Elgin Public House

I absolutely adore this place. It was one of the best burgers I've ever had also and I love that it was an actual recommendation from the bartender because I was seated at the bar she actually had a conversation with me and made recommendations That's how you can always tell when the food is really good when the staff is partial to something is because they know. I love the fact that they offer games for you to play seated at your table little board games so cute and such a great environment so staff was on point food was on point and the atmosphere also on point definitely check this place out

The food was awesome especially their burgers with the side of onion rings. The waitress Kristie E. is very friendly and had an excellent job We all love it. Probably we will gonna come back again soon.

Elgin Public house used to be my go to on Mondays for their half priced burgers and was very very disappointed when I came in and was told it was sold to new owners and they dont offer that deal anymore. When the new staff told me it was sold to another restaurant owner and they just implemented their menu instead of keeping EPH old menu, I knew my visit there was gonna be a disaster. The quality of food went down so disgustingly. Ordered mac and cheese for my daughter and the mac and cheese was so gritty and nasty, my daughter wouldn’t even touch it, hence the photo. Very very disappointed. Will never be returning. Too much money spent on food that my family and I didn't even enjoy at that even finish or even take home with us!!!!!!! TAKE YOUR MONEY ELSEWHERE

Good atmosphere and great service. I had the filet grilled cheese and it was good but the parmesan fries were the star of the show.

I used to come here frequently before 2024. After the change in owners, the menu is simple and overpriced for what you get. I got the fish fry. The breading was thick and the fish was so overcooked it was bland and mushy. The vinegarette coleslaw tasted off. I instantly lost my appetite. For 9pm on a Friday there were maybe 4 other tables, but the food and drinks still took forever, 30 min for drinks and 45 min for food. The wait staff were pleasant, so I felt bad about how the poor food service is slowly driving down their tips. I probably won't be back as I now live out of town and even my family who live in town won't be coming back.

Had a great experience at Elgin Public House! The atmosphere was cozy and welcoming, the staff were super friendly, and the food was absolutely delicious. The burgers are a must-try—juicy, flavorful, and cooked to perfection. Great selection of drinks too! Definitely a solid spot for a casual night out or a weekend hang. Highly recommend!

We originally went to Elgin for a specific restaurant, but unfortunately it was closed. Thankfully, my guy is always down to try new places, so we gave this one a shot. Big mistake. The food was absolutely terrible. I ordered the Wagyu burger and tater tots and honestly, I didn’t even think it was possible to mess up tater tots, but here we are. My guy ordered the sliders and mac & cheese, and... do I really need to say more? The total came to around $70, and I can honestly say it was the worst money I've ever spent on a meal. I wish I could say I’d give this place another chance, but it was that bad. The only reason I'm giving a star at all is because the service was great our server was super friendly, and the greeter was also very welcoming. Sadly, good service couldn’t save the meal.

New ownership as of 2025. No longer a good choice for vegetarians. Salads all have meat in them. Veggie patty is gone. Impossible burger is gone. Hummus duo with fresh veggies is gone. Just a black bean burger or "brie" grilled cheese ~ ho hum. Wish the new owners the best in appealing to their non-vegetarian audience. ********** Former ownership (2024 and earlier) ..... Great pub food, whether dine-in or carry-out. My husband likes the veggie burger made as the Bleu Horse burger. I especially like the Hummus Duo (both hummus choices are yummy, but the black bean hummus is so good I usually have two servings of that!). Waitstaff has always been friendly, helpful, and attentive for us, even when they're super busy. Always a nice selection of craft beers on hand, as well as plenty of specials.

ya hey helo cane to eph for lunch got brgr was reel good wantd anothr but dum wife sed i ben gainin 2, mich wate so i cant hav anymor!!!!!! doctor saz my colesterall is the worst hes evr seen an he dosnt want 2 b my doctor anymor

I wanted to so badly support the new owners & love the new EPH BUT no. 8 fried pickles, 8? The onion rings are too big. I wanted a BL not BLT and it barely had any bacon or mayo or anything. I hate the lay out of it too. Tacos are not good. The pretzels are good & cheese curds. I guess I will only come here if I am craving the cat fish. BUT the whole homey feeling is gone. It is just a restaurant now. Sucks but hey not everything lasts forever.

Been a long time customer. Since the sale there have been changes. We know that's normal for a new owner to make changes, but they have not read into what was working for old EPH patrons. Prices have changed and not for the good of the customer. $1.00 for extra ranch dressing?!? The one cup that came with the salad was not even filled 1/2 way, so of course I had to get another one. They also raised the price on some cocktails, and are pricing themselves out of the market. EPH is not in Geneva! Recently found out Keegan is gone as well. That may not have been the fault of the new owners, but it will impact business. At this point we don't have a reason to go back.

First visit since the new ownership. I thought prices were high $19.99 this cod. My cod was supposed to be Cajun but I didn't taste any seasoning and the minute you cut it the crust fell off. It didn't come with tartar sauce or anything. I asked for tartar sauce and was charged $1.00. I was excited for brussel sprouts and fried potatoes which were good but they didn't look too pretty in the plate. They were very salty. The Mac n cheese was not the same as before. The sauce was not very thick or anything. Service was good. Just the overall cost of things on the menu seems high. Not planning on returning unfortunately.

under new ownership, Elgin Public House was offering 1/2 price burgers on Monday nights. My friend called to confirm that twice including the night before we went, and was assured the deal was still . But when we got there, we were told that deal is over. My friend spoke to the manager and was told equivalent of tough shit. That really aggravates me. The service was good and the food was excellent, but I don't like liars and I don't think I'll be going there again.

Used to be excellent. The new menu and owners have turned a charming place with an excellent menu into another poor quality, overpriced rip off. RIP old menu. RIP EPH. Throw the brick at this place, its heyday is over.

Well, this place has tanked. Popular menu items that were unique like Ahi have been removed and replaced with cheap bar foods... Brought a small group of people in last week and we had to leave, drive back to Sleepy Hollow and go local based on the menu and the huge uptick in prices... Not that all prices havent gone up, but getting close to 20 dollars a burger there (and they are not that great) Sorry but have to take this place off our list.

Tried the new menu items 3x before finally having to cut the cord on this place. It's gone way downhill since changing owners/ menu. They used to have the best burgers in town and you could always get a substitution of a chicken patty or a turkey burger or an impossible patty, if you don't eat beef. The new menu is pretty beefy for someone who doesn't eat beef. The sweet potato french fries are what I would call embarrassingly mushy. They used to have the best sweet potato french fries in town. Everything is just worse or not good. We calculated that last year alone we spent $4500 at this place, it was a regular stop. I'd rather cook at home than go back again.

Love the traditional pub feel. We come here whenever visiting town. Burgers are great and the Ruben is a favorite. Best fried pickles I've had in a long time. Down graded for two reasons. First, Not a fan of the heavy metal/punk music blasting, does not make for a relaxing meal. Second, when asked if we wanted a booth or table, we said a booth. The gal in charge put us at a table and then refused to move us even though there were several booths open. Said she had to seat us there. We spoke to the waitress and she was wonderful and moved us to a booth. Part way through another older group of four showed up asking for a booth and were put at a table and again the same gal refused to put them at a booth even though several were available.

We ordered only drinks, which were good, however I am deducting two stars because the prices listed on the paper menus inside our booth were way off. The ale I ordered was priced on the menu as $5 but was actually $7, and my friend's drink was listed as $7 but rang up as $8. The server looked somewhat bewildered when I called this to her attention.

Great menu choices - something for everyone The nachos were good The bbq was amazing Friendly servers

I had the Mac attack burger - it's topped with mac and cheese and crispy pork belly. It was a pretty big and filling burger. The whole burger actually was very underwhelming and needed a touch of salt. I assumed the pork belly would have been salty to balance everything out, but it really wasn't. The Mac and cheese itself also needed a touch of salt. I ate the burger patty by itself and it was also under seasoned. The fries were nicely fried and I asked for extra pickles and they really delivered on that so that was a plus. My husband got the boursin Kobe burger. I forgot to take a picture, but man did they smoother that garlic herb Boursin cheese spread on it. It was a lot that he had to move the whole thing on the side and put it back on as he ate it. He said overall, it was a decent burger. It was too messy for him. Our waitress was really nice so we appreciated that too. The place is huge and very pub feel. It's a nice little place, but I think the burger I got fell short.

