Soups to slurp in Champaign-Urbana
I don’t know about you, but I love good soup. Truly, I am a fan of soups. Go ahead, hide some food in broth, and I’m in. Since it’ll be chilly this week, it’s time …
I don’t know about you, but I love good soup. Truly, I am a fan of soups. Go ahead, hide some food in broth, and I’m in. Since it’ll be chilly this week, it’s time …
Tucked away under Yugo apartments and guest suites in Urbana at the corner of University and Lincoln Avenue, many of you have likely driven right by BakeLab, though likely fewer have had the chance to …
Every so often as a coffee lover, I need to sit down and really enjoy a good cup. Sure, a quick run through Starbucks offers friendly service and a reliable consistent product, but today, we’re …
November is coming in cold, which is rude. It’s still technically fall season, but it sure feels like winter already. This month, we need foods and drinks that will sustain us on freezing, cold days. …
Multiple options for consumers are a good thing. Competition encourages businesses to strive for excellence, provide value for your hard-earned money, and set themselves apart from the clutter to earn repeat business. When I hear …
You know you have a problem when the owner is familiar with your voice when you are ordering food over the phone. This is true for me whenever I order carry-out from Golden Wok. Golden …
While I am old enough to need to look at the arches in shoes before I buy them, I am not old enough to remember the days of fountain shops, and my world has always …
If you like overpriced food, go read something else. This is a round-up of deals. Lunch can be expensive, but I found six tasty meals for less than $10 that taste good and aren’t served …
For fourteen years, an unassuming plaza restaurant called Xinh Xinh Cafe (pronounced Sin Sin) has served Vietnamese food in the same space: a ten-table cafe doors down from Schnucks in Urbana. Sometimes hole-in-the-wall restaurants can …
In the middle of the Green Street metropolis of casual eateries, smoke shops, and boba tea, there’s a new Chinese restaurant called Northern Cuisine. Opened in the space where Bobo China was for two decades, …
Baldarotta’s is for eaters. If you’ve been to Baldarotta’s Porketta & Sicilian Sausage, you already know. The casual eatery slings big, bold flavors in stacked sandos inside Lincoln Square Mall — and has since August 2019. …
We are fortunate to have so many high quality barbecue joints in the Champaign-Urbana area. Even better, they are all different, providing us with diverse styles, and I love them all. With so much competition, …
That’s right, National Dessert Day is October 14. So kick that sugar craving into high gear, prep that toothbrush, and let’s get to it. I love all things sweet and dessert, so this article made …
Kaori’s Oven is a hidden gem of Champaign-Urbana. Located in a nondescript building across from Jarling’s Custard Cup (the old Yellowfin location for longtime residents), it’s easy to go on by and not suspect something …
October is the final month of Champaign-Urbana’s outdoor market season, but it’s not over yet! We have four more Saturdays and five more Tuesdays (if we count today, and I definitely am) left to shop …
Ope, October snuck right up on us, didn’t it? It feels like last month flew by, but I am glad to live in a world where there are Octobers. Leaves turn pretty colors, it’s time …
I’ve passed Caffe Paradiso on Lincoln Avenue hundreds of times before. The corner coffee shop’s big windows give passerbys a peep into the café: plants, lamps, and people on laptops in tall-back booths. It’s an …
I wanted to start this article with a pithy saying about breakfast being the most important meal of the day, but after doing a little research — fine, I fell down a rabbit hole — …
The weather changes a lot these days. As it gets cooler, I crave some cozy food and some nice hot soup. That’s when 83 Vietnamese comes to my mind, and we decided to go for …
Tomorrow is the first day of fall. I seriously love the fall season, and I know I’m not alone on this because just yesterday, I overheard two people yacking about how they love fall, too. …
It’s not everyday that a food truck from Chicago rolls into town or renown Chicago food writers visit Urbana, but this PYGMALION, it’ll happen. Bacci Pizzeria at PYGMALION For more than 25 years, Chicago’s Bacci …
This weekend is PYGMALION weekend, and I could not be more excited. There’s incredible music, there’s The Made Fest (awesome art market), and there’s all the non-music fun, too. Whether you are going to one …
There is a holiday for pretty much any type of food: National Glazed Ham Day (April 14th), National Vichyssoise Day (that’s November 18th), and even National Frog Legs Day (appropriately reserved for February 29th). So …
We all know of the famous Chicago dog. Chicago is loaded with hot dog carts, stands, trucks, and restaurants ready to serve an all-beef frank with yellow mustard, diced onion, neon green sweet pickle relish, …
