Here for my daughters birthday! Fabulous service, awesome food, and overall enjoyable experience!
Taylor Nelson
My brother ordered a ribeye medium rare and it literally came out grey (well-done). Even the bartender was like “that’s not medium rare”. The service is always good but the food is very average.
Benjamin David Mahsem
Nice place to go. Highly recommend
Kirsten Capps
Had the prime rib Saturday and it was sooo good! Bartenders were so much fun! Will absolutely be back!
Mary B
Waited 10 minutes for a hostess who made rude comments. Sat waiting for a waitress for 20 minutes. NOT ONE STAFF MEMBER came to our table the entire time even though they kept looking at our completely empty table. We just got up and left. Everything was dirty as well. We then went to Carrabbas on 76th and Layton and walked in and were greeted by 2 TWO Professionally dressed hostess who seated us immediately. In less that 10 seconds 2 TWO professionally dressed waitstaff arrived with waters, hot Italian bread and Olive oil for dipping. What a night and day experience from BBB. Carrabbas food was delicious!!! See ya never Bass Bay Brewhouse!!
bobmX4332IP
I was concerned about coming here based on the numerous reviews reporting slow service. So I picked 3 PM on a Sunday to hopefully avoid the rush (brunch on Sunday ends at 2 PM). It was a beautiful day, so we opted for a reservation on the deck. Our online reservation was confirmed and we were seated within a couple minutes of showing up at 3. After a 5 minute wait or so Matthew, our very friendly and upbeat server, came for our drink orders. We had had time to review the menu and ordered our food at the same time as we ordered our water and wine. The water and wine arrived at about 3:20 and our food arrived at 3:30. The service slowed a bit after that and we finally left at 4:15. My wife pronounced the chicken fried chicken (think chicken fried steak but with chicken as the meat) to be very good, as were the accompanying green beans and mashed potatoes. My deluxe burger (a twin patty burger patterened after, but not as good as, the double delux burger sold by a Wisconsin burger chain) was good, but not really anything special. It was cooked medium well, not dried out but not juicy either. It was, however, expensive -- $18.94 including an upcharge for onion rings. The onion rings were very good. The breading was a bit thicker than I prefer, but not bad. They are big and appear to be cut and battered on site. The dipping sauce, with horseradish, was excellent. We each had a glass of wine ($11 and $12 for an average-sized pour). Beer prices for a draft or a can were $6. All in all, with 1 chicken dinner, one burger and 2 glasses of wine, our bill came to $80 including tax and tip. The view is spectacular, and worth some upcharge on the food and the wine. Not a place to come every week, but for something special on a perfect summer day, it is worth the drive from the Northern Chicago suburbs.
Midwest_traveler9999
Beautiful view of the lake was the highlight of the evening. The beer and mixed drinks were good but I can’t say the same for the food. I had the salmon scampi for $26. It didn’t include a sslad, soup or a side. No garnishes on the plate, only linguini and salmon and a tiny, stale chibatta roll. My husband had a hamburger and very small amoubt of french fries for $15. Inside the dining room it was very loud with little atmosphere.
Kim M
The setting is great; however, food and service were not! A friend and I went early for the Friday Fish Fry. We were seated quickly, and our meals arrived within 2 minutes of ordering - red flag right there. The fish was overcooked and dried out. It must have been sitting under a heat lamp or something??? A number of condiments were missing from the table and when asked for them our server seemed quite put out that we asked for them. Half the fries were so overcooked you would break a tooth if you tried to eat them, not to mention over seasoned. The coleslaw had some weird spice that my friend and I could not even come close to guessing what it was except that it was inedible. Server never checked in with us to see how the meal was or if we needed anything. Had to finally wave her down to our check. She looked at my half finished plated and asked if I wanted a to go box and I replied no that it was way over cooked. She just shrugged and left to get our check. I have dined there a total of 3 times. The first was very good but the last 2 times were awful. I won't be going back.
