If you do want to try the bakery goods at Cafe Verde, though (and I recommend the pumpkin pillows if they're offered), you'll have to do so pretty soon: I just found out today that it's shutting down on Nov. 30. And Bacaro is now only open five days a week (Wed-Sun).

It makes me wonder how much of the heralded downtown Champaign boom is sustainable.

Below is a list I keep on computer for e-mailing re: my favorite places in Champaign-Urbana and comments on ones I don’t like as much. These are in no particular order. (Have lived in Champaign for 20 years.)

Timpone’s, Urbana (710 S. Goodwin Avenue, 344-7619) This is my favorite, favorite, upscale restaurant in C-U – it’s on the UI campus next to Krannert. Pastas and other entrees made from scratch and very creative. You can actually go here and just get a pizza too but the other entrees are more expensive. Resos a must. The desserts are made from scratch and just to die for. (And you pay for it, I think $5 or $6 per dessert, but worth it in my book.) I go here for practically every special occasion and we like to go here for New Year’s eve every year. The owner is big into wine and has wine tasting dinners too. www.timpones-urbana.com

Sunsinger, Champaign (http://www.sunsingerwines.com) Wine bar café. I just love this place and I don’t even drink. Terrific creative menu for lunch or dinner (menu is the same for both) and wines by the glass. Tables inside and outside. Terrific hors d’oeurves, great cheeses, wine shop is part of restaurant. I love to go here in the summer for lunch and sit outside.

Hickory River Smokehouse, Urbana (1706 N. Cunningham, 337-165) – One of our eat-here-every-two-weeks (or more) places. This is a good bbque place. We actually like L’il Porgy’s sauce better (several locations around town) but the meats here are such good quality. It’s a locally owned place and the restaurant is just kept immaculate. I can’t ever seem to get anything here except brisket – it’s so tender. My hubby gets ribs too sometimes. They have this heavenly cornbread – it seems homemade, sweet and has corn kernels in it. Beers on tap, cobblers for dessert. Good stuff! http://www.hickoryriver.com (Speaking of L’il Porgy’s too – these are such dive places – one in Champaign, one in Urbana. Love the sauce but not real happy with their meat quality. They have a great bbque sauce as I’ve mentioned above, mild to hot – we like their roasted chicken the most. Very dive-ish -- they’re not into pretty-ing up their restaurants! I always take it home to eat……. Meats are cooked on a grill that you can see when you order – a massive brick grill. I am tentative to order their sandwiches because they don’t watch what they slice – I always seem to get way too much fat and once they sliced bone on multiple slices onto a pork sandwich.)

Courier Café, Urbana (111 North Race, 328-1811) I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have eaten at Courier over the years – it has to be 100’s and 100’s of times (we’ve lived here almost 20 years). It’s good for breakfast, lunch, and dinner – definitely a local institution. People will just cry if this place ever closes. The hand-dipped milkshakes are the best in town, I think, served in the metal cups they mix them in so you get every last drop. It wins for best salad bar often in the Best Of Champaign News-Gazette issue. Good burgers, wonderful homemade soups, and good entrees at night. Great coffees too if you’re a coffee drinker. The atmosphere of Courier is so neat – all wood floors, booths, old tin ceiling. Small place, no resos. This restaurant is owned by the same person who owns Silvercreek. http://www.couriersilvercreek.com

Silvercreek, Urbana (402 North Race, 328-3402) same web site as Courier. Another of our locally-owned non-chain favorites. It took several years for the owner to restore this old brick building (I think a lumber business?) and IMHO the inside is one of the prettiest in Champaign. Varied American menu – recently they switched to printing menus frequently, every day I think. The homemade soups are very good and they bake their own bread on-site, a little basket of it is served with dinners. I used to find the dessert menu disappointing – but recently they hired a new pastry chef so could improve. They have a brunch every Sunday– very nicely presented and creative dishes.

Apple Dumpling, Urbana (2014 N. Highcross Road, 344-0076) This place can’t be more family-style dining. Their specialty is fried chicken, noodles (beef or chicken), mashed potatos, apple dumplings w/ caramel sauce and ice cream – everything’s made from scratch. They have pan rolls like my Grandma used to make – 3” or 4” tall, brown tops, w/ apple butter on the table. The dining room’s lighting is so bright it’s garish but the food is good. During the week, they have specials every night like one would make at home – goulash, etc. Very inexpensive. Hubby and I probably eat here once every two weeks – we have a handful of inexpensive places that we rotate on a two week basis! The one negative about this place – the owners (a couple in their 60’s) smoke and it seems most of their staff do too. The restaurant is one big room (plus the kitchen in a separate but open room) - just went non-smoking in 2006 (yeah!) No web site.

Fiesta Café, Champaign (216 S. 1st, 352-5902) www.fiestacafe.com Another once-every-two-weeks place for us. There are so many Mexican restaurants in town, I’m sure everyone has a different favorite. This place is locally owned, very dive-ish. We just like the simple food and that you can order a la carte instead of getting those huge platters. I like their enchiladas with mole sauce here. If you’ve ever been in Mexico, this place feels like it’s in Mexico – i.e. seems run down, charming Mexico-type bright paint, good food. I like their salsa here too – seems more homemade than others. Dos Reales is our 2nd favorite place for Mexican (1407 N. Prospect Avenue, 351-6879). Good homemade-type salsa there and love the queso cheese dip. They are popular and just added another restaurant in Urbana recently. Our third favorite Mexican is the chain Chevy’s by the mall. I love their roasted-tomato salsa and their fajitas. They make their tortillas from scratch there too – love ‘em.

Milo’s, Urbana ( 156-D Lincoln Square, 344-8946) Another of my favorite local non-chain restaurants. Everything made from scratch here too. One of my favorite dishes is their homemade mushroom ravioli. This winter I had a stew over mashed potatos, both homemade. They have menus for each season. It’s a small restaurant – resos required if you want to get in. This place has been open quite awhile so an established restaurant. A review in the paper described the cuisine as eclectic American. Neat story behind the owner/chef: http://www.illinimedia.com/di/features/1646 No web site for the restaurant yet unfortunately.

