Their straight espresso is astoundingly bad. One of the worst espressos I've had. It was very sour and bitter. Very thin, watery crema. No skill at all :/. They used an improper amount of water and timed the brew poorly. The barista sheepishly handed me my drink after I looked at it and asked if it was the right order.....Coffee shops shouldn't be allowed to have espresso machines if employees will just put it to waste. The WiFi is awful. But the food is delicious. I think they get pastries from Mirabelle and Pekara. Their bagels are good. My favorite drink is their raspberry latte. The only downside is that even if you size up your drink, they put in the same amount of espresso, so you'll have pay extra for more caffeine. read more

This place has a tendency to turn into a big-time hipster hangout. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but be prepared to face an unwarranted level of pretentiousness on occasion here. However, most of the time it's a fine place to sit and do some school work or meet with friends. That said, Paradiso has probably the best coffee in the area. They serve Intelligentsia, which is an excellent call on their part. It's one of my favorite coffees and the people working seem to know how to properly make their coffee as well. With some other unnamed local coffee shops raising their prices but still turning out burnt tasting and inconsistent espresso, this should really be your first choice locally. I've never had their food, but it has a good reputation as far as I know. read more

I'm not a coffee drinker, but I hear Caffe Paradiso has excellent coffee. So why do I come to this coffee shop if I don't drink coffee? Paradiso is a great place to work on homework with other people and pick up a quick lunch. Most coffee shops have horrid little shrink wrapped pre-made sandwiches, but Paradiso makes its sandwiches to order with artisan Mirabelle bread. The soup and salad selection isn't bad either and the bottled beverage selection is perfect. Caveat? The chairs are mismatched and kind of cool in a Bohemian way, but kind of bad for sitting and reading. read more

One of the places in Champaign Urbana I regularly frequent. I love the cappuccino, panini and tiramisu here. In general, the staff is friendly. And I like this cafe's rugged interior full of campus-town spirit when the regular semester in full swing.Right now when I am writing this review, I got a regular coffee. The staff who took the order was rude; that baffled me. But I will be back for sure. If you are staying nearby, this place is must-go just to feel the aura of UofI. read more

Caffe Paradiso - Regular coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Urbana, Illinois

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This is a nice cafe to relax and enjoy the various amount of items that are used to decorate the place. It makes for an ideal place of getting a drink while studying. read more

Still my favorite place in town! I always drop by for their sweet potato cake or toast and veggie cream cheese. Also the sweet potato cake is my favorite thing ever. It's incredibly moist and not too sweet (slightly savory). Atmosphere, great sandwiches, soups, flavoured drinks, Monin syrup. WIFI, power strips everywhere, lots of seating available. If you like a nice ambience while working/studying this is the place. I love the collection of eclectic tables, chairs and booths in this space. This place is great for people-watching also. They have a few boardgames on a shelf near the bar. I love getting the vegan soups there. So tasty and comes with yummy pieces of bread. Their sandwiches are huge and filled with lots of veggies. They make great flavoured drinks such as the mayan mocha (spicy cinnamon mocha). AND they use Monin brand syrup which is a huge plus for me. This place has the best soy mochas in my opinion. The mixture of the intelligentsia espresso and soy makes a great nutty combination. read more

My favorite place in Urbana/Champaign. Fresh bread and pastries from Mirabelle, homemade soup, and pretty good coffee/tea + free wifi - what else could you possibly need? The soups can be hit or miss but the sandwiches/pastries are always perfect. I come here for breakfast/lunch/work, it's kind of a temporary office for me and you start to recognize the other regulars after a while. Really nice service, fresh food, music ranges from cool to strange but that doesn't bother me. read more

As previously noted, I am probably still a Cafe Kopi girl at heart. However, I think with new ownership in the past two-ish years, some serious improvements have been made. I say this in spite of the fact that I paid $4.60 for a latte today, and had to pay in cash because the credit card machine was broken. The new management is incredibly friendly. Unlike the former owner, they always have the food items I want in stock. I like that everything is always super fresh, too. And yes, wow, things are expensive but at least you know that whatever you're getting is going to be good. So, even though my heart is still with Kopi, I am giving a little bit of myself to Paradiso, too! read more