tlb159
We arrived early on a Friday night as we knew it would be a busy Fish Fry evening. The weather was beautiful. We were told - hr and a half for outdoor seating and an hour for indoor. We were seated indoors an hour and 45 min later. If that wasn’t bad enough, after we ordered our meals through our nice waiter Stevie, we had to ask him 55 min later where are food was. 55 minutes later!!!Wow! Our friends ordered glasses of wine before dinner that hadn’t arrived by that time either after several attempts to ask Stevie about the wine. He apologized each time but wine did not make it to the table until our dinner arrived. Generally, I have loved the Walleye at Bass Bay Brewhouse but that night it was hard and dry. Very overcooked. My husband had the Cod and liked it but there were only 2 very small pieces on his plate. When asked about it, Stevie agreed that it didn’t look like much but assured us it was weighed and should be correct amount. (It definitely was not as we’ve eaten many fish fries there in the past). When Stevie took the order he told me I could substitute a salad for fries so that’s what I did but there was a charge for the salad on the bill. He apologized and did say that it was his fault for not mentioning up-charge and took it off the bill. Also to his credit, he did not charge for the glasses of wine that barely made it to the table. As for our friend’s dinners, they had a steak and were unimpressed with the flavor and one of them ordered it medium but it came exceptionally rare. Overall, the worst experience we’ve ever had at Bass Bay. Embarrassed to bring our friends who love to eat at wonderful restaurants there. Service was absolutely the worst we’ve ever had there and we will not be back anytime soon! You’ve got a fabulous location but you absolutely need to make improvements if you want a fabulous review to go along with ambience.
ketchy1
We picked this place as it was centrally located for our ten guests. It was great. The food was great, the every day breaded cod, and the Salmon with risotto were especially great. The service was great and we all really had a good time. We Will definitely be returning! The up north on the lake supper club atmosphere was charming for sure.
It's a lovely lakeside seating area, also with an indoor setting that looks like a lodge. We were in from out of state and loved everything about it. (I had been here last year for lunch with a friend). The menu has a wide variety of American classic dishes. There were at least 8 things I would have ordered. I settled on pot roast and mashed potatoes (since we're living in Mexico this year, I haven't found it yet!) It was just like "Mom's". Yummy. Needed a take home box . My family ordered: Brewhouse wedge salad, shrimp scampi, and one small filet. All were impressed. I did think the steak was overpriced. ($38). Our server was attentive, drinks were standard prices for such a nice place. Hope to return next year!! PS. It was very popular, I recommend making a reservation like we did.
truth1235
0. I just want to warn people that come here. The service is soooo slow. We had reservations and showed up on time. We were seated and after 20 minutes of nobody coming up to us, we went to the server and was told we would be helped. 10 minutes later someone came up to us to take order order. After that, it was another 20 minutes before we got drinks. We also sat watching the bar make it and then it sat there for 10 minutes, meaning it is watered down. We finally got our food 1.5hrs after being seated. The excuse from the manager was they had a party of 12 and 13. So what’s the point of the reservation then. When the food came, the fries were soggy and the bun was rock hard. When we send something, the server said we were the third people to say that. Unbelievable. And this is the SECOND time we were here and had the same experience. BEWARE.
