I went to Watson’s tonight for the spit roasted chicken…unfortunately, they eliminated the best item on their “new” menu. I walked out and may not come back. The new menu is disappointing. Many of the old favorites are gone.
Eleanor Wedell
Something has changed here and the food (chicken and sides both) are not what they used to be! I would rather pay more for the previous quality food than reorder what they served me on my last visit. Please bring back the old quality! I will forever miss the wedges if you do not!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
John Hoeffleur
Ordered Watson's catering for an event with 70 guests.
Easy to work with, right on time and accurate, great value, and delicious food. Highly recommended.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Justin Pugh
Joke of a chicken sandwich: they just thow a bunch of sorry, small strips of 90% breading on a bun and think its acceptable to charge $13 for it. You’ll find a bigger, jucier piece of chicken from any KFC or popeyes. Only good part was the Riggs Hefeweisen on tap.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
Kris Deters
This is no longer a chicken restaurant. Their 2 options for chicken are grilled chicken breast and fried chicken tenders. This was not the case on my last visit. Just know that any pictures you see in Google reviews of the food is no longer accurate.
The only defense I can give is that the waitress asked if we had been previously and then informed us that they had recently reduced the menu and the fried chicken was now fried white chicken tenders. The prices are incredibly high for chicken quality that is lower than fast food, such as Culvers. I'm glad I didn't order the Chicken and Waffles because I have a sneaking suspicion that I would have received a frozen toaster waffle with my chicken tenders.
I believe they used to say where they sourced their chicken. Now, they've increased prices, made sandwiches a la carte, and their food appears to be all from Sysco food services. Truly disappointing fall.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 5
Amsal Khimani
We went on a Friday night, it took almost 40 minutes to get a seat, then it took almost 30 minutes for the server to place our order, and it took an hour for the food to come out. All of us had places to be two-ish hours later. We ended up giving our food to go as it came out. It wasn’t that good that it was worth the wait.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Jennifer Stash
Stopped late night for some drinks and snacks and it exceeded our expectations! The pretzel was annazing and the adult slushy flight was delicious! The Dole Whip rum slushy in particular was SO good. Will definitely go back to try the chicken. Lots of people ordered chicken & waffles.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Adi Kapoor
I’ve been a handful of times. Every time it’s been great. Amazing food and friendly staff. It was my go to place in town to show visiting family and friends… it was.
However, the last time I went (sept 14) my girlfriend’s chicken came drenched in grease. I’m talking like it was laying in a small bath that was a few centimeters high. Alongside the bath of grease was a very high amount of fryer gunk. She ordered the spicy chicken so I assumed it was just the seasoning and I took a bite. Big mistake…
My order was also quite awful. It was wet and unseasoned. I think I was given a boiled chicken that was brushed with oil.
The staff replaced my girlfriend’s chicken super quickly but the replacement which was nice. However the chicken was still sitting in a bath of grease and was shriveled up.
Overall, Watson’s has been an amazing experience. Not sure what was up with the cook this particular time, but that honestly makes me hesitant for next time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Mason Andrews
Food was good, chicken tenders were pretty tasty. Service was great, Sam at the bar was a pleasure to talk to and the staff seemed very friendly. The atmosphere was great, loved the decorations around the restaurant and the overall homey vibe of the place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Gwen Keller-Lusk
What a fantastic lunch! Started with the special which was potato wedges with blue cheese, pulled chicken, I think some kind of sauce and coleslaw. Think southern poutine. Totally delicious. I had the chicken with white sauce, my son had the hot chicken sandwich, and my husband had the fried chicken sandwich. All delicious. Sides were Cajun green beans, Mac and cheese, and mashed potatoes and gravy. Also all delicious. Finally, I needed to use the rest room and found a shrine to Dolly Parton. A+ all around.
Food was good. Not sure I'd recommend for takeout because it was rather slow.
Angel Whitehorse
great food. come in for whiskey Wednesday and get half price pours all day!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Prasun Raha
Great place in Champaign downtown
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Evan Chen
From a taste perspective, this is likely the best chicken sandwich in the Champaign-Urbana area. A bit more expensive than your fast food chicken sandwich, but makes up for it with size and flavor. Their potato wedges are a good side. My only complaint is one time I ordered the chicken rice bowl and got maybe two small pieces of chicken and a thin layer of rice - so I'd stick with the sandwiches or the tenders.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Watson's Hot Chicken Sandwich
Kendall Koe
I was surprised to like this place so much because I knew they served chicken sandwiches. They elevate their food to make it almost worth the price. The slushee of the day was a black cherry/root beer drink that was delicious. Great place for late night hangouts or dates!
Edit: On a second time going, there were a number of problems. Service wasn’t great. Multiple water glasses I had were dirty, but when I asked for another, the waiter dismissed me saying that’s how the dishwasher works. Additionally, my friend wanted the bourbon menu but no one could tell him the prices, so we didn’t order it. Lastly, service was slow and inattentive. We ran out of water multiple times, didn’t have utensils, and had no napkins for an unacceptably long time, especially for having a large group. Unfortunate to have a bad experience after having a good one.