I have been here a few times now. The ambiance is very casual but the service and food is always really good. Street parking can be a little tricky. This time I tried the mango tango cocktail that was excellent! The old fashioned was also very good. The goat cheese and marinara appetizer with Naan bread was fresh and delicious! The Kobe burger with boursin cheese cheese was fantastic and same with the sweet potato fries (that was an up charge). The waitress was also attentive. I will be back next time I am closer to the area.

Went here on a Saturday night as we had a gift card we won at a fundraiser. Sat in the bar area which was about 1/4 full. The beer I ordered was out of stock so the waitress provided a different one at the recommendation of the bartender. We ordered fried pickles, cheese curds, and chicken nachos. The fried pickles were ok: one was completely empty/breading only and the rest the breading fell off when you bit into it. Cheese curds were good and the sauce was nice. The nachos were mediocre. They had plenty of toppings on them, but they were cold and chips were a bit soggy so they may have been sitting too long before being delivered. Once we received the bill we noticed the server charged me for the beer that was out of stock and the on they replaced it with. She took it off the bill for us, but it took quite a while to get it corrected. Overall not terrible, but I don't think we will be returning.

Possible the best service ever from our server Brett S. Food is awesomeness. It's definitely worth the trip .

Nice atmosphere, friendly staff, good food and my granddaughters like it also. Win win.

2nd time here! Great food! Came on a Monday night and the special were half off burgers! Burgers were very good!

Ok so me and my husband tried to give the benefit of the doubt considering we have both have been raised and live in Elgin we try and support local as much as we can. We loved the old Elgin Public House not just the owner Greg but it's servers and bartenders. We always had great service and food. So we have given the owners and menu a try multiple times and none was very good. Feel like food is frozen not fresh where out of a lot of things the first time so tired again brought multiple friends to celebrate a bday. Service was very slow food was not good. Cheese curds we thought where the same where not. My chicken pesto sandwich had barely any chicken or pesto on it my husband's BLT barely any bacon he always eats his whole meal but we both only ate half. Friends that joined where not satisfied either. I really wanna see this succeed but every time we have returned our favorite servers and bartenders have left. So we will follow where they are at. Hopefully maybe give this another try in 6 months or so. Wish them the best

Food is good and drinks are priced fairly. Can get a bit crowded and loud. The service is normally good but have had a few occasions where it took a bit to get drinks and food. I'd still highly recommend stopping in for a burger and a beer.

This place is real inviting. We were greated right away when we walked in. The food is INCREDIBLE. I had to capitalize that. I ordered Mediterranean chicken salad. Salad was really fresh and chicken was still hot and tasty. I really didn't have room for dessert but had to order one just based on how good salad tasted. I ate the carrot cake when I got home. The carrot cake was incredible as well. This place we'll definitely get my business again. Heads up I will drive from Chicago to Elgin just to go here. Really Impressed!

I heard on WRNM 1410AM talk radio, that there was a retirement party for talk radio broadcaster Leah from the Radio Shopping Club, so I went over there. The party was in the rear, plenty of room, very clean and fast service by the waitress. The food was tasty, especially the chicken nuggets and every one there was very pleasant. The only downside was that they do not have cans of diet drinks, since I do not consume alcoholic beverages, this was a little disappointing but other than that, it's very nice place.

Stopped by here with family today for lunch. The wife ordered the Hawaiian Divine martini and she reported it to be divine! Fresh and fruity. They have Newcastle which is a rare bar find these days. We ordered the pulled pork sandwich, sloppy Joe sandwich, a burger & the Hawaiian chicken sandwich. Sides included the pub fries, Cajun fries, bacon jalapeño cole slaw, & Mac-n-cheese. Everything was delicious! Great service too!

