Ridott Corners Tavern — Restaurant in Illinois

For years people have been recommending Ridott Corners to me. I've driven and rode past it many times, but yesterday I finally decided to stop and check it out.

It's located at the corner of US 20 and S. Rock City Rd. The entrance to the parking lot is off of S. Rock City Rd. The building is small, there's not a lot of space. It looks like it was an old gas station converted to a bar & grill. If you are a fan of small town, mom and pop, or dive bar environments Ridott Corners is right up your alley. Typical bar signage and neon on the walls, slot machines, dart boards pushed off to the side. Tables that were designed to be moved out of the way for dart night... I'm assuming. Or for what ever other reasons they need to clear the small dining area.

The place was packed when we walked in. Fortunately there was one open table. Maybe it was because we were hungry, but the food smells were amazing. We sat ourselves and looked at the menu. The menu is rather limited. Their "World Famous Burgers", grilled cheese, and "Pizza from Scratch". But if you're going to Ridott Corners for anything other than the burger, I'm not sure why you are going. I say that because EVERYONE that has been there talks up the burgers.

I ordered the Jalapeno Burger, my son had the Bacon Cheeseburger. These are 1/2 pound burgers and appear to be homemade patties. They were big, thick, and not perfect circles. Just the way they should be. We got to choose our cheese, both of us went with Pepper Jack. We had the choice of chips to go with it. They don't do fries or other sides. The burgers came in a reasonable time. They looked amazing. The burger had a good flavor, it was juicy. I thought it was good. I would have preferred fresh over pickled Jalapenos, and the burger to be cooked more to medium than well done, but it was still a good burger. I wouldn't say it was the best burger I've had, but it was a good one.

The service was good. The waitress appeared to be the only server working the floor, and she hustled. She was friendly and would check on us from time to time.

Overall.. if you're driving by, I'd...

I looked at the reviews after I ate and I'm really confused. I didn't know what to expect with the food. It's basically frozen pizza or a burger with chips. I was told by the staff that they were known for their burgers. I ordered a mushroom swiss burger and I was starving. It would have been hard to make a bad burger. I've never turned food away at a restaurant before. It was the worst burger I think I've ever had in my life. If I wasn't so hungry, I wouldn't have ate it.

The mushrooms must be kept in a fridge and not cooked fresh. They were not just cold, they were still refrigerator cold on the burger. The bottom bun was in a cold swamp concoction of the cold mushroom juice and grease. The burger wasn't prepared the same thickness throughout. One side was overcooked by a lot. It was completely unseasoned. Not even salt or pepper. The griddle had not been cleaned in a long time. There was so much burnt junk on the burger from the previously cooked food. And the sandwich was soaked in grease. Honestly, it was just laziness by the cook. I don't know if it was a new cook, but there were 20 people in the bar and it was after 8pm. I don't think that many people were ordering burgers then. I will be back there with friends because it's a popular dive bar in the middle of nowhere, but I don't think there is a chance I will ever eat there again even with the good reviews. The service wasn't good, but it was two bartenders for 20 people. That's a...

Last few times I’ve been here have been great but tonights bartender 02/24/24 was rude. She had her boyfriend here & she just wanted to leave. We arrived at 12:20. They werent happy we came & even at 12:50 the guy was making loud remarks saying “ITS CLOSING TIME” while im dropping money on slots.

Either way, we stopped here for a late bite & was told numerous times they serve food until closing but was greeted with “last call is in 15mins.” I’m a bartender myself & understand to a point but she was ready to go very early for a saturday night. She missed out on a huge tip is all i can say. The girl that worked the night before is...