One of the good things about giant universities like the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign is that the college towns surrounding them tend to be more than a KFC, a McDonald’s, and a Jiffy Lube. There are plenty of good places to eat on the beaten path and off of it, with the selection being wide and (with your average college student in mind) the prices being more than reasonable. The best way to break this down is to take it in order of breakfast cafes, restaurants good for a casual lunch, and the variety of places for dinner, fancy or not.
Driving down Green Street, the busiest thoroughfare on campus, only one breakfast eatery really sticks out: the ever-present and usually sufficient IHOP. Sure, if you’re in the mood for “cinnestax” or a giant plate of ham and eggs, this might be the place to go. The truth is, though, that there are several better restaurants within a stone’s throw. One that has become popular lately is the Crepe Café on the corner of Green and Third Street. It’s a little bit hidden in a strip mall that resembles a small, poorly built barn, but if you’re looking for something a little more exotic, it’s the place to be. For about six dollars, a cookies and cream crepe, a bananas foster crepe, or even a goat cheese and chicken crepe can be yours. The portions aren’t huge, but if you’re in the mood for something special, this is a great little spot to visit. Another restaurant overlooked by many college students but beloved by locals is the Champaign institution Merry Ann’s Diner. This 24-hour restaurant serves both classic diner food and the best pancakes that I’ve ever had. A breakfast consisting of a plate of pancakes, hash browns, and a cup of coffee will only run you about six dollars, and is as filling as it is delicious.
The bulk of the storefronts on Green Street are made up of restaurants that mostly advertise the same thing: a quick, relatively cheap lunch. The relatively surprising thing is that most of these aren’t really bad places to eat, hawking the same sorts of greasy food. There are a lot of quality ethnic restaurants that can be found down Green Street, as well as several diner-type restaurants serving up several different types of food. With such a large playing field, however, several spots stand out. D.P. Dough is a fairly new setup located near First and Green. Although it’s a little far for most students without cars, the food’s worth it. For five dollars you can get yourself one of forty-nine different types of calzones that the restaurant offers, with each one being a very heavy and hearty meal. For a stretch of road no longer than a mile, Green Street boasts about 8 Chinese restaurants. The truth is that the majority are all the same: about five dollars will get you a lunch entrée chosen from the array of common Americanized Chinese food. Of the selection available, Cravings Chinese Restaurant (on Wright and Green) and Lai Lai Wok (On Green and Third) are two big favorites. Both restaurants have the usual menu plus a huge array of authentic Chinese food. I never thought that I’d be able to eat a fresh tentacle with shredded celery, but I’ve had that and more. As for the college campus institution that is the Pizza, Green Street offers several quality restaurants. For lunch, however, with a scant forty-five minutes between classes, two restaurants come to mind. The first is Za’s, a restaurant known for its good food and fast service. They serve a large variety of made-to-order pizzas, pastas, soups, paninis, and salads. The second restaurant, Antonio’s, offers a huge selection of pizza by the slice, with toppings including pesto sauce and mozzarella, barbecue chicken and tortellini, and fajita chicken, all for under three dollars for a big slice. Off of Green Street and away from campus, a few restaurants definitely stick out. For classic sandwiches and soup style dining, try checking out the Courier Café on Race Street. It features your basic selection of pastrami, ham, and other sandwiches along with classic favorites like malted milkshakes, phosphate drinks, and sweet potato fries. Another good choice for lunch is Nitaya Thai. The large number of Thai restaurants on campus gives everyone you talk to a different favorite, but Nitaya has always been a good experience for me. Their lunch selection includes many favorites like Pad Thai and red curry, but they also boast several exclusive dishes that are all worth trying.
Dinner on campus is something of a tricky beast. There are a really small number of middle ground restaurants with good food and a decent price tag. On Green Street, several restaurants roll out a pricier, bigger-portion dinner menu. However, you can easily tell which places are the favorites from the lines running out the door come midnight. Papa Del’s pizza (Second and Green) is arguably the best on campus, with a deep-dish rivaling many classic Chicago restaurants. The recently opened Red Rock serves up classic bar fare with a twist for an early dinner, followed by a quality night of drinking. If you’re looking for a nice, quiet dinner, however, you may be better off heading away from campus. Radio Maria, on Walnut Street in Champaign, boasts an atmosphere that makes you wonder, “What’s this restaurant doing in the middle of Illinois?” It’s got two different services, a dinner menu and a tapas bar. The dinner menu features more upscale dishes like coffee-crusted sole fillet that may be out of the price range of most students. The tapas bar, however, is a great choice for a prelude to a movie or play. You can order small distinctive dishes that are prepared with exotic ingredients for a fairly reasonable price. The menu there changes very often, so don’t be surprised if several favorites vanish between visits. Another good choice is Kamakura restaurant on Neil Street. They offer a wide variety of Japanese cuisine, with a sushi menu that’s hard to beat at any other sushi place in town. It’s priced right, too: a dinner for two will run about thirty dollars. Dos Reales, a Mexican restaurant, is a community and student favorite around here. They serve huge portions of cheap Mexican food in a way that makes you wonder how they can possibly be turning a profit. The food’s amazing, too. Their burritos, enchiladas, and tacos are some of the best that I’ve ever had.
Students tend to be picky about where they eat, especially if there is a large number of different restaurants all competing for business. As a result, the number of bad eateries on campus is pretty small, as they don’t really tend to last long. The main exception to this, most of the student body agrees, is the small food court in the basement of the Union. Advising you to avoid it would be an understatement. It features expensive, terrible food when something much better can be had at a five minute walk. Outside of that, everything else is more than adequate. This is a good thing for you, reader, as it means that you’re going to have to work pretty hard to find a restaurant that makes your mouth pucker and your stomach churn. With that in mind, don’t be afraid to try out plenty of places along green Street and in town. Find a favorite, but always leave your tongue open to new tastes.
