Miller’s Ale House (Orland Park)
15630 LaGrange RoadThe thing about figure skating competition is that there can be a lot of downtown.
Our kids compete in the National Solo Dance events (and B also competes in Excel free style events). and can have up to five events. Those are events are usually spread out over a couple of days and depending on how many entries there are in each event, the segments can be spread out over several hours. It’s not unusual for us to get to the rink at 8 AM and leave after 6 PM.
We were in Orland Park, IL a few weeks ago for the annual Ladybug competition hosted by the Glenview Figure Skating Club. The event moved to the Arctic Ice Arena in Orland Park this year which is an area both J and I spent a lot of time in as kids.
It was an easy drive for my parents too. They used to take my brother and I to a baseball training facility off 159th Street not too far from where the ice rink is now.
My mom and one of her friends came up for Thursday’s competition and when they had downtown, they didn’t want to leave so they ate lunch at the Original Six Bar & Grill inside the arena. That was kind of what I had planned for Friday but my mom didn’t want to eat there two days in a row.
We had about three hours between events so I suggested lunch. My mom said she wanted to leave for a little while. Not a big deal. There are a ton of restaurants not too far from the arena back on LaGrange Road. My mom said she didn’t care where we ate and left it up to me to pick.
I picked Miller’s Ale House on LaGrange Road near 156th Street. The Florida based chain has a little over 100 restaurants but the majority of those are still in Florida. There are five locations in the Chicago area including this one in Orland Park. As of this writing in May of 2026, there are no restaurants in Michigan. This location was built as new construction for Miller’s Ale House in 2018. It sits right next to and shares a parking lot with the Stan’s Donuts & Coffee I got breakfast at earlier in the day. That may have had some influence on why I picked this spot. It’s also a chain I’ve never been to.
The restaurant looks like pretty much any other chain sports bar. It has kind of a road house feel to it with a lot of wood on the floors, on the ceiling and on the walls. There is a large bar in the middle of the space surrounded by pub tables and large booths. There are also a couple of separate dining rooms that weren’t being used yet during lunch on this Friday afternoon. The hostess took us to one of those large booths near the bar.
I looked over the beer menu but stuck with what I know and like. I ordered a short Two-Hearted. I always feel kind of bad ordering beer with my parents because they always just order water. I know it’s just what they prefer at dinner but sometimes I feel like I’m going a little too much because I know they’re always going to pick up the tab.
There were some lunch specials on the table and I’m pretty sure we all ended up ordering off that menu. I ordered the Brunch Burger. I’m not sure if this was heavily discounted or not but it was on the lunch menu. The sandwich is a beef patty with peppered bacon, a fried egg, cheese, and a chili sauce. The sandwich is what it says it is. It’s a kind of generic burger but it’s also really tasty. I think it was the chili sauce that made it stand out just a bit as that give it a little bit of a kick.
The burger came with frozen skin on fries with a heavy salt and pepper seasoning. Again, kind of generic but also really tasty.
My dad got the Classic Cheeseburger and my mom got the Fish and Chips. Both of them said they really lked the meal and were happy with the portion size.
The cost for our lunch, before tip, was right around $45 and most of that bill was me. I know my mom’s was only $8. I think my dad’s was pretty close. My burger was right around $14.
Miller’s Ale House isn’t unlike a lot of casual dining chains. The reason I pick places like this with my parents is because that’s kind of what we grew up with. I always know we’re going to get a good meal and it’s not going to be super expensive. Miller’s Ale House checked both of those boxes and all three of us left happy with the choice.
SW Michigan Dining 