Docks Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Wauconda

I went in the middle of the week, not on a weekend so I can only sit in horror at how bad things could get on the weekends.

They did not handle tables that have more than five people well.

One thing to consider before going is that they bill by table. No separate checks. Bring a lot of cash.

They had barely any parking but on the up side, they did do free valet parking. I felt really bad for the kids parking the cars as they were literally running to keep up with everything and there were about four + of them retrieving /parking cars. One of their lots is 2 to 3 minutes away so the kids had to either run or skateboard there.

Back to the actual service... oops there barely was service from the waitress / waiter. The busboys/cleaners did most of the work. Several of the waitresses were always waiting near the bar behind the ATM out of view of the customers. When they did leave this area most of the time they went back inside. (By the way, the inside is very dark so we chose to sit outside but they do have bathrooms up stairs and just in front of the unmanned check in/front door).

The waitress talked to us all of three times within the first 20 minutes and just before we left because we had to go get her. They kept running out of things including silverware and when we went up to ask for silverware, as our waitress had not been around in a while, they told us that they were running out and they only had three left at 6pm.

We got our own condiments, napkins and menus off of other tables as there were none at our table and again the waitress was not around. However, don't expect to be waited on, because they include the tip in the amount you have to pay for your food, at about 20%, regardless of whether the waitress actually waited on you or not.

While waiting other small 2-3 people sized tables got their food quick and before my table or another table that date near by with 7 people. They took an hour and 15 minutes to get to another 4 person table that had just sat down. Then another 6 minutes to figure out that it didn't belong to that table and to bring it back over to us (however the busboys that brought the food over, I don't think they were getting good instructions on what table the food belonged to as they were the only ones doing work while the waitresses just waited around). Not my waitress but another waitress was watching the whole mix up and didn't try to come over to help or get my waitress. The busboys eventually guessed right and found my table after stating what they had and asking if we ordered it.

No refills on drinks as again the waitresses were not around.

The place is pretty and nice to sit outside, but there are a lot of problems and hidden fees, like the tip and having to pay in cash if you want to split a check.

All in all, I don't think that the pretty view is worth the lack of service. I could pack my own picnic and sit by a pond if I wanted to do all the work myself and have to pay someone for me to...

One simply cannot deny the lake views from the patio (Dock) of the restaurant. There is plenty of seating outside, and some seating inside. They have a nice bar with counter seating outside and covered areas as well. They do have live music on occasion.

The food is typical bar type food: burgers, sandwiches, and a crapload of appetizers. However, the appetizers are quite pricey for what they are. 10 wings are $19 with a couple carrots and celery. Heck, potato skins (4 skins = 2 potatoes is also $19 - that's crazy!)

I opted to avoid the pricey appetizers (and there are a ton) and went with their bison burger ($16). I asked for it medium rare with goat cheese and fried onion straws. Every add on is $2+ making it a pricey place to visit for basic bar food. According to their menu: burgers are served with your choice of fries, pasta salad, or coleslaw.

Sub onion rings +5.25 (really?), Tator Tots, Chips, Fresh Fruit or Sweet Potato Fries +2.95, Gluten Free Bun +3.25, Split Charge +1.50, Sub House Salad +3.95, Sub Caesar Salad +5.50 (this is crazy!)

If you want to add cheese: American, Swiss, Cheddar, PepperJack, Provolone $2.00 | Blue Cheese Crumbles $3.75 | Goat Cheese $4.95

Despite the rising cost of my burger, it was delicious! Perfectly cooked and the goat cheese melted perfectly. The fried onion strings added a nice crunch to the burger.

Three people in our party of five ordered wings and said they were good. They looked pretty good, but not that meaty.

They also ordered burgers and all thought they were good. The server was attentive and and constantly checked on us.

I think the main detractor is that it is pricey and anything you add on costs a bit much ($2 for onion strings, $5 for goat cheese, really?).

Look, Dock's has good food, their patio is great and the views are pretty nice too. Just know before you go that while some items are priced well, add ons really bulk up...

Last night (June 15, 2023) my husband and I went to Dock's for the first time as out of town visitors (we have a ton of family who moved to the area). It was around 9:45PM and we wanted to sit on the patio because it was a nice night. The outside bar was closing, and so we politely asked the bartender if we could just order inside and then sit out on the patio. We didn't want to bother him with drinks while he was trying to go home. He was pretty rude and had an attitude, but said that was fine. My husband went inside to grab drinks, and the indoor bartender let him know that Dock's was going to close early, but didn't specify when. Ordinarily, it would have closed at midnight, over two hours later. We assumed they'd come and give us a courtesy heads up once they decided what time they were closing. Instead, about halfway through our drinks the outside bartender looked directly at us and literally shut the lights off on us while we were sitting on the patio. No heads up, no one had told us what time the place was closing, nothing. We were just sitting there in the pitch dark completely confused as to what the heck just happened. It was the most appalling experience I've ever had at a restaurant establishment. Since we'd never been there, we had no idea that once the patio bar closes we couldn't keep sitting out there - and the guy never said a word or told us how it works except to say, yes, you can sit on the patio. I was a bartender and worked in the service industry for years - I can't imagine treating people like this. We were just two quiet folks on a date night. These people are truly...