Docks Bar & Grill

So my family and I went to Dock's for the first time, when we had a bit of good weather recently, and expected to have a really nice time--boy were we wrong. First of all, we sat down at a filthy table and it took the waiter 15 minutes for him to finally come around and take our order (it was not busy at all; around 2 pm and only 3 other couples were there, and he wasn't the only waiter). Then, eventually he brought out salads, placed them down, and said enjoy, visualizing that we had NO utensils. I saw utensils at the front in a bin, so we actually had to get up and get our own utensils because this was the last we saw of our guy and the rest of the time he ignored us or walked by us, not acknowledging us at all. After another 40 minutes our food finally came out and was served by a busboy. Our waiter kept walking by and just ignored us, did NOT take our salad plates away, refill our drinks, or even ask how the food was. I noticed he was attentive to another table though. By the end, we were looking for a manager to complain...but something strange happened.... At the end of the meal, the waiter comes over to us acting like a completely different person (took off his sunglasses) and says that our bill was taken care of by a guy who was eating across from us and asked if we knew him. The waiter said that this guy made a bet with his daughter and he lost so the guy paid for our dinner. I noticed that this guy across from me was looking at me off and on the entire meal and at one point I witnessed an exchange of some twenty-dollar bills with our waiter. We left there feeling like we had the worst experience of our life, but the food was OK and it was free. We saw the guy, who paid for our meal, leave in an expensive car, but then it all clicked. The truth is I have no idea what the bet was about (I originally thought the bet was to give us the worst service ever and to see if we complained), but how UNETHICAL of a waiter to be a part of some bet a customer made!!! I feel like we were Punk'd and not in a good way. However, then I read all the reviews about how Dock's has TERRIBLE service, so maybe the bet was about something else. It's funny that even after complaining to the Manager later that day, she denied everything and said that this waiter is their best server and that HE says he was VERY attentive! Wow they have problems if that is their best server. Do NOT waste your money or time here!!!! There are plenty of other restaurants on the lake that treat you with the dignity and respect you deserve. After all, we are giving them money for a service. more

My boyfriend and I went there when we first moved here. It was great. After that the experiences just went downhill!\r \r One night we ordered food for pickup and when we got there the waitresses ignored me for 10 minutes no joke. They were so busy and unorganized a customer jumped behind the bar and started serving people and finally asked what I needed. She left to go get someone to get my order. Another 10 minutes and my food finally came out. When we got home the meat on our so called ""prime rib"" sandwhich was well done and cold like it had been sitting on the counter for an hour!\r \r The last and final time we went to dine in. The waitress was so into her conversation with another waitress that she had to come back to the table twice to correct just our drink order. She brought our salads out with the wrong salad dressings on them. We then waited for 45 minutes for dinner. Our food finally comes- I got the prime rib sandwhich again WHAT A MISTAKE! I dont even think my dog would eat what they put on the sandwhich. My boyfriend got what was suppose to be lemon chicken but it was more like chicken soup on a plate. When I politely told the waitress I would not eat the sanwhich she got pissy with me. When she went to take my plate she pointed at it and said WHAT IS THAT! I said that is the meat you put on my sandwhich. She gasped as if she didnt see it the first time we brought it out to me. \r \r The people who work there are rude, they serve horrible food and they should really get some new management in there!! Especially since the place USED to be great! more

Its too bad the management of this restaurant in wauconda IL is not attentive. On the surface the ownership appears to have set up a very nice place to spend time, eat and have a few cocktails with friends and family. That is until you attempt to negotiate the lower parking lot. It is extremely uneven and dangerous to walk on. I believe I bruised my ankle as a result of the condition of this lot. These folks should be thankful I don't believe in suing people. To further add insult to injury the wait staff is poor, they are built to accept a crowd, but not prepared to wait on a full house. Management really needs to get on the ball and streamline processes. more

Docks has a great location on the water which is especially nice for summer nights. We have been there many times since they opened and have been more than happy with the service, prices and food. During summer months you can sit out on the HUGE deck and eat or enjoy a drink (or 2). Portions are good and prices are less then other local restaurants. When they offer something on their menu they have had enough to serve those who wanted it which has not been my experience with the other lakeside restaurant. Everything from fantastic burgers to large portions on their other entrees. Only had one bad experience. It was a summer night and I ordered the special, ""All you can eat Prime Rib"". The initial portion was very small and it took almost 30 minutes to get my second helping. Other than that one time I have been more than happy across the board. Compared to others in the area you can't go wrong with Docks! more

The Docks restaurant may have a good location on the water, and look appealing - but beware - Tried it more than a few times, and the service was Horrible each time, the food was cold and took forever to find its way to our table, and the Valet parking attendants squeel the tires on 'your cars' while on the lower level parking area!!! Not to mention the falling down obnoxious drunks we saw on the outside deck. If what has been described with our experiences is 'your kind of place' then go to The Docks! But, if you'd really rather go for a good tasty meal, with efficient friednly caring staff, there's much better places to go in Wauconda and the immediate area. \r \r Cons: EVERYTHING more

We went to Docks last night as a special occasion with a few friends and our disappointing experience there last night put a damper on the outing, so I am compelled to submit my opinion. My friends said they enjoyed going there a couple of times, so we all went last night. I was impressed by the deck and nice view of the lake and they were pretty busy for a Tuesday night. The waiter was seemed inexperienced and just didn't have it together. We sat there for 7-10 minutes before being able to order drinks. He was slow on the drinks, forgot to bring drinks for some, forgot to bring what was ordered. The food was very disappointing. My burger was overcooked and rubbery. The garden salad was good. The salad with the Blue Cheese which you paid extra for did not come with Blue Cheese chunks as we expected. The chicken was good. The meatballs on the sandwich were bland, the baked sweet potato was unacceptable. Some of the staff was busy texting on their cell phones and goofing around and not really focused on taking care of customers. Once inside the bar, the bar was chilly. There seemed to be a problem getting the staff to understand what we wanted and listening to what we said. So it seems that you have to eat there at the right time, the night when the good cooks are in the kitchen and the good staff is serving the customers. I hope they get better. Pros: Nice Deck on the Lake Cons: Marginal Food, Lousy Service more

Food: Okay. I had the Shrimp in garlic, it tasted packaged. My sides were garlic mashed potatoes, wonderful and perfectly cooked vegetables. Mine came with a starter salad, which was nondescript. My friend had the grouper, no yummy sounds.\r \r Selection: They have a great selection, not just bar food. Check out the really good specials. We had the Docks' Combo appetizer, which was very good - the calamari was perfect, light and not greasy.\r \r Service: Quick and friendly. \r \r $: Not a good value, our choices should have been saved for a better restaurant. Next time I will stick with a burger for under $6 (Wednesdays special). \r \r Cleanliness: Very nice, with good bathrooms.\r \r Ambiance: Just lovely, we sat on the deck overlooking Bangs Lake, it was so peaceful. We went on A Wednesday so weekends are probably different. They have a bar side and a restaurant side, so good for families.\r \r Come again: This was our first visit and will probably go again, but I will order differently.\r more