Bacaro, Champaign (113 North Walnut, downtown, 398-6982) If you’re up for an expensive dining “experience”, I really like this place. (www.barcaro.thadmorrow.com Although he is not keep this web site up-to-date, not sure why?!) Resos a must. Very gourmet. I wish I could afford Bacaro more often. See menu at web site – you will see what I mean by very gourmet. A small restaurant that probably only has 20 tables decorated in a very modern style. Thad was recently featured in a national magazine, the name of which is escaping me just now. Also has a neat little gourmet grocery called Persimmon next door.
A review about Bacaro from lthforum.com recently:
I love this restaurant. On Sunday nights the wines are half price and so I've tried plenty! The staff make excellent wine pairings suggestions and they have the best deserts in town (without doubt). On my last Sunday visit - thanks to the cheap wine - I splashed out and tried the truffle risotto. The experience was exquisite. Before I was served, my meal I was brought out the truffles to smell, touch and admire before they were shaved onto my meal by the chef. They are amazingly aromatic and a gustatory treat. It was a wonderful evening, as always at bacaro. Note also that it is open until 11pm - making it one of the few places in Champaign where you can get a good dinner after 10pm - you can eat at a table (more romantic?) or at the bar (lots of fun with friends!).

Kennedy’s, Urbana (2560 S. Stone Creek Bvd., 384-8111) One of C-U’s more upscale places. The restaurant itself is very Frank Lloyd-ish in appearance. Surrounded by the Stone Creek golf course. Lunch and Sunday lunch are actually quite reasonable compared to dinner prices (and dinner prices are not terrible). They have an expensive buffet on Sundays for the major holidays like Mother’s Day, Easter, etc. www.kennedysatstonecreek.com Grilled steaks, seafood, etc. I love the atmosphere but I wish they would change their menu more often. Service also is often not the greatest.

The Ribeye, Champaign (1701 S. Neil, 351-9115) This is just your basic good-ole-boy grilled steak place – very popular local eatery. You can decide on your entrée in just about a minute because they only have I think 7 entrees and the only steak is, of course, ribeye. I love their salad bar – employees attend to it constantly. We laugh that we do go there because we speculate that the owner has put maybe two nickels back into the place since it opened (like in 1955 maybe?!) but it’s just an institution around here. They have a very simple menu that they do well and efficiently. I get fried shrimp quite often and they are good quality – large shrimp. I also love their twice-baked taters here. The steaks are served on the sizzling hot black cast-iron plates – I don’t like ribeyes but hubby says they are good. It takes reservations on one night of the weekend but not the other (Fri/Sat) can’t remember which night is which. Never go here on a UI game day – crowds out the door and a closet of a waiting room. No web site.

Pickles, Champaign, IL (505 South Neil, 356-1930) It almost looks like a chain but it is local-owned and run very nicely, kind of a local jewel. Good sandwiches and entrees. Good place for a basic inexpensive dinner – soda, burger, fries, etc. I like their chicken strips – have been getting them for years, excellent quality. Fries are always prepared fresh. Bar in middle but not a rowdy place in the slightest – definitely family-type place. We’ve been going here for years and years. No web site. (Just went completely non-smoking recently.)

Great Impasta: Great Impasta was on my list of favorite, favorite places under a previous owner, then it was off my list for awhile because of smoking, service, and menu problems IMHO under a new owner. We gave it another chance recently – it’s gone non-smoking, the menu has changed, and service seemed better so it’s back on our list again. Pasta is made from scratch and the homemade clam chowder is wonderful. Really neat visual restaurant – one big open room with wood floors, high ceilings, and original art on the walls.

Guido’s, 2 East Main, Champaign, 359-3148. If you want to go someplace that’s “cool” to hang out, you‘ve will see Guido’s driving through downtown Champaign. It’s neat to sit outside their restaurant in the summer. Food is honestly just so-so but there aren’t too many places in town with the kind of outside set-up they have. If you want to go somewhere for beers/drinks/snacks, it’s a fun place.

Also a funky fun place to go is the Cowboy Monkey. Outdoor dining – bands at night. It’s smack downtown and has this wonderful patio area with tables with umbrellas. (www.cowboy-monkey.com) It’s a little menu but so creative. I like the shrimp tacos.

Crane Alley, Urbana, www.cranealley.com I want to like this place but service seems to struggle and menu does not change enough for me. Although, it is a very creative menu. Dining in the alley next to the restaurant in the summer is neat. Last time I was there they also had homemade ice cream that could be ordered individually in different flavors. Billiards also available inside. If you eat inside, restaurant is at back of building, past billiards.

Jim Gould’s, Corner of Main and Neil, downtown Champaign, 531-1177. Upscale eatery. I’ve been here twice – I wish I liked it better. It is a gorgeous restaurant – terrific location. Inside and outside seating. Both times I went, the bread basket was disappointing, once it was as if it was stale. Awfully disappointing for the price paid. Another time, I ordered the pan roasted beef tips and the beef was chewy. Again, disappointing for the price. Hope they improve – I’m sure I’ll try it again. (Update: my office had a company meeting dinner here - everything was very good.)

Original Pancake House, 1909 West Springfield Avenue, Champaign, 352-8866. Just a great place for coffee and a decent breakfast – extremely popular with locals. Good griddle pancakes. Always extremely crowded weekend mornings.

Texas Roadhouse, Champaign (by Schnucks off Mattis Avenue). We are not big into chains (and rarely go to any of the ones on Prospect) but this one is just a good one. Their salads are good, they make homemade rolls w/ cinnamon butter – I would go to TX roadhouse for just the rolls. Their prices are so reasonable – good grilled pork chops. Just a good chain. We also really like their grilled burgers. http://www.texasroadhouse.com (Outback Steakhouse on Prospect is also a decent similar chain. It is very similar to Texas Roadhouse but prices are steeper, still quite good for a chain. http://www.outbacksteakhouse.com)

Other mentionables:
People tell us that the El Toro Mexican places in C-U are good – 3 locations now. We just have not gotten around to trying them.

