Childer's on University has been my go-to brunch joint for well over a year now but I've always griped about parking during peak hours. This lovely new location remedies the parking disparity with plenty of spots, while keeping the same quality eatery experience intact. The entrance is a little obscure to find with vague signage, it's easy to walk by, completely missing the main door and having to backtrack. I'd love to see this place incorporate greenery or potted flowers near the entrance to emphasize the doorway with an extra boost of color. Upon entering, you're immediately greeted by the bright interior, decorated with lush greenery along the perimeter of the top portion of the walls. I can see this place thrive with customers during the colder Illinois months as the outdoor plants begin to recede and the only oasis of botanicals becomes indoor vegetation. The inside is spotless with plenty of tables and booths. To one side of the room, a full bar can be found. Usually I reserve this place for brunch, but my most recent visit was during my lunch hour with a few comrades. Looking at the menus (consistent with other Childer's locations) I ordered the Chipotle Cream Shrimp Tacos on Blue Corn Tortilla, in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, also a dish I haven't tried at any other Childer's. The dish came with house-made mango, tomatillo, tomato salsa. The mango salsa was my favorite of the three, it had a perfect fruity blend of sweet and tangy. Shrimp was battered and fried adequately. The creamy chipotle sauce was zesty, the blemish-free avocado smooth, together tying the overall dish with a rush of umami. The portion was on the smaller side but I wouldn't mind being a repeat offender of this dish. Others at our table ordered the Pineapple Bowl (breakfast item) filled with granola and fresh fruit, Turkey Club Sandwich with an added egg, and the Southwestern Omelette (one of my favorite items here). Overall I'm thrilled that this location is doing something distinctive from other restaurants by extracting design inspirations from nature to dress the interior. The service is friendly and hospitable. Our food came out simultaneously in under 15 minutes during pinnacle lunch hours. Childer's is also one of the fist places I've seen adopt a new payment system where waitresses circle the table with an iPad mini to live-swipe your card. The result is a more efficient transaction, however I understand why some people may be put off by this advancement since that it portrays a helicopter-like kind of service. To me, it speaks volumes that Childer's embraces the future by being a First Mover in digital payment methods. Talking to the owner a month ago, Mr. Childer's mentioned that this new location provides large capacity outdoor seating and will include live music on a weekly basis. This venue is definitely more on the trendy side, fitting in well with the other shoppes inside Junction City, whereas the University location has more of an antique diner-feel. I'm excited to revisit this location to try the rest of the menu items and as the new accommodations begin to spring up. read more

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Love this brunch place... their ambiance is very warm and welcoming, though this time we had to do takeout... always better to be there and have their delicious preparations... I personally had the chipotle shrimp taco and let me tell you, it was a bomb... my friends had omelette, burger and Benedict... they all are very impressed... and that scotch egg best brunch place in Peoria, period.... read more

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checked in and we had a wait which is fine. They had SEVERAL open tables that were located outside away from any entrance so nothing would have been blocked. when asked they would not tell us why they wouldn't move the tables together. They did not give us two high chairs after asking multiple times. Again no explanation. They wouldn't even give up a time frame of how long our wait would be (which was a very long time). The second we were seated they tried to place our orders before we could even sit down. The food that they brought to our table wasn't even ours and that is making the wait even longer with 3 kids. we had to get car seats from the vehicle just to set them on the dirty floor. To top it off, they never apologized for the mistakes and didn't even take anything off the bill. FYI the food came out an our after ordering and was cold. We have been here several times and this the worst experience by far. Do not go here. read more

I love this place! The breakfast is amazing, but if I'm there for brunch or lunch I usually order the crispy shrimp tacos. Unfortunately it doesn't come with a side, but they are served with three salsas and are super flavorful. I would highly recommend! The spicy Bloody Mary is also worth ordering. *The outside patio is also dog friendly with lots of love from the staff! read more

Childers Eatery - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

This place was awesome for a breakfast/brunch addict like myself... We got seated very quickly, our server was amazing & super thoughtful. He had great recommendations for us on food- he was right on every time.. I ended up having the Forest Berry Lemon French Toast after debating between a few different waffle/french toast options- definitely want to come back & try all of them! The french toast came with a lemon curd drizzle & tons of fruit to top it (I asked for extra lemon curd per the server & was very happy). Love this place & want to come for breakfast here every time I visit Peoria! read more