I excuse the high price I pay by the fact that I am too lazy to walk my arse over to the cheaper, not better Expresso Royale that is 2-3 blocks away. It's right by my department offices and when I have early meetings I swing in here right before to get caffeinated. That being said, their Chai Latte with a shot of expresso is pretty good. They do have free WiFi but I've only attempted to study here once. It was too dim and the chairs were uncomfortable and not situated at a good height with the table (maybe I'm just short). read more

This place has the only legitimate coffee in campus town. The beans come from Intelligentsia up north and the difference in quality is very noticeable compared to the other coffee shops. That difference is also reflected on the price you pay but the coffee is worth it. They don't do single cup brewing, only big pots. Thus in rare occasions, the coffee can be a miss (may be bad coffee ratio, bad water temperature, sat in the pot for too long etc...), Even then, you will still be getting the best coffee on campus. Their sandwiches are also good. If you are hungry, feel free to build a sandwich from the big list of ingredients on the black board. If it is a Tuesday or Thursday however, just get the Italian beef. It is good. read more

Super cute coffee shop/cafe. Great lunch spot. They have sandwiches/paninis, baked pastries, and a nice selection of coffee. read more

Caffe Paradiso - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Urbana, Illinois

I ordered a turkey sandwich. I then watched the person making my sandwich hack away at a baguette using what looked like a saw. When I got the sandwich, I took a bite... well, attempted to. The bread was absolutely ROCK HARD. I literally could not bite through it AT ALL. After a few attempts at gnawing away at it, I gave up and just took out the turkey, lettuce, and tomato and ate them by themselves. Yeah, a bread-less sandwich sucks. It made me sad. Basically, the bread was probably good and fresh at one point, I am just really disappointed that they would knowingly give me ridiculously hard bread. It's not like it was pre-sliced and they didn't know as I watched them struggle with it. I should have known then to ask for a different bread but I thought it would be at least... bite-able. Unfortunately, I got it to go and wasn't able to approach them about it. read more

This place saved my life, I've been tour for a few weeks and have had severe headaches from lack of coffee. Pulled into town and was recommended here by a local. So good to have intelligentsia back into my life. Was able to get a black iced coffee by a friendly barista and was brought back to life! Stoked to have a local spot each time I come back to Urbana. read more

Coming here on a Friday afternoon in the summer to get a little bit of studying done, I was surprised by how busy Caffe Paradiso was! I ended up grabbing an iced coffee before making myself comfortable at one of their two person tables. The iced coffee was pretty standard, but I would agree with some fellow Yelpers in saying that I felt like paying over $3.50 for a pretty average cup of iced coffee was a little bit overpriced. The decor was nice with marble tables, mismatched chairs, and interesting wall decorations. Something that I really liked about Caffe Paradiso was that it really attracts people from all walks of life with the majority expectedly being students; it made for some very nice subtle people-watching. I think that it's a nice spot on the border of the U of I campus, but, in comparison to the other coffee shops that I've checked out in Chambana since arriving last week this one doesn't top my list. read more

Such a cute, cozy cafe near the UI campus. This a nice place to grab some coffee and dessert. This place is pretty big, with many tables, and it's apparent that many students come here to hang out or study. I stopped in after a long day exploring the area. They have some really yummy desserts and really great quality espresso/coffee. My sister ordered a tiramisu, which was on the dry side, but still decent. The Affogato came with shots of espresso and caramel drizzle on top of the ice cream, and was really tasty! Overall, this is a nice cozy place to relax and a convenient study space for students. read more

Caffe Paradiso - Tiramisu and Affogato - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Urbana, Illinois

i'm in love! This place is awesome. This reminds me of all the small coffee shops in the Mission of SF where I'd use to frequent..... except with this one, there's no laundromat attached! But, zomg the hummus is exceptional! They even serve the pita warm!! It comes with tomatos onions and OLIVES! I think I've also found my go-to spot on campus for studying. I hope it has nice hours! read more