There are related family Italian places that are quite popular in Champaign – hubby and I don’t understand why they are popular but you can see that they are. Manzella’s Italian Patio and Dom’s, both in same block in Champaign. We think Manzella’s is a smoke pit (cigarettes) and have not been impressed with the food the two times we tried it. Dom’s is in a building with no windows – that may be a weird thing to get hung up on but we just don’t like it. We gave it another try recently with a group of friends who wanted to go and were shocked at how old and run-down it seems. Can’t understand the attraction.
Minneci’s is also in same area (maybe same family?). Atmosphere, lighting, and music are hokey, and seats are too close together so we don’t go here often but food is pretty good. We like their pizza best – homemade crust, good sauce. A group from work goes for lunch sometimes – I like their tortellini with marinara sauce.

There is a really neat restaurant in downtown Champaign called Radio Maria. (http://www.shout.net/~radiom/dinner1.html) I want so badly to like this place – the restaurant in appearance is so neat. It’s the old Brown’s Paint store – wood floors, big windows. I think the menu influence is Cuban and it is just really, really unique food. You would not want to take a picky eater here because it is really unique stuff. It is always busy. I’ve gone twice and just haven’t picked well off the menu I imagine. We keep saying we should try it again. Definitely need resos here on Fridays/Saturdays. The neat thing here is – you can wait at the coffee shop just down the street for your table. I’ve heard they also have tapas.

If you like the hokey teppan table thing, - Miko and Kamakura are both good. I’ve tried Kamakura many times and like it. Kamakura tends to be expensive – least expensive Teppan entrée is $15 chicken. I like to get shrimp. It’s hokey (re: cooking show) but I like the preparation / grill taste.

Basmati is an Indian place near campus. Being a typical Midwesterner, I just do not know Indian food. I might love it if I’d try it but I need someone to go with me and instruct me!! It seems to be a popular place.

Fun little extras:

Culver’s on Prospect, yummy custard ice cream, good “butter” burgers.

Jarling’s Custard Cup - 309 West Kirby Avenue, Champaign, 352-2273, speaking of ice cream, huge local favorite in C-U. Smooth custard ice cream in four or five flavors.

Curtis Orchard on Duncan Road– apple orchard, etc. Neat store – sells homemade apple donuts in the mornings, maybe just on the weekends. Great homemade apple cider. Fresh apples from the orchard.

Pizza: Two favorite local pizza places are Monical’s and Papa Del’s. I’ve had Monical’s so much since I was a kid I’m pretty much sick of it! The Monical’s in Tolono is the best one – there’s a new Monical’s restaurant on Mattis and one on Kirby, both are okay but the Tolono one is the best. Crunchy thin crust pizza. Papa Del’s is on campus. It’s been around since I was in high school – one of our teachers would pay people to bring him back frozen pizzas so he could bake them. There is a good thing and a bad thing about Papa Del’s. To me, their pizza is unquestionably the best in town. Unfortunately, the guy who owns it will not keep his restaurant up. Hubby and I swore off it for about a year recently because we were so disgusted. It’s like he won’t put out a dime to clean it or keep it painted, etc. He just barely does what he has to. Eventually we could not resist and returned …… we just hope we live when we eat it! It is truly good pizza. I wish the owner would wake up. I guess dives are just that – dives.
Jupiter’s, downtown Champaign. Is also supposed to have great pizza but the one time we tried to go the excessive cigarette smoke sent us right back out the door. A review from lthforum.com: After the bars, we grabbed a pizza to go at Jupiter. A trendy bar atmosphere belies the the high quality of their pizza. A very good cracker crust and quality toppings. Ours had spinach, basil, sun-dried tomatoes and large chunks of extremely tasty sausage. http://www.jupiterspizza.com

The Cake Artist’s Studio, Champaign, http://www.thecakeartistsstudio.com Great place to stop for individual servings of wonderful pastries! The display case is a visual feast. Also has cookies and other smaller treats in a side case.

Reuben’s Chocolates, Champaign, local exquisite chocolate place. The display case is also a visual feast here. http://www.rubens-chocolatier.com

Pekara Bakery & Bistro, downtown Champaign, 116 N. Neil, Champaign 217-359-4500, Pekara means “bakery” in Serbo-Croatian. Article about Pekara: http://www.thehubweekly.com/community/index.php?id=96 Breads, pastries, baklava, scones, crepes, coffee, soup. Really neat place.

Hedgerow Bistro, Urbana, new restaurant. Review from lthforum.com: (I have not been yet.) Had dinner tonight at a new restaurant in Urbana, Hedgerow Bistro. As the name suggests, it serves bistro-type food. The dishes I had -- an appetizer of seared bay scallops and an entree of salmon -- were simple, but very good. The menu is very short, but the entrees will change weekly. It's pricey, with entrees averaging around $20, but if the meal I had was typical, I'd rank it as the best fine dining restaurant in C-U.
Hedgerow Bistro is located on the SE corner of University and Lincoln Aves., and is tucked in the back room of a flower and gift shop called English Hedgerow, which is the only name on the building. It's only open Tue. through Sat. between 5:30 and 8:30. Since the room is pretty small, it's probably a good idea to make a reservation on weekends, to be on the safe side. The telephone number is 365-0055.

KoFusion – new downtown Champaign restaurant. Inside and outside dining. I have not been yet – another review from lthforum.com: Also has outdoor seating. Inside at KoFusion the decor is worth the trip, modern, great lighting, very cool. The menu is eclectic, lots of sushi, a sake and martini list, steak, fish, vegetarian. We were snacking, and ordered a salad, a meatball appetizer and a volcano roll. The salad was artfully plated, half a kalamata olive on a grape tomato in each corner of a square plate, romaine set on end in the center, a nice sprinkle of feta and a good vinaigrette. Not a particularly generous portion, but not bad. The meatball app was OK. The volcano roll was tasty, baked shrimp on top of a California roll. Price for each dish was around $7. Service was very good. I'd like to return and check out more of the menu. One thing I really liked is the variety of price levels available. You could easily roll up $100 a couple, or get by with sushi and sake for $15 a person.

