This is a great place to study. The sandwiches are yummy and the drinks keep me awake. The service folk are hella nice too.

Love the small-town, college feel of this cafe. I ordered a sandwich and root beer float. They didn't have root beer so I had a Mexican coca cola float instead. It was decent but it was a bit long for the wait of my food. The sandwich came with chips and was generously loaded with ingredients. Happy about that! It seemed like a study spot for college students. Overall, I'd probably stop at this place again when I'm in Champana. read more

My opinion of this place has improved since first moving to Urbana. Their espresso drinks are high quality, and they have an excellent selection of teas and pastries. Also, their sandwiches are really good. Make sure to try their oatmeal cookies! read more

Espresso rocks. Coffee is so good. Food is over priced a bit, but still great. The space is a bit '90s. Overall, I would drive quite a way to get coffee here. I am a huge fan of Intelligentsia. I felt their espresso was represnted really quite well. read more

My absolute favorite place to get a cup of coffee, as they serve Intelligentsia and they (usually) brew it up strong. Good sandwiches, too. I think Tuesday and Thursday they have an Italian beef on the menu. Not made strictly "traditional", but an awesome version nonetheless. The only downside is that their brewed coffee is noticeably more expensive than Espresso Royale or Starbucks, so I usually visit Paradiso to treat myself. read more

C-U's best coffee - intelligentsia house coffee is really good and approaching European quality. Real macchiato. Staff is professional, lots of natural light, and vibrant. Food is great although maybe on the expensive side. Pasta salads and soups are great. Can be a little loud with lots of active academic conversation, so bring some headphones of you want to study. Rewards program for frequent visitors. read more

Best sandwiches in CU. Also the best humus dishes. If you go make sure you try the following combo: 1. Sour dough bread, 2. Salami, 3. Provolone, 4. Lettuce, 5. Mustard, 6. Olives. (if you like olives.) I used to get that sandwich all the time before I moved. Also be sure to try their pastries, which come from a bakery in Urbana. They get their bread from that bakery too, so don't go on Sunday or Monday because the bakery is closed and Paradiso won't have fresh bread. (This makes a huge difference, get humus if you go on the wrong day.) A couple of the reviews below complain of the smokyness. It's no longer smoky as Urbana law prohibits smoking in bars and restaurants. read more

One of the worse chocolate fraps. It was bitter, to syrupy, and over-priced. I do not recommend this place

Initially, I found it hard to like Paradiso. Paradiso has a great atmosphere, decent music, a wide variety of interesting books to read, a few games to play, and free wi-fi. Their coffee comes from Intelligentsia, a direct trade roastery that produces high quality beans; and the excellence of the beans is typically mirrored by excellent skill exhibited by the baristas. (Occasionally, however, I find myself underwhelmed by the quality of my drink--or perhaps the drinks disappoint me because I know they could taste better...) Overall, it is a great place to study or catch up with friends. What's not to like? Reviews before this hit the nail on the head when discussing disinterested and sometimes just outright impolite baristas. At first, I loathed coming to this caffe because, although the place and drinks are good, I felt slight disdain toward the staff for instilling in me a hint of fear. Like most people, I hate feeling as though I am causing someone an inconvenience; and the few times I had visited the caffe, apathetic baristas served me. I bestow upon Caffe Paradiso 4 stars because the number of cold, emotionless workers cold, emotionless staff has decreased significantly. Now, most baristas and I will chat while they make my drink. They seem genuinely interested in talking with customers, which is refreshing after continually feeling as though I annoyed the workers. They are also quite helpful in answering the customers' questions (which, I admittedly would not have asked in the past out of fear). Sure, the drinks cost more than other places, but buying direct trade alone makes the price well worth it. read more

Hands-down C-U's best option for lounging, working or time-killing whilst caffeinating, Paradiso has a nice, open space with comfortingly grungy, cracked walls, rotating art (often local) and tasty (albeit somewhat pricey) coffee and other drink options. The food is slightly hit or miss, but is mostly delightful with fresh-made soups and sandwiches. Many vegetarian and vegan options are available as well as cakes and other pastries. The staff is friendly and helpful, the regulars are amusing to look at and often fun to talk to, and the general atmosphere is both relaxed and energized. Seating is at a premium, even with the large space, so plan to arrive earlier than you need to, if you plan to stick around and study/work. Nearby parking is hard to come by. If you park in the lot in front of the caffe, expect to have someone double park behind you. Ignore other reviewers' goofy, childish accusations of this being a strongold of hipsters: That's only true if you're one of those people who labels anyone not in sweat pants and/or a greek shirt a hipster, or if you think that anyone with any kind of "different" personal expression is someone to be looked down on. read more

I love the coffee here. While it sometimes can be a little expensive, the service is always great and I love the overall environment of the place. Makes a pretty decent place to study and get work done too read more

This was a lovely coffee shop. I didn't spend much time here, but it was a nice place to read a book with a hot cup of coffee. I liked the mismatching decor, the mix of people, the abundance of seating, the great music, the cute lunch counter, and the fact that they have WiFi. When I saw this place from the outside, I never expected it to be so cool. There's some saying about books and judging covers, though....what was that again? read more

Great service and scholarly atmosphere. Hot tea, chocolate or coffee... All great! I get a lot of work done here.

