Excellent place for breakfast and dinner. Absolutely love their coffee. They have always been prompt with their service despite how busy they get. Recommendations: any omelette, paperboy breakfast, and their burgers. Salad bar is also a great choice for lunch. Highly recommend all of their soups too! read more

This place is interesting - its too fancy and historical to really be called a diner (in the normal sense). I came here for the first time, being hosted by a long time town resident. You walk in to an absolute historical feel with historical reads and artifacts everywhere and a good sense of that small town charm. My favorite items were the hand dipped Milk Shakes - more than just the origianals, but all sorts of mid-westerny cream soda flavors. I ordered Peanut flavored. Everything from the soups to the sandwitchs were hearty and delicious and warmed you up (especially in this frigid weather) for my next mid western adventure... read more

Really disappointed with the service and the food is only average. Went with friends on 2/17/2024. Server was busy but even when things slowed down, she was nowhere to be found. My friend had to walk over to the coffee station to fill her coffee cup after asking for a refill 15 minutes before that. Server brought the check and found that she had charged me $9.50 for the side of onion rings I had asked for to accompany my $14.50 burger. The waitress said before I ordered that there would be a $2 upcharge for onion rings. I said that was okay. When I questioned her about it, she said I had gotten the appetizer version of onion rings and not a side. I told her I hadn't ordered that. She said she couldn't do anything about it. When I pointed out that there were exactly 10 onion rings on a plate and they were charging $9.50 was ridiculous. Server just shrugged and smiled and said, "yes, they are expensive." I took a menu (which I had to get from the coffee bar that was unoccupied) and took it up to the cashier and told her that I had not asked for the appetizer and she said that my bill said I did. I told her the waitress said there was a $2 charge for onion rings. After a little bit of discussion, she reluctantly "just" charged me for a $4.50 side of onion rings. Seems like things at the Courier have declined since the new ownership. Prices are high and nothing is included with the meal like most restaurants. Probably won't return. I loved the Courier over the years. Sad that it's declined in quality. read more

The Courier Cafe is an easy place to just drop by for brunch, but it isn't anything that terribly impressive. The decor is awesome, and while I love the feel, it gets too crowded and loud to just relax. Do not come here to nurse a hangover, but do come for a good some above average breakfast plates. The malts are pretty decent, but that's probably because its hard to get a malt anywhere nowadays. The coffee is fine as well, but it may take awhile to get a refill depending on the time of day. The staff seem nice enough and willing to accommodate, but sometimes it just seems like they can't see you because of the business. It's a diner set in a cafe. The location is fantastic. Parking is always easily accessible across the street. I haven't really had to wait in line before, but I've definitely seen it happen before. This place is popular, and while I try not to sound too hipster, this place was better before. Drop by on a weekday and avoid the weekends for a better experience or just come by if you want something better than your girlfriends cooking. read more

The Courier Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Urbana, Illinois

Their milkshakes are the famous. The pitas and nachos were just okay. The environment was nice

amazing service and ambience, loved the drinks we got too! will be coming back again. hot chocolate was especially good

if 0 stars was an option that's what I would've selected. Biscuits and gravy are flavorless. I couldn't even cut the biscuits they were so hard. i would've sent them back but it took 25 minutes to get the flavorless gravy that covered my stale biscuits.y over easy eggs were cold, My water glass stayed empty, overall a terrible experience and won't be back. read more

If you aren't from around the area, this is the place to be. Many locals end up going here because of how homey and antique the place feels ( in a good way). If you observe throughout the location there are various antiques that take you back to a golden era you might say. If you enjoy admiring architecture you might want to stop by and check the place out! And if you decide to stay and sit down to eat, you won't be disappointed ! They have an extensive menu of breakfast foods and you are able to add a side for just a little bit more. The food itself was stupendous. There was a bit of a wait time since it was packed, but it was all worth the wait since the food was freshly made ! It tasted very delicious and was very well worth the money. If you see the German chocolate coffee on the menu and get it, don't be too surprised if the taste is more like regular coffee. Other than this everything was very positive. Our waitress was very attentive to our table and kept checking up on us. If you are in a little bit of a hassle to leave just be conscious that the location is very tight in parking. This causes for a bit of delay and a bit of frustration once you are trying to leave. Other than these two negative points everything was pretty great. A very charming location which I hope to visit on the next time I'm around Urbana read more

