Great coffee bar w/ matcha, espresso drinks, and beautiful monsteras…read more Matcha latte was legit

Asked my Peoria native friend for recommendations around town and this was his number one spot- and…read moreI can see why! Zion was the perfect cafe to spend a few hours working while fueling up with some caffeine and breakfast. They had plenty of tables/bar space, and even an extra upstairs area with more seating. I tried their special banana butterscotch latte and it was incredible. Also tried the classic avocado toast. I was surprised to have two slices that were loaded with avocado mash! If I'm being picky it was a tad too salty, but the sourdough toast was delicious. I'm looking forward to trying the crunchy at my next visit. I'll absolutely be back next time I'm in the area!

Food is fantastic, staff is always friendly and so knowledgeable, and drinks are the best. Highly…read morerecommend!

What a great local find! The space was comfortable and inviting. He started our morning with a dark…read morecoffee roasted on house. We also had a wonderfully moist orange cardamom rhubarb scone and a prosciutto ricotta toast. It was a delicious start to our morning!

Great coffee! A must try…read more The service was very good. They helped us navigate the menu.

Nice workers. Nice ambiance. Coffee was amazing. Lil slow service, however overall I would…read morerecommend.

My first time here. The menu was comprehensive and featured so many visually tempting options that…read moreI finally just asked our waitress Quincy to suggest something. She recommended the Cuban Pulled Pork Sandwich. My sandwich was huge and contained a large portion of pulled pork meat. It was delicious and the homemade chipotle bbq mayo made it all the more satisfying with its rich smoky flavor! The Cuban-style black beans were right out of Miami! Very nicely prepared and included green peas, carrots, corn, and bell peppers, as well. My dining companion, for her part, ordered the Falafel platter, with a side order of gyro meat. The falafel (a dozen), were fresh, tasty, and just the right consistency. These were served with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, pita, and hummus. The side order of gyro meat featured a generous portion of decadently succulent lamb shavings and included two portions of homemade tzatziki sauce. Everything we ate was prepared to perfection and could easily compete with exceptional restaurants in Chicago! Yes, the food at One World is that good. As for the service, our waitress Quincy was friendly and professional. As for the ambiance and decor--we arrived ahead of the lunch crowd, so it was pretty quiet. The decor, however, is nicely done. The premises were clean and well maintained. Ditto the restrooms. The restaurant is actually huge. There are multiple dining areas and in the summer there is an outside patio behind the restaurant, as well. As for pricing and affordability--quality costs, and the food here is definitely a cut above. That being said, the owners have priced the entrees quite reasonably considering the generous portion-size and quality of the food. My overall opinion? If you want a dining experience worthy of comparison to the best Chicagoland has to offer, but don't want to make the long drive--or pay twice as much--then I highly recommend this little gem of a locally-owned restaurant in Peoria!

Very good spot in Peoria!!! The menu here is expansive and there is something for everyone. They…read morealso have a huge selection of lattes and drinks. I got the thai chicken pizza and it was SO good. The hot honey was a little sweeter than I expected, however the jalepeno balanced it well. The hummus also was hands down one of the best I have ever had. Still thinking about it. The only reason I didn't give this place 5 stars was the service. Everything was fine until it came to pay. I don't know if our server disappeared or something but we waited 30-45 minutes to get our check which was semi-frustrating. Anyways, 10/10 food. Very unique. Very different. I recommend!!!

Review Visit: October 30th, 2017…read more With my love for coffee and visiting coffeehouses, it is a surprise that this place popped up in Peoria without me knowing. My friend and I were actually heading to Riley's Cupcakes and Coffee Lounge for some caffeine and sweets when we found out they were closed on Mondays as of recent. Sad at the thought of not getting to try a new coffee place, my friend suggested we try the place a few doors down. Come to my surprise that there was a newer coffeehouse right there. So, in we went! [CxT] appears to be a new coffeehouse in Peoria, a city that seems to be going through a renewal of sorts... tons of new places, young places, fresh places... and [CxT] is a welcome addition, in my books. If cozy coffeehouses needed a photo, this place would be perfect. It's small with very limited seating but it's still open enough to feel inviting. Upon going in, we were greeted by one of the owners behind the counter and we chatted for a bit while trying to figure out what to order. Very nice fellow and I hope their company does well. My friend ended up ordering a Matcha Tea Latte while I ordered an Iced Caramel Latte. Oftentimes when I order my usual, it is either a bit too bitter or a bit too sweet, but the balance of this latte was a near perfect blend of flavor and espresso. It is easily a Top 10 for me. My friend said his Matcha Tea was pretty good. He had to explain to me what he ordered as I had never heard of it before. If you like their coffee a lot, they roast it themselves and you can get it in a multitude of flavors. They also offers some unique chocolates, which my friend bought and liked. They have these cool things that you stir in Hot Cocoa and it dissolves, giving it a new flavor. I want to go back and get a few of those things before winter fully hits! There appears to be art on one wall that is for sale. I didn't get a good look at them but they looked cool from afar. There is also a pretty decent-sized jewelry set up, if you need to accessorize while picking up some coffee. All-in-all, [CxT] Roasting Company is a great addition to not just Main Street in Peoria but also to Peoria itself.