Sea Boat, Champaign. 1114 N. Market, 351-6209. We finally tried this after years of living in Champaign – the neighborhood can be a little scary but go during the day and it’s fine. Fried fish sandwiches, fried shrimp (I think everything is fried here). They really like to use pepper – peppery homemade mac and cheese. If you like it kinda spicy, good place to go. Take out only.

Art Mart , 127 Lincoln Square Mall, Urbana, IL 344-7979, I have not been here for awhile. From lthforum.com: Not actually restaurant, this shop sells pastries, French baguettes (you can also buy partially baked, frozen baguettes, put them in the oven at 350 F for 8 minutes and you've got a hot, crispy baguette!), imported cheeses, meats, olives, jelly, chocolates...imported everything! There is a new store with imported foods, the Great Harvest Bread Co., on University Ave. in Urbana, too.

Places I have not been but have heard are favorites of others:

Bread Company, 706 Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL 383-1007
A classic favorite of Foreign Language Building people, and not only because it's a half a block away. The owner of this restaurant comes from Switzerland and the food is delish. Sandwiches, salads, and soups for lunch, pizzas, pastas, and hot sandwiches for dinner. They also have FONDUE (cheese and chocolate) and a RACLETTE!!!

Here’s a UI list of local restaurants with brief descriptions:
http://www.french.uiuc.edu/jsturm/gsf/l ... rants.html

Other good restaurants in the area around Champaign-Urbana:

Possum Trot, Oakwood (2918 Batestown Road, 217/442-6066) In the country by Oakwood, very rural area, only about ½ hour from Champaign. It’s called a “supper club”. The huge brick grill is inside – great grilled steaks, pork chops, salmon. There’s a piano player on Fri/Sat nights. If you sit in the right area of the restaurant you can watch them grill. It’s wild to watch them use the pulley to pull the grill rack up high with the food still on it and add more charcoal/wood. A younger couple just bought the restaurant last year and we think they’ve improved it. Reservations are a very good idea on weekends. No web site.

Sadorus Pub, Sadorus, IL, (109 E. Market Street, 598-2919) Closer to Monticello. Does have a bar on one side but the other side is a restaurant. Good homemade food - unfortunately it does tend to be smokey because of the bar, which we do not like, but the food is very down-home type. Steaks, burgers, fried chicken, homemade desserts, etc. Sometimes they have special things like blue gill (which my Dad used to catch and fry for us). We joked with the waitress about who their blue gill "source" was – she wouldn’t tell us. Very dive-ish. No web site.


Not a fan of:
Zelma’s on Windsor
Tang Dynasty in Urbana Mall
Rainbow Garden on Neil

Someone else’s e-mail on Chowhound.com:

1. There are a lot of excellent places to eat in Champaign (for a city of its size). Here are some of my favorites:

1. Sounds like you like BBQ. My favorite place is 'Lil Porgy's (there are two locations). Many people like Po' Boys, which is a different experience (it is only open on Friday and Saturday nights). Many people also like Hickory River (formerly Longhorn Smokehouse) on Cunningham in Urbana. I haven't tried Jackson's and I'd be interested to hear if others like it. There is also Famous Dave's, which is a chain and IMO not that good.

2. In Urbana near campus is a great restaurant called The Bread Company. During the day they pretty much serve sandwiches and salads, and sometimes some specials. But at night they have a larger menu with excellent small pizzas, pates, pasta dishes, and (my favorite) fondue. This is the best causal place in town, I think.

3. Cafe Luna near campus in Champaign. The owner is related to the owners of The Bread Company (the child, I believe). At night Cafe Luna has a small-plates menu, similar to tapas, with excellent wines. During the day they have excellent hot and cold sandwiches, salads, etc. Very good.

4. In downtown Champaign there's Bacaro, which is probably the most expensive restaurant in town (entrees around $25+, but with pasta dishes around $18). They have a very extensive selection of Italian wines. The food is very creative. I love it. Menu changes seasonally.

5. Timpone's is next door to The Bread Company in Urbana. it's a little less causal than the Bread Company, but less than Bacaro. The food is Italian-based. They also have excellent small pizzas and pastas for lunch. It's excellent. Menu changes seasonally.

6. Last year a few higher-end restaurants opened in downtown Champaign, including a steak house called Jim Gould and a Japanese-fusion type place called Ko-fusion. The steak house is good, but quite expensive. A friend characterized it as about as good as second-tier steakhouses in Chicago. In true steakhouse style, I think they served way to big of a portion. I tell friends who want a good steak to go to Timpone's (or Bacaro if they happen to have it on the menu). I liked Ko-fusion.

7. Radio Maria in downtown Champaign is a fan favorite. Their food is pan-Asian-South American-Carribean. Very adventurous with spices, and funky atmosphere. Price-wise, it's a little less expensive than Bacaro, Ko-fusion, and the steak place. About the same as Timpone's.

8. Many people like Farron's, in downtown Champaign. I've only been there for lunch. Not sure if they are open for dinner.

9. My favorite Chinese restaurant in town is Peking Garden on Randolf st. in Champaign. They use very fresh ingredients, have an extensive menu of stuff that goes beyond the traditional American-Chinese food found everywhere else (though they have that stuff also). Ask your server, or the owner if she's there, for recommendations about "exotic stuff" if you want to experiment. There is also a newer Chinese place in the Marketplace Mall in Urbana that is very good, and slightly more upscale. I've only been there once and don't remember the name.

10. Courier cafe in Urbana -- I go there for excellent breakfasts and brunches, though they are open all day. Sandwiches, burgers, etc. the rest of the day.

