Overview:

Wednesday night trivia? Live music? Outdoor seating? You name it. Old Republic [Kitchen + Bar] in Elgin, IL is an indoor/outdoor upbeat hub with classic American Eats, Beer & Cocktails, plus Live Music & TV Sports. Right in the same parking lot as Marcus Cinemas in Elgin, this restaurant, as part of the top family restaurants in Kane County, their kitchen is American focused and features specialties from all over the country – including their award winning burgers, thin and crispy pizza, smoked meats, fresh fish, prime steaks & legendary drinks.

When you walk in, the restaurant is filled with all sorts of seating, from large booths to tables to bar seating, and the place is filled with many TV’s, so you never miss any of the sports action. As mentioned above, there is an outdoor patio to enjoy the nice weather and they have a large stage for occasional live music. This place is the perfect go-to spot to get together with those you love!

My Experience:

One Wednesday night, my fiancé (then girlfriend) and I were thinking of a place to eat. We were looking at places and nothing was really speaking to us, until we came across an old favorite of ours: Old Republic. We had been to this restaurant a couple of times before, but my fiancé had insisted that we go so that I can try the Chicken Fresca wrap. The past few times I had been here, I had gotten a bowl of a Cajun chicken pasta and a burger, and both were delicious, but she insisted I try this wrap. So, we ended up going.

When I tell you I was not ready for this wrap, I was NOT ready for it. The Chicken Fresca wrap consists of “grilled chicken, lettuce, Tilamook® cheddar, pico de gallo, avocado, crunchy tortilla strips + chipotle mayo in a whole wheat tortilla”. Once I saw that this was what was in the wrap, I was sold. No questions asked, I ordered it.

This wrap BLEW me away. Ever since eating it for the first time, i had been craving it at least once a month since (and trust me, it has been too many months since I had last been there). All of the items were packed in the wrap perfectly, and I didn’t feel like any of the flavors overpowered each other. The crunchy tortilla strips were probably the most underrated part of this because it gave it that bit of crunch that I didn’t know it needed until I took that first bite. The fries were also good, I feel as though they were cooked just the perfect amount and I didn’t need to add any salt or dipping sauce to it. I will say though, something to make note of, the prices are a bit high: this wrap was around $20. But the wrap was so good that it didn’t bother me a whole lot.

While we were there, we had actually been there at the start of their trivia night, and we stayed for one round of questions (and we honestly did not do too terribly!)

Overall, this place is great for a night out with friends and family (but maybe share to cut some costs), and make sure to go while the weather nice so that you can enjoy a nice night outside with some live music.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10