When we are in the neighborhood, this is a go-to place. It's friendly, busy, and the vibe is truly local. We especially enjoy going to Trivia night and, even though it's usually a packed house, the service is attentive and fast. The food is good and pretty much what you'd expect in terms of menu choices. Overall, it's a good place to go in the neighborhood when you want to meet up with friends or just make new ones! Give it a try! read more

We waited over an hour for food that didn't arrive, waitress said they took the good off our bill which was a lie. Our drinks were $47 but the bill was $ 80. Found another worker who cancelled our bill. Waitress brought the food as the last person was walking out the door. I am giving this place ZERO stars read more

I ordered a hamburger and fries for pickup. Wasn't close to ready when I arrived. Turned out to be overdone, burnt and dry. Fries were ok. May give them another try. But other places do much better with a simple burger. read more

Sigh...I miss Compass Bar... It's a sports bar, but the food was really quite bad (we had the nachos), the drinks weren't good, and the service was not friendly. It also wasn't busy or crowded when we were there. They have a lot of TVs and also board games on each table. read more

Wednesday was the perfect day to come here for the first time. Live music made the experience even better. Split the shrimp and grits and the pick 3 meal and enjoyed both. Actually liked the slaw and fries the most. Also thought that it was fun that they had board games across all the tables, just made it more of an experience if you wanted to play and eat. Ended the dinner with some darts which you can play for free. read more

Willie Lill's Spirits & Kitchen - Shrimp and Grits - WL - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Popped in for Trivia night this week. Not normally my thing, but we had a good time. Service was friendly, but seemed a bit flustered. We had a track someone down for plates, utensils, napkins, refills etc. multiple times. The smashburger was solid, but the cheese curds are the best reason to stop by. Some of the best I've had in the city. 3.1 stars overall. read more

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Bouncers and owner are violent. I watched them threw a customer to the ground multiple times, held his head to the asphalt, and ignored his plead. People are yelling at them to stop but they literally took him around the corner of the restaurant next door to beat him up. They kick this man's head repeatedly. You can throw him out the bar because he was blackout drunk causing a scene in your business, but you have no authority to detain or assault him. Not to mention when your bartender has the responsibility not to over serve in the first place. What a disgusting establishment. read more

Willie Lill's Spirits & Kitchen - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We came here on Labor day for dinner. A relative lives nearby and we have wanted to try it for a while. Two people in my family have similar names so it's really fun to pronounce. We sat outside after the poor waitress Melyssa (?)working ALONE told us to sit wherever. SO ironic when someone is overworked on Labor day! But she was in good spirits, so that was cool. There are so many tvs here it was crazy, I wanted to watch all the sports! I got a loaded iced tea by her suggestion. It was good, kinda sweet, and I can't remember the name of it! I got cajun poutine, and my party got shrimp and grits. The place is cajun/southern with burgers and ribs as well. The topping on the waffle fries were good, but the fries were salty! The shrimp/grits were good, but the grits were kinda bland! They have a trivia night that I'd like to return for. Probably better hurry before MLB playoffs! read more

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Looking to watch some sports? This is the place. TVs on every wall and a lot of seating. I like this spot because there's so much space that even when it's full you can be seated comfortably. Food and drinks on deck. Fun to catch up with friends here, chill spot! read more

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Usually a great place to watch the Packers game, but after the loss to the Ravens tonight, the played Bear Down for the Bears fans hate watching the game. You can't call your bar a Packers bar and ever play that song. I will watch my Packers games at other bars. read more

Celebrated my 30th on an early Saturday night at Willie Lill's with about 20 friends, and everything was above and beyond: planning, food, service, drinks, and overall vibes. We had our own space in the back, where there was ample sitting and "dancing" room. People were especially raving about the food (specifically the bruschetta and buffalo chicken sliders from the catering menu). Jessica was fantastic to coordinate with, and our server (Lainey?) was also wonderful. Would 100% celebrate my 30th here again. read more

We've been awaiting the opening of this neighborhood bar and eatery to open for awhile so we were excited to give it a try. It was a warm night so we opted to eat outside on patio. I started off with a cool and refreshing cucumber mojito. It was light and delicious and will become a summer favorite. My husband disagrees but the deep fried cheese curds rival any cheese curds from Wisconsin. They were light, airy and came with two delicious dipping sauces. My avocado toast was very good. At first I didn't think I'd like the greens on top of the toast but I was surprised at how much the texture of the greens and pepitas added a nice crunchy texture. My husband had the smash burger and waffle fries. The smash burger was okay but there are many other options to choose from. Ambiance - friendly vibe. Our server skate was helpful, knowledgeable and friendly as was the hostess. We will definitely be back. Inside seating looked cozy and plentiful. read more

