Whether served with beer mustard or cheese, Champaign-Urbana offers pretzels sure to please
If there’s one thing that’s certain, Champaign-Urbana knows its pretzels. We set out to find some of your local favorites, and your recommendations did not disappoint. From their presentation to their dipping sauces, we learned that there are a few more stops we need to add to our pretzel tour. While some prefer honey mustard or beer mustard, it seems many prefer a good ol’ cheese dipping sauce. Although Auntie Anne’s — located at Market Place Mall and the Illini Union [please note that the Illini Union Auntie Anne’s is closed until August 2020] — as well as Sam’s Club both received honorable mentions, we focus on locally owned businesses in our food trail posts.
Big Grove Tavern, 1 E. Main St., Champaign: Big Grove Tavern offers its house made pretzel with stone-ground mustard and pilsner-cheese fondue.
Blue Dragonfly Catering, 1205 N. Harris Ave., Champaign: “We had these at a festival at Rigg’s and I can’t stop thinking about them.” Featuring a large, soft pretzel served with a side of the German cheese dip made with Riggs beer (Obatdza), these pretzels were definitely one that this reader remembered.
Central Illinois Produce – CIP Bakehouse: These “authentic German pretzels” are available at Champaign Farmers’ Market on Tuesdays and Urbana’s Market at the Square on Saturdays. Its breads, croissants, fine pastries and more are baked fresh daily by hand, using all natural ingredients. To place your order, call (217) 359-6114.
Collective Pour, 340 N. Neil St. #101, Champaign: Served with beer cheese and honey mustard, Collective Pour was a crowd favorite in our pretzel trail. “Collective Pour pretzels and beer cheese are amazing” and “I drool over Collective Pour.”
Crane Alley, 15 W. Main St., Urbana: “Crane Alley’s pretzel bites and beer cheese sauce is the stuff of dreams.”
Hank’s Table, 122 N. Neil St., Champaign: “Hank’s Table for sure!”
Pink Pig, 301 W. Lincoln Ave., Ogden: Featuring cinnamon sugar or traditional soft pretzels, this appetizer is not one to miss. “It’s huge. Can’t wait to go back. Kids on the visit said that the pretzels were bigger than their heads…we checked….they were.”
Project 47, 101 N. Lombard St., Mahomet: Featuring Bavarian pretzels with southwest queso, Project 47 was a fan favorite when we asked for suggestions of your favorite pretzels around Champaign-Urbana.
Seven Saints, 32 E. Chester St., Champaign: Serving salted bavarian-style pretzels with jalapeño cheese sauce and spicy brown mustard, each order comes with four pretzels. Luckily, if you are dining in a small group, half orders are available.
Sun Singer Restaurant, 1115 W. Windsor Road, Champaign: Offering soft pretzel sticks with warm, cheesy onion dip, Sun Singer also has a “pretty mean Bavarian pretzel sandwich” served with honey ham, Swiss cheese, honey mustard, and a warm pretzel roll.
Know of someone we missed? Let us know what you love about their mouth-watering pretzels and email us.
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