Restaurants in Pekin

“Kenzi is one of my favorite places to eat. the owner is so nice and the food is excellent every time!”

“I highly recommend Hacienda in Pekin. Their food is top-notch, their service is swift and always friendly, and they have been an anchor for me on my journey to sobriety and improving my mental health. Just today, I stopped in for lunch and was about to leave, and one of the servers, Omar, remembered me and congratulated me on another month sober and for making it through another year. 🥹 Not every restaurant has people working who remember the little details like that. This place is home to me. ❤️”

“Valentine Day dinner and this place was swamped. The small staff was working hard and seated us in 5 minutes with out any reservation. We started with the Vegetable Spring Rolls which were good. Then we had Takoyaki, a softcrispy fritter like ball with a little bit of soft octopus inside like a cheese ball but with savory sauce instead of cheese. These are topped with a bit of sea weed and paper thin slices of smoked fish (bonito) which appear to be alive due to the heat of the hot fritters making them wave a bit when they brought them hot out of the fryer, amazingly cool presentation! You gotta try these. I had the Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen but I asked if I could get it with Udon noodles instead, no problem. My spouse had Chicken Shoyu Ramen. Bother were outstanding in presentation and flavor. We come over from East Peoria and it is worth the trip to the Pekin Mall. My top pick in Central IL.”

“I had the Ultimate Burrito with chicken and it was fire! Can I say fire? I might be too old to say fire🤷🏻‍♂️ oh well. The Trifecta chips and salsa were also delicious, we loved all three dips😍. Danielle had the Smash burger salad and she said it was awesome! It was also HUGE. Great food and atmosphere, thanks Grudens😃”

“Great job setting up the new place! The new pizza is great! Keep it up”

“Great food and always nice servers”

“I'm visiting from Kentucky and we stopped at Ernie's restaurant. the service is incredible! the food is amazing!”

“employees are always great. very kind and friendly. even if they are super busy they keep it together and are awesome. they do an amazing job making up your pizza. every time. always make sure you get what you wanted and know how to cook everything. never had a bad experience at this store”

“Good food for a good price, nice servings. Service was friendly and attentive, atmosphere was casual, clean and comfortable. Just what you would expect from a sit down diner. If you can't find something great to eat on this menu, well lets just say there's choices! You will enjoy it.”

“Great people! Best bar around! I can't say enough good things about the place. Free pool, awesome food and they care about the customers. A win win!!!”

“I've always had a great time at MCL.One of my favorite places for years. Friendly staff especially Lisa Wiseman( manager)and Heidi. (Sorry, I forgot some of the others names as I've been living out of town for awhile but always stop in when in town and still always make me feel welcome.)All the bartenders are personable and efficient. Prices are very reasonable for drinks and food. Mel does a great job running kitchen and his specials are delicious. Highly recommend! Had my brother's celebration of life there and Lisa and her husband Troy were great and set up everything for me! The shelter is spacious and has a bar. Great place for all celebrations. They have a back patio you can watch the sunset from while enjoying a drink. Plenty of parking too. Highly recommend!”

“Absolutely wonderful time at Monical’s to celebrate my little girl’s birthday. It’s what she specifically requested for dinner and the staff made her feel so special! Good food, great people!”

“Had our reunion here and it was wonderful! The staff was helpful, the food was good, and the prices were very reasonable. Definitely recommend it”

“this is one of the places I remember going to as a kid with my Dad and it hasn't changed one bit great hospitality and wonderful comfort food”

“as a regular customer, I can't think of anything on the menu that I wouldn't recommend. the food is always fast , hot, and delicious. the margaritas actually have tequila in them, not like so many other restaurants I've had in the past. the staff is second to none, every single one of them goes out of their way to great us when they see us.”

“it’s a phenomenal atmosphere to experience”

“Always has the BEST coffee!Great local spot. 10/10”

“I’ve had their food twice now and next time I see them it’ll be the third time. Quick service, great food, and friendly people!”

“Always good, always hot, great and fast service. Definitely our go to for Chinese take out!”

