Philo Tavern has the great small town feel and fabulous food. Friendly staff but can have a bit of a wait at times so enjoy the ambiance. The fried chicken on Wednesday and Thursday is worth the trip to Philo. They also have a great prime rib dinner on Saturdays. Plenty of other great selections on the menu to make everyone happy. read more

Imma be honest it's convenient being in town but the foods mid and expensive. I had their polish sausage for the first time, and if that sausage is polish then I'm a four wheeler. read more

Local tavern with great food and appetizers. Cocktails aren't half bad either. Always enjoy our time but it can get busy

Very good food great service highly recommend very affordable the daily specials are excellent especially the meatloaf prime rib on Saturday night Beyond excellent read more

Very large portion Ruben Sandwich ans sweet potato fry very good flavor. so good thank read more

Food was ok, service was good, price was reasonable. Nothing too exciting. A decent cheap meal.

Wonderful food and service! Love eating here when I'm in the Champaign area! The meatloaf special was very good!

We was in area visiting family & my mom didn't recommend going to Champaign. We had the daily special, It was a pulled pork patty melt & fries. It was really good. The best thing was Hamms draft for $1 & it was really good. The lunch specials look really good. The supper menu is kind of small, But it all looked good. read more

Philo Tavern - $1 Hamms draft - American Near Me - Philo, Illinois

My opinion of this place has increased tremendously after trying their fried chicken last night. Being from a small town we had to travel quite a way to get good fried chicken, but not anymore. Team it up with some tater tots and you're all set for a great meal. The only drawback is they only serve this delicious chicken on Wednesday and Thursday! If you're looking for some great food in a quiet restaurant, you can't go wrong here. read more

The best lunch and dinner specials around. My favorite is Tuesday lunch. The Friday fish is also worth the short drive to Philo.

I had the Ribeye Steak sandwich. It was very good.It comes with their homemade chips which were also good. They also have daily lunch specials like today's beef tips. The restrooms were newly remodeled and were the coolest I've ever seen. read more

I had pretty low expectations coming here. It's definitely not a fancy place LOL. With that said, the salad bar was fair, the prime rib dinner on Saturday was good! Not sure if for 17 dollars you can expect to be getting LAWRY'S Chicago prime rib, but for philo Illinois it was perfectly fine. I look forward to going back to try the frog legs! read more

Philo Tavern - Prime Rib - American Near Me - Philo, Illinois

Very good food with extremely reasonable prices. Great steak sandwich in particular that I have had. Service is good too. Wish some of the lunch specials didn't run out by early bird dinner time. read more

The worst selection of deep-fried garbage. The food is always overcooked or undercooked . The salad bar is probably against some sort of health code regulations. The place has outdated television sets (my iPhone has a better picture and sound). The place is looking a little rough. Not a good place to go for game night unless you're REALLY into reliving your high school football glory days. They need to update this place badly. And maybe some new management might help as well. They are all a bunch of 15-year-old's only working there because their mommy and daddy got them a job. It's a great place to go if you are REALLY into small town high school football. I mean REALLY into small town high school football. read more