The service is great! The Barista, Elliot, gave great recommendations and made some great coffee…read more Great coffee and good vibes. Highly recommended.

this place is a gem! that hit every check point to a great night on my girlfriends birthday!!…read more Bucky(great guy and stellar waiter!) took great care of us. we have some dietary preferences that we never impose on a place. we know our way around a menu and what we can and can't do. they really don't like tinkering with the dishes as they believe they are perfect the way they are(and they are right). however, the kitchen was gracious enough to do one of their pizzas without fresh motz and added beautiful heirloom tomatoes. we both agreed, Dave Portnoy would of gave it a 10...incredible!! the carrot appetizer as insane...bread perfect...everything was amazing. ambiance was perfect, lit dimly but not too much. glass/china was beautiful and looking at the open kitchen was soooo cool!! Bucky even brought out two glasses of Sauternes to help celebrate the occasion and made my GF's heart melt. every staff that touched the table was so nice and personable. thanks again for the amazing night!! couldn't of been better!!!

Always love going to Ardor Bakery!!…read more Today we went during the farmers market & we were quickly welcomed & able to sit outside on the patio. Quickly, our server came by & got us started on some drinks. I had the oat milk draft latte (which I've ordered to go multiple times) & it remains my favorite drink in Peoria! We got the maple breakfast sandwich with bacon added & it was the perfect amount of crispy & flavorful. We got two bakery items to share which were also yummy! The best thing we got was the potatoes with the harissa sauce - OBSESSED. They were beautiful & the dill was a great touch. Loved our meal & service! Will be back of course!! Added some photos from a previous to-go bakery order!

This cafe is located in downtown Peoria at the twin towers? You will drive right past it if you…read moredon't know what you looking for. My brother found this on Google. I was surprised no one had this business on Yelp. Appreciated the service received and the recommendations offered. I come to Peoria I ften and seeing a soul food establishment finally is good. The location is interesting. It's unfortunate it's not in a more "inviting" space. Maybe it's when I cam, but there weren't any other establishments open cept for a barbershop, which I will come to next time. Now my brother wanted to try this place out because of the reviews on Google. The food was good? Hmmm, per my brother, the chicken was to oily. The catfish was nicely prepared. Just a SMIDGEN to much salt. The Mac n cheese was good. The greens were good per my brother and me since we both ordered it. Foot traffic was steady in the place.

Don't be a chicken on trying new places…read more Maria and I dropped in on this hidden gem of a coffee place on a whim. I had seen the local newspaper cover their opening so I asked her that morning if she wanted to go and so we went. Maria had some trouble locating the coffeehouse as it's located inside a business-like building and then down a hallway. Once we figured it out, we ordered our drinks and plopped down for some sips and chats. Maria got a cold brew and I snagged a very large black americano. It wasn't super bitter like some americanos that I've had before but that was a welcome change. The owner/cashier was super friendly and Maria ended up talking to her for a bit while I looked around. It didn't take long to get our drinks and we sat down at one of the few places to sit in the small coffeehouse area. This place strikes me as a place better to snag your coffee and go back to work in one of the many offices around but the inclusion of chairs and tables is nice for those of us who want to drop in and chill with some caffeine and a friend for awhile. If you are hungry, there isn't much in the way for food besides them selling Tadoughs donuts and some small offerings like bagged chips. That wasn't a concern for me but I know Maria was hungry for something like a breakfast sandwich or the like. But due to the quaint size of the area behind the counter, they probably don't have the space for proper cooking instruments. All-in-all, a really cool and really small coffeehouse located in some kind of office building.