“Excellent first time going to this place. Will be back and highly recommend it:) service and food were amazing”

“great food”

“meeting up with great friends”

“Took a friend of mine that I haven't seen in a couple years to MacDuffs, I used to frequent McCritters, and told him, same owners, people, I kinda knew that on Sundays no food is served. So I called, she said just Pizza's. Good enough. I knew I wouldn't see my regular waitress etc. Lo and behold I walk in and there's Dee, a bartender that worked at Mccritters!! My friend LOVED the pizza! What food that was at McCritters, is at MacDuffs. I knew that, but not my friend. So good seeing Dee again, atmosphere was excellent, food, clean bar, went out on the patio, so nice!!”

“Ordered delivery from grubhub it took awhile but... when it arrived it was delicious! Servings were huge! 2 chicken fried rice, s&s chicken, chicken chowmein,4 pork egg rolls. Seriously this is the only Chinese restaurant we will use from now on!”

“We were there for the first time on 10/24/25 all the way from Macomb. This establishment is top notch! Wonderful service and the food was the most delicious homemade I have had in along time. We will definitely be back.”

“Tenderloin is my favorite! With fries and Monterey Jack cheese to dip them in! They offer a good variety of ice cream for dessert too!”

“Everything turned out amazing from Lagondola ! Definitely recommend the location in Pekin as they were quick to get me my order and the employee was super nice at the counter !”

“My goto watering hole.. only bar in town that caters to the midnight crews who are looking for a brew or 2 after work. "Indoor" beer garden let's ya smoke a cig in the dead of winter & still stay warm. Cold beer still has ice chunks hanging on em. Pool table in the back to help pass time... I love this place & the bartenders who work there are a blast.”

“the bar is clean and also the restrooms; the bartenders are all polite and helpful and l have seen forgotten cigs, keys, etc. stowed behind the bar for safekeeping”

“Summer G, our server, was the sunshine that brightened up our dining experience! Her thoroughness in cleaning tables and her attentive, polite nature, despite being short-staffed, left us beaming with delight. We can't wait to come back and request Summer's exceptional service again!”

“One of my favorite watering holes in town. Great atmosphere, awesome mix of people of all ages and nationalities. Great mixed drinks. Also the owners do a whole lot for the community. Highly recommend this place if you are looking for a trouble/drama free evening. Google is asking about the food for some reason. This is a bar. No food. Just frozen pizza and some chips.

Wheelchair accessibility: Just roll right in!”

“We have had 2 parties here this month. Both had over 20 people. Our waitress Nikki rocked it both times. Excellent service!”

“mushroom Swiss is delicious”

“great atmosphere quick about getting drinks to you and the owners are really good people I'd recommend to anyone!!”

“I used to get fish cakes wherever I went. Now I only get them at Emma's. Entire menu is well done!”

“Very nice video gaming locations. Clean, friendly staff, very respectful. Good clean fun!”

“Always good food.Clean.The manager never smiles and not very friendly. We told her the sauces were out and she handed a few packets to me.They never filled them.”

“Nice neighborhood bar. I was looking for a place to watch the Creighton and Auburn play. Birthday party going on. Had a couple of beers and they left. Nice neighborhood bar 🍻🍻”

“Very helpful and knowledgeable. Very pleasant atmosphere.”

“I guess not much to say it was quick easy. They were very helpful and polite dined in. It was clean but they didn't have any ice in the machine had to get it from the back”

“Enjoyed a nice supper at YBG this evening. It was my first time stopping in and I was very impressed. I was greeted as soon as I walked through the door. The waitress was very friendly and helpful navigating their menu. YBG offers a wide variety of flavors, apps, entrees, and beverages. I ordered The Club with a side of fries. I had to stop myself from eating it all in one sitting because it was THAT DELICIOUS! I also purchased a Strawberry Salad to go. The salad looks amazing! I know it’s going to taste even better. I will definitely be a returning customer and recommend YBG to all.”

“They have the best chicken in Pekin and the surrounding areas that we've tried. Love that they have delivery as a option. We use Door Dash with no problems. Will order again.”

“I have never really had bad food here. Service has been good for the most part as well. Biggest complaint would be we received boneless wings that were smaller than McDonalds chicken nuggets. Pizza Hut has better wings.”

“Very friendly and great food/drinks”

“Always great people, found some new drinks I like, thanks to the bartenders.”

“Rough dinner service. Food was good and reasonably priced. Bill was $42 for four of us. Service was slow it was a long time for our waitress to visit the table. 2 other staff were trying to help. Waitress got one of the four orders wrong. When we went to pay there was some sort of issue with another table paying for the wrong bill so checkout took way too long. We will go back because we have had good service before and its a good value.”