11. Legends on Green street on Campus: typical campus bar, with burgers and such, but on Friday and Saturday they have an excellent fish fry.

12. Crane Alley on Main st. in Urbana. Bar/restaurant (more of a restaurant until later at night). Excellent food, and not just burgers and such. Very causal. Good wine and beer menu.

13. Pizza: the most popular place in town is probably Papa Dels on Green street. They make excellent thin, deep dish, and stuffed. I like them a lot. I also love Manzella's on 1st street, which has excellent thin crust pizza (they also have pasta dishes and other entrees, but I've only had their pizza). A lot of people also like the thin pizza at Jupiters, a bar in downtown Champaign. Many of the places I've written about above also have excellent, personal size pizzas.

14. I like Dos Reales on Prospect for Mexican, although there are quite a few other good places. El Toro, El Toro II, El Torero,

15. Finally, there are a lot of cheap, causal, ethnic places on or near Green street that mostly cater to graduate students and faculty. Many are very good. There are several Korean places; Chinese places; a couple Japanese; one Indian; a few Mexican...you get the idea.

I'm sure I'm leaving a few places out. Let me know if you have questions or any other type of cuisine in mind. If I was going to eat one dinner in Champaign, it would be at Bacaro. If I wanted to eat for less than $25 per person, it would be at Cafe Luna or The Bread Company. Luckily, though, I don't have to go to just one place.
o reply
2. over 1 months ago T replied to Darren
Thank you so much for the response. I've eaten at Lil Porgys many times. Thats my husbands favorite place. I've printed off your list and we're going to try these places out. I think our first stop will be Timpone's. Thanks again for your suggestions!

If your ever in Danville, IL I suggest you try Charlottes........its on South Gilbert Street. Its a quant little place. I highly recommend the Broccoli Soup, Italian Beef and Chicken Salad Sandwiches. If you like Mexican La Potosina on South Gilbert is excellent....their Fiesta Fajitas are amazing and their margaritas are out of this world....1 small will get you buzzed. Certain nights they have mariachi bands......I think this Sunday they have one.

What a comprehensive post, Chuckie. My hat is off to you!

Yes, thank you Chuckie for sharing that great list with us.

Yes indeed, a great post. A few updates/comments:

I was at Silvercreek a couple months ago. I wasn't so crazy about it overall, but their bread pudding was great.

Persimmon Grocery is closed, alas, as I mentioned upthread.

Curtis Orchard serves apple donuts all day, every day. They also sell good pies (whole or by the slice; my favorite is the cherry pie), and various homey-style foods, e.g. various fruit butters and pickled vegetables. On weekends they have a cafe which sells sandwiches. (They're very crowded on weekends, though, and if you don't like eating surrounded by a bunch of kids, the cafe probably isn't for you.) Note that Curtis Orchard is open seasonally: they open in July (I think) and close in late December.

Rubens also sells very good, very rich hot chocolate: it's one of the best cups of hot chocolate I've had anywhere (though they sometimes sell out late in the day). They also sell frozen hot chocolate, though I've never tried that. And in the summer they sell homemade ice cream with various sauces.

Hi,

I am Champaign tomorrow to visit my niece. I am definitely hitting Ruebens to buy a few Christmas presents. The cat on the pillow has been speaking to me for a long time.

From this Ruben’s thread



Regards,

Oh how adorable! I'm going to have to go there next trip over. Unfortunately, owning our own business AND working a full-time job during the day has not allowed us to get out of town at all recently.

Just read on the Illiniboard that Harold's Chicken Shack has opened up a store at 5th and John in Champaign. IIRC from my UI days (BS '83) that's probably Johnstowne Center, former home of Giordano's years ago!

Cathy2 wrote:I go to Champaign from time to time, this is the first I heard of buying meat directly from the AG school. Where do you go for this? Do you have to make any special arrangements?

Cathy2, I thought you knew everything!

The College of Agriculture's been doing meat sales for many years. Alas, most of the time I lived in Champaign, I didn't have a freezer big enough to take advantage of it. Now that I live north of Chicago, the challenge would be how to transport a whole frozen side of beef, or some other whole lot of frozen beef, from here to there. But if you work out those logistics, it's a good deal.

Although I lived in C-U for many years, I've been reluctant to post in this thread because I'm not sure if many of the places I used to know are still open. Glad to see Ye Olde mentioned, and the Blind Pig.

Here's a fancier restaurant option for the out-of-town visitor (a bit too far to walk for the student crowd, and a bit out of the student price range): Silvercreek, in Urbana (www.couriersilvercreek.com. A cool old building and a really nice dinner menu and wine list. I believe it is owned by the same people who own the Courier Cafe in Urbana. I consider the Courier vastly overrated, but that may be because I'm not much of a breakfast person anyway, or it may be because it's always SO NOISY.

The Silvercreek, on the other hand, is a great white-tablecloth place for a nice, romantic dinner.

It's actually a different Blind Pig in a different location, though with the same owner. Some years ago, the owner of the Blind Pig decided to retire, and sold the place to a couple who converted it into a police-themed bar. This wasn't well received, and only lasted a few months. Later, the old owner decided he wanted to get back into the business, but by then somebody else had moved into the old location. So he opened a new Blind Pig on Neil St., approximately across from Radio Maria. The new Blind Pig doesn't have live music afaik, but it does have a wide variety of microbrews; it was named one of the top fifty beer-drinking spots in the country by some beer magazine, iirc. The old Blind Pig is now occupied by another bar/restaurant called the Cowboy Monkey, which does have live music.

The above is all from memory, so I apologize if I got anything wrong.

Sorry, chuckie; I didn't notice that you had already mentioned Silvercreek. I second that suggestion, then.

Sorry also that we differ on the Courier Cafe, but I think it is just that I'm not a breakfast person.

EVO Cafe is a place in campustown that's been open for several years, serving bubble tea and Asian food of various types. Recently they added a second, "authentic" Szechuan menu, and tonight I finally tried it.