If I could give 0 stars I would! Me & my Husband were sat down for 15 min and NO ONE came to attempt to help us. There was one waiter & two waitresses. The waiter and the waitress with 2 "heart" ponytails made eye contact with me and ignored me. That is HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE! Why would you take a job helping customers if you're not going to help them! I just moved to Elgin & like trying new places around the area.. but this by far was a horrible experience and I will make sure to let friends & family know! @Managers- do better to train your staff or get new staff!

Food: great. Server: overloaded so slow (but very nice.) Person bringing food: Pro Tip: if the plate comes with the wrong potatoes, don't take it away & make parson SIT THERE warily while their companion eats. LEAVE IT & being the other potatoes separately. Not cool. Also smoked cherry bourbon smash was not that great. Get the other one instead.

We have gone hear many times and every time we do, we always leave happy. Staff is nice, large inside, nothing fancy, but consistently solid food. I like the chicken sandwiches, my husband has had wraps, salads, meat loaf, burgers and never a bad meal.

New owners evidently. Used to love the spinach salad--was huge, and their soups. No more spinach salad, so ordered the Brie Grilled Cheese: was 80% bread; one thin strip of Brie cheese, a few slices of apple and scant apricot jam per half sandwich. It was more fit for a mouse. I would like to go back and give them another chance.

First, I have to say my daughter and I had dinner here just a couple times and really enjoyed everything! So no surprise we decided to go back with my husband about a month or so ago...not sure what was going on but it just seemed like everything was coming out completely terrible if it came out at all. My husbands food did finally come out a lot later than ours and it was really inedible. We didn't say anything at first as we had great experiences in the past. The (I believe) owner immediately addressed our issues, apologized, and made more than an incredible effort to ensure we left with the promise of another visit! Of course we gave them another shot and we're sure glad we did! It was most definitely a fluke and it is now one of our favorite places! Awesome service, great food, fun open atmosphere! We still need to try trivia night!

We love EPH! Great family fun on Tuesday nights where the kids can play games at the tables while waiting for food. Service is good. Try the Cherry Bourbon Smash - served in a smoke-infused glass. The menu is extensive, there are plenty of TV's to watch the game, and it is an all-around great time.

Elgin Public House has a strong presence in the community for years. It's akin to a favorite aunt and uncle's house. It's welcoming and comfortable and you know you are gonna have a good time when you go there. We went this past Tuesday night just to get out. They always have a great beer selection and their burgers are terrific. The food and beverage certainly lived up to expectations. My wife and I started with their fried pickles. They tasted great but for the price, we received only six small pickle "fries" and the pickles slid out of the breading when we bit into them. They rebounded well with the burgers we ordered. My wife chose the KC burger which had white cheddar, bacon, and their house-made BBQ sauce. Killer! I ordered the Bleu Horse burger which came with bleu cheese, horseradish, and a healthy layer of onion crisps. The burger itself was perfectly made with a terrific grilled burger taste and the toppings were plentiful but well balanced to the burger. We both had their pub fries as a side which are perfectly done too! Our server was nice and attentive, but I think she may be new to the game. She did a decent job but she didn't know if they had a special and we needed to remind her about a couple of things. They also had erroneously added an order of naan bread to our bill. Everything ended up working out just fine at the end. Another nice relaxing time at the Elgin Public House.

Phenomenal food. The staff and servers were beyond friendly and professional! Definitely try the cheese curds!

Clean and fresh. Terrific service. Each of the four cole slaw versions were outstanding. I had the beer can chicken, perfect! Friend had nachos and loved them. Drinks were cold, prompt and reasonable prices. We will be back!

I love this funky place in funky downtown Elgin. We often stop here on our way from home to Michigan and back. Service is prompt and knowledgeable. Plenty of delicious items on the menu and an overwhelmingly generous beer and beverage list. I've had their chili and last time tried their appetizer list for three small pub burgers. Excellent and get this, topped with a pickle and a fried onion ring pinned to the top of the bun. I ordered it with the house slaw which was unlike any cole slaw I've had anywhere. Very good. It's on a downtown street and doesn't look like much from the outside. But enter and enjoy. Great local spot.