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Usually love Willie Lill's. Food is fine, drinks are fine, prices are great, but we went tonight and there was one waitress in a ridiculously bad mood taking it out on us. We were standing by a table and she shoved past, saying "excuse me I'm trying to do my damn job." Not only was that extremely disrespectful, but the bar was EMPTY. We weren't blocking anything but this waitress made it seem as if we were the largest inconvenience she'd ever seen. Might reconsider coming back read more

Honestly this was a horrible experience. We went for their bottomless brunch and waited nearly 15 minutes for each drink. We were not told that bottomless was only for 1 hour so we got cut off with no notice... and only had 3 drinks each so we actually paid more for the mimosas than if we had gotten them individually The food was fine but I ordered the breakfast meal and was told that my eggs might not come out the way that I wanted (over easy, it indicated "any style" on the menu). There were only 4 other tables in the restaurant, we were expecting more of a lively ambiance and it was dead with horrible service. I've been for trivia before and thought it was fun (still not the best service) but definitely won't be returning to Willie Lill's read more

packer bar. Went here the other day. packer stuff everywhere. It's disgusting. Dirty place. Food is not good. Fgb

We had a blast at Thursday Night Trivia!! Very well organized and the questions were tough but varied by category, so something for all! We enjoyed one of each small plate on the menu. Perfect summer spot to hit with your friends! read more

Willie Lill's Spirits & Kitchen - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Good drinks and nice vibes. Burgers have been good in the past. Thursday night (2/7), I had the worst taco salad of my life! Upcharged chicken for protein. Salad arrived looking as beige as possible. Cold bland boiled unseasoned chicken piled on top. No seasoning and no tortilla chips as noted in the menu. I've had decent food there previously, but I haven't been here since summer. So I'm giving it three stars based on 2023 and hoping this isn't there new normal for their food. read more

Willie Lill's Spirits & Kitchen - Taco salad: beige, bland, blah. - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Nice spot for drinks and watching sports In the process of killing time I strolled into Willie Lill's to check them out. I couldn't resist seeing that they're fairly new to the neighborhood. I had the pleasure of working with Lexi who mixed me up a yummy Cracker Peppercorn Watermelon Martini. I don't know who's smile was brighter, her's when she greeted me or mine after I took my first sip of this amazing drink. This place feels so cozy with the woodsy bar feel. There's indoor bar, table tops and patio seating. It's well lit and certainly great for groups. Thanks for the cocktail and great service Lexi of Willie Lill's! read more

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My roommate and I live super close and saw this place open recently and had to try it with their adorable patio. It gives Rainey street vibes if you've ever been to Austin. They sat us immediately and the service was very friendly and hospitable. The food was great and the drinks are even better. My strawberry mojito wasn't even on the menu, but I asked them to make this for me, and they did with ease. Their syrups are homemade and absolutely delicious!! Whether it's for a drink or for lunch, highly recommend this new found gem. The heart of lincoln park is an unbeatable location, two blocks from the lake. We'll be back! read more

Willie Lill's Spirits & Kitchen - Fried chicken sandwich - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Today I went back with my neighbors Dave and Ingrid, as well as my former roommates Mike and Matt (I did not live with them at the same time). Mike just moved back from Austin and I was like dude you're going to love this bar want to go and he was like I'll meet you there in 30. So we met there and I HAD THE FOOD AND THE SMASH BURGER IS SO GOOD. The waffle fries and cheese curds are also top tier. Our bartender Raven was great and we hope she will become friends with us. read more

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They must not need customers here. We waited twenty minutes without anyone taking our order. So I went inside and asked to be served. The bartender ignored me for the next ten minutes, during which he found time to peruse his phone. We left and won't be back. read more

Came here for drinks on Monday the 30th. We entered their lottery drawing during the Iowa game. A member of our group won a yeti cooler. However, we weren't wearing Iowa gear so they said we couldn't have the cooler. Nowhere on the lottery card does it list this as a requirement. From a legal standpoint, this is an illegal lottery. Service was good though. read more

The smash burgers are delicious. Great service and all around vibes. Fun neighborhood bar!