I ordered the Chongqing Dry Chili Chicken, and when the waiter asked how hot I wanted it, I said "very." (Both to demonstrate my "authenticity," and to counteract the watering-down I was expecting.) But the chef (I think) advised me that I'd be better off with medium, and cravenly I took his advice. And I'm very glad I did. That "medium" dish was one of the hottest things I've ever eaten, and I've eaten quite a bit of Szechuan food. I was feeling the burn from the very first bite. And avoiding the chilies didn't help. In fact the hotness was concentrated in the pieces of chicken. Not that there weren't a lot of chilies; they may have made up as much as half the dish by volume. I'd ordered a coconut milk tea to cut the hotness, but it wasn't enough: I had to order a second one. I shudder to think what the "very hot" version must be like.

Hotness aside, the dish was good, probably, though it was hard to tell through the burn. The chicken did not have a thick breading on it, so the dish overall was light. I intend to go back and try another dish from the Szechuan menu, though it won't be any hotter than "mild" (which I imagine would be the equivalent of "medium" at most places). In the meantime, if you live in C-U and you like really, really hot foods, EVO Cafe would seem like the place.

EVO Cafe
711 S. 6th St. (between Green and John)
Champaign
(217) 328-7688

Adam: I'm intrigued by your review of EVO Cafe. I picked up a menu last semester and intended to try one of their many soups. However, I came across many negative reviews online. Three popular criticisms are that their dishes are very oily or greasy, the place is not clean, and the service is slow & rude. Because of these reviews (some as recent as December 2006), I have never visited EVO Cafe.

Your review is heartening, but did you experience any of the problems listed above? I can deal with slow service, but even thinking about excessively oily food and dirty dishes turns my stomach... Yet if circumstances have changed, I'll definitely go.

All I can say is that I've never encountered these problems on any of my visits. And the Dry Chili Chicken I had was neither oily nor greasy.

Incidentally, where did you find these online reviews? I haven't come across any source for online reviews of C-U restaurants.

Adam,

Have you tried Flat Top Grill yet? Unless you're really up for stir fried seafood, the lunch menu is cheaper for the same thing. The dinner menu adds $5 because they add a few seafood choices. You really need to research your sauce combos, too, as the sauce can make or break the meal.

And I write reviews of most restaurants I try. Some are in C-U.

Adam Stephanides wrote:All I can say is that I've never encountered these problems on any of my visits. And the Dry Chili Chicken I had was neither oily nor greasy.

Incidentally, where did you find these online reviews? I haven't come across any source for online reviews of C-U restaurants.

That's great to hear. I'll have to stop by EVO soon.

As far as the online reviews... I just searched the restaurant name on google. The reviews weren't from very reputable sites--just yahoo-esque restaurant pages and personal blogs-- but the number of negative reviews did make me pause:

one here
some more
positive & negative reviews

Glad to hear your experience was different though. I wanted a reason to try this place (without feeling like a fool)!

Here are some of my C-U favorites. Please note, I don't like traditional "American" food much so you won't find some of the old favorites like the Courier on my list. And I don't tend to go to the fancier and more expensive places like Bacaro or Jim Gould's.

Evo
Overlook the uninspiring decor and you could have a really good meal here. Also, don't get too distracted by the main menu, the real draw is the Szechuan menu. Evo has a new Szechuan chef who came to our humble town from New York (and, originally, Szechuan). I've been steadily working my way through the Szechuan menu and haven't had a bad dish yet. The menu is similar to Lao Sze Chuan in Chicago (though not as extensive) and the owners mentioned Lao Sze Chuan as one of their influences. They also have hot pot upstairs but I haven't tried it here yet. (when they say spicy, they really mean it. I've had food here that humbled me. I was red-faced, sweating, and crying. damn, it was good.)

Woori Jib
Also a very casual Campustown dive but good Korean food - especially the kalbi and spicy chicken with vegetables and rice cakes.

A Ri Rang
Casual Korean campustown place. The mackeral with lots of side dishes and dolsot bib bim bob are good.

B Won
The only sit down, table service Korean in town. They have a great spicy raw crab dish. And ask for the "brown" rice rather than the white.

Lai Lai Wok
Good Taiwanese food. Go for the Taiwanese specialities rather than the Americanized Chinese. There is a House Special Stir Fry that has dried shrimp, green beans, chinese sausage, peanuts, and dried tofu that is really great. (ok, now you know my taste. maybe not everyone will enjoy what I enjoy. )

El Charro
I'm kind of a snob about Mexican food. I don't like the tex mex, norteno food that passes for Mexican food here (El Toro etc.) But El Charro is an exception. It is the only real taqueria in town. On the weekends they have homemade tamales. Also, try the cecina, bistec, or chorizo con papas gorditas.

Y-Eatery
Casual thai food in the campus YMCA. Only open on weekdays for lunch. Inconveniently located (unless you are a U of I student). But addictive pad thai. Not too sweet, not too wet. Just the way I like it. Don't order anything else, just the pad thai. I like to get a combination of the meat and vegetarian pad thai. This is kind of non-standard pad thai - ground turkey and shrimp in the meat pad thai, tofu and seitan in the veggie - but, for some reason, it is addictive.

Radio Maria
Sit down restaurant in downtown Champaign. Hip decor. Eclectic latin/asian/etc fusion. Sometimes misses, sometimes really good. Just opened a tapas bar next door that I haven't tried yet.

Escobar's
Just north of downtown Champaign. New latin fusion restaurant. I've only had brunch there but it was tasty (smoked trout benedict with sweet potato fries). Nice decor.

Bombay Grill
The only passable Indian food in town. I like the vegetable jalfrezi, dal makhani, and lamb dishes.

Bread Company
At lunch it is just sandwiches but at dinner they have pizzas, fondue, raclette. Their homemade pizza has a thin, crispy, yet not cracker-like, crust that I like a lot. Probably my favorite pizza crust (now that I've been away from Chicago long enough to forget about deep dish.) Nice toppings too. Here is my favorite combo that you have to order specially: mushrooms, gruyere, and roasted garlic, minus the tomato sauce. Skip the pastas here.

