Restaurants near Makanda

“A coffee drinkers paradise! Several house blends to die for. We sampled several and enjoyed them all. This tiny little place is hidden away Makanda IL. Too bad it's so far from home...I would be there every morning.”

“This whole shopping center is wonderful every time I go here I love it so many things to look at always have something going on the people are great the countryside is great it's a nice experience kid friendly the whole thing if you get a chance everybody should go at least check it out”

“This place is beautiful; the buildings, the view, the arrangement, and good parking. I had a sandwich that was perfect and stacked high. LIVE MUSIC topped off the visit (was the reason for my visit) and a friendly staff made it a pleasure to visit.”

“My absolute favorite restaurant in the US. Excellent food, atmosphere, and staff. Much love to the Aban Crew!”

“Delicious , chewy pizza crusts with delicious toppings and the best rotisserie chicken around. What could be better?”

“AJ was wonderful. Food was excellent! Chef was awesome!”

“We had a great meal here—the food was definitely the highlight. Everything we ordered was flavorful and well-prepared. That said, we did have to wait a bit to be seated, and the restaurant was really busy, so the service felt a bit slow and scattered at times. It’s understandable given how packed they were, but it did impact the overall experience slightly. Still, if you're not in a rush and want a tasty meal, it's worth a visit.”

“I just discovered Heather’s lemon blueberry pound cake at Riverside Mercantile in Elizabethtown! It is just delicious! Light and lemony…just right for me! I’ll be stopping by in Carterville!”

“Thee staple of late night Carbondale food no question! Everything is made to order and tastes great, service is good and the atmosphere is cozy. Great gyros, the mega one is absolutely worth the price for how much you get. It plus the fries fills the entire takeout box!”

“Always delicious pizza! Our waitress (blonde) on 8/5/25 was OUTSTANDING!”

“This place is exceptional. They offer a wide variety of options and also fresh options. Plus adult breakfast drinks. This place is worth wait and in the middle know where. Highly recommend.”

“This is my HAPPY FOOD! I love this place!”

“Fantastic food!! Very nice people!!”

“Delicious food, great service, inviting atmosphere.”

“I go here all the time. The boba tea is great, and the price is really good compared to other places I've been. It's a nice place to hang out with friends, or just to sit and chill alone.

I've come here in blistering cold just to get boba.

The crepes are good too.”

“These guys make a good pie. You're wasting your time at the other places.”

“I stopped here on my through town. Kind people and good baristas! Flavor in my coffee is not my thing but they definitely have an extensive list if you like your coffee like that!”

“Great music. Awesome workers. Small but beautiful place. Definitely will be back.”

“We had the chicken spice pizza & the BEST hot Italian beef sandwich! Will for sure be coming back!”

“We love the people and the food! You must go see for yourself if you love authentic Mexican food.”

“Very good food. Authentic flavor. Very clean. Spotless inside and out.”

“Cookies were fantastic & so are the donuts! If you are in town you need to try them for sure. Tamara was super helpful in serving me and getting me the best desserts”

“Always great food and service. We have been many times and have tried many different menu items. All consistently delicious!”

“Great food and friendly quick service!”

“I just stopped by to hear some live music and found a friendly staff, beautiful, peaceful setting and people having fun. I'll be back!”

“Great waitress and food. Always enjoy all the TVs.”

“This type of place is in my list of favorites not just for the great food but also the awesome service we receive every time we are there... I love the family-like/friends treatment we get and we are always full and happy when we leave... Thank you for being a Carbondale staple!!! Love you guys!”

“The owner gets a lot of flak for inconsistent business hours and sometimes apparently having to stop taking orders due to their inability to handle both call-in and walk-in orders. I've only experienced the inconsistent business hours once and have never been turned away or told that they're too busy to take my order. Orders *do* take a long time, though, and it doesn't seem like they ever have times that they're not busy. The food... Most restaurants in Southern Illinois are very limited for vegan options. Dale's is more of a "greasy burger joint" than restaurant, but they have more vegan options than any other eatery in the area. So far, my kids and I have tried the chick'n sandwich, vegan Philly cheesesteak, and the Impossible burger. All of them were amazing! My daughter and I love the chick'n sandwich the best. Dale's even offers vegan cheese and vegan mayo on request - no additional charge for the burger or cheesesteak, and only $1 on the chick'n sandwich (which is the same as for a slice of dairy cheese)! Where else can you go to a non-vegan restaurant and find that?! Nowhere in Southern Illinois. They offered vegan milkshakes in the past, but I don't think they're going to offer that again. They only have (had?) one machine for making milkshakes, and they would have to wait to run out of the vegan ice cream before they could clean it out and make non-dairy milkshakes and vice-versa. Something like that. Thankfully, the Neighborhood Co-op is just a few doors down if you want to grab a vegan ice cream sandwich, some vegan cupcakes, a vegan chocolate chip cookie, or a vegan chocolate pudding pie cup.... Their fries are pretty sad (floppy), greasy, and overpriced, so we always order fries from Pita Alley next door. :P”

“I go there every week after I get off work and it’s so delicious! They also have a new soda menu and they are also super delicious!!”

“Food was really good, portions are big, prices are good, and the workers are very friendly. Thank you for the bubble tea tonight - so yummy!”