I find it so wonderful that I can live in CU for this many years and still find new stuff that has been around for quite a while. I stopped into Fiesta Cafe after a friend told me about his first visit a week earlier. What attracted me the most was their (HUGE) margarita menu. I'm a pretty big tequila head and not a huge fan of Wedge in downtown champaign so I was really excited to try something new. First of all, the drank. It was delicious. The margaritas aren't the cheapest things in the world if you get a decent tequila in them but I came for the higher end stuff so I didn't mind. I think it was around $7-8 for a 16 oz margarita that was maybe the best one I've had at a restaurant ever. I was so happy to just sit there sipping on it and eating the bottomless chips and salsa that I forgot that there was dinner to be had as well until my waiter reminded me! As for the food, it's not perfect. I ordered the (HUGE) fajita quesadilla from the appetizer menu and the person I was with ordered the Alex tacos. The food tasted great, but it wasn't exactly authentic. But to be honest I feel like some kind of jerkoff for even saying that. When it comes down to it this place serves pretty great TexMex, which I don't mind at all. If you're looking to reach for your authenticity measuring stick every time you go to an "ethnic" restaurant, first of all quit it, and second of all this is not the place for you. But if you dig tequila and (HUGE) quesadillas then boy are you in for a treat. Will be back again and again and again. read more

I've been coming here sporadically for 2+ years. EXCELLENT food and the service is just as great, all the staff are friendly and polite. Tacos Mexicanos are phenomenal, the chicken chimichangas are great and the mole is DECADENT! Chips and salsa are also really tasty! read more

Fiesta Cafe - Chicken chimichanga! - Mexican Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

My wife and I have been going to Fiesta for 10 years? We almost always get the same thing carne asada for her. Sometimes they seem to scrimp a bit on the beef. ( depends who is kitchen?) A veggie black bean chimichanga for me. I have sent 2 back in 20 years. I call that consistent! One time for sure, I know it was because of a staff change in the kitchen. We will sometimes get Mexican fried potatoes.( French fries with paprika, salt etc?) they are ok. Always slightly undercooked. Chili con queso is great. Bean dip is great also. I generally mix hot salsa in with either on of them. Salsa and chips appetizer is good. They started salting them recently? Not a fan of that. Another restaurant in town, El toro salts everything like crazy. ( to drive drink sales?!) I imagine fiestas change is a reaction to El Toro. Don't give in to the dark side Ron! We often get a pitcher of margaritas. They are inconsistent and sometimes bad in the last 5 years. I think they switched to a mix like everyone else in town. They used to be home (prepared before in kitchen) made I think. Seems like they jacked up the price pitchers too. Fiesta used to be a narrow little place. Over the years they have expanded. Tripled their capacity? Always a healthy crowd. Cleanliness has never been a concern. Parking has always been an issue. Spaces out back through bumpy parking lot?! Another reviewer had an issue with being greeted with a smile, handed a menu and told " seat yourself". Uptight much?! Hmmm that's called casual and friendly. "Go to El Toro and eat salty cafeteria food with the other dimwits." I say! The waitstaff has always been nice and friendly. When I tell people Fiesta is possibly my favorite restaurant in Champaign, they ask me why. I say, "Because it is very very good and very very consistent." They have a turnover of waitstaff like all restaurants. But I bet the turnover is much lower than most, because of good hands on management. And that is probably why the food is consistent. The owner is there most every time I visit. Is Fiesta authentic Mexican? Tex Mex? I dunno. It's Fiesta and it's consistently delicious. BTW. Fiesta is a gay friendly place. Kinda like how most places are straight friendly. You might see a higher than average gay crowd on occasion late night in back. I have been going here for 20 years. But, I am not a personal friend of anyone. But Amy has been our waitress many times. She is super cool. Ask for her section, she will treat you well. She's a pro. Ron the owner is a sweet guy. I have only had a few occasions to talk to him about problems over the years. But when I did it was fixed quickly without issue. He will often wait or bus tables! and seems to be a super guy. Fiesta is a big part of Champaign culture if you ask me! Papa Del's is the best Chicagoish pizza is town! Fiesta is the best Mexicanish food in town! read more

This place is awful!!! I have never left a terrible review before. Our experiences have been terrible. We tried to give it a few chances. We have now made our last trip there. The service, rude and inattentive. The food, a cross between you can't believe how bland beans can be, to the tacos were either so salty you couldn't eat them, to other tacos (el pastor) so full of fat chunks you were searching for meat. We mention our experience with the food when we had to flag down the bus person, as our server was never found, he asked if we wanted to see the manager. We agreed; then when telling the manager about our experience that day, he simply said "Okay". We have to leave one star. My kids liked the cheese dip, the salsa and chips were alright and then bus person was more attentive than the server. read more

