Danny’s Pub & Grill

Dive bars are some of the best kinds of bars. Well, at least my 28 year old self thinks so. I’ve definitely come to appreciate a good dive bar, so I was happy to have stumbled across Danny’s Pub last weekend with my husband and parents.
We spent the afternoon hopping around a couple places for drinks and as the day turned into night, we were looking for someplace chill to go hangout. Our go-​to dive is typically The Lantern downtown Naperville, but that place is actually pretty packed on a Saturday night. Plus, I’m always in the mood to try somewhere new. Luckily, my Unilocal app led me to Danny’s!
The décor of this place is everything you can imagine a local pub to be. Nothing fancy, mix of tables, long bar, pool table… pretty standard. Our waitress was super nice and let us know of the domestic bucket special which was too cheap to pass up. We mixed and matched the 5 beers with Budweiser and Michelob Ultra and ended up sticking around for probably 3 buckets. My husband ended up ordering some wings which he seemed to enjoy.
We had a fun time hanging out and drinking at Danny’s (without breaking the bank!). On a Saturday night it was lively, but not overly busy which was nice because we could actually sit down and hear each other talk! I will definitely be putting this pub in my bar repertoire moving forward.

Soggy, greasy fried fish was awful tonight. Basically inedible. Told server and minimal reaction. Otherwise, a decent small bar.

I didn’t eat or drink anything here — I walked out after about 2 minutes. Why?
First, anyone who knows me (or reads my reviews) can easily tell that I love exploring non-​corporate, non-​chain franchises and out-​of-​the-​way places. While I am definitely a foodie, I am not a «snobbie.» And therein lies my issue with the girl tending bar I encountered during the day last week.
I saw a sign saying «Burger Heaven» out front, so I wandered in, sat at the bar and got some info from the bartender about their burger deal. After I told her I was a foodie, she says «Oh no — you’re a snob! You’re going to find a flaw with whatever we serve you.» After I tell her I’m not a snob, she says «Oh, I think you are.» And then: «You can leave for all I care.» Which I immediately did.
I’m guessing the bartender is not the owner — I wonder what they would think about her speaking to/​pissing off new customers like that?
Well Danny’s, here’s your dubious honor: I have never encountered anything like this in all my travels (here or abroad), and I’m sharing this story about your place and your ridiculous bartender in the «you won’t believe this one» category.

This is my first Unilocal ever. I work in the service industry so takes a lot to push me over the edge. But I have NEVER been treated so poorly at an establishment ever!!! It was my friend’s birthday and she really wanted to go sing karaōke Friday night. So a group of us friends went over. We live 2 minutes from this bar so I was excited we found a new place to go! We were standing around talking & listening to everyone sing when all of the sudden this drunken SLOB comes up to us calling us every name in the book and then kicks my friend and pushes him into the pool table! Are you kidding?! When my friend and I went to go tell the bartender, she tells us she doesn’t believe us and that he is an amazing customer… never will I return to this disgusting, sloppy, sad excuse of a «dive bar». I will definitely be spreading the word.

First, I used to live five minutes away from this place and was in Danny’s a few times. That was a few years back so some of the information in my review may no longer apply, but it’s weird enough that I had to post.
My first trip to Danny’s ended in me being thrown out. It was not for fighting. It was not for screaming or being rowdy. It was for swearing. I was kicked out of a fucking bar for swearing, in a conversational tone and volume, to a friend of mine. The bartender (which I believe is the owner’s daughter) heard me and asked me not to swear, which seemed odd since we were sitting in a bar surrounded by adults, so I replied with a stunned «…whathefuck?» and out we went. I did wind up returning without incident, but it did not get much better.
This place is so heavy on regulars that it’s almost depressing, and be prepared to wait for your drink until everyone in the first-​name-​basis club gets theirs. Danny’s makes the classic mistake of pandering to the people that are there every day. Those people will be there every day regardless. What they need to do it attract new people, but they tend to do the opposite. Whatever.
Oh, and this is NOT, NOT, NOT a dive bar. It’s nothing close to a dive bar. That’s just a buzz word that gets casually attached to far too many places.

