This place is great. Gay night every Wednesday in the back room with Amy. Her margaritas are ON POINT and her attitude is perfect. She's fun to work with and always has a smile on her face. I love trying new things here (which is rare for me). Great atmosphere, great service, amazing margaritas - hope to see you Wednesday night! read more

Great food every time and Amy is the best server! Very warming atmosphere, a great place to come and relax!

The food is fine here. I like the chips and salsa. However, the female server there is rude and ... She did not pay attention while ordering and send wrong drink. And there was one time, I did not even notice she leaved my drink on the table because she just throw it on the edge of the table while I was eating. She serve different people with different attitude. This is not a good way to run business and establish reputation. read more

Best Mexican food in shampoo banana. Hands down. Huge portions, standard Mexican food prices, generally not a wait (and if there is, it's not 2 hrs, like some places in Champaign). read more

Te amo, Fiesta Cafe! Having grown up in C-U, I've heard my fair share of how great Dos Reales is supposed to be, but everytime I eat there, I feel like I am being rushed out the door. Fiesta on the other hand....well, there are few places I'd rather sit on the patio and have margaritas. That, and the staff always recognize my husband and I and remember what we like, right down to the extra sour cream (no longer in those little paper wedges) and Island Margaritas. Oh, man. I'm making myself want to go there right now just thinking about it. read more

I wish I could give this place a negative 10. I spent 17 dollars for 4 steak tacos and small fries. Worst money spend on food EVER!! The food is horrible the steak is chewy, barely any flavor, and was undercooked. I had to add salt to the meat. I should've taken the food back but I was being lazy. If you want good tacos go to Fernando's or Maize. Fernando's is the best fyi and reasonable prices. Don't listen to these other reviews because this place is gross . read more

Amy is literally my favorite person ever. Whenever she's working I'm alway overjoyed to have her as my server. I've never had a bad experience with the food nor the service by any staff members. The margaritas (literally any one of them) and the veggie fajita are my go to's each time! Meat lovers and veggies will have no problem finding something to love! read more

Fiesta Cafe has the best Mexican in Champaign/Urbana. Everything isn't made with the same ground beef, there are choices. Ordered a beef taco and had 4 choices of beef from ground to a chipotle marinade. On a nice night, outdoor seating is fun. Great Mexican beer selection and drink specials occur. read more

Love the cimichanga with a huge strawberry margarita at Fiesta! Fun place to eat out and the chips and salsa are good as well.

A top choice for Mexican food. My personal favorite are the Alex tacos. Seriously the best tacos. Great patio to sit out and enjoy a margarita on. read more

I'm not telling you how to order, but the chimichanga is the best I have ever eaten. No other Mexican restaurant makes it this way that I have found. It's huge, and so good. Honestly, I have been here many times and cannot bring myself to order anything else. Maybe one day I will try something else to see if it is as amazing. The staff is great, and they have both indoor and covered outdoor seating. read more

This is a cool place to get some Mexican grub and a Marg on the patio in the summertime. It has a nice attitude that feels very independent, spunky, and spontaneous. The menu is akin to a university neighborhood- very casual and slightly experimental without alot of fuss. Four stars is for the the overall vibe- Enjoy it for what it is!! read more

I always enjoy the chipolte steak soft tacos and the black beans!

Nice patio to sit outside and have margaritas! Amy was our server and was very nice, friendly and even shared her knowledge of the different tequilas and how they're made. Make sure you go inside to check out Elvis. read more

I love Fiesta Cafe. The Alex tacos are always the right choice, because they're huge and delicious. The large guacamole is well worth the money and the wait staff is always very nice and attentive. read more

It's always interesting how everyone has their go-to mexican restaurant...mine, hands down, is Fiesta Cafe. I've been going here since I was a little kid and it's difficult to find another restaurant that can compete. I love how their salsa is always fresh, service is AWESOME, their margaritas are great (get the don julio blanco and you won't be disappointed) My favorite dish is Tacos Mexicanos with chicken and a side of rice with white cheese sauce...mhmmm, delicioso! read more

Fiesta Cafe is a staple just northwest of the University of Illinois campus. The food is authentic, served fresh to order, and absolutely delicious. The prices are reasonable, and there are plenty of selections to choose from on their menu. However, you won't find a "Speedy Gonzales" or "Lunch Special # (1-10)" like every other El Toro, El Matador, Dos Toros, Dos Locos, or whatever other not-a-chain-but-all-the-same-menu restaurants in the midwest. I'm personally a fan of the El Popo Lunch with Alex Pork in my burrito and Chorizo in my taco. Great food, great service, and a great place to hang out for drinks too. read more