This is the best coffee shop in Champaign-Urbana. They have cafecito on the menu. Their cafecito is so outstanding, I want to lick the cup clean. Unfortunately, they are not within walking distance of my home or work, and they are a bit pricey for me to visit as often as I would like. OH! And their food rocks, too. I mean, it's not just like "Oh, that was okay, my tummy feels better." We're talking "Wow! That was a freaking good pasta salad, eh!?" Usually some pretty cool music over the pipes, as well. OH! Also I love the decor. Check out the spoon wall in the girls' bathroom. read more

This was my home away from home. Delicious fresh-made sandwiches. Great coffee. Mountain Dew "on tap." And they had a great variety of bottled beverages. Great place to study or hang out with friends. Although the place was often too smokey (and this is coming from a former smoker). I always ran into people I knew - working or lounging. There was always a familiar face. No longer open 24 hours during finals week - but that was a godsend when they did it. I wish there was something like this in Chicago. read more

It's hard to evaluate the merits of a coffee shop based on a french soda, but this place seems pretty good. It cost about $3 which is a bit pricey, but tasted good, and the syrups they use are good quality. I'd have to keep going here and grab a coffee to see how the place is on the whole. read more

I have to update my review for this. The last few times I went to Paradiso, I ordered my usual cappuccino. It was bad to the point where I could probably do better making it at home; the foam wasn't smooth or well integrated with the rest of the drink. It was pretty much plopped on top and had the consistency of "dish bubbles," which is not what you want when you're making a cappuccino. I'd probably give Paradiso a 2.5 if I could because the sandwich i got there was pretty good. But I was just so, so disappointed by the cappuccino quality that I can't give it a 3. read more

Go there for the atmosphere. Go there for the good if pricey food. Go there to study. But for goodness sake do not go there for the coffee. I have not been there in a long time because of this reason. I went there again and I took a sip of the coffee as I was leaving and guess what....it was burnt. I got into my friends car and before I said anything they asked me. "Is that coffee burnt? It smells burnt." Low stars are only there for getting the coffee so wrong for so long. Otherwise a fine place. read more

This place is a great place to study and get some coffee. I'm not a coffee person per se, but I love the caramel frappe. In my opinion, tastes better than Starbucks! I love that they added more space for studying when they redid their space since it can get pretty packed. Free parking is limited, but Sundays are great since you can snag free metered parking on the street. read more

This is a chill on-campus cafe. The atmosphere is very calm and there are plenty of outlets for you to get your work done. The baristas were super friendly and worked quickly. They have some board games you can play at your table, which was fun... but almost all of them are missing pieces so we had to combine two games just to get enough for one. I got a seasonal drink - peppermint hot chocolate. I'm a huge hot chocolate fan and was very disappointed with it. It had very little flavor and was only semi-warm when I got it. I might revisit this place because it is convenient for me to get to, but I wouldn't seek it out. read more

This place was 50 shades of awesome! Lattes, tea, a REAL macchiato- you name they have it! I walked in and immediately exclaimed, "well slap me with an easy bake oven and color me flabbergasted, this place is gourmet!" Bring me java, bring me joy; 10/10 read more

Truly awful coffee. Yes, they use intelligentsia but oh my are they doing it a disservice. Where to begin? The coffee is routinely overly bitter due to it being brewed with too hot water. They pre-grind beans and let them sit around for hours at a time. Finally, it's pretty clear that they are brewing a weak cup (not enough ground coffee per pot). On occasion I'll ask for the coffee of the day just after it has run out. They will start brewing a new pot and pour me a cup before the pot has finished brewing. Only then is the coffee even remotely close to its potential. I started ordering americanos in the hopes of getting something a bit more flavorful, but the aforementioned too hot water blew out the flavor of the espresso. The sandwiches are good, but inconsistent. Sometimes the bread is fresh, sometimes not. Sometimes they will pack the sandwich full of veggies, often not. Finally, the prices...I write this as I sit in a cafe in seattle where I just paid $3 for a perfect latte. $3 gets you a mediocre cup of coffee and that is not right. Paradiso, if you are listening, adjust your water temp, clean your water filter, up the amount of coffee you grind per pot, grind your beans fresh, and drop you prices by about 75 cents for your drinks across the board. Intelligentsia should refuse to sell beans to cafes that treat their beans so poorly. read more

