Ellyn's Tap & Grill in Glen Ellyn keeps it fairly simple
People of Glen Ellyn, how can you say no to a bar named Ellyn's Tap & Grill? But whether you call Glen Ellyn home or not, this sports bar would be worth a visit.
Motif: Ellyn's, which is located in the Baker Hill Shopping Center in Glen Ellyn, is a fairly straight-up neighborhood sports bar. The large four-sided bar is the centerpiece of Ellyn's, but if sitting at the bar is not your thing, there are plenty of tables and booths around the room. The back left corner features a pool table, while the back right corner has a cool lounge-like area. And, fear not, Ellyn's has 14 high-definition televisions hanging throughout the room broadcasting various sporting events. Unlike most sports bars, Ellyn's is not overly flashy with their décor and manages to keep things quite simple.
Crowd: The crowd at Ellyn's varied during my stay, I saw what appeared to be businessmen eating and drinking while watching sports, twenty-something sports fans and others who were in attendance to have a drink and enjoy the company of friends.
Service: Service was friendly and attentive. I sat at the bar and only ordered drinks, but they kept them coming just when I needed another round.
Liquid consumption: With the word Tap being in Ellyn's elongated name, the bar better represent itself well with the beer selection. While there are bars in the suburbs that have a lot more on tap, Ellyn's does a respectable job representing itself with 12 choices on tap like Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Two Brothers The Bitter End, Fat Tire, Stella Artois, Sam Adams, Guinness and more. On Tuesdays, look for all the beers on tap to be half-price. Ellyn's also has many bottles to choose from such as Beck's, Peroni, Goose Island 312, Redhook Ale, Left Hand Sawtooth and the usual domestic bottles which are $3. On Monday, they're only $1.50. Other drink specials include $3 Bloody Marys and $5 Grey Goose on Sunday; $3 well drinks on Wednesday; $3 house wine and $6 Absolut martinis on Thursday; and $15 import beer buckets on Friday.
Food: The menu at Ellyn's contains the necessities that you would expect out of a sports bar with other more interesting selections. The menu includes wings (40 cents on Wednesdays), calamari, Santa Fe chicken egg rolls, burgers, buffalo chicken sandwiches, salads, chipotle flat iron steaks, salmon and Cajun shrimp skewers. So, as you can see, the usuals are here but with added food styles that you're not going to find at just any bar.
Sounds: During my visit to Ellyn's, someone with good classic rock musical taste must have taken over the online jukebox which sits in a front corner by the entrance. As far as I'm concerned, that meshes well with the sports bar theme.
Parking: Ellyn's is located in a strip mall, which also has a grocery store, so you should never fret over finding a parking spot.
Overall: Ellyn's is a great addition to Glen Ellyn. For the most part, you should know what to expect from Ellyn's, but fortunately the bar is able to pull out both some unique food and beer selections to differentiate itself from other neighborhood sports bars. Now I just wonder how long it is until someone opens a wine bar called Glen's in Glen Ellyn.
<p class="factboxheadblack">Ellyn's Tap & Grill</p> <p class="News">940 Roosevelt Road, Glen Ellyn</p> <p class="News">(630) 942-0940, <a href="http://www.ellyns.com" target="new">ellyns.com</a></p> <p class="News"><b>Hours:</b> 10:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday; 10:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday</p>