Fair price for the food. The owner is fun to chat with, and they have good service. A great place to eat on campus town. Like their Uno w/spicy noodle soup! It's like tom yum! read more

they're nice about allergies and other diet restrictions, and the restaurant owners are chill and cool. also, i really like their beef ho fun. it's my go-to meal whenever i don't know what and where to eat. they make it just like the ho fun that i like from a specific restaurant i've gone to since i was a kid read more

Ah, Cravings. My old stand-by Chinese place. Good food at a good price. They have both the typical Chinese fare that most Americans are used to and a pretty full true Chinese menu. Orange chicken is really good, so is the Mongolian beef. The only thing I've been disappointed in there is the veggie egg rolls. read more

One of my favorite places while going to UIUC. It's cheap and got great portion sizes for students. The owner is hilarious and they got free tea and water while waiting for the food. Pay cash and no taxes for you :) read more

The price, the level of cooking and the large portion, this is the place to go. My son told me this was his favorite place when he was going school there. I tried two weeks ago, and was very pleased with everything. We ordered crispy fish with baby bock choy, stir fried Hefen noodle with beef and steamed pork belly with dried vegetable, each came with huge portion. There are so much dishes to choose from, and I'll go back to try more things. The hostess was super friendly and helpful. Highly recommended! read more

Cravings used to be our go-to lunch spot for Chinese food on campus. Food are not exactly authentic nor delicate, but there are some nice choices (e.g., eggplant beef stew, fish fillets with spicy tofu sauce); portions are big and price is cheap; and the owner is super funny. However, their food is not always fresh, and like another reviewer said, they had failed food safety inspections so many times that they were close to being shut down. One star because my husband went there again this evening and got food poisoning and got VERY SICK. Lesson learned and just wanted to caution everybody. Would be three stars for the good memories... read more

Cravings? More like CRAMPINGS! Seriously, my stomach has never felt so cramped and twisted as it was after I ate here for dinner. I ordered the fried fish with masala; it was very oily rather than crispy and the spice rub was overwhelmingly dense, and made up of SO much MSG that my head was throbbing after only eating about half of the plate. It must have been a seriously high concentration because I've never had this bad of a reaction to MSG in food before. I was feeling so sick that I threw the rest of the food away and went home. I woke up later in the middle of the night with intense head pain and stomach pain, got about 3 hours of sleep. If you value your stomach, and mental health please don't go here! read more

I had heard many good things for so long but for some reason never ate at Cravings until today. Boy do I regret not going there sooner. I may be a bit impulsive with the 5 stars after only one visit but I went with 2 friends and sampled everything they ordered and it was all delicious. Add to that the fact that the prices were great, the food was prepared fresh and piping hot, the wait was short despite a good crowd inside and it all adds up to 5 stars for me. The menu is enormous and you should have no trouble finding something you like whether you're a meat-lover, vegetarian or vegan. They also offer a sampling of Indonesian, Indian, Malaysian, Chinese and Thai dishes. I tried Pork Gado-Gado for the first time and it was amazing! I've never had such good luck picking something at random that I'm unfamiliar with. This is an Indonesian dish with thin strips of pork, large slices of fresh, crisp, lightly sauteed carrot, onion and green bell pepper in a not-too-thick, spicy peanut sauce. I plan to go back often and work my way through most, if not all, of the dishes. read more

What is this concept of paying cash and not having to pay tax? Hrm... Takeaways: - Crispy sesame chicken covered in just the right amount of sauce (as in, not doused) - Good size - Incredible price - Free hot tea - Bus your own plates and garbage - If you need a takeout container, just grab it from behind the counter. No fuss. No wonder Cravings is crowded and busy all of the time. Warning though, expect takeout and not to eat in. There's also no delivery. read more

When I brought my sesame chicken in to the lab today, it was met with a chorus of "where did you get that," and "oh, yeah, love cravings!" It's that rare kind of place that has both nasty, american, super fried chinese food, and real, actually eaten by some asian people somewhere in asia food. And it's dead cheap! read more

Very quick and cheap for a lunch between classes. Never good to actually sit down and enjoy your meal. Always busy. Owners are nice tho. Flavor is more americanized with lots of things just fry together. read more

Customer service at this place rocks!!! The food tho... The chicken had the taste of freezer. The green peppers also had a weird taste. The rice was good tho, and the teas as well. The miso soup could have been less salty and have some sea weed in them... This one had no sea weed, a bit disappointing. read more

I heard Cravings is the official ECE restaurant. I can dig it. I've come many times and so far my favorite dishes are the singapore rice noodles and the fish masala. They are spiced pretty heavily, so only order if you know you can handle it. Additionally I find their food a tad salty. for around 7 bucks a meal. Actually like many said the portions are enough for two meals. Cravings definitely has great value. Make sure to ask for more rice after you finish your first bowl, and pack it go to! I'll be back here many times. read more

Get the Mapo tofu so good but very spicy Cheap, good and lots of options on the menu read more

