Category Archive: Uncategorized

1. Complete your trip with our favorite places to eat and drink

   May 10, 2019 2:32 pm Leave a Comment

   We often get asked, “Where is a good place to eat and drink?” after their escape room experience, so we thought we’d make planning your night out a little easier. Below is a list of some of our favorite places. It’s a work in progress, so we’ll be adding more as we discover them. At each the service is fantastic, but stands out in their own way. Let us know your favorites in the comments! (Updated 4/13/2019)

   Ellyn’s Tap & Grill

   Ellyn’s is just down Roosevelt from us and has become a favorite for food and drinks after. Excellent beer and cocktail list and great pub food. They are great for families as well as adults looking for a night out. Reservations accepted and recommended. (The best way to find them is head East on Roosevelt, turn left at Baker Hill Dr., then right into the strip mall.)

   http://www.ellyns.com/

   https://www.yelp.com/biz/ellyns-tap-and-grill-glen-ellyn-3

   

   Common Good Cocktail House

   Looking for appetizers and excellent cocktails instead? Then Common Good is the place to go! They have very unique cocktails (including some non-alcoholic options) for any pallete. They also have an excellent beer and wine selection. The staff is amazing and very knowledgable!

   https://www.yelp.com/biz/common-good-cocktail-house-glen-ellyn

   https://www.yelp.com/biz/common-good-cocktail-house-glen-ellyn

   

   Maize & Mash

   One of the newest to Glen Ellyn, Maize & Mash is a whisky bar featuring american and southern inspired food. Located on Main Street a few blocks South of the tracks. Their whisky cocktails stand out, as well as their cozy lounge complete with couches upstairs. Small shareable dishes are featured. Call ahead seating is is recommended for parties of 6 or more.

   https://www.maizeplusmash.com/

   https://www.yelp.com/biz/maize-mash-glen-ellyn

   

   Fire and Wine

   For a finer dining experience Fire and Wine should be your next stop. Just off Main Street, a couple blocks South of the tracks. Rustic Italian food with a modern twist. They have great small plates and full dinners. The decor really stands out, with a city feel in a suburban spot. They have a new menu twice a year, and often feature a signature dish and cocktail. For parties of 6 or more they take call ahead priority seating.

   http://fireandwine.net/

   https://www.yelp.com/biz/fire-wine-glen-ellyn

   

   Nobel House

   Newer to downtown Glen Ellyn Nobel House is known for their great drink selection and even better smoked meats and barbeque. There is a good deal of space, so this makes a great place for larger groups. They do not take reservations, so be sure to call before you head over to check on availability.

   

   https://www.nobelhouserestaurants.com/

   https://www.yelp.com/biz/nobel-house-glen-ellyn

   Rue

   Cajun and creole food in Glen Ellyn? Yup, and it’s really good! Rue is a cute smaller place place right on Crescent in downtown Glen Ellyn. Jambalya and Hurricanes after an escape room is the perfect way to celebrate. They do take reservations, so call them especially for large groups.

   https://www.rueoncrescent.com/

   https://www.yelp.com/biz/rue-glen-ellyn?osq=rue

   Reserve 22

   Located off Park just south of Roosevelt, Reserve 22 features clubhouse fare. The standout is their incredible patio space. With 3 fireplaces and plenty of seating. They also feature daily specials and entertainment. Reservations accepted and recommend.

   http://www.reserve22.com/

   https://www.yelp.com/biz/reserve-22-glen-ellyn

   

   A Toda Madre

   A Toda Madre is just off Main Street on the North side of the downtown area. They specialize in Mexican street food, and are known for their tacos and margaritas. Plenty of seating for large parties. Reservations accepted and recommended.

   http://www.atmrestaurant.com/

   https://www.yelp.com/biz/a-toda-madre-glen-ellyn-2

   

   Main Street Pub

   Main Street Pub is a sports pub known for their burgers and extensive rotating beer tap. You’ll find them just North of the train tracks on Main Street. Live music every Wednesday night. Reservations for parties of 10 or more.

   http://www.themainstreetpub.com/

   https://www.yelp.com/biz/main-street-pub-glen-ellyn

   

2. Double Agent room now available

   March 6, 2019 5:58 pm Leave a Comment

   You’re the best spies for hire around, tasked with stealing blackmail from a competing spy agency. Use your wits to break into their office to crack the safe holding the valuable information. However, there may be a Double Agent in your group that could foil your plans.

   

   As and OPTIONAL way to play, your group could secretly have one or more Double Agents. The game can still be played without the Double Agents, however it adds a fun extra challenge to the game. Double Agents need to solve secret tasks around the room. If they are successful, at the end of the game the blackmail will be missing! Double Agents don’t interfere with other players, and still need to complete all the puzzles with the rest of the group. If your group can figure out who the Double Agents are, they may be able to stop them!

