Westwoods has some of the best gator bites I've ever had. A server once recommended her favorite dishes for a first-timer, and I highly suggest the Horseshoe with gator bites, swap the fries for their housemade potato chips, and order plenty of their homemade Boom Boom sauce. It was incredible, and I found myself craving it daily. As a whiskey lover, I also loved their whiskey flights. The bartenders consistently nailed every drink. My favorite was a whiskey cocktail mixed with sweet and sour and topped with red wine, creating a beautifully decadent whiskey sour flavor. The cabin-like decor is charming, and meeting the owner one day was a unique experience. He shared stories about the animals on the walls and his hunting adventures to collect each one, which explains menu standouts like gator and elk steak. That said, our experience soured over time. A few interactions left us feeling ignored, as servers focused mainly on regulars or larger tables. In such a small place, it was obvious to tell which table needed attention and it was frustrating and felt like too much of an ask when grabbing our server's attention. This made it hard to stay like we normally would. Would I go back? I'd love to, for the Boom Boom sauce and gator bites, but only if the service improves. It's frustrating to feel isolated in such a small space when the food is this good. The bartenders are excellent, though, and even apologized one night when they could tell our service wasn't ideal. The food and drinks are top-notch, the service just needs to match the quality of the vibe. read more

Walked in, felt something lookin at me, turned my head, it was a moose. Just wow. I had no clue that would be the spy. Looked at the menu, thought wow. That's A LOT OF FOOD! Could BEARely decide what to munch on. So i got BEAR SKINS, don't get fooled (it's not bear). The lady here was so very kind. OMG! The AMBIANCE!! So many animals, so many fish, so many birds. SO COZY. Felt as if there was so many things staring at me but it was such a wonderful experience. Please come here. JUST WOWWW! read more

Westwoods Lodge Pub & Grill and Big Timber Bourbon Bar - Bear Skins - American Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

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Good place to get a few drinks and enjoy nature of the west woods lodge plenty of stuffed animals that you can see while enjoying food and drinks. The meals were top notch and the staff are great here. 29/2024 Food 5 Ambiance 5 a few big screens for the games Service 5 Location 5 Value 5 specials weekly. read more

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Had not been here in a couple of years, but always loved it in the past. This visit was a little different. Our server was kind, but hardly stopped by the table. I tried the salmon on the healthier part of the menu and found it over cooked and dry, same with the mixed veggies. The girl dropping off our food did just that dropped the plates on the table and walked off. The restaurant and bathroom were clean, found it unusual there wasn't a larger crowd, it used to be packed to the rafters inside and out. I am hoping it was just an off day. read more

Great beer flights and so many choices of sandwiches. Very busy but not a long wait . Trying burger with a side and green bean app. read more

Westwoods Lodge Pub & Grill and Big Timber Bourbon Bar - American Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

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If you ever find yourself in Springfield Illinois you should definitely try to go here. The inside is very rustic lodge. It is a bit crowded and loud but it feels a little like being at a rowdy family meal. The food was excellent. I had the Rocky mountain pork tenderloin sandwich with wood chips. The pork was nice and tender and the homemade chips were nice a crispy. The breading was well seasoned. It reminded me of a schnitzel sandwich. My husband had the hamburger horseshoe. His review is that it was good but how can you go wrong with hamburger on toast topped with french fries. The restaurant has speciality drinks that that are tasty and will knock you on your butt. I will warn you that the parking lot is tiny and this pal e gets pretty busy during normal meal times. All in all I will come here again. read more

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We always make a point to stop at Westwoods Lodge Pub & Grill whenever we're passing through town--it's a must! The food is consistently awesome, and the fried pickles this time were especially on point. Our server was friendly and attentive, making the whole experience even better. That said, we were really disappointed to see that the mashed potato pine cones are no longer on the menu. Those were the highlight of our visits and the main reason we keep coming back. Please consider bringing them back! read more

Westwoods Lodge Pub & Grill and Big Timber Bourbon Bar - Fried Breaded Pickle Slivers - American Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

The inside is bigger than the photos look. The bar side of the restaurant looks more like a lodge. We had a very nice waiter who gave good suggestions. I really enjoyed the wings and got the sirarcha bourbon sauce. Wish they could split sauce flavors instead of doing all your wings one flavor. My mom got the Italian roast beef which I tried and it was good. If it had more Italian zing and less salt it would have been great. I'm surprised their fries don't have seasoning. The onion rings were also very good. read more