Tahiti Z
We visited Bass Bay with some dear friends from Florida to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary and our 34th as we share the same anniversary date. We actually chose Bass Bay on the date of anniversary and we recommended it to our friends. We opted to bring a very fine bottle of wine ($150 bottle) to celebrate this special occasion and were expecting and prepared to pay a corkage fee, as most fine dining establishments offer this service. The manager came up to us and told us that no outside liquor was allowed in the restaurant. The way he stated this was as if he thought we were trying to pull something off here and were ignorant. Apparently this manager has never dined at a fine restaurant and has certainly never visited wine country! We returned the bottle to the car and proceeded with our celebration. Things only got worse. Alyssa, our server, did bring us each a glass of celebratory champagne after I presented her with an email from the restaurant offering the champagne. Three of us ordered a glass of wine when we ordered our meal. My husband did not do that and was never asked if he wanted anything to drink with his meal, so he drank water. The server also never asked if we wanted any other beverage or dessert. Butter is never served with the meal here unless you ask as couple of times, which we did. I am not sure what the deal is with that process. The restaurant was so loud that we could not hear each other talk at a small table for four people and there was some base sound which sounded like it was coming from upstairs during our entire meal. To finish the evening off, our server brought the bill for the meal while one of the people in our party was still eating her meal. Bass Bay was a favorite in the past, but we were totally embarrassed that we chose it to celebrate our anniversaries with our friends from Florida and will think twice about dining there again. I apologized to our friends and told them that I should have picked a nicer establishment. In full disclosure, I did let the restaurant know by messenger of our experience and they asked for my phone number to discuss the situation further. I did provide my phone number but stated that I did not want anything from them, so they never called to discuss the experience. (I was not looking for a free meal). I thought they should know about our experience. I am writing this review so that others know what they may run into while dining at Bass Bay.
Tom_Nancy_53045
Waitress and manager were inept. We were a table of five. Waitress never returned after ordering while we waited for over 30 minutes for food, while we saw two tables around us being served. Finally caught her I and were told the kitchen was backed up, but food would be up soon. No apology. After 5 more minutes we captured the manager, and he gave us the same story. When our food finally arrived, one of the tables that came in after us was finished eating and getting up to leave. No apologies, no offers of appetizers or drinks as compensation, and no reduction on bill. Our recommendation is be your own advocate early, before you have to become mad. We have eaten here before, but will not return and will share our story with others.
Ryan R
Reservations for 4 were for 545pm on a Friday night. We were sat promptly, if not even a little early. And that’s where the positive comments end. Our waiter took about 15 min to come and get a drink order. The drink order took another 15 min to be delivered. The waiter took our dinner order ….. about 30 min later he came back and told us he forgot to put the order in AND threw away our the paper he had written it down on. We gave our order to him again. When our food was delivered, 1.5hrs after we sat down my order was wrong. (No way I was sending it back). The fish was terrible. Dry and over cooked. Everything was straight from a can, nothing home made. Very disappointed.
Here for my daughters birthday! Fabulous service, awesome food, and overall enjoyable experience!
My brother ordered a ribeye medium rare and it literally came out grey (well-done). Even the bartender was like “that’s not medium rare”. The service is always good but the food is very average.
Nice place to go. Highly recommend
Had the prime rib Saturday and it was sooo good! Bartenders were so much fun! Will absolutely be back!
Waited 10 minutes for a hostess who made rude comments. Sat waiting for a waitress for 20 minutes. NOT ONE STAFF MEMBER came to our table the entire time even though they kept looking at our completely empty table. We just got up and left. Everything was dirty as well. We then went to Carrabbas on 76th and Layton and walked in and were greeted by 2 TWO Professionally dressed hostess who seated us immediately. In less that 10 seconds 2 TWO professionally dressed waitstaff arrived with waters, hot Italian bread and Olive oil for dipping. What a night and day experience from BBB. Carrabbas food was delicious!!! See ya never Bass Bay Brewhouse!!
I was concerned about coming here based on the numerous reviews reporting slow service. So I picked 3 PM on a Sunday to hopefully avoid the rush (brunch on Sunday ends at 2 PM). It was a beautiful day, so we opted for a reservation on the deck. Our online reservation was confirmed and we were seated within a couple minutes of showing up at 3. After a 5 minute wait or so Matthew, our very friendly and upbeat server, came for our drink orders. We had had time to review the menu and ordered our food at the same time as we ordered our water and wine. The water and wine arrived at about 3:20 and our food arrived at 3:30. The service slowed a bit after that and we finally left at 4:15. My wife pronounced the chicken fried chicken (think chicken fried steak but with chicken as the meat) to be very good, as were the accompanying green beans and mashed potatoes. My deluxe burger (a twin patty burger patterened after, but not as good as, the double delux burger sold by a Wisconsin burger chain) was good, but not really anything special. It was cooked medium well, not dried out but not juicy either. It was, however, expensive -- $18.94 including an upcharge for onion rings. The onion rings were very good. The breading was a bit thicker than I prefer, but not bad. They are big and appear to be cut and battered on site. The dipping sauce, with horseradish, was excellent. We each had a glass of wine ($11 and $12 for an average-sized pour). Beer prices for a draft or a can were $6. All in all, with 1 chicken dinner, one burger and 2 glasses of wine, our bill came to $80 including tax and tip. The view is spectacular, and worth some upcharge on the food and the wine. Not a place to come every week, but for something special on a perfect summer day, it is worth the drive from the Northern Chicago suburbs.
