We went to this restaurant for my wife's birthday. The food was all excellent with unique ingredients and flavor combinations. The caccio e pepe had truffles, but the truffle flavor didn't overwhelm the pasta. You have to save room for the chocolate mousse for dessert! We would absolutely come again. Also, just because this was something that concerned us, but you do not have to be a guest at the hotel in order to dine here. read more

A group of us came here for dinner after wedding dress shopping for a friend. The space is beautifully decorated. We started with drinks at the bar. The peach cider on tap was excellent and other customers said their cocktails were really good. The service was good. We were a group of 5 and were seated at a 2 person table pushed together with a 4 person table. The 4 person table had regular table legs in the 4 corners. When it was pushed against the bench, this made it impossible to get to our seats on the bench, especially in a dress. Kind of a crazy design. I had the pasta and it was fine. Nothing to rave about and pretty pricy to leave still hungry. I had considered the cod with peanut sauce and cauliflower puree. We were informed they didn't have cod anymore and it was either salmon or tilapia. It seemed crazy to charge $23 for tilapia while salmon & peanut sauce combo did not sound that great. A friend did order it and was unfortunately disappointed. The cauliflower was so puréed it ended up being very thin like a sauce. So, she ended up with 1 piece of fish with different sauces on her plate. No vegetables or carbs to go with the fish. read more

Writer's Room - American Near Me - Urbana, Illinois

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We were celebrating my friends birthday for lunch. We were the only ones in the resteraunt, and it took at least 30 minutes to get our food. I had the Josephine salad, which was delicious. My friend had the reuben sandwich. I believe the meat was Buddig chipped corned beef, which sells for $0.99 a package. Real corned beef can't be sliced that thin, and in a perfect square. Because of the length of time it took to get our food, I honestly think they ran out to the nearest store and bought the cheap Buddig corned beef. read more

This place was amazing. I wasn't expecting a lot since it's a hotel restaurant, but the atmosphere, the service, and the food were all outstanding. I had the beet salad (how good can a beet salad be? You've never had this beet salad, clearly) and the French onion soup. Divine. The service from Sarah (my server) and the hostess and the person who brought me toast points with caramelized onion butter! was all fantastic. read more

Writer's Room - Beet salad! - American Near Me - Urbana, Illinois

I recently had the pleasure of trying this speak easy style restaurant and I was not disappointed. I never heard of the Writers Room before I came. The reason I ended up here was because this lady me and my friend helped move offered us dinner with her family as an addition to our tip. It was such a long day so I can't fully remember what we all ordered but I do know that everything was prepared perfectly & the food was delicious. I also loved the cool books that were lined up on each part of the wall which complimented the ambiance in the room. I would like to thank the male waiter we had, he didn't miss a beat and really did an exceptional job to make sure we were both comfortable and happy. read more

Lovely atmosphere. FANTASTIC breakfasts. Brilliant desserts. GOOD cocktails! Confused about low ratings. Like this place a lot read more

Service was above & beyond. Pasta was made fresh in the kitchen. The ravioli & Cacio de Pepe is excellent. This is the perfect romantic date night spot that makes you feel completely separated from Champaign Urbana. read more

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The food was lacking. The poutine had chihuahua cheese, wasn't good. The burger had too many onions. I was disappointed

Had dinner with six. We get together every month or two and eat at restraunts in the central IL region. This was our first time here and highly recommend it. Food was excellent, service was spot on. Ambiance was nicely done and was quite to where we could easly carry on conversations. We will be back. read more

Thoughtful dishes with beautiful presentation that are also delicious. Looks forward to coming back in the future to try some other dishes. The tuna tartar was incredible read more

The atmosphere is a five, the food is a negative five. I don't think they should be open yet. We got the French Dip and the Reuben. The Dip - rather than sliced beef, it was two thin, tough steaks. With bad cheese that did not melt. The french fries tasted like they had been fried in the same oil as the fish. Not edible. The Reuben - not on rye bread, no swiss cheese, pastrami was minimal but that's okay because it tasted funny. Fries not edible. We each ate about three bites and left the rest. It's a shame because the room is lovely. The food was possibly the worst I've had in a restaurant. read more

Desserts are perfect! Chocolate mousse is a classic French dessert. It captivates with its rich taste and delicate texture. Light, airy, with a velvety chocolate hue, it is ideal for finishing a dinner or a romantic evening. read more

Writer's Room - La Maria - chocolate mousse - American Near Me - Urbana, Illinois

This restaurant transports you back in time. Its history, elegance and overall, the food was amazing! The staff were amazing and very welcoming. My husband and I got couple of dishes and they did not disappoint! I will definitely be coming back here soon. read more

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Ambiance is wonderful but the food was meh and small portions for the money...service was great though our waiter was wonderful and attentive. read more

The food was outstanding and the staff were very attentive. The chef visited our table several times to ensure we were enjoying our meal and it was obvious she really cared a lot about our experience. My only critique is that the lighting was a bit bright for my taste, but that's probably something that everyone will feel differently about. Very cool restaurant with great food and service. read more

I have been there for dinner five times the first was promising so we went back. The room is lovely and quiet; the wait staff is attentive. The only problem is the food. While the menu is creative and the desserts lovely and tasty, everthing else has been a big disappoitment, small overcooked portions. I want this place to succeed. We need a good high quality restaurant, but I do not plan on returning until I hear that things have improvrd. read more

We decided to try the Writer's Room for Sunday dinner today. We dined in this room for the first time about 40 years ago and seemed time to give a try again. As expected, the ambiance was good but the service and food were both a definite disappointment. Our waiter poured my glass of water all the way full and when he realized it was too full, to our surprise he proceeded to pour what he deemed to be excess directly on the new carpet beside our table. . I ordered the Reuben sandwich and for the first time in my life it was a slab of "carved" corn beef and not the usual thinly shaved offering I am used to being served. This was difficult to eat and slid off the toast which did not appear to be made from rye bread as the menu promised. My wife's fish & chips offered a plentiful supply of deep fried fish but many of the pieces were very greasy. The French fries served with both was the best part of both entrees All in all, it will be awhile before we want to return. read more

I went to the writers room tonight to try it out for the first time. The ambiance was nice, and the servers were also great. The entree I ordered was a pasta dish with mussels. When my dish arrived, I was surprised to not see a pasta dish, but five (5) raviolis. I had spent twenty-six dollars on five raviolis.(No mussels either, but the ravioli was stuffed with them.) I'm now at home eating a canned soup, which is more filling than the dish I paid twenty-six dollars for, instead of coming home with a full stomach. read more

This place could be amazing but they don't have their legs under them yet. I was staying at the hotel on a rainy night and wanted a nice dinner, within walking distance. Normally, I try to venture outside of the hotel for business dinners. I usually rely on Yelp reviews to direct me to the highest rated restaurants near me. Unfortunately, everything was a fail at Writer's Room. The restaurant only had a few tables with patrons. The rest of the tables were empty. I was there an hour before closing, so I did factor that in to the slow service. However, 8pm is not terribly late for dinner at most restaurants. I waited about 10 minutes to be seated and another 10 minutes to place a drink order. They were out of the seafood dish I wanted. No big deal. However, then they were out of French onion soup as well, my second choice. At that point, I decided to cut the cord and walk down to the local Mexican restaurant- which was delicious and the service was quick! I think this restaurant could be a true gem, if they spent the time to have someone at the host stand and didn't run out of food, on their very limited menu. The only star I gave was for the unique and eclectic atmosphere- that was a hit! read more