Cortland's Garage Arlington Heights

I’ve visited this bar a few times, and unfortunately the service has consistently been underwhelming. We decided to give it another chance for the Home Alone experience, especially since the holiday décor was very cute—but this visit ended up being the most disappointing. We came last Sunday around 6:30 p.m., and the bar was not busy. Our server was neither friendly nor attentive. She stopped by once to ask if we wanted drinks but never brought water or asked if we wanted any. When she brought our drinks, she rushed us to place our food order, and after that, we hardly saw her again. She never checked in to see how our meal was and only returned to drop off the check. Overall, it just wasn’t a great experience, yet again. I’m not sure if we’ve been unlucky, but the service continues to miss the mark. The food is mediocre as well. There are definitely better options in downtown—though they aren’t bars—so it’s disappointing that the experience here doesn’t improve

At The Garage I found delight, A cozy spot that felt just right. The nachos came, a golden mound, Each chip a crunch, each bite profound. The cheese was perfect, gooey bliss, A plate of joy I won’t dismiss. Jalapeños gave a fiery spark, A snack that truly hit the mark. The beers were cold, the music loud, A lively, friendly, happy crowd. The staff all smiled, the vibe was great, The kind of place I’d celebrate. And when I’d eaten past my fill, I laughed about my lack of will. I’ll need a workout at this rate, Might break a sweat with my old shake weight.

Came here with the family on a weekday after work and enjoyed dinner outside. It wasn't too crowded which was alright with me. We had appetizers and a main dinner items. The boys enjoyed the cheess curds and Pretzel sticks. I enjoyed the Buffalo chicken rolls. From the burgers to the sandwiches, everything tasted great. Will be back

This was my third attempt to visit this place since the start of summer 2025 - always without a reservation. It’s always packed, so people clearly love it! I finally managed to get in this time. Inside was insanely loud, so we asked to sit outside right away. Well, not exactly right away - we waited over 10 minutes to be seated, not because there wasn’t space, but it felt a bit understaffed or just overwhelmed for a Saturday evening. Still, sitting outside turned out to be much better. The food was just OK. The menu isn’t very big, and a couple of their signature dishes and sides were just average. Some food seemed to be unsalted. Of course, that’s subjective - you might like it more - but for me, it was a bit of a disappointment. 3/5 max. Service wasn’t bad, staff was not rude or something, but they clearly seemed overloaded. Even at what looked like maybe 80% capacity, they were clearly struggling to keep up. Drinks were inconsistent - our group ordered several cocktails, some for multiple rounds, and the same drinks tasted noticeably different each time, 2/5. Overall, it was OK I guesa, but I had much higher expectations given how popular this place is and how hard it usually is to get in, and for me personally it was a last visit since around this place there are a lot much better establishments in my personal opinion. Again I might be wrong, place is popular, so people find something inside. Probably something i missed or haven't been looking for.

almost perfect! drinks, atmosphere, and staff were all wonderful. food was only okay, though. since we were only really there to have a drink and watch the game it wasn't a big deal. would recommend if you only want like appetizers or a small amount of food to go with your drinks while you watch the game!

Made reservations for the home alone pop up bar, my kids love that movie. All 8 of us drove an hour from Huntley to go. When we got there was told there was no reservation. I showed them the email. They could care less and wouldn't talk to me. Said nothing they could do but put my name in and there was an hour and half wait. The whole family was disappointed. Never will go back. Plus I'm making it my effort to get the word out how poor there service was about this. This post won't be the last.

I met friends for lunch here on a Sunday afternoon. It wasn't very busy so service should not have been an issue however it was. In order to find a server, I would have needed to interrupt them from congregating together while they all discussed their Saturday night. The servers were more interested in chatting than grabbing our orders or asking how our food was. The food was mediocre at best. Dry, bland chicken tenders. I honestly don't understand how this place stays in business unless the bar is the primary reason. So since I didn't have a drink, I can't say but do yourself a favor and don't come for the food. And don't get me started on trying to get the server to print out a check. She was beyond confused.

