Wauconda's Uncle D's dishes out more than beer and burgers
Good food. No frills.
That's the vibe at Uncle D's Bar & Grille, open for just under a year in Wauconda. It's the kind of place where regulars catch up on each other's grind over beer and burgers - and your biggest decision is whether to pair it with fries or Tater Tots.
<b>Motif: </b>The name fits since Uncle D's has an old-school, vintage, watering-hole feel. Although we were newcomers among a small crowd of what appeared to be regulars, the place had a friendly-enough vibe. The spot featured two electric dart bards in front, a sizable bar and flat-screen TVs on the walls.
<b>Food: </b>A tip of the hat to the grille master on the Caribbean Chicken sandwich I ordered. The perfectly cooked patty topped with grilled pineapple and barbecue sauce was quite the impressive sight and came with a side of pasta salad.
My wingman for beers and grub never got past the specials menu and ordered the chicken apple sandwich and Tater Tots. He was a happy camper and the food definitely adds to the overall experience.
Uncle D's menu has all the usual bar delicacies of burgers, ribs and chicken sandwiches (or “sammiches” as the menu says) plus a variety of appetizers. If you come in extra hungry, there's always the half-pound hamburger topped with blue cheese and bacon or the Deluxe Grilled Cheese featuring cheddar, swiss, bacon, ham, avocado, tomato and mayo on garlic bread. I would not recommend trying to eat both on the same visit. There are also food specials each day, including the all-you-can-eat beer-battered haddock fish fry on Friday.
<b>Liquid consumption: </b>As with most old-school joints, beer is the beverage of choice at Uncle D's, and I can't imagine too many people bellying up to this bar and ordering a cosmo.
There are a half-dozen brews on tap, but literally a wall of bottled beer choices behind the bar. If you're interested in one of the many bottles on display, you have to get up and get close to see the whole selection. It would have been nice to have a beer list at our table, but, then again, you're going to need the exercise if you're eating that Deluxe Grilled Cheese.
<b>Service:</b> It's pretty much seat yourself at Uncle D's and our server greeted us shortly after we sat down.
We didn't wait long for beers and food. Even with only one server on this night, service was still fairly speedy.
<b>
Crowd:</b> We hit up Uncle D's on a quiet midweek night. The crowd was all guys that night, with most in their 40s and older.
<b>Music:</b> The volume was pretty loud when we were there, and we had to do more conversational yelling than we would have liked.
<b>Parking:</b> Uncle D's is located in what looks like an industrial area of Wauconda, with a decent sized-parking lot in the back. The bar and grill is across the street from the Wauconda Bowl bowling alley.
<b>Overall: </b>Although Uncle D's is not a dockside bar and grill, its proximity to Wauconda's Bangs Lake and summer boating community could give the place - wait for it - an anchor for potential. The family-friendly menu is a good start, and a few decor tweaks could help position Uncle D's as more than just a place where regulars head to drink beer and to talk with their buds - if they can hear over the music.
Uncle D's Bar & Grille
380 W. Liberty St., Wauconda, (847) 865-3120,
Hours: 11 a.m. to midnight Monday and Tuesday, 11 to 2 a.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday