So, wifey and I came here because the name was intriguing. At 08:30 there weren't many here yet. Clean, spacious with high ceilings. There is a HUGE menu. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so, all options are on the menu. So, since it was the 8AM hour, naturally, I ordered pizza. Wifey ordered the Swedish Combo. Since I used to live in Sweden, I get to be hypercritical! Yay! Server was polite, friendly and efficient. Absolutely no problem with Hannah. Many different types of hot teas. One thing, though, today (Monday morning) there was no barista, so, no cappuccino or latte. Just plain coffee. A bit disappointing. And, of course they would not let me make my own cappuccino! Food came out FAST! There was no way it was pre made because I ordered the Mediterranean pizza at 09:00. Mediterranean Pizza: Crust perfectly crisp edge. Tons of toppings. Beautiful creation. If I had to give anything negative, it could have used a bit more olive oil. But, it was REALLY good. The Swedish Combo: Scrambled eggs Canadian bacon (seems odd, those Canadian Swedes!) Swedish crepes with lingonberry syrup and lingonberry butter. Eggs were very good (wifey is quite critical of eggs, and they passed the test!) Canadian/Swedish bacon was also excellent. The "piece of resistance" was the crepes. Looked great, well done, very well done. Wifey said, "fabulous". However, the lingonberries actually was a maple syrup with scant lingonberries in it and the lingonberry butter was whipped butter with a lot of what seemed to be powdered sugar and a couple lingonberry pieces. Neither tasted at all like lingonberries, sadly. The combo was sickening sweet. Thankfully, wifey had not poured the syrup and she was able to scrape off a good amount of the butter. Wifey asked for plain lingonberries, but the truck had not come in yet. (So, perhaps they were improvising with what they had?) She asked if they had raspberries (no luck) and landed on fresh strawberries. She was able to basically salvage those amazing Swedish crepes by paring down to just a very light shmear of that whipped butter and those fresh strawberries wrapped up like a cannoli. And she said those amazing crepes were worth saving! I am guessing the previous reviews who were doling out 1-stars were here before the restaurant got their feet under them because this was a delicious breakfast. So, I'm giving 4 stars. read more

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This place is now Sugar Berries Cafe. My son, a graduating senior at U of I, says it's about the same in terms of menu and appearance. I'm going to be a bit picky here so bear with me. The place is nice inside. Large, plenty of seating, with a full coffee bar seating area. The menu is large, as are the portions. If you can't find something you like and/or leave hungry, that's on you! Service was. . .just okay as was the overall experience. Now, the food was good, no doubt. And I would go back. However, some nits and picks. First up, they were out of milk and out of espresso. You're a breakfast place. This can't happen. I know, supply chains sometimes get screwed up. But, you go to Sam's or Costco, or something and at least get the milk. Especially for Sunday breakfast. Especially on U of I graduation weekend. Moving on. The openers did not make iced tea. So that's a slew of beverages now you can't offer at 10am. When I ordered my scrambler, the server forgot to ask me if I wanted fries or hash browns. They did come back and ask, however, a miss is a miss. My wife ordered blackberry french toast. Was served blueberry french toast (it was amazing, but still). Our pancakes came out, but without the rest of the food. And no syrup until we asked for it. Last nit, I did have to ask for a coffee refill. All those things are small, however, add them up, and that's why a 3 and not a 4 or a 5 here. Like I said, I would definitely go back. The service was prompt and friendly and the food was excellent. Nothing was a deal breaker. Had the food been cold or tasteless, it would be a different story. Clean some things up and this place will be a hit. read more

