My husband and I went to the Dekalb Oasis on our way to Chicago. This rest area is not the cleanest but we made do. We were able to stretch our legs before continuing our trip. read more

See all

Reliable travel oasis experience with plenty of parking, clean bathrooms, and a variety of food options. There aren't as many of these left on the Illinois tollways, but I prefer these when there isn't a Love's or similar option available to get a nice hot meal and more space to stretch out the legs. read more

See all

This place is outdated circa 1997 and could use a serious update. The location is what keeps it alive and I swear I used to be nice when I was 16 years old. I won't date myself, but let's just say it's been decades. The bathrooms are disgusting. The food options suck to be honest if you don't need to stop for gas or aren't starving just drive-through read more

Sbarro pizza.. foods been sitting for a long time... and flies on the food on display.... After seeing that, why bother with Panda or Subway... 93 degrees outside. Don't look to cool off much inside. No review for the restroom cleanliness.. wasn't will to try. McDonald's seems ok. As long as yo don't mind flies bothering you now and then. I'm giving 2 stars because it's convenience. Just needs to be cleaned up read more

Seems a little outdated. Of course, gas at the oasis is higher than surrounding areas because you are paying for the convenience. Mall type food court if you are looking for a quick bite. Bathrooms are a little messy. read more

It got nastier and I'm not even sure how that is possible?! The whole place stunk like a porta potty! Most of the bathrooms were blocked off, the eating area is run down. Half the stuff is out of order. The kids play area was FILTHY. The massage chairs were all ripped up and falling apart. We tried one for $1, it sounded like it was going to take off into space it was so clunky now. Forget the gas station I recommend in my last review. It would be better to pee in the grass vs coming here. GROSS! read more

by far one of the worst oasis in the nation! I went in there at 6:20 AM on Friday, May 19 of 2023 to use the men's restroom upon exiting a bathroom stall a barricade was put up to which I moved to get through and replace the way. It was as soon as I turn around, there was a Latin worker giving me dirty looks and kept staring at me when I went to go wash my hands I noticed in the mirror he was standing there, staring at me. I turn around and ask him did he need some thing and he looked at me and asked what was I looking at I in Return said what are you looking at? You were staring at me to suck, and I walk through the barricade, and he had a huge attitude like he wanted to get ready to fight. Upon exiting the men's washroom, I went over to McDonald's and by 6:30 AM. There was a line with approximately eight or more people and the service was very slow. I walked over to Sbarro's. To see if they had breakfast ready, and that same Latin worker which I think he's custodial at that location once again was giving me a dirty look, but I totally ignored him. Happy to see that this place wants to hire thugs that looks like they wanna fight and cause problems the entire time in the bathroom and by Sbarro's. He had his phone playing obscene rap music!!!! Needless to say, the place should be condemned and tore down like all the other ones I went and took my business elsewhere sincerely, Unhappy Patron read more

First time ever coming here. I've never been to this oasis since I rarely head toward the Rockford area. This place may look cool passing by numerous times but stopping in is a different story. This place barely has any great food selection. Over 70 percent of this place is walled up! Prices here are outrageous too. I was in and out in a minute. This best part about this oasis is the 7*-eleven that's it. read more

This is one of the saddest Oasis I have ever seen in the Chicago land area. Sadly, when coming through IL from the west it is the most handy place to go to a washroom. Stores were closed and chained off. The play area had "do not cross" tape on it. I really think that could have been handled a little nicer. Even with covid restrictions in place, this should have been handled a little differently. After all, this is a public stop area. The restaurants that were open had LONG lines, obviously understaffed. My advice is to keep driving or get off the tollway and go to a gas station. read more

A cool oasis on I-88 that, in my opinion, is decently well-kept. There is a big compass embedded in the sidewalk on the entryway that is pretty cool. A neighboring gas station is right next to it too. Inside, there's plenty of empty kiosks where you can tell there was a restaurant there in the past, but there is still some decent places you can dine at. They have (as of Dec 2017) the following: Panda Express McDonalds Starbucks Sbarros At least these were the more notable places. There's plenty of open seating at this place, with even some plugs for you to plug in your phone or any type of electronics BATHROOM REVIEW: Pretty decent bathroom with plenty of urinals and stalls. My only gripe of this bathroom is the entry way; you have to go through this barely two-person wide narrow arse hallway to fully enter the bathroom. Other than that, the bathroom was clean and roomy. Sit or squat? I'd still squat read more