Childers does a great breakfast and lunch. Breakfast is served all day. Salads are great. So are the tacos. read more

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Taste and class in Junction City shopping center! Every menu item seems to be a specialty. For lunch I had the Bourbon bacon Bleu burger served hot, it was excellent though a bit salty. The bacon Gouda tots are also a very tasty appetizer. Great service with indoor/outdoor relaxed seating open to kitchen, also takeout/delivery options. Covid hours reduced Breakfast/lunch cafe hours 7-3pm; they do serve cocktails/beer/wine as well as upscale juice and coffee/tea. read more

Fine coffee. Fresh fruit. Impeccably presented omelet. Breath easy environment thanks to the self watering plant wall. The servers are a tad eager - checking in far too often but I don't fault them. It's a new location and I'm sure managements got the pressure on. read more

Childers Eatery - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

We Have been there two days in a row. I had chicken and waffles the first day and eggs and toast the second day. Everything as great except the hash browns. They are over cooked on the out side and and still radish on the inside. I told the waitress and she said yep, they are ether really good or really Awful. She said she gets the cottage fries. My sister enjoyed the diablo eggs Benedict. She said the only thing lacking in her meal were the hash browns also. read more

Childers Eatery - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

Good food and great service. We were in town to see a musical the night before and were a little antsy to get back on the road to get home to our baby. The server (who was fantastic overall) sensed this and gave us a discount for the wait, without us asking, and also was very accommodating of our request to have our food "to-go" so we could leave earlier. read more

Another great breakfast at Childers! When they say it's the best breakfast in Peoria, they mean it! The staff is always friendly and fast. Very attentive to the guests. 5 stars. read more

Childers Eatery - Diablo Eggs Benedict. My personal favorite breakfast menu item and choice every time. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

Love Childers! Always great service and the food is amazing! Malorie and Andrea are my new favorite waitresses!!! Both are extremely sweet and attentive!! They have a breakfast and lunch menu all day as well and their coffee is super refreshing. read more

Childers Eatery - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

This is my go to breakfast place during the week. Not only is this a great place to hold early meetings, the staff make you feel like you're at home! By the time I am sat at my table, the staff already has my drink and order in! (Maybe that means I am a bit too predictable, but hey there are worse things) The menu has a lot of options for different palates, which makes it a great meeting spot. I am a fan of their tea presses! There is nothing better than a cup of earl grey to get the morning going. read more

Location at Junction City is very nice. Have a large breakfast menu and a nice selection for lunch. Is always busy with about a modest 20 minute wait everytime. Food is decent, but inconsistent. Sometimes food arrives tepid, not hot. Eggs overcooked or under cooked. Poached eggs should be one of the easiest to make. Maybe time to reduce the amount of entrees, and concentrate on perfecting a few. read more

Love the food at Childers. We eat there several times a month. Great service, interesting, high quality & varied menu. The reason I'm writing today with 4 instead of 5 stars is the salads. The last two salads I had -the beet kale salad & the Asian salad contained thick center sections of what appeared to be brussel sprouts. I love brussel sprouts cooked & shredded raw brussel sprouts but had to sort out these inedible pieces. I tried to chew them but they were too tough. They weren't listed as an ingredient in the Asian salad so I was a little surprised when I saw them. The spring greens were scant & the wonton strips nearly overwhelmed the salad. Hoping to see my next salad back to the quality I usually see. read more

This was my second time coming to Childers. We ordered the tacos, cinnamon roll french toast, broccoli bacon Gouda omelet and a scramble. The service was slow initially but got better as people cleared out. The bottomless coffee is good. The servers make it their business to make sure your cup is filled to the top. Omelet - despite asking for no bacon, it came with bacon. Otherwise good. Tacos - filling deserves 5 stars. The tortillas were dry and tasteless. French toast - ehh. A little dry. read more

OMG this place was fantastic. The food is very good, cage free eggs and these super awesome fresh juices. The biscuits and gravy were to die for!!! Our friend, who has celiacs, had plenty of gluten free options - he loved the gluten free pancakes. No one was disappointed!!! read more