Linden provided the best experience! She has amazing energy, made great drinks, and she created a very welcoming vibe no matter how busy it got. You can tell she genuinely cares about the people she’s serving — whether you’re a regular or just stopping in, she’ll make you feel like you’ve been coming there for years. Can’t say enough good things — go grab a drink from her and see for yourself! Highly recommend her and Cortland’s if you’re looking for an amazing spot with food and drinks!!

As a local resident of Arlington heights. There are a lot of options for places to go. Truly there is nothing like going to Cortlands. The food is incredible and their drinks are top tier. I recommend the espresso martini. Top Tier. Their Bartending staff is truly the best and the reason to come back. Giana and Jimmy are true professionals that make the experience what it is. Drop in you won't regret it.

Food is always great. Avocado toast is the best in town ..... service is slow, make sure you have a little extra time.

We went to watch the Iowa Hawkeyes girls basketball team play. The food and service were great! We will be going back.

Do not order the chopped salad unless you want to be disappointed. I've had great experiences at Cortlands in the past, but calling this a "chopped" salad is questionable at best. The lettuce and greens aren't even chopped, and the other ingredients (cheese, bacon, egg, green onion, red pepper, pasta) are barely even recognizable. Honestly it looks like they took a handful of mixed greens, 1/4 of a hardboiled egg, a sprinkle of the other ingredients, doused it in dressing and plated it up. My children's "kids" meals came with double the food and were half the price. My husband also ordered the chopped salad and added chicken ($6 add on), and he got about 1/4 cup of chopped chicken. Not worth it. I know salads aren't a specialty at a sports bar, but c'mon Cortlands. Change the description of this, or do better. Waste of money and deceitful to the customer.

This was a pretty good place. Service is understaffed, but overall, it was good. The hot fried chicken was good, not spicy at all. The homemade fries are good, too. We also ordered the grilled Mahi tacos. They were street size and good. The Christmas theme made either fun, and it was nice to have tv's all over to watch the game.

Cortland's Garage is converting to a "Home Alone Pop-Up Bar" for the holiday season, and anyone that's a fan of the classic John Hughes comedy will appreciate the effort that goes into maintaining the theme. The tributes to the movie inside the restaurant are great. We arrived at about 5:45 on a Sunday evening and I was a little surprised at how crowded it was. We were told a half hour wait for our table of 4, but actually ended up only waiting for about five minutes. That was welcome news, because there's really no good place to wait unless you go sit at the bar. We felt very much in the way for those five minutes as the servers and hostesses had to maneuver their way around us and the other waiting guests. The food is ok. Nothing special. I ordered the Turkey Avocado Club, and it wasn't awful, but I've had better. I don't think it was worth $14. I'd be curious to see if the food is better when the kitchen is not quite so busy. I liked that there were plenty of tvs for various sports broadcasts. Only one tv downstairs showing the Home Alone movie, though. Our server, Emilia, is definitely worth mentioning -- she was terrific.

AWFUL experience. Place is extremely dirty with staff that just don't care about anything. Adult drinks are not well mixed nor they are balanced. We sent ours back. It took solid 20 minutes for our waiter to come back , place was not busy. We decided not to order food and left after two sips of beer. I don't know how a place like this stays open. Hopefully Management will listen to unsatisfied customers and make appropriate adjustments.

Our server Maddie forgot everything, never stopped by our table, didn't apologize, and then just pretended we didn't exist and dropped our check down after we had to ask someone else where she was since we sat there for an hour with no server.

Went to Cortland's for lunch on a splendid, warm, sunny day. Sat outside and had terrific service. The servers were very quick and diligent. The food was absolutely incredible as well. I 10 out of 10 recommended visiting this fantastic establishment!!

Worst experience at Cortland's Garage. It was a beautiful afternoon to be enjoying drinks and food outside. It was not crowded and there seemed to be plenty of servers. The drink I ordered was terrible, they made me a new one, but it was just as bad. It didn't taste close to how it should be made. We ordered food, mostly apps. One order at our table was served(not made correctly). We asked our waitress 3-4 times to please check on our food. She never reported back on delay or if it was coming. We waited over an hour and finally told her to cancel the food and close out our bill. We gave her three credit cards to split the bill. She only charged one. No explanations or apologies. Very poor service. We will not be going back.