Great atmosphere for studying or hanging out. I love all the power strips for charging electronics! Lots of seating is available and their booths are like old church pews which is really neat! They have late hours open til midnight as long as it's not the summer! Food is ok along with the coffee, it's over priced and not worth the money. Great place for students to go! read more

Everything about this place is brilliant. I probably come here about 2-3 times a week to read, study, and hang out with friends. Paradiso, by far, has the best food that is near the U of I campus and my high-school. This place is versatile in that, while it has gotten me through finals, it is also a fun hotspot for all of my friends. The Coffee is also AMAZING. After drinking Paradiso's coffee, every other coffee besides some select coffee houses in Europe, will taste like maxwell house. While I adored the old Paradiso (yard sales, even more awesome employees, and quirky christmas parties with santa being one of the employees) it still has that hip and artsy feeling that is hard to come by, especially in CU. read more

Good rating for it not being Gloria jeans or Starbucks. A nice simple place workers are all busy as a bee and critics of workers here is unwarranted. I wonder how many people who criticize workers ever had to work in food service. This is a place full of snobbish U of I elites who need caffeine to memorize mathematics to justify their over-paid careers, but in my case I was here for a collegiate coffee drinking experience, observation, and yelp. A good place read more

Paradiso is a cozy place where students can enjoy their cuppa coffee and work on scholwork at the same time. I love the ambience and their wide selections on their menu. My coworker once bought the day's lunch special and it was italian beef and it smelled soooo good. My favorite item on the menu is a mixture of expresso and half & half. read more

This cafe is a shadow of what it was a few years back. The eclectic ambiance is the same, which I appreciate. Maybe it was an inexperienced barista, but my iced americano was terrible. It was bitter, grinds were floating, and a small was over $3. I should've gone to espresso royale a block down. read more

I ordered a soy latte- one of the best! The cafe is a little dingy, but I'd definitely go back! Great prices and very busy.

I was visiting UC for a couple of days and stopped here one cold afternoon for some coffee. This place is huge was wasn't crowded. The coffee and service were good and fast. I came in to check my email so I was disappointed by the poor quality wifi. The mismatched decor was interesting but I had to find a table that my laptop would be level on! read more

This coffee is strong and smooth. Excellent flovor. Excellent atmosphere with plenty of seating.

Their cakes， especially the white ones, are the best! Not too sweet, hard to find in U.S.

I cannot believe that even though they used to high quality of coffee beans and espresso coffee machine, their coffee are sucks and too light. When I ordered ice coffee, I cannot taste any coffee and I can just smell the coffee. Thus, their temperature is too high in summer and their chairs are so uncomfortable to enjoy the coffee. read more

The tiramisu served here is probably the best around the campus! Just love it so much!

Very relaxed place to work on weekends. But many people use the tables for way too long that you will have very hard time to find tables. It's also next to all the sororities so you see a lot of cute girls ;). Great coffee and sandwiches but definitely pricey. If you get hungry, just go to a Jimmy Johns right next door. read more

This is a really nice café. I have had an iced mocha and a rooibos tea latte here and they were both great. It's normally really crowded, so finding a seat for a party greater than "1" is always challenging. The drink prices aren't bad. I haven't had any of their food items, but they look good. The service is neutral, it's not bad, but they are not going to go out of their way to do...well, anything. read more

If you like your college flat mate to make you a dorm room sandwich then this place is for you. They offered one kind of bread - soft brown (not multigrain as advertised), or they had an old heel of sourdough available (not restocked for a Monday morning?). The sandwich was tasteful enough with fresh greens and stone ground mustard. The panini had zero flavor except for the olives, so actually it tasted like olives. Cafe Paradiso feels very dirty inside. The decor is shabby and the men's bathroom is disgusting. The food prep area in front appears clean, but looking further past isn't advisable. I poured two waters, took a sip, and noticed something black floating in the bottom. My girlfriend's glass wasn't clean either. At this point we thought about heading to Jimmy John's but we like to support local businesses whenever possible. And we were still feeling hopefully optimistic. The service is mediocre. The guy making the sandwiches saw me order and I stood near the counter while he made them. He placed the sandwiches on the counter, called them out, then turned his back even though I was standing three feet away. I wasn't asking to be best friends but the service is friendlier at Panera then at Cafe Paradiso. We chose Paradiso because I wanted a decent cup of coffee, which I didn't bother with after the disappointment of the sandwiches. read more

