The Log Cabin Inn

LOVE THIS BAR!
When visiting this bar it’s usually a group of us (about 9 – 10) people maybe more. The bartenders are awesome. They are very attentive and if they recognize you they make you feel right at home. The owner lady is such a sweet heart. They recently added two new bartenders which I think are nice, one waters the drinks down the other makes them strong lol so it’s ⁵⁰⁄₅₀
The setting is awesome. Have been there about 8 times and just realized about the fire pits. I agree some of the regulars are rude, especially with the music or pool table but ehh we don’t care.
Definitely reccommend for a chill night.
Their ground beef perogis are awesome!

I’ve been driving past this oddity for 35 years on my way to O’Hare. My wife and I have often joked about stopping in for a beer — because it is after all a log cabin.
So yesterday returning from the airport, we finally did it, and impulsively pulled in.
Wow.
Other reviews here accurately describe the eccentric charms of the place, the bocce courts, outdoor patios with fire pits, Polish pizza bread, pirogies and beer … but the total package? It’s a hoot!

I’m a little hesitant to review only because I want to keep this place a secret all to myself, but alas the world deserves to know that Log Cabin Inn exists, proving that you can find hidden gems in the suburbs, even in Des Plaines!
Imagine if they moved a hunting lodge from the remote wilderness of Montana and threw it onto the set of the Hobbit and the Log Cabin Inn is what you would get. The bar itself is decorated with hunting/​pioneer era paraphernalia that you could spend hours admiring, but they also have a decent number of TVs to catch the ball game of your choice as well. But as amazing as the inside bar is, the crown jewel of this place (aka: The Shire from the Hobbit) is it’s beautiful & rustic outdoor patio area complete with several wood burning hearths to keep you warm on a cool night. And if that wasn’t enough, another huge area devoted just for bocce ball courts. I think this place is technically a Polish bar but EVERYONE working there was so friendly and the drinks were cheap! They even serve up Polish food as well. My buddy wouldn’t let us leave without ordering a round of pirogies as we played bocce ball all night long with a couple of other patrons we met there.
Go there ASAP. This place deserves your business and I hope they stay open forever!

This truely is a hidden gem. From friendly staff to an amazing outdoor seating area… it is truely a gem.

So this is in an area that Des Planes, Park Ridge, and Niles all would rather not claim, but I drive by it all the time going home from 294 and have always wanted to give it a shot… But with friends. I really anticipated something much different (and not good different). This place was awesome! Solid beer selection with an awesome Patio, and its not dank at all. Really great staff, clean, and all around, fun experience. Good Polish beer selection if your into big bottles with higher alcohol content.

This is my go-​to place to relax. Very friendly staff, very welcoming. I feel weird when I go to other bars alone, but I could sit and relax alone with no company. I wouldn’t feel eyes over me. I recommend this place to anyone who need some nice time alone. Also they have good country/​jazz music which I love anyday.

Don’t let the view from the road fool you! Definitely a place to chill with friends.
Last night I was invited to join a group here to hangout in the back patio next to a fire with options for Polish food and beer. After reading some of the reviews on Unilocal and seeing the few pics I was highly skeptical. One review gave me hope so I invited a couple friends as well. While I didn’t spend the night inside I can say the back patio is awesome! We had our own area with wooden seats and tables, covered by trees and with a fireplace to keep warm. A couple of us had polish sausages (on sliced bread, not buns) and some other items which were mediocre, but the Polish beers were good. The service was excellent, they were friendly and prompt but also nice enough to bring out crackers and dip as well as cherry infused vodka shots for free! A couple reviews mentioned they played some 70s rock music but I heard Ah-​ha, NIN, and Biggie, which I thought wax a fun mix being a 30-​something. If it wasn’t dark out I would have taken pics to post.
Are people not talking up this place on Unilocal so it won’t get too crowded outside? I wish I heard about the outdoor setup at the beginning of the summer instead of the end.

Lots of somber looking men sitting at the bar on a Tuesday night watching a re-​run hockey game from who knows when, listening to Queensryche on the jukebox. My husband loved it the moment we walked in.
It’s definitely a «regulars» kind of bar and we will never be regulars, but it wasn’t a bad place to spend the night. The décor is really very cool log cabin style, artfully done and well maintained or perhaps brand new. Definitely, the décor puts it well above your standard «old man bar».
The pool table had a regular group on it with their own pool sticks all night. Did I mention this was a Tuesday night. But I wouldn’t want to try and interrupt that. There’s a general sense of being a bit of an intruder at a private party. Nevertheless, when the music switched to Billy Joel hits I was enjoying myself nonetheless. Or, maybe it was the $ 2.50 domestics that made it all quite alright.

great service but regulars rude to newcomers. regulars basically telling newcomers to get out of their bar and yelling racial slurs when on my way out.

Love outside area. Very good beer choices. Please updatee/​bras on the moose is outdated and offends some women. It is said attract women and men will follow. Needs a fresh new look.

