Dinner of dim sum at Dim Sum House
I feel like we have it pretty good in Champaign-Urbana when it comes to food variety. The university draws an international crowd, and our restaurants reflect that diversity. But I’ve never been really happy with …
Food & Drink
On the road at Arthur’s Labor Day Cheese Festival
I take pictures while driving. Don’t worry — I usually pull over to a safe spot. I’ve written recently about how much I love driving through the Midwest, especially after a cleansing rain that tamps …
Five things to eat or drink this month: September 2024
September’s crisp, cool air is a welcome change from August’s muggy corn sweat afternoons. This month’s not-hot weather needs fall food and drink to go with the autumnal vibes. This September, go for five things …
Flour and Fire offers divine wood-fired pizza
I first encountered the Flour and Fire Pizza food truck at the Crystal Lake Arts Fair last year. I was so impressed with the pizza that I dedicated precious article space to talk about it …
Take a break to visit Moment Bakery for sweet treats
Located on the western end of Green Street near Chopstix and Fyxit, Moment Bakery is likely unknown to those who don’t spend much time near the university. That is a shame, as they offer a …
Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy was a fun, macabre experience
Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy Experience pop-up was full of macabre delight in a local venue. Often there is no shortage of experiences available in Champaign-Urbana, and this past weekend was no exception! Recently, I had …
Escape to Cedar Oak Farms for a delightful dinner
Multi-course dinners are all the rage right now. I love seeing the menu for a multi-course dinner and thinking about which course I’ll like most. It’s cool to get to try several bites instead of …
Eat an incredible variety of great food at Urbana Garden
An incredible diner-like variety of food awaits at a locally owned restaurant called Urbana Garden Family Restaurant. The restaurant has enjoyed 30+ years in business and offers amazing variety of great food with friendly service. …
Coffee, breakfast, cocktails, and much more at Whisk
Whisk Coffee and Wine Bar opened in November 2020 as an expansion of Mahomet’s En Route Fashion Boutique, so it made sense why there were mannequins and jewelry inside this coffee shop. Stephanie reviewed the …
Poke Shack has enjoyable ube and Hawaiian food
The Fields in southwest Champaign is growing and an enhancement to that corridor is Poke Shack. This place is a gem. The poke and Hawaiian restaurant has expanded their menu adding sharables and specials. The …
Bananas of Urbana
It’s fun to call our twin cities of Champaign-Urbana Shampoo-Banana. The C-U nickname has been around since (at least) the 1970s. There’s so much shampoo in Champaign, but there’s not so many bananas in Urbana. …
Roster of Champaign-Urbana food trucks
In Champaign-Urbana, we have so many great food trucks. From American barbecue to Filipino chicken skewers to Zambian samosas, our 50+ area food trucks offer a taste of global cuisines, American favorites, and fusion food. Because …
Pairs around the Square: Delicious combos at Urbana’s farmers market
Urbana’s Market at the Square is many folks’ weekly stop for fresh local produce, breads, and crafts. Some might go to pick up all the ingredients needed to make workday lunches or weeknight dinners, but …
Mexican dishes to try around C-U
There are a lot of Mexican restaurants in Champaign-Urbana that are very good, and several of them have menu items in common. Even with the same descriptions, they do not all taste the same. Subtle …
Champaign Whiskey Fest’s 2024 grand gala of whiskeys
I love whiskey. Certainly, I’m no whiskey connoisseur, but I am a whiskey enthusiast. Last weekend was the first ever Champaign Whiskey Fest hosted by the whiskey-loving trio of Downtown Champaign establishments Watson’s Shack & …
Bibimbap bliss and more at Masijta Grill
Opened in 2014, Masijta Grill has served excellent Korean cuisine at the corner of Race and Water in Downtown Urbana for ten years. The menu boasts Korean barbecue in addition to pages of other options: …
Market Watch: August 2024
This is it: peak market season. August is the absolute best time to visit our local farmers markets. The vendors have tables overflowing with market goods: fresh-picked peppers, juicy summer tomatoes, fuzzy peaches, crisp salad …
Five things to eat or drink this month: August 2024
August is here, and this month is big one for our college town. We go from sleepy summer vibes to bustling fall semester. This whiplash from relaxed routines to schedules with start times gets me …
Ming Garden serves quality, quick Chinese food
Located just off Mattis in a more residential area of Champaign is a local favorite carry out or delivery place: Ming Garden restaurant. Specializing in Asian cuisine, they have been a longstanding staple in the …
Kicking chicken wings from six restaurants
Today is National Chicken Wing Day, a holiday that commemorates the noble chicken wing. I, for one, love chicken wings. And when I say wings, I mean bone-in chicken wings, not glorified chicken nuggets gussied …
A chat with Six Red Chairs Bakery baker Manon Lalonde
Saturday morning at Urbana’s Market at the Square is a whole vibe. Like all the other market goers, I love the local produce, fresh flowers, and baked goods. One vendor that I never miss is …
Delicious local spots with a drive-through
Sometimes I love a drive-through. They’re so convenient. Drive-throughs don’t ask me to get out of my car. I get to sit down, drive around, keep sitting, get food, and keep on sitting. It’s peak …
El Rincón de Ruthy is Puerto Rican perfection
This month marks ten years since my husband and I moved from New York City to Champaign-Urbana. In the months and weeks leading up to that move, my primary concern — I kid you not …
Central Illinois Bakehouse is the go-to place for carbs of all kinds
Started as Pekara in 2008, Central Illinois Bakehouse eventually grew into its own named business as it changed hands from founder Seka Cuk to Jeffrey and Lauren Brokish. Today, Central Illinois Bakehouse sells bread at …
Sidney Dairy Barn is a summer staple