This place reminded me of Burrito King. Tried the Fish Filet Dinner with rice/pinto beans. It was great, and way too much! Friend didn't like the black beans much though. Excellent service, they serve chips and salsa too. read more

The typical Tex-Mex place. Another spot in Champaign that seems like it has been open forever. The building is made of adobe, with a great shaded outdoor seating area. A few dinning areas inside with a bar in the back room as well. Service is hit or miss, depending on how many people are here. The food is very typical for this kind of joint. Tacos, burritos, chimichanga, and various lunch specials and combinations. Globs of refried beans and starchy rice. A bunch of different margaritas, and a crap beer list. That is it. Good for a nostalgic trip when visiting the family. Though nothing to go out of your way for. read more

Do not eat here. Everyone is lying about how good this place is. their tacos are really overpriced, 3.95 for just one taco. If a place is going to charge that much, I wouldn't mind if they actually tasted good. Fernando's and maize are the best in CU. The service was absolutely terrible; the hostess got an attitude because we asked if we could take the complimentary nachos to go, and they are just rude. The steak meat was extremely tough and chewy, some pieces were still red, and had no flavor! Worst 12 bucks I spent. My stomach still hurts three days later. read more

Love their chili con quest, Alex tacos and of course all their margaritas- fresh style!

I love this place! As soon as I come back for a visit I'm going to get an Alex Taco! Also Amy is the best waitress! read more

This place tastes like Mexican food made for people that don't really like Mexican food. It's not very spicy and the flavors feel muted compared to more authentic restaurants. Sincerely we've moved out here we've looked for good Mexican restaurants, and so far we are still looking for a good place. The best thing this place has going for it is a fairly nice ambiance that I imagine is really awesome once it's hot out. read more

Fairly priced. Friendly service. The food is not bad but overall lacks seasoning. My favorites were the enchiladas verdes de pollo and the rice. Pork burrito had way too much refried beans in it (I'd get it again and ask them to leave out the beans) but the pork was good. Salsa is not hot and pretty bland but they have a lot of hot sauce options on the tables. Alex tacos were flavorful but way too oily (I suspect they don't drain the fat from the seasoned, ground pork). Will visit again, try more things, and tailor my order given this experience. read more

Fiesta Cafe - Burrito/enchilada combo - Mexican Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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Wow, this place has bad food. Ordered the Alex Tacos, which were loaded with stuff but tasted horrible. They were nice and friendly enough to offer a replacement and I asked for a chicken burrito. It came on a plate with red spice and melted cheese on a very hot plate that was definitely warmed up in the microwave. The cheese and sauce tasted like a cheep pizza. I left money on the table and left. I hope to never experience such food ever again. read more

Very good greasy-spoon Mexican place. My husband and I both had margaritas, and they were great- not too sweet, nice amount of salt. Make sure you look at all of the options- we ordered "fresh" which uses fresh lime juice. They have tons of tequila choices. Nachos we shared were good, and the small order was more than enough for two of us. My husband had the mixed fajitas, and enjoyed them. Portion was huge, and we brought about half of it home. I had the pozole and Alex taco. Both were flavorful. Pozole had a nice amount of spice. We'll return. read more

My favorite restaurant! Food is always fresh and delicious. So many fresh made margaritas to choose from. Great service from all the staff, but love Amy! Hands down the cleanest restaurant around! Love the recently remodeled bar area and the live entertainment on select evenings. You won't be disappointed! read more

I just moved from greater Boston area, and was excited to try out Mexican restaurant in Champaign area. I had ordered chicken chimichanga, but was really disappointed. The plate looked and tasted disastrous. Chips and salsa were good , but my dish was just really awful. read more

I strongly advise against visiting this business. I ordered from them through DoorDash and was shorted two tacos despite having paid for them, meaning I paid $9 for one pork taco. When I called, the worker told me it was DoorDash's fault and refused to remedy the issue. I just wanted the tacos I ordered or even a refund for those items, but they instead chose to treat me with total disrespect, telling me lies about DoorDash that I easily disproved with a google search. As a member of the LGBTQ community, I am extremely disappointed the only gay-owned restaurant in town chose to lose a customer for life today. To add insult to injury, the taco was subpar. read more