   

   Double Agent is our toughest game yet, but don’t be discouraged. You’ll have a handler who can hack into the enemies systems to help you along your mission. The Double Agent room features a mix of technology and traditional locks, with a focus on technology.

   

   This game is optimized for 6 players, but can fit up to 8. Please contact us if you would like to book more than 6 players.

3. Now Hiring Part Time

   September 19, 2018 8:31 pm Leave a Comment

   We are looking for a part time Game Host!
   You must be:

   Outgoing with great customer service skills.
   Able to think on your feet.
   Have an attention to detail.
   Be available Saturday mornings and Sunday mornings.
   No experience necessary.

   We are starting off with the two shifts on the weekend for our Asylum game. More shifts will become available shortly, when we open our new game.

   Contact Brian at CluedInEscapeRooms@gmail.com or at 331-481-9535 to schedule an interview.

4. What to do when it’s your first escape room.

   May 1, 2018 3:18 pm 1 Comment

   First time doing an escape room? Wondering what to do when it’s your first escape room? Already a seasoned player but could use some pointers? Here’s some advice from a game designer to help players enjoy the game more, and increase your chance of beating it!

   (more…)

5. Double Agent

   February 10, 2018 1:37 pm Leave a Comment

   Hi Everyone,

   If you’ve played a game at CluedIn Escape Rooms in the past few two months, you’ve heard us talk about the third game that is in the works, Double Agent. If you haven’t here’s a little sneak peak.

   You’re part of one of the worlds best private spy agencies, and have just found out a competetor has gathered some very damaging information on you. It’s up to your group to break into their headquarters, find the information, and get it back before it’s too late.

   But there’s an optional twist. Before you start you can choose to have one or more secret double agents in your group. If they can complete some side goals without getting caught, then your plan is foiled. The role of spy or double agent is secretly assigned at the beginning of the game. However everyone needs to solve all the puzzles to win.

   The build will be starting soon, and we’ll post updates both here and on facebook.

6. Why do an Escape Room for Valentine’s Day?

   January 23, 2018 4:30 pm Leave a Comment

   V-Day Date Night?

    

   

   So it’s time again to plan your Valentines day date night! There’s always the overpriced restaurant that’s going to serve a set menu.

    You could take in a movie at a crowded theater. Or you could bond in a unique way by doing an escape room together.

   But what about other players?

   Let’s address the one big concern that people have about doing an

   escape room as a couple, “Won’t we have to play with other people?” Yes you might. But look at it this way, at a restaurant you may have a server that interrupts too often, or a loud drunk couple next to you. At the theater you may have a person sitting next to you that does not know the meaning of personal space.

   

    If you are going to be stuck with people, why not interact with them! Show off your date’s cleverness to strangers. Better yet, invite some couples you know. You can always do dinner and drinks afterwards, but now you’ll have had a great experience you can talk about.

   What’s so great about it anyway?

   What are some of the best parts of doing an escape room as a couple?

   • You get to work together towards a shared goal.
   • You’ll get to see that cute brow furrow your date makes while they are thinking.
   • You’ll get to be proud of each other as you solve difficult tasks.
   • You may get to show off your mad puzzle making skill to your date or to other people.
   • You may surprise your date, or yourself, when you solve that puzzle that you didn’t think you could.
   • You’ll create unique memories to laugh about later.

   What else could we do before or after that night?

   First off, we have a special deal for Valentine’s day. We’ve partnered with Ellyn’s Tap and Grill to give you an entry for two plus a $20 gift card to Ellyn’s for $60 (a $78 value).  You can purchase it here.

   You can also check out our other blog post for our favorite local places to eat.

   If you aren’t hungry…

   There is also Bottle and Bottega where you can create a painting together.
   Marche is an excellent place to taste some gourmet cheese, meats, and wine.
   Have another idea? Leave us a comment to let everyone know!

7. Online discount site problems?

   December 15, 2017 5:02 pm Leave a Comment

   Hi Everyone,

    

   We’ve been getting reports about problems purchasing our games through certain online discount sites. If you are one of them looking to book for yourselves or to give as a gift, please contact us! We will do our best to match the deal when you purchase directly through us. Either call us at 331-481-9535 or email at CluedInEscapeRooms@gmail.com.

   Sorry for any inconvenience.

8. Gifts for Escape Room Enthusiasts – Board Game Edition

   November 24, 2017 7:15 pm Leave a Comment

   If you like escape rooms, there are now many options for you to get your fix at home. We’ve put together a list of some of our favorite board games that are either an escape room in a box, or have the deduction and puzzle solving aspects of an escape room.

