Always my favorite place to go and take friends, especially anyone visiting from out of town. Food…read moreis awesome with a variety of choices. Service is always good. Love the atmosphere as well.

Their sweet potato fries are FUCKING spectacular. Their sandwhich / sliders assortment is also…read moresomething that is super cool - they have, like, 14 different sandwhiches / burgers on their menu, all with different items? I don't even LIKE sliders, but this put me on! You can have many different smaller burgers for the same stomach space as a regular burger... its genius The ambiance of the bar is something that I love as well - whether you go here for a date or just to chit chat with your homies, the dim lighting makes this feel like a speakeasy, but the server's (who clearly work very hard, so props!) move around with such delicate urgency it makes you feel as though this place is the spot everyone wants to be at. Loved the food and the environment.

Great local beers and the food was quite good. Definitely a keeper! It's a 5 star for us!read more

Came for a grad lunch and sad to say this was not the best experience. The food was good and…read morereasonably priced, and I real enjoyed the vanilla cream ale. It's a nice vibe inside and seems like it would be fun on a game day. But the service was incredibly slow-- we were waiting for our drinks, appetizer, and food each individually for a very long time. I am not sure if grad weekend was unaccounted for in staffing or something of the sort but I was certainly tough and we narrowly escaped being late to the ceremony, not due to our own poor planning. Another note-- our waitress was lovely and it was not her fault! Also the onion rings are presented in a ridiculous way

i am not sure what happened to this place, but ever since they expanded to more locations, this one…read morehas suffered immensely. I am here for Ebertfest and it has now taken over an hour to get drinks, food, and dessert. I am trying to flag down my server because I was worried about the amount of time it was taking. She apologized and took off the dessert, but she seemed to be the only one working. I was near the back so I got to see all the other servers "yucking" it up and just standing around while this poor lady was doing laps. I am from the service industry and only 40 so I'm not being a Karen. This server deserves a huge raise and probably a better job. Pair that with them cutting down the menu, this place went to a "must see" in Champaign to a maybe. What I ate was tasty, but the rest of Champaign has caught up and starting to leave them behind.

Watsons has never disappointed us. We have been coming here since we were students and it's always…read morea favorite to visit when we're in town for an event. Watsons has a comfortable atmosphere, quick service, and you cannot go wrong with any menu items. I recommend the hot fish, Duvelo (secret menu item) which is the chicken sandwich with pork belly, cheese, and an egg, and the gravy fries. This time I tried the rice bowl for the first time and it was a hit!

I can't believe it's taken this long for me to write a review about my fav restaurant in CU. I…read moreabsolutely love this place, I have never had something I didn't love here but one of my new favorites are the yellow fin nachos! Omg they were so amazing, fresh and flavorful! Also our waitress was seriously nice and attentive we never needed for anything! I seriously cannot recommend this place enough!

We stopped into Sun Singer for a lunch break during a business trip, and it ended up being one of…read morethe highlights of our time in the area. It's a wonderfully unique space--part wine and spirits shop, part lively daytime dining room--with a steady flow of customers browsing bottles alongside a full bar and tables occupied by ladies who lunch and retirees enjoying a relaxed weekday afternoon. It is a surprisingly chic space for Champaign. The dining room was busy enough that there would have been a wait for a table, but we were perfectly happy at the bar. Our bartender was very friendly and welcoming, even while clearly managing a high volume of guests in what felt like a short-staffed moment. Despite that, service remained warm and attentive. We shared the traditional fondue, which was generously portioned and stayed hot for an impressively long time thanks to their setup--ideal for lingering over conversation. We both enjoyed wine pairings, and I especially loved the Winter Warmer Knob Creek cider: cozy, well-balanced, and a standout choice, particularly for anyone who appreciates Knob Creek. Sun Singer has an excellent atmosphere--social, distinctive, and effortlessly inviting. I very much look forward to returning the next time we're back in the area.

