Blackthorn Grille

I was disappointed to see how much this place has deteriorated. The conditions were poor. Too bad, I used to like this place.

I hate to say tonight was our last night eating here. We have always enjoyed this restaurant over the years but a while back we had started to notice changes. They used to offer this nice pasta meal for our kids and now it is literally blue box mac and cheese yet no difference in price. They redid their chips and they are not good. Finally, the final straw for us tonight was the wings. Not only did they not bother to tell us they are different but the new ones are ridiculous. They are a full chicken wing that is tiny and the meat on the wing is way less than one split wing. It was downright pathetic. Really sorry to see this go down so badly.

With the family and grandkids we arrived around 6:45 on Saturday night. After badgering the waitstaff for our food, it was finally on the table at 7:30. During our wait we were asked many times if we wanted more drinks. It wasn’t a night for alcohol with our 12 and 9 year old grandchildren. Twice our waiter returned to clarify our order. I watched him scribble our order on his pad. It didn’t surprise me when he returned. Half the tables were occupied. Even after they placed the food on the table, we had to ask for flatware and napkins. We had one wrap, chicken tenders and a Ruben. Those were cooked correctly. The three burgers were all over cooked. One was ordered rare, it was medium well. After the long wait, nothing was getting sent back. Without a doubt, we will not be back. As we departed, it dawned on both my son and I that the service was just as bad the last time we were here.

Interesting experience. The bartender mixed the drinks poorly, definitely frugal on the liquor. Pizza was okay, not amazing, burgers were terrible! No flavor and came on what looked like cheap dollar buns from Walmart. Fried were cold, and the waiter forgot to bring out condiments even when we asked. Don’t think I’ll be coming here any time again soon.

This place has gotten worse over the years. We keep going back because we want to support local businesses, but we’re done. Service is barely ok and food is just not very good. It’s too bad because this place has a lot going for it, but they need new management.

Have been there a lot — closest real restaurant to home. Last few months the service has gotten terrible. Was there last Sunday and after being seated, no service for 20 min. so we left. Has been getting progressively worse. We won’t be back.

Last time I was here was 6 months ago. Service sucked then and today it was worse. Won’t be back.

Haven’t been here and years and probably won’t go back. Went today for breakfast. Service was terrible. We were ignored when we walked in and sat ourselves. The server kept forgetting things and messed up our checks. Its a bar and they had no champagne for mimosas. My skillet had some weird mystery sausage in it that tasted off. No surprise it was totally dead inside.

Went there about 6 weeks ago. The place was a ghost town. We decided to stay. The service was bad and the chicken was dry. We decided last Saturday to give it one more try. We walked in and were told they are only serving pizza and appetizers. We left and went to RJ’s. I do not think we will be going back.

Eaten here in the past and the food and service had been great. Tonight NOT so much. Holiday weekend I don’t expect less quality in service or food selection. No strip steaks left or calamari which almost could’ve been more tolerable if we were told that up front instead of AFTER deciding we wanted it! Appetizers and salad brought out and then sat and waited for silverware. 20 people TOPS in the place and it was slow, crappy service all the way around. Won’t be going back to this place!

Wednesdays $ 1 drafts, $ 5 burgers can’t beat the price. The service you can beat. Ordered a couple of beers and a burger and salad, this was at 5 o’clock. Everything came together. Plates sat there at the bar forever. Good food, but the bartender has to forgot about going out for a smoke. This is service industry, forget the cigarettes. It wasn’t even busy. Just being honest.

If it were for just food, they would probably get 4 – 5 stars! The following things I have had and it’s all good!
Pizza
Broasted chicken
Salads
Bosco Sticks
The service here is beyond bad! Horrible! The worst I’ve experienced anywhere, ever! Went there and sat at bar for a Blackhawks playoff game. Bartenders were complete morons. Two guys who joked around and they were out of everything. Couldn’t get a drink for over 20 mins…

For 3 years since living nearby, Blackthorn used to be our go-​to local restaurant for «I don’t know, what do you want for dinner?» nights, but each time we go we keep asking ourselves, WHY we keep going back. The service is consistently terrible, from the hostesses and wait staff to the bar tenders, and the food gets worse and worse each time we go. Fish fry is tasteless and cold, sides and other orders are consistently inconsistent. We always have to hunt down the waiters for water, ketchup, clean silverware, etc. The atmosphere is excellent which is why I think we kept going back, (until the last time when we both agreed to just STOP,) but there needs to be a management and chef change before it becomes recommendable. Please Blackthorn, we’re rooting for you to succeed, we WANT to love you, but you’re making it so hard!