I was really hoping to be impressed with the Sweet Basil Cafe. My wife and dined there on a Sunday evening. Unfortunately, we were not impressed. She ordered the meatloaf panini and I had the seafood carbonara. Both came with either soup or salad. She had the creamy chicken and rice soup, while I ordered the side salad. The starters were fine. I can't necessarily same the same for our entrees. Her panini was not a panini in that it was not made on a press. I realize this sounds like I'm splitting hairs. But, there is a reason for mentioning it. The sandwich was grilled, therefore it was slathered in butter and covered in seasoning, which made it very messy when attempting to pick it up to eat. She ended up using a fork and knife. My seafood carbonara was interesting. It was a somewhat bland lobster sauce, over panini pasta, with shrimp and fried calamari. I was honestly surprised by the calamari being fried. I assumed it would be sauteed with the shrimp. It was a bit strange to take a bite of pasta along with crunchy calamari. The dish also came with a bread stick that was honestly very good. I will say both entrees were quite large. We didn't leave hungry. We wanted the full experience so dessert was ordered. A serving of the Banana Bread Foster found its way to our table. It was definitely large enough to share. I was a little surprised they just cut up a banana and served it raw on top of the fried banana bread, caramel sauce, ice cream and whipped cream. Being a "Foster" I thought perhaps they would have sauteed the banana in the caramel sauce. I realize they just opened a couple of weeks ago, but the food seems a bit disconnected from the menu. There are some interesting items available, but the execution is off. With that said, we will give them another try at some point down the road. Perhaps we'll hit them up for breakfast? read more

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This place is fantastic!!! Love the people. They were all amazing. The food was wonderful and they serve breakfast and brunch all day long. We were there for late lunch early dinner and all was great. I wished had been earlier as the breakfast & brunch menu looked incredible! If you are ever in Champaign, IL I would highly recommend you try it out. We were just passing through and happened upon it. I am so very happy we did!!! read more

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Stopped here for lunch around 2 on a Saturday and were seated promptly. The restaurant was pretty empty and the table we were seated at wasn't cleaned up when we were seated. The menu is huge and a plus for the diner is being able to order breakfast all day. The portions are enormous but unfortunately the quantity is what you are paying for but the food is lacking in quality. I ordered the Jambalaya omelette which came with two extra large pancakes. The omelette stated it came with jambalaya sauce but didn't state that the sauce contained all the extra ingredients on the top of it. The sauce wasn't that great and the chicken was rubbery. The pancakes we had were overdone and there wasn't butter for the pancakes but margarine instead. I gave this a two for the prompt seating and good waiter but the food will keep us from returning. read more

Sweet Basil Cafe - Pancakes - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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The customer service is extremely slow and the person at the front counter seating people and cashing out customers ignored us both as we entered and when we were trying to pay. She literally pushed my ticket out of her way to take the one from the next person in line! When I told her I was next in line, she just stared at me and said "oh.we are busy today" and proceeded to help the people behind us. Very rude. Won't be back. For a $25/person breakfast, I expect at least minimal customer service. The food was good, but slow to get service. read more

We came here over the weekend to give this new restaurant a look. It's been in a holding pattern for what seemed like a year before it finally opened recently. First the positives. The staff was really great and accommodating. Our waitress was extremely nice and helpful. The place is very large and despite being extremely busy they were able to seat us quickly. The menu was enormous which can be a good thing or bad thing but you'll definitely find something there to try. And the portion sizes were huge. On to the negatives. I ordered the gypsy steak skillet with a side of pancakes. The skillet was ok. I felt the steak needed a bit more seasoning as I mostly just tasted the cheese. The pancakes on the other hand were subpar. The fact that I couldn't easily cut it with a fork tells you what you need to know. We also ordered the Irish Benedict, sweet basil Benedict and some waffles. The eggs Benedict were both better but not anything amazing or memorable. The waffles were better than the pancakes but in both instances I could make something better at home. We also ordered some banana bread which was huge. This tasted fine as well but like everything else the best I can say is that it was just okay. Overall the atmosphere was pleasant and the staff was nice but the food was just okay and there was nothing that stood out. We may try this again after a few months to see if things have improved but for now it is just mediocre. read more

Sweet Basil Cafe - Gypsy steak skillet, eggs Benedict - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

