Ballydoyle Irish Pub & Restaurant — Restaurant in Downers Grove

5 stars

There’s something about Ballydoyles that gets under your skin—in the best way possible. It’s my go-to, my hideout when I’m off work and need a cold beer, a warm meal, and a place that makes me feel like I’m exactly where I belong. The beer? Always ice-cold, poured by some of the kindest and most genuine bartenders I’ve met in a long time. The service here isn’t that fake, “how-can-I-up-my-tip” kind of hospitality. It’s real, it’s friendly, it’s family.

But the real heart of Ballydoyles? Louis. The general manager—but more than that. Louis doesn’t just babysit the floor, shaking hands and making rounds like a politician. No, Louis is in the trenches. He’s behind the scenes, sleeves rolled up, sweating it out on the line as the chef. It’s rare these days to see a GM who actually runs the kitchen and does it with such pride. And you can taste it. Every plate that leaves that pass has his fingerprints—figuratively speaking, of course—all over it.

Wings? Absolute killers. Crispy on the outside, juicy as hell inside, and they land on your table hot and unapologetic. You bite into them and suddenly you remember why you started going out to bars in the first place. The burgers? Fat, perfectly cooked, stacked high but still balanced, the kind that makes you shut up mid-bite. Fries are the golden, salty kind that make you wonder if you’ve been settling for less elsewhere. The chicken sandwich? It’s one of those "simple but done-right" kind of deals that could easily stand toe-to-toe with the big-city joints you see on TV.

And that’s the magic here. It’s not about pretense or trying to be trendy. Ballydoyles is old-school in the best way. A joint that delivers every time. The music is always on point, whether it’s a live band bringing the house down or just the background soundtrack humming along to your night. I walk through the doors, and they take care of me like one of their own. The kind of place where you sit at the bar, look around, and know you’re among...

I met this lovely lady named Maureen up for dinner for our first date at Ballydoyle Irish Pub & Restaurant on March 20, 2014. The date went great and I told Maureen that I was going to marry her and we were going to have our reception at this bar. She thought that I was joking. I have been on a lot of dates and I have ate at even more restaurants, so I know what I like and I know what I don't. Maureen and I got engaged on new years day 2015. We had priced out all kinds of different banquet halls and catering places, but we decided that we wanted something different and fun. Our wedding event had to have the best food, an open bar serving top shelf and the venue couldn't be stuffy. We exhausted ourselves trying to think of place that we could have the perfect reception.

We ended up going to Ballydoyle one day for lunch, which is always a great idea by the way, and I asked Maureen, if she wanted to have our reception at Ballydoyle. She immediately asked Linda the manager who talked to the owner and got back to us with the answer that we wanted to hear. Phil, the owner had agreed to close the bar on a Friday night in July for us!! Linda and Claudia went to work planning and decorating the place for our big event. I knew right away that we were in excellent hands. However, I was completely surprised by the great lengths that they took in making the place look extraordinary! I couldn't have imagined that the place would have ever looked like that. They made so many personal touches for us and put our pictures all over the place. It was literally a story book wedding reception.

They let us set up a Photo Booth for the kids and made everyone feel like home. The buffet that had they was incredible and no one at our wedding was left hungry, or wanting for more. I can't tell you how many people raved about the appetizers, food, drinks, and amazing staff.

Phil even gave me a better speech than my...

Hadn't been to this place for years, and decided to go there to perform at their open mic... (Believe me, it was Much Better years ago). Even though we didn't eat, I have say that their wait staff was very nice, and accommodating ... On to the open mic... Their open mic is really a joke, considering they only allow 2 songs. (That is, of course, if you're not one of the regulars). And, for the most part, if you are playing anything other than singer/songwriter music, forget it. We played our own compositions of cover songs that obviously didn't go over well at all. No one cared. We were rushed onstage to get everything going, and then rushed off after the 2 songs, not having known we weren't allowed 3. We were lucky if our performance even lasted 8 minutes, and the person in charge, (Larry)?, basically threw his thumb up for us to get out. Even worse, their drum kit was a complete mess, so my drummer spent an hour working on them before we even played, fixing the bass drum kick, and setting up the symbols. Yeah right... Fixing their drum kit and then getting kicked off the stage was really worth it. Apparently not good enough for (Larry)? So, I would have to say, if you're not a singer/songwriter, or not part of the regulars at Ballydoyle, don't waste your time. And, this place is definitely not for the older crowd. Although there are not a lot of open mic bars in the area, I would suggest going anywhere else, where your at least allowed 3 songs or 15 minutes to play. Nothing worse than sitting for 2 hours waiting to play, repairing a beat out drum kit, performing for 6-8 minutes, and then being rushed of stage. Wow... a whole 6-8 minutes of fame! What a waste. BTW... The 2 stars are for the wait staff. The 3 that are missing are for...