history as "pretzel town USA". Some other stand out items include: -The biggest and tastiest deep fried onion rings. Like eating an onion donut. -deep fried oreos. enough said -deep fried corn. Try it excellent service, fair prices, and down home cooking make this a 5 star joint in my book. read more

Best spot in town with grass-fed beef from local farms. Happy servers and tasty food options - definitely the place to try!

Fried green beans were delish! Burger and brat super yummy! Definitely a great stop on the way to Galena. THIS IS IT!!