Only stopped by briefly after dinner with friends as we were not ready to go home yet. Warm, woody and friendly, but easy to get lost in the Narnia like maze of back rooms. Bartender was friendly and foosball was an addictive distraction from some of the patrons poorly made jukebox choices. Lots of places to sit to chat. Only had a drink or two, but feels local and laid back.

The inside is small and interesting! They make food for the customers for free and they have a very comfortable back room too.
The real treat here is the outside. When the weather is warm this place just kicks ass. They have a couple of fire pits, horse shoes, logs to sit on, tables galore, and all sorts of interesting things. Its a nice change of pace from the stereotypical sports bars in the area.
Everything here is completely random and has no theme which makes it all the more unique.

Please disregard the old reviews about this place and how it bashes this fantastic low-​key, chill, home style hangout.
I have been going to this bar for a little over a year and this place is well worth the trip. From the street it looks like a regular log cabin. From the outside it looks small but once you go inside its actually much bigger. This place is right across from a firefighter station so its easy to find. It is wheelchair accessible and the parking lot if fairly big. A good 25 – 30 cars can fit in the lot. There are no parking lanes in the middle of the lot only on the ends of the lot so if you must park in the middle you will have to make your own spot. Once you walk in the floors are hardwood polished down, but not slippery. To your left right away will be another door that will lead you to the outside back area. Once you walk to the right, outside, there is a sheltered area kind of like a porch then you can walk more and there will be a gazebo looking structure and you can sit under it with tree stumps and chairs for you to sit on. Towards the back there is a grill and more chairs and tables to chill when the weather is warm. The ground is covered in wood chips. There is also a small fountain and an outdoor fireplace as well. There is also a door behind the bar inside that can switch to a half door. They open the top half so for the people who sit outside can go up to the door, request their drink and still stay outside in the back area instead of having to walk back inside, wait then take your drinks back outside again. You can go inside to order if you’d prefer as well.
If you do not choose to hang out in the luxurious back outdoor area, you can obviously hang out inside, especially during the cold days and the winter! Once you walk into the bar, to your right immediately there is one couch which seats 3 people and 2 love single couches. There is a small table in the middle to set your drinks down and there is a fireplace right in front of the couches. They do use the fireplace whenever its cold outside. Its not for decoration, they actually use the fireplace often. Above the fireplace is a flat screen tv and they usually ask me and my group what we want to watch. They offer us the remote or ask us if whats on the tv is ok. Very kind.
Behind the couches is a small table with bar stools. Its for people who want to sit around the table, drink, eat and chat and watch tv as well. Opposite the bar on the other side of the room is one pool table. They only have one and it takes quarters. Its $ 1.00 per game. Then in the back of the main room of the bar is a typical jukebox thats attached to the wall and hooked up to the internet if you want to request s specific song. Its a touchscreen and has the typical choices that most bars have. Rock, pop, oldies, heavy metal and new heavy metal from today, etc. No you cannot go on the internet with it. It only plays music.
Then also in the back of the main room is a small place where they usually have free hot dogs, bratwurst, shrimp, salad and pasta on the weekends fri-​sun. If you go during the normal week there almost usually don’t have that free food. They supply the buns, napkins, utensils, paper plates, so you can serve yourself. Then in between the jukebox and that delicious free food is a doorway that leads 2 steps down to a small room. On your left immediately will be 2 small couches next to the wall on the corner and further back will be one more couch with some chairs and a small tv. Its not flatscreen. The backroom is decorated with random pictures of the bar owners, friends, and landscapes, etc.
This brings us to the MAIN BAR. There are bar stools about 12 I would say. Also on the walls behind the bar are 4 flat screen tvs which they usually have something different playing on most of them which I personally like a lot. I hate sports bars and at least this establishment shows more than just sports on their tvs thankfully. On one tv they usually decide to show whatever sports are on, another tv will usually have the news or something like that, and usually the other 2 tvs have like man vs wild or some reality show like that. At least thats what I usually see every time Im there. The bar has a wide choice of hard liquors so you can request mixed drinks or have them make some shots or mixed drinks for you of course. Or if you know of some drinks and the bartenders dont know how to make it you can just request individual shots and make it yourself. They have 2 very good and smooth polish beers: Okocim and Zywiec. They are both served on tap and are very smooth pilsners. They do have typical american beers that all bars carry and they also have a jäger machine that I have seen most bars carry.
Yes this is a bar I will ALWAYS be a fan of and will always be going to unless they shut down or their awesome service and courtesy goes downhill. I recommend going here. Its a cozy, warm, home feel and pretty chill and not at all loud bar.

This is the best kept secret in the nw suburbs — fabulous, gigantic hamburger in unusual setting. great outdoor seating as well as inside.