Cafe Luna
Run by the children of the Bread Co owner. More expensive than I usually spend but good food. Last I was there - small plates, a few high-end entrees. good for lunch, too.

Jupiter's
Thin crust pizza that is more cracker-like than the Bread Co with some good topping combinations. You can also have a drink and play pool here.

Siam Terrace
Won't rival some of the great Thai food in Chicago (TAC, Spoon, Sticky Rice), alas, but pretty good. My favorite dish is the mock duck basil.

That's all I can think of for now.

-laura

Laura,

I'm surprised you prefer Bombay Grill over Basmati. I'm just the opposite. The chicken dishes at Bombay almost always have gristle and fat in them. That's a real appetite killer for me. And it may seem secondary to some, but choice of beverages is very important to me, and in that area Bombay falls short again. I'm not a Pepsi fan and apple juice doesn't cut it for me. At Basmati I can have beer or wine with my meal. Bombay is ok for a quick lunch, but for dinner I prefer Basmati.

My wife would agree with you about the mock duck at Siam Terrace. I like their Macadamia Beef, which is an occasional special.

Its been a loooong time since I've eaten at Basmati but when I did eat there I hated it. The food tasted like someone had a picture of Indian food and was trying to reproduce it without ever having tasted it before. Maybe I'm being too harsh, but it didn't taste "Indian". Under-spiced would be an understatement. Maybe it has improved since then.

Looking at those negative Evo reviews, I think that the problem was in the ordering. Someone who goes to a Chinese restaurant and orders Pho is going to be disappointed. They have a huge menu but they don't do everything well. I didn't love Evo until they got the new chef and the new Szechuan menu.

Basmati has improved in the last year or so. Although as you state above about Evo, it depends on what you order. My wife is a big fan of saag and she likes the saag better at Bombay. But overall we like Basmati better.

I've walked by Evo almost daily and never considered eating there. We'll have to try it now.

I just learned I'll be spending the day in Champaign-Urbana with little to do. Does anyone have eating recommendations, open to anything with flavor.

Peace
David

Hi,

Here is an existing thread with lots of ideas: http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=2944#2944

Regards,

Ko Fusion

B Won

Escobar's

Or for something more traditional, Silvercreek.

This was mentioned in that earlier thread, but Radio Maria is worth another mention: http://www.radiomariarestaurant.com/ Dinner there was generally good, but brunch is excellent- my personal favorite was the breakfast burrito that was approximately the size of my head. The Lloyd's omelet was pretty good too.

This is an update to my Chowhound post on a similar subject last summer.

There are a lot of excellent places to eat in Champaign (for a city of its size). Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order:

1. Champaign is great for BBQ. My favorite place is 'Lil Porgy's (there are two locations, one on Springfield near Mattis in Champaign and the other on University Avenue in Urbana). Many people also like Hickory River (formerly Longhorn Smokehouse) on Cunningham in Urbana. I haven't tried Jackson's and I'd be interested to hear if others like it. There is also Famous Dave's, which is a chain and IMO not that good. (You'll see a lot of posts for Po' Boys, which I've heard is now closed.)

2. In Urbana near campus is a great restaurant called The Bread Company. During the day they pretty much serve sandwiches and salads, and sometimes some specials. But at night they have a larger menu with excellent small pizzas, pates, pasta dishes, and (my favorite) fondue. This is the best causal place in town, I think.

3. Cafe Luna near campus in Champaign. The owner is related to the owners of The Bread Company (the child, I believe). At night Cafe Luna has a small-plates menu, inspired by Spanish tapas, with excellent wines. During the day they have excellent hot and cold sandwiches, salads, etc. Very good.

4. In downtown Champaign there's Bacaro, which is probably the most expensive restaurant in town (entrees around $25+, but with pasta dishes around $18). They have a very extensive, great selection of Italian wines. The food is very creative. I love it. Menu changes seasonally.

5. Timpone's is next door to The Bread Company in Urbana. it's a little less causal than the Bread Company, but more so than Bacaro. The food is Italian-based. They also have excellent small pizzas and pastas for lunch. It's excellent. Menu changes seasonally.

6. Last year a few higher-end restaurants opened in downtown Champaign, including a steak house called Jim Gould, a nuevo Latino place called Escobar's, and a Japanese-fusion type place called Ko-fusion. The steak house is good, but quite expensive. A friend characterized it as about as good as second-tier steakhouses in Chicago. In true steakhouse style, I think they served way to big of a portion. I tell friends who want a good steak to go to Timpone's (or Bacaro if they happen to have it on the menu). They also have very good, hearty lunchs (beef inspired).

I've only been to Escobar's once. The food was great. I don't remember much more, other than I've been meaning to go back.

Ko-fusion is good also. If you can easily go to modern Japanese, or Japanese-fusion, places in Chicago, there isn't much reason to visit Ko-Fusion. But it's good, if not spectacular.

7. Radio Maria in downtown Champaign is a fan favorite. Their food is pan-Asian-South American-Carribean. Very adventurous with spices, and funky atmosphere. Price-wise, it's a little less expensive than Bacaro, Ko-fusion, and the steak place. About the same as Timpone's.

8. Many people like Farron's, in downtown Champaign. I've only been there for lunch. Not sure if they are open for dinner.

9. My favorite Chinese restaurant in town is Peking Garden on Randolf st. in Champaign. They use very fresh ingredients, have an extensive menu of stuff that goes beyond the traditional American-Chinese food found everywhere else (though they have that stuff also). Ask your server, or the owner if she's there, for recommendations about "exotic stuff" if you want to experiment. There is also a newer Chinese place in the Marketplace Mall in Urbana that is very good, and slightly more upscale. I've only been there once and don't remember the name.

10. Courier cafe in Urbana -- I go there for excellent breakfasts and brunches, though they are open all day. Sandwiches, burgers, etc. the rest of the day.