Okay, so remember my review of El-Farol when I said I would dive into the huge pile of steak and start with the reddest, juiciest parts first? That's what I did here with my prime rib. Benjamin said he would save the best pieces for last. True, true, I usually save the best stuff for last. BUT NOT IF THE MEAT'S GOING TO CONTINUE TO COOK! This was absolutely perfect and I wanted to enjoy the perfection from the get-go. So I started with the rarest, juiciest parts, but truth be told the entire prime rib was amazing. And affordable! This is why we usually don't pay the arm and leg for a steak in Chicago. Philo is a tiny town with supposedly only one restaurant (except for pizza at a Casey's). THIS restaurant. The place to go in town -- townies come here for dinner, for a drink at the bar...even teenie girls with their homecoming dresses stopped by for a meal before heading out to twirl on their gymnasium floor in their shiny dresses (man, were they shiny). We sat in a large, screened-in porch area with a view of a gorgeous fountain-garden with the most lovely, pale purple flowers I'd ever seen (wish I knew what they were). And service was impeccable. She was so sweet and quick-witted. Benjamin thought he'd joke with her about the strawberry daiquiri he ordered and she was right there with him, whipping out retorts so fast we didn't know what hit us. She was gracious and attentive. Wish I got her name so I could recommend her specifically, but alas I didn't. Oh, and Sara insisted on Hush Puppies to start. Now, I'm not really a fan of hush puppies. I used to like them when I was little, but that was when I wanted to eat nothing more than bread or other easy starchy products whether fried, baked, processed.... As an adult, ordering hush puppies has always been a disappointment and I'd wonder why I did it. But these are truly hush puppies you must try. Not dry, not over-greasy, had a great flavor. And for $1.50 extra you can have your baked potato Twice Baked. This is not the kind you pull out of a box and throw into the oven or microwave. This is painstakingly baked, scooped out, mixed with all sorts of delicious treats like sour cream, cheese, bacon, and put back into the potato skin to baked once again. Seriously, people, it's a buck fifty extra. Do it. Really. Worth the 10-minute trip outside of Urbana. I will definitely go back. read more

So we go to Champaign/Urbana to go to the Curtis Orchard to pick apples with old friends on Saturday. The orchard was much fun and a lot of silliness ensued, including watching a goat purposely pull the pin that was holding up a tent so that it would collapse! No shit! But eventually the topic of "where do you guys want to eat?" comes up. So Ben & Sara tell us about this bar and grill about 10 miles east of Urbana called The Philo Tavern. Supposedly, it is the only restaurant in the 1,400 population town of Philo, IL. Well, Saturday night, like many restaurants traditionally have, is the Prime Rib special. Where else can get one get a 16oz prime rib dinner that compares to the quality of Chicago's top steakhouses for the low low price of $16.50? Oh and the twice baked potato is just as I was told, like eating a slice of heaven! The next time I'm staying in the Champaign/Urbana area, I will definitely make the 10 mile drive to Philo to experience this succulent melt-in-your-mouth-sexy-time hunk of pink perfectly-cooked prime US beef again! The atmosphere is typical of a small town bar/grill where everyone knows each other and the wait staff extremely friendly & attentive. The Philo Tavern is located across the street from the US Post Office that is the size of a small bedroom. Now, it's whiskey time on the porch down here in Central Illinois! read more

Just what you'd expect. Good solid place. Felt like I was sitting in someones spot once the church crowd rolled in Saturday evening. It's clearly the center of town and the routines of many. I'll be back. read more

Heard such great things. Worki g in town on businessso looked for a linch recommendation. Food was good but service the pits. Waitress & bartender barely acknowledged I was there, bare minimum exchange. Had to go to the bar to even get a refill. Observes exact opposite exchange with those she knew - totally friendly with "the locals". My co-worker had the exact same experience. Must not be interested in anyone other than their local clientle. Maybe a place for "townies" but not others. Disaapointing small town experience. read more

Food and service were excellent! Ocktoberfest beer was a winner! Had a cheeseburger and fries.

Fix the air conditioner!!! 91 degrees inside, barely tolerable. We were told it had been that way for two weeks! Really? Call before going. Food is usually pretty good. read more

I went to Philo Tavern with some friends last week, and got exactly the experience I was hoping for. Even though you are only 15 minutes from Chambana and UIUC, driving into Philo is absolutely quintessential Midwestern small town. The tavern itself fits the bill with its homey wood bar and paneling inside, brimming full with locals enjoying dinner at the only restaurant in town. It was a very nostalgic experience, with a salad bar cart in the back and old school Hamm's beer bar clock. Food was cheap and good; 4 piece fried chicken for $8.25 and half rack of ribs for $11.99, both with salad bar and side (I recommend the delicious hush puppies). If you want solid, down home, family friendly Midwestern food, the Philo Tavern (aka Center of the Universe according to their water tower) is the place to go! read more

