Club Hawthorne Joliet - Joliet, Illinois

angela D.

I enjoy betting races and have been to many live tracks and many OTBs so this review is not made lightly. I have been to this location a handful of times to bet races and will NOT be going back. Eachtime has been disappointing....but last night was the end all when I went in with a friend to bet some late races and get our Deby bets in early. Only 4 or 5 people at the bar. Took forever to get our one and only drink. The bartender never checked on us once after that or gave us the opportunity to get her attention in the 2 hours we were there. We would have stayed longer but were fed up with the lack of service and another patron snorting something off the bar and starting a fight with another patron in the gaming area. The entire staff (with exception of the teller) was in a rush to get everything ready for Derby day and ignored customers that were right in front of them. It was nowhere near closing time, but there were multiple comments made by staff loudly to eachother complaining and about "hurrying everyone out of here" while mopping and slamming chairs around tables and restocking the bar with hours still left on the clock. I have worked in both the horseracing and bartender industry and this is just unacceptable. Business owners should be aware of what is going on here.

Kuznoz

Went there for the Kentucky derby and was a great time minus the food and overall service.. reserved a table for it. Everything for betting is solid including alot of tvs but when it came to food or drinks service was horrible and honestly came off clueless. Nice spot though

Marty H.

Friendly mutual clerk and bartender. More than enough TV's to watch several tracks at once. Hotdog, chips and a PBR pint totaled $9.50. Excellent hotdog. Roomy bar area and laid back crowd.

David L.

A great place for the OTB Horse's betting,and having a cold Miller Lite 🍺 beer at Happy Hour for $1.65 a bottle,they also sell food there 😀 😄.

HonestReviewer70

Great place. Plenty of TVs and tons of races both domestic and international. Staff is friendly and quick. Excellent bar type food at a low cost including daily beer and food specials. Tellers are knowledgable + they have machines if you'd rather bet that way. I highly recommend this place whether you're betting or not.

Update: They added 6 slot machines a few months ago and there are always at least 2-3 machines open.

Arturo S.

Was nothing Spectacular just like a Bar& a few Screens showing 4 or 5 Different races at same time female teller was nice and Courteous a Clean Washroom stayed only an Hour made a few Bets and was out parking was okay also

Jeanine

I prefer Bookie McGees but this was my only option to put a bet in for the derby this year. They had ONE booth inside to take bets and I was approached as soon as I walked in by a man asking if I had reservations. All I wanted to do was place my bet, and they had no drive through as offered by the closed down OTB I was used to attending. Parking was a nightmare, next door in a dilapidated lot full of holes and mud, I had to park in the grass. Hopefully this is all temporary as I do realize this is newly opened. The inside from the view I had did not seem welcoming and the only friendly face was the man at the betting booth that I placed my picks with. I will attend on a later occasion to see if this was a one off, due to it being a new establishment.

Jan M.

I liked it, nice clean facility. Nice big bar area, the grill was clean and the lady cook was very nice, i asked for my amburger in a special way and she accommodated me. My oakbrook OTB is my favorite, been going there for years, but nice to try someplace different. Hawthorne club is a great get away to relax and have fun.