Keep It Casual: Laid-Back Options for Champaign-Urbana Area Restaurant Week
Sometimes the best meals are the ones you can enjoy in a hoodie, with friends in tow, fries on the table, and zero pressure to make a night of it. If that’s your ideal, these Champaign-Urbana Area Restaurant Week spots have you covered—great food, good drinks, and plenty of reasons to come as you are.
Blind Pig Brewpub, downtown Champaign
Head over to Blind Pig Brewpub for a casual taproom experience coupled with American pub fare. Dig into asparagus and onion rings drizzled with orange hot honey, or go for something hearty like ribeye tacos with Manchego and chorizo salsa. You can also channel your inner Anglophile with the fish & chips platter (cheers!) Oh, and don’t forget the special bar features too, including a winter-style sangria: pinot noir, blueberries, oranges, maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla.
Esquire Lounge, downtown Champaign
The Esquire Lounge has been holding it down for decades, and it’s the kind of place you want to go where everybody knows your name (and they’re always glad you came). For Restaurant Week, they’re keeping it simple in the best way with a Pizza for Two deal: build two three-topping pizzas, plus a garden salad to keep things balanced(-ish). And if your favorite kind of going out is… not going out? They’ve got take-and-bake so you can enjoy Restaurant Week while you couch rot!
La Paloma Mexican Food Truck, various locations
When only delicious Mexican street food will suffice, get thee to La Paloma’s food truck! Catch this family-owned staple for dinner at Triptych Brewing in Savoy on Thursday and Riggs Beer Company in Urbana on Friday. Their specials come in individual, for-two, and family-size options, with a build-your-own lineup: choose an entrée (enchiladas verdes with pollo or red pozole with pork), add a side (rice La Paloma, refried spicy beans, or fresh-made guac), and finish with dessert (arroz con leche or churros with strawberry or chocolate syrup). Big flavor, zero fuss.
The Burrito Lab, Champaign
The Burrito Lab understood the assignment: casual fare that still feels like a treat. Their lunch special is three carnitas tacos—build them your way—plus a fountain drink and house cheesecake. For dinner, they pull out the stops with quesabirria fries served with traditional, chili-infused consommé, plus a Jarritos and classic flan. (Full disclosure: I may have gotten the fries. I may have added their Cheeto dust on top. I may have slipped into a food coma. I regret nothing!)
No need for fancy Restaurant Week plans—these laid-back, locally owned picks are perfect when you want to keep it easy.
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
