Fritz’s Wooden Nickel

Great local bar w/​great food options. We usually find ourselves there on Friday nights, lots of great fish options, salad bar, etc.

Worst meal I’ve had in years!!! We have been long time «fans» but were devastated at the horrible quality of the food. The only people in our party of 8 that ate their meal were the two 5 year olds. Sooooo disappointed… WILL not be back.

Great small town bar, definitely the best dining option in Stillman. I haven’t made it for steak night before, but both the fish and chicken nights are hard to top. The service is always friendly and quick and the ambiance is Stillman-​appropriate (mostly license plates and high school memorabilia). As referenced in another review, the chicken noodle soup (especially the noodles) are great. Good to see the recipe surviving following the demises of Track Inn (Davis Junction) and T-​Bone Willy’s (Rockford) years ago. The rest of the salad bar is very good as well, as all the specialty salads (coleslaw, macaroni, broccoli, potato, and others) are above average. Cheap drinks are always a plus.

This is probably the best thing in Stillman Valley. Don’t let it fool you when you walk in, it is a bar, but there is a dinning area in the rear. They have a good salad bar and their Chicken Noodle soup is amazing. They have different specials every night of the week, except Sundays when they are not open. If you are there on Saturday, you need to get the Prime Rib. by far one of the best ones in north central Illinois.
It is a family run business so at anytime the owner/​cook will come out and talk to you or his wife. Many times one of his daughters is working the bar or waiting tables. They also have other wait staff as well. Service depends on how busy they are and who is working. Sometimes it’s really good, others it can get really sparse.
The place does have a bit of a run down/​dive feel to it, but it really is pretty clean. I’ve taken my entire family in here time and again for lunch and dinner.
If you are in the neighborhood and looking for something to eat or drink, it’s worth stopping in and checking out.

When in Stillman Valley, you should check out Fritz’s Wooden Nickel. It’s primarily a bar, but they have a full menu. The food is great. The salad bar is exceptional. The prices are fantastic. They have a GYOM (Grill Your Own Meat) night too. You tell Fritz what you want, and he’ll hook you up with the meat of your choice to cook on their big barrel grill in the back.
The beer selection isn’t very wide-​ranging which is a slight minus in my book, but the people who work there are very cool and Fritz himself is both funny and accommodating.