Sasly, it's CLOSED. It looked so promising, too! We ate just down the road at cute little cafe. Had the most amazing pressed BLT. They used avocado and olive oil instead of mayo. Out of this world! Broom something Cafe. read more

Thanks again Yelp! We were roadtripping and in need of a gas stop and given it was around lunchtime I thought I'd check to see what lunch options Arcola had. I literally had about 1 min to review before the exit and decided we'd go for it. It's a really cute cafe that is a hidden gem in a small town, once you walk in you no longer feel like you're in the mid west. It's colorfully decorated and they have great upbeat music playing which was a nice touch. No idea why we were the only patrons on a Sat at 12:30, but no matter, the service and food was excellent! I got the grouper sandwhich which was delicious, I love fish burgers that are actual pieces of fish and it had great seasoning. I also had the sparking raspberry lemonade which was yum! Hubby had the lobster and crab Reuben which he thoroughly enjoyed. We split the carrot cake which was top notch!!! Great lunch that I'm glad we stumbled upon! read more

Daily Kneads Cafe - inside cafe - Cafes Near Me - Arcola, Illinois

See all

This restaurant delivered more than I had expected! The service was great and the food was absolutely delicious. I ordered the gumbo. The rest of my table ordered the grouper sandwich, bacon cheeseburger and crab cake salad with a bowl of Maryland crab soup. Where do I begin.... it was ALL fantastic!!! I can honestly say it was the best gumbo I have ever had. The crab cakes were delicious. The bacon cheeseburger was huge and the fries were fresh cut and fried to perfection! The grouper sandwich was very very tasty! We finished off sharing a brownie creme brûlée.... so good.... this place is sure worth the scenic drive from anywhere in central Illinois. It's just too bad I live in San Antonio and can't visit more often.... iI'd surely be a regular there if we lived closer. Compliments to the chef! He sure does know his stuff!!! read more

See all

Venturing up to Chicago, our road warrior van stopped in to Arcola for this restaurant. As the food guy for the tour I was just cautiously optimistic only due to the lack of numerous reviews. Before any further reading, the important parts that other people have included, but need to be stated again. Cash only. No separate tabs. They're nice people so help em out. It's what they've asked for. They also don't really accommodate groups of more than 6. Small town, small restaurant. Get that quaint town feel with your quant sized group. Hours. 11-1:30. Be there before 1pm. Like I said. Nice people who are very up front with what they can accommodate. Now on to the review. Food was quite tasty. Everything is homemade. The bread is wonderful. I'm not a bread snob or anything but as a purveyor of delightful sandwiches, the right bread can make a sandwich. We had the Grouper sandwich, the lobster and crab Reuben, and the gumbo. Grouper was nice, well cooked and the bun took it to a satisfying level. The lobster and crab was my favorite thing, perfectly golden brown crusty bread with a flavor profile I never really have had ( and I come from the Chesapeake Bay area). I was most skeptical about this sandwich and also most impressed. The gumbo was delicious with fried catfish pieces on top that made that "sauce" and rice really come together. Homemade roll was crusty soft on the inside and tasty. We also had the potato salad and cole slaw which were both better than many restaurants. (I feel people don't care about sides sometimes. WHY!?!) The earlier you come the more food options you'll have to choose from. They run out of things. Is it disappointing I didn't get the Cuban or Beef on weck I wanted to try? Sure. Am I happy they don't have tons of sandwiches frozen, or pre-made? Sure am. Bottom line. Tasty homemade stuff. Great sandwiches, tasty entrees, and satisfying sides. Is this place the next culinary center of America? Nope. But the food is fresh, the people are friendly, and for $10 I am extremely happy with my experience. I don't need a lunch to blow my mind. I need it to make my tummy happy. And right now it is. read more

Daily Kneads Cafe - Gumbo. Don't let the simplicity of the dish fool ya. Quite tasty. - Cafes Near Me - Arcola, Illinois

Amazing food!! Although there are some tips I posted earlier to be aware of...once you're here and eat the food, you'll fall in love with the charming little cafe! Unfortunately, I still have not squired the taste for seafood. However, my cousins and family are in the love with the crab cake salad...to the point she comes in and the owner doesn't even hand her a menu anymore! Plus the homemade warm roll...yum! The roll has a crisp outside with the softest inside warm enough for the better to just soak in. I had the pleasure of trying the avocado turkey club. First, who doesn't love a sandwich with bacon on it! Second, The avocado was perfectly ripe and a beautifully green that just finished the sandwich! Wheat bread toasted for a perfect crunch! Looking forward to trying my dessert!! Carrot cake!! I hope you enjoy this gem in downtown Arcola!! read more

Daily Kneads Cafe - the interior of the restaurant - Cafes Near Me - Arcola, Illinois

See all

Where do I start? Their hours are listed as 11 - 1:30. But once you get inside, you find a sign that says "We stop seating at 12:30". Sure, it's rude when a patron walks into a restaurant 15 mins before closing, but if you've worked in food service, then you know it's the norm. We arrived around 12:45, which for a cafe is plenty of time to eat & leave before 1:30. But nope, we had to come back another day. So we came back. Two different signs mention "the Chef's whim.", so when the waitress came for our order, I asked "What's the Chef's whim today?" thinking it was their daily special. Her exact words were "You mean the specials posted on the board right there?" and pointed to a whiteboard. I waited a beat for her to read the specials to us, but no. With 20/15 vision, I struggled to read them. Wow, rude. So I ordered the Miami Muffuletta. Anyone who's ever had a muffuletta knows it's supposed to be so big that you could easily feed two people with average hunger; so imagine my surprise when I got something the size of a burger. It was greasy, it was sloppy, and it was small. My wife's meal was similarly disappointing for different reasons. Finally, when it came time to pay, they gave us some ridiculous story about our restaurant.com coupon being "fraudulent". She was not the slightest bit polite or apologetic about it, and frankly the story seemed like bull. I've worked in restaurant service before, and these people have no business doing any kind of customer service, much less operating a restaurant. read more

