I love Fresco on First. I am diabetic and I always find something that I can eat and it doesn’t hurt my blood sugar. The staff is always delightful and I love the ambiance. I keep trying to find out what this building used to be. It appears to be like a Ben Franklin Store or a Woolworth 5 and dime. If anyone knows please tell me.Vegetarian options: I really enjoyed the vegetarian sandwich and the vegetarian soup.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Katherine Henrikson
Food, service, atmosphere, everything was amazing ? they have nice sized servings for the price and a unique selection of healthy and fun food options. Will definitely be going again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Elizabeth Blair
Would highly recommend this restaurant! I travel a lot for work and love finding great local spots. The restaurant is very cozy and the staff were friendly and welcoming. I ordered takeout and didn't receive one of my items, but when I returned to the restaurant they fixed the issue quickly and kindly. The chicken coconut curry and the green smoothie were both delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stina Kanaris
I used to order here all the time, but lately every time I do I’m missing items. Ordered 3 cheeseburgers with soup and toppings today, got no soup and no toppings. Paid $15 a plate for plain burgers with no sides.
Food: 3
Jim Donnelly
First time here. Came for Sunday brunch and ended up getting a couple paninis. They were delicious. There were so many things we wanted to try, and after our pleasant experience, we’ll be back to try them! Place got pretty busy so obviously others have thought the same.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
2nd City Firearms
We just moved to Dixon and were excited to try this place. We came in Sunday. The staff is disgusting. We watched them mock other customers behind their back. We’ll never go back.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Kathy
Lovely place, delicious food, great waitress. Spent 2 hours eating lunch and visiting with friends and never felt rushed.Parking: Parking is tough because it's right downtown, but well worth the extra effort.
A calming atmosphere with great foodVegetarian options: The menu has vegetarian options and Fresco is flexible to modify dishes to be vegetarian
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salad, Breakfast Tacos, French Toast, Panini
Generic Dream
Tried here a few times to see if maybe they had a time where the food was prepared a little different or if the quality was different and every time it’s always the same quality and same portions, I’ve gotten the breakfast tacos and breakfast burrito and have been pretty happy with the quality and flavor, the only thing I would change is the portion of green peppers, either a thinner cut or less added since it stands out more then everything else and throws off the whole meal, parking is kind of scarce later in the night but if you can find a spot this place is worth trying
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Breakfast Tacos
Daniel J
Food is always fresh and soups are really good. Good selection of tea and coffee is great as well.
We visited Fresco on first on 12/27/23. A second time for me, a first for my adult daughter. She had the tomato, basil and pesto panini (add turkey) with the soup of the day, which was chicken and rice. I had the beef and swiss panini with fries. The soup contained cinnamon, nutmeg or some similar spice that did not go well with the overall flavor profile of a chicken and rice soup making it barely edible. Plus, the soup was thick and chunky, like a condensed soup is when you pour it out of the can. Both panini sandwiches were dry and flavorless. The tomato basil one had no basil (yes I'm aware pesto contains basil), and little pesto and the beef one was missing the mayo it was supposed to have. On the (mostly) good side the fries were tasty and crispy like I prefer them, though they could've been hotter. I like the atmosphere, the place was moderately busy, and wait staff and the kitchen were keeping up. Since my first experience was a good breakfast here a few months back, I'll probably give this local restaurant another go because it's not fast food or a chain. Hopefully they'll read this and l retrain their kitchen staff.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
Zackery Billhorn
I got the steak stir fry. The sauce was really really good. Tons of flavor, it was glossy and just beautiful. The rice was cooked well, and I really liked how it was presented. But the steak... the steak was not good. I know what reheated steak tastes like. It has a very distinct flavor. I mean my dad's a cow farmer, I know beef. I have more beef than I know what to do with. The steak was clearly reheated even though I was assured, twice, that it wasn't. I'm not asking, I know it was reheated. It wasn't the cut, it was the cold air that seeps into the meat and changes it's texture and flavor. I was also asked how I wanted it cook.. Was that a joke, or why was I even asked? It also lacked any seasoning. No salt on the steak at all. It was grey, chewy, and reheated. The server said she saw them put it on the grill from it's raw state, but there was zero confidence in her voice when she told me this. They remade it but I'm pretty sure they just made more sauce and added some more flavor, smashed the rice down and put a new rice pile in it and gave me the same dish. We went in at 2 and they closed at 3. I'd guess this has something to do with the laziness I experienced here. Chef needs to work on searing meat. Funny thing is, if they were just honest I wouldn't be so harsh with the review.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
Jennifer Heller
Absolutely love this place for our local breakfast! The breakfast tacos and avocado toast are my go-to choices. While I wish they'd bring back the avocado toast on the better bread, the current version is still loaded with amazing bacon and egg on top. The diverse menu, non-greasy feel, and delightful coffee make it a must-visit. Kudos to the fantastic servers too!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Breakfast Tacos
Rich Linville III
Excellent experience. The food was great and staff were all friendly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
geekgurl2000
I come here more than to any other restaurant in this gawdforsaken town.Remember to tip generously, Illinois is a "tipped minimum wage state", so 20% isn't enough.
