The Rafters
The Rafters Restaurant and Catering is a family owned and operated business that has been serving Northern Illinois since 2002. Currently spearheaded by Gary and Ross Vehmeier, The Rafters is serving up lunch and dinner specials in the restaurant and bar. Also offering banquet rooms, off-site catering packages, and introducing new specialties to the area like a new brewery/distillery and smokehouse in 2013. Whether dining in or at your own location we adhere to the utmost commitment to quality, service, and class in every situation to provide you a pleasurable dining experience, great tasting food and beverage, and memorable moments cherished for years to come.
Steak, Seafood
- $$$$
LOCATION AND HOURS
Location
Hours
- Monday
- 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM
- Tuesday
- 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM
- Wednesday
- 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM
- Thursday
- 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM
- Friday
- 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
- Saturday
- 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
- Sunday
- 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
MORE DETAILS
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Atmosphere
Family / Children, Bar Scene, Live Music, Romantic
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Amenities
Wi-fi, TV, Private Party Room, Dancing
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Attire
No Dress Code
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Payment Methods
Amex Cash Discover Mastercard Visa
MENU
Starters
Brisket Nachos
$9.99Smoked Brisket, home-made cheese sauce, shredded cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, green onion, black olives and sour cream atop BBQ seasoned tortilla chips
Haystack
$7.99Lightly beer-breaded fried onion rings and strings served with ranch dressing and our haystack sauce
Fried Pickles
$5.99Lightly breaded kosher dill pickle chips served with southwest ranch dressing
Wisconsin Cheese Curds
$5.99Served with haystack sauce and ranch
Soup & Salad
Baked French Onion Soup
$2.99Soup Du Jour
Ask your server about today's soup
Cup
$1.99
Bowl
$2.99
House Side Salad
$1.99Romaine and Iceberg with tomatoes, croutons and your choice of dressing
Rafters Salad
$9.99Romaine and Iceberg topped with grilled chicken, hard-boiled egg, bacon, roasted red peppers, tomato and red onion
Burgers
Served on a pretzel roll with your choice of: French fries, home-made potato chips or coleslaw. Try our mac-ncheese or sweet potato tater tots for $1
The Rafters' Burger
$7.998 oz. hand-pattied Hereford beef burger served with lettuce, tomato and pickle
Maple Bourbon Bacon Burger
$9.99Our 8 oz. burger topped with apple wood smoked bacon and our signature maple bourbon sauce
Haystack Burger
$10.99Our 8 oz. burger topped with melted cheddar and provolone cheeses and haystack fried onion rings
Black & Bleu Burg
$9.99First we blacken our 8 oz. burger, then we top it with melted bleu cheese crumbles and grilled onions
Sandwiches & Wraps
Served with your choice of: French fries, home-made potato chips or coleslaw. Try our mac-n-cheese or sweet potato tater tots for $1
Reuben
$7.99Sliced corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and home-made 1000 island dressing served on marbled rye
BBQ Brisket Sandwich
$7.99Our slow-smoked brisket topped with barbeque sauce and served on an egg bun
Bratwurst
$6.99Grilled bratwurst on a pretzel roll with a Lena Brewing Company beer mustard
Pulled Pork n' Slaw
$6.99Our very own in-house, slow-smoked pulled pork topped with BBQ sauce and served on Portuguese cornbread with a touch of slaw
Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap
$8.99Grilled chicken, apple wood smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, shredded cheddar cheese and ranch dressing wrapped in a flour tortilla
Portobello Sandwich
$7.99Marinated and grilled Portobello cap topped with melted Provolone cheese and roasted red peppers. Served on an egg bun
Rafters' Combo
$7.99BLT on Texas toast served with a cup of home-made soup
Smokestack Sandwich
$9.99Our slow-smoked brisket topped with melted cheddar cheese, haystack fried onions and a smoky barbeque aioli
Fresh Features
Autumn Orchard Salad
$9.99Romaine and Iceberg topped with apples, dried cranberries, feta cheese, chopped bacon and walnuts
BBQ Chicken Sandwich
$7.99Smoked boneless chicken thigh topped with our tangy Carolina sauce and served on an egg bun
Western Pork Sandwich
$9.99Our slow-smoked pulled pork, melted cheddar cheese, green peppers, grilled onion and smoky barbeque aioli served on grilled Texas toast
Autumn Orchard Wrap
$8.99Our slow-smoked pulled pork, sautéed apples, crunchy cabbage and our tangy Carolina sauce wrapped in a flour tortilla
Appetizers
Thai Shrimp