Food is good for bar food and it's a super cute vibe. The Home Alone Pop Up decor makes for a very festive night out. However, every time I'm there, the wait staff is rude, short and not accommodating.

Our waiter ignored us and didn't bring us our drinks or ketchup. She was too busy talking and completely forgot about us for 45 minutes, but never apologized. She just put the check down and ignored the situation. Just very rude to do that. Put a whole damper on our mood. We also did not like our food.

Went to this location for this first time on Saturday and ordered a simple Caesar salad with chicken for lunch on a warm day. You would think, how can you possibly mess up a Caesar salad right? Wrong - the chicken did not even resemble what real chicken looks like! It was cubed, thin as paper, and had a rubbery fake texture. Even my friends were like.... What is that? Why does it look like that? The place was also slammed. Sad to see a place packed can't even use profit to buy real (good) chicken. My friend also ordered a side of waffle sweet potato fries and even those had a weird old oil taste - we didn't touch them. Again, how do you mess up FRIES?

Nice atmosphere and good food. Had the courtland burger and it was great. Fries are like boardwalk style and very good!

First time dining here. Stopped for dinner before performance at the Metropolitan. Seated quickly and waitress was helpful with both drink order and meal order. Made performance with 3 minutes to spare! Will go back to Courtland's when not so rushed for time!

Came in for a quick dinner and a drink and the White Russian I ordered was made with 2% milk right in front of me. Just wow!

Terrible service - all the waitresses and servers sit at a table in the far left corner when you walk in. The blonde working the bar poured me a beer then proceeded to go sit back at the table. I wanted to get something to eat, I literally had to ask the kitchen staff for a menu and ordered it from them. I never got a do you need something , how is everything, nothing. So I took a picture of the staff sitting in the corner to show my friend who use to live here the complete laziness of this crew. 3 minutes the "manager" comes up to me and asks why I'm taking pictures of her staff. So I told her the service was unacceptable, lazy, and to give me my check and I'm leaving . I will never be back there again. Don't waste your money . If I was the owner, I would fire the manager immediately for allowing the staff to just sit in the corner on his dime.

We have been long time customers of both locations and today is the last day we will be dining with Cortland's. We checked-in with the hostess stand for a quick drink with my wife and my toddler and did not receive service beyond the table waters for twenty minutes. When we flagged down a waitress we were then asked if we had sat ourselves. We responded we had been sat by the hostess and to check with her directly. The waitress did walk over to the hostess and then continued to ignore our table for around 10 minutes. At this point we got up to leave and asked the hostess why we were refused service. She began to give an explanation but was interrupted by the waitress who was dismissive, openly hostile and disrespectful to my wife from the moment she walked over. There was no reason for this, and no attempt was made at even discussing, an apology or even a explanation.

My friend and I walked in at 930PM for a drink and we were told that they were closed, even though their website states they close at midnight. When we asked why they were closing early, because there was still 20-30 patrons in the bar, she said it might look like they were busy but that patrons were closed out and they close early if they don't have a lot of business. Before we walked out, we took a look around the bar and saw most patrons had full glasses. It seemed that they were closing because the bartender just wanted to leave early. You shouldn't list your hours as open if you're going to close when you feel like it. I would understand if you had just a customer or two and the night was slow, but it was a full bar.

I would not recommend this place. This place went downhill over last few year. Their drinks are ridiculous expensive and food is mediocre at best. Get this, aperol spritz is 12 buck and it's literally two sips. It's probably 5 fluid ounces or less. Wine from the other side is watered down, it does not taste like wine and is disgusting. Avoid this place like a plague.

I had an opportunity to have lunch here on a last minute decision on one of the last good weekends in October during Covid. We were lucky to sit outside it was a little bit chill but I'd rather be outside than inside. Menu is fun somewhat unique but also quite classic and traditional which is a good thing for a bar/restaurant. Service was super friendly very helpful. Once the food arrived I have to say a very full fair if not generous portion and super fresh out of the kitchen very good. I would definitely come back and eat here again. The drink menu was fun as well and had some interesting choices in addition to the traditional beers and liquor.

