Delicious! There is a Chinese menu and an American style menu. The staff was incredibly nice, and helped us select from dishes that we were not familiar with. They also had free water and tea. The value was also excellent--you get so much bang for your buck. Would highly recommend to all. read more

Holy Mapo Tofu! I ordered this the first time going and I was blown away. There was no fuss in "holding the meat", so I think this place is pretty veg-friendly. It was packed when I went to pick up my food, but it was ready in the short walk it took me to get there (less than 15 min). I will sample much more from the menu but based on their Mapo tofu alone I will easily award 5 stars. read more

Awesome! Cheap with filling portions. I like a beef tendon dish we got that had some bamboo in it, in addition the the crispy tofu, huge plate of chinese watercress (kong xin cai), and some other dishes that are escaping my mind at the moment. I'm not sure how good their american-chinese dishes are, but I usually prefer the more legit dishes. In short, I'd never take my parents to eat here, but hell I'd eat here all the time if I attended UIUC. read more

Not bad. Well, this is place is always busy, sometimes hard to find a place to seat at dinner time. Food is sometimes delicious but a few times/a few dishes are like mehh... Definitely one of the cheaper Chinese restaurant to go to. Recommend this place if you are studying at Grainger. read more

Only complaint is my clothes usually smell after I come out of the restaurant. Otherwise great place for the price.

I will admit that I am not the most adventurous eater. I am especially wary of Chinese restaurants. Good Chinese food is awesome; bad Chinese food is one of the nastiest things on earth. So I rarely go to a new Chinese place without someone telling me that it's worth trying. A couple of my husband's co-workers (who were very in-the-know about Chinese food) told him that Cravings was one of the best in town. We tried it, and it became one of our mainstays. We usually order the crispy beef, which is lightly breaded and fried (I think) and then tossed in this incredible sweet-spicy sauce. One order is enough for both of us, and unlike other places that do not use the best part of the cow when they are breading and frying it and tossing it in a delicious sauce, the beef is usually really good--not tough and stringy and fatty and gross. The man who owns Cravings is very nice, and I'm always happy to see crowds eating there. They seem to have authentic dishes along with the Americanized stuff, so if you want a steamed whole fish, you can get one here. I would try other things, but I am too addicted to the crispy beef to move on. read more

By far the best Chinese within campus limits. The hot and spicy diced chicken is my personal go-to. It's the perfect combination of greasy and spicy and the rice tastes great once it's absorbed the oil. I've also had the fried rice, which is a solid and cheaper choice. read more

Literally my favorite restaurant on campus. The service is amazing, and the man who runs the place is the most interesting guy I've met on campus. Hot and Spicy Chicken, Jakarta Fried Rice, Crispy Chicken Slice, Tofu Dry Curry, Tofu Masala and Todu Gado Gado are my go to items. Come for the food, stay for the service. read more

I know everyone loves cravings...maybe I havent ordered the right things. I have ordered maybe 1/2 dozen times from there over the past few years and have found most of their food to be too heavy. My favorite dish from there that Ive ordered is the Jakarta fried rice, which is heavy but has good flavour. On the other hand the price is right and its convenient. read more

Very decently priced food, with a with a wide variety of items on the menu. Menu size does not matter however as this place is all about the Jakarta fried rice. Once you've had Jakarta fried rice here, you kind of tend to never order anything else. read more

As a vegetarian, my review probably doesn't hold as much weight for this restaurant as it does for omnivores, but I'm going to review it anyway. The options are pretty limited for vegetarians, but I loved the cheap price and large portions(unlimited rice!) as well as the complimentary hot tea. The ma po tofu is the classic vegetarian option that everyone orders here, but in my opinion, the real gem is the tofu in chili oil sauce. The ma po tofu was certainly good, but it was not spicy enough for me, and wasn't layered enough in various flavors. The tofu in chili oil sauce on the other hand, has the classic bite of the Sichuan peppercorn, and is actually spicy, with the varied flavor profile I look for in spicy dishes. Overall, it's definitely my favorite Chinese restaurant on campus. read more