I went to Watson’s tonight for the spit roasted chicken…unfortunately, they eliminated the best item on their “new” menu. I walked out and may not come back. The new menu is disappointing. Many of the old favorites are gone.
Something has changed here and the food (chicken and sides both) are not what they used to be! I would rather pay more for the previous quality food than reorder what they served me on my last visit. Please bring back the old quality! I will forever miss the wedges if you do not!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Ordered Watson's catering for an event with 70 guests.
Easy to work with, right on time and accurate, great value, and delicious food. Highly recommended.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joke of a chicken sandwich: they just thow a bunch of sorry, small strips of 90% breading on a bun and think its acceptable to charge $13 for it. You’ll find a bigger, jucier piece of chicken from any KFC or popeyes. Only good part was the Riggs Hefeweisen on tap.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
This is no longer a chicken restaurant. Their 2 options for chicken are grilled chicken breast and fried chicken tenders. This was not the case on my last visit. Just know that any pictures you see in Google reviews of the food is no longer accurate.
The only defense I can give is that the waitress asked if we had been previously and then informed us that they had recently reduced the menu and the fried chicken was now fried white chicken tenders. The prices are incredibly high for chicken quality that is lower than fast food, such as Culvers. I'm glad I didn't order the Chicken and Waffles because I have a sneaking suspicion that I would have received a frozen toaster waffle with my chicken tenders.
I believe they used to say where they sourced their chicken. Now, they've increased prices, made sandwiches a la carte, and their food appears to be all from Sysco food services. Truly disappointing fall.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 5
We went on a Friday night, it took almost 40 minutes to get a seat, then it took almost 30 minutes for the server to place our order, and it took an hour for the food to come out. All of us had places to be two-ish hours later. We ended up giving our food to go as it came out. It wasn’t that good that it was worth the wait.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Stopped late night for some drinks and snacks and it exceeded our expectations! The pretzel was annazing and the adult slushy flight was delicious! The Dole Whip rum slushy in particular was SO good. Will definitely go back to try the chicken. Lots of people ordered chicken & waffles.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
I’ve been a handful of times. Every time it’s been great. Amazing food and friendly staff. It was my go to place in town to show visiting family and friends… it was.
However, the last time I went (sept 14) my girlfriend’s chicken came drenched in grease. I’m talking like it was laying in a small bath that was a few centimeters high. Alongside the bath of grease was a very high amount of fryer gunk. She ordered the spicy chicken so I assumed it was just the seasoning and I took a bite. Big mistake…
My order was also quite awful. It was wet and unseasoned. I think I was given a boiled chicken that was brushed with oil.
The staff replaced my girlfriend’s chicken super quickly but the replacement which was nice. However the chicken was still sitting in a bath of grease and was shriveled up.
Overall, Watson’s has been an amazing experience. Not sure what was up with the cook this particular time, but that honestly makes me hesitant for next time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Food was good, chicken tenders were pretty tasty. Service was great, Sam at the bar was a pleasure to talk to and the staff seemed very friendly. The atmosphere was great, loved the decorations around the restaurant and the overall homey vibe of the place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
What a fantastic lunch! Started with the special which was potato wedges with blue cheese, pulled chicken, I think some kind of sauce and coleslaw. Think southern poutine. Totally delicious. I had the chicken with white sauce, my son had the hot chicken sandwich, and my husband had the fried chicken sandwich. All delicious. Sides were Cajun green beans, Mac and cheese, and mashed potatoes and gravy. Also all delicious. Finally, I needed to use the rest room and found a shrine to Dolly Parton. A+ all around.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Food was good. Not sure I'd recommend for takeout because it was rather slow.
great food. come in for whiskey Wednesday and get half price pours all day!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great place in Champaign downtown
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
From a taste perspective, this is likely the best chicken sandwich in the Champaign-Urbana area. A bit more expensive than your fast food chicken sandwich, but makes up for it with size and flavor. Their potato wedges are a good side. My only complaint is one time I ordered the chicken rice bowl and got maybe two small pieces of chicken and a thin layer of rice - so I'd stick with the sandwiches or the tenders.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Watson's Hot Chicken Sandwich
I was surprised to like this place so much because I knew they served chicken sandwiches. They elevate their food to make it almost worth the price. The slushee of the day was a black cherry/root beer drink that was delicious. Great place for late night hangouts or dates!
Edit:
On a second time going, there were a number of problems. Service wasn’t great. Multiple water glasses I had were dirty, but when I asked for another, the waiter dismissed me saying that’s how the dishwasher works. Additionally, my friend wanted the bourbon menu but no one could tell him the prices, so we didn’t order it. Lastly, service was slow and inattentive. We ran out of water multiple times, didn’t have utensils, and had no napkins for an unacceptably long time, especially for having a large group. Unfortunate to have a bad experience after having a good one.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
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