41 Best American Restaurants in Champaign

“My boyfriend and I love trying new places and this was our choice last night. It was very good! I had the fried catfish, collard greens and french fries, he had the creole fettuccine pasta and we shared the Philly cheesesteak egg rolls as an appetizer. The egg rolls were so good, they came with a sweet n sour sauce you wouldn’t think would go together, but wow, it was a great mix. His pasta was cooked perfectly and with so many good flavors in the sauce and in the shrimp, I tried a bite and my tastebuds were dancing. The catfish was fried to perfection with a delicious light and crunchy breading which paired great with the collard greens. Not everyone had the talent to make good greens and well they do! We didn’t try the dessert because we were full from the generous portions served for dinner but it all sounded good. The staff was extremely friendly and our waitress was great too. We will be going back they had so much too choose from that sounded so delicious.“

“I was there after what I assume is the busy time, so I had the dining room to myself. There was a steady stream of folks in the drive thru though. The "Deluxe Single Basket" was more than enough to fill me up. I had to buy a take-home pint, too full for dessert. The staff were friendly and at least one was always cleaning something.“

“Kenny, our server, made our wedding anniversary meal so very special. The steaks were amazing! Highly recommend the Baxters Salad too. The delicious and beautifully presented complimentary dessert (gooey butter cake) was so very appreciated and the time our server took with us to capture a great photo of the moment meant everything to us! Highly recommend this restaurant!“

“I have been to the Space three times. Each time was better than the last - the edges of the burgers lacier and more crisp, the sauces more satisfying and complex, the cook looking more and more like Trevor Moore of Whitest Kids U Know (rip) - and I now fear if I go again that they’ll be the only place I want to get burgers. Dangereuse. Go immediately.“

“Great place for adults and kids“

“I order the catfish fillets and chicken. Everything was beyond delicious. I am very happy with my food.“

“We were there for brunch today for my birthday and I just want to brag about our waitress. She was absolutely amazing!! We loved her. She was BY FAR the best waitress I have ever had at any restaurant. She constantly checked to see how we were, she went above and beyond with my cake that we brought in. She was super kind and sweet and my friends all said the same thing. Trisha was our waitress and we just loved her! She was so fun and had so much energy and made the whole time we were there fun! The food was also really good!“

“I like the fact that they still serve salads. I can't figure out why McDonald's quit serving salads. I guess that certainly benefits Culver's.We have a tradition of getting at least one walleye dinner when it's available, but the price keeps going up every year outpacing inflation.“

“Stumbled across this gem on accident today! This place is Amazing! The guy working was super nice (and gave me Swiss cheese instead of American :) ) I got the fat walk of shame and it was sooooooo good!!! He even let me pick music to listen to! I’ll definitely be back!! Thank you, Fat Sandwich Company!!!“

“There were quite a few customers because there were quite a few facilities nearby for children to play. The donuts sold as the main product were disappointing for my taste, which is accustomed to crispy snacks. Since they had apple tea, I thought they would add apple syrup, so I ordered it, but it was tea bag tea haha.“

“Erica is the best waitress!“

“Loved visiting this place in a weekend trip! We tried the sliders, which smelled amazing, and were a great price for the size. Highly recommend. The cheese curds were huge and very tasty, and the signature cocktails are creative. The atmosphere is both industrial and unique, and the service was quick and friendly .“

“Great place! Wish we lived near by. JC(?) and Will were excellent in handling a crowd for the 95th birthday for our Uncle Russ. Food was great, drinks were excellent and they handled a bunch of gregarious old folks with a smile. We stayed for dinner and they did that great too!“

“Joshua was a fantastic server. The double frozen strawberry margaritas with salt, truffle fries and cheese curds were terrific. It was my first visit there and I look forward to going back. Our party of 7 had a blast.“

“Excellent place for a big weekend breakfast. Great food, super nice staff, and so reasonably priced compared to similar places in the Chicago burbs. Worth the drive from UIUC if that’s what brings you to town.They were short-staffed today and could not offer patio dining. A party ordered their food to go and ate outside. What a good idea. They bypassed the wait and seemed very happy. I’ll think of that next time.“

“As you may or may not know.. me and Tha' Thunder Chicken travel tha' country in search of Denny's that we've never been to and also to reconnect with our Denny's friends we've met along the way... Today I found tha' Mothership !! This place is huge and tha' food and service was outstanding as always !! We will Definitely Be Back and hope ta' meet more of tha' great folks that go above and beyond to keep our bellies full...“

“I enjoy Houlihan's. Our sever was great. My only challenge was that the menu changed and it was very small. We were told that they were expecting a larger party which meant that they reduced the number of dishes to prepare for that larger party. In other words, if you're not in the larger party, you have less items to choose from which is why they received 4 starts instead of five.“

“We arrived around 2pm on a Saturday. Sat at the bar, got some great suggestions from the bartender. The rice bowl and the starchild. Neither meal disappointed. I especially liked the pickled hokra with the rice bowl. The bar has almost a nostalgic feel to it. I also had a Stone IPA, I liked it. If going as a couple I suggest sitting at the bar.“

“The Bekind to Every kind meal was soooo good!!“

“I worked at The Esquire for a few years and can confirm this is THE best bar/business in all of C/U. Jackie and Paul are pillars of the community, and continue to produce a great environment/product. The staff is always fun and knowledgable. The food is really good and affordable. There’s always a patron willing to hold good conversation.

