This isn't really a review because the cafe wasn't open, even though we went during the hours…read moreposted. Maybe because it is summer and it's located within a university affiliated building. It looked awesome, if you like homegrown authentic vegan vibes which we definitely do. So my review is: CALL AHEAD! Make sure they're open! The website listed with Yelp is DOA but here's a better one. https://www.channingmurray.org/the-red-herring

Went for the kale Caesar salad and it was actually better than I expected. The kale was massaged so…read moreit wasn't tough, and the dressing was garlicky with a nice kick. Croutons were house made and super crunchy. I added shrimp and they were cooked just right. It's a casual little place with friendly staff. Not much noise and easygoing atmosphere. I'd come back to try their other salads for sure.

Cafe Sababa is absolutely a hidden gem inside the Illini Hillel!…read more I ordered the sweet potato croquettes this noon, which is listed on their menu for the restaurant week. The croquettes were just amazing! The sour sauce and the vegetables made the food more refreshing. The amount (5 croquettes in total) was just suitable for a quick lunch. The people here were so nice, while there were not so many seats for dining inside. Anyway, it must be a 5 stars cute place on campus!

Best Kosher food in Champaign-Urbana area. Lunch is always good and prices great. Really can't beat…read moreit!

This was a top notch place back in the day! But past owner from the 1980's, Allen Strong, has…read moreretired and the new owners don't seem to add much. A glass display case sits empty at the hostess station displaying nothing but lots of smudgy fingerprints. A fitting analogy to the current Courier unfortunately. Patrons come in for lunch and wait several minutes for somebody to seat them. The service suffers from understaffing. I ordered a Veggie Dagwood sandwich. Remember Dagwood Bumstead and his multi layer skyscraper sandwiches?? Not here! This was more of a very dry bread sandwich. Where are the layers of veggies? The layers of cheese? The alfalfa sprouts? The sauce? My sandwich was served with a stale pickle. I asked if I could order a side like potato salad. They had coleslaw - $4 up charge. The place needs to be cleaned up! Put a little pride into the menu.

Revisited the Courier Cafe today and I need to drop it a star. After trying a few items across the…read moremenu, I now believe the food warrants two stars although the ambience and service remain very good. I won't belabor the point but the items we ordered lacked thoughtful preparation. The scrambled tofu was just tofu with curry powder. The veggie Dagwood consisted primarily of plain toast with little in the way of "veggie." An extra tomato and another dollop of special sauce (sweet mayo) would go a long way here.

The Best Mediterranean Cuisine in the region! Fresh,…read moreauthentic, flavorful & healthy. Fresh tasty salad, Delicious Kabobs, excellent hummus dip, top it off with sweet flaky baklava & Karak Tea ! Must try & you be very glad you did.

The karak chai with saffron is amazing. Do yourself a favor and get the large. The food is also…read moregreat but lunch (hot food) service does not start until 11am so please be aware of that. We got there a little early and had the chai and a date mamool while we were waiting. They ended up taking our food order a little early so it would be ready at 11am since they weren't very busy and I am pretty sure the front counter worker was enamored with our 2 year old daughter. This was our second time here (we went last year as well when my wife was at this same conference) so I was well overdue to review this place. The food here is fantastic which is why we repeated it - it has to be for us to do that at places we visit. Good or okay doesn't get a repeat from us. The dolmas are exactly what you want them to be and there is a perfect amount of salt on the arabic salad, the cabbage salad, and the pickled turnips. Speaking of which, the pickled turnips here are divine perfection. I would be hard-pressed to find better pickled turnips anywhere. The schwarma is quite solid - not as good as I recall from The Netherlands, but as good as any here in the U.S. The Middle Eastern vegan platter is quite a bargain and delicious to boot. The workers here are very kind and I have no knocks against this place at all. They even sell Dubai chocolate to go on a deal - Buy two original bars and get a Strawberry cream Matcha one for free.

Fantastic place for a light lunch. The draw is fresh ingredients served simply…read more I ordered the hummus sandwich and house onion soup. The sandwich was served on their sweet batard that was pillowy and slightly moist like it came from the oven just an hour beforehand. The garlic hummus was generously spread over both sides with crisp lettuce and tomato -- and sweet pickles -- in between. The soup is flavored with only salt and pepper which gives it a warmth that complements the beef stock's savory taste. Overheard, while I waited for my lunch to be served: "This sandwich is amazing!" I heartily agree.

Overall wonderful experience! My sandwich was so bussin and fire. They had fast service and the…read morevibes were amazing. I was able to study and nap and enjoy my break from classes!