Came here to check out the brunch on Saturday morning and it did not disappoint! Great service overall, server and bartenders were all very attentive. They had a dj playing some great tunes which set the vibe. I spun their shot wheel and got some delicious gummy bear shots! Definitely coming back! read more

Went here last Saturday with a large group. We loved the vibe. My gf kept joking that she was going to move in. I wasn't feeling what I ordered for food (no specific reason just wasn't in the mood) and they were overly apologetic and offered me a free shot. Server was 10/10 and constantly kept checking on us. read more

3.99% service charge??? And listed on the bill as if it is a food/drink item?? Unfortunately I am now just taking the service charge off the gratuity. And I won't be back to this bar. read more

Went there for trivia. Great service from Amarilis. Game was fun. Will be coming back!

Tiffany was great! So helpful and quick. She came over to us right when we sat down. Food tasted great! and we love the vibe :)

I'm sad to write this review. We have been customers of Willie Lill's for a while now. Tonight when myself, my husband, and a friend were getting ready to leave after signing the check, a homeless man wandered inside the restaurant. He sat right next to my husband and had an emaciated and abused cat with him. The man wouldn't leave and was acting like he was on drugs. He was hitting the cat and abusing it. Our friend and myself tried talking him into letting us buy the cat food or selling us the cat. He became agitated and flipped multiple tables over, threw food, and stole the Halloween skeleton. Willie Lill's did nothing to prevent this man from entering the establishment and took no action when he became violent. We called the police ourselves and ushered him out of the establishment with the help of other patrons. The police never showed, the restaurant cleaned up their tables and only our server checked on us all. This was very disappointing and sad. Please do better, get a bouncer or some sort of security. Unfortunately I can't say it's safe to eat or drink here anymore. read more

One of the better bar smash burgers in the city. Good prices and selection of draft beers.

This bar was great for a drink and some quick, delicious appetizers. It has a super fun atmosphere. I thought the pretzel was cooked super well. No complaints! read more

Willie Lill's Spirits & Kitchen - Sheet Nachos with Chicken - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Surprisingly high quality beer and grub in this Lincoln Park-adjacent sports bar at least on my first visit there..... excellent draft choices including oft -ignored fruity sours..my smashburger was legit, and braised greens were a delish upgrade from fries. Very nice crew. Will be back. read more

Servers are all so nice! The outdoor area is so wonderful in the nice weather and there are plenty of tvs to watch games. the food is good too! read more

Willie Lill's Spirits & Kitchen - Sheet pan nachos with pulled pork - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Great bar with great people. Great place to watch sports. Lots of different beers and whiskeys.

Had the chicken sandwich, Caesar salad, and the soft pretzel tonight and they were all super delicious! This is our third time here and we've had the same waitress, Goda, each time and she is awesome. Highly recommend checking out the new place. read more

Willie Lill's Spirits & Kitchen - Chicken Caesar salad, fried chicken sandwich, and soft pretzel - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Stopped in, checked the menu and left. Obviously vegetarianism it's not a thing at Willie Lill's. Unless you want one of two salads, there are no sandwiches or entrees without meat. read more

Great bar great food great service, Camilla crushed. We had a great time. Would recommend.

I have stopped in for lunch and weekend games. It's a university of Iowa sponsor bar which has been fun for woman's hoops. Gets loud during games. Bar staff is very attentive and friendly. Big beer selection. They can mix a good drink also. Better than average bar food. Good burger (add pork belly), avocado toast, shrimp po boy and salads. Convenient to lake and walking distance from park, golf driving range. read more

Whether you're dining indoors or out on the patio, the ambiance of this restaurant is always a vibe. The energy is contagious and always puts me in a great mood! If I can give this place 6 stars I would. Food is amazing, my daughter & husband loved eveything we tried. Shoutout to their GM Jessica for making our dining experience truly memorable and made us feel like valued guests. Will be coming back! read more

If I could rate this place any less than one star I would. Food, drinks, atmosphere - you name it - it was awful. And worst of all is management. Staff seems like they wake up in their own personal hell everyday and management is extremely unfriendly and unkind. I've heard of others having a terrible experience and recently heard of an individual getting hurt at the bar and not a single person helped them. I don't normally take to online platforms to be so blunt but I believe this is helping humanity overall. Take your business elsewhere and spare yourself a bad day. read more