Bottoms Up Family Bar & Grill

It's an awesome and most interesting bar and grill tucked away on a country road by Grand Tower, IL. Quaint little red building with peaceful outdoor seating, dog friendly with delicious food that is home cooked (real food), and a very friendly and informative staff. Must visit if you're in the area. You definitely won't be disappointed! So take a day trip to a slower laid-back destination and enjoy some awesome home cookin!

Great bar and grill! Fried chicken is great! They have great bar food selections like poppers, potato skins and wings! If you stop in try the potato salad crisped on the flat top!! Delicious! $1 PBRs are great and good mixed drinks.

Nice out in the county restaurant and bar, had the blue gill dinner really good 👍, every day specials but not Sundays but you can still get great food and have patience it's worth the wait...

Home cookin' at its finest! Well known for their catfish but my go to's are the fried chicken, fried portabella mushrooms and steak sandwich! The service is fantastic both friendly and fast! And they have slot machines! This place has a special place in my heart as my grandparents Olin "Casey" Thies and Lucille Koch Thies first met at this bar when my grandpa was on leave during WWII. I owe my life to this bar, back then called Ruby's Tavern, I guess you can say! I hear that a Jason and Kristie Thies own this bar so I'm curious if we are related somehow! Must be! And the funny thing is my brothers name is also Jason Thies but totally different person...

Great place to eat and very friendly staff

We loved this place! Cozy bar with great food & service!

I love this place. Best fried chicken you can find. Amazing waffle fries and slaw. Great atmosphere and has indoor dining room outdoor dining as well as a pole barn with table, Cornhole, and a second bar area

Busy place, but not too busy to lose you in the hub bub. Food was tasty and plenty of it for big appetites. Chicken takes awhile to cook, but was worth the wait.

Cold Beer, great food and friendly staff

We been coming here for over a decade. Every time I am in SoILL on a Wednesday, I make sure we come here for beer & chicken. It’s still as delicious as always.

Have been here to see what Jerry Wilson talked about some 11 yrs ago. He was right. But you have to be sensitive to the "inner atmosphere" created from the people. The unpretentious exterior is not meant to give a high polish welcome. But the people are Real. And you are Welcome.

The atmosphere is great, especially since the place has been remodeled. The staff is friendly, efficient and the food is wonderful. Good family atmosphere, would make a great location for work/social gatherings. Be sure to stop by and try the fried chicken on Wednesday nights.

Great fried chicken! Great service! Just grwat all around!

Bottoms up is a great place for a weekend drive. It is in the country near the Mississippi river. To get there you will drive through small towns and farm country. The food is very good. A rural bar and grill. Daily specials with a variety of items.

Waitress was excellent and food was delicious

Great food from a family owned business. Be prepared to wait especially on Wednesday cheap chicken nights. There is always a line and it is considered a tourist stop. Never disappoints though!! Go early on Wednesdays if you don't want to wait!!

Service could not have been better!the food was good as always. Had a good time place has a nice family atmosphere and we were not hurried at all. Would recommend this place to anyone for a good time.

Awesome place great bartender and server. Price is great and food too.

Although the wait may be long (bring a deck of cards), the the atmosphere and the food is always worth it. Besides, that's part of the fun. Fantastic chicken and nice folks! ...and the macaroni kicks butt, get here early...

A great out of the way bar and restaurant with amazing food at fabulous prices.

I've heard a lot of people mention how good this place is, and how they have great food specials for each day of the week, so I had to finally try it out. I'm so glad I did!

The most frequently mentioned menu items I have heard about are the all you can eat fish on Friday, and the fried chicken. I forget which day the chicken special is, but the fish is about $9.00 for all you can eat cod, bluegill, catfish, or a fourth option that I can't remember right now on Friday. They also offer both options during the rest of the week. The chicken is a slightly higher price than on special night, and the fish just isn't all you can eat if it's not Friday. You still get substantial portions and a choice of two sides.

I've had various types of the fish and the 1/4 fried chicken. The catfish is really good. The bluegill is light and tasty, and the cod is probably my favorite. All are served fried. The friend chicken is just to die for! I typically don't order fried chicken out very often. But it's so worth it here. It's juicy, tender, and just wonderfully lightly crispy. Great stuff. You can also choose with your chicken if you want all white meat, all dark, or a mix at no extra cost that I'm aware of.

Just a heads up for beverages, soda only comes in individual cans, so no free refills, and beer is also in cans, not on tap. The prices for both are incredibly reasonable though.

I know there are also other great menu items available that might friends have tried, so don't limit yourself! For appetizers, the fried green beans are great too!

Amazing food at a nice, local, out of the way place! Driving the little extra distance is easy worth it. Plus, it's a nice, scenic route drive if you're coming from route 3.