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    Fairgrounds Cafe

    4.3 (11 reviews)
    Open 6:00 am - 3:00 pm

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    Biscuits and gravy
    Deirdre C.

    Good food, good variety. Nicely decorated, clean. Great service. Near the fairgrounds. Great addition to the breakfast options.

    Where does it say cheddar cheese over sausage gravy? Who does that?

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    4 months ago

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    16 days ago

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    Photo of George T.
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    1 year ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 1
    Love this 3
    Oh no 2

    1 month ago

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    Photo of Tom W.
    25
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    7 months ago

    Great food, reasonably priced. Fast and friendly service! Definitely worth the trip across town!

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    Photo of Deirdre C.
    10
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    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
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    8 months ago

    Great food, clean and waitresses are very responsive! Does get busy but they get them in and out!

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    Been there many times. I usually get the waffle pecan pancake but their omelettes are good too. Big helpings. Great friendly atmosphere.

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    9 months ago

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    11 months ago

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    Taki Taco Ice Cream Shop

    Taki Taco Ice Cream Shop

    (32 reviews)

    We got: Potato Corn Dog - Half Mozz Half Beef…read moreRegular Corn Dog - Half Mozz Half Beef Oreo Cheesecake Boba Green Apple Italian Soda Sweet Potato Fries Overall: Food was good Drinks and portion size should be improved For the amount of stuff we got and the portion size presented, felt a little more on the pricey end. Wish all food was presented at the same time, and that we got our drinks first. It was crazy how our drinks were the last to come out. The brown boba in the Oreo cheesecake tasted weird. And the texture was more in a gross jelly way than what I'm used to. Cheesecake Oreos flavor was a bit lacking in my opinion DRINKS ARE SUPER OVER PRICED FOR THE AMOUNT UR GETTING Workers were nice - no complaints Seating should be improved. Should have cushioning and better table and chair space. The bleacher set up and the crazy small stools and tables is not very comfortable, especially comfortable to look at.

    This was one of the worst examples of customer service I've ever seen…read more My friend and I decided to try to place out and she ordered one of their rolled gelatos, and it looked like a completely different product. They refused to provide a refund or replace the order with something else. The only English speaking lady claimed there was no manager in the building, and later claimed she was the manager. She claimed that if she gave my friend a refund, she would get fired, and resulted in police needing to be contacted. I order a taiyaki and it was burnt and overcooked. Had to wait +30 mins. Italian soda was also 90% ice. DO NOT COME HERE. Ambiance was meh.

    Aunt Lou’s Soul Food - Chicken strips collard greens red beans and rice and cornbread

    Aunt Lou’s Soul Food

    (31 reviews)

    This spot is top notch and a lifesaver for the downtown area! I've come to expect a great meal…read moreevery time I visit. The server's are always thoughtful and ready to acommodate when they can. I love the wings, mac and cheese, and the savory pork chops! The layout and set-up of the restaurant is a modern open layout. My only recommendation is to get em early cause their food options do run out; it's still on my list to try the banana pudding.

    WOW!!! So glad we stopped in today, I've been driving by regularly but never had time to stop. Our…read moreserver was amazing and on top of our drinks, checked in several times to make sure the food was good. I believe the owner (or possibly the chef) stopped by and made sure everything was up to par as well. I honestly thought it was going to be a much smaller space as when I'd driven by it looked small, but there was so much seating inside! The decor was beautiful, too, and the music was awesome. We both had chicken and waffles and my LORD it was so good! The waffles were so crispy and flavorful (I've seriously never had waffles so good in my life) and the chicken was breaded well, perfectly seasoned, and was super fresh. I'm pretty picky about sweet tea. If Wilford Brimley doesn't side eye me with serious concern as I drink it then don't even bother. This was so perfectly southern sweet I was in heaven. Sweetest sweet tea I've had in Illinois. I'd go back for that alone even if the food was just okay. We had decided on fried green tomatoes (which were soooooo dang good and zesty!) when she told us they JUST got fried okra and I said both. Just give us both. I'm a fried okra fiend and was so happy I could've cried. The okra was fresh and perfectly crispy, and the seasonings, again, were immaculate. Absolutely cannot wait to go back. (I just need to give my stomach a lil rest, we both took home over half of our meal there was so much.)

    Obed & Isaac's Microbrewery and Eatery - Mac n cheese balls

    Obed & Isaac's Microbrewery and Eatery

    (1.1k reviews)

    $$

    After stopping by the Abraham Lincoln House and library, we came across this microbrewery and had…read moreto go in! They also have a cidery, but it wasn't open during this season. Thankfully we still were able to get one cider, and they had a selection of other beers. The cider was tart and refreshing, and I really like the berry mocktail, which had ginger beer, and a mix of berries in it. As for food, the Nashville hot chicken sandwich came with a lot of heat which was great. I got the dry rub version, which is spicer than the saucy version. The horseshoe sandwich is a local favorite, which is an open faced sandwich with sliced bread topped with meat (we got the angus beef), fries, and cheese sauce. It was quite heavy and creamy because of all the sauce. Overall we enjoyed our meal and our server was very friendly, although service was on the slower side.

    We came here on a Sunday before a matinee at the Hoogland -- full of hope, hungry, and maybe a…read morelittle too optimistic. The building is beautiful, the location is perfect, and we thought, "Hey, maybe those bad reviews were just people having a bad day." Spoiler alert: they were not. Service started strong. We were seated right away, and they even brought coloring pages for our kids -- a nice touch that gave us false hope. Then the food arrived, and it was like watching a plot twist in a bad movie. I ordered the Buffalo Chicken Pony Shoe. It came out looking like someone microwaved a bag of frozen chicken tenders and tossed them in buffalo sauce for moral support. The cheese sauce might have been homemade -- it was grainy enough to make me believe someone whisked it themselves -- but there was barely any. Also, who hides the cheese under the fries? That's the star of the show! I had to beg for more, and even then it arrived lukewarm, much like my excitement for the meal. My wife ordered the Pork Schnitzel with "spaetzle." Except it wasn't schnitzel; it was a pork cutlet that had clearly seen the inside of a freezer longer than most people's leftovers. And the "spaetzle"? Nope. Straight-up spaghetti noodles. The mushroom sauce tasted like it came straight from a can labeled Cream of Disappointment. Two of the kids got cheese pizza -- or as I like to call it, "Frozen Circle of Regret." My son's "chips" were somehow both soggy and chewy, a texture I didn't even know existed. Frying them until they're crunchy shouldn't be rocket science, but here we are. Everything was bland, flavorless, and missing any sign of seasoning. The best dish of the entire meal? My daughter's burger on her Pony Shoe -- mostly because it resembled real food. And just to add a little flair, nearly every plate was dusted with dried parsley. Because, of course, nothing says fine dining like sprinkling dried parsley on frozen food. This place has serious potential -- it's got the space, the charm, and the perfect downtown vibe. But if your secret ingredient is "frozen," no amount of parsley is going to save you.

    Fairgrounds Cafe - breakfast_brunch - Updated May 2026

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