The menu is enormous. They have four: the menu above the register, the English paper menu, the Chinese menu on the back, and the specials menu to the side of the register. The food is dirt cheap and very good. The Jakarta Fried Rice is some of the best fried rice I have ever had, and their more authentic dishes are just as good. The complimentary tea is also a nice touch. To top it all off, the staff are so friendly! If you want excellent pan Asian food on a budget, Cravings is where you need to be. read more

Not even a question about it, this is the best chinese food you can get in urbana, possibly in the entire midwest. I went to school in Champaign for a year, and I ate at Cravings at least once a week, it was my comfort food, my go to for when friends visited, and the thing I miss most. If you are in champaign and like food, this hole in the wall is a must. I recommend the Mongolian Beef! read more

Twice-cooked pork is pretty good. But it's super oily as well. Actually most of the dishes are a little too oily and salty. Also it's very welcomed by engineering students given the location. Overall a solid restaurant suitable for quick weekday lunch or dinner. read more

Eating at Cravings is like playing Russian roulette with your digestive system. I've gone to Cravings twice this school year, and I've already gotten sick once. I'd describe Cravings as being slightly more authentic than Panda Express, except with much more oil and risk of being food poisoned. This is a restaurant that regularly fails heath inspections and gets shut down. The only good thing about this restaurant is they give large servings and have fast service. read more

Yum! This hit the spot for some weary travelers. Beware very large portions and plan accordingly.

I had the so called famous Jakarta Rice, but it was not very satisfying. However, for the price, the food is decent and the serving size is pretty big. read more

Great food, great service and quick. If you are looking for cheap Chinese food this is the place. Free tea as well!!!

My husband and I love this place. It's very homey, the owners are super friendly. Our favorite dish is the hot and spicy chicken, which we haven't found made the same way at any other Chinese restaurant. Whenever we visit CU, we stop by for the chicken before hitting the road again. Update: We stopped by again this past weekend, we were impressed that they greeted customers by name and offered Pokemon Go advice to students. That's something we don't see that much anymore in restaurants and was heartwarming to see. read more

Cravings is one of the best cheap authentic Chinese restaurant on campus. Their location, price, and portions are unbeatable in all of CU. My favorite dishes are: -Pork belly with preserved veggie -Fish with Shanghainese bokchoy -Fish Marsala -Mapo Tofu -Jakarta fried rice -Chicken and veggie (or chicken lo mein) -Crispy chicken/beef The one thing I don't like is the smell inside so I usually get take out and it's always crowded so it's good to call ahead and pay with cash when you get there for that discount. However, make sure you pay the meter because I went in to pick up take out and when I got out there was a ticket :( The only other comparable place is Golden Wok but it's a bit far on University so you'll need a car to get there (they have free parking) read more

the dirtiest resturant on campus! More than often, you'll see the owner cleaning beans right in front of you on one of the tables. Despite being dirty, they cook amazing food. some of the best chineese dishes I ever ate. read more

This place has the best orange chicken I have ever tasted. My only regret is that I discovered it so late in my undergrad. The food is made in a respectable amount of time and the owner is so friendly. Call ahead because this place is always packed around dinner time. The free hot tea is fantastic. I like everything about this place and can't wait for the next time I am able to go. Five stars are well deserved. read more

The Spicy Fish Masala is pure awesomeness. Shrimp Fried Rice is my next favorite. The flavor is unique. Will be a fan forever!

