How do you get into The Walnut SpeakEasy?
We have not confirmed it. The Walnut SpeakEasy is in the directory because it calls itself a speakeasy, and that is the whole of what we can stand behind about its door.
The drinks at The Walnut SpeakEasy
How the venue describes itself: “Nestled in the heart of Elgin, The Walnut Speakeasy has been a local favorite for over 15 years. What began as a cozy neighborhood bar has grown into a full-service restaurant known for it…” (from its own website, retrieved 9 October 2026)
The current drinks list is published on the venue’s own site — see the menu.
Beyond what the venue publishes we have not verified a list, so what follows is the period rather than the bar: Mary Pickford, El Presidente, and Hotel Nacional Special are all drinks of this era, and each links to its origin and its build.
Where The Walnut SpeakEasy sits
The Walnut SpeakEasy is in Elgin, Illinois, in Kane County, in the Midwest of the United States.
This is currently the only verified hidden bar our directory lists in Elgin. If you know another, tell us.
Illinois holds 71 listed venues in this directory. See them all on our Illinois speakeasy guide.
Prohibition in Illinois
Illinois came under national prohibition on 17 January 1920, when the Eighteenth Amendment took effect and the Volstead Act defined an intoxicating beverage as anything above one half of one per cent alcohol — a threshold strict enough to close breweries that had expected to survive.
More on the period in our history of Prohibition in Illinois.
What the newspapers recorded in Illinois
Searching the Library of Congress run of Illinois newspapers for speakeasy, blind pig and bootlegger across 1920 to 1933 returns dated pages anyone can open. These are from Illinois:
- The Rock Island Argus and daily union, April 27, 1920 — read the page at the Library of Congress
- The Chicago whip, May 29, 1920 — read the page at the Library of Congress
- Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer, November 26, 1920 — read the page at the Library of Congress
- The Rock Island Argus and daily union, December 9, 1920 — read the page at the Library of Congress
Planning a visit
Hours published by the venue:
- FRIDAY 11AM- 2AM
- MONDAY 3PM- 1AM
- SATURDAY 11AM- 2AM
- SUNDAY 11AM- 12AM
- THURSDAY 11AM- 1AM
- TUESDAY 3PM- 1AM
- WEDNESDAY 3PM -1AM
Hours as published on the venue’s own site, retrieved 9 October 2026.
You can reach The Walnut SpeakEasy by phone on (847) 695-2420, through its own website, and on Facebook and Instagram.
The address is 214 Walnut Ave, Elgin, IL 60123. Open in Google Maps.
What we have confirmed
For The Walnut SpeakEasy we hold street address, telephone number, official website, social accounts, opening hours, and a published drinks list. We do not yet hold an online booking link or a listed-building record.
It is in the directory because its own name calls it a speakeasy.
Overture Maps carries this venue; OpenStreetMap has no matching record.
The source data classifies the premises as a restaurant.