Buy a coffee and then adopt a cat all in the same place…read more River Kitty Cafe has been on my radar for quite some time but due to their hours, it took until now to find the time to pop in with Maria. It just so happened we popped in on their 1 Year Anniversary! What timing! We got there right at 10am when they opened and they were instantly busy. You can reserve time to hang out with the cats while sipping your coffee (or if you just want some kitty time) or you can enjoy your drinks/food from behind the glass. They were completely booked for the day due to their anniversary so Maria and I enjoyed our coffee (and my cookie) from the main seating area. Maria got a cold brew and I didn't see an americano on the menu but asked if they could make one and they happily obliged. I forgot to ask for it iced so it came out pipping hot (and not diluted with water) so it was pretty much 4 shots of espresso in a cup. I devoured the delicious cookie while waiting for my coffee (they were backed up with all the people coming in for their kitty cat reservations) so it took a bit longer than normal for my drink to come out but that was fine. I wasn't going anywhere. Since it was pretty much pure espresso, it didn't have much flavor but was still decent. This place gets their coffee from Intuition Coffee in Peoria. Maria and I chatted and caught up on life since it had been a few week since we hung out. In that time, we saw so many people come and go just to see the kitties. One of the ladies even paid for the adoption process for a future cat owner. I think that was called 'sponsoring a cat', which warmed my heart to see that there is still good out there in this increasingly negative world. Sometime in the future, I would love to come back and spend 30 minutes in the room with the kittens. They were all super adorable and I need to give them all pets and love. As of this blog post, I think they've adopted out over 150 cats in the year they've been open. That number might be incredibly higher but I don't remember the exact amount we were told when we were talking to the very friendly people at the counter. Meow this is the kind of place I can get behind.

Love supporting the kitties in the establishment. So much fun to see all of them and pet and feed…read morethem. Love the work they are doing. Cookies were good as well. Fun atmosphere and staff were very welcoming.

Review Visit: May 13th, 2015…read more This ice cream is '¡muy caliente!" I knew Mexican soda was a thing but Mexican ice cream? Not in the capacity to have it's own ice cream shack. Well, queue my surprise when I learned that there was a Mexican ice cream shop in Peoria. One that has a name that leads you to think that maybe... just maybe this place is delicious. Doing what I normally do (as avid readers of this blog will know), I gathered up one of my friends who likes to travel (Matt) and we headed over the Illinois River (not the Peoria River) to get some ice cream (and add more bracketed comments to this paragraph for no reason). The location of Las Delicias is a bit of an odd one. Actually, those whole road of shops is not a greatly planned out area. You have all these shops along Main St but the parking situation leaves a lot to be desired. You usually have to hunt for a place to park and sometimes walk a small distance to your destination. I just wanted to put this in here as a warning should you want to venture down Main St. Matt and I found a place to park and headed in. Upon entering, we were greeted by a friendly cashier and shop that was small and felt homely (in a good way). This place truly felt like it was a family-owned. Matt and I browsed the handful of offerings and I was surprised by the flavors. Granted, this was over 5 years ago, so I don't remember the specifics and I failed to take a photo of what was being offered at the time. I grabbed some kind of strawberry ice cream while Matt got himself some flavor that I never heard of before. We paid for our ice cream desserts and headed out. I think there were a few chairs inside to sit but due to the small-sized of the restaurant, we opted to eat outside as we walked back to my car. I am a sucker for strawberry (and peanut butter) flavored treats. At this point in my life, I had quite a few different strawberry-flavored items but this one is the only one that instantly blew me away. Something about the quality of this dessert was unreal. It was far and above beyond anything you would find in the store unless you option for the expensive stuff. This stuff tasted homemade and had love in every scoop. I can't properly describe how much I loved this ice cream cone and how sad I was when it was gone. If you find yourself in Peoria and are on a circuit of trying out all the ice cream places, this one needs to be at the top of your list. You won't regret it. If you do go and you do regret it, lo siento. That's what life is all about though, right? Trying new things and seeing what the world has to offer.

Great variety it options, traditional and non-traditional flavors and very consistent in quality! I…read morelove going here for the yogurt cups and horchata as well!