50 Best American Restaurants near Island Lake

“Usually great service and people, but you guys missed the mark tonight. The delivery person outside tried to give me at least 3 different orders that weren’t ours, and when we got home the chicken nuggets were missing the sauce, and the chili was missing the toppings and sour cream. Not a great outing tonight.“

“I walked from Mavericks to Sideouts & I was looking for my inhaler which I found in my purse but the the door security guys that were working were FANTASTIC and calm. They even kept me calm which was different. I want to send a BIG THANK YOU to the guys worked the door on Saturday December 14th... Thank you so much. I really appreciate it that you did not turn me away like Mavericks did. I made it home safe..“

“I took my boys here on a Saturday at around 4:30 after a trip to the Volo museum. We were immediately greeted by a friendly, knowledgeable and attentive waitress. The appetizer plate had the best onion rings and these creamy smoky bacon Gouda Mac n cheese bites that were to die for! Pan pizza came out as a deep dish and my teenager loved it. My oldest and I got the rib and broasted chicken combo…. OMG No regrets! The chicken was seasoned well with a delicious, crispy, light breading and the ribs were fall off the bone scrumptious with a perfect smoky/sweet bbq sauce. Do NOT skip the peach cobbler!! The warm, crispy peaches and streusel topping tasted like it was made with love. What a great place and we absolutely love our server. She was engaging and knew the menu. Will definitely return!“

“1776 was a true delight! We spent the 4th of July here 🇺🇸. The food was truly an inspiration. Our waiter Josh was an absolute gem and sweeter than sorghum. We will return and request him as our waiter every time. Love this place.“

“Always a family favorite, especially when I have my grandkids. Whether they can sit at the bar to have their meal served by the train, or just watch it from a table, they absolutely love it and it's an experience we can't get anywhere else. Food is always good and service always excellent. I like that the new(er) owners made a few changes to keep the charm but get rid of a little clutter.“

“Exceptionally excellent food and peeps!!!“

“We just finished celebrating our daughter's college graduation at the Cooper's Hawk in Algonquin. I cannot say enough about the awesome experience we had. Starting with Angelina handling all the details to the planning of the event, to the room being set up just perfect; to Joel and Natalie who were the absolute best servers we could have had; to the delicious food (OMG the salmon) and dessert that was served; and of course, not to mention the wonderful wine tasting bar. All our guests were so impressed! Thank you, Cooper's Hawk, for taking such good care of us. You made our celebration one we will remember.“

“we spent our night tonight there together just myself and my fiance. we had an absolutely wonderful experience. The owners were the most wonderful people. It was nice and quiet just him and I with a little music in the background with nice dim lighting. The food was out of this world! Very generous food portions! we will definitely be thinking about this place for a while!!! Honestly I don't think we could have had a better night! Thank you for making our night special“

“Amazing service and they make a great Ruben sandwich“

“Wow best Chicago hot dog I have ever had, service was great. My new go to place.“

“Great Indian food and great place to stop by and hang out....“

“EVERYTHING ☆☆☆☆☆+ and more!“

“Great restaurant! dined here on a Tuesday night. wonderful, young, courteous and professional staff. they recommended things with confidence. I am so glad I finally tried the place.“

“I highly recommend the ultimate feast for parties of six or more. The food was delicious and it’s a great deal. I definitely would order it again.“

“First time here , and won't be the last, everything we had was delicious. Michele N. was a great server !“

“I visited the Crystal Lake Culver’s on Saturday, May 24th, 2025. I am an avid fan of Culver’s and I have visited 35 locations in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri and Kentucky. As a resident of Crystal Lake I visit this Culver’s very regularly. The food was excellent and the service was quick. I definitely recommend the ice cream and the chicken. 5/5 I will definitely be back very soon. (Written 6-3-25)“

“Absolutely delicious. Great staff. Great cocktails“

“All our food was great. We had the shrimp chowder which I thought was outstanding! I had the crab roll and my hubby had the filet sandwich. Both were exceptional. Service was speedy, friendly, and engaging. The menu was large enough it was hard to decide, but definitely something for everyone.“

“Dog friendly. Lots of dogs. Good food. Great covered area. Sturdy chairs. Friendly dog lover waitresses“

“Great service, food and atmosphere“

“We have been going there for the last five years bragging about the hamburgers. Went there today order the hamburger it came out. Almost fully well done very poor quality. One asked If I could have gotten it rare was told menu says medium well. Meat was of a quality as if it was cooked earlier this week. Definitely will not be going back for hamburgers. Was told by the waitress No one will ask you how you want it done it says on the menu. We used to consider it best burger in town.“

“My family of six ate at Culvers in McHenry on Tuesday, Dec 31 about 1:30. We were greeted with a pleasant hello. The lady who took our order got it right and was pleasant.Since were a group of 6, I figured it would take a little longer to get our order. That wasn't the case. Not only did the order come quickly, but is also accurate. That was wonderful! When we were nearing the end of our meal, a gentleman, (Jude, I believe) can around with free samples of the flavor of the day (Mint explosion). Never has that happened at Colvers to me in the many times I eat at different Culvers! What a nice touch! Upon leaving, we got a cheery Thank you, have a great day and happy new year. I wish I lived a little closer because Culvers in McHenry would definitely be my go to place. Thank you for good food and the kindness you all showed.“

“Everything tasted great tonight but for some reason the bun just fell apart...“

“Amazing establishment. The workers were kind, talkative and friendly. They made great recommendations and everything I tried was amazing. I did enjoy the aesthetic and the stained glass, but the food was amazing. I would recommend the Braised Lamb, French onion soup, and sorbet. Can't wait to return. Wonderful wine/bourbon selection as well.“

“Always a go to place for us. Sunday brunch is the Best.“

“We have a blast every time we come to the VFW. The renovation, guests and staff make it the perfect ‘where everybody knows your name’ place to be. I can’t say enough about our favorite bartender, Kelly! She is such a sweetheart and remembers our favorite ‘beverage’ even after months of our last visit.