The food is just okay and wasn't meant as high dining. It's just no-frills Chinese staple food served fast and cheap. The restaurant interior is down-to-earth and unpretentious. The staff is friendly. I come here because it's a convenient lunch spot by the engineering quad. read more

I'll keep this short and sweet. I really really enjoy the food. That being said, you are eating it with the risk of getting food poisoning. If Cravings does not pass their next inspection, they will be shut down because they time and time again have violated many food safety laws. read more

One sentence to sum up this place: The Jack of all trades, master of none. This restaurant has 2 things going for it. Location close to campus and a large student population that values abundance over quality. Ninja doesn't need a lot of so so food. He likes tasty food. Sometimes too much so so food weigh binds down before sword fight. read more

Absolutely love this place. Location and restaurant are a little dingy but in a very cute way. Owner has got to be one of the hardest working guys around, always in the store taking orders and talking with his customers. Everything on the menu is delicious but when you walk up to the counter and look to the left wall, there is a bonus menu above the trash cans. These are the recipes where they really bring their stuff. Get the crispy chicken slice and have 2 meals worth of unbelievable food for 8.99. This is one of those restaurants that makes this town a better place read more

I came here with a party of eight. We shared a bunch of different dishes from the traditional menu, and I enjoyed almost all of them. Highlights included the eggplant with ground pork and the diced fried chicken. Service was quick and friendly, and the complementary tea was a nice bonus. read more

Fam cravings is so lit. I've never gotten sick from the food but a lot of my friends have. I usually get the schezuan chicken (extra spicy) and it's pretty good. If you have a strong stomach then definitely try it because it's hella worth the price. Portions are huge and you get free rice refills if you dine in! Also no tax if you pay in cash. read more

On a college students budget, this place is a mecca for getting a full stomach. For about six bucks, I can get orange chicken with rice, at excellent quality, not to mention that the portions are huge which is a fantastic quality. Only downside is a long wait during peak hours. read more

I wish I could import this restaurant to Hyde Park so I can have Cravings whenever I don't feel like cooking. Its the cheap but great Chinese eatery brought to life with low, low prices, order at counter, big, heaping portions, free tea in styrofoam cups, etc. Staff is really friendly and the dishes we tried were pretty good too. Try the chili chicken and the eggplant. read more

Cravings is one of the things I miss most about Champaign... Some menu items are more authentic than others. Service is very friendly-- the owner is great! read more

Ok, Cravings is an interesting experience. There is no atmosphere. The food is sketchy. The line is usually long, it's crowded, and the huge menu is scattered in about 5 different places, making it a little weird the first time you go. But you will be back. I don't know what they put in their food here, but everything is just really, really tasty. It's not going to win any culinary awards any time soon, but for the cheap price, you get a lot of downright delicious chinese food. I've probably been here at least a hundred times over my years on campus, so I'll try to keep this review condensed. Go to Cravings. Order the hot and spicy diced chicken. And never look back. read more

I've been going to Cravings for lunch about 2-3 times a month for the last 1.5 years, and have had a whole bunch of items on their menu. Most items on their American menu and Chinese menu are just fine (wouldn't get more than a 3-star ranking), but their ma la fish and Singapore chow fun are absolutely amazing!!! And the best part is that you get a lot of food for ~$8! read more

i promise this is not what you're craving. my crispy tofu tastes like soap and the fried rice is old

I love this place! My girlfriend and I always get the spicy chili chicken and green beans with tofu gan. Everything that we get here is amazing! Great service! However, your clothes tend to smell bad after eating here. I wince at the people who come in dressed in suits.... read more

I go at least 1 every 2 weeks. I LOVE THIS PLACE. I am addicted to there Jakarta Fried Rice. I always look for it when I go to other places but they don't have it. If they do have it they don't come close to Cravings' version. Their menu is really big. Everything that I have tried I liked. I like that people speak Chinese it gives it an authentic feel. read more

This place deserves 5 stars.. every time I pass by this place, I want to eat here. .. Only problem is their same dishes taste differently each time... so one need to make sure what he wants.. The owner speaks many languages, hence is pretty funny... read more

I think the food here is not bad. It is kind of between the American Chinese food and the Authentic one. And it is cheap...

Ate a lot from this place while I went to school at UIUC. This place was super busy at lunch/dinner times but still very efficient. There masala fish was very delicious. Although it was sometimes difficult to find spots to sit. read more