Review Visit: May 2nd, 2015…read more Not just a bakery but a tourist stop. If you mention getting donuts (or doughnuts) in East Peoria, everyone will talk about how good Carl's Bakery is. They produce a lot of doughnuts (or donuts) that are beloved by the residents of East Peoria. Having lived in the general area and having drove by the place a million times, I thought it was time to check it out. If you are familiar with Carl's Bakery, you are familiar with the giant rooster that is outside the building. If you aren't familiar, then there is a giant rooster outside the building. One that is prime for taking a fun photo with. My dad and I did just that after trying out their food. Carl's Bakery is one of those places that seems to be open from before the sun rises to around noon-ish. So, if you are interested in going, you better head there when the roosters crow or else they will be closing up shop. When you go, you have to compete for a parking spot on the side of the building. While Carl's has an indoor eating area, I took the limited parking as a sign that they cater to the 'pick up my donuts (or doughnuts) and go' crowd. Nonetheless, my dad and I found a spot to park and headed in. Once we were inside, we had to squeeze a large throng of people to get to the counter. We told the cashier we wanted to eat in. She guided us to a table and we took a seat. While looking over the menu, I had hopes of getting some breakfast as that is what I assumed they specialized in. Maybe we missed a cutoff point or something else happened but we ended up ordering some lunch instead. My dad got a tenderloin and I got... I honestly don't remember. Maybe a burger that came with a ton of fries. Oh, and we both got coffee. Let us start with the coffee. It was... not good. I've had cheap coffee and this stuff takes the cake. I used more half-n-half and sugar than I normally do. While I am no snob and I put down a few cups, it wasn't worth it in the end to taste some water masquerading as coffee. But no worries. It's just coffee. We were there for the food. How was that?/ A notch above the coffee. I fully admit that I don't remember what sandwich I got but I do remember not being a fan of it. My dad said the same thing about his tenderloin. Both just lacking in everything. How does that happen? Can a chef or someone with cooking knowledge explain that to me? The french fries were salvageable at least. In fact, they were the only things that tasted good. Hype. It has it's place in the world but more often than not, I find that hype ruins a lot of things for me. Movies, video games, restaurants, and various other things. It's nice to get excited about something but when it doesn't live up to that level, I believe it is more disappointing than if it weren't hyped at all. But we aren't here for a hype discussion. My dad and I got to hang out and try something new. Was it the best place ever? No. Do I cherish the memory of this outing? Heck yes. While I may have had a lack luster time here, don't let the opposite of hype dissuade you from checking it out if you are a doughnut (or donut) person. Or you want to stop and take a photo with the giant rooster outside and then find yourself magically teleported inside, trying out their coffee and menu offerings.

This is an older family business that has become curbside only, check FB for menu or call ahead to…read moreplace an order. Do not let this stop you from heading over ! Open Thursday to Saturday (always check) . Can only speak for donuts & pastries but I can't imagine that they'd fail at dinner ! The service was very personal and polite. The donuts are Old School ! Fresh Home Made, hot if you're early! Big variety , fair prices , honestly good ingredients that you can taste . I was in town for a dog show, picking up 2 dozen to have out for people and this place was a fan favorite for many . You want commercial, cookie cutter , uninspired donuts you can find that anywhere. If you want to impress or treat yourself, friends and family give this place a try !

The donuts were wonderful they went out of there way to make sure I got my order I will be back…read moreover and over

Due to poor planning on my part, I needed to pick up food for an event I was a part of and nothing…read morewas really open at 5 am so I drove to Pekin for doughnut. Awesome experience. The woman behind the counter was really helpful. Everything was incredible and everyone loved them. Some of these were so massive that I genuinely over ordered, but we started handing them out at the end of the day. Would go back if I lived in the area.

Cracked Pepper catered an event at the Peoria Civic Center. The Harvest salad sat out too long as…read morethe "fresh" spring greens looked dried out and had brown edges. The entree, chicken saltimbocca, was incredibly dry; I almost choked on the first bite of chicken. The sides, dauphinoise potatoes and green beans, were good. Thankfully, the desserts were delicious. There were jumbo lemon or double chocolate cupcakes. The lemon cake was dense, almost like pound cake, but had good flavor. The chocolate cupcakes were divine.

This restaurant is great! The dining area has a cozy vibe, they make pastries including a "bacon…read morelog" and they have great-tasting soups, sandwiches, salads and cookies. Today I had a lemon cookie and a southwest chicken wrap and enjoyed every bite.

Update: I just had to come in here and remind everyone how wonderful this shop is! I love all the…read morefresh baked goods and tasty coffee! I'm so glad you're here! 1/6/2026 I stopped by Reverence Coffee for the first time on Saturday for a quick pick me up. There was just one other lady sitting down in the coffee shop doing a little bit of work, and Sly just happened to be working that day. He was very polite and professional. We talked about business and he said he was looking forward to meeting the people in the new apartment building next door. I saw that there was one brown butter chocolate chip cookie with sea salt left in the box, so I absolutely had to try it. I have to say it's probably one of the most freshest cookies I've ever had, he said they always mix it up and have all kinds of different pastries. I also ordered a 12oz Caramel iced Latte, and that tasted great too! I absolutely love the vibe of the coffee shop, the color on the walls, decorations, customer service, and look forward to returning more often!

Lovely little shop dedicated to crafting delicious drinks. Friendly and welcoming staff complete…read morethe experience!

