Olympic Tavern

We stopped in here to kill a few hours on the way to a friends benefit. We were very surprised at how nice of a restaurant this was. We came in with a large group and sat at the bar and was promptly served by a friendly bartender and staff. They had many local micro Brews and craft beers on tap or in bottles. While we sat there they had a whiskey tasting going on which look to be very busy. We decided after having a few drinks to order some appetizers. So we ordered several portions of the volcano shrimp and shared amongst our group. Everybody loved them they were amazing I recommend you to try them. And we orderd several orders of the loaded fries. Perfect snack to hold us over.
We were very surprised at how big, clean, cool atmosphere, that this place was. Definitely a must stop when in Rockford or passing through. In a safe area of town. Menu is very impressive and we will have to stop back to try more our next visit. If you like unique beers and different bourbons, scotches, whiskeys, then this is your place.
The owner I believe or maybe the bar manager thanked us before leaving for us coming in to thier establishment. We explained why we were in town and that we were headed to a benefit. Never meeting this man before he offered us a cool ST. PATTY’S DAY photo head cut out for picture opportunities. What a classy guy. We thought it make some cool memories. Thanks sir. Alot people used it and had fun with it.
Next time back in town we will be coming here not just to eat but to hang out and drink here. Very classy joint. Rockfordidians needs to check this place out if you haven’t already.

I had a terrible experience with the service here. I don’t have much to say about the food other than it is okay. It’s typical pub food – sandwiches, fried food, etc. It’s not bad, but certainly nothing to write home about. My boyfriend and I and another couple went here on a Saturday night on our way to an Ice Hogs game. None of us live in Rockford, but the other couple had eaten here before. It was a Saturday night, so they were understandably busy. We understood that there was going to be a wait and that we would probably make it to the game a little late.
When the hostess sat us at our table, she did not give us any menus. When the server came, she asked us for our drink orders all the while being completely unaware of the fact that we had no menus. We had to ask her for menus and she came back with two even though there were four of us. No apology, no explanation for the menu shortage… okay then. We informed the server that we had tabs open at the bar and she said she would transfer them over to our table. Apparently that never happened because the bartender came to find us to close out our tabs. Every time our server left the table it was several minutes before she would return. After about 30 minutes had passed since we ordered our food, our server said she would put a rush on our food since we were trying to get to the game. Thirty minutes gone by and the kitchen hasn’t even started cooking our food yet? All we ordered were sandwiches. Another several minutes went by and still no food. They really put a rush on it alright. At this point, we had considered just leaving and eating at the game. Then our server finally reappears only to tell us that she’s let the manager know about the long wait, but still no food. We told her to please have the manager come to our table. By this point, every other table in our section had eaten their food and left already. Maybe about another twenty minutes go by and we finally get our food.
Then at some point after that the manager finally showed up at our table. She played dumb like she didn’t even know what our complaint was going to be. She didn’t take ownership of the situation either. It would have been nice if she just admitted that they messed up, apologized and offered us a comp. Instead, she blamed her staff saying that they should have informed her of the situation sooner and that she didn’t believe they were being honest with her about what went wrong. As far as I’m concerned, the staff sucking is a direct reflection of poor leadership on the manager’s fault. She told us that all she cares about is us coming back and offered us gift cards for next time. We refused indicating that we are not from the area. In the end, she comped our appetizers. It wasn’t even about the comp though. A sincere apology would have been nice. Overall, the staff is completely apathetic, unprofessional and incompetent. The only good thing I can say about this place is that they have a wide selection of beers.

Have not been here for 3 years, but it’s still incredible. Great craftsman vibe, delicious beers and fantastic food. A must for any Rockford visit. Enjoy

Menu choices are aweome and the beer menu is extensive!

WARNING: Yet another bad review.
Took family out at 4:30p for a supper, (only 8 of us). Asked for a table for 8, the replay was shocking!
We where told «…We have a reservation for 40 people, we are not going to be able to seat you…»
Being that this is 4:30p and on a Saturday, I was taken back by this.
No effort was even made to accommodate, not even a seat at the bar!
I work in the service industry, my dad is a retired Executive Chef and this to both of us was unacceptable and unprofessional. Before we could respond, we where asked to leave since no seating was going to be made available.
I Will go out of my way not to return and to make sure any social media is made aware of this transgressions!

I have always loved this place. The variety of beers is amazing. The food is always good. I love the bar’s atmosphere, neighborhood bar that welcomes everyone. What more would anyone want!

Service has gone downhill over the years. It used to be high-​quality (5 stars). Steak I ordered was chewy and flavorless. The sides were tasteless as well. Very bland. Husband wasn’t impressed with his burger. Gave this places a few chances to improve, but gets worse every visit. Service is slow and subpar.

My brother gave his siblings and parents gift certificates for Christmas from the Olympic. I misplaced mine — my fault — but was able to find the receipt he included with the gift card. Called and asked if it could be traced. Not only did the woman that took the call refuse to budge but she was flippant. Very disappointing.

I’ve been here many times, always trying something different each visit. I have yet to be disappointed in anything. The prices are reasonable, the presentation is superb, the food is delicious, and the atmosphere pleasant and relaxed.
Bar has a large selection of beers and spirits.
Don’t change a thing!

