Dining

Variety and affordability combine to give you a vast menu to choose from here.

A-Ri-Rang

Korean restaurant in Campustown.

Alexander's Steak House

A cook-your-own steak house, with excellent cuts of meat at reasonable prices.

Aroma Cafe

An unpretentious place to settle in with your laptop and latte. You can even buy Latin beer or a glass of wine, if you are in the mood, or nibble an authentic Cuban sandwich with peach salsa, while listening to (live!) music or just people watching. Free wifi and excellent mojitos.

Bacaro

Elegant, upscale restaurant in downtown Champaign. All of the fare is made from local, high-end, quality ingredients. A must for special occasions.

Bayern Stube

Gibson City

Bavarian Inn-styled restaurant and bed & breakfast.

The Beef House

Covington IN

Steaks cooked over hardwood briquets on our open hearth charcoal broiler. In sight before, during, and after cooking.

Biaggi's

Family-friendly restaurant with a wide-selection of Italian food.

Black Dog Smoke and Ale House

201 North Broadway Avenue
Urbana, IL

Amazing, slow cooked barbeque fare. Beef brisket, pulled pork, smoked yams, and great beer.

Bombay Grill

Quick and tasty Indian food in Campustown, and a new fine dining location on 1st Street.

The Bread Company

Right next to Timpone’s in Urbana.

Delicious fondue, salads and pizzas. Open for lunch as well. *Outdoor seating available

Buttitta's

1201 S. Neil Champaign, IL 61820

Good, hearty Italian food. Open for both lunch and dinner.

Cafe Kopi

109 North Walnut
Champaign, IL 61820

An espresso bar + away from the bustle and politics of the University Kopi features monthly art exhibits by local artists, fresh veggie juice and smoothies, and light lunch fare. For casual hang-outs or dates, at Kopi you almost always run into a familiar face. Plus the ice water steeped with oranges or cucumbers is free.

Cafe Luna

A small, beautiful American-European restaurant with a large wine list and delicious tapas selections, as well as salads and entrees. Luna is vegetarian-friendly and uses fresh, local ingredients. A tad more upscale than other downtown establishments, good for a special night out.

Cafe Paradiso

801 South Lincoln Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801

A warm, intimate Urbana cafe that serves sandwiches (with fresh bread from local bakery Mirabelle), salads and other assorted fresh foods alongside their coffee drinks. Full of character. Free wifi, live music and local art.

Cakes on Walnut

Downtown Champaign’s very own cupcake shop. Now serving cocktails and ice cream too!

Carmon's

French bistro in Downtown Champaign. Lots of crepes!

Champaign Taste Food Blog

A comprehensive blog detailing the ins and outs of dining in Champaign-Urbana. Descriptions of fares, pictures and prices.

The Clark Bar

207 W. Clark Street Champaign, Illinois 217-355-0510

This bar serves up tapas and drinks at great prices. Dollar drafts on Wednesdays and Thursdays, as well as Rib Night on Wednesdays and Fridays. Possibly the best ribs in town. Great local gem with a unique atmosphere and a large outdoor patio. Located just a few blocks from downtown Champaign.

Courier Cafe

Good food and atmosphere. Awesome salad bar, pay by the ounce.

CU Savings

This website allows you to purchase gift certificates to participating restaurants for half of their face value. Great deals can be found here!

Dos Reales

Excellent Mexican food in a casual atmosphere. Enchildadas, chimichangas, faltuas, you name it.

Eat CU

This website has almost every resaturaunt in Champaign-Urbana listed along with menus, hours, and phone numbers. This website can also be used to order food from your computer from any participating restaurant.

El Toro

Mexican restaurant with three locations in town. Always a crowd but it moves fast. Great food, friendly staff.

Escobar's

Latin fusion cuisine in Downtown Champaign.

Farren's

A neighorhood bar and pub, but with a really original, eclectic menu. Good home-ground burgers, great salads. Right around the corner from Volition.

Golden Harbor

505 S Neil St
Champaign, IL 61820

Authentic Chinese food on Neil St.

The Great Impasta

Restaurant in Urbana’s Lincoln Square featuring fine Northern Italian food and Italian-American nouveau cuisine.

Guadalajara Bar & Grill

912 W Bloomington Rd
Champaign, IL 61821
(217) 355-2060

Great Mexican food and lots of outdoor seating.

Gumby's Pizza

1409 S Neil St
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 355-3278

Try the famous Pokey Sticks. They are cheesy, greasy, delicious and addictive. Gumby’s delivers and is open till the wee hours of the morning.

Hedgerow Bistro

Fine dining, open for lunch and dinner. Menu changes frequently. $$$ but worth it.

The Iron Post

120 S. Race, Urbana, Il.
217-337-POST

The Iron Post is a casual bar in downtown Urbana serving up good bar fare, and lots of live music.

Istanbul Mediterranean Cuisine

2506 Village Green Pl
Champaign, IL 61822

Delicious Mediterranean food in southwest Champaign. The kebabs are great!

Jarling's Custard Cup

309 W. Kirby Ave.

A Champaign tradition, and a hotspot on any summer day or night. Serving up amazing custard concoctions.

Jeruselem

Great, homemade-style middle eastern food. Very busy at lunch.

Jim Gould Restaurant

An upscale steakhouse, independently owned and located right in downstairs from Volition.

Jupiter's

Pool hall located downtown. Also serves very good thin crust pizza. Open for lunch. Now featuring two locations, and yes, one has SKEE-BALL.

