Oskar Blues Grill & Brew - Lyons — Restaurant in Lyons

A Toast to Taylor: The Heart and Soul of Oskar Blues

There are places you go for the food. There are places you go for the beer. And then, there are places you return to—time and again—for the people. Oskar Blues has always been a haven for hops and hearty fare, But on this particular evening, under the amber glow of string lights and laughter, It wasn’t the ale that lingered longest on our tongues— It was the service, the sincerity, the soul of one extraordinary human: Taylor.

From the moment we stepped through the doors, Taylor greeted us like old friends returning home. There was no script in the smile, no pretense in the welcome— Only a warm, honest energy that wrapped around our group Like the first sip of your favorite brew after a long day. Comforting. Uplifting. Real.

Taylor didn’t just serve our table. Taylor read the table—like poetry. Each glance, each pause, each shared look among us Was met with effortless understanding. We never had to ask for a refill— Our glasses filled before the thought could fully form. We never waited for a check-in— Because Taylor was always there, But never hovering. Always present, But never imposing.

There’s an art to that kind of timing. It’s the rhythm of someone who loves what they do. And make no mistake—Taylor loves what they do.

The beer list? A symphony. And Taylor was our conductor. With passion and knowledge, they guided us through bold IPAs, Rich porters, crisp lagers, and sours with a kick of adventure. Not just suggestions—stories. Each brew had a backstory, a personality, a reason it belonged in our hands. Taylor spoke with reverence about the brewers, the notes, The pairings we hadn’t thought of— And each one landed like magic.

When the food arrived—hot, plentiful, perfect— It was as if Taylor had whispered to the kitchen directly. Every customization, every substitution, every need: anticipated, executed, delivered. Even the unspoken ones.

And when we lingered long after the plates were cleared, When our laughter got a little louder and the world outside dimmed, Taylor never rushed us. There was no check dropped prematurely, no subtle hint to move on. Only more water. Another smile. A sense that we belonged. Because under Taylor’s care, we weren’t just customers. We were guests. Friends. Family.

To say Taylor went above and beyond is to undersell the truth. Taylor turned a casual meal into a memory. A night into a story. A table of strangers into a celebration.

So here’s to Taylor— The maestro of moments, The guardian of good times, The reason Oskar Blues doesn’t just serve food and drink, But serves joy.

May every guest be lucky enough to land in Taylor’s section. And may Oskar Blues know the treasure they have. Not in the taps or the kitchen, But in the kindness, charisma, and quiet brilliance Of the server who turned...

Oh Oskars, when are you going to get your act together?! Came in last night for dinner with my brother and son. When we were sat in the main dining we waited about 10 minutes to be acknowledged until the host came over to check on us and I asked if we would be having a server anytime soon. I should mention, there were only 3 other tables in the main dining.The server finally came over-older short blond woman with no personality whatsoever (new employee). She did not introduce herself, offer specials, and her serving us seemed to be as though she was doing us a favor. I thought it was interesting that another server was the one waiting on all the other tables in the main dining. This woman seemed to come out of nowhere and then disappeared for most of our dining experience (I will get into this later). We ordered a turkey reuben, nachos, and kids chicken fingers. The chicken fingers came out cold and missing the ranch we requested. The nachos were good but they were cold too and I can tell they were waiting to be ran to the table, therefore, they became cold. My brother said the reuben was good. Our server never came back to check on us. My brother sat empty with his beer for 15 minutes until I decided to pour half of my Dales into his empty glass. We were looking around for our server who we did not see the entire time we were eating. In fact, at one point the host (new host) came by to check in and I asked if our server was still working her shift???? Where, oh where art thou server?!! When she finally decided to grace us with her non-personality presence, we asked for boxes and the check. She didn't say anything in reply, she just walked away with a smug mug and then returned with boxes and the check. When the check was paid it took another 10 minutes for her to return with change and there was no thank you for coming in, please come back and see us, or have a good evening. In fact, we were not acknowledged by anyone on our way out of the restaurant. IF this had been a COYLE review, oh boy, this server and OB LYONS would have failed MISERABLY!!! I can see that since my departure as server in June, nothing much has changed with this pitiful location other than you continue to go down hill and desperately hire anyone on without proper training, or care for that matter. This experience has not tainted me. I will continue to come in for a beer and say hello to the several good employees that remain at OB Lyons. However, I am grateful that I no longer have to deal with such a poorly run...

We came in on a Sunday for lunch at the tail end of a big rush. We waited around for someone to seat us but ended up just seating ourselves after seeing some other customers seat themselves. We got our own menus and our own waters. Didn’t even see our server until about 15 minutes after we sat down. We kept hearing the servers talk about how busy it was, they clearly were not prepared for such a rush. We finally ordered two appetizers and a salad to split between the two of us. I told the server it didn’t matter what order the food came out in since the kitchen was backed up. About an hour (I’m not exaggerating) later our food finally came out. We had to wait even longer for them to go track down silverware.

The pretzel was absolutely terrible. It had clearly been sitting out for quite some time because the cheese sauce it came with had a thick film of dried up cheese on top. The pretzel itself was hard and dry. The wings were okay, also seemed like they’d been sitting out and the blue cheese that came with it was so watered down that it actually splashed when you’d dip a wing in it. The Cobb salad was good but again, the blue cheese dressing was basically just watered down milk so wasn’t spectacular. For an $18 salad I’d expect a little more. Since we sat for so long waiting for our food we spent more on drinks than expected. We ended up ordering 4 drinks total. 4 drinks + 2 apps + 1 salad came out to $85ish before tip. We ended up having to take our check up to the bar to pay because we had already been there for about an hour and a half and were ready to get out. We understood they were not prepared for the rush they had and were patient with our server, but after spending nearly $100 on a lunch that was mediocre at best where we had to seat ourselves, get our own menus, get our own waters, deliver our own check, and wait for an hour for two apps and a salad, I left with a bad taste in my mouth, figuratively and literally. There’s absolutely nothing about our experience here that would make me want...