Smile Politely

Café Kopi on the U of I campus is a good spot for coffee and a pita

Opened this summer, the second Café Kopi resides in Business Instructional Facility (BIF) on the U of I campus serving coffee, tea, salads, sandwiches, pitas, paninis, and more. I was able to check it out yesterday, but I had to have building access to enjoy the food and drink from this Café Kopi location.

I tried the curried egg salad pita ($7.50) and a medium mocha frappe ($5.25). The pita was made to order, and after a short wait, I was able to find a table and enjoy my lunch. The egg salad was served on a very soft, warm pita with a side of baby carrots. The curried egg salad pita had cucumber slices, red onion, and lots of arugula which gave a nice texture contrast. The egg salad had a bit of mustard and dill taste with a nice subtle curry flavor. The frappe was not overly sweet; it had a big cocoa flavor with lots of whipped cream on top. The mocha frappe was a great creamy treat, and I definitely want another sometime.

So where is this new Café Kopi? You can find the coffeeshop in the Gies College of Business.

An interior photo of the U of I's Geis College of Business shows the large open foyer with wooden flooring and tables filled with students. Photo by Alyssa Buckley.Photo by Alyssa Buckley.

Café Kopi is on the first floor, in the back left corner of the open foyer of BIF.

The campus location of Cafe Kopi has a black restaurant sign above where three white partons are ordering coffee and lunch inside the BIF at U of I. Photo by Alyssa Buckley.Photo by Alyssa Buckley.

The menu here is smaller than the Downtown Champaign Café Kopi menu. Here inside BIF, Café Kopi sells grab-and-go sandwiches in three options: BLT, ham cuke, and turkey Gruyère. There are also three options for made-to-order pitas (curried egg salad, hummus, and tuna salad), three salads (house, spinach with bacon, and tuna), and three panini choices (ham and Swiss, turkey melt with bacon, and turkey pesto).

Here’s a look at the menu.

A long and skinny (and slightly blurry) photo of the Cafe Kopi television menu boards at the campus location. Photo by Alyssa Buckley.Photo by Alyssa Buckley.

On the fall drink menu, you can find spiced caramel chaider, campfire mocha, pumpkin pie chai, cold pressed pumpkin spice, and apple cider. The regular drink options include brewed coffee, espresso drinks, sodas, tea, lemonade, hot chocolate, smoothies, and frappes. The menu says you can add flavor shots, alternative milk, and even bourbon for $1.

If you’re already on campus, this little counter in BIF is a great spot to visit. Serving up drinks and food made-to-order plus lots of pastries and sandwiches ready to grab-and-go, Café Kopi’s campus location is solid.

Café Kopi
515 E Gregory St
Champaign
M-Th 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
F 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Su 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Top image by Alyssa Buckley.

Food + Drink Editor / / instagram

More Articles