Review of Tommy Nevins Pub in Naperville, Illinois

I have endured two visits to the Tommy Nevins Pub of Naperville this past summer. I felt a review was well overdue since I think these two visits seemed satisfactory enough upon which to base an opinion. The Tommy Nevin's location in Naperville is just one of three all located in the Chicago area. The restaurant is located at 3032 English Row Avenue which is just off route 59 at the very southern end of Naperville. Those visiting from the North or West will unfortunately have to endure a very congested ride through numerous stop lights getting past the likes of Fox Valley Mall.

Food

While this establishment is referred to as a pub, the food offerings are plentiful. Aside from the desire to sit down at the bar for a quick ale or scotch, take time to peruse the menu. The food style is of course Irish with a large amount of traditional American cuisine also offered. If lamb stew, corned beef and cabbage, fish and chips are not your thing, consider a grilled sandwich, steak or salad.

The appetizer menu is probably the best feature of this restaurant. Both of my visits have been attributed to being a guest at different birthday gatherings for which we ordered several starter appetizers which included blackened sirloin tips, spinach and artichoke dip, chicken fingers, and harp strings otherwise known as deep fried onion strips. The blackened sirloin tips and harp strings were addictive and insatiable. The appetizers were all consumed rather quickly as we perused the dinner menu.

Dinner options are plentiful and average at best. My dinner tasting experience of Nevins included the likes of the beef stroganoff and the fish and chips. My initial visit to the pub included a pretty tasty and satisfactory stroganoff. The fish and chips were greasy and rather limited in portion. I had buyer remorse by not going with a rib eye sandwich or even ordering the stroganoff once again.

Desserts items were decent as there were a few items I recalled from the previous visit such as the brownie sundae and an apple pie ensemble. I went with the seasonal item offered that night that was the berry bread pudding. The pudding was really good with an ample amount of berries and a light sauce that complemented the pudding very well.

Service

The service experience at Tommy Nevins for both visits has been pretty decent. We had no wait getting our reserved tables and the staff was on top of drink refills and tending to our needs. The second trip even involved a spill of water courtesy of my oldest child which was quickly tended to by the staff. From hostess, to server, to bus staff, the staff has been spot on for both trips.

Ambience

The allure to coming to Tommy Nevins seems to be attributed to the cozy factor. The cozy factor includes several high definition flat screens in the large pub and in the outdoor area. The cozy factor also includes several private and enclosed booths for privacy. Another quality feature of Nevins is the private library dining room in the back corner of the restaurant. Add in some quality millwork and fireplaces throughout the restaurant and bars (including outdoor) and one has the making of a really fun place to gather with friends for conversation or to watch the big game.

Parking

Parking at Tommy Nevins in Naperville is a real challenge. First of all, just getting to the parking lot can be quite cumbersome as the restaurant is positioned off route 59 but only accessible from a frontage road. The way into the restaurant parking lot is sort of tricky with finding a parking spot becoming mission impossible when dining on a Saturday night. I have been lucky to find parking spots at the very end of the lot on both Saturday evening visits, but I would expect many patrons to have to park in adjoining lots when holding reservations after six o'clock.

My overall impression of Tommy Nevins is that it is a great venue to go with friends or acquaintances when looking to get out have a good pint or scotch, and a sandwich or few baskets of appetizers. For a full scale meal, I would recommend looking someplace else for the money.