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    Jack's Cafe

    4.2 (128 reviews)
    Open 7:00 am - 3:00 pm

    Jack's Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    JACK'S CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Jack's Cafe

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    Beef and barley soup. Wasn't sure what to expect but I enjoyed it!
    Rachel W.

    This was a great stop while passing through town. We had really friendly service and you could tell a lot of the guests were regulars. The food was some delicious home cooking like you'd get from your grandparents. My husband got the pork tenderloin manhattan and I got the country fried steak and we thought they both were amazing! The portions were huge and we were in and out in under an hour. There were some really great looking dessert options as well but we were just too stuffed to give any a try. Anybody who is traveling through the area and wants a delicious sit down meal that is nearly as quick as any of the usual fast food or gas station stops should definitely come here and they won't leave disappointed! If we lived closer this would be one of our go to spots.

    Outside
    Antonette B.

    Food is good, must try their half fried chicken. Delicious & juicy. Service is great from everyone, most especially Isac, kind young server/bartender. Thank you for your magic Isac. Ambiance great. Place is clean- thank you. Highly recommended. I also won some money from the machine. Love this type of cafe, homemade. Glad I came and stop by. Visiting from California. Pic's

    Wanda H.

    Maybe it was what I ordered (though it was listed as a FAVORITE), but it seemed good without tippin' over to the great rating. I barely noticed the flavor of the gyro meat in my Greek Skillet, though the feta was more flavorful. The Bloody Mary also was good, but not great. Service was good. Pretty quick, which was nice. Had a touch of truck stop ambiance to it, which I don't consider a bad thing. Would be willing to come back and try other menu items.

    Dining room
    Theda B.

    Always good food at Jack's. Today one of the specials was a roast turkey dinner with stuffing/dressing, mashed potatoes, the veggie I chose was green beans. This meal was delicious. It was bread stuffing and not cornbread, which was part of the reason I ordered it. The turkey was a large portion and was really tender. The stuffing was delicious, beans were tender. The iced tea was good, service was great, as usual. I left stuffed. If you are in the area, stop at Jack's for great food.

    Fried chicken with potatoes and gravy
    Doug L.

    Just a wonderful small town and family style restaurant that has great food and service. We drove about 20 miles from Bloomington to try it out and will definitely go back for more! The fried chicken was so good! Homemade bread!

    Walk over to Jack's for breakfast kind of a haul from the truck parking lot but I'll get there
    Kevin D.

    #50/2023 Jack's Cafe They're second location opened up in 2008. Original was further up the road that was shut down in Fisher Illinois when he moved this location here in the farmland in McLean county just outside of Bloomington Illinois by about 20 minutes on interstate 74. Jack originally from Macedonia who immigrated to the United States in 1974. He opened another location and Tremont Illinois just south of Peoria and 2015 which is currently staffed by his daughters. Jacks is a very well-known local place it does get hit up by some travelers because it does have a bar inside so people that stay at the Holiday inn Express behind the Love's Travel center will sometimes go over there as will truckers. I've seen this place for years the problem is it's quite a bit of a walk for my bad legs from the Love's parking lot to Jack's usually I go across the highway to good old Woody's fifties diner cuz you can park right there at the truck stop however on the 4th of July they opted to close. Jack was running limited hours between 7:00 and 2:00 that day. And as usual I was hungry what else is new. I wanted breakfast Woody's was closed I thought about going over to Arby's at the Love's but then I thought you know what I think I might try the hike over to Jack's I've never been there let's see what it's like. And the journey over begin for me a little bit of a walk and some little distance can't park a truck inside Jack's. Walking in the first thing you notice like many places in Illinois now they have video slots and they have a bar room. This is not an all night club or tavern it just has regular business hours and shuts down but for happy hour here in a hard-working farm area you can come in have a burger and a beer steak and a beer etc. Also you find in this one you can also get some bloody Marys and I think mimosas in the morning too it's listed on the menu as I post it. I came in it wasn't too crowded yet I sat down I noticed when I got ready to leave though they were seating people it was really getting slammed in there. I ordered up some cawfee and took a look at the menu. Had a great choice is available I definitely will come back here again I think if my legs feel like making that walk. I opted for a good old fashioned ham and cheese omelette with hash browns and raisin toast. The ham and cheese omelette was nice it wasn't a great big large size but it was really good the hash browns were very tasty the only thing I wasn't too fond of was the raisin bread. It's fresh homemade sliced raisin bread but to me it just didn't toast that good it had kind of a funky taste but it's all good anyway though I ate it just had to make note. Other than that when I proceed to pay the bill it wasn't bad at all and you paid the server and all in all for first visit it was pretty much just average across the board there was nothing that really stood out but there again there was nothing that really was behind or noticeable for the most part either. Now that I know what it's like and I do decide to walk over there definitely for a dinner and a beer sometime if I'm going to shut her down right there at the loves and sleep that night the review hopefully will improve as I get some more meals thrown down the gullet into the belly.

