Courier Cafe Reviews

Great local restaurant with a varied enough menu to suit any taste.

If you like your steaks cooked wrong, and re warmed fries (bit with a great kids menu and shakes) then this is the place for you.

Heard rumors about roaches, but the manager said that was unfounded. Not sure, but the kitchen looked very unsanitary as did many of the cooks. Dirty hands touching buns and fries. Will not go back. :/

Looking for a quick lunch, but wouldn't seat me and take the orders for my party until my entire party had arrived. Walked around the corner to a restaurant that would.

Everything on the menu is delicious. I especially love their breakfast. Staff is always friendly and accommodating. The historic building is super charming, too.

Deserts and ice creams are very delicious and very cheap. Ordered a milk shake, got an extra glass of ice cream for refill.. that's just awsum.

Love the dippers! AKA potato skins. Very thin shavings of the potato peel, deep fried, and covered in toppings.

Such a great, classic cafe. I went for lunch and the staff was enthusiastic and helpful when choosing what to order. The coffee was very well made, not burnt like most other cafes and diners.

Great Food a delicious but Definitely different experience. Loved the options

A wonderful cozy cafe that takes you back to a more simple time in the world offering reasonably priced delectable food and a fantastic atmosphere.

Excellent service and food! The Rueben and onion rings are delicious!

The food has always been great as far as breakfast is concerned, but I have noticed that when a single person is waiting for a table, even if they are first on the list, they will be given lower priority to larger parties. If all the restaurant had free was big tables I would understand, but more and mpre it's simply couples that take priority, often getting placed at the two seater tables. Today I waited 45 minutes to get seated while couples who came in after me got seated within 10, sitting at said two seater tables. It wasn't until all parties other than me had been seated that when I table popped up I was given a seat. It's frustrating to be treated like this when trying to support local businesses.

Ok, so this is a strange story. We were in town for an evening and needed coffee before we headed back home. We looked for a cafe, saw this one nearby and decided to visit. We found out that this was an eatery and not a standard coffee shop - but the staff went out of the way to make us some coffee to go. It was very endearing. How wonderful!

A unique and cozy atmosphere with excellent service. Great menu selection and always yummy. A fave of our family for breakfast. The biscuits and gravy are terrific. An Urbana gem.

There web sight said lunch starts at 11 am went then couldn't get lunch one hour wait after ordering 15 min wait to get a booth that was so small 4 of use couldn't eat confortly 4 people for breakfast 70 bucks to expensive for breakfast

Always love to visit here when I return to town. The food is excellent and the service is always good.

One of my favorite places in Urbana! I always make a point to make a visit whenever I'm in town. Their black bean burgers are great, and the shakes are AMAZING. The staff is nice, the prices are great.

I've been eating here for over 30 years and I honestly can't remember having a bad meal. A true Urbana gem.

As a local first and student second, my family has been going here for years for all meals of the day. Our family favorite is the salad bar, so cheap, fresh, and delicious.

I have no idea why this place got only 4.2 stars and wanted it to go higher, deserving of at least 4.8 imo. A nicer restaurant would cost much more.

I got food to go for a big group and it was great. The girl at the front was patient with us and very kind. It did not take very long and had reasonable prices. I liked the ribeye sandwich and sweet potato chips

We love going to The Courier Cafe, especially for breakfast. Their menu offers a wide variety of options at any point in the day. Some of our favorites include: blueberry pancakes, biscuits and gravy, burgers, classic Ruben, and their milkshakes. Definitely a place to check out if you are in Urbana. It can get pretty busy on weekend mornings so plan ahead.

Best place in Urbana to get breakfast! The atmosphere is pretty cool and there is some unique decor. The lunch/dinner menu isn t that great in my opinion so just come here for breakfast.

This place has a good food and ambient, but the service is the worst in Champaign-Urbana area. The waitress was very rude with our group, she acted in a very xenophobic way, she didn't help us with the menu and made many jokes about our accent. I hope this lady understand that I paid taxes like her, and she doesn't have reasons to be so rude.

Great service, great food. Busy on weekends but worth the wait

All around excellent place for breakfast. Friendly staff, great tasting food, in a welcoming vintage building. Will return here on future visits to UIUC.

Great selection of breakfast choices. Delishous toast and huge cookies

We didn't get all of our food at first and our waitress kept forgetting to bring us things we asked for, somethings we never ended up getting.

A classic downtown venue full of character. Really exceptional food with plenty of good vegetarian options.

We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch under their big tent! Had their cheese curds appetizer for the first time and loved them. Also had sandwiches and dessert. Food was great! Wonderful service as well.

This is a charming place with excellent food.
Anytime I'm in Champaign I try to stop here, whether for breakfast, lunch, or even just a milk shake.
I would highly recommend the chocolate, peanut butter shake!

Great service, outdoor seating was in compliance with social distancing. We noticed the staff were consistently washing hands and sanitizing. Our server was very prompt and attentive

Nice, mid 20th Century decor. Tasty food and excellent service. Will go again when my son attends the University.