Don’t skip this location if you’re visiting town. If you’re local you already known all this. Cheers!!“

“Drinks were delicious. The waiters/ waitresses were very friendly and nice. This place has great cocktails and the appetizers were amazing.“

“A lot of times when I'm in champaign I love to stop here for their breaded pork tenderloin! It is amazing, and they always do a sensational job on their food ? I have been here several times now and have never been let down yet! Wonderful job and awesome food and service!!“

“Good location for a quick bite, a meeting, or a work location, adjacent to Harvest Market.

There's a salad bar, a prepared food deli, a made-to-order burger/sandwich counter, and a drink counter.

There's plenty of space to eat and work with plugs below the tables to charge electronics.

There's also a bar upstairs.

We ordered a strawberry banana chia smoothie (very good) and an iced tea (very bitter and didn't drink).

The gyro and waffle fries special, $11.99, was tasty, although the fries were cold. You order at the counter and pay there. You'll get a number and it'll be delivered to your table. Friendly service.

The salads looked good, which is what I'd choose the next time.

You can also purchase food from the attached grocery store and there's a microwave to heat items from the cooler.

There's also a living room seating area, a giant Jenga game, and a little storybook area for kids.

4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Parking: Large free parking lot in front of the grocery store.“

“It was great service!!! The guy who waited on us was wonderful!!!“

“I tried out this bar because Google Maps claimed that this bar had karaoke. I asked the bartender about this, and she informed me that they no longer have karaoke. While I was disappointed to learn this, I don't fault the bar for its Google Maps information being outdated.I was pleasantly surprised and quite impressed with this bar. I arrived just as the kitchen was getting ready to close. Fortunately, the bartender went to ask the cook if he or she would be willing to keep the kitchen open just a little bit longer, and the cook agreed to do so. I ordered a BLT, and it was by far the best BLT I've ever had. I also noticed that the prices on the food menu were quite reasonable. Assuming that the rest of the food is of the same quality as the BLT, I'd say that the quality and quantity of the food here is very well worth the prices that they charge. The drink that I ordered was good, too.The only issues I had with the atmosphere is that I would prefer more lighting, and it was slightly less clean than I would have liked. Otherwise, the atmosphere was excellent. The staff and some people who I assume are regular customers were very friendly. I also thoroughly enjoyed the music that they played: Most of it was Rock & Roll from the '80's and '90's. If I recall correctly, the bar has a jukebox.I most certainly will be returning to this bar. I'll do my best to come at a time that isn't inconvenient to the kitchen.

Parking: There is parking and an entrance on two sides of the building. The parking lot near the entrance that I used only had 2 cars in it, and thus there was a ton of available parking spots.“

“We've been going here for several months now and have never been disappointed ? the food is always good and fresh, especially the Jasmine rice is so good ? we were originally introduced to Super Wok by my partner's work because they'd bought from here for the employees several times, so I can attest to their catering as well and everyone there really loves the food as well!

Recommend the Orange Chicken, and the Mongolian Beef. The fortune cookies are so good too ?“

“Fat City is the place for entertainment! From the Boat Drunks to Candy Foster & Shades of Blue, this place covers it all! The cocktails are a tad pricey, but it's one of the only places in CU with a dance floor ... guaranteed good times here!“

“they accommodated a party of 8 on graduation Saturday. nice people and good food and fun“

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“I have never been to this place and from the cost I never will. It looks to me that for 2 people having a burger, fries, and a drink, with tax would be around 50.00. For that price I would expect a floor show or play. There is no way you can make a hamburger worth 16.00.“

“Great food, great music, great owner, great staff, great bartenders. I love this place and I had some of my best memories here. I think the owner is a very nice and smart guy and that’s one of the reasons why this place has it all. If you wanna party, they have a huge space in the back with big mirrors (if anyone claims to have a dance bar and they don’t have mirrors there, they don’t know the business at all) and great DJs and light and music. OMG I’ve been to some of the fanciest bars in California but none of them can beat my experience from Joe’s. Totally worth the time (to stay in the line) and money (cover fee and drinks).“

“Our favorite breakfast spot in Champaign or Urbana. Our waitress, Lacy, was first-rate. Love this place.“

“Very good fast service! Me and my girlfriend were seated at 5:49, ordered 2 waters and 2 pick 3 shrimp entrees and they were out and ready by 6:25, and it was great! Final cost was $52 (including a $7 tip) and I honestly was impressed, paid $46 for us to eat at Red Robin last month so in contrast this is excellent“

“Good food with fast and friendly service. My kids and I enjoyed our lunch. Would recommend!“

“A single person dining alone should get the same amount of attention as a table full of people. I felt very ignored. But maybe the wait staff was new or overwhelmed with having three booths to serve... The steak was okay, but not exceptional for the price.“

“always cook how you asked them to be.“

“Had a late lunch at Chili’s today. Our service was great! Our waitress Chloe was very sweet and attentive! My Mushroom Swiss Burger was AMAZING and my kids all enjoyed their meals, not leaving a crumb!“

“The ladies working the drive thru are amazing!“

“I know it sounds ridiculous, but it was worth the drive to make it to this location , I found out so much history to this Radical Illinois College Town and the railraod is amazing , there is a grab bag here, for those thirsty rail fanners . Fascinating history about famous actors and actresses that came here and involvements in Step N Wolf , I will be coming back because from where I come from I miss that taste so bad and was it so delicious I could seriously scarf down a Steak Burger in 110 percent delight whilst watching a train go by , a neat train ! A grab bag“

“Good food and tv’s galore“