Unbelievably bad experience. First, it took 20 minutes to get a drink order placed, another 15 minutes before the drinks were served, and another 15 minutes to get a food order placed. I ordered the WIng Street burger. When it finally came, it was a PLAIN burger on a bun, nothing on it. Sent it back, it was another 15 minutes before I got the corret one. My dinner companion was almost finished by then. The icing on the cake was they charged me for both the plain and Wing Street burger. It took them another 10 minutes to get the billing correct. GOOD GRIEF! They have REALLY big problems! Chuck Currie

Trust the negative reviews, don't come here! I really didn't want to have leave a review but I can't seem to get ahold of any manager, they don't answer their phones. My 3 year old son got served a very RARE kids cheeseburger. It was so red, the juice was coming out onto the bun. The cheese was hardened, it had clearly not been cooked. My 15 month old had gross curdled Mac and cheese. They never offered to take off the kids meals, the service was AWFUL! We went there at 11:30, when they opened and didn't get out of there till 2:00pm. Very rude there. Do not waste your time or money there, trust me!

I am not one to write reviews unless something stands out to me, good or bad. Unfortunately, this is the latter. I've been to Cortland's a handful of times. It had always been fine. Again, nothing particularly good or bad. Today was the first bad experience I have had. After sitting at the bar for almost 5 minutes, the bartender finally acknowledged me and I was able to order a beer. About a half hour later, when I ordered a 2nd beer, I asked for a food menu which was brought to me. After 45 minutes, not a single person behind the bar asked me if I was ready or wanted to order food, despite the fact I had a food menu right in front of me. It wasn't until I finished that 2nd beer did finally someone finally stop to ask me. By this point, it was too late, and I was ready to leave. And while I recognize that it was Black Friday and it was a little busier that it probably normally would've been for a Friday afternoon, it was disappointing to see the bartenders chatting with other people in the bar, and with each other, while I was ignored. And as someone who has spent years working in hospitality (specifically bars/restaurants), this was really unacceptable. As a person who really likes going to bars, I was extremely disappointed and will be hard pressed to ever go back.

Ordered take out back in March 2020 and thought the burgers were good. Decided to come by for dinner tonight, 12/15/2021. The good: -Fun vibe: Christmas decors, sports on TV, loud and fun. My husband loved it. -Two waitresses working that night were nice to us. Also, kudos to them and the bussers. They were hustling due to a busy night. -Food came at an acceptable wait time -Hard working staff The bad: -Food was not that great. I had the buffalo chicken egg roll and truffle fries. Husband had the avocado toast with tater tots. The egg rolls lacked the "buffalo" flavor. Truffle fries were swimming in the truffle oil, it looked unappetizing. Husband loved his avocado toast. Tater tots were your regular tater tots. Nothing to write home about. **Note: I could see the chefs in the kitchen. They were working their asses off. Kudos to them. The taste of the food in no way reflects their hard work. Maybe just need to rethink the menu a bit? Bottomline: - Cool place to hang out for a drink - Don't go for the food - Hard working staff

The worst service I've experience in a very long time. Emilia was our server who rarely if ever stopped by our table and seemingly had no interest in helping us. When we did wave her down I ordered a Bloody Mary to which she asked if I wanted the signature Bloody Mary which comes with extras and a side car beer. I said sure. I received a bloody by itself with a lemon and no side car. When the bill came and I asked she told me that I did get the side car and that what I got was the signature, then later retracted her statement and told me that it doesn't come with a side car at all, despite me showing her their own menu. Extremely disappointed with the service.

First time here after hearing about it and walking past it many times. Service was very friendly, we were seated outside and the restaurant was somewhat busy at 2pm on a Sunday. If you are sitting outside, water is available, but you must fill it up yourself in small plastic cups. I ordered the spicy chicken sandwich, which was honestly huge! This is mostly due to the bun though (which I removed, as it was too big to eat). The chicken itself was tasty but after ordering a sauce that never arrived, high prices of food, and not an easy way to have water with a hot chicken sandwich, I was left feeling like this could have been done a little better. At almost $16 for a sandwich, I do not feel I should have to get up multiple times during my meal to refill a small cup of water. A pitcher at the table with a glass cup would have been a simple solution and been appropriate with the premium you pay to eat here. Overall the food was good but I left feeling that things could have been done better.