For months I’ve begged my boyfriend and friends to come with me to the lil log cabin bar we frequently pass by on Potter Rd., and I finally got my way this weekend. If you are into low-​key bars that serve up Polish beer and free (yes, free!) small Polish bites, then this is the spot for you. I don’t know if they always have free food, but on Friday night they did and we were encouraged by a lovely lady in the kitchen (presumably the cook?) to EAT! After the coaxing and about 3 large Zwiecks, we gave in and it was good, homey stuff.
I think this place has a bad rep because of it’s location and it’s outward appearance. But much like an onion, you gotta peel back a few layers to get to the real thing. Had we stopped in for 1 beer, we probably would not have enjoyed it as much as we did. But we had such a great time relaxing at the bar and putting away Polish beers, that we meandered over to the pool table and struck up a game with some regulars. And at least for me, a place we can relax, play pool, listen to country music, and drink Polish beer is a good place to be!

Somehow I got filtered the first time, a real original place, kind of dirty and a little stinky but a fun dive bar. I haven’t mustered the courage to eat there yet but they have a good selection of beers and the most unusual wall décor you will ever see.

Um, well, I’m not totally sure what to say about this place. It is ridiculous, in a word.
It has an extremely random array of just about everything — furniture, people, alcoholic beverages. On tap, there were a couple beers that I hadn’t heard of (but not in a fun, beer-​snobby microbrewed way), Okocim, and Newcastle. RANDOM.
There was a crazy lady with what looked like sprayed-​on hair loudly cursing her bad luck (or complete lack of skill) with the pool game she was playing. There were sausages sitting out on a buffet. Some guy offered my friend and I four dollars to play songs on the «jukebox» (this place would actually get a whole lot more points from me if it had a REAL jukebox instead of one of those digital music players on the wall).
A whole bunch of brosephs were sitting at the bar, watching a game. The music was kind of fantastic, but in a terrifying way. There was a commemorative September 11 American flag hanging on the ceiling, and lots of either stuffed or plastic fish and animals hung on the walls.
The hodge podge of stuff that was happening here — on a Tuesday night, no less — made for a good time, kinda. I’ll go back, most likely. But I will not drink Okocim. No, sir.

Great place nice décor and if too many Poles so what. This is Chicago and there are many poles who gather and drink beer. Nobody says nothing about Irish bars and what ethnicity goes there. Poles kick ass

One of the nicest fix ups of an older bar I have ever seen. The owner, Lester, is a woodworking master, and not only desgined the motorcycle made of wood outside of the establishment, but he redesigned the entire inside of the bar. The new place looks beautiful, Lester!
Helena and Lester are always there. They provide food in the back room for people at no charge, and it’s usually amazing Polish cuisine. I have yet to eat very much of it though b/​c I have usually already eaten dinner by the time I get there.
Log Cabin is a great place to bring a group of you old high school friends, find one of the nice new tables to sit at, and take down some Okochim Polish beer. YUM!!!

— The tap has just four beers,
— Menu is as limited and as basic you can get,
— The average patron’s age is closer to Golden Girls than Gilmore Girls,
— The service will be indifferent in a weirdly non-​irritating fashion (unless you’re a Pole),
— It’s in the middle of a residential zone,
— AND you’ll be reeking of cigarrette smoke for days.
So why the three stars?
— You don’t have park in a lot shared with a big-​box retailer,
— It’s not a cookie-​cutter sports-​bar/​restaurant/​whatever chain,
— Your conversations are actually audible to participants,
— It’s got the coziness of a corner bar without being a hole-​in-​the-​wall,
— Fido doesn’t have to sit out in the cold while you’re enjoying a cold one,
— AND by far, this is the least pretentious place in Glenview
The Log Cabin Inn is a Polish bar on Potter about half-​way between Ballard and Golf. You wouldn’t know it’s Polish as you drive by, because it has a brightly lit Old Style sign by the road, across the parking lot, and the building actually DOES look like a log cabin. The decoration is an odd mix of hunting-​themed base, with flags of all branches of Armed Forces, models of old clippers, and neon beer brand signs.
However, it’s a Polish bar. Most of the patrons are Poles (many of them seem like regulars), the owners and the bartenders (women) are Poles, the menu has Polish dishes (e.g. stuffed cabbage — 2 for $ 6), and two of the beers on tap are Polish (Okochim and Okochim Dark). Being a Korean-​American, I do get a brief stare from both the bartender (there’s usually just one bartender who tends the bar and serves the tables) and the patrons, but they quickly resume an indifferent-​but-​not-​unfriendly air. In fact, you can tell the non-​Poles apart because they have a demeanor more familiar in a typical bar you’ll usually frequent (that is, unless you’re a Pole who hang out mostly at Polish bars)… :-)
All in all, however, this is just a casual place I can go for a conversation with a buddy over good (strong) beer, where service is never intrusive and breezy (in a not-​fake-​hopitable way), and overall, where I feel most comfortable in all Glenview-​area bars.
Yes, the three stars is a purely subjective rating, but I stand by it!