My son and family are vegetarian/vegan, they frequent EPH because of the food choices. When my husband and I visit, we also go here. Hubby is a meat eater, I'm a vegetarian. I miss a great hamburger, I'm not going to lie. We took our grandchildren there to eat, they love the fruit bowl and mac and cheese, I opted for a beyond burger made like their Mushroom Swiss burger. OMG, crunchy toasted bun, great cooked patty, delicious sautéed mushrooms (I asked for onions to be added) and onions, topped with Swiss cheese. It was HUGE and delicious! I have never eaten a burger this large, at one sitting, but I did this time! It came with fries, I only ate a few(they were delicious as well). It was St Patrick's day weekend, they were pretty busy. The waiter was extremely friendly, even though he was busy, and our food came out pretty fast. The feeling of EPH to me is one of history. It is an older building with character, inviting and fun. You can even play board games while you wait. If you haven't visited yet, go and try it. They have a large assortment of beer as well. You don't want to over look this place!

Stopped in for a Sunday lunch. The restaurant was not busy so we were seated right away. The ambiance is kind of like a dive bar/pub but it was a chill vibe. Our waiter was friendly, and we were in a hurry and he was very accommodating. They didn't have the fried pickles so I was pretty disappointed. - Cheese curds (3.5/5): pretty good but a relatively small portion. Didn't taste super fresh but the ranch (chipotle or bbq?) it came with was delicious - Chicken entree with mashed potatoes and veggies (3/5): I ordered Cajun style chicken but it tasted kind of plain. The mashed potatoes were not very flavorful. But the sautéed vegetables were really good, seasoned well - Steak (3.5/5): ordered medium rare, cooked pretty well just needed some salt. We were on a time crunch, and the food came out relatively quickly so that was a plus. Overall a nice pub in the outskirts of Chicago, good for a quick lunch.

Amazing service and amazing food. Highly recommend for anyone wanting American cuisine

Not the greatest pub. We made reservations for three on a Friday night. They sat us all the way in the back along an old bar. The place was practically empty when we arrived. By the time we left, it was much busier. Covid: all the tables are socially distanced; employees all wear masks; reservations are appreciated. We came because hubby had a Groupon. Having been to a few other pubs in nearby towns we assumed this place would be similar in quality. We were disappointed. The ambiance and employees are the only nice thing. The food wasn't very good and they only have a few beers on tap. The rest are in cans. Hubby and son both ordered the Friday fish fry and said it was good. They also liked the hush puppies. I ordered their ribs. Not good. Tastes like leftover/ old meat. The bbq sauce was the only good thing about the ribs. We noticed several kinds of coleslaw on their menu, but we were not given a choice. They just brought us the traditional coleslaw. We tried somewhere new to us and supported local. We just didn't like their food.

Stumbled across EPH doing a random Google maps search and I'm glad I did! They have an expansive menu of pub foods that surely would satisfy practically anyone. I had the Cajun chicken sandwich with goat cheese on a pretzel bun. The breast was huge and quite tasty. The goat cheese was interesting; not exactly my first choice but I didn't mind the outside my comfort zone choice. I paired it with Cajun fries for the perfect spicy combo. My wife had the Fiesta chicken, minus the bun, which she said she enjoyed. Definitely plan to go back and try more items on the menu.

Great place to go after hitting up the casino! The food is good with lots of options. I'm also always greeted with a smiling staff member !

So we came here because of Groupon deal and we liked it. My wife got their ribs and my son and I got their fish and chips. Let's start with the good: the fish is very good and we liked the hush puppy. Service was great and they really kept customers spaced well. Parking at the Free Public Garage was very handy. The negatives were also there: I had a Groupon for $30, our bill came to a lot more. Beers run around $9 each (great beers but HUGE markup), the ribs were tough (my wife doesn't love when I make ribs but mine were better than theirs). For the money the meal was barely average. I would not come back because the food, as a whole, was just average, and the cost was rather high for what we got.

Great food! Try the Bacon Egger! Super nice post and great ambience! They also customize with a great attitude!