$8.99Cornstarch encrusted shrimp sautéed and tossed in our sweet Thai chili cream sauce. Served on a bed of fresh romaine
Stuffed Portobello Caps
$8.99Creamy spinach and artichoke dip inside two portobello mushroom caps
Spin-Art Dip
$7.99Toasted pita points served up with our famous creamy, cheesy spinach & artichoke dip
Haystack
$7.99Lightly beer-breaded fried onion strings with Ranch dressing & our Haystack sauce
Thin Skins
$5.99Potato wedges with homemade cheese sauce, bacon bits, scallions, and sour cream
Wisconsin Cheese Curds
$5.99with Haystack sauce and Ranch
Fried Pickles
$5.99Lightly breaded kosher pickle chips served with southwest ranch dressing
Bruschetta
$7.99Fresh tomatoes, onion, basil, garlic and balsamic vinegar tossed together and served with toasted pita points. Topped with shredded parmesan cheese
Chicken
Fried Chicken
$13.99You're in a barn, of course we have fried chicken! 4 piece lightly breaded chicken
Fire-Roasted Chicken
$12.99Marinated and grilled chicken breast topped with grilled onions, roasted red peppers and mushrooms
Choice of Sides
Parmesan Red Potatoes
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Baked Potato
Mac 'n Cheese or French Fries
with Fresh Vegetable du Jour
Beef & Pork
6 Oz. Filet Mignon
$19.99USDA choice beef tenderloin filet char-grilled to perfection
14 Oz. Rib-eye
$24.99Perfectly marbled USDA choice beef rib-eye char-grilled to perfection
Smoked Ribs
$14.99Our home-smoked St. Louis style ribs are perfectly cooked and brushed with homemade BBQ sauce
Pork Medallions
$14.99Two pork medallions rolled in Portuguese cornbread crumbs, pan seared and served with our signature herb cream sauce
Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin Chops
$16.99Two tender pork loin chops wrapped with hickory smoked apple wood bacon
BBQ Combo Plate
$18.99Our in-house smoked brisket and pulled pork paired with 1/2 slab of our St. Louis style ribs. Served with Barbeque and Carolina sauces and Portuguese Cornbread
Seafood
Pretzel Catfish
$14.99Farm-raised catfish filet with a pretzel coating. Served with whole grain mustard tartar sauce
Salmon
$16.99Pan-seared Atlantic Salmon served with pineapple salsa
Breaded Shrimp
$14.99(6) Deep fried jumbo shrimp served with cocktail sauce
Pan-Seared Walleye
$18.99Our hearty Walleye filet is seasoned, pan-seared and finished off with a velvety brown butter sauce
Pasta
Roasted Vegetable Pasta
$12.99Green pepper, roasted red pepper, sliced mushrooms, diced tomato and minced garlic tossed in olive oil and served over fettuccini noodles with a breadstick
Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
$13.99Grilled chicken, steamed broccoli and fettuccini noodles tossed in a creamy Alfredo sauce and served with a breadstick
Lemon Herb Shrimp Pasta
$16.99Sautéed shrimp, red onions and tomatoes tossed with our home-made lemon herb butter sauce; served over penne with a breadstick
Mac 'N Cheese Medley
Shell pasta served with our famous white cheddar sauce and toasted corn bread crumbs
Carolina Pork Mac
$9.99
Chicken/Bacon Mac
$9.99
Plain Mac
$7.99
Shrimp Mac
$11.99
Salads
Rafters Salad
$9.99Chicken, bacon, egg, tomato, red onion, roasted red peppers & shredded cheddar
The Good Stinky Salad
$4.991/4 head of iceberg lettuce drizzled with creamy Bleu cheese dressing and topped with tomatoes and bacon bits a timeless classic
Chicken Caesar Salad
$8.99Grilled chicken, croutons and romaine lettuce tossed in our Caesar dressing and sprinkled with shredded parmesan cheese
Sandwiches
Cheese and sauce available at The Red Barn. Add cheese, bacon, mushrooms, onions or a fried egg to any burger for $1 each. All burgers served on a pretzel roll.
The Rafters Burger
$7.99Our famous half-pound, handmade burger char-grilled to perfection and served on a pretzel roll with lettuce, tomato and pickle
Haystack Burger
$10.99Our famous burger topped with Haystack onion rings and smothered with Cheddar & Provolone cheeses
Blackened Bleu Cheese Burger
$9.99Our char-crusted 1/2 lb. burger dripping with melted Bleu cheese and grilled onions
Maple Bourbon Bacon Burger
$9.99Our half-pound burger dipped in maple bourbon sauce and topped with apple wood smoked bacon
Smoked Red Barn Burger
$10.99Our half-pound burger topped with apple wood smoked bacon, provolone cheese and smoky barbeque aioli
But waitthere's more!
Pulled Pork
$9.99Slow-smoked pulled pork smothered in BBQ sauce and topped with haystack fried onions. Served on a pretzel hoagie
BBQ Beef Brisket
$8.99Slow smoked brisket topped with barbeque sauce an served on an egg bun
Steak Bites
$12.99Not a sandwich, but an excellent meal! Sautéed beef tips and mushrooms over pita bread
Spin-Art Chicken
$8.99Grilled chicken breast topped with crispy bacon and creamy spinach and artichoke spread. Served on an egg bun
Perfect Choice!
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