The Loading Dock — Restaurant in Grafton

This was the Memorial weekend, so it was a bit crowded. The place is right off the Mississippi River in Grafton, IL. We luckily found a table. Where we sat, the large area had a cover over the roof with large fans on each corner of the space. That helped a great deal against the sun! When a server came to our table, she said she only takes drink orders. We would have to go stand in line at another building (which is in my pictures) to order food. Servers do bring that food to the table. I ordered the catfish fritters. Small, but tasty and fries, which were crisp and good as well. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough in the container to charge $14. I also ordered the drink, River Water. Came close to the real thing! Not much taste to it for me! My biggest pet peeve was the utensils. They sat in a carry container, with no covering. No paper or plastic on straws or utensils. I witnessed the server put a straw in my drink with her fingers touching the area I would put in my mouth. I took it out and drank directly from the cup. Bring your own utensils! Server was pleasant and attentive. This place also has a huge flea market! If you're a collector or like old things, this is the place to be! There was live music , which began at 4pm. Great music and nice variety! I wish the microphone was a little louder, but the band did a great job. The platform they were playing on was close to the water, so people in boats and jet skis slid by and enjoyed the music as well. Platform/stage was large enough for people to dance on. It Iook like everyone had a great time. I suggest getting there early to find a good table and good parking spot. My 1st time there. Will go...

Loading dock ice skating is great. Very family oriented. Toys for kids. Comfortable seats in groupings. Heat lights. Party room. Wonderful food and drink menu. Bar food of course. There are barrels for those who can’t skate well. Restrooms are roomy and clean. Decor is wonderful and sets the mood. Those in our group orders fries, mini corn dogs, fries, ravioli, hotdogs, chili, pretzels, daiquiris, adult hot chocolate. Lots of parking. River view for those bracing the cold. We took blankets for those who got a little cool. Lots of people who said there They go back every holiday. Family tradition. Such a festive atmosphere. Food and drinks were ordered at the bar and young staff delivered the food when ready. Older adults has chairs with warmth they could watch everyone and our group of 20 was not crowded at all. Hardly knew the kids were there. They all safely went to skate, run around, play a game. And found their way safely back to the group. The large industrial building didn’t hit the ability to talk. There was even a large wall of candy bars for hungry skater snacks. S’more kits could be purchased. Hot chocolate. Frozen drinks with or without alcohol and 20 types of beer. The ice was a bit slushy when we were there but it was almost 50 outside. Recommend it gives such great...

Listen, I’ve been coming here for the past 10 years. It used to be amazing here. But it’s gone way down hill. Everything - the service, the food, the cleanliness. Last time I was here the girl who brought us our ketchup spoke to us more than our waitress. She didn’t bring us everything we ordered but we never got a chance to tell her that because she never returned. But of course she got a tip - only because she ran off before giving us our change back. Oh and can the waitresses stop vaping next to our tables? This has happened the last two times I’ve been here. The food used to be great. I mean in recent years they have cut some favorites of ours from the menu but that’s ok, we could always find something. But now they’ve messed up the last good thing on the menu. The chicken salad used to be a huge meal and with a big house salad and a giant muffin. This time? A scoop of chicken salad and some chips. No notice of the change, but don’t worry, the knocked off a measly $3. Bathrooms are disgusting to add insult to injury. Good drinks but make sure you ask your waitress for your change back or they’ll run off with it. IDK if...