McHenry is so blessed to have this special place to have your favorite cocktail and GREAT food.“

“fine course well maintained great food“

“Once you eat here, you will not want to eat anywhere else.“

“Great food and the best customer service. Can’t wait to come back!“

“This is a new Culver's, still great food, in a modern package. You must try everything but for your first time go with a butter burger, cheese curds, and leave room for custard of your choice.

Next time (there will be a next time) look beyond a burger and try the cod, pot roast sandwich, or soup.

Nothing will disappoint you....

Remember, don't forget the custard!👍“

“Best hotdog and fries in town!! Fast service, friendly staff.“

“Asia is amazing! This place is the best!“

“McDonalds is getting way overpriced and food is....ok at best. Thought I'd try Culvers in FRG. Was NOT dissapointed! For about the same price you get a DELICIOUS, HOT, LOOKS LIKE THE PICTURE burger, huge portion of hot crispy fat fries and a soft drink of your choice! I'm not one to take pictures of my food, but I did! It was a masterpiece! Loved it!“

“We went here last night for Singo and what a great time! There was about 40 people playing and it was soooo fun!!! The food here is OUTSTANDING! They have a limited menu of flatbreads and sliders! Don’t be fooled by the limited options. They offer all types of flatbreads and sliders! Delicious!!
The 2 girls that run this, Tara and Kenzie, are fantastic!!! These 2 did everything from cooking to bartending to serving! The service was top notch!

We will be back and make sure to try the meatball flatbed ?“

“Si me gustó la comida . y tienen buen servicio. las meseras son muy amables“

“We needed a place for dinner while driving home from a weekend getaway. We luckily found Bobbers thanks to reviews on Google Maps. Boy were we glad we went! Lake perch fish fry was fantastic as were the grilled shrimp and curly fries. Can’t wait to go back on a nice day and sit outdoors with a beautiful lake view!“

“Definitely worth the few extra minutes driving up here from Round Lake. I showed up on Thursday to find out they’ve got an all you can eat taco special 👀 I gotta roll myself out to my car after this. Don’t let the previous rough construction out front fool you, this place is gold. I had the steak and chorizo tacos that were superb. Mango margarita slapped 👏🏻“

“We had an amazing dinner and service with my two daughters for the youngest 8th grade graduation. They treated us like queens and we ate like it also!!“

“All I can say is, if you enjoy top of the line service along with food that knocks your socks off, EAT HERE!!! ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!!! 10 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆!!!! I'm in this area 1x a year and already plan on making reservations for next year. Plan ahead and make a reservation. It's obvious it is very popular and our reservation was 4:30pm. Packed. Go! Treat yourself.

Dietary restrictions: Delicious gluten free chocolate dessert“

“Phenomenal craft cocktails! Everything from my appetizer through desert was worth raving about. Staff was attentive and friendly. I will be a repeat customer for sure!“

“Great Fox river supper club with a bar next to their dock. We ate this evening and Rachael was our server. What a great server that added to our delicious food! We highly recommend Kiefs and ask for Rachael as your server. You won't be disappointed!“

“Always a great experience.Been coming here since the old days.Love how they decorate the basement And look forward to all the events they have planned coming up That always keeps us coming back Not to mention the outstanding service.We got from Michelle and a great conversation with Paul Who has great ideas for a great future.“

“Sooo, my 5yo and I are still waiting on food, and I must say, Becca is the shitttt! She's a BEAST for real! Great energy and funny! I haven't had fish dry here in like 15yrs and I get to enjoy it with my son now. I can't wait to have that and those potato pancakes 😍 I'm sure everything will taste amazing! I had to give this girl a shout out, I'm almost vreaking a sweat for her running up and down those stairs! Thank you Becca and team for a nice evening 😊 Update: The potato pancakes, awesome fish was ok, for beer battered I love a crunch, overall experience still 5 stars in my book ✨️“

“Good place. Consistently good food v“

“This is my go to lunch spot. Great food, service and pricing!“

“Vanilla shake is the best I’ve ever had! Food was excellent and staff was friendly! Highly recommend Fox Lake Culver’s!“

“On a very hot and busy evening, we took the only seats available, outside- the outdoor seating happens to be a beautiful sun room with a nice view. We came in mid dinner rush on a Friday evening and this place was PACKED, so naturally it was a little busy, and the kitchen had a nightmare on their hands to work through. That being said, the food came out a little slow, and without any sort of prompting, or anything, one of the owners (a VERY nice lady) came out and apologized for the wait, then comped our appetizer for coming out after the entrees, and to top it off she threw in a free dessert for the "trouble" which as far as we were concerned wasn't any trouble at all. The product itself was well worth the wait. I personally NEVER finish my entrees at restaurants, and I absolutely destroyed the Caribbean Burger I ordered. SO worth the wait. Portions are great, food quality was awesome, the entire staff was friendly, despite it being so busy and so hot, the whole experience was awesome from walking in, to closing out. 20/10, would absolutely come here again and would recommend this place to anyone who loves a good Midwestern meal with a great atmosphere.“

“We tried Rusty Nail Saloon for lunch today. The soup was great, Walleye special was huge and cooked perfectly, and the rest of our meal was delicious. our server, Michelle, was quick, friendly, and attentive. We will definitely go back!“

“Thank you!!! Staff was amazing as we celebrated the life and loss of our family member. Service⭐️ Food⭐️“