A gem in central Illinois. Limited hours and days make it a bit of a challenge to check it out but it is worth the effort. Our food was delicious! We had a chicken schnitzel special. Being too full for dessert we brought Key Lime Pie home with us and it was yummy. Heads up - they do not take plastic. read more

This is a small, cute place but be prepared to wait. It took us 15 minutes to get seated, 10 minutes to place our order, 10 minutes to get our drinks. We were near the 1:30 cut off but even though their entree specials were still listed on both erasable boards they were out of all of them. And all salads. And two of the desserts. The single vegetarian item listed on their online menu ...they no longer offer. My soup was good but they only had a cup left. My friends liked their food and my key lime pie was excellent but I doubt we'd go back. Oh and after all our waiting they turned the lights out near the end to make sure we hustled out of there. read more

The grouper sandwich was very good with chips and a cucumber salad. Carrot cake for dessert was a great treat.

This is not a traditional Amish home cooking place , of which there are several around. This is a 5 star lunch!! All I can say is fresh awesome food!! Menu has everything from fresh grouper to chicken gumbo, Cuban pork and much much more. Daily homemade soups such as crab bisque and unique lunch specials. Desserts are also homemade and carrot cake is best anywhere. Only open for lunch 11-1:30. But get there early to get a seat. read more

This cafe is the little gem of a quaint little main street in a small rural town. The daily specials (and regular menu items) are always excellent and somehow (almost usually) have an island and/or creole flair to them. The owners seem quite fond of Cuba as the decor would hint. Dishes include anything from salads to soups to sandwiches and often some sort of wonderfully made gourmet entree. In fact, I would classify most, if not all, of the food as gourment (at least as gourmet as you can get in central Illinois). The food always tastes fresh and well seasoned. Gary, the owner and chef, is definitely talented and creative. Each dish not only tastes amazing, but is presented well also. If you're jetting through and want something quick and healthy to go, definitely pick up a Waldorf chicken salad. It's quite popular and is no ordinary salad. I would say the only thing even slightly negative about this place is that it's only open for lunch (11-2). But why should they try being the jack of all trades (meals) when they've mastered the lunch dishes. Make sure to check this cafe out. It will not disappoint. Oh, and make sure you have cash on hand. read more

Hidden masterpiece. Chef Gary is one of a kind. The food is outstanding and the homemade pies are incredible. Give it a chance and I promise you won't be sorry. read more

Daily Kneads Cafe is a great little secret in Arcola...they have excellent specials, Delicious sandwiches, soups, homemade bread and desserts. You really need to check this place out!! Unfortunately they are only open for lunch...but it's really the best place to grab lunch in the area. read more

My husband and I drove up to Arcola with our kids to do the zoo, we wanted to try something unique and local- so we came to Daily Kneads Cafe. We were excited to try it as we had heard good things, unfortunately we were met with a very rude waitress! She was snippy with my husband when he asked for a high-chair, then when she came to get our order I asked if I could get a BLT without the Salmon. The menu is pretty unique, which normally I appreciate- but currently I am 13 weeks pregnant and not feeling the best which I explained to the waitress. She told me the sandwiches they have are the sandwiches they have and would not accommodate. I told her that right now, meat makes me feel nausea and she pretty much told me that I should not be here then. we went ahead an ordered and I thought I would try to eat the chicken sandwich, we then heard the waitress in the back talking to the cook mocking me- because I'm pregnant and sick- We left and will never be back, I have never been treated so poorly. I was crying when we got to the car. read more

My mom and I really enjoyed the food here. The owner makes everything fresh- even the hamburger buns! We were really impressed.

My husband and I have been eating here occasionally for a few years now and every time we go it is an amazing experience. The seafood dishes in particular are always excellent, especially the grouper! The soups, sides and desserts are awesome too. You can tell that a lot of thought and preparation goes into each dish. We also have always had great service. It is rare to find such a gem in a small town. Definitely worth going out of your way if you live in central Illinois or if you are on the road. They are only open for lunch and have limited seating, so get there early! read more

Daily Kneads Café is an excellent place for lunch. The food is delicious and types of dishes offered are unique. My wife and I have eaten there several times when traveling through Illinois on old route 45. Save room for dessert. read more

Not customer friendly. Be forewarned that being open until 1:30 means nothing. They refused to seat us at 1:05 or let us order take out and had already begun their closing. Not only did they ungraciously turn us away they were offensive and mocking us for not checking the time before we came BUT nowhere did it say they close their doors to guests at1:00! read more

this is a great little 34 seat, lunch only, cafe in downtown arcola, just a few miles south of the tuscola outlet mall. everything is from scratch. kew west influence, leading to: maryland crab soup, crab cakes, gumbo, seafood avocado salad. sandwiches: crab and lobster reuben, grouper w remoulade, bbq salmon, cuban. salads, burger, chicken and cheese melt also. flourless choc cake, carrot cake, berry pie (8 oz for one slice). fresh strawberry or raspberry lemonade. no credit cards. so if you go to the outlet mall, it is worth the few extra miles to get to amish country, where you might see a buggy or two. read more