West Dundee's Mojo makes room for sports, music
Mojo Grill & Bar pays lip service to sports, but the spot's really focus is music. Since opening eight months ago, Mojo has built up a reputation as a place to hear local bands without paying a cover. Add in a menu of classy but affordable bar food and Mojo is a neighborhood bar worth making a trip to.
Motif: The décor showcases the bar's blend of sports and music. Flat screen TVs let you keep an eye on the game no matter where you're sitting, and there are plenty of Chicago sports team logos, Bears posters and a Blackhawks jersey hanging from the rafters. Walls are covered with beer signs and old concert posters for Ozzy Osbourne, The Beatles and other classic acts. A projector screen is used to host Wii bowling tournaments on Sundays, and the system is available to play sports games any other time. More than 20 of the beers available are lined up on the ornate-looking shelves behind the light wood bar. Tables seat about four people, but can be pushed together for larger groups. While the space isn't large, there's plenty of room for moving around.
Crowd: The bar mostly appeals to the 35 to 60 set and can be packed to capacity when bands play Saturday night. Dinnertime is also busy, especially during the Friday fish fry. Dress is decidedly casual, with most people sporting jeans and T-shirts or jerseys. Many regulars come from the subdivisions near the bar.
Service: Drinks and food come out promptly at Mojo. Instead of spending all of his time in the kitchen, the chef loves to come out and see what people think of his work, especially when there are new faces. He took our orders, was very enthusiastic when describing each of the dishes and brought out to-go containers before we even asked because we said we might not have room to finish our burgers after sharing some appetizers. The owner regularly has a seat at the bar, chatting with customers over a beer.
Liquid consumption: Beer is the drink of choice, with about 30 varieties available by the bottle including Smithwick's, Sierra Nevada, Newcastle and Fat Tire. There's always a daily drink special, though they change week to week. The owner regularly sends out messages to the bar's Facebook followers letting them know what the deals are.
Food: The philosophy at Mojo is that bar food shouldn't just taste good when you're drunk. None of their ingredients have ever been frozen and everything is made to order and served with sauces made in house. Pulled pork nachos are the most popular appetizer, with $6.50 getting you a massive plate. The barbecue sauce on the meat gives them a sweet taste contrasted by the spicy jalapeño toppings and a light mix of guacamole, buttermilk and sour cream for dipping. Horseradish is a favorite ingredient and you can taste the kick in the $4 horseradish deviled eggs or on a $6.50 Ruben, though their corned beef is so popular it occasionally sells out. The large burgers are made with Angus beef and served with thick hand cut fries. Toppings include avocado and sweet onion rings. Everything is priced at under $10. The most expensive thing you can order is the $9.99 all-you-can-eat tilapia fish fry.
Music: A mix of original classic rock, R&B and blues acts perform every Saturday night, setting up in the back corner of the bar. Local performers also come out to jam at Tuesday's open mic nights. The same space is devoted to karaoke Friday night, which tends to draw a good crowd unless there's a big game on. The Blackhawks hurt attendance the night we were there, but we still got treated to an enthusiastic singer belting country while the audience contributed with some yee haws and clapping along.
Parking: There are plenty of free spots in the strip mall parking lot.
Overall: A place foodies, sports fans and music lovers can agree on.
Mojo Grill & BarInfo: 1959 Huntley Road, West Dundee, (847) 428-3433Hours: 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight SundayFalse20001328Mojo Grill & Bar caters to both sports fans and music lovers.Laura Stoecker | Staff PhotographerFalse