Tried coming here three times to give it a fair shot. The first time, I came in with one other person without a reservation and we never got service nor were we greeted by any of the staff after being seated. We left. The subsequent times I came with reservations for three. The service is very slow and not attentive. Had to ask for water three times before finally getting it, and it was never refilled, nor was I asked if I wanted another round. The food is seriously lacking. Ordered the veggie flatbread... the only vegetable was artichoke and the cheese was barely melted. Giving 3 stars for food because the truffles were very good. The drinks are decent, very creative menu. The decor and atmosphere with live music are great. But I most likely will not be back due to high prices that are not justified by quality of product or service.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Assorted Truffles
Andrew Herrera
Awesome! Unexpected and lovely place to visit. Great music and delicious cocktails. A wide range of options too. The ginger cocktail and Sazarac were big hits.
Vegetarian options: Limited options.
Dietary restrictions: Limited options, some NA choices.
Parking: Plenty at the train station and on nearby streets. Even in the busiest of nights, the gatherers parking would be 10 minute walk.
Kid-friendliness: Not kid friendly, it is a speak easy bar.
Wheelchair accessibility: I did not see any accessibility.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Assorted Truffles
Jess Miller
Great snacky menu. I especially liked the figs and the Mac and cheese. Great selection of interesting cocktails and the bar staff was amazing. Entertaining and unique place great for a special date night.
Shannon, Gracie, Jessie, bianca, and Sebastian are PHENOMENAL. I cannot recommend them enough. Jessie has the best dad jokes in the world. Shannon knows how to sling the drinks. Gracie brings the vibes. Bianca and Sebastian straight up KILLL it. First time. Not the last. Be here or be square. Period. Slay. Also Santa's sleigh is on the house.
Cody Trnka
Oliver and Emerson have THE best drinks. Their mixologist Shannon is the mastermind behind all of the intricate and well-thought drinks. She is seriously so amazing and has a keen sense for it. On top of that, getting her for your wedding coordination, she will go above and beyond for you. If you see her for any events at the Oliver and Emerson events. She does this amazing joke about a bear with no teeth. Must have her to make all your drinks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Assorted Truffles
Marlenah Schumacher
Shannon makes the best drinks! She's a genius for creating the best cocktails. She also says the best jokes. I highly recommend !
Caitlin Marie
Great spot for some amazing drinks and some time with my fiance. Bar tenders were friendly (Jesse was hilarious and great to talk to) atmosphere was intimate with some smooth jazz. We will definitely be back here.
Josiah Ragsdale
We didn't order any food, but our bartender offered us complimentary truffles before we left. I ordered two mezcal cocktails (Oaxacan on a Dream) and Silver Bullet, they were both great. Fun, speakeasy vibe with live acoustic music.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Assorted Truffles
Caroline S
Always a fun time! Uncle Jesse is great ?
Mia S.
If you ever have the pleasure of experiencing Emerson & Oliver, you're in for a treat! This was my third time here and I've had an exceptional experience each time. We were greeted at the door with a small complementary drink that was absolutely delicious. Drink menu has a plethora of unique and exotic choices. My favorite so far is the Queen Anne Chocolate Martini. Speaking of chocolate, be SURE to try the chocolate truffles.. they were positively delectable! My friends and I love going on their special event days such as Joe Diamond the mind reader. It's an intimate and fun atmosphere. We had the pleasure of being served by the one and only JESSE. I can only hope you have the opportunity to witness his humorous jokes and splendid personality.
This was an unexpected surprise! Such a unique vibe that you won't find anywhere else in McHenry County. Jesse was friendly and made the experience even more fun. I would recommend this place for a fun night out.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Christon Burns
Ok so you come for the drinks and you won’t be disappointed, I was not expecting this kind of quality in such a small town. Truly unique flavor profile, every drink surpassed expectations.
Atmosphere was exactly what we were looking for, great vibe.
The most impressive part is the service. The bartender was attentive, funny, and helped the atmosphere / vibe of the place. Great personality and truly makes this a unique experience. If I’m back in Woodstock I will not miss a revisit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Shannon Young
Would highly recommend hosting your private event here! Shannon was phenomenal to work with, our guests and ourselves had the BEST time. The food and drinks were delicious, and the service was amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Marsha Nielson
Just what we needed...good drinks and relaxing piano music.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Lorie Ranker
My husband and I had a reservation at 7, and were seated right at the stage. It was perfect, as we were there to see the talented Stephen Schuch. He was incredible. The service was TERRIBLE. I had read about long waits so I was semi expecting this. But it was ALL night. First, we were basically forgotten about, and only after 45 min of wondering when our drinks might arrive, we’re told our ticket was lost. Drinks then took another 20 min. We had to flag down a server for anything; a second drink, food, the bill.. you name it. We had to build in this wait time knowing we may be ready to leave before it actually arrived. It wasn’t as busy until an hour in, so I was surprised that all the servers seemed to be scrambling. I very much wanted to NOT be annoyed but we were, which really sucked since it was our anniversary. It was ridiculous how poor the service was. Stephen Schuch was the ONLY reason it was worth the visit.Note: we were there last night, Dec 29, 2023
Tried coming here three times to give it a fair shot. The first time, I came in with one other person without a reservation and we never got service nor were we greeted by any of the staff after being seated. We left. The subsequent times I came with reservations for three. The service is very slow and not attentive. Had to ask for water three times before finally getting it, and it was never refilled, nor was I asked if I wanted another round. The food is seriously lacking. Ordered the veggie flatbread... the only vegetable was artichoke and the cheese was barely melted. Giving 3 stars for food because the truffles were very good. The drinks are decent, very creative menu. The decor and atmosphere with live music are great. But I most likely will not be back due to high prices that are not justified by quality of product or service.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Assorted Truffles
Awesome! Unexpected and lovely place to visit. Great music and delicious cocktails. A wide range of options too. The ginger cocktail and Sazarac were big hits.
