BLACK BAND Distillery - Peoria, Illinois

Michael

Local. Organic. Farm to table. Actual food you won't find out here on the river. Amazing wait staff. Shout out to Jonah. Drinks are amazing. No, it is not cheap but wow is it worth it.

Steve B.

Tara and I celebrated our anniversary at The Bar at BLACK BAND in Peoria last night. It was our first time visiting, but it won’t be our last!

The atmosphere was impressive, the service staff was friendly, professional, and extremely knowledgeable about the menu. Even the runner who brought our dishes was able to detail every ingredient in each dish.

Our server Josie was attentive but not overbearing. Our every need was addressed immediately. We were seated near the kitchen, and had the pleasure of watching and hearing the kitchen staff at work. Tara and I could not stop smiling at how fantastic the evening was.

The food was like something out of a novel. Charcuterie, roasted Brussels Sprouts, deviled eggs, and crab cakes. Each bite perfectly balanced. The lemon in the deviled eggs was surprising, but welcome, and added a bright, fresh flavor to a simple dish. I’m not one for seafood, but Tara raved about the crab cakes, and they looked amazing to me.

Cocktails were balanced, flavorful, and the perfect complement to our meal.

When I say that the experience was outstanding, it’s a huge understatement. Go check it out!

Whitney M.

Black Band had easily become our favorite date night. We arrived at 4:00 and each had three cocktails that were equally unique and delicious. At 5:00 our dining experience started. We shared four of the small plates from the new menu and they were so delicious and full of flavor! The dumplings and bone marrow are some of the best dishes you will have in Peoria! We tried to finish the amazing carrot cake sundae desert, but were too stuffed! This was our first time sitting upstairs and the ambiance is so beautiful up there! Our server Marco was also outstanding! He described every single ingredient in each dish and even knew where some were locally sourced from. This place is outstanding in every way from bar to food to service!

Stephanie E.

The go fig or go home cocktail is amazing! We hung out at the bar while we waited for a table and had a few drinks. This atmosphere is very unique. It's industrial yet super classy! The burger was definitely one of my favorite burgers in town! The burger patty itself was so flavorful. It's not loaded with a bunch of stuff to add flavor. It's just that good on its own! I'm not sure what type of olives those are but they are now my favorite! Also the oil/butter mixture they are in was so good we ordered a side of bread to dip them in it. Good dessert is hard to find and it was fantastic here! Everything we had was so dang delicious!

Amy S.

Very cool place. Helpful staff, neat atmosphere and unique menu. Sat at the bar and ordered drinks only, but were given a happy hour menu at 4 that included food and drinks. We tried their bourbon neat, coffee liqueur neat and two of their craft cocktails. All were great. Lots of seating at the bar, surrounding l, outdoor and maybe even a second floor. As we were walking out, a large party was arriving for their reservation so can accommodate large parties.

ChrisP

This is the best burger and fries in town. Expensive but the best. They have switched to a smash burger and the bun comes from Trefzgers. I’m not into fries and I rarely order them anywhere. I’d come back just to eat fries. Literally perfect. I’ve had a lot of dressed fries and there is no comparison.

Susan M.

Great atmosphere but incredibly terrible food that was way overpriced. Additionally, I ordered an expensive glass of wine and it came out in some miniature goblet type glass that I’d never seen before. Lol. I was like, “You’ve got to be kidding me?!” It was like drinking a shot of wine for an 18-22 dollar price range. I moved here from Chicago and was really wanting this place to be a good, go-to place. However, it was very disappointing with a very hefty price tag.

EMARS77

Did the public tour and it was a great experience direct from the distiller. Great mix of distilling science, Peoria distilling history and about the facility. Followed up with a great tasting experience, the spirits were really good. I found the gin to be exceptional. All the cocktails we had were great and the food and atmosphere were excellent! Everyone was super friendly and the service was fantastic. Will definitely be back and I highly recommend it.