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The third Wednesday of the month, the Champaign Urbana Beer Club meets at Crane Alley. As we had eaten there in January, we decided to try something near there, as I have never been here, it worked well for "We haven't eaten here on Wednesdays". I ordered the steak, Kridz got pork tenderloin. The meal was served with soup or salad, we both took the soup option, her chili, me cream of mushroom. I would normally expect to be given a cup of soup as the pre-meal ... thingy... but, this was a massive bowl of soup. If I wasn't hungry, this could have been a full meal unto itself. The steak was really good. Kridz didn't quite like her pork. The sauce was listed as a pineapple bourbon glaze, but it really just seemed like barbecue sauce. I got no bourbon, or pineapple. Not sure what was up with that. The prices here are amazing. Cheap is a bad word. This place has VALUE. read more

This has been my favorite breakfast spot since I went to UIUC in 2005! Delicious options and an open patio for outdoor seating in the wake of COVID-19. read more

Great for brunch! The flavored coffee of the day was fantastic and the food was amazing. Good portion sizes for both food and drink. Definitely recommend for a mid morning brunch! read more

We have lived in Urbana for two years now and Courier Cafe is a weekly staple! Whether it is breakfast, lunch, or dinner (though breakfast is our favorite), everything I have ever eaten at Courier Cafe has been awesome! So happy they have the outdoor seating now! read more

Brought my son here for Moms Weekend. The vibe and food is just as wonderful as when I went to school here. I'm glad this business seems to have survived the worst of COVID so far, it would be too sad to lose it. Must remember coins for the bubblegum machine next time. read more

Disclaimer: I'm a U.S. history buff, and so to find this quaint, unassuming dive completely steeped in local/U.S. history (including the restrooms) is profound and endearing. I'm talking late 19th century antiques, framed photographs and sketches from the same era... even the menu is part-encyclopedia. I'm obsessed! I eat here more than any other place in the area. The food is cheap, but the quality is excellent and consistent. The staff clearly works hard and at times they are quite busy, but service never suffers. It's very cozy and quiet at times, an excellent spot to read or study (I've spent entire afternoons here just enjoying the vibe). They'll keep refilling that coffee mug, too! Some menu items are better than others. I'm not a fan of their piled-on potato crisps, too much sour cream and olives and overall a bit too heavy, but as that's literally my only complaint I'm not taking away a star. Whatever secret formula they use to run this place, it's working quite well. Also notable, they have a garden that they use to stock their salad bar in the growing season! Support local businesses and eat here, over and over again. Breakfast and lunch menus are different. Not many vegetarian/vegan options but that's ok. They are open, like, all the time. This place is the embodiment of my personality, and if they ever closed I would just move away. Not really, but part of my soul would irrevocably die with it. This review is long overdue. Nice job, guys. read more

Dippers + milkshakes is the way to go when dining at Courier. The dippers are fried potato skins and come with either bacon/cheddar(Skinny Dippers), chorizo/jalapeños/Chihuahua cheese (Desert Dippers), or veggies/cheddar (Veggie Dippers) and all come with sour cream and chives. Somehow, these are only $6-7 and are easily a full meal. The milkshakes are also exceptional and one of the best you'll find in the area. I love that they grow their own produce daily and incorporate it into the salad bar. I've been somewhat underwhelmed by some of the other meals I've ordered, both at breakfast (omelets) and dinner (sandwiches) but the items mentioned above now keep me coming back. read more

Great service and food. I love coming here for breakfast. Even if it is crowded it usually doesn't take long. They have awesome egg dishes and a really yummy cinnamon roll as well. They keep your coffee cup full but it isn't a very strong brew. They also have great dishes for other meals as well. Of special note is their salad bar, which is very affordable (you pay by the ounce) and boasts a wide selection. read more