   Escape Room in a Box Games

   There are a lot to choose from out there. The escape room in a box concept will have you solving a series of puzzles along a story. You’ll be interacting with the pieces of the game in various ways to accomplish this. They are fine with just one person or a small group. Just from our experience, more than 4 players could mean that some people sit around watching instead of playing, but your experience may be different. The two we’ve played and enjoyed the most are the Exit series and the Unlock series.

   
   The Exit games had the more clever puzzles and enjoyable experience. You will be interacting with the pieces of the game, sometimes even destroying them in the process. For us that was both a reluctant and then satisfying experience. This means that once played, the game is going in the trash, or burned in a bonfire if you’re like us.

   

   The Unlock games were also very enjoyable. The puzzles are still clever and fun, but not as interesting at the Exit games. That’s partially due to the game mechanics. It’s all played with cards and an app. This made it somewhat more fun for group play, but didn’t have the tension or “cool” factor of Exit. The big plus of Unlock is once you solve it, you can pass it on to friends or family.

   Deduction games

   The next few games while not escape room games, they will test your deduction and puzzle solving skills.

   
   Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective is an amazing, and sometimes difficult game. You play apprentices to the famous Sherlock Holmes, tasked with solving one of 10 cases included in the box. Each can take an hour or more, all depending on how long you decide to spend on them. In fact the whole game feels like a “choose your own adventure book” broken down into board game form. After reading about the initial crime scene you, you use a map, special book, and a newspaper to travel around London interviewing suspects, getting evidence examined, putting together the pieces of the puzzle, and maybe even uncovering more mysteries. Your ultimate goal? Do it in fewer steps than Sherlock did. Once you decide you are ready, you skip to a section where you answer a series of questions about the case, then Sherlock will explain everything to you. It’s a great experience as a single player, or in a group. The only draw back is once you finish all 10 cases you are done. But realistically that could be an unforgettable 20+ hours.

   
   Watson and Holmes is another game themed around that famous detective. However, where Consulting Detective is a cooperative game, Watson and Holmes is competitive. After hearing the initial case, each player takes turns travelling to various locations around the game board (which is a series of cards laid out).  However, players can bid on that location to see who gets to look at the information. Bidding chips are a limited resource, so you have to choose wisely. Once a player thinks they know what the solution is, they can choose try and solve it. You only get once chance, so if you get it wrong the other players will get a chance later. It’s almost like an advanced version of the game Clue. It’s a tense and very fun game! Much like Consulting Detective once you finish the 13 cases you are done with the game. But for both you can then regift them!

   The last  two games are a little different. In both one player will know the mystery, in these cases the details of a murder. That player will silently give hints to the other players so they can solve it.

   
   In Mysterium one player is a ghost silently trying to get the other players to solve their murder. Through the use of pictures they can piece together what happened. The other players are mediums who try and interpret the pictures. At the end of each round if a majority of the mediums are correct, they win. But time is limited, so you all must work together to solve the mystery.

   
   In Deception: Murder in Hong Kong one player is the detective, while the others are suspects. Each has a series of cards in front of them depicting various weapons and items. Secretly one of the suspects is chosen as the murderer, and they will show one weapon and item to the detective. That becomes the means and key piece of evidence. Using special tiles the detective can point to a series of keywords and try to piece together the murder for the other suspects. The detective cannot speak though. At the end of each round the suspects can discuss what was presented. Of course they know one is secretly a murder, so the discussion is intense. Each player get’s one chance to guess the weapon and key piece of evidence. If no one gets it right, the murder gets away with the crime!

    

   Where should you buy these games? We recommend Wandering Dragon in Plainfield, and TPK Gaming in Glen Ellyn. Be sure to call before hand to make sure they have your game in stock! Both places have some great specials going on Black Friday and over the weekend. We love players who support local small business!

    

   Let us know your favorite games in the comments!

9. Board Games at CluedIn Escape Rooms

   October 29, 2017 2:10 pm Leave a Comment

   

   Come play games before or after your escape room experience, or any time during our business hours.

   While we continue design work on our 3rd escape room game, we turned one of our unfinished rooms into a gaming space*. We’ve provided some games, or you can bring your own. Some, like the one pictured above, are perfect for groups of 8 people and last 30-45 minutes.

   The room is open to the public, and it’s free to play board games. You can also use this space for your work party, team building, birthday party, or outing. You can reserve the space for a private function for a small fee. Please contact us at 331-481-9535 if you would like to use the room for a private function.

    

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10. Skeleton Key Brewery Pop-up Halloween Escape Room

    October 12, 2017 1:02 am Leave a Comment

    

    Skeleton Key Brewery is having it’s second annual Halloween party on Saturday Oct. 28th from 5-11 pm, and we’ll be creating a special 15 minute Halloween escape room for them. The event and the escape room are free, but spaces are limited, so reserve your spot as soon as possible!

     

    Skeleton Key Brewery is located at 8102 Lemont Rd #300, Woodridge, IL 60517