Formerly: Zimmer Tavern and Wagon Shop
Long Grove, Illinois · Founded 1847 · Building: circa 1847
A Long Grove restaurant tracing its roots to the 1847 Zimmer Tavern and Wagon Shop, now operated by the Jarvis family.
Village Tavern operates at 135 Old McHenry Road in Long Grove, Illinois. It traces its beginnings to the Zimmer Tavern and Wagon Shop, established in 1847 as a stop where travelers could have wagons repaired, horses tended, and meals or drinks served. The business and modern reporting call it Illinois's oldest continuously operating tavern or restaurant, but a complete primary-source continuity record has not yet been assembled.
Village Tavern traces its origins to John Zimmer's Zimmer Tavern and Wagon Shop, where travelers could have wagons and harnesses serviced while stopping for food and drink.
Source: WTTW, "The Oldest Restaurant in Illinois – Where Even the Furniture Has a History"; Village Tavern website
The tavern's grandfather clock is described in local accounts as an artifact from the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. This review did not locate primary documentation for that provenance.
Source: WTTW, "The Oldest Restaurant in Illinois – Where Even the Furniture Has a History"; Chicago Foodie Sisters, "Long Grove Village Tavern"
Popular accounts say the business continued through Prohibition by emphasizing ice cream rather than alcoholic drinks. Primary business or licensing records were not located in this review.
Source: The Takeout, "The Oldest Restaurant in Illinois Is Not In Chicago"
The Ullrich family began the approximately 62-year ownership period that ended with the 2023 sale.
Source: WTTW, "The Oldest Restaurant in Illinois – Where Even the Furniture Has a History"; What Now Chicago, "The Village Tavern Will See Change of Hands in Long Grove"
The 35-foot mahogany bar reportedly survived the original McCormick Place fire and was later acquired for Village Tavern.
Source: Enjoy Illinois, "The Village Tavern of Long Grove"; WTTW, "The Oldest Restaurant in Illinois – Where Even the Furniture Has a History"
Elaine and Will Jarvis, their daughter Nicole Jarvis, and Nicole's husband Scott Wallace purchased Village Tavern from the Ullrich family.
Source: WTTW, "The Oldest Restaurant in Illinois – Where Even the Furniture Has a History"; What Now Chicago, "The Village Tavern Will See Change of Hands in Long Grove"
Village Tavern continues to operate in Long Grove with regular kitchen and bar hours and seasonal outdoor seating.
Source: Village Tavern website
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
The 1847 date and Zimmer Tavern and Wagon Shop identity are consistently reported by the business, WTTW, and other local accounts. This review did not locate a contemporaneous license, deed, tax record, or newspaper advertisement confirming the precise founding event, so the claim is plausible rather than documented.
Village Tavern's official website and WTTW call it Illinois's oldest continuously operating tavern or restaurant, with a claimed 1847 origin. The review did not locate an independent continuous record across every ownership change, regulatory period, and possible closure, or complete comparative evidence for every rival claimant.
A recent popular account says the business shifted its focus to ice cream during Prohibition. The review did not locate contemporary local licensing, tax, menu, advertisement, or newspaper records proving the exact operating arrangement.
Available reporting connects the World's Fair provenance to the tavern's grandfather clock, not its bar. The 35-foot mahogany bar is instead described as having come from the original McCormick Place after surviving the 1967 fire.
The McCormick Place provenance is consistently described by Illinois tourism material, WTTW, and local reporting. Original purchase or auction documentation was not located in this review.
WTTW identified the current ownership group as Elaine and Will Jarvis, their daughter Nicole Jarvis, and Nicole's husband Scott Wallace following the 2023 purchase. The record supports present family ownership, though a corporate filing would be needed to identify the formal operating entity.
Village Tavern was founded in 1849.
The business, WTTW, and recent local accounts identify Village Tavern's predecessor, the Zimmer Tavern and Wagon Shop, as dating to 1847.
Source: WTTW, "The Oldest Restaurant in Illinois – Where Even the Furniture Has a History"; Village Tavern website
Village Tavern's 35-foot mahogany bar came from the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.
The World's Fair artifact associated with Village Tavern is its grandfather clock. The 35-foot mahogany bar is described as coming from the original McCormick Place after surviving the 1967 fire.
Source: WTTW, "The Oldest Restaurant in Illinois – Where Even the Furniture Has a History"; Enjoy Illinois, "The Village Tavern of Long Grove"
The Ullrich family still owns Village Tavern.
The Ullrich family sold Village Tavern in 2023. Recent reporting identifies the Jarvis family and Scott Wallace as the current owner group.
Source: WTTW, "The Oldest Restaurant in Illinois – Where Even the Furniture Has a History"; What Now Chicago, "The Village Tavern Will See Change of Hands in Long Grove"
The Village Tavern remains rooted in Long Grove's historic district while continuing to function as a working neighborhood bar and restaurant. Its identity draws on its early wagon-shop story, long family ownership tradition, and prominent historic furnishings—especially its 35-foot mahogany bar from the original McCormick Place and its 1890s World's Fair-era grandfather clock.
Village Tavern in Long Grove, Illinois, traces its history to the Zimmer Tavern and Wagon Shop, established in 1847. The early business served travelers who stopped to repair wagons, tend horses, eat, and drink, and it later became the Village Tavern. The restaurant is now operated by the Jarvis family, who bought it in 2023, while the full documentary record for its claimed uninterrupted operation since 1847 remains incomplete.
Village Tavern is widely described as Illinois's oldest continuously operating tavern or restaurant, based on its claimed 1847 origin as the Zimmer Tavern and Wagon Shop. Its official website and WTTW make that claim, but this review did not locate a complete set of primary records proving uninterrupted operation through every historical period or fully resolving all statewide rivals. The title is therefore credible but unresolved.
No. The Chicago World's Fair connection is associated with Village Tavern's 1890s grandfather clock, not its 35-foot mahogany bar. Accounts instead say the bar came from the original McCormick Place after it survived the 1967 fire.
Recent reporting identifies Elaine and Will Jarvis, their daughter Nicole Jarvis, and Nicole's husband Scott Wallace as the family that purchased Village Tavern in 2023. A current corporate filing or licensing record would be needed to identify the restaurant's formal operating entity.
135 Old McHenry Rd, Long Grove, IL 60047
(847) 634-3117
Village Tavern currently serves food and drinks Wednesday through Sunday plus Monday; the kitchen closes one hour before the bar. Check its current site before visiting.