This place is great if you just want to get a drink or two and enjoy being outside in Arlington Heights on a nice day. If you're wanting good food, this isn't really the place. The food isn't horrible, just very average, but the prices make my stomach hurt. $15 for a salad that was the equivalent of something prepackaged I'd get from a grocery store. Once again, the outside seating is nice and gives a great view of downtown action, but it's just too pricy for the quality. Don't be fooled.

Not a bad place to grab a bite, watch some games, and enjoy some special events. The prices are a bit higher than what you might expect for sandwiches and appetizers, but is in line with what you expect to pay in downtown Arlington Heights. The restaurant itself is a bit compact, where it can be difficult to hear others at your table when it gets really crowded. Parking is closeby either on the street or in a nearby garage. Decor is what you'd expect to see in a pub, while service is alright though a little slow when they get very busy. The food here is alright, but not too memorable. Definitely go for the burgers on your next visit as they do have a nice charbroiled flavor and get it with the fresh cut fries. I found the meat cut into smaller pieces (like steak on my nachos or charbroiled chicken in my chopped salad) was quite overcooked -- so be aware of that when ordering. They do run quite a bit of daily specials like Monday Trivia, Wine Wednesday, Taco Thursday, Sat/Sun brunch. Information for this is available on their website. Overall, it's an interesting place for special events and to grab a drink, but doesn't really stand out amongst the other options in Arlington Heights for me.

My Wife and I came yesterday for a quick lunch. There were no customers except for us. We sat at the bar and waited for 10 min and finally my wife walked around and found 2 menus. Had to ask the busboy if anyone was working. Turns out the bartender with blond hair was sitting on a stool talking with employees, who were eating at a table. One of the worst experiences for a restaurant with no customers. I asked her when she took our order how big a single burger was, and she had no clue. We had to ask the busboy again if he could get her. Burger was way overdone and the bun was old. I gave the busboy a tip, not the bartender. Save your money and time and go elsewhere. Owner should know what's happening.

Came here with family and it was a really great time. The food was delicious and fresh. They have a nice variety of options. Huge fan of the turkey avocado club. The portions here are very generous! The service was nice, but admittedly a little slow. Also, it was the time of day the sun was coming directly into the window, so if you were seated facing the window it was very bright. They probably should have blinds for that time of day. Otherwise a great place.

A group of us went here yesterday to celebrate the end of a school year and were treated SO poorly by the manager. She let us know that we were not welcome to order from the bar and sit at a table in the bar. Also, we were not allowed to open our own tabs. We left to go across the street to a place that welcomed our business.

Food was pretty good. Their burgers are solid choice. Outdoor vibe, especially in summer is great. Server checked on our table regularly. Seating at warped picnic tables was uncomfortable- time to replace them.

I haven't been there in awhile and was a little nervous to go on a beautiful evening as I had read some questionable reviews on line. But we were greeted quickly by a super friendly waitress and had wonderful service by Rachael. Also had great specials and they even made me a vegetarian taco! Would for sure go again!

Vail Street Burger and side salad were delicious. Reasonably priced, great service, and fun atmosphere.

Like many others have said - this is a great location with a decent beer selection but horrible service! Even their food IMO is above average bar food.

Stay away from this place! Four of us had lunch. Soup arrived cold. Service was just o.k. When ordering we asked for two separate checks. They said o.k. When the food came we reminded them about two separate checks. They said o.k. When the bill came, the server refused to issue two checks. Said that we can figure it out ourselves and she would take two separate charge cards. Asked for the manager who would not budge. FYI...We were the only table in the restaurant. Literally, the only ones there. To add insult to injury, the bill included a 20% tip. We asked for the tip to be removed because we wanted to tip in cash and charge the meal. The manager refused to remove it saying that it was their policy to include a mandatory 20% tip. Am fairly certain that this is illegal.

Great bar service, fun central location in downtown Arlington heights. Food was very solid, loved the scene.

I don't understand the negative reviews on this place I've been coming here for years and even more over the last couple. Their food and service has always been fantastic. My only recommendation is more beers on tap.