Glad that the Courier is continuing to live in downtown Urbana with the new owners. I appreciate the plastic on the menus--the old paper ones got so ratty-yuck. Glad to have the salad bar back but my complaint is that while there are combination dinners that include entree & salad bar (i.e. fried shrimp, pork chop, etc) for one price that is reasonable, there is no option like that for sandwiches. For years (decades?) I would get enchiladas or a burger & salad bar but now, those are 2 separate costs, more than the combination entrees. Please find a way to make it possible to combine a salad & sandwich for a reasonable cost!!! For now I'm opting out of the sandwiches & sticking to just the salad bar (which comes w/a cup of soup which is not always what I have a taste for). Also, on the salad bar, I'd love to see just plain black beans instead of a combo w/onions. We did have a wonderful wait person named Taran who left a pitcher of water on the table for the 5 of us so we didn't have to keep finding her to refill our glasses. read more

Ordered the teriyaki chicken sandwich, fries and a mocha shake through GrubHub. Seemed to be prepared and delivered within a reasonable time, yet the food was lukewarm at best. The chicken was tasty, as always, though I missed the cranberry sauce that used to come with this sandwich. The mocha shake was AWFUL! I expect a mocha shake to have a chocolatey-coffee flavor, but this one tasted only of seriously burnt coffee. It was such a strong, bitter and overwhelming taste I couldn't get passed a couple of sips, and trashing a $6.00 shake is no fun. read more

I guess there is no way to give 3.5 stars. This is my second review of this place. Woke up early enough for breakfast here which was good. Had the Cake and Egger which was 2 buckwheat pancakes with scrambled eggs and sausage patties. My only complain is that from the time I place the order till I got the food just took very long. At a minimum it should take 10 no more than 15 minutes to get the food. Actual time was about a little more than 25 minutes. IMHO it shouldn't have taken very long to get the food to the table so that needs improvement. Everything else, no complaints at all. read more

Kind of disappointed with this meal. I visited for the weekend after almost 10 years away from campus. We stayed nearby, and grabbed breakfast here on Saturday morning. Service was great. Attentive without being intrusive. But the food was super greasy. My dining companion ordered sausage patties that were just swimming in grease on the plate. I had a ham and cheese omelette which turned out fine, but it was also pretty greasy. They also put the cheese on top which was weird (instead of inside the omelette). Overall, not terrible but not great. I went for the nostalgia, and it wasn't as good as I remembered. read more

Our whole family loves Courier Cafe. We've been coming here for 14 years and have never had a bad meal. Breakfast? Outstanding. Great eggs, pancakes and out of this world jam. Lunch? Burgers that fill you up, soup that makes me want to come back. Dinner? Great specials, comfort meals that say relax, you're at home. Late night snacks? You bet. Ice cream and pie that satisfy whether the Illini have won or not. Friendly service, honest ingredients all add up to a fabulous restaurant. But don't come here, it's hard enough to get a table now. read more

We have been coming into the Courier Cafe for years, and despite the very tasty "home-cooked" feel the meals at Courier Cafe have, service has steadily deteriorated. It has never been so bad. The only reason why we placed 2 stars is because of the food. -(Money-saving Mystery Butter blend) On numerous occasions when we dined here, we had a very hard time getting an order in. When ordering a plate, the waitress was cold and stern. We asked her to bring plain butter rather than their money-saving "mystery butter blend", and she was making a face and saying "Oh I'm not sure I can do that", despite the fact that they have pure butter at hand. She was selective about who she served and was overall rude. -(Kicking customers out the door) Then Chuck, the manager, and his waitress came up to our table well before closing hour and started moaning about how he is closing soon and was trying to kick us out in advance! -(Ignoring customers) The last time we came here, we sat outside as the waitress Nicole was serving someone else. Although we said "hi", *she blatantly ignored us* and we had to walk into the restaurant and talk to the manager JUST TO PLACE OUR ORDER. It was so bad. We watched the manager baby-sit the waitress as he told her "you have customers waiting for you, Nicole." But she had seen us before and consciously ignored us. A few minutes after we came back out to dine outside, Nicole (the waitress) walked towards us and gave us a very phony smile. -(Insolent manager) On this other occasion, Chuck (The Manager) was chatting with us after dinner and he called my friend a "Liar" simply because he was trying to get him to guess where we were from. He also called us "Disingenuous" for the same reason. -(Summary) Overall, The Courier Cafe has great food, but due to a grumpy and harassing Manager, and rude waitresses who need to be *told* that they have tables waiting for them, we are strongly considering never dining there again. read more