11. Legends on Green street on Campus: typical campus bar, with burgers and such, but on Friday and Saturday they have an excellent fish fry. If you like fish and chips, this is a great lunch spot. When classes are in session, this is a great chance to take in a little local atmosphere.

12. Crane Alley on Main st. in Urbana. Bar/restaurant (more of a restaurant until later at night). Excellent food, and not just burgers and such. Quite interesting food, actually. Causal. Good wine and beer menu.

13. Pizza: the most popular place in town is probably Papa Dels on Green street. They make excellent thin, deep dish, and stuffed. I like them a lot. I also love Manzella's on 1st street, which has excellent thin crust pizza (they also have pasta dishes and other entrees, but I've only had their pizza). A lot of people also like the thin pizza at Jupiters, a bar in downtown Champaign. Timpone's does excellent personal size pizzas.

14. I like Dos Reales on Prospect for Mexican, although there are quite a few other good places. El Toro, El Toro II, El Torero,

15. Finally, there are a lot of cheap, causal, ethnic places on or near Green street that mostly cater to graduate students and faculty at lunchtime. Many are very good. There are several Korean places. The favorite of many of my Korean colleagues (and I agree, for what it's worth) is Woori Jib on 6th street. There's also a number of Chinese places; a couple Japanese; one Indian; a few Mexican...you get the idea.

I'm sure I'm leaving a few places out. Let me know if you have questions or any other type of cuisine in mind. If I was going to eat one dinner in Champaign, it would be at Bacaro. If I wanted to eat for less than $25 per person, it would be at Cafe Luna or The Bread Company. Luckily, though, I don't have to go to just one place.

M-six - didn't know you were on LTH. See you soon!

If you'll be there on a Saturday, check out the farmer's market at Lincoln Square in Urbana. It's the equal (or better) of any farmer's market in Chicago and has been called the best farmer's market in Illinois. The only farmstead cheesemakers in Illinois (they make the cheese at the farm) is also in Urbana: Prarie Fruits Farm. They sell their goat cheeses at the Green Market in CHI as well as at the market in Urbana, and if you call ahead, will be glad to show you around the farm and dairy. The Art Mart, in the largely deserted Lincoln Square Shopping Center, has a great selection of cooking implements, dishes, cheeses, and specialty ingredients. I'm a huge fan of Bacaro (full admission, I've known chef Thad Morrow for years). Yes, it's pricey for the area, but it's also the equal of pretty much any restaurant in any big city (CHI, NYC, etc.) I've been to. I'd relate it to Blackbird in terms of ambience and concept of food. Thad did an internship at Babbo and Mario Batali asked him to stay on as pasta chef, but Thad had to finish at the CIA. He's spent some time at Armando Batali's in Seattle and he and his crew are making various salumi, lomo, lardo, etc. at the restaurant, using hogs raised by his dad in Jacksonville. The last time I was there, I came back to SPFLD with a
suckling pig in my trunk. He'd gotten 12 from his dad and had an extra.
Radio Maria is next door and is also a good choice, though nowhere as sophisticated as Bacaro. They have a new tapas space next to the original with wonderful beers on tap. I've had some good meals at Timpone's (it was a pizza joint back in the '70s when I was a student there) and one truly incredible meal years ago when a group of us came over and chef Ray Timpone made a special dinner, but the last couple times I've been there have been only so-so. Worse, a local farmer who was supplying them with pork told me recently that it was the filthiest kitchen he'd ever been in -- "no way in hell" he'd ever eat there.
If you want to wander out of town, go a little south to Flesor's Candy Kitchenon the square in Tuscola, about a 25-30 minute drive. Back when I was an undergrad, I saw an article about this place. My husband and I went there and became friends with the Greek owners who had this very old school candy and ice cream parlor. After many years in CHI, we heard that it'd closed. Recently we found out that the grandchildren of the original owners had re-opened the place. It's truly an old-fashioned soda fountain/store. They managed to track down many of the original fixtures and equipment. This place is very special, an absolute gem, and worth a trip all on its own.

I haven't been in C-U in at least 16 years but I still have dreams about Lil Porgy's. Hell, I'm drooling now thinking about it.

Also, not sure if it's still around (like I said, been awhile) but Jarling's Custard Cup was on Florida Ave I think, just west of campus. It's only open in summer, their frozen custards are all homemade and their cold fudge sundae with toasted almonds still haunts me.

Hmm, i think I may need to roadtrip.

Jarlings Custard Cup is definitely still there, as is Lil Porgy's. Both are excellent and worth a visit. Jarlings is actually on Kirby (Florida turns into Kirby when you cross from Urbana to Champaign. Lil Porgy's has two locations, one in Champaign and one in Urbana.

(Like many have pointed out with regards to Chicago area BBQ joints, it is best not to visit a BBQ in the late afternoon when you suspect the meat has been sitting around for a while. Visit during the busier hours.)

Jarlings Custard Cup
309 W Kirby Ave
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 352-2273

Lil Porgy's BBQ

(1) 1917 W Springfield Ave
Champaign, IL 61821
(217) 398-6811

(2) 101 W University Ave
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 367-1018

Speaking as someone who spent 7/24ths of her life in C-U ...

Jarling's is a good rec; you can only catch it in the summer, and you should. It's a very nice place to stop on a hot summer night.

You can get too much L'il Porgy's, know what I mean? I mean, it's good, but sometimes I go to C-U for meetings with colleagues who used to be classmates, and if our visits are any indication, I get the impression they eat lunch at L'il Porgy's three times a week. And personally I feel there's got to be more to life than sauce-covered pork on white bread and mealy fries three times a week.

I like L'il Porgy's, but if I had to pick one of the two, I'd rather make arrangements to pick up a frozen Papa Del's pizza and cook it at home.

Here's another plug for Radio Maria. We ate there last weekend and had unique but tasty meals. Like Darren said, they're "adventurous with spices." If you want different, you want Radio Maria.