Beautiful view of the lake was the highlight of the evening. The beer and mixed drinks were good but I can’t say the same for the food. I had the salmon scampi for $26. It didn’t include a sslad, soup or a side. No garnishes on the plate, only linguini and salmon and a tiny, stale chibatta roll. My husband had a hamburger and very small amoubt of french fries for $15. Inside the dining room it was very loud with little atmosphere.
The setting is great; however, food and service were not! A friend and I went early for the Friday Fish Fry. We were seated quickly, and our meals arrived within 2 minutes of ordering - red flag right there. The fish was overcooked and dried out. It must have been sitting under a heat lamp or something??? A number of condiments were missing from the table and when asked for them our server seemed quite put out that we asked for them. Half the fries were so overcooked you would break a tooth if you tried to eat them, not to mention over seasoned. The coleslaw had some weird spice that my friend and I could not even come close to guessing what it was except that it was inedible. Server never checked in with us to see how the meal was or if we needed anything. Had to finally wave her down to our check. She looked at my half finished plated and asked if I wanted a to go box and I replied no that it was way over cooked. She just shrugged and left to get our check. I have dined there a total of 3 times. The first was very good but the last 2 times were awful. I won't be going back.
We arrived early on a Friday night as we knew it would be a busy Fish Fry evening. The weather was beautiful. We were told - hr and a half for outdoor seating and an hour for indoor. We were seated indoors an hour and 45 min later. If that wasn’t bad enough, after we ordered our meals through our nice waiter Stevie, we had to ask him 55 min later where are food was. 55 minutes later!!!Wow! Our friends ordered glasses of wine before dinner that hadn’t arrived by that time either after several attempts to ask Stevie about the wine. He apologized each time but wine did not make it to the table until our dinner arrived. Generally, I have loved the Walleye at Bass Bay Brewhouse but that night it was hard and dry. Very overcooked. My husband had the Cod and liked it but there were only 2 very small pieces on his plate. When asked about it, Stevie agreed that it didn’t look like much but assured us it was weighed and should be correct amount. (It definitely was not as we’ve eaten many fish fries there in the past). When Stevie took the order he told me I could substitute a salad for fries so that’s what I did but there was a charge for the salad on the bill. He apologized and did say that it was his fault for not mentioning up-charge and took it off the bill. Also to his credit, he did not charge for the glasses of wine that barely made it to the table. As for our friend’s dinners, they had a steak and were unimpressed with the flavor and one of them ordered it medium but it came exceptionally rare. Overall, the worst experience we’ve ever had at Bass Bay. Embarrassed to bring our friends who love to eat at wonderful restaurants there. Service was absolutely the worst we’ve ever had there and we will not be back anytime soon! You’ve got a fabulous location but you absolutely need to make improvements if you want a fabulous review to go along with ambience.
We picked this place as it was centrally located for our ten guests. It was great. The food was great, the every day breaded cod, and the Salmon with risotto were especially great. The service was great and we all really had a good time. We Will definitely be returning! The up north on the lake supper club atmosphere was charming for sure.