Cool local bar located in Arlington heights. Came here the other night for dinner and had a great meal. This bar for the most part is nothing special, but offers a great selection of beers on tap and the food is decent. Nothing to rave about, but not bad at all. Came here with my friend and ordered the black bean veggie burger. Service was great and the tall (blonde) waitress with the great teeth and physique was great. Very attentive and great and expediting the food and getting it out fast. She was also hot and looking like she belonged on the front page of a Victoria secrete catalog. They offer a $6 dollar grilled chicken sandwich on Wednesdays and offer great specials for every other day of the week. The grill chicken sandwich ain't small either. If you're looking for a quick bite to eat and nothing fancy. I highly recommend Cortland's Garage.

Great location, good vibe, and if you like warm beer this is the place. Need to turn your coolers to a lower temperature. For a $5 draft or bottle it's slightly below room temperature.

Love how Arlington Heights closed down a street to allow the patio areas extend out onto the streets! Enjoyed my pina colada, perfect frozen b****y beverage haha! I ordered the pulled pork sandwich with tots. I love the sandwich, the tots were average. My companion had the hot chicken sandwich. He said it was good, some dry spots, but the fried were delish. We did share the buffalo chicken cheese things. They were TOO cheesy. All in all a great spot. Also decent good service!

Arlington Heights really gets it and Cortland delivers. Solid food, great location fun atmosphere

We were here a week ago on a busy Saturday night during Arlington alfresco. It was extremely busy and the restaurant was a little short staffed. None the less our server was friendly and attentive and our dinner orders were served hot and were very good. The Arlington burger and chicken parm sandwiches were delicious and the beers were cold

Fantastic food. Ashley who was serving us was amazing. Reviews do not reflect this spot. Should be 5 stars.

i've been here a couple times in the past year and it's always been fine, long wait times and sometimes rude staff but nonetheless worth going back for their juice pouches. tonight i went with some friends and was kicked out, being accused for having a fake ID. bouncers we're disrespectful and the girl with dark hair and glasses (i'm assuming the manager on duty who looks younger than me??) was really rude. they were threatening to keep my ID until my friend said she'd call the cops and they quickly gave it back but told us to leave. i've never had an issue anywhere else definitely will not be going back

I went there for dinner. They are doing the outdoor dining thing- which is fun. Ordered the Turkey Club sandwich that arrived with no bacon and no mayo - just a dry sandwich. The person I was with split their burger with me, which was decent. The 2 stars is for the drinks- good mixed drinks and good beer selection. I would recommend stopping in for drinks. Skip the food. You will be glad you did. Overpriced burgers and dry club sandwiches. Meh. No thanks.

So the atmosphere seems somewhat small, crowded and loud but fun and with character. We didn't eat there however as my dad won't during the pandemic. In any case we took out. Sadly most of their amazing sounding specialty drinks were in house only and then they were out of the apple pie juice box which is a weird little plastic pouch for take out. So we didn't get a drink because they were pricey and the apple pie was the only particularly special sounding flavor. On to the food though so I got an avocado toast which came with a side and for just a dollar extra I upgraded to truffle fries which is always a go to for me when available. Omg it's so delicious!! The truffle fries were perfect. Plenty of truffle flavor and distributed nice and even on each fry. The avocado toast was absolutely amazing. I've never had a burrata before and I wasn't totally sure what it was but knew it was cheese and vegetarian. It was a large delicious perfect burrata. The greens, sauce and very fresh avocado was just absolutely perfect. Nothing to complain about but I'm going to complain anyways lol. It would maybe be helpful to be cut in half. Just logistically complicated to eat and I made a mess of my hands and face would have been possibly embarrassing to some in person but I don't care oh so worth it. Lol oh and I got jealous of my dad getting a pickle with his meal. I love pickles so it would have just been a cherry on top for me to get a delicious pickle to go with my amazing avocado toast and fries. I'd definitely say this place isn't cheap but not outrageous either and the quality and unique flavor combinations are well worth it. Too bad the apple pie juice box was out of stock. Hopefully next time there will be another unique delicious option to try. Definitely a place I'm going to crave and will want to eat that amazing avocado toast again!

Great atmosphere and service. Fun place to hang out during the week for happy hour. Weekends are great as well.

Good food, outstanding wait staff, we'll timed service all in a comfortable atmosphere. Love it in the warm weather but the inside is nice in winter too. Good family fare as well.