Kamakura

Japanese and sushi bar in Champaign. Great lunch specials.

Kennedy's (Stone Creek Golf Course)

Urbana

Upscale food with a great view on a golf course.

Ko-Fusion

From the owners of Miko, Ko Fusion offers an inspired mix of French, Italian, American and sushi. Located in the 1 Main building in downtown Champaign. $1 sushi specials on Mondays!

La Bamba

Their tag line is “Burritos as big as your head” and they are not joking. Popular at 2am on any day that ends in -y.

La Gourmandise

119 W. Main St.

Great breakfast food as well as authentic German dinners in downtown Urbana. Great place to stop for food before or after the Urbana Farmer’s Market. La Gourmandise also features $1 mimosas on Sundays!

Le Peep

Primarily a breakfast place, and an amazing one at that. Really large menu, everything from pancakes to crepes to skillet platters (just go, they’re good.) Get there very early, there’s always a line on weekends.

Manzella's Italian Patio

115 S 1st St
Champaign, IL 61820

Great pizza, lasagna, and pasta.

Mas Amigos

Small, affordable, authentic Mexican restaurant, equally close to both campus and downtown. Margaritas and beer too!

Merry Ann's Diner

Fast, inexpensive diner fare that’s open 24 hours, 365 days a year - wow! Two locations- on Neil and Kirby or right downstairs from Volition.

Miko

Pan-Asian, but with a focus on sushi and teppanyaki. Good restaurant for a date.

Milo's

Good upside-down pizzas, other eclectic food in an intimate setting. They even make their own breads and ketchup. Now located in the quickly-expanding southeast Champaign area.

Minneci's

Great family-owned Italian restaurant right near Campustown.

Murphy's Pub

The corner of 6th and Green St.

Great burgers, homemade fries, and beer. In the heart of campustown.

Nitaya

Delicious Thai restaurant in downtown Champaign. Affordable pricing and warm atmosphere.

No. 1 Wok

Fast, delicious, and inexpensive Chinese food conveniently located on the corner of Neil and Green St.

Old Time Meat and Deli Shoppe

Terrific place on Neil Street to get freshly butchered quality meat for any occasion. Great for barbeque.

Original Pancake House

Breakfast all day long. Always busy, but the line moves fast.

Papa Del's Pizza

Ask anyone, it’s the best pizza in town when it comes to deep dish. Independently owned and located in Campustown, Papa Del’s is almost always busy, so expect a wait. Or call in and pick it up, but plan ahead, it’s usually a 45 minute wait. And worth every second. Papa Del’s now features a new location at the Village at the Crossing on the corner of Duncan and Windsor in southwest Champaign.

Pekara

A bistro and bakery in downtown Champaign. Great sandwiches, breads, and pastries.

Radio Maria

Fantastic fusion cuisine. Unique restaurant, a local favorite. Recently expanded to add a tapas bar.

Rainbow Garden, Peking Garden

Good Chinese food located conveniently on Neil Street. Great decor.

Red Herring

A vegan restaurant located on campus, open for lunch on weekdays. Good food, bohemian atmosphere.

The Ribeye

American-style steakhouse and barbecue. A Champaign tradition.

Sam's Cafe

115 N Walnut St
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 352-7102

Great breakfast food at arguably the cheapest prices in town. Located conveniently on Walnut St. just a few blocks from Volition. Very special Lebanese dinners on select nights.

The Seaboat

A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it, somewhat run-down looking place, they have the best fish & chicken sandwiches, and home-made mac & cheese. They are located next to Jarlings and Vinny’s on Kirby in Champaign, and they also deliver.

Siam Terrace

There are many good Thai restaurants in town, but this one is a favorite with our employees. Interesting menu and specials, very friendly staff.

Silvercreek

Good, slightly upscale midwestern-influence food (steaks, etc). Very nice Sunday brunch.

Sushi Kame

132 W. Church St
Champaign, IL 61820

Amazing bento boxes for both lunch and dinner served here. Sushi Kame also serves up great sushi, sake, and miso soup. Pleasant decor, ambience, and service.

Thara Thai

912 1/2 W Bloomington Rd
Champaign, IL 61821

Great Thai restaurant in Champaign.

Timpone's

A fine dining restaurant that makes some of the best pizza in town. Right next door to the Bread Company in Urbana.

Uncle Jack's Family Restaurant

2501 Village Green Place
Champaign, IL 61822

A great place to have brunch or dinner. Family-friendly atmosphere and good Bloody Mary’s.

V. Picasso

214 W Main
Urbana, IL 61801

Nice tapas bar in downtown Urbana. Lots of space, and good decor.

Village Inn Pizza Parlor

Corner of Springfield and Mattis. Great for groups with kids - very casual, easy to sit in lower level - kids can walk around and play the coin-op games - beware of the candy machine - guaranteed win for each quarter.

Vinny's East Coast Pizzeria

If you want NY style pizza in Champaign, this is the place to go. $5 will score you two delicious, hot slices and a drink.

Wines at the Pines

2860 S. Philo Rd., Suite L, Urbana, IL 61802

Phone (217)607-0048 Fax (217)607-0167

Serving coffee in the morning and wine at night.

Yellowfin

303 Cedar St
Champaign, IL 61820

Authentic Japanese-Korean restaurant with a vast selection of beers and sake. Beautifully presented sushi.

Zelma's

Pizza place in SW Champaign. Owned by the family that started Monical’s. Zelma’s offers great specials, like their $5 pizza.