My god. I was expecting a good breakfast. Pretty good, even. But I am a breakfast aficionado. Breakfast is something I take very seriously. And I am not lenient in my judgments of breakfast foods. That said: My god. And furthermore: Holy bejesus. Their corned beef hash was otherworldly. It is, without question, the most perfect and wonderful corned beef hash I have ever eaten. It was bumped beyond that by the addition of sauteed mushrooms. This was served with eggs (sunny side up--the only kind to eat with hash), rye toast, and hashbrowns. For $7.25, that is a metric ton of food. I'm still kind of full, and it's been nearly 8 hours. My dining companions had french toast and pancakes with meat sides (FYI, a 'full plate' of sausage links amount to two full-sized brats), and they were delicious. Not as delicious as the corned beef hash, but good, nonetheless. I anxiously await my next visit. read more

A great old-time restaurant in Urbana. I usually go for breakfast/brunch or lunch and the experience is always great. Good food at a good price with a top notch staff. read more

Alright, Courier. We meet again. I've gone a few more times and your staff has upped its game, even the older gentleman in the front is a LOT nicer. I've come here 2-3 times late on a Saturday night just to read, and they don't give me a hard time and keep the coffee coming. And yes, it is all about those shakes. No, seriously. It is. They're delicious, and you can combine flavors. Sometimes I leave my house to go for the 20 minute walk for a milkshake. It brings this boy to the cafe. read more

The other night, my girlfriend and I went out to the Courier Cafe in downtown Urbana. Having been there before, I knew that it was a good place to go for a relatively cheap meal (which is why I capitulated rather quickly). Courier Cafe is one of the older restaurants in downtown Urbana, having been open since 1980. As such, it has outlasted many other downtown Urbana businesses, and enshrined their memory in the names of its burgers. Speaking of burgers, they are the primary reason I go to the Courier Cafe. Burgers are around $5-6, and are 1/3 of a pound. The burgers also tend to be higher quality than the standard pub fare, considering people go there for food, instead of ordering a burger as an afterthought. On this night I opted for the Darcy's burger, which is a burger with mushrooms and bleu cheese. The burger comes on a plate with all of the other assorted toppings, including onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and pickles, off to the side, so you can add them to taste. The burger comes well done unless you specify otherwise. The meat itself is relatively juicy for being a grilled burger, and the bun tastes more like it came from a genuine bakery, instead of a store-brand 8 pack of buns, which often ends up being the case in burger restaurants. Another thing Courier is known for is its old-style sweet drinks, such as its phosphates and New York egg creme drinks. These are sugary soda-type drinks with flavored syrup, with the egg creme being a phosphate with an egg cracked into it and creme added. Courier also has a variety of ice cream desserts. Courier's wine and beer menu is not very extensive, but they have had Rogue Dead Guy on draft for $4 the last few times I have gone, which is cheaper than most bars in the area. In addition, their bottled beers are relatively cheap, and the wine by the glass is inexpensive as well. Though the menu is not extensive, there is a good enough variety to please most individuals. For two people with burgers, drinks, and one order of fries, the total bill ended up being $18.84. This is much lower than one would pay for an equivalent meal anywhere else, even a place like Murphy's (which has a similar food menu, though lower quality food). Courier is a perfect spot for a cheap date, where your date won't know you're being cheap unless you let her see the check. read more