Danny’s is a great place to stop after work. The staff is friendly and eager to please. Food is simple but delicious!

Favorite local bar. Renee is awesome, knowledgeable, friendly, attentive and makes a good drink! Good burgers, chili, wings and my grilled cheese w/​bacon was excellent. Good music too.

So I was led to believe that this place attracted a young crowd. Everyone there was in their thirties or so. The overall «feel» of the bar was a little sleepy to be honest. I heard there was karaōke and thought it must be a really fun and energetic atmosphere but mostly it was lazy conversation and pool. Then the bartender refused to serve me because she said she «didn’t take my kind of ID.» So apparently government issued driver’s licenses aren’t acceptable IDs or something?
It wasn’t a terrible bar but it definitely was sleepy and kindof an old people bar.

Note: this place is a true dive bar and I am rating it as such.
This place is just fun and doesn’t claim to be any more than it is. Unpretentious straight up divey fun. Not everyone’s cup of tea but if you’re looking for a dark spot to throw back some beers and hang out with the regulars, this spot is the place for you. Not glamorous or fancy, just a gold old fashioned dive bar. Kinda dingy, a little dank. This place isn’t the ritz but it does make for a fun night of tipsy people watching.
My friend and I came here for Cinco de Mayo. They had live music, cheap beer and tequila, and exceptional prices. We even wandered into the Latin dancing place a few doors down and had a great time.
The bar is full of regulars and the staff is loyal and friendly. Willing to grab or make you whatever drink you may want. They even grabbed us some cactus beads! Fiesta!

I’m a fan of dive bars. Usually have great service and fun regulars. I was not very impressed with Danny’s. Service wasn’t the greatest, however I would consider giving it another chance. Full bar menu, pool table, etc.

OMG. So upset I haven’t visited this place previously! One of my besties lives just minutes from here, so we finally visited for a Hawks games and were not disappointed. Perfect «hole in the wall» type feel, very small and cozy, with great service. I don’t know how the prices compared (I didn’t pay) and didn’t have food, but definitely plan to do both (pay and eat!) sooner rather than later. I can’t wait to visit again!

Our server was very courteous and friendly, but the burger really seemed like a very recently frozen hockey puck. No craft beers, if that’s your thing.

A hidden gem on Rte 59 in West Naperville… Actually the ONLY bar in Naper that I go to. Great staff, great people, great food, great drinks… They also have GT, darts, pool, and awesome entertainment! Trivia Wednesday, Karaōke, and Live Music… Basically everything you could ever ask for in a bar! If you see me there and you are not enjoying yourself, I will buy you a drink! Promise!

I’ve been on a quest to find the best fish fry around. I really like the idea here that you can have a single serving order or the AYCE. I find myself never eating more than they give on a single serving, so to save a couple bucks never hurts. I also really enjoyed the «chips» instead of fries. They’re roughly sliced potato chips that are chunky and unique. You can get fries too if you prefer.
They have cod in filet form. I prefer the log style, as the filet got lost in the batter and was almost too thin in spots and had no texture. The batter has a great flavor and is super puffy and crispy. Nice homemade flavor in the tarter and the coleslaw is off the hook. As Katie my wonderful waitress said… she can eat bowls of it. I concur and they give you a fair serving, but a monkey dish size is always a good thing, when it tastes this good.
I’ve been in over the years for their great lunch specials and a few years back even made it in for Tina’s Karaōke Night. I don’t drink, so the real lure of this spot doesn’t shine. Never made it in for the live music either, so I have no real input there. As stated, my server Katie could not have been sweeter. I need to get in again for their weekday lunch specials, as they are a great value.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown to appreciate dive bars. Sure, the «trendy» spots are fun when you’re newly 21 and dressed to impress people you don’t even know. But those days are long gone, and now the thought of going somewhere for a drink in jeans, a sweater, and no makeup on New Years Day is pretty exciting.
Before our annual NYD dinner, the bf suggested we stop here for a Bloody Mary, which sounded fabulous. We made our way through the unplowed streets and inside the bar.
Once inside, we felt silly sitting at a booth since food was not on our agenda, so we took the last two open seats at the bar, opposite of the three youngsters (compared to us) slamming shots. The bartender came over to us immediately to take our older. The bf told her we’d like some Bloody Mary’s. She asked if we wanted regular or spicy; of course we picked spicy and she proceeded to make the drinks right in front of us. These Bloody’s were garnished with three green olives, a large pickle spear, and of course a stick of celery.
The Bloody was delicious, and the bartender certainly did a great job of making it spicy. I finished mine long before the bf was halfway through his. We probably would have stuck around for another, except for the fact that obnoxious rap music was playing (thanks to the young kids who kept feeding their money into the music player), which ruined the atmosphere. This wasn’t your usual hip-​hop/​rap you hear on the radio and know some of the lyrics to, but gangsta rap, which leaves you wanting to kick a dog in the ass for no reason. Feeling agitated from the music, I couldn’t wait to get out of there. We paid our tab and left to go grab dinner.
We’ll probably go back, as this is the only bar within walking distance (something to consider for warmer months). I’ve heard their food is pretty decent, so I’ll probably give something a try next time. I just hope there’s a nicer mix of music being played.