Sbarro DeKalb Oasis Travel Plaza - Food Court Near Me - Dekalb, Illinois

What a dump! This used to be a wonderful oasis. Always stop here for gas on the way back to Chicago after visiting my family in the Quad Cities, usually every three months. They renovated it over ten years ago to make it accessible and family friendly, and to add national brand food counters... and until recently did a good job of keeping it up. No longer. Noticed three months ago that it had started to really deteriorate. But during a pit stop earlier today, I couldn't believe how bad it had gotten. The floors didn't look like they'd been swept in days. The entire oasis needed a good scrubbing... a new paint job, too. I think when you're charging more for Starbucks than I pay in downtown Chicago, the oasis should at least be as clean as their stores. Hopefully IDOT will give them the funds to clean up this dump. read more

Sbarro DeKalb Oasis Travel Plaza - Has rapidly deteriorated the past year. Seven broken stalls in the women's rest room. - Food Court Near Me - Dekalb, Illinois

This travel plaza is a clean place to grab a bite to eat and take a break. There's even a nice outdoor seating area. read more

Sbarro DeKalb Oasis Travel Plaza - Food Court Near Me - Dekalb, Illinois

See all

A sad tale We loved this place for years. Frankly--- it WAS awesome. Clean. Great Starbucks. Nice other restaurants. Now? Pandemic handling was a disaster. It is not clean, Starbucks is gone, and there seems to be another restaurant missing every time we stop. Can anyone stop this train of disaster? read more

their arcade games are rigged I was trying to get a gift card and it literally just stopped. You should never go there unless you like it. It's the worst thing on planet earth. That was good when we first came but now never coming back. read more

We've been stopping here for years, and yes, during the pandemic, it didn't receive the cleaning attention it should have. But the cleaning staff has done a great job making it a good stop again! Hopefully they are being recognized and paid well for their efforts! Thank you cleaning staff!! The fast food is reliable and what you'd expect. All in all-good place to stop on I-88! read more

Employee refusing to let paying customers sit down and eat. Had chairs stacked up.on tables and telling people they can't take them down to sit and eat there meal. A bus of 45 travelers plus others and I counted 22 chairs down. Security guard eating and cleaning lady holding up the garbage can both arguing with numerous people about not sitting down. Told to find somewhere else to sit????? As you can see in the photo she has time to clean or restock chairs!! read more

Sbarro DeKalb Oasis Travel Plaza - a woman standing in front of a vending machine - Food Court Near Me - Dekalb, Illinois

Travel plaza itself is great, the restrooms were very clean, and well maintained. Lady cleaning when I walked in. Lots of great brochures, massage chairs, lottery machine, kids play area, and a high priced snack store. The 2 stars is for the McDonald's nuggets! Very friendly staff and service. Ordered two 10 piece nuggets cooked fresh! Um... not fresh! Barely edible! And didn't get my honey sauce! Not in bag! Oh well...it's a service plaza, not much out here. It was something to eat. I usually get Subway, but the meat, veggies looked like it had been sitting out all day. It's 4 pm and the bacon and egg was still out. NO! Should of just got a coffee at Starbucks! Oh well! read more

See all

Filthy bathrooms, positively disgusting. Most employees and patrons were wearing masks. Not at subway- I wouldn't eat there for sure. One employee was breathing all over the food behind the counter with no mask. A few truckers also not wearing masks. read more

Sad, I think most of the places have been COVID closed. Looks like they are rebuilding maybe? Starbucks not there! :(. the only breakfast food was McDonald's. The egg McMuffin were ok the hash browns undercooked:(. hopefully this will be a nice oasis once again someday. read more

I haven't eaten here so I can't give you any information on how tasty the meals may be. However, when I stopped here last night to get gas, the gas attendant at the mobile 7/11 was extremely rude and awfully condescending. He pushed me aside when my card wouldn't go through even though I had sufficient funds. I brought him all I had which was change because I had ended up here accidentally - completely my own fault. But in response he heaved a heavy sigh and began counting. I didn't even bother saying goodbye or thank you or bothered with pleasantries. I work in the customer service business and was absolutely appalled at his lack in candor and communication. Keep driving if you can find another gas station, this guys the worst. read more

