From Field to Fork: Farm-to-Table Finds for Champaign-Urbana Area Restaurant Week
One of the best things about Champaign-Urbana Area Restaurant Week is the number of chefs who cook with ingredients grown or raised locally—sometimes from their own backyard! This is a community surrounded by farms, orchards, creameries, and makers, and our restaurants know how to let those local flavors shine.
If you get excited about seasonal menus, farm-fresh produce, and dishes that really taste like where they’re from, this lineup’s for you! Here are a few delicious ways to eat local during Restaurant Week.
Caprae at Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery, Champaign
At Caprae, located right at Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery, farm-to-table is the rule. For Restaurant Week, they’re offering an elegant five-course prix fixe dinner for $75, and it reads like a love letter to winter in central Illinois. You’ll start with a winter greens Waldorf salad (trust us, this ain’t your grandma’s Waldorf), followed by ragù alla bolognese and braised short rib with spaghetti squash. Dessert is just as thoughtful: banana bread with paw paw gelato, plus a goat cheese–stuffed apricot to finish. Make it a full-on special occasion by opting for a wine pairing.
Maize at the Station, downtown Champaign
Maize at the Station puts fresh ingredients and handmade tortillas center stage. In fact, their tortillas are made with locally grown corn. For Restaurant Week, they’re rolling out specials for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so you can pretty much plan your day around them. By day, think chilaquiles rellenos, sopes, or drowned tacos—simple, satisfying, and full of flavor. At night, dig into pechuga rellena or cecina rellena (both served with salad, rice, beans, and warm, fresh tortillas) or go big with the mega tlacoyo with nopales. Every dinner comes with sopa tarasca—a comforting bean and tortilla soup that feels like a hug in a bowl.
The Space, downtown Champaign
The Space consistently leans into local sourcing—and their Restaurant Week menu lets you choose your own adventure. For $29, you’ll get chicken skin butter wings (yep, they’re as indulgent as they sound), your choice of locally sourced smashburger (beef! pork! lamb!) with fries, and fig pot de crème for dessert. Feeling bougie? The $50 option includes a pear and radicchio salad, followed by your choice of cider-braised pork shoulder or curry-spiced roasted carrot risotto, and a toffee cheesecake with labna-filled Medjool dates, mint, and pistachio cream. It’s a life-changing culinary experience either way.
Sticky Rice, downtown Champaign
At Sticky Rice, comfort food means Lao and Thai dishes that are deeply warming, herb-forward, and fragrant with aromatics and spices. The mother-daughter owned spot sources seasonal produce from their own farm in Villa Grove, and their $25 Restaurant Week special is all about cozy, satisfying flavors: vegetable egg rolls, Lao chicken noodle soup, and coconut juice. It’s the perfect combo for a chilly evening—crisp bites, steaming broth, and a lightly sweet drink to tie it all together.
The Wheelhouse, St. Joseph
Just a short drive from Champaign-Urbana, The Wheelhouse in St. Joseph is a win if you love keeping it local. Their Restaurant Week prix fixe dinner menu is solid from start to finish: Kick things off with your choice of winter greens salad or cream of potato soup, then choose your main—portobello and porcini ravioli, braised beef short rib, or lemon crab pasta. For dessert, there’s an Alaskan ice cream waffle loaded with strawberries, chocolate, and whipped cream. Make it extra nice by adding a wine pairing.
Discover just how good “local” can taste in our community—make your reservations now!
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