The food is good, but the restaurant is getting one star because of their very sketchy tipping practices. Came here with my dad, total bill was around $20. Little more upscale but nothing substantial. The tipping portion on the ordering pad is was what I have an issue with. There are options to tip 15%, 18% and 20%. The 15% tip showed up as around 6.00 and some change, which is closer to 30% than actually being 15%. We brought this up to the bartender (we sat at the bar) who brushed it off as "oh, you can choose a dollar amount." The dollar amount wouldn't let us put any cents down. The company is relying on the customer's haste to not do mental math to squeeze out a few extra bucks. 15% of $20 is not $6, you skeevy liars. The food's fine, the value isn't the cheapest but not the most expensive either, but I'm not willing to return because of the sleazy tipping practices. Fix your system! read more

I usually love Childers, but my visit today was less than great. My caprese Benedict was so-so...tomatoes were meaty(not fresh tasting at all). My side of seasonal FRESH fruit looked and tasted like it had sat in the freezer/fridge for awhile. Disappointed in the food today. read more

Childers Eatery - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

Absolutely incredible scotch eggs and the Cuban... when you add more mustard and pickles is the best Cuban I have ever had. Hats off. I'm from Chicago and pound for pound this place is just as good as any place in the city. And I loved the breeze. It was an open space and felt like I was by a lake read more

What a fabulous selection of breakfast options! Brioche French toast was fantastic with candied pecans. Chilaquiles were some of the best we ever had!! Don't miss the Gouda & bacon pops but try them with a bit of ranch as our AMAZING server Hope suggests. Great service, knowledgeable staff, fresh, creative cuisine. FIVE BIG STARS read more

BEST GLUTEN FREE WAFFLE I'VE EVER HAD. And that includes pancake or waffle; best gluten free griddle breakfast item I've ever had :). A lot of gluten free griddle items are gooey/not cooked through the middle, my waffle this morning was perfectly cooked with a nice little crunch on the outside edges. We were just passing through on our road trip, and Childers was a deliciously delightful way to get our next day going. Very cute place and our waitress was wonderful. Thank you Childers! read more

1. The food was amazing as always 2.the atmosphere is very friendly and warm It's nice to see all the family's with kids going to eat And spending time together. 3. I think my only problem was the Service but maybe in few weeks it will get better and I will chance my review from 4* to 5* Keep up the good work read more

Childers Eatery - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

Had past good experiences here on very busy sundays however took My 95 year old mom there on Monday and the experience was bad. Bradley any customers and our food took well over 1/2 hour to come. It was cold and not well prepared. Avacados were black and I didn't take more than a bite. Severel waitresses standing around as if waiting for something and then left. Our waitress left and some other one brought our food. Too bad we won't be coming back read more

I've heard good things about Childers, and it was nice to visit this location in Junction City on a Sunday afternoon. Both the breakfast and lunch menu's were available, but I had my eye on the breakfast menu. There were so many interesting sounding breakfast options to pick from, but I went with the chilaquiles. The plate of chilaquiles comes with tortilla chips, chorizo, chicken, eggs, a little cheese, and verde sauce. If you've mostly had chilaquiles at authentic Mexican restaurants/tex mex restaurants, then you will be a little disappointed by the ones here. Childers is obviously not a Mexican restaurant, but I still had higher hopes for the ones here. Two improvements they could make to this dish would be adding more verde sauce and a little more meat to balance the obnoxious amount of chips they give you. They use very little verde sauce in this dish, so it was more on the dry side unfortunately. The cheddar biscuits were amazing! I almost bought more to take home with me to Chicago, but resisted this time. The inside of the restaurant is stylish and fresh. Despite my iffy opinion of the chilaquiles, I would welcome the idea of coming back and trying another menu option. read more

Hands down, Peoria's best breakfast. Their fresh squeezed orange juice is delicious and I've loved everything I've ever had there.

Was there for breakfast today around 11 very busy place We had a nice young man waiting on us and he was very good at keeping my coffee cup full and I thank him for that Not sure why coffee places use those small cups guess I'm used to mugs anyway it's a nice atmosphere very open but a little noisy I ordered the Florentine eggs Benedict and the fried green tomatoes and they were all excellent I intend to return soon to try the wrap or short rib tacos read more

Definitely loved the variety of the menu. They have a wide variety of flavors that you want to savor. Yes, you can get a denver omelette but why when you can have an omelette with pesto, kalamata olives, or arugula. If I might suggest one thing, I think they could do better pairing their sides. While the Chia salad and Pork belly omelette were good on their own, they almost were too diverse in flavor to have at the same meal. Not their problem it was all delicious. Where they lost a star was on delivery. It was 9 minutes between the time my daughters pancakes came and my sons side of toast. It can lead to that awkward feeling of can you start eating if you are the only one with food in front of you. read more