Three stars for the food, and an extra for the great margaritas; Food-wise, I left full but don't remember being too impressed based on the number on the receipt, but the service I had was good. They've got a wide selection of tequilas to fit you budget or tastes, and the mix was pretty good, too. read more

This place has gone down hill. I ordered fish tacos and they came with absolutely no flavor. Service is slow and they don't check on you during your meal. read more

This is our absolute favorite restaurant for Mexican food! We have gone here for years, and go almost every week. The food is great, and while it's not the cheapest in town it is very reasonable for the quality and quantity. Somebody obviously has a personal issue with one of the staff and is stirring up a hate campaign. Grow up, people! read more

DO NOT GET THE NACHOS. I ordered the "vegetarian nachos" and the cheese and beans were BURNED (it looked microwaved) and it had a huge pile of shredded lettuce on top. I very politely told the waiter that I did not like the food because it was burned and he said "okay I'll let them know". Then came back with my check!!! So I had to pay for burned food that I didn't even eat!!!! Very dissatisfied and I will never return. read more

The best Mexican food in town! You can't go wrong with cheese or beef enchiladas here, truly amazing! Also they have excellent salsa and chips-fresh and homemade. Amy is also a great waitress read more

We had a great server named Alfredo. He was really nice and was always checking on us. The food was really good and came out super quick. I also had their frozen strawberry margaritas and those were delicious! Definitely going back. Prices are also great. read more

This is a great place to eat. My wife and I always enjoy coming here. Service is excellent. I wish I could get here and actually grab a drink here. They have the best eggs. Gotta love the cool retro deco design too. Hoping this place stays around for a long time. read more

While visiting Champagne to drop off my daughters bicycle at school, we took her and a friend to the Fiesta Cafe. The service was great and food was fair. Although, the casadia's my daughter and her friend had were rather dull and void of taste. There really isn't that much taste to a casadia anyway? I had the carne asada and my wife had a taco dinner. We thought our entree's were good, but not spectacular. Don't ask for the sour cream either! It is serve in squeeze pouches that do not add anything to the meal or the ambiance. Beer was cold and the Margarita's were good. We'll try this establishment again, because we really enjoy mexican food and this is about the only show in town. read more

Food was very bland. It didn't taste like anything. The guacamole was good though. Oh well

Very casual, comfortable place, a little further off campus. Laid back. AWESOME vegetarian burritos and chimichangas, good guac, and I like them Margaritas man! Huevos rancheros is another favorite of mine. The vegetarian food there is truly so, you don't have to ask if it's made with clam sauce, chicken broth, lard, etc. Small place with an expanded dining room in back, and sometimes gets rather busy, but some of the best Mexican in Champaign. read more

Excellent food, exceptional service, great margaritas. Had the combo fajitas, chicken and shrimp. If there's one thing that could be improved on... I'd recommend they step-up the size of the shrimp. The table chips and salsa was the best I've had locally. read more

Worst experience of my life in a restaurant. The burrito I had was 90% refried beans and when the owner, Ron came over to the table he insulted me by telling me "welcome to the Fiesta". In other words, it is what it is. He said he has been making burritos this way for 28 years and everyone loves them he said. I said I have been eating them for the same amount of time and I have never had one like this before. No apology, just basically very defensive like, too bad, this is the way it is. The server was outstanding so an appropriate tip was left. Honestly, the owner should take lessons in customer service from his staff. So unprofessional. Also, referred to my wife as "Hun" when she was trying to make a point. I have never been so angry in a restaurant before. When I said I was going to post a bad review on Yelp, he said "go ahead". When I said he has lost a customer, he said "that's fine". We had been here many times in the past but never again. There are better owners out there that care about their customers. This one obviously could care less. read more

Fiesta Cafe - Mexican Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

I freaking love this place. I'm a foody and Mexican is my favorite. I just wish I found it earlier!!! More authentic than something super Americanized like Maize. I would recommend this place to everyone and anyone! read more

Not very impressive when the host hands you the menus and tells you your booth is in the back??? Margarita good:). Fish tacos and chips not stellar;(. Would not return:( read more

I used to love this place, but it seems the food isn't as good as it used to be. My beef burrito was mostly beans and almost no beef. We were given menus outside and told to find our own seats inside - not the best for customer service - although our waiter was excellent. $2 Pacifico beer was a plus. read more