Have been to this place approximately 5 times in as many years hoping the service will get better. Tonight was the last time. 2 hours before closing and everything in the pastry case was packed up. The employees were sitting on the back counter chatting and didn't appear the slightest bit interested in helping us. Turned to my friend and said "that's it, we're leaving" and vowed never to return! read more

The food is mediocre. Just passable. But some of the employees who work here have a serious attitude problem. One time, I was on a date here and the music (which was hard rock) was very loud. We politely asked them to turn it down a little. Instead, the kid cranked it up to top volume. Ughh.I hate it when you're treated like a rash. read more

I'm really disappointed to write this update, but after several months of denial about what has become of Paradiso, I'm finally admitting that it's time. My experiences here have been getting progressively worse for awhile now. Service is as bad as ever, which I used to be happy to overlook because the food and coffee were so great. Now the soups are being over-seasoned with heavy handed doses of curry powder, dill, and what tastes like artificial smoke flavoring, but ironically lack salt and pepper. The vegetables and legumes are also usually undercooked (we're talking crunchy peas) while the pasta is overcooked and mushy. Their soups used to consistently wow me, but I can't remember the last time I had one that was even passable. Sandwich fixings are being poorly cut so you end up with things like half inch thick cucumber slices and bread of wildly different sizes on either side of the sandwich. Portion sizes are also shrinking to the point of ridiculousness, and the cup of soup for (i believe) $3.50 is becoming increasingly offensive. Prices overall have gotten pretty nuts. Today I spent over $12 on a half sandwich/soup combo with which I was given very little soup, a pastry, and a bottle of water that they didn't actually ever give me. It was pretty much the nail in the coffin for my Paradiso lunch habit. Paradiso, please take note! You were once my favorite place for lunch and had soup so good I was willing to wait forever to get it. Please get your act together so I can love you again! read more

6:50am Waited outside for minutes. Walked to car to add $ to meter. 7:02 Walk back & door unlocked. Walked in and the Guy behind counter looks up & says nothing. No customer service training. Hates his job. Or what's with him? March 23 2018 read more

I live nearby and go to Caffe Paradiso pretty regularly. The coffee is excellent - they serve Intelligentsia coffee and while they do not do single-cup brewing, they do make really nice hot coffee, iced coffee, and espresso drinks. The coffee is expensive, but it is quality, at least. The food is hit and miss - some of it is merely unexceptional, and the croissants are some of the WORST that I have ever had, but the macaroons, scones, and some of the cakes are excellent. The soups are good, too, and they have a respectable selection of teas and interesting desserts. The service is hit and miss, too. Some of the employees are very nice. Most are kind of inattentive and forgetful, and a bit on the slow side, particularly during the morning. All that having been said, the atmosphere is also pretty great, especially during the summer. It's a good place to study, particularly when it's not too crowded. There is a lot of reasonably comfortable seating and they have about a thousand outlets, which is really important, in my book. It's a good place whether you're looking to have coffee with other people or whether you're looking to caffeinate and write a paper. The location - right across from the social work school - makes it super convenient for me, as well, because I'm a social work student. read more

The atmosphere of this place is great, and when it comes to coffee shops that matters a lot to me. In this department, they totally ace it. The coffee here is great on most days, and just good on some days. The thing is, when you're paying $5 for a cup of coffee you'd hope it would be consistently good. The food menu though is pretty useless if I'm going to be completely honest. By no means would I call myself a chef, but I cook enough to know that the ingredients and preparation of their food is definitely not worth the price. The sandwiches are priced at about $7 and they are nothing spectacular. They are literally something you could make out of oscar Mayer deli meat, county market white bread, a slice of cheese, a slice of tomato. The two times I ordered a sandwich it was grilled and came to me so crispy and crunchy you could hear throughout the whole cafe when I would bite. I've eaten carrots that were less crunchy. Because the coffee is a hot or miss, and because the food is a complete rip off I can't give this place more than two stars. read more