Westwoods Lodge Pub & Grill and Big Timber Bourbon Bar - Traditional Bone-In Wings - American Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

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we stopped in for a quick lunch and had a great experience. we sat at the bar and the bartender was very nice and checked on us, quick service. 10/10 recommend the portabella mushrooms! read more

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Largest bourbon selection in Springfield, amazing food, with a stunning and stylish rustic lodge ambiance and phenomenal staff. They just their celebrated 25 year anniversary. Talk about an amazing accomplishment!!! read more

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Atmosphere A+ Selection of Bourbons A+ Angel Envy Rye Old Fashioned A Bloody Mary C Wine List Small C With Reasonably Priced Good Wines A Food - Duck EggRolls B; Gator Bites C; Frog Legs A; Buffalo Fish F-; Stevie's Italian Dressing D at Best; Lemoncello Cheesecake A Service D to C- having been a server for 15 years...it was poor at best. Servers either displayed no personality or were cold and reserved which appeared rude. Overall Rating C+, will return hopeful for improvement! read more

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Food was good as always, never had a problem. Our server Kim honestly gave me the worst treatment I've had. Came to our table once, attitude when I asked for a water while browsing the beer menu, never gave a refill of drink even though she saw the table multiple times with all empty cups, asked us if we were ready for checks, said yes, proceeds to go buss tables and ring out 3 other tables. Just all around not good service, and I would like to note it was not particularly busy for a lunch time frame. read more

We had business in Springfield and tried Westwoods for lunch. We loved the decor. The food was delicious. And the service was excellent. The owner was very gracious. He stopped by our table and answered our many questions about the big game and waterfowl mounts that line the walls. We had a great time and are looking forward to returning and sampling some of the several hundred bottles of bourbon at the bar. It was a great lunch! read more

Westwoods Lodge Pub & Grill and Big Timber Bourbon Bar - American Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

First of the drinks ( old fashions) were very good. My son's burger was also good. Me and 2 buddies ordered the 12 oz ribeye dinner and that's were it all started. We got salads and on top of the actual salad were a packet of Ken's dressing and a packet of crackers, who knows were the packets were stored. After receiving my well done steak that was supposed to be medium and one of the others that was so salty it was inedible! These were 12oz on the menu for $30, all 3 barely weighed 12 oz, about 1/4 inch thick. Our server Shea never came back to check on us we needed another drink and had to go up to bar and get our selves. And the other bad thing was it was my buddies birthday so I pulled her aside after ordering and requested a dessert afterwards. After or salad she came to our table and tossed a beer kozie at him and didn't even say happy birthday, and after the meal she brought no dessert so after $209.60 for a bad meal I tried calling the owner today only to be told by the person answering the phone that she is too busy to get him. This is not the way to run a customer service business. Horrible service and subpar food... spend money elsewhere!!! read more

just wasted $40 on a cold horrible meal. the pony shoe came with jelled cheese sauce on top and cold French fries

We had the rattlesnake bites as an appetizer, they were amazing I highly recommend them with the boom boom sauce. The service and the food were quick. We did not go thirsty. They had a rustic lodge motif that was pretty cool. I had the crawfish wrap that was very tasty and my wife had the migratory pizza, it had pulled duck which was amazing! read more

If you like bourbon, you must come here. Big selection of allocated bottles and reasonable prices for 1.5 oz pours. The food was very good and the beast burger is absolutely the way to go. The burger itself had so much flavor and cooked a perfect medium rare. I recommend this because there are some lean meats blended in. It's one of my favorite burgers of 2024. It's not fancy, it's not pretentious, it's perfect. read more

I always get a kick out of reading the one-star reviews. I shared one of them with the server, and we all laughed. I'm sure someone could have a bad time here, but it could just as easily be their own fault. We were a part of seven with no reservation, and we were immediately seated. Our seven included one toddler and an adult with some extreme special needs. Everyone was cared for, respected, and served quickly. Loved the food! I had to tackle the Tackle Box! That was fun, but a little more than I needed to eat! I'm so glad we stopped. A huge thanks to our servers, who made us feel welcome! read more

Westwoods Lodge Pub & Grill and Big Timber Bourbon Bar - Ruby and I had a great time! - American Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