Don’t go when Brandon is bartending unless you want to dehydrate to death. He’s too busy texting and flirting with servers to get you a drink. Having bartended myself for years I told him he’s the worst bartender I’ve ever had and meant it. He had 5 people at the bar and we were 3 of them! At one point I had to interrupt his social life for a drink that sat empty for 10 minutes and he sighed and rolled his eyes. When I finally called him out upon departure he became confrontational instead of apologetic and said he’s «busy» doing other things. My ass… guy needs to get fired and join the bread line.

Had dinner here, it was pretty good food. Great drinks. Good atmosphere. Great to meet up with friends. Not too pricey and I love the Irish themes.

Went to fish fry tonight, terrible! Fish was cold, coleslaw was warm. Other entrée bangers and mash looked horrible was not prepared as menu described. Also cold.
I understand they have a new chef. Not good.

Came back after not having eaten here in a while. Won’t go again. Asked for a Killian’s Irish Red and they were out, they substituted a different red ale that was mediocre. Had the fish and chips and the fish looked like a deep fried football. 2xs as much breaking as fish, and it had no taste whatsoever. I complained and got a sorry and that was it. The place was good when it first opened but has been going downhill ever since. What a shame!

Love this place. The food is great. The Cajun pasta and Reuben Eggrolls are among My favorites. The staff is great and will keep your glass full if you enjoy a few drinks at dinner. The bar is great too!
Expect to pay a little more here, but awesome place overall.

This place is so mediocre.
We went for lunch on a weekday. We both ordered bloody Marys and reubens. Our server (who had 2 other tables but was mostly nowhere to be found) brought out a plate of olives and 2 pickles as garnish afterthought for our drinks (which I think had zero alcohol). Our reubens were greasy but at least the meat was pretty good.
The older couple at the bar who were sucking face and petting each other’s limbs were obviously there on the sly in some sort of sordid affair and that just further tainted my experience. Get a room.
To conclude: bad service, icky water (which we had to ask for), and unremarkable food.
I’m sad.

The more and more I come here, the less I want to go back. The food is good but thee service is simply lousy.
We came here on a Friday afternoon at about 1 pm and there was about two people inside the restaurant eating. There was one waiter and one bartender. The waiter was very nice and quick to get us our drinks but before we even sat down, we stood waiting to be seated for about five minutes. When we sat down, our drinks were brought quickly but when we ordered, it took exactly 27 minutes to get our food. There were three people dining, including me; it should not take a half hour to cook our food and bring it out to us.
As always, I get my all-​time favorite BBQ Chicken Pizza but the crust was burnt and there was not a piece of chicken on the pizza that I could taste nor see. Of course, I asked the waiter and was informed the crust is always cooked to a golden brown but this was no golden brown.
Our drinks were good but boy oh boy, are the prices expensive. It ranges anywhere between $ 11-​$ 25 per person depending on what you get to eat and drink and the bill can add up quickly. We spent almost $ 60 for food and drink, and that was without alcohol. I would have much rather gone and got a nice well cooked steak for those prices. But, I cannot complain because every time I walk out of there, I feel full and somewhat happy. Plus, helping support a local Lake Villa business always makes me feel good.
Would I recommend Blackthorne Grille? Sure. But, I wouldn’t recommend you depend on this place for a wonderful night out with friends or family. The food is par, at best and the service is (from what it seems like) always fairly disappointing. Be my guest, try it out but don’t be too surprised if you find yourself never wanting to go back again.
P. s. It gets extremely loud in here when it is busy so if you are looking for a family friendly place to go with the kids or a quiet night out, this is not the place to go.