I've only been a handful of times, but I always get the tacos carnitas (Mexican style). These are by far some of the best Mexican style tacos I've ever had. It truly never disappoints. The green sauce on top - WOW. read more

4 stars = "yah! I"m a fan" I guess that sums it up. I dig the funky vibe of Fiesta. I use to come here in my early twenties and gorge out. Back in those days, I had not yet been to many authentic taquerias. So I thought Fiesta was amazing. But then again, I also thought Dos Res was awesome. Over the yearsI learned to not just look for cheese covered meats with runny beans and "orange rice", I wanted basic simple Mexican. I became a bit of a Mexican restaurant snob. I moved away, had many many amazing Mexican dishes during my travels. Moved back to CU a couple years ago. Kinda went to Fiesta expecting to not dig it, based on memory that is. Well... i love this spot. It's a long standing tradition of downtown Champaign. I'm a fan of the enchiladas, chicken/mole to be exact. But my real deal it the "mexican tacos", three of those and some great guacamole. boom! Done! Good! It's not the most comfy lookin spot, the booths are a bit stiff sometimes, but it's Fiesta, get over it. The staff is super as well. They are pretty great. read more

Chips and salsa - Bad had to sprinkle salt on em for flavor! The food, maaaaan! Not again, EVER!!! I love Amy tho! LOL

Okay so I eat a lot of Mexican food and I have to say me and my boyfriend were incredibly disappointed in our order and service. We read on the menu that the burritos come drizzled in cheese sauce and we weren't into that (we are both lactose intolerant) so we very clearly and politely asked for the burrito to come with nothing on top of it, especially cheese. Lo and behold, 10 minutes later our burritos come out covered in melted cheese. I'm pregnant and hungry so I just wanted to get out of there before I started whining because I cannot eat this burrito with cheese on it without completely regretting it later. When I told our waiter (who honestly was very kind except for not making it clear to the cooks what we wanted) they said that "it comes baked" which offers no explanation for including ingredients we specifically asked not to have. They also told us that they could possibly talk to the kitchen and MAYBE get it fixed or that they MIGHT not charge us for it if we didn't want to eat them. So we grabbed a box and packaged them to go, figuring we could pick off the cheese and reheat them later on. Later when we arrived home, we found out that these $8.25 burritos solely contain beans and meat (an ingredient which we had to pay $2 extra for yet got barely any meat). On the menu it says that the burrito comes with a choice of beans or rice on the side with no explanation of the filling. So was the plan to feed us beans wrapped in a tortilla with a side of more beans? Really wished we say about that refund when we had the chance. Oh well. Disappointing first experience at a surprisingly decently rated restaurant. read more

They have massively awesome margaritas, and are super vegetarian friendly. Had the vegetarian fajitas, and my wife had the chicken burrito. We both had the black beans. The service was fast, and the staff made a point of making relevant suggestions, and letting us know things we didn't even think to ask. Food beats the hell out of the other Mexican places in town. read more

I just discovered this place recently after 5 years of living in Champaign and always wanted to give it a try. Our server was very friendly. Service was 4~5 star. I'd give the food 3.5 stars. We ordered a horchata, a burrito dinner and the El Presidente. The horchata was SO GOOD! It's perfectly sweetened, very fragrant and smooth! I used to work in New Mexico and really enjoyed New Mexican food. The burrito and El Presidente we ordered at Fiesta were good but were slightly lack of flavor compared to the food I had in NM. I liked the chicken taco in the El Presidente. The chicken was very juicy. However, the steak in my enchilada was on the drier side. They do give a huge portions. Each dish could be two meals for an adult. They also have a long margarita menu (ranges between $5.5 to $12+). Would love to try their margaritas in my next visit. read more

This place isn't authentic at all. It lacks the typical flavor you'd expect of Mexican food. The steak was very very tough, I could barely chew it. The chicken was also extremely bland. I only gave two stars because the complementary chips and salsa weren't bad, but again not amazing. I wouldn't recommend eating here. Just head to Maize for flavor and authentic Mexican food read more

Always run into people I know at this great place. Been going here since they first opened more than 25 years ago. It's a very friendly place with great food and awesome margaritas! read more

Good service, very mediocre food. Ordered a carnitas burrito with beans and rice.

Amy is the best! Ask for her section to get the full fiesta experience and then order yourself some Alex Toco's!