I stop here at least once a month for breakfast. Today they were a bit slow so I asked Chef Johnny to make me what he'd eat and he sure did. It was one of the best I'd had in a long time of eating out for breakfast. Thanks Johnny for the crispy hash browns. read more

Before i get started with the food i would like to mention something we witnessed. There was a couple servers getting into it with one walking away cussing. This was in front of a full restaurant. One of the managers was very rude to the employees which we could tell was having an effect on the other employees. To witness this makes for a poor experience. It was a Sunday afternoon so it was busy but this kind of behavior should never be witnessed by the customer even on a busy day. When we fist walked in the place is very loud to where it was hard to hear the Hostess. Had i heard her should would have said " Do you want Lunch or Breakfast Menus" not knowing what we want we got both (and so i could creep on all they offer). After looking at both Menus this place is far from the norm and looked to be an exciting experience. Once we were seated our server (Kelly) greeted us with water with cucumber slices. I was not crazy about the having the cucumber in my water without asking if i wanted it or not, however i was informed by the all mighty (my wife) that cucumber in water is a thing and she loves it. I stuck with the cucumber water while my wife ordered loose leaf Hot Tea. Took awhile to get her tea and she had to wait for it to brew at our table which takes awhile before it tastes like tea. That was the first time she had loose leaf tea and she was confused on how to use it but could see going there for a "Tea Date" (her words not mine). For our appetizer we ordered the Bacon Gouda Lollipops- Deep fried bacon wrapped smoked Gouda,homemade buttermilk ranch. A little warning first if you order these they are held together with Knot bamboo picks that are battered and fried so you may not notice them so beware. These are my kind of lollipops they are really good and gone way to fast. I would order them again and i say they are a must try. The Wife ordered Peoria's Best Breakfast - Eggs your style,bacon or sausage,hash browns,white cheddar biscuits & gravy. This portion of the meal was removed from our check. The hash browns come in a thick circle so thick that the center was not even cooked. The Gravy was nothing special it had some flavor but not much. The White cheddar biscuits were terrible they were so hard and didn't taste right. Someone had to have messed up the dough, i ordered 2 new biscuits in hopes of getting better biscuits however it was the same as the first one hard, chewy and just not good. My wife will not be getting that ever again very disappointing. Which is really sad she loves her breakfast at 2:00pm. I ordered Chicken & Waffle - Waffled buttermilk cheddar biscuit ,bourbon bacon,fried chicken tenders,maple syrup. The waffle was ok nothing to really brag about also the chicken didn't seem to have much seasoning if any. Overall very average dish nothing i would go back for and i most definitely have had better. I will say it was super filling to were i needed a to go box not really looking forward to eating it later. Our Server Kelly was very nice and accommodating. We could tell that everything going on with the servers and one of the managers was making her very uncomfortable and more than a little embarrassed. This Place can do better than this very disappointing overall. read more

Went here with my family for brunch on a Sunday! Delicious coffee and food! I had the breakfast burrito and I definitely recommend it. It comes with a side of sour cream and oven roasted salsa (delicious!). I would recommend splitting this burrito because it is quit big! Overall great atmosphere and family friendly! I recommend it! read more

My wife and I just finished an impromptu breakfast here (actually sitting here still as I write this review). We had Nicole N as our server, who was friendly, prompt, and ensured we had a great experience this morning. We had heard from other friends about breakfast here, and we are like many people who love breakfast so we decided to give it a shot side we were in the area. What an incredible choice! Atmosphere: 4.8/5 Hustle and bustle of a morning breakfast eatery. Noticed panels pinned up in the rafters for breaking up standing waves, which could be partially what leads to the pleasant atmosphere, as well as the floor layout. Food: 5/5 This was really excellent breakfast. I really don't know how I can convey just how excellent it was. We started by sharing a fresh cinnamon roll while we waited. Huge mistake! These things are to die for. (Ordered two to go. #Guilty) She ordered the Peoria's Best Breakfast with bacon and white cheese biscuits and gravy... If you haven't had this gravy, you really should. Absolutely incredible. We both did eat on this side of B&G and let me tell you, it really is the "Best I've EVER Had". My build your own omelette was pretty basic. Sausage, chorizo, and bacon with Monterey Jack and White Cheddar cheese, with a side of White Cheddar grits and Banana Bread toast. Yes, you read that correctly. Omelette was stacked with the ingredients ordered. The grits cooked well and not overly powerful with the cheddar. Yes it was incredible. Yes I will be back. Maybe tomorrow. Two thumbs up! read more

