After months of anticipation, Pucks Pub & Grill offers sports fans Lake Bluff’s own bar and grill to watch any sporting event, and enjoy quality food. Located right down Rockland Rd, it is one of the sports bars and grill’s in the area. Owned and operated by the same owners of Donati’s Pizza, one can guarantee a good meal and experience at Puck’s.

Atmosphere – 10 / 10

The name speaks for itself. Pucks is a hockey-themed establishment but does not shy away from the other Chicago sports. Immediately upon entering the restaurant, one can see multiple neon signs, Blackhawks memorabilia, and anything related to Chicago sports. The wall behind the bar was a chalkboard that listed their menu, as well as the upcoming Blackhawks games. I can imagine that when the Hawks are playing, the place is hopping with fans looking to watch the game alongside other fans. Due to the Hawks memorabilia and tons of TVs, Puck’s earned a perfect 10 out of 10 for the atmosphere. 

Service – 7 / 10

After entering Pucks, we were greeted by our waiter who was super friendly and personable. After he sat us down, he came back multiple times to check in on us and even recommended some of his favorite items on the menu. The only thing that knocked the service was how long the food took. With only 4 other people in the restaurant, we thought that the food would come out quickly, but it took nearly 20 minutes. Aside from the long wait for our food, the service from the server was great, and it earned itself a 7 out of 10. 

Food Quality – 7 / 10

Coming from owners of Donati’s, we expected normal bar pizza, but we were caught by surprise. Puck’s has grilled pizza–different from Donati’s–and we were eager to try it. Expecting it to be more of a thin crust, crunchy pizza, it was softer, and you could feel the grill lines on the back. It still tasted like Donati’s pizza, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Adding the grilling aspect is different, but with the same sauce, it tastes the same. The wings were a little dry, but still crunchy on the outside. Both sauces were very good, probably the same ones from Donati’s, but were good. While nothing blew us away, it was still a very good meal to have on a weekend or you’re catching a sports event. The wings and the grilled pizza earned them a 7 out of 10. 

Affordability –  7 / 10 

Puck’s was on the pricey end as our order of a pizza, and wings for two came out to 35$. We were a bit surprised as wings are usually inexpensive at many restaurants. However, we did take into account that it is a new restaurant that opened during the global pandemic, so in order to stay afloat, their prices needed to be a little higher. With that being said, the food was still a little expensive for the quality we felt, and because of that, it earned a 7 out of 10. 

Overall: 3.8 / 5.0