I love Fresco on First. I am diabetic and I always find something that I can eat and it doesn’t hurt my blood sugar. The staff is always delightful and I love the ambiance. I keep trying to find out what this building used to be. It appears to be like a Ben Franklin Store or a Woolworth 5 and dime. If anyone knows please tell me.Vegetarian options: I really enjoyed the vegetarian sandwich and the vegetarian soup.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food, service, atmosphere, everything was amazing ? they have nice sized servings for the price and a unique selection of healthy and fun food options. Will definitely be going again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Would highly recommend this restaurant! I travel a lot for work and love finding great local spots. The restaurant is very cozy and the staff were friendly and welcoming. I ordered takeout and didn't receive one of my items, but when I returned to the restaurant they fixed the issue quickly and kindly. The chicken coconut curry and the green smoothie were both delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I used to order here all the time, but lately every time I do I’m missing items. Ordered 3 cheeseburgers with soup and toppings today, got no soup and no toppings. Paid $15 a plate for plain burgers with no sides.
Food: 3
First time here. Came for Sunday brunch and ended up getting a couple paninis. They were delicious. There were so many things we wanted to try, and after our pleasant experience, we’ll be back to try them! Place got pretty busy so obviously others have thought the same.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
We just moved to Dixon and were excited to try this place. We came in Sunday. The staff is disgusting. We watched them mock other customers behind their back. We’ll never go back.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Lovely place, delicious food, great waitress. Spent 2 hours eating lunch and visiting with friends and never felt rushed.Parking: Parking is tough because it's right downtown, but well worth the extra effort.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salad, Crepes, Grilled Chicken Salad, Panini
A calming atmosphere with great foodVegetarian options: The menu has vegetarian options and Fresco is flexible to modify dishes to be vegetarian
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salad, Breakfast Tacos, French Toast, Panini
Tried here a few times to see if maybe they had a time where the food was prepared a little different or if the quality was different and every time it’s always the same quality and same portions, I’ve gotten the breakfast tacos and breakfast burrito and have been pretty happy with the quality and flavor, the only thing I would change is the portion of green peppers, either a thinner cut or less added since it stands out more then everything else and throws off the whole meal, parking is kind of scarce later in the night but if you can find a spot this place is worth trying
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Breakfast Tacos
Food is always fresh and soups are really good. Good selection of tea and coffee is great as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Panini
Restaurantji Recommends
We visited Fresco on first on 12/27/23. A second time for me, a first for my adult daughter. She had the tomato, basil and pesto panini (add turkey) with the soup of the day, which was chicken and rice. I had the beef and swiss panini with fries. The soup contained cinnamon, nutmeg or some similar spice that did not go well with the overall flavor profile of a chicken and rice soup making it barely edible. Plus, the soup was thick and chunky, like a condensed soup is when you pour it out of the can. Both panini sandwiches were dry and flavorless. The tomato basil one had no basil (yes I'm aware pesto contains basil), and little pesto and the beef one was missing the mayo it was supposed to have. On the (mostly) good side the fries were tasty and crispy like I prefer them, though they could've been hotter. I like the atmosphere, the place was moderately busy, and wait staff and the kitchen were keeping up. Since my first experience was a good breakfast here a few months back, I'll probably give this local restaurant another go because it's not fast food or a chain. Hopefully they'll read this and l retrain their kitchen staff.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 4
I got the steak stir fry. The sauce was really really good. Tons of flavor, it was glossy and just beautiful. The rice was cooked well, and I really liked how it was presented. But the steak... the steak was not good. I know what reheated steak tastes like. It has a very distinct flavor. I mean my dad's a cow farmer, I know beef. I have more beef than I know what to do with. The steak was clearly reheated even though I was assured, twice, that it wasn't. I'm not asking, I know it was reheated. It wasn't the cut, it was the cold air that seeps into the meat and changes it's texture and flavor. I was also asked how I wanted it cook.. Was that a joke, or why was I even asked? It also lacked any seasoning. No salt on the steak at all. It was grey, chewy, and reheated. The server said she saw them put it on the grill from it's raw state, but there was zero confidence in her voice when she told me this. They remade it but I'm pretty sure they just made more sauce and added some more flavor, smashed the rice down and put a new rice pile in it and gave me the same dish. We went in at 2 and they closed at 3. I'd guess this has something to do with the laziness I experienced here. Chef needs to work on searing meat. Funny thing is, if they were just honest I wouldn't be so harsh with the review.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
Absolutely love this place for our local breakfast! The breakfast tacos and avocado toast are my go-to choices. While I wish they'd bring back the avocado toast on the better bread, the current version is still loaded with amazing bacon and egg on top. The diverse menu, non-greasy feel, and delightful coffee make it a must-visit. Kudos to the fantastic servers too!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Breakfast Tacos
Excellent experience. The food was great and staff were all friendly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I come here more than to any other restaurant in this gawdforsaken town.Remember to tip generously, Illinois is a "tipped minimum wage state", so 20% isn't enough.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5