I've stopped here a couple of times while heading westbound on I-88. Let me start with the pros of the place. It's conveniently located, it's clean, and there are plenty of restrooms and parking spaces available. There's a McDonald's, a Panda Express, and even a Starbucks within. Now, let's go to the cons... I haven't been able to get gas here. The pumps are always busy and people are bafoons here. Apparently they don't have the foresight or courtesy to pull forward into a parking spot after filling their vehicles. Instead, they leave their cars sitting at the pumps. I waited over 10 minutes and a stall didn't open so I drove off. The other problem here is the lack of any sort of fresh or healthy food in this facility. Not even an apple or banana can be found. Basically, this is a great place to stop and use the bathrooms or to rest. It's not a place to stop and eat anything worthwhile or to get gas. If you're looking for convenience, head west about 15 miles. read more

No vegan options to be found in this place. Plus it's a maze getting to the ladies room, so by the time I found the bathroom, waited in line in one of the crappy restaurants just to find out there is nothing vegan I was pretty irritated. Don't bother stopping hEre read more

Very clean establishment. My husband and I stopped here on our way to an apple orchard. We decided to get pizza, which was just okay. There is also a gas station. read more

As of 1/28/2018, half of the Oasis is closed due to construction. About four places are open for food or snacks. read more

Sbarro DeKalb Oasis Travel Plaza - Outside area west bound - Food Court Near Me - Dekalb, Illinois

Stopped at 11:50 am on a weekday. Bathroom had 1 working urinal with urine all over the floor. No one at counter to help customers (he was outside having a smoke break). Employee stocking shelves refused to start checking customers out because she wasn't "on the counter today". 6 people deep and the clerk comes in moving slow with no sense of urgency or apologetic for making everyone wait. Very dirty facility. read more

I went to the Panda Express here and had the shits for like 1 week, The place is not the best kept however used to be a fun place to go when I was younger with my friends when there was nothing to do. read more

Dekalb Oasis on I-88 is a good stop for cars and trucks. Besides the gas station, there is a food court here, with McDonald's, Starbucks, Sbarro, Panda Express and ATM, lottery vending machine and free WiFi. Some stores, like McD, are open 24x7. The stop was neatly maintained. read more

day 62 - my first test to my new spiritual commitment so i was having one of those days. i call it quicksand days where one thing happens and then more things seem to happen in combination and everything just seems worse and nothing you do is right and you are sinking in quicksand. but my spirit will not be fettered. my visit to chicago was short and frustrating. it's the only city i really didn't get to meet too many people. i went to a yelp event and i parked in the wrong lot and as i was reparking, the yelpers left the event. still i made the most of it and had fun. the traffic, the toll roads, and getting lost and the roads making no sense were wearing on me, especially when gas is low and you gotta use the bathroom. i been trying to train jiu jitsu for a few days here, the first day i found a gym and they closed for that day unexpectedly. the next day they are off. the following day, they have have an open mat but its in the afternoon. that will really push my schedule back cuz i got to make it to nebraska tonight. i go there and i get a bit banged up, my face is kind of scratched up, and i haven't eaten anything all day. i've lost all my sense of direction due to the whacky chicago roads, and hunger. but i decide to eat after i leave chicago, i just need to get away from these roads. so i leave. wow this is when the true test starts. its traffic on a saturday afternoon. whats whacked is, you gotta drive towards chicago to leave chicago. what? you heard me. that's how the toll roads work. you head on a toll to chicago, and you pay to get on, pay again to stay, pay again when you get to chicago, pay again when you leave, then you are on a straight away and its inching along, takes me an hour to make 25 miles, then another toll, and its getting more and more expensive and you need exact change, or coins. dang. now im hungry. leaving chicago, there's like no food stops. every time i turned off the road to grab a bite, i paid a toll to get off, i looked for food and guess what, theres no food. just car dealerships. what? i found one exit with a supermarket, but it had no deli. what??? i wasted 30 mins getting off, paying tolls, trying to figure out how to get to a destination you can see from the exit but none of the roads seem to lead to it, or you think you are on the road to get to it and it leads you back to the highway. when i was weary and ready to curse this trip, i held to my faith tightly, and there she was. dekalb oasis. not only that, i saw the sign for something i had been looking for months!!! panda express. you have no idea how loud i cheered in my car. i felt like i had won something. this place has a gas station, food court, gift store, nice bathrooms, free wifi, and yes panda!!! panda never tasted so good!!! i asked for extra rice and noodles and told them i don't care if its extra. and they did charge me extra and they were rude but i didn't care. oh sweet panda, it was so good... http://static.px.yelp.com/bphoto/X6VNB0YMvQstWnrKSKyB6A/l (if you look close you can see some of the scratches starting to welt) i was for a small bit, in heaven. i'm grateful for even the lil things like this. how else can you survive months in the desert? read more