This place is awesome! Great décor and even better mini tacos! I personally had the Reuben sandwich… with a sir of the Reuben soup! It was to die for. Ran into an old friend, pictures below. Good things happen when you’re drinking at Danny’s!

Definitely a dive bar. The staff is very friendly and really the best part of the bar. The food is ok, basic lower end bar food with no frills. The place is pretty dark and kind of smoky. There is just something missing from this place and I definitely wish it was cleaner. I might go back, but given the choice I would try to go elsewhere.

I live really close to this place, so its nice to have a bar within walking distance. I also love that this bar is low-​key and casual. It’s never filled with clubby a-​holes, frat boys, or hipsters.
I never seem to know when they have food. When they do… their burgers are DELISH. It says they were voted one of the best burger joints in Chicagoland or Naperville or something… I wouldn’t doubt it. And they have like 15 different kinds of burgers to boot!
But as I was saying… sometimes they aren’t serving food. My husband and I went there on a Thursday night, grabbed a couple menus, and sat down at a table. The bartender yelled at us from the bar (which was across the room) «Hey! Our kitchen is closed tonight! If you want food, you can order pizza from a few doors down!» What a bummer! So we got up and left.
You can see all kinds of people here for food. I haven’t ever seen a family with young children, but I do see senior citizens in here all the time for dinner.
I really like this bar. The drinks are cheap, for any standards (not just Naperville standards), and I love going for a draft Guinness at any time of the year. They have live music and karaōke quite a bit too. There’s always something fun going on here, and the people/​bartenders are friendly. The bartenders remember you, too! This isn’t a loud, crowded bar, it’s a neighborhood bar. I hope it stays that way.

Danny’s is a real local bar. Not a chain or TGIF or some downtown Naperville place. There aren’t a million flat-​screen TV’s all over the place. No fancy aperitifs. No hot, young servers trollop-​ping about. No manicured entryway.
It’s just a local bar in a strip mall (right next to the pawn shop). It was nice. And the prices were pretty reasonable. I think the highlight was the Killian’s on tap.
I asked our (very nice) server if they had chicken fingers on the menu. She replied that they did, but they were very large… more like chicken hands.
I’ll go back again.
yow, bill
PS — I have this mental image stowed away in long-​term memory. Parked outside Danny’s was a small compact car with a large plastic, misshapen foot attached to the roof advertising foot massages for $ 25. Excellent.

This place is alright by me. We came on a Friday night for karaōke and their bucket special. I’m not a big fan of Bud Light, but at $ 9 per bucket I wasn’t feeling to frowny about it.
It says they are a grill, but they didn’t have food at the time we were there; however, the girl working the bar said we could go grab food anywhere nearby and bring it back. I thought that was pretty nice.
Everyone was friendly. We did a couple group songs with total strangers and sang to them. Everyone had a good time.