Ordered a ponyshoe with their "famous" cheese sauce that was like paste and didn't taste good. The buffalo chicken and ranch was the only good thing we had. Fries were cold, ordered the wagu burger and it taste like regular 80/20 with no seasoning. Forgot the burger toppings and bacon had to ask for that and silverware. The ambiance is neat but definitely doesn't give lodge, more cluttered hunting bar. read more

How is it possible to rate this place lower than a 5? It's perfect in every way. Kind of a dive, but it serves excellent bar food, has a ridiculously large bourbon selection and a lot of great beer choices. I want one in my home town now! read more

Westwoods Lodge Pub & Grill and Big Timber Bourbon Bar - deer heads on the wall - American Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

If you want to eat amongst far right trump supporters, this is your place. Restaurant is very grimy looking and could use a nice steam to kill all the germs in the place. Food isn't special and honestly I've had too many bad experiences just trying to attempt to eat at this hole in the wall. Not worth the price of admission.... read more

Pros: vegetarian options, appetizers are good, atmosphere is interesting, burgers decent Cons: salad with salmon was bad; salad was lettuce with cheese shredded on top and too much of it; salmon tasted like fake meat. Menu is large, so there may be some items that are good that other people go there for but I must not have ordered those. I have been here a while back and it was better. Conclusion, experience depends on your order. Service lackluster. read more

Huge selection of delicious food, beer and cocktails. Cool atmosphere, helpful and kind servers and definitely the best wings in the Springfield area. read more

Good (not great) food, great service, and a really cool place to be. They have names on the chair, you can still sit in one. Always been a favorite. read more

This is very cool restaurant to visit if you ever get the chance. The whole theme is based around hunting, fishing and wildlife...oh, and Bigfoot. Upon entering the restaurant you are instantly placed in a lodge setting with numerous game mounts along the walls. The service was impeccable. We were instantly greeted and seated and our orders were taken. There was so much to choose from. Most of the menus items was typical bar food with a twist. It was fun and very creative. We ordered the fried crawfish tails, fried portabella mushrooms and the fried Pine cones (which was actually fried potatoes). We also received a complementary Moose Tracks (garlic cheese bread) for checking in with Yelp. Everything was very good and in abundance, this is a great place for children and adults alike. . read more

Westwoods Lodge Pub & Grill and Big Timber Bourbon Bar - Headin' to the bar - American Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

The ambiance reminds me of home, Wisconsin, and the food is just as good. Been there a couple of times when I'm town and it's worth the trip. My Grandkids love the collection of animals on display too. I'll be back. Oh, did I mention the food is really good? read more

So good AMAZING waiters. The wings there are so good should try And the animals on the wall are so cool. read more

One of my favorite places to get great wings for a lot of years. Also great horseshoes, (referred to as snowshoes). I took my brother and best friend there that were visiting from out of town for their first horseshoe and they thought they were amazing. If I still lived in Springfield, I'd be back soon. read more

Westwoods is another local restaurant that I love to support while in SPI. Over the past three months I've been three times and have to say left half & half on the satisfied meter. The sauces and chicken wings, delicious, the Italian beef and "kobe beef" burgers, not so much. For apps we tried boneless, and bone-in wings with two flavors and different dressing and all was awesome. Garlic parm with ranch was my favorite bite. They also do other creative dipping sauces great. And the specialty cheese sauces! Wild buffalo cheese sauce should be put on everything. The problem I've had arise with the meat. Called the Westwoods Canoe, "A true Westwoods Original" it's listed as layers of Italian beef. What I got was thick cut roast beef, on a dry hoagie, with au jus on the side. IMO, that's not an Italian beef so I was disappointed. When it came to the burgers. I specifically asked if the patties were hand-made in-house and was told yes. Twice, I paid extra to give the Kobe beef a try with their ponyshoe, and then the Dominant Buck burger. Unfortunately neither time did it taste like a fresh made patty or of "buttery tenderness and flavor unequal to traditional burgers" as listed on the menu. With a large menu and so many things still being done right, I'll be back, but it won't stay on my "must visit every time I'm in SPI" list. read more

