Lock & Mule by Tangled Roots Brewing Company — Restaurant in Lockport

My wife and I arrived at 5:15pm on a Saturday without reservations. Four "hostesses" at the entry. We were seated immediately in the half-full house in about the center-front-third at a two-seat high table.

TEN MINUTES just to be offered a drink. Server was friendly - offered no apology - even after I asked for my beer "quickly" as I was "dry" and had been waiting TEN MINUTES.

4 minutes to arrive... how do I know this timing - because the Olympic marathon was on the TV with a running clock.

Here's an aside: we were returning to this place as a second chance, as we had WALKED OUT once before because of slow service. Manager tracked us outside and offered free dinner - declined.

As the drinks were delivered, we declined appetizers and ordered our entrées.

I finished my beer quickly, and after three passes, our server finally inquired about another - "yes please."

While waiting for our food, a foursome was seated directly adjacent to our table... they waited even longer just to get water. Additionally, I could see that another patron had walked directly to the Hostess stand and asked that a server be sent to him and his partner... they were seated at the dead low-end of the bar nearest the windows. He was visibly angered.

Server advised us ONCE, that food was on its way (nope). Finally, food arrived.

I finished my meal (EMPTY plate), and my wife was done - both dishes parked and ready to be tended to. Server inquired about drinks - "yes please" from me and "no thank you" from wifey and she nicely requests a box.

First pass by the server, I get my beer (no box). we order desert. Second pass by the server, no box and she apologizes. Mean while, two passes by one of the more active hostesses (I face the outside of the room and door). We tell her the status and she hustles off. We get a box from the hostess, and the server subsequently gives us a "huh?" Fifteen more minutes before a an obviously pre-made desert arrives. Server still very friendly.

We finish up (EMPTY plate and EMPTY glasses)... and it is taking so long that my wife asks me NOT to go rattle the hostesses - just to get our check. Finally she arrives, and I say "wait please", and pay in cash just then - to avoid further waiting.

We are EASY customers, we eat and drink almost anything. We are fully aware of the mostly unrewarding job of food service; we go out of our way to be positive, and even neutral when things go south. This was well beyond acceptable.

Somewhat sadly, here's the good news: my bison burger was excellent (but quite small), and the Brussels sprouts were fantastic - both cooked to perfection. The beer was great. My wife's falafel burger was good but otherwise unremarkable.

If it's not obvious already, I detest waiting - and there was no visible reason for such horribly slow service.

Tough call on returning - as the food was really good.

You may reach me here "DSKlausler at...

An Unforgettable Experience - Delicious Food, Quality Ingredients, Caring Staff, and a Perfect Ambiance for Any Occasion

I am grateful to everyone at Lock and Mule for making our special day so amazing. If you would like to get treated like family and enjoy a delicious, high-quality meal with an extensive choice of drinks, Lock and Mule is the restaurant of choice. My husband and I had our wedding vows renewed in April and decided to rent out the restaurant for our celebration. From the moment we started the planning process with Janet, to the very last minute of our reception, the whole experience was smooth, and I did not want it all to come to an end. Days later, our friends and family kept telling us how much they enjoyed all the delicious food (the cod entree was all the rage), brews, signature cocktails, the ambiance, and caring staff. There was something for everyone’s taste, including the kids. Our guests also loved their wedding favors, which were four-packs of beer they were able to choose and take home as our treat.

Tangled Roots Brewing has been dear to us since we first visited one of their restaurants eight years ago in Ottawa, IL. We highly anticipated Lock and Mule’s opening in the former Mackin Motor Co. Ford dealership in our hometown’s Historic Downtown District of Lockport, IL. Thanks to the authentic architectural elements, our reception space felt modern with an open concept and natural lighting that created the perfect ambiance. We even had plenty of room for our DJ and designated dance floor. We could not have asked for more.

Most importantly, the reception was perfect due to all the staff working together. Janet ran the operation with all the managers, chefs, wait staff, and bartenders who worked hard to provide each person attending with an exceptional and...

Chose Lock & Mule for our anniversary dinner. We are not huge beer fans but have visited Tangled Roots in Ottawa and enjoyed their menu.

Started out with the Charcuterie board. I love to try different flavors and the pickled grapes on the board are to die for. Mike made a face at the name pickled grapes but also fell in love with the flavor and couldn't stop eating them. The smoked carrots were also a treat. I am not a cauliflower fan but tried it anyway. Everything on the board was delicious either by itself or combined with each other.

For dinner Mike got the Seafood Pasta (also recommended by our great server Hailey). It was topped with salmon, shrimp and calamari and the pasta was perfectly done and not over sauced.

I can't pass up a Chopped Salad and added Beer Can chicken as a topping. The vinaigrette and all of the flavors were perfect!

For drinks we had the Lemon Shakeup and Pink Buffalo. They will be the perfect summer drink when we go back there and hang during the summer. I love that they will have the open garage doors.

We did try a beer flight. We are not IPA fans so we tried the Intercontinental Pils (which had a slight hop taste), the Windy City (wheat beer and tasty), the Sun Barleywine (holy moly strong) and finally the Wild Duck ( Imperial Stout). Its always fun to try new stuff.

We saved room for dessert. Mike tried the fried ice cream which had a cinnamon flavor to it and I had Death by Chocolate cake, which you can't go wrong with. We brought home a Salted Caramel Cupcake (flavor of the month) and my MIL said it was amazing ( and she didn't share!)

It was a Monday and there was a nice vibe going on. I can't wait to get back here especially in the summer with their patio on the back end. This will definitely become...