Accessible by land or water, NorthEnd Pub & Grill, located in Sullivan on Coles-Moultrie Electric Cooperative lines, welcomes people to kick back in its low-key atmosphere and enjoy a meal with family or friends lakeside. The restaurant, owned by Will and Tasha Bates, even offers a dial-a-ride service to those coming by land that provides easy transport to the dock where the eatery is located.
Once at the dock, diners have the option of cooling off inside or taking in the fresh air and sunshine at one of the restaurant’s outdoor tables. The menu offers a wide range of appetizers, pizza, tacos, salads, sides and desserts, and children have multiple options as well. Adult guests can also partake in NorthEnd’s signature and frozen drinks, mimosas (and “bro-mosas”), or margarita and mojito flights.
Drew Gipson, who manages the business alongside his brother Kyle, says that appetizers, smashburgers and wraps are among the restaurant’s big sellers. “The menu here is simple and basic,” says Gipson. “We use high-quality ingredients and just try to serve good food that people in this area like.”
He emphasizes that families are welcome. “If you look out on boats, you barely see [just] a single person. It’s a group of people,” he adds. “Hosting is important to us down here, [as well as] making sure people see this more as an experience and a destination.”
In addition to food, NorthEnd partners with another of the Bates’ businesses, 32 Marine, to offer boat rentals and fuel, ice, packaged beer, and “all that fun stuff,” says Gipson. “Convenience is the goal.”
When the Bates bought the business, previously known as Skeeters, they rebranded and brought on the brothers to oversee operations. Formerly, Drew had been general manager of Dirty’s Bar & Grill in Charleston, and Kyle was front house manager at Stadium Grill in Mattoon. Drew said the move was a good one for him.
“The tranquility of the place, coming down the dock before it gets busy is nice, just a breath of fresh air,” he explains. “The clientele is a lot more laidback. [They’re] here to have a good time and hang out. It’s not that 15-minute lunch crowd that [has] to get out of here. … As a restaurant manager, what a great customer base.”
Gipson says that the restaurant serves 500 to 600 people on weekends. The pulled pork, rubbed and smoked in-house and slow-cooked for 16 hours, is a favorite. Fish tacos, with fried cod, boom boom sauce, pineapple pico and green chiles, are also popular.
“We offer three kinds of cheese curds, and all three of them sell very well,” he adds. “We have an original, a garlic and a jalapeno, so it kind of catches whatever your flavor is. And who doesn’t like cheese?”
He recommends the NorthEnd Nachos if people are looking for a big appetizer. “The nachos here are huge, and delicious,” says Gipson. Weekly food specials, like their recent chicken parmesan sandwich with caprese salad and blackened tilapia, and drink specials are also on tap.
On Sundays, guests can partake of a breakfast buffet from 9-11:30 a.m. “It’s got all the good vittles on it,” says Gipson, including bacon, sausage, eggs, biscuits and gravy, pancakes, mini waffles and French toast sticks. Separate breakfast plates are also available, like BLTs and the NorthEnd omelette, with smoked Gouda, pulled pork, red onion and potatoes.
Weekly entertainment helps make the dock a destination. “We have live music down here almost every weekend,” says Gipson. “We’ve [also] been doing some paint and sips this year. [We’re] trying to add more entertainment value to the area.”
The restaurant is a plus for campers at the nearby campground. “[We have] a lot of regulars with a campground being right up the hill. A lot of the campers, a lot of the boat slip owners are here multiple times a weekend, hanging out, keeping us on our toes,” Gipson laughs. “‘Regulars pay the bills,’ I always say. That comfort level with the guest is always pleasant.”
Like their regulars, most of the staff have been there for multiple seasons. “It’s a unique place to work, only being open Thursday through Sunday. It’s a pretty easy sell,” he says. “It’s a really friendly staff, a lot of high school and college-age kids with a few middle-aged people like me.”
In addition to NorthEnd, the Bates own Shore House Bar & Grill on Clinton Lake and are preparing to open a new restaurant in Mattoon called Tap 45, which will feature axe throwing.
NorthEnd is open seasonally from around Mother’s Day until the week after Labor Day, although some years management will opt to stay open longer. Though it’s regularly open four days a week, the restaurant also opens for big lake holidays, like the Fourth of July.
Gipson welcomes regulars and encourages newcomers to give the restaurant a try. “Watching the boats coming in and out, it’s always a cool thing to see, very different from anywhere else,” he says.
NorthEnd Pub & Grill