Food was delicious. I got the bison burger and it was amazing. My only gripe was the service there that night was less tha ideal

Service was nice. Ordered the poutine appetizer and buffalo chicken sandwich. Chicken was way to small in ratio to the soggy bun soaked in hot sauce and dressing. Fruit was under ripe, in conclusion the meal was OK. Their outdoor patio was very pretty though.

Perfect place with the exception of all the flies while sitting on the outside patio. Overall ambiance is good, large bar and tons of room. The menu is diverse, from salads, to pizza. It’s a place for beer lovers, with dozens of choices. From IPA’s today local brews. I myself, enjoyed a pomegranate sangria and also a sparkling wine, delicious. For the pizza lover I’d recommend the black n blue (steak, fresh blue cheese, red peppers, scallions) The Mac n Cheese, the Fish skewers. Service was good and the busser was on point. I’d recommend a few zappers outside, otherwise the perfect place to go!

Fun authentic «pub» atmosphere.
The on tap beer was over the top– the food was good too.
If your a pub fan, then you will like it for sure!

The Olympic is my kind of place. The food never lets you down and the draft brew selection is always vast, diverse and alway has something weird to test your taste buds. The menu isn’t plain by any means but its a fairly straight forward selection with a few twists. Nothing wrong with a variety of classics that are always solid. The portion size will test the most gluttonous of foodies. As far as the service. So what?! Ya didn’t get your «I’m better than everybody else’s ass» seated in 2min. The place is always busy come dinner time for a god damn reason! How can people knock a restaurant for packing the place while still providing excellent service. The place would be baron if it let people down. Suck it up buttercup and grab a beer or 2 at the bar to hold you over lol. Yeah, you may wait a bit but who cares when you can drink your hunger away. Even when they are busy and you have to wait a couple beers to get seated you wont wait long for food or service. I dig this place alot and you will too. Go for the solid well portioned food, good atmosphere, friendly crown and most of all the suds. Best craft beer selection in the greater Rockford area.

I really love the new layout of this restaurant and bar. The wait staff has always been really friendly, and the food is DELICIOUS! I enjoy the large selection of beers, and they are always changing. I highly recommend this place. I have eaten here many times, and have never been disappointed.

Been here a couple times with my parents when they come to town. They love it, my husband and I are kind of iffy on our opinion.
This past visit I ordered the caprese chicken panini and while the flavor was good it was so messy! The mess honestly ruined it for me. I shouldn’t need a large pile of napkins for a panini. There was way too much balsamic on it that it made the whole thing fall apart.
My husband had the buffalo chicken Sandwich and he did not like how the piece of chicken was too big for the bun and that it was absolutely smothered in the buffalo sauce. He ordered blue cheese crumbles on top and there was so much buffalo sauce he couldn’t even taste the blue cheese.
We will most likely continue to go back when my parents visit but will not be a place that we frequent often

This was my wife and my second visit to the Olympic Tavern. The beer selection was excellent and the food choices were interesting.
Upon arrival, the entire place was at capacity; however, we found a spot at the end of the bar. The staff was prompt and friendly throughout our visit. The food was a bit slow coming from the kitchen, which we learned from other patrons was unusual. We didn’t mind as we enjoyed the inviting environs.
For this visit, we opted for appetizers: crabcake, seared ahi tuna, baked goat cheese and the bacon date special. Each one was delicious, well presented and offered an interesting variety.
I still haven’t mentioned the beer. Whomever selects it is doing a good job of offering choices that are pleasing and challenging. I especially enjoyed the Revolution Uncalled Four 2014, a bourbon barrel Belgian quadruple ale.
I didn’t rate 5 stars due to the slowness of the food; however, it really didn’t detract from a very nice evening. We will return!

Oh boy! Love love love! Great food. The guacamole & fresh chips was fantastic
The black & blue flatbread is amazing!!! Perfect! Blue cheese-that’s all! My friend got the California club wrap & fries. Delish. Fresh, packed full of turkey– looking forward to the next time!

To me the Olympic Tavern gets the tavern feel spot-​on.
There is an excellent beer selection that is constantly rotated and it is well-​publicized when they will be getting something new in so you never miss a great pour of a beer that is hard to get. Whoever runs the bar and beer buying does a great job of keeping a diverse selection of things on tap that will appeal to almost anyone who likes beer at all.
The food is excellent, but I must say that since I’ve found my favorite menu item the breadth of my exposure to their menu is fairly limited. The bison burger is always great — don’t be a health-​nut, add the bacon. I’ve also tried mussels here, which we’re surprisingly pretty good for a place so far from any open salt water.
Service has always been great and the environment is awesome — especially in the summer. Make sure you check out their outdoor seating. The pergola provides a good amount of shade.

We stopped by The Olympic while we were in town visiting my inlaws this week. I was really impressed by the vast beer selection and resonable prices that the Olympic offered. Coming in from Colorado I was hoping to try some local beer and the Olympic delivered. While we didn’t eat, we did get a chance to chat with the owner for a while (turns out my husband went to high school with him), and it sounds like they are doing some really amazing things — the menu looks fantastic and they have lots of fun events on deck for the summer.
I really excited to hit up the Olympic on our next trip to Rockford!