If you're thinking about eating here, there are almost certainly better places you could go. I ordered the chiles rellenos and was pretty disappointed. Ingredients seemed low-quality and overall preparation was subpar. Everything was drowned in a red sauce that tasted canned. I have made this dish better at home. The place also isn't kept up very well, and the view from the patio where we sat was a little depressing. However, our server was a really nice guy. Overall I'd give the place one star based solely on food and atmosphere, but I bumped it up to two for the service. read more

Always great food and service .......the drinks are amazing...................amy is the best server

I picked 4 stars, which means, according to Yelp, "yay! I'm a fan." And I am, because this is one of my go-to restaurants. It doesn't close at 7:30 pm, like every other place in town, so I think it gets a lot of business because it can cater to the crowd that doesn't eat dinner at 5 and then get all tuckered out around 8. I considered writing a long review, but it really boils down to this: this place will stuff you with food, mostly chips and salsa if you're at my table, and they won't stop refilling everything until you tell them you can't eat any more. Which you will do in a kind of thick, goopy voice because you're actually so full of food your body is storing it in your chest and throat. I secretly think that the staff likes the spectacle of gluttony, but I don't care. When I go there, it's because I want to get fat and happy and that's what happens. read more

I agree with many of the criticisms listed by other reviewers (chips not great, some dishes can be bland, etc), but Fiesta is still my favorite Mexican place in CU. I am a vegetarian, and I love that they have such a good variety of dishes available without meat. I particularly love the chimichangas. I also am not a fan of refried beans, so I love that Fiesta has the option of black beans for all their dishes. It is definitely a "comfort food" type of restaurant for me, cheap and cozy and consistent. read more

Not very authentic, and my rice was severely undercooked. They used yellow cheese on my tacos. Much better choices for Mexican food in Champaign. read more

You know, I really, really *want* to like this place; but I'm always disappointed. One star for very good mild salsa with the chips. One star because my 5 year old son said "Can we come here again sometime? This chicken taco is great!" Here were the problems: -Chips were somewhat stale. Chips are always stale. We have never been happy with the chips here. -No mexican kids' meals. In order to get my son a taco with beans and rice, something we ALWAYS get at other local mexican restaurants for about $3, I had to buy a whole adult 2-taco meal for $6. -Our water glasses were repeatedly filled before our food arrived, but we were ignored after the food arrived, when we really needed water. -All the plates were HOT, including the plate for my son. They had obviously been warming awhile, as all the rice was quite dried out and hard. -About 5 minutes after my food arrived, I got around to taking a bite of my chimichanga. Then promptly spit it out, as it was HOT. Temperature hot - it really burned my tongue; it's still painful now, 2 hours later. As far as I can tell, my chicken chimichanga was mostly refried beans; I'll try the leftovers tomorrow when it's cooler. -My husband's "supreme nachos" were chips topped with (too spicy) chili, a little bit of cheese sauce, and a ton of jalapenos and sour cream. He doesn't like super spicy foods, and found them largely inedible. -They short-changed us on the coupon I used. Based on tonight's performance alone, I would have given them just 1 star; but we have been there before, and it wasn't as bad. And I guess I should cut them a little slack on the service, as is was a Friday night. This seems to be a place you either love, or... not so much. I know a lot of locals seem to like it (we thought they wouldn't be so busy tonight, as they are right next to campus, and students aren't back yet - guess students aren't their primary constituency). And they do have several dishes that are different than the usual tex-mex fare (possibly more authentic, though I can't really judge). But I really don't see our family going back there anytime soon. Especially with so many other local mexican restaurants. read more

My favorite Mexican restaurant! They have the best enchiladas I've ever had! I've had enchiladas at just about every Mexican restaurant in town as well as in many in other cities and none comes even close. The service is always good. Some have complained here that they get to choose their own place to sit. I wouldn't complain about that--I think that is a plus! I also agree with those who like Amy. She's a great waiter. read more

I love coming here. There's a lot of margaritas to choose from and the staff is always friendly. The food and the drinks are great!

Laid back place. I had the best carnitas tacos ("mexicano style" soft corn tortillas, lime & cilantro) but honestly, some of the worse rice & beans I've ever had....skip those. And the sour cream comes in the little packages like you would get at Wendy's or something....The complimentary chips and salsa were great, and the staff friendly and attentive. Pretty decent food overall. We had a party of 8 for lunch and surprisingly they accommodated us immediately, but the place filled up quickly, and not all with just college students. FYI-The lunch specials are yummy and a great price-check them out. read more