My sister recently moved to Champaign-Urbana for grad school, and being that I was in Bloomington-Normal this past weekend, I couldn't NOT go down to C-U for a visit. I asked her to investigate some places we could get brunch, and she found Courier Cafe. She said one of her girlfriends said it was really good. So, we got there and put our name in. The restaurant is small, but homey, lots of antiques, reminded me of being at my grandma's old house. We waited for maybe 20 minutes for a table. When we sat, we were given lunch menus. When I inquired as to if they were still serving breakfast, one person said "I don't know, let me check," one said "no" and the hostess came over and explained that we would've had to have been there by 11:45 to get on the "breakfast waiting list." It would've been nice if someone explained this to us when we got there, because 2 of the 3 of us REALLY wanted breakfast, and came to find it unavailable. I was really disappointed. I love breakfast. I almost cried, legitimately. I digress. There were plenty of tasty looking things on the menu, and I liked that all of their breads are made in-house. Everyone enjoyed what they had. My sister had the turkey croissant, and my boyfriend had the turkey club with a cup of chili. I had the Courier burger, which came with thick sliced bacon and cheddar cheese. I could tell right away this burger was going to be delicious. It was cooked on a flat-top griddle, which imparts such good flavor. The patty was perfectly seasoned, and the cheese and bacon were just right. I didn't add ANY condiments or garnishes to the burger, just ate it as is. The bun was a perfect brioche-y, eggy delight. Lunch for three came to $33.00. I will certainly return the next time I am in Champaign, and try to get there early enough for breakfast. read more

I know people love this place, perhaps its the nostalgia attached to it for ChampaignUrbana natives, but for me, its your standard breakfast/lunch, diner food joint. The seating is a bit cramped and I felt like our sever tried to rush us out. You won't find any unique dishes on this menu but the breakfast was solid. Perhaps I am missing out by not going for burgers and shakes for lunch, but for breakfast, I would not go out of my way to to back. read more

Great character. Local place with great charm. Burgers are good. I had blue cheese and mushroom burger. It was great. read more

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When I arrived in "Chambana" (just kidding, that's not a fucking word) my freshman year I was saddened by the lack of Diners, Drive-ins, and/or dives. But - tucked away inconspicuously on a side street of Downtown Urbana is the Courier Cafe, an amazing little place that you'll want to come back to for every meal. The other reviewers have summated the greatness of this place pretty well, so I'll just add in how great the prices are. I had a rib-eye steak sandwich, iced tea, and a mocha milkshake for about $13. I could not eat another bite the rest of that Saturday Night, phenomenal. The ambiance is also great, the building feels very "homey" with all the wood paneling and old-school wallpaper. SO,go, eat, and drink milkshakes: for places such as the Courier are getting harder and harder to find! read more

I joined Heather T for breakfast, and she's right. My cholesterol goes up just thinking about that menu. The corn beef hash had a pound of salt in it, the bacon was drippy, and the sausage links were about the size of a bratwurst. It was great. I'd go back in a second. The restaurant is of the "encased in time" style of decor. The old wood booths are awesome, and the place is filled with antiques. The fact that the menu details the history of those antiques is a nice touch. read more

Delicious food! I haven't been here for a few years. I remember the potato skins and the milkshakes. Ummm, yummy milkshakes! The burgers are pretty good too. So...the reason for the 3 stars instead of 4 is that I worked here a few years back. I worked at the salad bar area (pretty good salad bar, too). When I was working, I did see a few roaches. I must say that since working there, I haven't really eaten at this place. Roaches are gross! I really hope they've fixed this problem since then because their food is pretty good. read more

I've eaten here occasionally in the time that I've lived in the area (my whole life), and it's never very memorable (the food, that is). The building itself is really cool looking inside, but the food is just okay... in fact, I know I'd prefer cooking at home to overpaying here. Also, the waitress I had the other day was really rude. Might be a good place for an awkward first date. read more