Went for lunch today for the first time and it was awful!!!! Staff was rude and we were seated by the hostess station and my entire meal all I could here were the girls talking bad about each other! If you don't like chorizo I would not got there over half of the lunch menu has chorizo in the dish. Had to get up and refill my soda twice because my server (a white woman with long dreadlocks) was nowhere to be found. When the food came my 2 year old daughter was given and regular cheese burger and fires even though we had ordered off the kids meal said some and was told that was the kids plate but when the bill came her meal was almost ten bucks! Had to fight with 2 different staff member for them to fix their mistake that I pointed out when the food was brought to the table! Will not be returning. read more

Pros: Awesome food (breakfast is all I have had) Decent prices Overall nice (new) restaurant Fast food/table time Nice breeze when they open all the front doors Cons: Wait staff seems overwhelmed Wait for drink refills and check (always) I hate the fact they use ipads to put in your food order Can be VERY loud inside Almost always wait to get a table (no place to sit/waiting area) Could be a really great place if they get the kinks worked out down the line. read more

Consistently a fabulous experience. Jake is the best waiter you could ask for. Expect a wait on the weekends though.

Peoria's BEST breakfast place by far! Always a ton of people, but the wait is never to long. The new one at Junction City also has a full bar! Delicious Bloody Mary. The biscuits and beagles are my favorite, but I can honestly say there has been a single order of any item on the menu that I didn't love. read more

Childers Eatery - Peoria's BEST breakfast place by far! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Peoria, Illinois

Had a late breakfast for 6 on a Friday morning. We were greeted and seated pretty quickly. Most were satisfied with their meals although universally the prices were considered high. The iced tea was good, coffee good for a diner, service was very slow for breakfast but polite. The pork belly omelet was bad. Pork seemed old, tough, almost tasteless, and maybe a little spoiled. The cottage fries were soggy, greasy and only slightly warm. Not that I wanted more, but the serving size was small. Toast was dry, hard and cold. Wouldn't melt room temp butter. read more

We visited Childers for the first time today. We were afraid with all of the cars in the parking lot we have trouble getting a table for lunch. That was not the case; the very pleasant hostess seated us immediately. Our server came to take our drink orders almost immediately. We were given both a breakfast and a lunch menu even though it was 12:30. It took a while to make a choice - there were so many delicious choices! Finally, we agreed to share a couple of sandwiches - the bourbon bacon fried green tomato BLT and the pork belly Cuban sandwich. Our food was delivered in a timely manner, warm and ready. The Cuban was fantastic - soft bread surrounding all of the goodies inside - I highly recommend it. The BLT was equally delicious with crispy bacon and fried green tomatoes. We thoroughly enjoyed both sandwiches, the service , and the atmosphere. We'll be back! read more

Had an okay breakfast the other day. Denver omelet was adequate but kind of ugly. Hashbrowns were kind of under done and a little burnt at the same time. Toast was okay, but only one slice. Iced tea was good. Server got my order and got the food to the table. Let me run out of tea. All this for $18.25, tip included. Nice setting, pretty clean. Nice jelly tins, I like the salt and pepper grinders, but the price is waaaaay out of line for the quality and quantity of food as well as the lackluster service. Maybe I ordered wrong. I think the university location might be better. read more

The food was not too bad. I had the Carmel Apple Waffle. I believe that the menu said that the apples were fire-roasted (I could be wrong since the menu is no longer in front of me.) Whatever was done to the apples gave them a bit of a strange taste and an even stranger aftertaste. Not sure that I would get that again. My dining companion got the special, which was a blueberry and cream pancake stack. He seemed to enjoy his. I'm not sure if it is just me, but I have visited both Childer's locations and both of them have horrible acoustics. They really need some fabric to deaden all of the noise. Also, I'm not sure of the reasoning behind 4 hostesses at the counter who seem to spend most of their time standing around while the servers are constantly busy. The server was friendly, but the ordering process seemed to be a bit complex with all of the typing on the handheld device. I think it took longer for the waiter to put the order in than it did for us to decide what we wanted. I would like to try this place again sometime. Maybe when the weather is nicer and they can open up the doors to try to deaden some of the sound. If you're looking for a quiet breakfast, not sure that this is the place to go. read more