“When people leave the festival, we want them to have experienced culture, history, and joyful hope,” says DREAAM founder and CEO Tracy Dace. If anyone is looking for more culture, history, and joyful hope, check …
Of course, The Silver Bullet Bar is something of a legend in town. Tucked away in Urbana and open just four days a week, the 21+ bar offers alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages plus entertainment options …
Last time I looked, there were at least twenty sushi restaurants in the Champaign-Urbana area, so we definitely have a lot of options when we want a sushi fix. Recently, I checked out the second …
September always leaves me spinning. Fall school routines take over, and events fill the calendar. When everything feels chaotic, picking what to eat and drink is sometimes the only thing I can control. And so …
September marks month five of Champaign-Urbana’s outdoor farmers’ market season, which runs through October. Have you made it out to the markets this year? Get your basket and canvas bag to the Tuesday and Saturday …
Champaign-Urbana is a great town for food. We can eat Zambian hand-pies, burgers on doughnuts, bánh mì, Italian beef sandwiches, deep-dish pizza, Algerian lamb couscous, hot pot, sushi, tacos, pad Thai, Southern-fried chicken, and more. …
If you’ve stepped foot in Downtown Champaign — or even just driven through, you’ve probably seen Guido’s Bar and Grill. You kind of can’t miss it. It’s the entire southwest corner, taking up space on …
We have a great selection of taco trucks in the Champaign-Urbana area, and Guerrero Azteca truck might possibly be my new favorite. Now I’m a person that really enjoys Mexican food; it is always one …
I first came to Champaign-Urbana a decade ago for a campus visit after I had been accepted to graduate school here. As is customary, my future department hosted me throughout the day, and the visit …
There is a lot of Mexican cuisine in Champaign-Urbana. Look, I’m not mad about it. I love Mexican food especially tacos. I pray that I will never tire of eating tacos, amen. The newest taco …
Closed since last summer, Caribbean Grill restaurant sadly won’t be re-opening. Champaign-Urbana’s only Caribbean cuisine restaurant certainly made its mark on our food scene serving island favorites like jerk chicken, lunch specials, and soul food. …
It’s 1:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. Some patrons of the Urbana Market at the Square are just getting to bed. Diann Moore is just waking up. In those early hours of the morning, on a 100-acre …
Tasting dinners are having a moment at restaurants in Champaign-Urbana right now, and I love to see it. Little tastes of special dishes are fun with little sips of special drinks. Food and drink were …
If you’re anything like me, ice cream is the cornerstone of your summer. Thankfully, there are plenty of places to get ice cream in Champaign-Urbana. Since I expected most folks were already familiar with the …
If you’ve been around Champaign for awhile, you might remember when Collective Pour served jumbo soft pretzels and appetizers or food by Weird Meat Boyz Kitchen, but now the bar is home to the dine-in …
Last month, I spent a sunny late afternoon ambling through the land newly acquired by Sola Gratia Farm, as part of the Urbana Amble garden tour. The 29 acre expanse of new land is tucked …
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of trying out Teamoji, a bubble tea store located on Green Street in Campustown. This casual dining spot has so much more than just bubble tea, and it is …
August is the most wonderful time of the year to visit a farmers’ market. In previous months of this column, I’ve covered baked goods and food trucks — and without a doubt, you can find those …
How can it possibly be August already? Impending fall schedules will come at some point in August, but to that I say, lalala-I-can’t-hear-you. I am hungry for summer eats and summer sips, and I want …
Eating at the Three Ravens in Monticello is a pleasant experience because the wait staff is helpful, there’s a nice patio, and they serve good takes on simple pub food. As a friend and I sat …
I love everything about breakfast: cooking it, eating it, going out for it, and having breakfast for dinner. My doctor says it is the most important meal of the day. Of course, I’m sure he …
“We serve you the same authentic cuisine that we would serve at home.” That’s what’s written on San Maru’s website. San Maru feels just like this: a warm, home-cooked meal full of flavor and heart. …
The slogan for Mama Duke’s Food Truck is: “Get you a taste!” and I got a taste. Opened in May of this year, the Black-owned business began as a catering company in 2018 and serves …
Opened in March this year, NAYA Indian Cuisine offers delicious Indian food in a modern artistic atmosphere on campus. I enjoyed the warm aroma and aesthetic colors that welcomed me once I entered. The restaurant has …
Do you like green beans? I, for one, am keen for the green bean, and though no one asked, I have taken it upon myself to write about the green bean cuisine scene of Champaign-Urbana. …