Date Night Done Right: Cozy Spots for Champaign-Urbana Area Restaurant Week
Restaurant Week’s almost here, and if you've been looking for the perfect excuse to finally try that spot you've been eyeing—or revisit an old favorite—this is it.
Whether you're planning a first date, celebrating an anniversary, or just need to remember what it's like to eat something that didn't come from your freezer, we've rounded up some of the best date night destinations!
Analog Wine Library, downtown Urbana
The ultimate low-key-but-make-it-chic date spot, Analog is effortlessly cool—the kind of atmosphere where conversation flows as easily as the pours. Teaming up with Suzu’s Bakery, Analog is offering a perfect post-dinner option: three desserts paired with three wines—for just $25—from their carefully curated selection.
Silvercreek, downtown Urbana
Silvercreek is bringing the comfort with a menu that spans sweet & spicy shrimp, jalapeño poppers, and panzanella salad on the lighter side, then goes full cozy with chicken pot pie and braised pot roast. Cap it off with their house-made flourless chocolate cake or tiramisu—both solid choices for impressing your date (or just treating yourself).
Sun Singer Wine & Spirits, Champaign
Sun Singer is not messing around with their Restaurant Week offerings. Lunch gets you an appetizer and dessert for $20, while dinner clocks in at $45 for three courses. The menu is stacked: fried burrata, pan-seared Brussels sprouts, a spicy Italian hoagie, ancho-garlic hanger steak, duck breast agrodolce, corn flan, Journeyman apple strudel...honestly, we could keep going. This is the spot when you want all the options.
Big Grove Tavern, downtown Champaign
Big Grove is rolling out a $35 three-course meal that covers all the bases. Carnivores can dive into pozole verde with chicken or shepherd's pie, while vegans get serious love with an adobo chili and cauliflower & quinoa rice bowl, plus vegan cheesecake with berry compote for dessert. Throw in drink specials on wine, margaritas, and rye, and you've got yourself a party—date night or friend night.
Hamilton Walker's, downtown Champaign
Elevated steakhouse meets Restaurant Week pricing with Hamilton Walker's $35 dinner. Start with your choice of salad or soup, move on to entrées from the grill—beef tenderloin, Atlantic salmon, or chicken breast, all served with roasted garlic smashed potatoes and green beans—and finish strong with griddled bread pudding or flourless chocolate torte. It's straightforward, it's satisfying, and it's exactly what you want when you're trying to impress without overthinking it.
Nando Milano Trattoria, downtown Champaign
If your idea of romance involves carbs (and whose doesn't?), Nando Milano's got you. Their tasting menu features antipasti or salad to start, then moves into the main event: gorgonzola-filled gnocchi, butternut squash ravioli, or Atlantic cod. Dessert is where things get serious—vanilla-infused panna cotta with berry compote, Sicilian cannoli, or ricotta cheesecake. Italian, intimate, delicious—’nuff said.
Pizzeria Antica, downtown Champaign
Plant-based eaters, this one's for you! Pizzeria Antica's $60 dinner for two includes your choice of salad, a vegan pizza loaded with tomato, fresh basil, artichokes, olives, and cremini mushrooms, plus two sorbettos. Not vegan? No problem—swap in a margherita or pepperoni pizza and gelato instead. Either way, you're getting authentic Neapolitan pizza and a sweet ending.
Punch!, downtown Champaign
You know Punch! for their award-winning cocktails, but their $35 three-course Restaurant Week menu is here to prove they do food just as well. Start with coconut-curry soup loaded with shrimp and rice noodles, move to butter chicken skewers with naan, and finish with a spicy chai "liquid" dessert (available with or without alcohol). Creative, flavorful, and guaranteed to spark conversation.
Watson's Shack & Rail, downtown Champaign
Watson's is going full Asian fusion this year! Inspired by Vietnamese, Japanese, and Thai flavors, the menu features a crabby crunch lettuce wrap, Cajun Thai green curry with your choice of protein, drunken bourbon chicken noodles, and—wait for it—Thai tea angel food cake. If you’re looking for something completely unique, this is your spot.
Now go make your reservations, get dressed up (loose and stretchy styles recommended), and prepare to feast!
Start Planning!
Mark your calendar for Champaign-Urbana Area Restaurant Week, January 30–February 7!
Check out all the Restaurant Week menus and participating restaurants here:
experiencecu.org/events/restaurant-week
Sponsors
Our 10th Annual Champaign-Urbana Area Restaurant Week is generously supported by:
Chef's Table
Entrée SPONSORS
Appetizer SPONSORS