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So, relying on Yelp, this looks like a pretty cool place. They have elk steak, elk burgers, and grilled Portobello. Going with the blackened walleye today for dinner after a 6 hour road trip. Excellent walleye. Done to perfection. The baked potato was large, and a great side, but the grilled beans were worthy of writing home to mother about! Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area visiting Homer or Bart. Or, going out of your way, for a cool little stopping point. Dinner and drinks for $20. Such a deal!!! BTW: Deer, elk, black bear and moose grace the wall. Methinks a hunter would be very at home here. Would have expected a bit more testosterone, but they must be oiling they're guns. Wish I had time to wait... Food's here. Gotta graze read more

Westwoods Lodge Pub & Grill and Big Timber Bourbon Bar - Green beans (TDF-to die for). Walleye. Fabulous - American Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

The food horshoe was pretty good and the gator tators were DELICIOUS the elk burger was supposed to be well done but it was a bit undercooked, I don't recommend that. The food came out pretty fast in my opinion, really good customer service. It was a bit packed but I was seated pretty fast considering read more

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Great place to eat! Extensive menu and grilled fish of different varieties. Friendly wait staff, and locally owned. They even have Guinness beer. I also really enjoy their waffle fries! My kids love their horseshoes too. If they had better mixed greens in their salads (versus just iceberg), they'd really do well in my opinion! Pretty cool aesthetics too. We'll definitely keep this place in our rotation! Great hidden gem! read more

This place is a shit show. There's nothing special about the food. It's merely adequate. It's sustenance. There are 2 problems with this place, not counting for the awful decor, it's wait staff and the kitchen. The kitchen is slow and the food is never right. Don't offer to cook beef varying degrees of its outside of your wheelhouse. I had to send a medium rare burger back 2 times, the third time, they must have thought they were funny because they put a raw patty on a bun. RAW. Food is served burned. Or it's missing from your plate. Or it's wrong. Now I know you are saying to yourself, clearly the waitress is making mistakes. Not when she comes by and before you say anything, she notices you are missing food. Now the wait staff. There are usually 2 nice employees. The rest act like they are doing you a favor by waiting on you. Prepare to be ignored. Sighed at. These people clearly don't want to be here. I don't know if they intentionally hire surly people, or if it's a toxic environment, but I don't think anyone wants to be here. Why do I go? Sometimes you're the minority in the group. And you gotta roll with the punches so when it's your time to pick, you get what you want. read more

Have to love the ambiance. Just like old time hunting cabin. Menu is extensive and has a lot of variety. Had the fried cheese curds and the moose track appetizers. For main meal had the Kodiak burger. Food was good and service was excellent. read more

Westwoods Lodge Pub & Grill and Big Timber Bourbon Bar - Kodiak burger - American Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

Excellent food, atmosphere but small accommodations. Fills up quick and have to wait to get a table. I'll definitely go back. Seemed to clear out after 7 pm. read more

I could go on for days talking about how this is one of my all time favorite places in Springfield to eat at! I love hunting/fishing type places that live up to their branding. My first time here was back in 2009 and I have been hooked ever since. The bison is my favorite menu item but as if late, I have made it a goal to try at least one of everything on the menu. The shake-ups are my go to drink order. Sometimes waits can be long and I don't even mind, the ambiance suits me perfectly and I have never had a bad meal or service. Do yourself a solid and simply go try it out! read more

Great food and great service - great location. The owner is hands-on and it shows and his reputation and the quality and his food.

Food was good overall, with good price to value. I was frustrated that I had made reservations for 7pm but was not seated to nearly 8pm. Understand they were busy but there were a number of parties that were seated ahead of us that had just showed up that night and wanted first available. Hoping for better results next time. read more

Food was so good. Had Lunch with my Daughter and it was fun. Great place Nice people working there. Go give it a try you won't be sorry.

Neat spot to try something different from the rest of Springfield. The wings were good and crispy. I got a waygu burger, which I'd hoped would be really juicy and flavorful, but it was pre-formed, perfectly shaped, so, not by hand, and I ordered medium-rare but it was basically well-done, dry and almost no pink to be seen. The staff were nice and attentive. They offered to make another burger but I hate to be "that customer," plus I just feel like anyone you hire in your kitchen should know how to cook a burger to temp. Still lots on the menu to try, and I will give it another try some day. read more

Westwoods Lodge Pub & Grill and Big Timber Bourbon Bar - American Near Me - Springfield, Illinois