Vegetarian options: Limited options.
Dietary restrictions: Limited options, some NA choices.
Parking: Plenty at the train station and on nearby streets. Even in the busiest of nights, the gatherers parking would be 10 minute walk.
Kid-friendliness: Not kid friendly, it is a speak easy bar.
Wheelchair accessibility: I did not see any accessibility.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Assorted Truffles
Great snacky menu. I especially liked the figs and the Mac and cheese. Great selection of interesting cocktails and the bar staff was amazing. Entertaining and unique place great for a special date night.
Vegetarian options: Vegetarian flatbread, goat cheese & crackers, chocolate, churros.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Shannon, Gracie, Jessie, bianca, and Sebastian are PHENOMENAL. I cannot recommend them enough. Jessie has the best dad jokes in the world. Shannon knows how to sling the drinks. Gracie brings the vibes. Bianca and Sebastian straight up KILLL it. First time. Not the last. Be here or be square. Period. Slay. Also Santa's sleigh is on the house.
Oliver and Emerson have THE best drinks. Their mixologist Shannon is the mastermind behind all of the intricate and well-thought drinks. She is seriously so amazing and has a keen sense for it. On top of that, getting her for your wedding coordination, she will go above and beyond for you.
If you see her for any events at the Oliver and Emerson events. She does this amazing joke about a bear with no teeth. Must have her to make all your drinks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Assorted Truffles
Shannon makes the best drinks! She's a genius for creating the best cocktails. She also says the best jokes. I highly recommend !
Great spot for some amazing drinks and some time with my fiance. Bar tenders were friendly (Jesse was hilarious and great to talk to) atmosphere was intimate with some smooth jazz. We will definitely be back here.
We didn't order any food, but our bartender offered us complimentary truffles before we left. I ordered two mezcal cocktails (Oaxacan on a Dream) and Silver Bullet, they were both great. Fun, speakeasy vibe with live acoustic music.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Assorted Truffles
Always a fun time! Uncle Jesse is great ?
If you ever have the pleasure of experiencing Emerson & Oliver, you're in for a treat! This was my third time here and I've had an exceptional experience each time. We were greeted at the door with a small complementary drink that was absolutely delicious. Drink menu has a plethora of unique and exotic choices. My favorite so far is the Queen Anne Chocolate Martini. Speaking of chocolate, be SURE to try the chocolate truffles.. they were positively delectable! My friends and I love going on their special event days such as Joe Diamond the mind reader. It's an intimate and fun atmosphere. We had the pleasure of being served by the one and only JESSE. I can only hope you have the opportunity to witness his humorous jokes and splendid personality.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Assorted Truffles
Restaurantji Recommends
This was an unexpected surprise! Such a unique vibe that you won't find anywhere else in McHenry County. Jesse was friendly and made the experience even more fun. I would recommend this place for a fun night out.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Ok so you come for the drinks and you won’t be disappointed, I was not expecting this kind of quality in such a small town. Truly unique flavor profile, every drink surpassed expectations.
Atmosphere was exactly what we were looking for, great vibe.
The most impressive part is the service. The bartender was attentive, funny, and helped the atmosphere / vibe of the place. Great personality and truly makes this a unique experience. If I’m back in Woodstock I will not miss a revisit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Would highly recommend hosting your private event here! Shannon was phenomenal to work with, our guests and ourselves had the BEST time. The food and drinks were delicious, and the service was amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Just what we needed...good drinks and relaxing piano music.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
My husband and I had a reservation at 7, and were seated right at the stage. It was perfect, as we were there to see the talented Stephen Schuch. He was incredible. The service was TERRIBLE. I had read about long waits so I was semi expecting this. But it was ALL night. First, we were basically forgotten about, and only after 45 min of wondering when our drinks might arrive, we’re told our ticket was lost. Drinks then took another 20 min. We had to flag down a server for anything; a second drink, food, the bill.. you name it. We had to build in this wait time knowing we may be ready to leave before it actually arrived. It wasn’t as busy until an hour in, so I was surprised that all the servers seemed to be scrambling. I very much wanted to NOT be annoyed but we were, which really sucked since it was our anniversary. It was ridiculous how poor the service was. Stephen Schuch was the ONLY reason it was worth the visit.Note: we were there last night, Dec 29, 2023
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 1
Loading...