You can actually choose your own combination ! Chow mien and orange chicken! Huge portion! read more

Cravings - Chow Mein and orange chicken - Chinese Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

My second take-out Chinese experience in Chabana while here at school, and it wasn't much better than the first. My roommates and I decided to order from Cravings after realizing the Golden Harbor might be too expensive. This was probably a bad decision as we had moved from probably middle tier Chinese to low tier Chinese food in terms of price and quality. The General Tso's chicken was just OK, I've had better and it honestly more resembled orange chicken in both taste and looks. Others got a beef dish and a seafood combination which was on the Chinese menu. I had no clue many of these restaurants have Chinese menus that are often more authentic and probably better quality and tasting than the regular menus. I need to order off those menus and not the Americanized ones for future reference. The fried rice was pretty bland as well. Eggrolls not very good, either. They forgot to include a side order of crab Rangoon and when we called back they said next time we are in the Rangoon will be free. I wasn't impressed with the food but in all fairness it was like $6.50 for a large portion so at least I wasn't hungry afterwards. I still want to try some of the other Chinese places in Champaign as well as ordering off the non-Americanized menus. I think the cuisine is interesting but the quality just hasn't been there at the last couple places I've tried. read more

Cheap Asian food (though on the oily side). Cravings definitely gets busy during the lunch hours though. The owner is a cool guy, he knows a ton of Asian languages and dialects. Oh yeah, don't eat in the restaurant unless you want to go back to class/lab smelling like Chinese food. read more

Why is the food so good??! I literally can't get enough of the food here. Coming from a Chinese family, this place really reminds me of home with the Asian ladies peeling peas, the numerous voices chatting in different languages, and sometimes the owner's children? running around. It's a very lively place and I really like the owner - he's fluent in multiple languages and is overall a pretty cool guy. The food is really cheap and you get a lot for what you pay. One nuisance is the long lines and crowds because they're so popular, but they have a good ticket system to make sure you get your order. My favorite item is the Jakarta fried rice! I've also ordered the wonton noodles in miso soup which have lasted me for lunch, dinner, and impromptu midnight snack. Their menu is really diverse and offers home-made meals from China, India, Indonesia, and many more Asian countries. If you're from outside of the U.S. and missing home, a meal here will soothe your aching heart like chicken lo mein for the soul. read more

Having spent 5 years at the University of Illinois, Cravings was far and away the hot spot for the college of engineering (across the street from the engineering campus) students for lunch or dinner. I must have been to this place over 50 times. The staff is extremely friendly. Every time I go there I ask G' Tao (owner) for a new dish based on my preferences, he never disappoints. Only knock on this place the food is a little oily and I wouldn't consider it healthy eating haha. But when the food is this good who cares! Long Story Short: There have been several times where I was bashing my head at the computer lab working on an engineering project and just said "Screw this, I'm going to Cravings". Nothing saved the day like food from Cravings. Shop Notes: Pretty small shop and gets packed pretty quickly around lunch and dinner. Service is very quick and efficient, take out is always a good option. Very reasonably priced with pretty large portions. Sentence Summary: Is the food entirely healthy? Not really. Is it delicious and authentic? Absolutely. read more

Delicious and comforting food, super friendly owner. That's the place you go when you aren't just hungry, but seriously *hungry* for some good Chinese treat (hence the name). read more

Cravings - Hot and sour seafood soup. - Chinese Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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Outstanding....i usually get the american "chinese" like general tsos, sesame chicken, etc. The jakarta fried rice with tofu and veggies is also amazing. Really cheap (about 6 bucks) for a d-lish hot meal. I usually try not to eat the whole plate because it is definitely more than one healthy person should eat, but i usually can't stop myself. couple of types of tea for free while you eat in... gets packed during peak times around noon and dinner time, so seating can get hard to find, but getting it to go and eating at home or outside somewhere works just as well. cravings is the go to place for us ae students in the area...someone always has it in the lab, and always makes me want some... actually, in all honesty, after writing all of this, i am walking straight there. read more

The food is delicious, and very affordable. I have yet to try everything on the menu but I have yet to be disappointed. They have free tea and ice water and that has saved my life on multiple occasions. The owners are lively and the store itself is comforting in terms of atmosphere. I love eating with my friends here, or alone. The only downside is that there's no Wi-Fi, but I can't blame the owners for that because that's something difficult to install and likely not economical. The place isn't luxurious by any means, but it doesn't try to be and that's perfectly fine. It's more than enough for a college student like me! read more

I was recommended to eat at this place by my friend and I was not dissapointed. It is one of the best place to eat for college students. A lot of their food is under 10 bucks. They prepare their food fast. Try out their chicken gado gado, fried rice (jakarta or house). read more

Cravings - Twice cooked pork. They are good but there are too much veggies! - Chinese Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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Terrible service. I try to call them and they just hang up on me. They are so pride and do not think the best for their customers. I do not want to judge the food there but service is really the reason I choose a restaurant instead of home cooking. Therefore, I will not go there again. read more