I threw up after eating at this place, the chips are so salty, and they don't stop giving them to you even though you don't request them. Got the order wrong, but we worked something out. The shrimp was mushy and the veggies where bland, and the salsa was very sour. It took 30 mins for the waiter to bring the one meal. The meal made my stomach bloat to the size of a beach ball, and my friends and family called me a cry baby because I was complaining about the food. Later, I hunched over the counter, and threw up all of the salty "MEXICAN" food I ordered, and was called a bulimic for it. I hate this about Champaign. No true Mexican cuisines, or really any other cuisine besides "American". read more

The best chicken enchiladas you will ever eat. Same with the tamales which have a wonderful rustic taste. Best Mexican restaurant in CU---hands down. read more

Visited the Fiesta as part of a large group. Right off I discovered a friendly and fun atmosphere. Complementary chips and salsa on each table started things off. Our server was at tentative and professional. All meals and drinks were served promptly and little delay between the members of our large group. My chimichanga was perfect. But the most amazing part of the meal was the incredible number of margaritas available-all at reasonable prices. Overall the Fiesta Cafe is a first rate dining experience. The only negative was a not so great band - but by then I had enjoyed 3 margaritas and the band was tolerable. read more

Used to love this place but recently had the worst meal in memory. Every single item ordered was stale, or not up to par and the service was horrible. They are going to have to up their came with Maize (the best place in town for Mexican) opening a larger location nearby. read more

Great service! Margaritas are fantastic! And our food was out within 7 minutes! Waiter was very friendly. I would recommend this restaurant who is trying to get away from the local standards like el toro. Awesome quality in food as well. read more

Awesome food drinks and service. Margaritas are great and the Alex tacos are the best you can get around. Get the queso fundito too

Great staff, comfortable booths, great for a group, family or couple, great prices, location next to new park great to walk off a full meal. One of the first restarants in town, they authentic. read more

Really good food, everything I try has been hot and tasty! Did not like the first time I went many years ago, but they seem to have hit their stride these days and keep impressing me. read more

BUYER BEWARE! Terrible food and horrible "service"! Stephen's review below is exactly what happened to us. Cost-cutting on food is inexcusable and so is having a server and manager with a "so what, too bad attitude". Cheap food preparation: Cans of refried bean mush in a chimichanga instead of beef, potatoes (I think) mixed in with chicken tamales (what the heck are potatoes doing in a tamale?), tiny holders of sour cream, rice definitely not freshly prepared. Even though the lunch menu clearly states one side with entree, I was charged for the rice. "Sorry", said the server and "manager", mistake on the menu. Say what? You have an "error" on your menu and don't honor it? I needed a separate check for expenses. "Sorry", said the server, we no longer do this. Say what? The driest tamales I've ever had: unwrapped before brought to the table. Dry, dry, dry. Were these made several days ago and reheated in a microwave? Upon telling the "manager" of our dissatisfaction, he shrugged his shoulders and didn't care in the least. Mentioning a poor review on Yelp, he said "OK". Well, here it is. Just awful. If you are thinking of going--stay clear and be forewarned. read more

Kelsey Keyes reviews Fiesta Cafe: "It took me a while to come around to Fiesta Cafe, and I still don't think their chips and salsa are as good as those you get at Dos Reales. Still, the food is reliably good. And the fish tacos alone make it worth a visit. Service has always been remarkably friendly, and generally fast. Plus, the building is painted bright pink! What more could you want?" read more

I eat at Fiesta Cafe once every four or five years. Every time I've ordered a different item from the cheesy, MS Wordpad printout menu that never seems to change. It's kind of remarkable how consistently awful the food has been over the last 10 years. I don't think I've ever eaten a decent meal there. Any of the typically applicable laws of physics and would dictate that by now all the typewriter monkeys that edit the menus should have somehow shitted out something less edible than the tacos here. Go to Taco Bell and eat it on the Fiesta Cafe Patio . Then you won't have to fight yourself to leave a tip. read more

I used to enjoy Fiesta Cafe, but the last two times I've gone it has been barely edible. There is no flavor in the food, the restaurant is dirty (there was a dead fly in the window by our table). The chicken tasted as if it had gone bad, the cheese dip was runny, the beans were flavorless and the chips stale. There is nothing worth paying for at this place. read more

Well well maybe some people like Fiesta or some people prefer cheap ingredients or prefer water in the margaritas and margarita mix, Fiesta Cafe is one of the first mexican restaurants in Champaign and Personal I love "asado relleno" "steak fajitas" and "tacos mexicanos" to who don't know real mexican food for sure will choose other places read more