Backyard Grill & Bar

Nestled in downtown Cherry Valley the BYG a safe choice in a small town with few choices available. Standard fare-​delivered to your table promptly and by staff that is attentive. Nice small beer garden where groups can sit out and enjoy a few libations.
The only drawback is since it is in a small town with few options you can get times where the bar area gets people who are out to party and it gets quite loud and can disrupt your dining experience.

Cute bar! Much bigger than I thought it would be. You walk in and there is a bar, head to the back for a cozy diner. I had the jalapeño macaroni and it was delish! Will definitely recommend.

Average menu and the service is just okay. On an upside the drinks were well made. Not a place I’ll try again.

As a Front Desk Concierge for one of the top hotels in Rockford I like to visit local restaurants so I can give suggestions to my guests. Located in the village of Cherry Valley, just 3.5 miles from the hotel campus, is the Backyard Grill. I went in on a Monday at 8 p.m. and was instantly greeted by the bartender Candy. When I asked for a menu she first told me about the special, a T-​Bone steak with the fixings, for the price she had me sold. I chose the extras of a bowl of chili, baked potato and baked beans. The steak was a good portion for the price and cooked perfectly. You could taste the hickory smoked grill flavor, no need for A-​1 and even ate the fat from the edges of the meat it tasted so good. Kudos to the cook. Chili was delicious, the potato was so good that I even ate the skin. My dinner also came with a loaf of bread that was soft and delicious. Being a chocolate lover I opted for the Brownie Sandwich Sundae for desert which was excellent. I should of skipped it cause by the time I got to my car I had to let my belt out a notch cause the meal itself was so filling. One thing I noticed that only comes from these small town type places is the way Candy and the Manager (Matt) worked the crowd. No one was going without service and follow up was important to them. I flipped through the specials menu and saw that there is a steak special everyday except Friday (Fish special) and Sunday (Ribs) I would feel comfortable in my business suit coming right from work or my blue jeans after a day on the motorcycle. If you want to skip the chain steak or burger places give this place a try. Total price for meal, desert and a mixed drink, $ 21.00 plus change.

They have a very good fish fry on Friday night. The portions are large and the food is well cooked. The selection is large and they have one of the best fried mushrooms around. Nice outside deck too !!

Cheers type bar, clean, friendly, awesome backyard burger. Burger tasted like it was fresh off a bbq grill with thick slices of bacon, steak fries were perfect.

Decent burger with a nice outdoor patio. I realize this establishment has no control of the air-​raid sirens that went off for 3 minutes straight, but come on? Literally ear drum damaging.

We stopped in after a long road trip. The atmosphere was decent. There was an outdoor patio, which is nice. They have cartoon farm animals depicted on the menu, which I do not like. Might be a quirk, but it bothers me.
The food was ok. I ordered a Swiss mushroom burger which was prepared from seemingly canned mushrooms, a soggy bun, and the icky part of an onion. My hubby had the steak special, which he greatly enjoyed.
The drinks were wonderful! I had the special, which was a $ 3 Long Island. I was not disappointed! I drank two! My hubby had beers and he was pleased. The waitress was even nice enough to bring him a sample of something he considered ordering. Overall, great service and ok grub.

Ok, I decided to go for lunch and check out this place. I sat down and for a first impression, it wasn’t something that stood out– just a normal little bar. I ordered chili for my soup and Louisiana chicken with fries. 5 minutes later I get my chili and it was cooked perfectly. Great texture, color, taste served with fresh onions and peppers. Then came the freshly cooked bread. Amazing crust with the best tasting spices. After this came my lunch. The chicken was cooked perfectly. Cooked over an open fire, super juicy and filled with flavor. Coleslaw was perfect and the potato wedges were cooked just right. I would highly recommend this place for anyone in the area. Service was great as well. Chef Ramsey would be proud.

The food was terrible. I had the Cuban sandwich, and it was dry and totally bland. I would definitely not come back. On a positive note, the service was good.

Great busy neighborhood bar — casual, friendly with good beers on tap. Food is your average pub fare, good prices. Really, really positive service. This is a perfect place to relax after work!

Awesome food & great prices! LOVE LOVE LOVE this place!!!

The food is pretty good and the prices are reasonable. It’s nothing fancy that’s for sure. The seating is very crowded and the dining area is small. If you look at their website, don’t expect the daily special to actually be what is on there.