I found Black Dog to be really good barbecue. The brisket was perfect. I like the sauce choices…read moretoo. I had the Chicago Hot and a monthly special called Kansas City Firecracker. Both were hot and sweet, my favorite type of sauce. The red cabbage coleslaw was delicious and plentiful. The green beans and tomatoes were awesome. I wish they had greens too , but no. I also tried the polish sausage because somebody on Yelp said it was secretly the best thing on the menu. It was very good, but I'd say the brisket was better. Lots of nice craft beers available - some local. The service was nice and friendly. Nicole was my bartender/server. I enjoyed hearing about her favorite menu items. As you'll see from my receipt, everything has an itemized cost, so the place is a little pricey. But still worth it to me.

Black Dog Smoke & Ale House was a solid BBQ stop while staying in this college town. We came on a…read moreSunday night and it surprisingly wasn't very busy, although there was still a wait if you wanted outdoor seating. A few menu items were already sold out, but the smoky BBQ smell hit us from almost a block away, which definitely built the anticipation. I ordered the burnt ends sandwich without the bun. The flavor was really good and smoky, but the portions felt a little small overall. The coleslaw came in a small sauce cup, which was disappointing. The green beans had great flavor, and the twice baked potato casserole was tasty too, just smaller than expected. Service was friendly and the food came out really fast, so it seemed like everything was prepped and ready to go. Overall, good BBQ flavor and worth checking out if you're in town, especially if you love smoky meats -- just don't expect huge portions. Plus you had to pay for extra sauce and didn't have an option to try the different flavors, which was a bummer.

Food was exceptional quality, with portion size to match. Atmosphere is a vaulted high ceiling…read morespace with the bustle of a hard working kitchen and an attentive waitstaff. The menu is limited to signature offering of various dishes eliminating the tough choices between offerings. The daily special was a nice addition to the menu. All food was plated on various china which added to the fun of it all. My wife and I shared 2 separate meals and both were 10/10 in our opinion. This place will be on our very short list of great food, great folks, and great experience.

We saw good reviews, so we hopped off the interstate and checked this place out for dinner. They…read morewere moderately busy, about 1/3 capacity. That was not the problem. The food took over 30 minutes, which wouldn't be a deal breaker, if it was hot. The fries were cold. That's a death sentence in my opinion. The burger was fine, though not hot, at least warm enough. Sorry, maybe impressive for some, but not for this guy. I would have been happier at the BBQ joint across the street.

We visited Baxter expecting to have a finer dining experience in the Champaign area. When we…read morearrived, we were greeted and seated promptly. We ordered two of their specialty cocktails, which took a little long to be delivered but subsequently were very good. Next we ordered the stuffed mushrooms, Halibut and filet medallions. Service was a little slow so we decided to just enjoy the time together. Our appetizer arrived and was outstanding. It was a bit of a wait for our entrees to appear and when they did we were disappointed with the wait. The filet was ordered medium well and arrived seared to almost well done other than the very center was cold and red. The halibut was overcooked as well but regardless I decided to enjoy the halibut because it was still palatable. The filet, on the other hand was not. It was tough and just not very good. I fully expected to spend the money on a fine dining experience but didn't feel that experience was met. We will try Baxter again in the future with hopes of a better experience but our history there has been hit and miss!

Came in after the Illini beat Maryland on a Saturday evening. No issue with getting a seat right at…read morethe bar. Bar tender seemed a bit overworked, vary harried and not super friendly, but reasonably fast. Ordered the gnocchi and filet tips. Started with the Baxter's salad. That was excellent! The gnocchi was promoted as 'crisp' which I found intriguing. Not crisp at all. Standard fair. Filet was okay, but not great. Mushroom sauce was great! Ambiance is that of a classic steak house. Nice place, will come back again to try the steak.

Love the food here! I have never had a bad experience here. The atmosphere is so calm.read more

The food, atmosphere, and service were ALL simply AMAZING!!! The cheese and shrimp grits are heaven…read moreon a plate. 2 hours from home and not only worth the drive but, quite possibly, worth the walk as well!!! 5 BIG STARS!!!!!