    Creamy chicken and rice soup
    Sarah L.

    My boyfriend and I stopped on our long road trip from Wisconsin to Georgia. We were planning to just go to a chain but saw Jack's and decided to do a sit-down local lunch. I got the chicken cordon bleu sandwich which came with soup automatically. We upgraded to get fries as well. The soup was okay - very creamy but the chicken seemed pretty processed. The sandwich was very good and large! Fries also hit the spot. I only ate about half of each after the filling soup. My boyfriend got the fettuccine Alfredo and also ate some of the fries. He enjoyed the also large serving of pasta. The best was the service. Our waitress was super attentive and kind and I can tell this is one of those neighborhood/family favorites - many folks knowing other parties dining or the employees themselves. It was good to see. Not remarkable food, but a solid, filling, and happy spot for a weary traveler.

    Italian beef sandwich
    Michael B.

    Listen when travling across Illinois through Leroy you must stop and try this amazing diner style restaurant. You get a cup of soup with every order. The bread is made in house you get an amazing basket at your table. Deserts that are the bomb. Our family had burgers, Turkey dinner special and I had the Italian beef sandwich. Little note when ordering the fries are al cart the portion is large and delicious. Stop and enjoy the amazing food.

    Southwest chicken wrap

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    5 years ago

    Great food, full menu, good service ... we live about 30 minutes away, but still make the drive every other week to enjoy this hidden gem!

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    4 years ago

    We love Jacks! My family's favorite for Sunday morning breakfast :) The chicken stir fry is my fave for dinner!

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    8 years ago

    Went here for breakfast...great people, excellent service, good food and prices! Definitely will come back!

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    8 years ago

    Service was exceptional food was ok nothing spectacular but a decent place to stop with a family on the road they were very accommodating

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    8 years ago

    Great local restaurant with good food.. should go on Thursday and get there lasagne homemade special only available on Thursday

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    Page 2 of 4

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    Martinelli's Market - Bakery & Deli - Bruschetta Sandwich

    Martinelli's Market - Bakery & Deli

    4.5(43 reviews)
    31.4 mi
    $$

    First of all, the quality and variety of the baked goods, as well as the hand made sammiches that…read moreemploy those baked goods are the bomb and probly worth the trip. I've had occasion to make it over to this large bakery/cafe just north of downtown C-U for lunch a couple times and never been disappointed. Granted the food (including a couple fantastic side salad options) isn't cheap, but everything is made properly with high quality ingredients and well worth the occasional splurge. Although we have only tried some samples, there's even a fancy coffee cafe within.5 Factor in that all the employees we've met (including the delivery people out in the Central IL grocery stores) have been pleasantly passionate about their products, and you start to understand how they've come to stand out in what seems like a fading industry. That said, it also seems like the shelves with high end grocery items like exotic olive oils, Momofuku noodles, hard to find jams and other condiments, have dwindled in the last year or two, likely due to tariff-based cost models, but you are still likely to find a new favorite 'something' just browsing while they craft your sammy. Even if it's just a 'cronut' or a loaf of that amazing olive ciabatta or sourdough, it is becoming a mandatory C-U stop for us.

    The Reuben at Martinelli's Market sets the bar. House-roasted Angus beef brisket arrives tender,…read morejuicy, and generously stacked, layered with Grand Cru Alpine Swiss, sauerkraut, and a house-made Russian dressing that ties everything together. Served on their rye, the sandwich is rich yet balanced, showcasing the quality and care behind every ingredient. Quite simply, the top sandwich in Champaign.

    Photos
    Martinelli's Market - Bakery & Deli - A view of our pastry and deli cases.

    A view of our pastry and deli cases.

    Martinelli's Market - Bakery & Deli - Meatbell Sub ($15.95) - housemade meatballs made with local pork and chevon on baguette covered in housemade marinara, provolone, and romano

    Meatbell Sub ($15.95) - housemade meatballs made with local pork and chevon on baguette covered in housemade marinara, provolone, and romano

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    Prosciutto & Fig Sandwich ($16.95) - prosciutto, mozzarella, house-made Mission fig jam, arugula on baguette

    Baldarotta's Porketta & Sicilian Sausage

    Baldarotta's Porketta & Sicilian Sausage

    4.4(107 reviews)
    33.0 mi
    $$

    Hands down the best Italian Beef in region. Staff is the best and new spot always has seating…read more Sandwiches aren't cheap but huge. Very happy this place is around. Miss their pizza.