I ordered online. When I arrived, they didn't have the correct syrup to make the drink I ordered…read more Staff was rude and I asked how I get refunded and they told me I would have to figure that out online. I tried to virtual chat about it and that has not been available at any time of day that I've attempted. So I emailed 2 -3 times. Then I was told they rewarded me with 600 points, however that is not reflected in my app. I responded to the customer service email stating I would like to be refunded and I won't be back due to the service. I've got no response and no refund.

This place has turned into a filthy ghetto the past few months. No respect from staff and manager…read more What happened from Thanksgiving till now! Used to have a friendly and caring staff and manager. Taking my and my company's business to Starbucks. Such a decline in a couple months.

I have never been to Regulator Roasting but I have had a packet of their Herbal Rooibos Tea and it…read moreis amazing!!! I'll be over today, from Peoria, to get more!!

Caffeine is not a good way to regulate your heart rate…read more Having driven by Regulator Roasting Company a million times since they opened, it was only natural for them to expand over to the other side of the building when the space came open. I'm not sure the exact date of them serving coffee to the public (that wasn't just beans in a bag) but I knew I would have to try it out sooner rather than later and that day finally came. Maria and I rolled in at around 10am and were greeted by the owner, who was extremely friendly and even more extremely knowledgeable about coffee and all the nuances of it. I'll admit that I know nothing about coffee except that I like drinking it. So, it was cool to hear Maria and the owner talk about espressos and various other aspects to drinks that I never think about. Anywho, I ordered an Americano and the owner asked how strong I wanted it. I told him to surprise me. Maria ordered a macchiato and ended up getting some espresso on the side to boost it up as she was feeling pretty tired. I picked up the tab for us and just for our two drinks, it was only $7 and change. Our drinks were $3 a piece and with her flavoring, that was only $0.50. I haven't seen prices this cheap since maybe around the time I started visiting coffeehouses. Granted the cup was maybe only 12-15 ounces and there seems to be the one size... it's still a heck of a deal. The interior was open and sparse. It could accommodate maybe 7-10 people before it felt crowded. But with the limited parking space that's shared a bit with the neighboring building, that's probably for the best. There wasn't too much foot traffic despite the incredible weather but I think that'll change once the warm weather kicks in for the season. At the time of my visit, the roast master admitted that he is still tweaking his drinks so if you make multiple trips, you may find your drink of choice has changed subtly here and there. Not that someone like me would notice the nuances! If you need a cheap caffeine hit and want to avoid the big names in coffee, give Regulator's a shot. I hope this one does gangbusters as East Peoria is severely lacking a hometown coffee place.

Pizza was too salty. The sauce pizza is good though it's pepperoni that's too salty. I love the…read moresausage one .

I was today years old when I learned breakfast pizza was a thing. Was I living under a rock?…read more After a late night wedding in Peoria we needed sustenance to get us back to Chicago for our flight home. Stopped by Casey's and thought "well, maybe this will do the trick". Breakfast pizza is the perfect greasy solution to a hangover. It's the best of eggs and sausage.... But on a pizza. I almost prefer it to regular pizza. Haven't found anything like it in LA. I guess this really means that Chicago reigns in pizza.

Went in to pay for gas and get a soda at the fountain drink machine, but the floor was being mopped…read moredirectly in front of it, so I decided to skip on the drink. Waited in a long line since there was only 1 cashier to prepay for gas (the card reader on the pump I parked at wasn't working) and she put it on the wrong pump, and then I had to wait in a long line again to get it corrected. While I was waiting that second time, a mother came in with her young autistic child and someone had been mopping the floor of the whole store even though there was a massive line of customers waiting. The child slipped on the floor because there was no sign in that first aisle right after you come in, and got hurt. When the mom asked why there was no wet floor sign, the employee/manager in a tye dye shirt yelled at her and said there were wet floor signs in several aisles and blamed the child for running and falling. This is completely unprofessional, yelling at a customer especially in front of a huge line of customers. They then asked the customer when it was ok to mop the floor. How about in the evening shortly before close? It's 3:45 in the afternoon on a Saturday and very busy. So yeah, now is probably not a good time!! And it was so rude to even ask that rhetorically to the customer! I will never come back here again. She never apologized to the customer and even threatened to kick her out of the store because the customer got angry with her. I would be angry too if you yelled at me and blamed my kid for falling! That was so rude I can't believe I even witnessed that! My issue wasn't that big of a deal in comparison, but if that's how their manager/employee treats customers, I don't want to contribute any revenue to this location!

do not eat here yesterday I ordered to large brisket pizzas around 845 first off I came in like 20…read moreminutes early and i wasn't expecting it to be done but it was so I was like it's gonna be cold what do u know it's cold burnt and they didn't even add any ranch was cold and we figure mise well eat it had us all sick and in the bathroom For hours so never again .

F A B U L O U S food for the vegan in your life. The menu changes daily, one deliciousness after…read moreanother to keep you coming back.

WOW WOW WOW! Sooo good. I found Riley's Vegan Sweets & Eats…read morewhen I visited Radish Kitchen in Peoria (check out my review of Radish Kitchen, too!) These amazing vegan desserts are just the right amount of sweet without being "too rich". But let me tell you - they are A REAL TREAT!! You won't want to miss them. Big huge "brookies" (like brownies), individually wrapped cookies, cookies in a bag for sharing, and all in a variety of to-behold flavors. Literally - a BUNCH of all fabulous (and all are VEGAN!!!) choices. Who knew being vegan could be so YUMMY?!?