The Shanty

Was driving back to Milwaukee after bringing the kids to Great America and stopped at The Shanty on the way home. Neat building (lots of old barn wood) and was surprised how busy they were on a Monday night. My husband had the sesame seed tuna which was fantastic! I had honey plank salmon. I usually don't like sweet sauces but this one really works with their salmon. Kids had shrimp dishes and burgers which tell all liked. Glad we discovered this place on the way home. more

Great Food! more

I saw this on the food network last night so my husband and I drove 1 1/2 hours to check the place out. It wasn't bad, but it certainly wasn't great by any means, but the service was very good. Before the appetizers they brought us bread with butter, the bread was fantastic, it tasted like pretzels, but the second piece they brought had hard, cold butter (a cardinal sin in my book). We started with the whiskey shrimp appetizer, good, but a very small portion with a not so small price. For our meal we both had the bacon wrapped fillet mignon with conch, again quite pricey, the fillet was tasty and cooked perfectly but the vegetables they served with it were horrible. We also both had the broccoli cheese soup with our meal, which tasted like processed cheese dip. For the price, I would say pass on going here again. We could have gone to our favorite restaurant twice with change left over, and wouldn't have had to do the three hour round trip drive. more

So we live in Libertyville and for the past few years we have kept hearing about this place called The Shanty! We are not franchise people so we are always looking for a comfortable place with great food. Well we found it! We figured we would try it on a Tuesday night because we heard the place is a mob sceen on the weekends. We pulled up and the place was slammed with cars. We found a parking place in the back of the restaurant. We walked in, put our name in for a table and had a seat at the bar. It seemed like all the customers knew each other and that everyone was having a good time. They called our name and we were seated. I could not believe that they were serving that good of food in a place that looked like it was about to fall over. Some kid who looked like a dishwasher, came to our table and asked us how our meal was and explained that there was another restaurant being built next to The Shanty. He had a great personality and had us cracking up. We found out later that night that he was the owner. This restaurant is probably the most comfortable setting we have ever eaten in and the food was fantastic. We are going to tell everyone in our neighborhood about it. Pros: good people and good food Cons: always busy more

The Shanty is one of a kind. I arrived with my family at 7:30pm, last night, and was greated by a friendly host and was quoted a 15 minute wait. We were surprised the place was that busy and yet still got us seated quickly. While waiting, we had a seat at the bar, and met the owner. He asked our name, where we were from, and made us feel welcome. He asked what kind of food we felt like - I love seafood and my husband and daughter are steak people - and he suggested we order: tequila and orange salmon (for me) and rum soaked pork chops for my daughter and a filet for my husband. Once we were seated, we had a mussels as an appetizer and a few cocktails....we had a very friendly waitress named Jenna (we will definately request her in the future). Everything we had was excellent and I LOVED the tequila and orange salmon, it had the best flavor. I am excited we found a place this good so close to home. We will definately be back. Pros: Great Food, Good Prices, Friendly Service, Unique Atmosphere more

Ok, I REALLY wanted to like this place. I see the reviews, my friend saw it on one of those local food shows. Yes it's pretty ""rustic"", and that can be cool, but that's when the food measures up to what we see posted here. I and the other 5 people in my party all came away wondering where the restaurant you all went to because this wasn't it last night! When we arrived we were not greeted and no one even acknowledged us even though we were 6 people standing in the very small entry area. After getting someone's attention they asked how many in our party and then mumbled something about going back outside or around to the small bar area. We were not asked our names or told how long the wait was anything. Some our party thought the hostess was seating us by the bar and that's what she said and started walking. After one in our party went back to confirm we waited by the bar. The wait wasn't too bad, maybe 15 min so that was good. However when we arrived at our table for six it was set for five. Not a big deal, they ran to get another chair etc., but all these things should have been a clue. As you have no doubt read the place is small and noisy so if you want to have a conversation this is for sure not the place. Anyway, fast forward to the food. I ordered the Parmesan Encrusted Salmon with a cup of Clam Chowder. Now I grew up in Plymouth MA and lived on or around Cape Cod until I was 25, then Mystic CT for 4 years so I think I know seafood and what clam chowder us supposed to taste like and this isn't it! The three of us that got the chowder found it lukewarm at best. Which means it's sitting out pre-poured back in the kitchen. That's fine if it's cycled out or rotated often but this wasn't the case. Tasting it, well, we all decided it wasn't worth sending back for a warmer cup. My meal was not what I am used to getting when you think ""encrusted"" it was more like throw a slab of cheese on until it melts. The vegetables I didn't even bother to touch as they looked pretty poor. The rice was pretty good though but it's not like I was getting a risotto or something. In short all six of us had different entrees. No one liked what they got. One person even got something as simple as a cheeseburger and the waitress came out with it on the place already dressed asking what cheese they wanted. Well we know what that means! Yeah, throw the cheese on and microwave it till it melts! Another entree was this shrimp cajun style thing with these limp shrimp that should have been firm to the touch. The throw more spices and make it hot they won't know the difference seemed to be the rule of the day. We finished what we ate but were never asked if we wanted anything else and the check appeared. Anyway, what's sad is a neighbor of mine was supposed to go but when they found out we were going here begged off saying the food was terrible. After reading these reviews, and the TV shows, we figured they went on a bad night and went along without them. We should have listened! Pros: Give me a minute... Cons: Poor Service, Poor Food, maybe the night? more

I was a little leary about even going into the building but after seeing the Shanty featured on triple D I felt that I should really give it a shot and Im glad I did. Demetrius (owner) made suggestions on what to try and he recommended the rum soaked pork chops and the Crab stuffed Sole, he also had prepared some mashed sweet pototoes that he said were for the next evening but if we wanted that he would let us try them. The soup was Squash. We had ordered mussels for an app...I can tell you that everything was so good, Although we have driven past this resturant 100's of times over the past 30 years we have never stopped and this time we are glad we did. Dont hesitate to go in, you will be very happy you did. Pros: Owner and wait staff are fantastic Cons: Location on super busy intersection more

I drive from Lake Forest at least three times a week to eat at The Shanty! The food is incredible and I am a former chef so rarely do I find great food for the right price, and this place tops the rest! I'd have my last meal at The Shanty, no joke! Pros: Great Food and Great Price Cons: You will want it every night more

I love this place! Okay. The food isn't perfect, but it's pretty good. Their ""poor man?s lobster"" (it used to be monk's fish, but now is cod) is very good. They give you great free appetizers, and the service is almost always good. The place is always filled with wealthy horse owners who want good food but don?t want to dress up for a good dinner. This is a perfect place for it. Good food, relaxed atmosphere, and fun. I highly recommended the Shanty. I always go there after getting my hair cut at Octagon, further south on Hwy 41. Pros: Good food, cheap, fast service, fun atmosphere, Cons: Crowded more

Sauted shrimp and scallop dinner I had was excellent. They had a shrimp creole soup with nice size pieces of shirmp in it as well as flavorful. One of my family members had a bowl of cream of chicken rice soup. The chunks of chicken were quite large. I would recommend the Shanty. Pros: Food, country ambience, looks like a shack but don't be fooled. Good food Cons: Parking, looks like as shack from the outside more

I was surpirsed that they were that good, my expectations were not that high going in but they took it to another level. more