I stopped in after work, perused the menu for a few minutes, and ordered the Monday special of Country Fried Steak, to go. It took over 50 minutes to be served my food. This was very disappointing on my first visit. Once I returned home, the food itself was delicious. I highly recommend the spinach artichoke soup; the fried steak had a good beefy taste that is often missing in breaded meats. The former bar area, from when it was a Chi-Chi's and TGI Friday's, is now a coffee and smoothie bar. The menu for that looked extensive. However, I do not partake in those items and set that menu aside and did not think to get pictures of the smoothie/coffee menu. read more

I would first like to state that the food was absolutely exceptional. The portion sizes are huge, so I have lunch for tomorrow. I went tonight with 4 other family members and we were all pleased not only with the food but with the extremely wonderful service we received from our waitress Quita. I ordered the Meatloaf Sundae and it was rediculously tasty. It came with a soup as well for only $18.00. This has to be one of Champaign-Urbana's best kept secrets, but not for long if I have anything to do with it! Thanks guys for a wonderful dining experience with my out of town family. They want to come back again this Friday so we can try the fish! See you soon! Thanks again Quita for your phenomenal service!!! read more

Sweet Basil Cafe - This desert was everything! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

We love eating here. The breakfasts are always amazing. And the servers are great. It is really a beautiful place to eat.

Im so surprise this restaurant has 3 stars. I actually enjoyed my food. I ordered the country fried steak with eggs and hash brown, it was seasoned very well. My server was nice and made sure he kept checking on me to make sure I was ok. The ambience of the restaurant was nice and they played good music. They also have a variety of food which makes me want to come back to check out the lunch and dinner. So with that being said, I will be back. read more

Sweet Basil Cafe - Country Fried Steak breakfast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Unfortunately the service has been consistently terrible. We have gone 4 times because the food has been pretty great; each time we're hopeful for friendly attentive service, but have been disappointed with every visit. Today we were sat by the restrooms despite plenty of open tables elsewhere--several wait staff walked by, but we were never addressed in the 10 minutes we sat there. Two other tables were sat and greeted by wait staff in the mean time, so we got up and left and won't be returning again. read more

I will say first off the environment was nice with wonderful Christmas music playing. However the food was not for us. We have been waiting for a year for this place to open but unfortunately it was not good. The Sweet Basil Eggs Benedict which comes with turkey, bacon and tomato. The turkey was very dry. The bacon didn't taste done. The freshly squeezed orange was amazing though. My daughter ordered a strawberry kiwi smoothie that was fantastic. The French Toast was super and very fluffy. We only had breakfast however this place serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. At the end of the day you will have to be the judge for yourself but for me I don't plan on visiting again. read more

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Large group last night, staff was totally unprepared and inadequate. Would not recommend this place!! Wait staff not qualified to even take orders. Returned 3 or 4 times to review previous order. Did not have items on the menu! Very dissatisfied and definitely would not recommend!!! read more

Screwed up our called in take out order and didn't find that out until back in motel room. Not sure how as it was messed up as it was one hour before closing and literally no one was in the restaurant, when I went to pick the food up. However, the food we did receive was good. So check your order before you leave even if it makes a mess to do so. read more

The food is always excellent. The staff is always friendly (Quita goes above and beyond every time) . And the range of options is hard to believe. You won't go hungry here - whether you're coming for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. Where else can you find excellent omelets AND excellent ribs? read more

We stopped here unexpectedly today around 12:30. Hostess was very polite and seated us quickly. Waitress was very friendly, made great recommendations answering our questions . We both had skillets- mine was meat with eggs, hash browns and pancakes. Too much but very tasty. My wife had the Irish skillet with the hash, hash browns and scramble eggs. Not much hash which was disappointing for her. Ice tea is overpriced and weak. Service was very good. read more

After waiting months and months, sweet Basil Cafe is finally open. They probably should have worked out some of the kinks before opening up. The food was mid quality at best for my son and I, I had the steak and egg omelette and he had the bananas foster French toast. My wife had the gluten free pancakes (that they up-charge for $3 for being GF). My omelette also came with pancakes, and in both scenarios while the portions were large they were not cooked well at all. Her pancakes tasted like they were barely cooked at all, very doughy in the middle. She had one bite, and we sent them back. Mine didn't taste right either. In the end we paid $40 for some food that was not even on par with Perkins or Bob Evans, and that didn't include what would have been at least another 11 for her order of pancakes. Our waitress was frazzled and not attentive at all. I asked for horseradish sauce (on the menu comes with my omelette) three times but never actually got it. If we return it will be a long time before we do so. read more

Great food and service! Had a party of six with two toddlers and the staff did a great job!

