Changes in the Champaign-Urbana restaurant scene never seem to slow down. As always, we’re doing our best to keep track. Our look focuses most prominently on the C-U community outside of campus, with one very notable exception this month.
Local openings:
Who: Big Sharks
When: Monday
Where: 1217 N. Prospect Ave., Champaign
Description: Your eyes are not deceiving you. Yes, indeed, another restaurant that sells fish and chicken with a blue-and-yellow color scheme has opened in the space formerly occupied by Long John Silver’s. Judging by the lines in the drive-through so far, the place is popular.
Why we’re excited: The menu at this fast-casual restaurant is varied: chicken, fish, shrimp, Philly steak sandwiches and burgers, among other items. All are made to order, which means you might wait a few minutes longer than, say, at Burger King. But the fries will be hot. Another thing we’re excited about: the pothole-ridden parking lot, truly the worst in Champaign County, was been resurfaced. Hallelujah!
Who: Blind Pig
When: July
Where: 301 N. Neil St., #101, Champaign
Description: The new Blind Pig brewpub is in the space formerly occupied by Destihl, at the corner of Main and Neil in downtown Champaign. Blind Pig remodeled the space a bit but there’s still plenty of room.
Why we’re excited: Blind Pig’s menu includes some delicious-looking pizzas, a variety of salads, appetizers and burgers and sandwiches, along with approximately 21 Blind Pig beers and countless others. Note: Some days are dinner-only, others are lunch and dinner. Check before heading out.
Who: Spitfire Chicken
When: Soon … that’s about as specific as we can be right now
Where: 2510 Village Green Place
Description: Spitfire has been advertising its arrival for months, and in October it released its menu. (Click here.) You’ll find flame roasted rotisserie chicken as the specialty, a half-dozen sauces, two dry rubs, other features like chicken tortilla soup and plenty of sides (including mac and cheese).
Why we’re excited: Well, to be frank, we’ve learned to temper our optimism. Why? Because, for whatever reason, this particular location at The Crossing has not been an easy ‘go’ for restaurants. This corner spot has previously been two pizza places (Papa Del’s, Pie’s the Limit) and a tea company — and perhaps more. Those of the ones we can remember, anyway. But we’ll remain hopeful that this spot isn’t under some kind of restaurant curse, and that Spitfire will add to the culinary scene at The Crossing.
Who: Sumo Kitchen
When: September
Where: 2017 S. Neil St., Champaign
Description: Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, Sumo Kitchen is a Japanese restaurant that opened at the site of the former Moki Sushi. The dinner menu features a variety of cold plates, hot plates (grilled octopus, anyone?), tempura, beef, seafood, sushi, sashimi and maki rolls. Many of those items are available for lunch.
Why we’re excited: Hey, you can never get enough sushi, right? Plus, we’re eager to see if an establishment — particularly a locally owned one — can make a ‘go’ of it in this location, which seems like a good spot but hasn’t had much luck so far.
Who: Blue Ethiopian
When: Expected to open this month
Where: 117 N. Walnut Ave., Champaign
Description: Although as of this writing Blue Ethopian has not opened yet, early signs indicate that authenticity is very important to these new restauranteurs. They plan to use fresh, local ingredients to create dishes that celebrate Ethiopian heritage. The menu has stews and sautees, using a variety of proteins including beef, lamb, chicken, and fish. A few vegetarian options will be available too.
Why we’re excited: This might be the most anticipated restaurant opening in Champaign-Urbana in a long time. Whenever we post a question to readers about what food they would like to see in our community, Ethiopian cuisine tops the list. (Anyone want to guess the other most-wished-for food type?)
Who: SangEat
When: Expected to open this winter
Where: 1905 S. Neil St., Champaign
Description: Located in the building that most recently housed Oberwies and That Burger Joint, SangEat has transformed the space from fast casual to upscale fine dining destination featuring Indian food. According to multiple media outlets, the restaurant will serve dinner and lunch.
Why we’re excited: There’s definitely an audience for upscale Indian food outside of downtown Champaign and Campustown. The purported lunch buffet will bring the people what they want — there’s no lack of appetite for an Indian lunch buffet.
Who: Mashawee House
When: July
Where: 306 W. Springfield Ave., Urbana; inside Strawberry Fields
Description: The menu, available for lunch and dinner, features multiple types of shawarma, a variety of kabobs, skewers, chicken wings and lamb chops. Food is made to order.
Why we’re excited: Within the past year, Strawberry Fields ownership has changed hands, leading to new options and this is one of them. We’re shawarma fans, so anyplace that offers it draws our interest.
Who: Royal Donut
When: Nov. 11
Where: 1105 Windsor Road, Champaign; formerly site of Pandemonium Doughnuts
Description: Royal Donut has filled in seamlessly where Pandemonium left off. They are different types of treats, of course; Royal Donut offers a more traditional type of donut, whereas Pandemonium’s appeal was based on creativity. Either way, the taste is supreme.
Why we’re excited: There’s a reason Royal Donut has gained legendary status in Danville, where it began. The donuts are just plain yummy. Maybe we’re getting greedy, but the only downside is the lack of a drive-through.
Local closings:
Who: Guido’s
When: Nov. 30
What happened: You have to be a longtime C-U resident to understand it, but the arrival of Guido’s early in the 21st century really kickstarted the downtown Champaign renaissance from a restaurant standpoint. Downtown had a few options for food, but that’s it — a few. After Guido’s arrived, several other options blossomed on that corner and downtown in general.
Who will miss it: Especially during the warm weather months, Guido’s attracted a large clientele to sit outside and enjoy downtown while dining.
Any hope for the future: In a different form, yes. CRS Hospitality has announced that Chophouse on Main, which closed earlier this year in Mahomet, will take over the space with plans to open in the spring.
Who: Timpone’s
When: Dec. 20
What happened: This one stings. For decades Timpone’s has been a staple of fine dining in C-U, a go-to place for those looking to celebrate a birthday, an anniversary or any other special occasion. The loss of Timpone’s will go down as a loss of a C-U icon, along with places like The Jolly Roger and Katsinas.
Who will miss it: Lovers of fine Italian food. Dinner at Timpone’s followed by a show at nearby Krannert Center for the Performing Arts always made for a special evening.
Any hope for the future: The multi-story venue is such a unique, cozy space that we can only hope another restaurateur takes a chance here.
Who: Epic Burger
When: September
What happened: Well, that was quick. One year after it took over the former Meatheads location, Epic Burger called it quits in September.
Who will miss it: Epic Burger never seemed to gain any traction in Champaign; word-of-mouth seemed to turn negative from the get-go, and business likely suffered because of it.
Any hope for the future: Not that we’ve heard.
Who: Slim Chickens
When: September
What happened: Hard to believe, but Slim Chickens was around for 10 years on South Neil Street. Alas, the fierce C-U chicken wars, which we’ve discussed before, just seem to get hotter.
Who will miss it: Folks in south Champaign mostly, who didn’t want to drive to North Prospect for some fast food chicken at Chick-fil-A or Raising Cane’s.
Any hope for the future: Nope.
Who: Bob Evans
When: October
What happened: Another chain gets swallowed in C-U. Many would consider Bob Evans’ strength to be its breakfast, but that space became much more competitive with the recent addition of Urbana’s Maple & Yolk, which has proven to be wildly popular.
Who will miss it: Regulars. Bob Evans is known for ‘regulars,’ folks who eat there consistently and prove loyal.
Any hope for the future: Wouldn’t expect a return any time soon.