Went here with my girlfriend. The atmosphere is nice and service is pretty good. I had a turkey sandwich and she had the lentil soup. Both were amazing. The bread and meat tasted quite fresh as well as the greens. The lentil soup was also quite good. The prices are a bit high, and that's all that's keeping this review from 5 stars. Definitely worth a visit. read more

One of the best cafes in town. I absolutely love their coffee and food. The service was good and the atmosphere was quite nice. It is a bit on the pricey side and could use some more wall plugs so I'm not giving Paradiso 5 stars. However it is well worth visiting. read more

Coffee was so good that I'm not sure what I enjoyed more about this past weekend... ...my vanilla latte from caffe paradiso or my new puppy.....? does that tell you how amazing their coffee and superb their service is? hope so. read more

Enjoyed a fantastic soy latte. Perfect amount of foam. Breakfast sandwich was average (bagel, bacon, egg). Love the large tables and plentiful outlets. Prices are a little high but the quality of drinks and atmosphere make it worthwhile. read more

It's always been a pleasant experience coming here. I love their Matcha Latte, the Raspberry Ganache, and Banana Pudding. The coffee is fine. The sandwiches that they offer are very basic, but taste good. I wish the staff would be more talkative and smiling, but they're doing a good job. Also, is that just coincidence, or do some students actually double park their Porsches and Maserattis on purpose just to be called out by the car make? read more

I have been going to Caffe Paradiso regularly ever since they banned smoking (when was that??). It has been a great place to write and as a recovering caffeholic, I have relished having my bi-weekly cups of coffee there. Unfortunately, this is all past tense. I am currently mourning the place that used to be and I wont' be going back for now. Unlike other reviews I have seen, the staff has never been a problem for me and I am not sure what a "hipster" is these days. The problem is the pricing. The last time I was there, I got one of those little Entenmann's donuts and it was $1 (used to be 50 cents), and with coffee that put my bill at over $5.00. I used to tip pretty well - my contribution to the musician barrista fund. My only tip now is to reduce prices or RIP, Caffe P. read more

Where to start! I used to go there before the new ownership took over (~2008). Since then it has degraded to a coffee house with lousy coffee, loud music, filthy tables, filthy floors, and did I mention loud pretentious music?! The staff has much to be desired in the way of service. You get a LOT of attitude in general and poor customer service. It does have a strong "hipster vibe". Who knew CU had hipsters (strangely ironic)? The music is loud-loud-loud and annoying, even in the middle of the day. I need to mention that their coffee is TERRIBLE. What I can't believe is that they charge over $2.00 for a small! I can get about the same quality of coffee at a gas station for a whole lot less. I don't understand how they can have decent beans (Intelligentsia) and still manage to screw-up the coffee. I've often wondered if the place would improve if they put more energy into customer service and brewing coffee, and less into their music selection. Caution if you plan to go in the humid summer. They don't run their AC very often. When coupled with an open kitchen, this will make for an unpleasant time. Their sandwiches are mediocre. Their quality is not consistent and errors are frequent. They buy in pastries from Mirabelle, but on occasion they let them sit out too long and are stale. Bottom line, lousy (snarky) service, lousy coffee, lousy ambiance, dirty, and loud music. Spend your money elsewhere. read more

The atmosphere is great. Lots of room. There was live music and the staff was friendly. They have a good variety of food to choose from. I had a pumpkin latte(seasonal) and hummus plate which was very good. Definitely willl visit again when I'm in the area. read more

I feel like at paradiso you can have a very hit or miss experience. It is a great place to go for a chill environment and good coffee. They have great sandwiches as well and the atmosphere is awesome! I wouldn't come here though if you're looking for something cheap. The coffee is expensive and adds up fast. Also, the service is always very hit or miss. Some of their workers just don't look like they want to be there at all. But if you're looking for a quiet place to get some work down or have a chat with a friend then this is a great local coffee shop. read more

This used to be my favorite cafe until it changed ownership in 2008. Prices were reasonable and the staff was cool. Then prices went up, and the staff started playing R&B and the coffee got worse. I'm not sure how a place can charge so much for drip coffee from a hot pot. Intelligentsia or not, when the coffee has been sitting in the hot pot for too long it tastes acidic. read more

This is a great coffee establishment. Perfect place to stop on my way home from the town. The library is rather close so if you enjoy reading, it is nice to pick up a book there and stop here for a cup of coffee. My husband isn't a huge fan of coffee places but he seems to enjoy this one very much. It is a little pricey, but if you plan to spend an hour or so here it is well worth it. read more

Coffee is bland. The hipster baristas are rude. No where to chain up your bike. They close way too early.

$2.63 for a small cup of coffee? With a side of attitude? I don't think so - too many other options in town. I think my love affair is over... read more