Second time here. I was impressed the first time, but it was "overpriced mediocre" food. It wasn't BAD, per se'... just not good!

We have been dining here for about a year now and it has been slowly changing for the worse. They no longer have the fresh squeezed orange juice. The stuffed French toast today had barely a smear of cream cheese--in the past it had a generous serving. We were dining at 8 this morning and the place was empty. We tried to have dinner there a few months ago at about 7 and they had already closed the kitchen due to a lack of customers. It seems like the manager has changed as well as the wait staff. Wait staff today was very attentive. read more

Great food, quick service, and clean interior. We did have to wait (sat morning during breakfast). Would definitely return!

The menu was SO overwhelming... to some people having many options may be a good thing, but to me it seems like a cover up for something else... and I was right ! The service was alright, but the food was just so bad. I ordered a steak skillet and was so excited for it only to take one bite and not touch my plate again. Lacked any type of seasoning. Didn't even have salt or pepper and tasted like boiled rubber. Then I thought okay maybe the waffle will be better, so I ordered that. Admittedly, it looked super appetizing, then I took one bite. It was so cakey and tasted like play doh. Will NOT be coming back again, read more

I was there with some friends on February 6, from 2 to about 3:45 enjoying coffee. When it was time to leave we had walked to the front when one of my friends realized she had left her cane behind. Another friend who is more mobile offered to get it for her, but when she got back to the table the cane was gone! We had only been gone from the table for no more than 5 to 10 minutes. The staff was not at all helpful in locating the cane--in fact they seemed dismissive, as though a group of older ladies was of no consequence. Another friend called there this morning and again received absolutely no help. Our concern is for our friend, who has difficulty walking without her cane. Lack of it could lead to falls and possible injuries. We will never go there again. read more

The undercooked bacon and underbaked biscuits were disgusting. The ambiance was akin to a cheaper version of Cracker Barrel. And for that you pay more than a nice brunch in your favorite Chicago neighborhood. The pictures looked good; they must have found a very skilled photographer. read more

Despite all the folks inexplicably taking time to bash this new place here on yelp, this is probably the best breakfast place in town. They have the most menu items, the most unique menu items and great food. I'm the type of guy who usually orders the same thing every time I go to a restaurant if I KNOW it's going to be good, but I actually like experimenting with different things when I'm here. All of them have been very good. read more

I am a huge fan of this restaurant! I have always had great service and great food! The menu has such a variety, it's almost hard to decide. But no worries. You will find a winner! I took my son there today, and we had breakfast! Better be hungry! read more