Caffe Paradiso - My $7 sandwich. Not really what I was expecting. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Urbana, Illinois

I was a big fan of this place initially but they are very inconsistent with the quality of their coffee. The temperature of my coffee is always a surprise. I do recommend buying their bagged coffees. read more

This place will forever hold a place in my heart. I began going here while attending U of I. That eventually led to me starting to drink coffee, then becoming addicted to coffee, to now trying to gradually lessen my coffee intake each day. Anyways, the service is great and the coffee is even better. I love the coffee frappacinos. I wish there was a Paradiso up in the suburbs where I live. Anytime I visit the C-U, I stop in to get a delicious sandwich and coffee. read more

paradiso was way better before they had a stage. not only does the stage kind of mess up the seating, but now half the time you have to listen to some shitty indie band assult you with music that you never wanted to hear. i just want to drink my cappuccino and play chess, okay? that said, the aforementioned cappuccino is always dead on. this is the only coffee shop in chambana that makes a dry cappuccino actually, well, dry. also, they need to just make the whole place smoking or non-smoking. it all smells like smoke anyway, and virtually everyone wants to smoke inside, but only four or five of the tables are in the 'smoking section' which isn't even remotely separated from the 'non-smoking section'. read more

God I'd give them a 5 if they weren't so ungodly expensive. I'm a student and 2+ dollars for a cup of coffee is just too high. Also why is an iced americano $.50 more than a hot one? $3.30? GAH! I really wish I could afford it but I can't. Paradiso makes great stuff. Great Americanos, great lattes (even with latte art, woohoo! who knew it existed in Champaign-Urbana?), etc. Their environment is also great. It's absolutely what a coffee house should be, laid back and busting with culture. I don't know what else to say. They're great, but too expensive. I'm going to go broke if I pay for that everyday! I have to pay for rent and food and things! read more

Paradiso is, hands down, my favorite coffeeshop in town. It's one of the only things that would convince me to move to Urbana. Their coffee is from Intelligentsia = fabulous. Their soups and pasta salads are made fresh every day, and the bread and pastries come from Mirabelle, a really wonderful local bakery. Music is great, there are lots of outlets, and the wireless is usually solid. Paradiso used to be one of the only places where you could drink good coffee and smoke indoors - that's gone the way of the dodo, but I still have fond memories of dates spent behind the row of fake trees, smoking great cigarettes and drinking black black coffee for hours. read more

The best coffee shop in UIUC. They have a very chill staff and fun to talk to. Also they atmosphere is great to just chill or to study. my go to place. read more

Slow service - servers do not communicate with you. Took 5 minutes when I was second in line. Asked for a sweet tea, got it unsweetened. Expensive. Nice atmosphere and decor. read more

Bumpin' beats and great lattes... what more could you ask for?? I'm a big time coffee drinker and I have to say they make the best soy lattes in Champaign. Aside from coffee they offer some great soups and sandwiches for lunch. The crowd is generally filled with "hipsters" read more

Every campus town has at least one amazing coffeeshop... Paradiso is this kind of coffee shop. A regular of campus eclectics, you are warrant to overhear in-depth philosophical conversations, old friends catching up, or professor types talking business. But don't think you're not welcome if you don't consider yourself 'eclectic.' When I came here before the smoking ban, I'd come home smelling of cigarettes. It was the worst thing about going there, imho. After the ban, I came home and my roommate said, "You smell like Paradiso... delicious coffee!" Although it is under new ownership, things have not changed a bit. About the only thing that could be improved these days are the free wifi speeds. Pluses: -Great sandwiches. Fresh daily. Some of the soups are great too, but they usually run out before 5. -Libel to hear great new music. -Coffee is Intelligentsia. Minuses: -Can be difficult to study at times; friends and music (when the baristas are stressed out by customers it gets loud/strange) make reading a real challenge. -I've heard of ex-lovers fighting over who had the right to hang out there (wait, maybe that's a plus?). -Internet can be slow. read more