Castaways Beach Club — Restaurant in Chicago

If I could give this a place a -5 Star I would. After waiting 10 minutes in line to go to the bathroom—which was completely disgusting—and then after waiting another 10 minutes in line to order a drink, me and my two friends had our real IDs confiscated and were then thrown out of the building. The bartender had a horrible attitude and proceeded to walk off with my ID, and a few minutes later I was pulled aside by two security guards who accused me of having a fake. In order to prove to them that my license was real I had my two friends show them there’s as well (we’re all from the same state so I figured showing all of our ids would help relieve the situation), but they took all three ids and wouldn’t give us a chance to show any alternate indentificafion. The security guards claimed they were fake because they were class d Tennessee licenses that read “”. With that being said, we were thrown out of the establishment without being able to prove that they were real, were threatened to be escorted down to the “station” if we didn’t leave, and the security guards who claimed to be cops, were extremely aggressive and we’re obviously struggling with their egos. In the end, we contacted the actual cops and went back to the bar and got our licenses back.

If you have an out-of-state license, if you don’t like being bullied by power hungry security guards, and if you don’t like bathrooms that reek with the smell of rotten urine, I highly suggest you go to another...

Not the best experience, unfortunately. We arrived at 8pm on a Friday, I confirmed with the hostess what time they closed and was told 9:30/10pm and the website said 10pm. 2 of us sat and ordered drinks while we waited for the other 2 to arrive. As we waited we were told at 8:15 that the kitchen is closing at 8:30 and last call for drinks was 8:45. We ordered food and drinks immediately after being told. Food arrived around 8:45. Our other 2 friends arrived at 9pm. Then security approached our table and told us we need to wrap it up because they’re closing. It was about 9:05 at this point and we questioned their closing time since we were told 9:30/10 and the website says 10. He told me the hostess was incorrect and because they’re having a slow night they are closing and the staff all want to go home. We said ok and finished our drinks. He came back a couple minutes later and said he doesn’t want to rush us so he’ll give us an extra 15 min. Drinks were good, food was good and large portions but we were extremely rushed because the staff wanted to go home. I don’t recommend unless it’s early in the day so that you can enjoy your food and...

During the summer, Castaways is a good place to chill for a bite and a few drinks, if you're hitting up North Avenue Beach, or taking a bike ride or run down Lakefront Trail.

The food is good American-style summer eats: expect some fried dishes, hamburgers, sandwiches/wraps, salads, and a good selection of appetizers. From my experience, the hummus is tasty, and my Jerk Chicken sandwich was juicy. They also have a decent selection of blended cocktails to go along with the beach/vacation theme.

Service is usually reflective of the amount of people. If you're in a rush, this may be a spot for a quick bite. This place is somewhere you want to be when you're taking it easy with your food and drinks, and sitting back and enjoying the summer.

The unmissable boathouse is located on North Avenue Beach, and Castaways is located on the top deck. This is obviously a convenient summer spot, so it can get crowded. During the weekend, the place can be jammed-packed and look like a huge vacation party spot, especially when they have DJ's or entertainment. During the week, you may not get as feisty as a crowd, but either way, it's great for...