This used to be my favorite restaurant and I'd always recommend it to my friends. The food here is great but the service is subpar. After I was at my table, I waited 15 minutes till I even got a water on a very slow evening.

good wholesome food. the white bean chilli is amazing!

Old "school" building, inexpensive food with big portions = great place to stop for a bite

All in all great food and service. I thought my omelette may have a little too cheesy but it all worked out. I like that they have vegetarian options. But most importantly make sure to get the croissant with your meal, it's worth the upgrade.

The historic building and antique ambiance is delightful. The milkshakes are delicious. Unfortunately, the dining space is cramped or "cozy" depending on who you ask. I cannot recommend the burgers, as they have been overcooked and unimpressive during both of my visits to this place; also, expect a very long wait for your food if you order one. This is a great place for a cozy milkshake date. This is not a great place for a hungry person to get a great meal with any haste. Final comment, the "fries" are actually potato wedges. They could have called them wedges and I wouldn't make a thing of it, but don't give me wedges and tell me they are fries.

Excellent service and customer service together your staff is very friendly outgoing people in your business

Great place, good food, and the amazing waitress even brought me my daughters cup that I left there.

Great spot for breakfast or salad bar for lunch. Old time goodness embodied. Do it!

Zack, our server, was top notch! He took great care of us and was very attentive to all of his other customers as well!

Little slow service, but great chili and cherry malt.

Best veggie dippers, salad bar, fries, and shakes in town!

Always a favorite. Good food, great staff, the best pie you can ask for

Very dissapointed!! Will not go back! Service was horrible! Had to grab silverware from table across from us. Had to ask waiter twice to refill our waters. Food took 25 minutes for a burger and a turkey sandwich. We had to track down waiter to get check. My daughter loves the place but me and my boyfriend had bad experience! Food tasted good that was only positive.

Always great food and friendly service. A cozy place to eat for any occasion

Love Courier Cafe. The food, soups and not to mention a wonderful salad bar! Service is great too. Decent amount of on-site free parking.

Food is good. Price is good. Sun branch is good but may have to wait

Great American breakfast, lunch, and late night eatery. High quality eats all day, and amazing historical vibe. So much history in those walls, it's almost eerie. Best breakfast in CU, plus coffee is top notch.

An Urbana institution! Great, unique sandwiches including vegetarian options like the artichoke bagel. Amazing salad bar. Best milkshakes in town. Funky atmosphere. Super reasonable prices for the value. Prepare for a wait to be seated at lunch most days, but it should be short. Menu is an interesting read!

My family and I have been going to this place since we were kids. Love the food and the service is always great.

Food was pretty good. Huge line. I was a little disappointed that my sandwich was quite smashed but I guess that's their style

Reasonable food in a reasonable atmosphere. But salad bar by the ounce at a sit down restaurant? Not a lot of variety or healthy choices on the menu.

Great food. Very chilly in the cafe. Plus the waitress offered different things to another customer which I over heard. When asked about the different options I could have she got an attitude.

Great salad bar and they have a variety of things to choose from on the menu.

This is a great restaurant which is always packed! It reminds me of home with its southern-style dishes and cooking style, such as the fried chicken or fired okra. The decor is quaint but interesting. I always think of this place when my grandmother is in town, but beware of the wait at peak hours!

Great food and staff and economic. I had a great time there and will go there for sure if I visit champaign again.

Charming, small town atmosphere. Friendly, punctual staff, and free parking in downtown Urbana. This has all the potential of becoming your next usual spot .

The food was just "okay" and our server was grumpy.

Old style cafe with delicious food. Thanks cinnamon coffee is amazing! And definitely try their phosphates - my favorite!

Historic and quaint, the Courier Cafe is one of the oldest historic buildings in Champaign-Urbana. With great food and an efficient wait staff this is a great place to take the family or your significant other. Reasonably priced and good quality food. I recommend the chocolate milk shake after dinner. I also recommend reading the history of the building on the back of the menu.

Service was GREAT and the food was excellent and plentiful will go back as always

Was okay. Had heard great things. Long wait to be seated (which is fine, small busy place). Service was mediocre. Had to ask for refills, silverware, jelly for toast. Plates only cleared after check had been delivered and not by our server. Food was decent, but at 3 dollars more than many other places in town for the same plate, there really needed to be something besides a cool building. Was not bad, just was not good.

Courier Cafe has the best milkshakes, they even give you the extra in the mixing cup! Super affordable too, and a nice salad bar.

Worst waitresses in town, your lucky if they ask to refill your drinks and it's usually at the end when you are trying to get your check, because you have been done eating for 15 minutes, the last 2 times we just had to go up and ask the cashier to get our check. The time before the waitress announced the she got stuck with our table and we had very poor service. I would never go back, except my wife and daughter like the salad bar and the food is pretty good.