Restaurantji Recommends
It's a lovely lakeside seating area, also with an indoor setting that looks like a lodge. We were in from out of state and loved everything about it. (I had been here last year for lunch with a friend). The menu has a wide variety of American classic dishes. There were at least 8 things I would have ordered. I settled on pot roast and mashed potatoes (since we're living in Mexico this year, I haven't found it yet!) It was just like "Mom's". Yummy. Needed a take home box . My family ordered: Brewhouse wedge salad, shrimp scampi, and one small filet. All were impressed. I did think the steak was overpriced. ($38). Our server was attentive, drinks were standard prices for such a nice place. Hope to return next year!! PS. It was very popular, I recommend making a reservation like we did.
0. I just want to warn people that come here. The service is soooo slow. We had reservations and showed up on time. We were seated and after 20 minutes of nobody coming up to us, we went to the server and was told we would be helped. 10 minutes later someone came up to us to take order order. After that, it was another 20 minutes before we got drinks. We also sat watching the bar make it and then it sat there for 10 minutes, meaning it is watered down. We finally got our food 1.5hrs after being seated. The excuse from the manager was they had a party of 12 and 13. So what’s the point of the reservation then. When the food came, the fries were soggy and the bun was rock hard. When we send something, the server said we were the third people to say that. Unbelievable. And this is the SECOND time we were here and had the same experience. BEWARE.
We visited Bass Bay with some dear friends from Florida to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary and our 34th as we share the same anniversary date. We actually chose Bass Bay on the date of anniversary and we recommended it to our friends. We opted to bring a very fine bottle of wine ($150 bottle) to celebrate this special occasion and were expecting and prepared to pay a corkage fee, as most fine dining establishments offer this service. The manager came up to us and told us that no outside liquor was allowed in the restaurant. The way he stated this was as if he thought we were trying to pull something off here and were ignorant. Apparently this manager has never dined at a fine restaurant and has certainly never visited wine country! We returned the bottle to the car and proceeded with our celebration. Things only got worse. Alyssa, our server, did bring us each a glass of celebratory champagne after I presented her with an email from the restaurant offering the champagne. Three of us ordered a glass of wine when we ordered our meal. My husband did not do that and was never asked if he wanted anything to drink with his meal, so he drank water. The server also never asked if we wanted any other beverage or dessert. Butter is never served with the meal here unless you ask as couple of times, which we did. I am not sure what the deal is with that process. The restaurant was so loud that we could not hear each other talk at a small table for four people and there was some base sound which sounded like it was coming from upstairs during our entire meal. To finish the evening off, our server brought the bill for the meal while one of the people in our party was still eating her meal. Bass Bay was a favorite in the past, but we were totally embarrassed that we chose it to celebrate our anniversaries with our friends from Florida and will think twice about dining there again. I apologized to our friends and told them that I should have picked a nicer establishment. In full disclosure, I did let the restaurant know by messenger of our experience and they asked for my phone number to discuss the situation further. I did provide my phone number but stated that I did not want anything from them, so they never called to discuss the experience. (I was not looking for a free meal). I thought they should know about our experience. I am writing this review so that others know what they may run into while dining at Bass Bay.
Waitress and manager were inept. We were a table of five. Waitress never returned after ordering while we waited for over 30 minutes for food, while we saw two tables around us being served. Finally caught her I and were told the kitchen was backed up, but food would be up soon. No apology. After 5 more minutes we captured the manager, and he gave us the same story. When our food finally arrived, one of the tables that came in after us was finished eating and getting up to leave. No apologies, no offers of appetizers or drinks as compensation, and no reduction on bill. Our recommendation is be your own advocate early, before you have to become mad. We have eaten here before, but will not return and will share our story with others.
Reservations for 4 were for 545pm on a Friday night. We were sat promptly, if not even a little early. And that’s where the positive comments end. Our waiter took about 15 min to come and get a drink order. The drink order took another 15 min to be delivered. The waiter took our dinner order ….. about 30 min later he came back and told us he forgot to put the order in AND threw away our the paper he had written it down on. We gave our order to him again. When our food was delivered, 1.5hrs after we sat down my order was wrong. (No way I was sending it back). The fish was terrible. Dry and over cooked. Everything was straight from a can, nothing home made. Very disappointed.
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