    Meat sandos make me happy!…read more Glad we stopped by to try this spot! Literally everything was so delish! We were greeted upon entry and although I briefly looked at the menu online, there's so much other randomness that's available! Be sure to follow their socials for specials and limited menu items that aren't on the paper menus at the counter. We ordered the Baldarotta, Italian Beef, and Turkey Pesto-Hot. Also got an order of fries and the Sicilian Potato Salad. Then ran away with 2 pistachio cannolis! There are quite a few tables in the dining area. I really enjoyed that each table was different with a different set of chairs for each table. There are restrooms available...which was great because I definitely got messy! The namesake Baldarotta had a combination of the porketta and sausage and it made me smile from ear to ear! Such a comforting sandwich. The Italian Beef came with a a whole wide container of au jus for optimal dipping and was so flavorful! The Turkey pesto ordered hot (vs. cold) is a game changer! The pesto Mayo was DELISH! Fries were well seasoned. The potato salad had olives in it and I enjoyed that as well! The cannolis we took to go and enjoyed them later that evening! I loved how it wasn't too sweet at all! Parking was easy as there are spaces in the back. They are next to a brewery so could see pairing these tasty eats with a drink or two next door. Will definitely be back!

    Photos
    Baldarotta's Porketta & Sicilian Sausage
    Baldarotta's Porketta & Sicilian Sausage - Yummy cannoli

    Yummy cannoli

    Baldarotta's Porketta & Sicilian Sausage

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    The Brown Bag Deli Restaurant - Tuna salad sandwich

    The Brown Bag Deli Restaurant

    4.3(66 reviews)
    24.0 mi
    $

    Over the last 15 years or more I've been to this establishment maybe 4-5 times; each time I go, I…read moreremember why it's been years since my last visit and I tell myself it wasn't worth it to return when there are so many other options available. This place is incredibly expensive for what you get with regard to the food and the service (or essentially lack thereof). At this time, full simple sandwiches are $12-14 with no sides included (think typical ham and turkey with cheese, tomato, and lettuce with mayo on it that you can make at home), and soups are nearly $8 for a cup and $9 for a bowl. The sandwiches (and "Mexican" fare) have fresh ingredients, but are very mediocre and bland tasting given their simplicity--not remotely worth that price. The high pricing isn't to cover wait staff/cleaning staff or maintaining the facility itself. Orders are taken at the counter and you await to hear your name called to get your food yourself, then rid of all your waste yourself before leaving. The entire dining room was dirty with crumbs on all tables, chairs, and the floor. The trash was full, and the bathroom toilet and urinal both had unflushed waste in them. The place was not busy as it was later afternoon; there were plenty of staff available to keep an eye on the dining room to ensure, at the very least, that the tables and chairs were clean and the trash wasn't full. The building itself is old with a lot(!) of unfinished and inaccessible areas, basic/old tables with cheap "decor". So for over $52 today my spouse and I had two very basic sandwiches, two bowls of semi-warm soup, and two large drinks in a dirty basic dining room after ordering and retrieving the food ourselves. With that price, you'd think the place would be minutely updated and certainly should be cleaner, there would be wait staff, and the food would have much more flavor with much more to it. There are several other places in Monticello to get great tasting food with included sides, cleaner facilities and wait staff, all for less than the price of a basic sandwich that you get here. I love to support small businesses and the staff were certainly friendly so I feel a bit guilty for this review, but this needs to be said about this incredibly overhyped place. This time I won't forget why I infrequent this establishment and won't be back.

    Thanks to Yelp, I found the Brown Bag Deli in Monticello while there for visit to Allerton Park one…read moreSaturday, and enjoyed our lunch there. First off, there is a bit of a wait for your order, but trust me, it's worth it. We were there at a prime Saturday lunch hour and the wait was a bit long but I have to tell you, these are REAL 'sandwich artists' that work for this great little place, and they take great care with your order. Plenty of sides to choose from, drinks and homemade pie for dessert, too! I do not order Tuna Salad out bcz I'm always disappointed but I took a chance here at the BBD, and wow did I enjoy my meal. White bread, Tuna Salad, onion and pickle...SO DELICIOUS!!! I was very full after eating the sandwich too. Hubs had the Dagwood Special and totally enjoyed it. Bypass the fast food across the street and visit this great little diner in downtown Monticello. You will be happy you did!

    Photos
    The Brown Bag Deli Restaurant - Triple berry pie Oreo silk pie

    Triple berry pie Oreo silk pie

    The Brown Bag Deli Restaurant - The Dagwood special

    The Dagwood special

    The Brown Bag Deli Restaurant

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    Jack's Cafe - steak - Updated May 2026

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