So gas every time. Most affordable american and authentic options. I recommend braised beef tendon, salt pepper fish/squid, and jakarta rice

Got a large Sesame Chicken and two rice with my roommate as study food and it's so tasty! The man at the cashier is so genuinely friendly without unnecessary, just-to-be-polite-and-you're-wasting-my-time talk, and the service is fast. Tea, water, and utensils are on the house and it's up for grabs which is definitely a plus. It was $10 (or $5 split between us) total. That's cheaper than a Chipotle burrito and left me fuller. (and I make my burritos super-sized). Made mid terms a little more fun at the Grainger library right next to Cravings! read more

Cravings - Sesame Chicken at cravings - Chinese Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Last Sunday evening at around 5:30pm, my wife and I went to this restaurant. There were still a lot of customers there, then we had to wait in line. Most of the customers are UIUC students, but not necessary Chinese students. There are quite a few other Asian students, like Indian. And also American students. This kind of remind me of my school time... The food taste very good, while a little expensive though. There are also free hot water or tea provided. read more

Cravings is my favorite Chinese restaurant in Champaign!! The workers are always so friendly and the food comes out relatively quick. All of the dishes I have tried are super good and I would recommend it to anyone who is thinking of ordering from here! read more

Can't be in UIUC without eating here at least once. Stuff is spicy, since they are doused with chili oil. But shit, it's addicting

Owner is quietly friendly thought the good quality wasn't that good. I ordered the indonesian fried rice which is their speciality however was rather disappointed by the taste. The veg food was even worse. read more

I haven't been adventurous here so I'm not sure about the more exotic dishes on the menu but this is the place on campus for cheap, yet pretty good, Asian food. I rated it four-stars because, while the food is not amazing, it is good considering how cheap it is. The decor could be nicer, but it is nice enough for a place on campus But, it tends to fill with smoke so expect to leave smelling like chinese food. Finally, the owner is extremely nice and often throws in sides for free or for nominal cost. read more

I LOVE this place and if I had a million hours to waste I would walk my lazy self across campus and pick up some sweet and sour chicken and have a free Styrofoam cup of green tea every day of my life. Unfortunately they do not deliver and I don't even think they know how to use a phone. The last time I was there the man was so busy he picked up the phone and put them on hold and never picked it back up. I found it funny, but I'm sure that customer did not. And, you know, if they opt out of delivery they should really clean the place up a bit. I get worried what the kitchen looks like and have peeked back there a few times to see complete chaos (mostly because there's 8 or 9 women cooking for too many customers to handle). I love the food, but this place is great to go to maybe a few times per semester. It's just too crowded for my liking. read more

There are so many options, yet I find myself ordering the same two things (with a few exceptions here and there): -Hunan Chicken: Mixed veggies and white chicken meat. Flavorful salty sauce. Sometimes get it with less salt, other times I get it extra spicy (not very spicy to start). -Jakarta Fried Rice: Special ordered with chicken and mixed veggies in place of shrimp. A slightly sweet fried rice with an over-hard egg on top. The place is busy, crowded, gives great quantities for the money (~6/dish that is much better in quality and quantity than what you'd get at somewhere like the inferior Panda Express), and has friendly staff. Ozito (sp?) is a boss. read more

I really like the food, price and the atmosphere (+the friendly Cravings man). Fried rice with shrimp and omlet on top? is very good : ) read more

Favorite reaturaunt of its kind. I wish I had more time to come in. Great food, great prices. Highly recommend anyone looking for some good Chinese food. read more

THE BEST. . This is my soul food now and im not even Chinese. Please eat sesame chicken, hot and spicy chicken, mapa tofu and Jakarta fried rice. 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

We stopped in Cravings for take out. We are only in the area a handful of times a year and have managed to go when they were closed (every time). We were excited to see that they were open and didn't mind too much walking a distance due to no available close parking spots. Many parking spots that we found on campus were metered spots. It's about $1.25 for an hour parking. Overall I enjoyed my experience (it was a carry out order). Our order was quickly taken and we sat down and waited for 10-15 minutes. It was slightly after lunch time and the restaurant was still busy with carry out and dine in business. We were greeted by a friendly, older gentleman that was extremely helpful and patient with us. I was overwhelmed with the menu selection. This was my first time trying Malaysian cuisine and did not know what flavor profile to expect from the dishes. We ordered the Jakarta fried rice, salt and peppered squid, spicy diced chicken, and fish in chili oil. Our order came with four little containers of steamed white rice. I have to mention that this rice was nicely cooked. It wasn't mushy nor was it under cooked. All of the food was nicely cooked and packed. Thank you for not using staples! My favorite dish out of the four was the fish in chili oil. It wasn't what I expected. It was more like a fish stew than a stir fry dish. It was packed in a soup container. The squid was perfectly cooked. By the time I got to the chicken I was full. The portions were HUGE. We have leftover for days. I will definitely return the next time I am in the area. I want to try the various noodle dishes. read more