It’s legitimately summer now, not that I ever need a reason to enjoy ice cream. I’m an ice cream junkie. A connoisseur. An obsessive, if you will. So when it came time to write about …
The sweet deets on Jarling’s Custard Cup
The teal A-frame on Kirby Avenue is an unmistakable icon of Champaign. Everybody knows about Custard Cup — even Tom Hanks. Originally started in 1949 in Danville, the company expanded to Champaign in 1983. First opened …
Shawarma Joint offers exceptional Mediterranean rice bowls
My default suggestion when everyone wants something different is usually Shawarma Joint. Whether high-protein or vegan or halal or plain chicken and rice, something small or something to satisfy when famished, chances are good Shawarma …
Market Watch: July 2024
July is a wonderful time to visit the Champaign-Urbana farmers markets. There’s a new mural by artist Cameron Raab at the Urbana’s Market at the Square, and it feels like everything delicious is in season. …
Five things to eat or drink this month: July 2024
Summer is the most fun part of the year, and I simply won’t be convinced otherwise. This month, everything delicious is in season at the farmers markets, and it feels like everybody has more time …
Six empanadas from The Empanadas House
The students are gone for the summer which is my favorite time of year to visit Green Street restaurants. No shade to the students, but it is much more manageable when the 30,000 of them …
A review of Oskee’s Sports Pub, now open
Last week I had a serendipitous moment when calling Oskee’s Sports Pub to see if they were open yet, and I was told that they were in their soft opening and would not turn away …
Try Signature Grill for Indian fusion
Nestled near the heart of campus is an Indian and Mexican fusion locale: Signature Grill. Yes, it also hosts a familiar font on the storefront, but the food is what tells the story here. The …
Awesome hot lunch from five C-U grocery stores
I know better than to grocery shop while hungry, so I have a snack before I go, but without fail, I end up hungry after shopping. Whether I bought a cartful of things or an …
Bonkers (but tasty) food at Good Spirits Bar & Grill
Guacamole is usually served in a bowl with a side of tortilla chips, but at Good Spirits Bar & Grill, guacamole only comes one way: covered in a tortilla chip breading and deep-fried. The Farmer …
Brien’s Bistro slings fun twists on classic eats
No Champaign-Urbana food truck offers as fun a menu as Brien’s Bistro. The food truck first opened four years ago, and Brien’s Bistro has served hand-held eats at Memorial Stadium since 2021. Currently, there’s no …
Fernando’s Restaurant has quick tacos and good tortas
Have you been on North Prospect recently and had a hankering for a quick bite to eat of tacos and more? If so, Fernando’s is the place. Located across from Menards and tucked unassumingly into …
Susuru Ramen for ramen bowls and beautiful bento
Craving a tasty ramen bowl, brimming with interesting ingredients? Maybe something fried Japanese-style? Then head down to the heart of Campustown (for those who like a little less chaos, maybe during break times) and have a …
A taste of Brocton’s TreeHive Meadery
In Brocton, Illinois about 45 minutes from Champaign-Urbana, TreeHive Meadery opened a honey-themed taproom last September, but TreeHive has been making mead from honey since 2019. The fermented honey drinks have won (multiple) national awards …
Aroma Garden serves wonderful Chinese cuisine
Our family has been taking our Christmas Eve playbook from The Christmas Story for probably twenty years, eating dinner at Chinese restaurants in between the family service and the “midnight” mass. For most of that …
The rise of Good Judys’ Bagels
Good Judys’ Bagels is new to the Champaign-Urbana food scene, but already the bagel business has quickly become a popular market stand. While there are a few places to get a bagel, nobody emphasizes bagels …
A plethora of tasty options at Golden Harbor
I find Golden Harbor to be a bit of an enigma. Half the time when I ask someone about it, they say it’s their favorite place for Chinese cuisine in town. The rest of the …
Papa Del’s is a great spot for family pizza night
Champaign-Urbana has a lot of good pizza. I don’t have the statistics to back this up, but I feel like we have a disproportionately high number of really good, locally-owned pizza options. I’m sure a …
Market Watch: June 2024
Our farmers markets are open every Saturday morning in Urbana and Tuesday afternoon in Champaign — rain or shine. We’ve had our share of rain and shine already this market season, and the vendors continue …
Five things to eat or drink this month: June 2024
Happy June! There are many things to celebrate in this month: Pride, Juneteenth, Father’s Day, the start of summer, and also, the birthday of your foodie friend (me). All good celebrations have good food, and …
Cheese is life: Five satisfying apps in C-U
I love cheese. I love it sliced, shredded, melted, breaded, crumbled, shaved, or cubed. I love its many varieties and flavors: mild, sharp, smoky, buttery, piquant (I found that last one by Googling ways to …
Wednesday dinners at Prairie Fruits are a farm-to-table dream
Away from our downtowns and Campustown on 20 acres of Champaign farmland, Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery’s farm dinners offer a taste of Midwest produce and protein in chef-driven dishes over multiple courses. These dinners …
Padano’s Pizza: A wholesome, small-town pizzeria
When I walked into Padano’s Pizza — after first passing the two stone lions out front, I walked into the epitome of a small-town restaurant: a quaint dining room with an ordering counter run by …
An interview with Tooth Butter cottage baker
Tooth Butter Cottage Bakery is a local cottage bakery run by Hannah Fink specializing in naturally leavened breads and pastries. Fink prioritizes seasonality and local foods into her practice, meaning we can’t find anything like …
Flora and Tom deliver sweet treats as F & T Desserts
As someone who loves sweets, Urbana’s Market at the Square is one of my favorite places around. There are so many different vendors each week, and those bakers constantly experiment with new recipes and twists …