For a small town bar and grill style restaurant you would except great food at a good price. Unfortunately that's not the case. The food portions are ridiculous for the price you pay! The food is mediocre at best. And good luck finding parking on a busy day. read more

Great pub food for a good price. Off the beaten path from Champaign-Urbana - but worth the drive out. The best thing is the Saturday night Prime Rib Sliders. They are the best thing EVER. Melt in your mouth awesomeness. With the twice-baked potato, of course. The fried chicken is also a favorite - but hands down - prime rib is the best. And the price is great! Most of the staff is friendly - if you get Fay or Annie....you get sassiness along with great service. Which is my favorite thing ever. read more

If you want a great homecooked meal i would recommend coming here. Fantastic food and great family environment.

I came here after a doing some work out in Homer with Rick, and boy was I surprised! Deliciosity! I got the prime rib sandwich, and it was to my surprise a whole steak on buns! Surpassed my expectations! Rick got the hamburger sandwich with cheese, and he was quite satisfied. Good location to wind down after a day of heavy lifting. And cheap beer! read more

Great place to eat. We try to eat here at least once a month or so. Love sitting outside in the summer, or even in the winter when they have the heaters going! read more

Toney steak is just steak on a sesame seed bun. Chips and hush puppies were the highlights.

This place is the bomb. I mean it. The weekly lunch specials are awesome - and super cheap! - and come in a startling variety of beef tips & noodles, handmade meat loaf and mashed taters, chicken fried steak with green beans and my personal fav - Friday fish sandwich! The dinners are just as good with the specials on Saturday being the absolute fav among townies - Prime Rib with twice baked potatoes. And if you aren't hungry enough for the whole prime rib - get a prime rib sandwich - and it's NOT on the menu - only locals know about it!! The twice baked is as good as it gets. Take the time to come out - most of the wait/bartender staff are super nice and fun! read more

As a local resident I can say there is nothing like a nice home cooked meal and that what you get when you go to the Philo tavern. The waiters and waitresses are all locals to the town and cant be any more polite, BUT about the food, the best item in my mind in the prime rib steak sandwich. There is nothing else like it, you have a nice side of fries and a good drink, you'll be leaving with a full stomach and even make some new friends. I could eat there any day. read more

I grew up on a farm just outside of Philo and the Philo Tavern used to be The Three Aces tavern (no food that I remember and we won't go into the stories of what has happened there). But the folks that bought it tunred it into a destination restaurant. People come from all over for the food. The atmosphere is comfortable and clean. They have nightly specials like Prime Rib and Frog Legs, but I come for the Ribeye sandwich. It is very good and cooked just the way you like it. I usually eat in the main restaurant, but the beer garden is nice as well. Definitely recommend it if you are on Route 130 from Urbana to Villa Grove. Stop in and have a bite. read more

We keep going back because we want to support our small town businesses in Champaign and Douglas county. I'm afraid tonight was the last try for us at Philo Tavern. Our group of 4 all had the Prime Rib and twice baked potato. Salad bar....yuk. Bread hard. Potato overcooked and prime rib tasteless and undercooked. Staff might as well have been non extistant. Blah personalities-young women who seemed to want to be anywhere other than in Philo. Maybe if we hear of new management we'll try again. Until then, we'll stick to JR's in Villa Grove, Applebees in Savoy or Texas Roadhouse in Champaign. read more

It had been quite a few years since I was there to get the Prime rib, I remembered it being pretty good, well we went last night, had been looking forward to it all day. The prime rib was very disappointing! Quite a bit of gristle, the aujou was flavorless, and there was very little of it. The prime rib, or the aujou, or both had a lingering metallic like aftertaste. Very disappointed! read more

Been going here for many years. It's not always perfect. Sometimes a little slow when it's busy. But the whole family loves the food including the salad bar. read more

This menu is old. A cheeseburger and fries cost $7 , they have no tuna and no tempura broccoli. When you go there the atmosphere is that of a nice small town tavern. If I could get better information from the 19 places I found there online menu then the mediocre quality at high end price wouldn't hurt so bad. read more