The Brunswick

This review is for breakfast only. We normally go to Sig’s across the street for breakfast after elk hunting but they don’t open until 11am now so we found this place instead. Great surprise! I think the nice lady taking our order was probably the only one running the whole place at 7am on a Thursday but she still provided great smiling service and a perfect breakfast. We had a group of 6 and ordered a little of everything from the menu and all were happy. The hashbrowns were perfect!

If I’m going to go out in Elgin, this is my favorite place. Yes, it’s a small town bar and restaurant. It’s not swanky or pretentious. It’s good homestyle cooking, hearty specials, family friendly in the front with grown-​up drinks in the back, slot machines, and space that morphs between a corner «stage» for live entertainment, a dance floor, or a pool table.
My menu favorites include the chicken sandwich with honey mustard, biscuits and gravy, and pretty much any of the deep-​fried appetizers.
The bartenders take a lot of pride in the variety of mixed drinks they serve. The owner likes to make a party out of all kinds of special occasions. She often hosts fundraisers for community members enduring medical bills or significant personal losses. Halloween is a big deal and the proof is in the pictures on the walls of the bar. The costume contest brings out the best creative sorts and yields great prizes and the entertainment is usually top notch.

So my pally and I headed out to the Elgin bean shooter show. Thought we’d start out with some grub. Let me put you wise to this joint.
We have both eaten at The Brunswick before and it was damn good but it’s been awhile. Elgin restaurants seem to be closing left and right lately.
Anyway we went there, ordered breakfast and sat around bumping gums til it came. This hash house is more clip joint than restaurant. How hard is it to make decent bacon and eggs?. really. The dame brought the so called food. My pal had sausage links and biscuits and gravy. I can’t speak for his food only to say he didn’t eat it and told me it was terrible.
My bacon was mostly fat dripping fat. I had to search for any meat. Crisp is NOT in the vocabulary in this shit hole. The hashbrowns were ok. The eggs tasted funny. The toast was like cardboard toasted, maybe bread from the second hand store down the block or something and the joe had been run through those Wal Mart grounds wayyyyyy too many times. Kinda more like warm coffee flavored dishwater.
The broad waiting on us asked how it was. I told her. She didn’t care of course. I left her a couple tips. One was some dough, waitress jobs are not walk in the park are they? The other tip was the bacon was sorry. She didn’t say anything about the uneaten food or offer any sort of discount. She just wanted to give us the gate. It was obvious even to a dumb bunny the food was no good.
I heard they water down their drinks in the bar. I don’t know about that, and since I’ll never go back guess I never will.
We drifted on out of there to look at some gats. The gun show wasn’t much better. High prices, few tables.
Some days are just wasted. This was one of them.
Don’t be a patsy and eat here. It’s a flim flam to be sure.
OK. that’s the crop.

I have been here 3 times and each time I have felt like I have been overcharged. I never leave this place with a smile on my face. Avoid at all costs!!!