So excited to stop here during our road trip because I knew they would have allergen-friendly items…read morethat might be tough for me to find other places. Plus I knew they would have ready-to-eat prepared foods that we could grab and go. In fact, they have a microwave you can use right at the end of the registers. My kids had a lot of fund finding the ingredients for homemade trail mix in the bulk bins too. We bought gluten-free snacks and prepared foods too. I don't mind bagging my own groceries because I do that at Aldi frequently. I love the idea of having an ownership stake in a co-op! How great. My kids said it felt like a mini-Whole Foods.

Super friendly service, and even the fellow shoppers were smiling at us. They have a nice bakery,…read moreand fresh drip coffee ( but only from 7:00 am -1:00 pm so we missed jt!) but I did buy some cookies (which is what I came for) and a canned oat milk coffee beverage. Would totally belong here if I was a local!

I had such a fun time at Seven Saints in Champaign. I ordered the ribeye steak sandwich with sweet…read morepotato fries, and both were absolutely delicious, the steak was tender and flavorful and the fries were perfectly crispy. The service was friendly and attentive, and the food came out fast even though the place had a lively crowd. The ambiance is energetic and upbeat, making it a great spot to hang out with friends while enjoying seriously good food.

So my fiancé and I moved around the area recently and we are looking to try new places for dining…read moreexperiences. This is the first in Champagne and we actually liked it. We had a few cocktails which were good. And the chicken fuatas as an appetizer. Which was REALLY GOOD!! Michele said they were the best she has ever had. I had a club sandwich and she had the gourmet grilled cheese with their mushroom soup. The atmosphere was quaint. And the service was good as well. We will be most likely come back to try other dishes.

Great food will order from them again and they have great customer service I love there burritos.read more

Very nice atmosphere sitting in the back patio on a nice day. Service was very fast and the food…read morewas excellent. Chips and salsa were included so we definitely left full. The chimichanga is fried to have a very crispy outer shell that maintains its structure.

Casual warm bowls for clean living. This lunch place has you covered when you want something hearty…read morebut not heavy. The bowls use simple ingredients for a mild but hearty meal. I ordered a power bowl, with the dressing on the side and added tofu. It was effectively a large bowl of black rice -- a meal unto itself -- topped with slightly chilled vegetables. The guacamole and slaw that came on it were crisp, and they mixed into the rice to give it a texture both smooth and crunchy. On the other hand the sweet potatoes, lentils, and tofu were cool and mushy, like they had been cooked the day before and just come out of the fridge. They warmed party in the rice. The flavors were mild, except for the dressing. I'm glad to have ordered it on the side because it overwhelmed everything else with vinegar. The ingredients generally seemed to be a couple days old. The green onions were dried out though firm, and the sourdough it came with was a bit stale. In the future, I will probably stick with the small bowl, which cuts down on the rice.

50 minutes. 2 items. Placed an online order for a wrap and a bowl. Showed up about 20 minutes…read moreafter ordering, only to have them start on the order. Stand in the pickup area for another 30 minutes. Told at 15 minutes 'the press isn't heated up yet' (now 11:00a - lunch service). Watched 3 wrap orders get served to eat-in patrons after this. Asked staff multiple times about the order with different excuses, eventually being ignored. Food is decent - it's a great option to have in town, but never again with that level of service. Wasted my entire lunch hour waiting.

Delicious walk-up counter NY pizza. I did the build-your-own with sausage, pepperoni, onion, and…read morered bell pepper. I liked the wide variety of topping choices! I liked that you could choose red vs green bell pepper, since I prefer red and it isn't usually an option. The toppings seemed quite fresh, the crust was soft like typical NY pizza. Even with these positives though, I felt it was expensive for what it was. I don't think a large, even with this number of toppings, should be over $30. Regardless, I probably will return! Good pizza!

This is it! You've been looking for a respectable slice of pizza in C-U and you just found it…read more The pizza here is street food. I ordered a slice of plain cheese, and it was ready to go in just a few minutes. The crust was pillowy around the edges and floppy near the pie's center, thanks to the sauce and slight grease from the cheese. The sauce is mostly or all crushed tomato and slightly sweet. The mozzarella was evenly layered. As a standalone slice, the point got a little more cooked than the outer crust which maybe wanted more time. For group orders they circle multiple slices on the same pan, and I'd bet they cook more evenly. Almost everyone in the shop ordered a slice with at least one topping, and there are some great looking specialty slices. I look forward to trying them soon!