Sweet Basil Cafe - Breakfast of Denver Omelette, hashbrowns, and 2 huge pancakes! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Was excited to try this place out being new and allowing dogs on the patio.. But my first experience was not good. Being a chef and kitchen manager I seen a lot of things I would not allow. 1) employees on their cell phones in front of customers, makes them feel secondary and un-important. One guy was constantly on his phone and leaning over the ledge of the booth section volume up chatting with a booth of customers 1 both away, turning their heads and rolling there eyes. Kept hearing different ringers go off every so often. 2) ordered the Friday Rib special .. Got a salad tomato (a huge chunk) cucumbers and lettuce and croutons..it was ok except as soon as I got the salad 2 seconds later my ribs and vegetables arrive..without the fries I ordered with... the waiter kept walking past saying "fries were almost done". He goes to the kitchen widow and asks if fries were done? Word in spanish, then waiter speaking spanish, then my waiter nods his head and walks off laughing from the kitchen..still no fries..by this time I am 3/4 done with my meal. See the waiter go to the window grab my fries bring them to the table, 1/2 cooked and cold? Wtf I waited all this time and get this? Wow. Not the Birthday meal I was hoping. Ribs meat had no flavoring and just swimming in sauce with little flecks of bone throughout. Broccoli huge chunks and grey and 1/2 cooked. Was going to get a dessert and cappuccino.. But went somewhere else as to not endure anymore disappointments. Suggestions : 1) do not allow employees to have or carry phones at work especially in front of house areas. 2) utilize some knife skills and cut things a little nicer, garnishing tools are a necessity in the kitchen. 3) marinate ribs, pineapple juice and dry rub. At least 24 hrs. 4) wait till customers have finished their appetizer or salad before you bring out entree, make sure the whole entree and sides are done and prepared correctly before taking it to the customers. 5) waiter told me to circle the suggested amount of tip on the bill or leave no tip tip which I thought was condescending and rude but he must of known I got shitty food and service. I left 18%. Over all was not impressed, very unprofessional. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME.. read more

It's a cute place but I wouldn't recommend it. Their menu is very vast with items from various cuisines and types of meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's more of quantity with what they offer versus quality. The server we had was very anxious, we felt a bit rushed when ordering as we were a large group deciding what to get. The coffee was pretty bad, the lattes mediocre, and the food seemed dry and nothing out of the ordinary. read more

My wife just had breakfast at the Sweet Basil Cafe with some other women. She asked multiple times if the waffle she ordered was gluten-free, and was assured every time that it was, including an extra $3 on her bill for gluten-free. But as soon as she got home, she became violently ill. She has celiac disease, and so gluten-free is not just a fad or a preference. When I called to inform Sweet Basil of the issue, the manager went to the kitchen and checked. Apparently, they have a new supplier for their "gluten-free" waffle mix, and it isn't gluten-free. The manager apologized, but it will likely take my wife the rest of the day to recover. A very bad, even dangerous oversight when restaurants don't take the eight major allergenic foods seriously enough to double check. read more

Decent food, average customer service. Plus that they serve breakfast all day - but little things were lacking: had to ask for a spoon to stir our coffee, no sugar or condiments on the table, etc. The pancakes are HUGE, and serving sizes are massive. You definitely get your money's worth. Will try again. read more

Great selections on menu. Food is (good,BETTER,best). You will probably ask for a take home box. read more

We ate an early dinner, the ribs were delicious and so was the tapia everything was delicious and the service was great.

Sat for 30 minutes, no service offered. Not a drink order or anything, eventually just left. Very disappointed as I have been here several times and been satisfied with the service. Will not go back. read more

The breakfast was great. Huge portions. The omelette uses 6 (yes six) eggs. Take home boxes are a necessity. They even have gluten free options. GF toast pancakes and waffles. The menu is huge. If you want it they have it. Service was great also. We very well may come back for dinner while we are in town.. read more

Food is fantastic, portions are huge! Came back within a week for more, and I'll come back again soon! read more

Sweet Basil Cafe - French Toast with fresh bananas - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Fist of all the name is complete misdirection. This is not a Thai restaurant. It's more like an overgrown diner, with at least half of the menu devoted to breakfast items. My portion was way too large, at least twice what was reasonable. My wife was not happy with her meal either, they managed to give her the wrong one. (What could have made it better was more bacon, but no luck.) Add to that loud MAGA types ranting on about Biden at the next table and you've got a restaurant I'll be happy to avoid. read more

Everything was amazing. The service, atmosphere and ambiance. The food was awesome and you get the bang for your buck.

Had wonderful breakfast here twice with family. The portions are huge, coffee is hot, and service was amazing and friendly each time!! We're impressed by the variety on the menu, and quality of food too. Definitely worth a try!! read more

The food here is consistently great. The skillets, biscuits and gravy, and steak & egg options are always amazing. Our server Quita on the most recent visit was exceptional as well, very friendly and funny! Definitely will keep coming anytime I'm in the area. read more