No matter how good the food maybe, it can't be worth the insanely long wait time. We put our name on the list for a table for 3 and were told 40 minutes. No issue there as we knew it would be awhile. However, being seated 45 minutes later we placed our food order immediately with the waitress. It's been another 45 minutes and still no food. When we asked about the food order, we were told "the kitchen is backed up". They're only serving from the breakfast menu , seriously how long can it take to make pancakes, eggs, biscuits and gravy? Even if the food is fantastic once it arrives, it won't ever be worth the wait! read more

This place was amazing!! I cannot wait to go back! I loved how they have the antique style going on and make it such a quaint place. I loved our server because she was checking in on us and making sure we have enough to drink. I got the egg white scrambler and added feta to it and I LOVED it!! On our way out, we got one of the chocolate chip cookies and it was so moist. I would definitely come back to try more things. read more

I recently went to courier cafe to try out their special, catfish sandwich. I love catfish sandwich, so thought why not try it here. It was a Thursday special, so I went there with my hubby. We were seated immediately. We both ordered catfish sandwich and a brownie special. Our server was really sweet. Food came fast. It looked good. Onion rings tasted great But I had not come there for them :). Unfortunately, the batter on my catfish was not crispy, it was somewhat soggy. It was a pretty thick fillet for me. The quantity was huge. The soggy batter and lack of seasoning made me stop eating after few bites. Now, coming to brownie. It was good. Is it something I would come again for? Well, no. Overall, a mediocre experience. read more

The Courier Cafe - Catfish sandwich - not good - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Urbana, Illinois

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Ah, the memories of entering the Courier Cafe, way back in my last year in Urbana, when a friend had a flat down the street. It was a splurge for me then, though I'm sure that the prices were as low as they are today. Now, it was time to bring my niece here, the night before she registered for her classes and we took a tour of my old abode, Allen Hall, which is now her casa for the next year. And I guess it was our lucky day: I tried the coin-op crane and scooped up a prize, she got to chew the gummy fruits of my lucky labor. I had the quesadilla, which was large and tasty. Don't expect it to have the authenticity of México; I wouldn't expect it to in a place so resplendent in Americana. But the American adaptation was a treat. Near a campus that has changed from mom & pop restaurants, it's very much worth the trek to get some home-style cooking in a historic, small business. read more

I love small little shops like Courier Cafe. This is my wife and I's new favorite weekend date night. This place is inexpensive, chill atmosphere and DELICIOUS food. You HAVE to try the dippers. They are basically potato skins and the prime rib sandwich. To die for. Alright alright, tried the salad bar tonight. WOW. Who knew a salad bar would be so delicious and fresh. Really enjoy the features from their garden and the complimentary rolls and cinnamon rolls. This place is quickly becoming our new weekend spot. Today our waitress, Shannon, was flawless. She was so on top of it and was beyond kind. I love this place! read more

This is the place I take everyone that visits me from out of town. It's delicious for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and it's cheap, so price is never an issue. The burgers are great, the breakfasts are delicious, but that's not the reason I'm here so often. The real reason is the Chocolate Egg Creams. For those of you that aren't familiar, the chocolate egg cream, originating in New York (as far as I've heard), contains milk (not cream), chocolate syrup, and seltzer. That's right, no egg. The egg creams at Courier are delicious, however, you should all know, they are NOT authentic egg creams as they contain egg whites to help the top foam up. At any rate, very few places these days have egg creams, so it's great that this place still does. (But if nowhere near you has them and you want to try, they're way easy to make. My version: Fill a glass 1/3 with milk, add syrup til liquid height is 1/2 up the class, fill the rest of the way with seltzer, stir, taste, add more syrup if you wish!) read more

Courier Cafe milkshakes are the BEST IN THE WORLD. Seriously...their milkshakes are to die for. It's awesome because they'll give you one glass, plus a metal cup of the stuff that didn't fit in the glass. Perfect for sharing...or for splurging. Every single milkshake I've had here has been thick, creamy, and full of hand-dipped goodness. One of my favorites: peanut butter and fudge. In terms of food, their salad bar is always a good choice (fresh and lots of variety), and I really like their chicken pesto pita. Whatever you order, though, make sure you get a milkshake! read more