Returned here for dinner, during COVID. I'll give them a B+ on COVID safety measures. Every worker was wearing masks with the exception of one kitchen worker who was wearing it under his nose (he was visible from my table). Tables were spread out safely and most customers wore masks. Saw a few customers walking around without masks, which I'd chalk up to forgetting to put it back on when they left their table. This time around I tried their trademark sloppy joes. It was really good. Served in a bowl, with a lightly toasted bun on the side, the sloppy joes looked and tasted great. A bit more of a tomato-based style than I'm used to, but quite tasty nonetheless. I really appreciated the way it's served (in a bowl). That allowed me to place Individual spoonfuls of meat onto a open faced bun rather than making a mess of an actual sandwich. They offer a wide variety of side items and wanted something more healthy to go with my meat, so I opted for the fresh vegetables. They were fine, but I would have preferred a more charred approach on them. Had a red amber ale to drink, which was fabulous. Bottom line - I'd come back for the sloppy joes...maybe next week!

Amazing appetizers. The chicken tenders are super crisp. The mini burgers & fries were very tender. We tried the regular fries and the spicy fries - the spicy ones were amazing. The onion rings were really crisp. We also shared some macaroni and cheese, very good. Everything is prepared in house, all the sauces and spice mixes. The bartender was a gem, great sense of humor and obviously loves the restaurant. Next time we'll probably try the fiesta chicken.

Whoever is making the BLTs back there is a wizard. I enjoy reaching the minimum character count.

Another entry on the "I swear I already did a review for this place and it's not here" tour 2023, I am definitely in the minority, but I have yet to have anything here that I truly liked. The service is always dragging. The sloppy joe is nothing to write home about, so I definitely don't understand what that's all about. The burgers are way overpriced for what you get. The drinks weren't anything special or really good. Last time I was there, my food came out a good 10 minutes before my friend's food did - with literally no explanation. I don't know, I really don't get the hype here. I wish I did, because I love going to downtown Elgin. But after 3 tries, I'm putting a fork in this one.

We have been longtime customers, but with COVID surcharges we haven't gone in about 2 years. Hubby bought a Groupon so we could take our 4 year old out for a nice birthday dinner. We were greeted and seated quickly, however that's where the good service stopped. Our waitress was slow, forgot refills, told us that we had a choice of ice cream or cannoli for my boy's birthday treat and then said she had to charge us after bringing the check since "only one discount was 'allowed' on our ticket". Portion sizes have gotten smaller and their prices have gone up so much that we literally aren't able to afford going back ($65 for two adults and one kid - - nothing fancy). It's so disappointing considering this was one of our favorite places before.

Plenty of menu choices for everyone. If you're vegetarian, there are a few burger options. Good size portions and friendly servers. Will definitely go back to check out other items on the menu and have a cocktail.

Came here for dinner with my wife. I had the Buffalo chicken sandwich. While the food was good, I simply could not enjoy it. Here is why. * The sandwich was so sloppy that it could not be picked up. It literally falls apart in your hand. The alternative is to eat it open face with a knife and fork. This would be fine but You don't get to enjoy the pretzel bun. There's also another problem * Everything is served in a metal bucket. The sides of this bucket are too tall to be able to effectively use any utensils. This is exacerbated by a layer of parchment paper. The paper gets soaked and torn and ends up in every bite. I've been to EPH many times over the years and this has been a problem. The recipes here are very tasty and well executed. The problem is that the plating and presentation is frustrating, sloppy, and diminishes everything that EPH can offer. I don't want to return. It's too annoying to eat here, no matter how good it is.

I have not been to this place in a while but I trust it is still a good place. I will go there and write one afterwards and will hope the service and food is still good. I think it will be great! rjg

Been wanting to try this place and it didn't disappoint. The vibe is old school pub and the food is good. A number of beers to choose from, a full menu and a kids menu too. I had the sloppy Joe and Mac and cheese. Both were quite tasty. The kids had the chicken fingers appetizer and it satisfied. Add a Groupon to the experience and it made for a nice dinner. Worth a stop in.