Sbarro DeKalb Oasis Travel Plaza - Food Court Near Me - Dekalb, Illinois

Soooo I hate to be the cliche... but it's true. You're more likely to write about that one bad experience than all of the good ones you've ever experienced. Stopped here several times and have had pleasant experiences. Plenty of food, gas, parking spaces.... SO when the weather isn't sunny, warm and ideal and is negative 30, "ChIberia" has just been coined, tons of snow, pitch dark, and your car is breaking down... why wouldn't one try and make it to the "automobile oasis" off of the interstate versus being stranded on the side of the road. Anyway, long story short. Car is dead. Death cold outside. Hubby comes and saves me from perishing outside and I spend the car ride calling AAA, tow companies, All State trying to find some assistance for my poor Ruby (car). I call the oasis to tell them I am having trouble getting a tow truck because every tow truck on the planet has a 5 hour wait time. This hardship is unacceptable to Dekalb Oasis. I MUST move my car within the 2 hour time limit or it will be TOWED. OK great. So where will you find this magical, illusive tow truck to move my vehicle? AND, can we tow it to a car fix-it place?? Bla, bla, bla... routed to State Trooper... routed to contract tow man... routed back to State Trooper.... "Lady, you must be WITH your vehicle when the tow truck shows up or we are taking it to the impound lot." O.M.G. I am at home. WARM. An hour away in the Chicagoland burbs. Are. you. kidding. me. Back in the car. Back to Dekalb Oasis. BUT I will never be back again. When my car gets fixed, I'll be using it to blast past this Oasis of .... meanness. read more

Pretty sad in here. Not much options for food. At least the bathrooms were clean. read more

This place is disgusting, there are flys everywhere. I can't even keep my Panda Express box open while chewing with fear a fly is going to find its way to my food. Pretty disgusted and will not be coming back here to eat ever again. read more

Sbarro DeKalb Oasis Travel Plaza - Flys everywhere. - Food Court Near Me - Dekalb, Illinois

This place is cute. The play area is simple and nice. Plus there's a Panda Express and Starbucks.

I think it is funny that they call this an "oasis." There are various eateries such as McDonalds, Panda Express, Starbucks, etc. It looks like this place being remodeled with new stores opening within the next couple of months. The oasis appears to be a big food court with some restrooms. I think it is a great place to stop. There is cheap gas adjacent to the "oasis." I love the fact that they do have a Starbucks so you can be caffinated on your road trip. read more

Location, Location, Location... Although it resembles every other oasis on the interior. It has the location!. It does not matter which direction I am going: North, South , East, or West or where I am going:to.from Chicago. By the time I get into the area I am ready for a break from driving and this oasis is always there for me when I need it. It is always well kept and clean so I am sure I will be making a pit stop the next time I am passing through read more

Stopped in here to take a break from driving all the way home from Denver. It was the wee hours of the morning. Used the bathrooms, watched a small cat hunting around the parking lot and dozed off for an hour before the final push to Chicago. One of these days, I'll see it in the light of day. read more

A typical toll road 'oasis' :) Nothing to get excited about here, but if it is time to fill up your tank, use the restroom, stock up on sugar, carbs or caffeine, the Dekalb Oasis has you covered. It's clean enough and has a couple fast food choices, the big one being McDonalds. On the plus side there is a Starbucks though. An average stop when doin a the classic family road trip. read more

If you have ever traveled I-88 in Illinois then you have probably seen, if not stopped at, this 24 hr. oasis. Featuring gas by Mobil, McDonald's, Panda Express, Subway and Starbucks, there is something for everyone. Also has a small gift shop ( hours vary) and a Best Buy vending machine for everything from memory cards, chargers and cables to iPods and cameras. Bathrooms are plentiful as is the seating. Lines can form at food establishments during busy times but they can move quickly. I believe McDonald's is the only one open 24 hrs. read more

I can't officially rate this gas station because it's still under construction I believe . The only places open were McDs and Starbucks . Selling point to stop: Grass flip flops ! You don't even have to buy them , just feel them . Will up date review after construction . If there isn't construction this place is a mighty big building with lots of room for opportunity . read more

Pros: Geat place to stop, clean, actually it is the only place to stop between Rockford and North Aurora. Cons: There are no family bathrooms for changing children. The changing tables in the men's bathroom are right near the blowers, so everyone has to dry their hands and watch you change your child's diaper. read more

I went earlier today, went to the bathroom and half were closed. Then went to starbucks and payed almost 7.00$ for a frappuccino. In my hometown it would have been 4.26$ at most. very upset with this purchase. read more