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Monical's Pizza

2.8 (60 reviews)
ModeratePizza, Italian, Salad
Closed 11:00 am - 11:00 pm

Monical's Pizza Photos

Business Info

MONICAL'S PIZZA ATMOSPHERE

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

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Recommended Reviews - Monical's Pizza

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Reviews With Photos

BBQ Chicken - Specialty Pizza (added red onion)
Arjun G.

This isn't the worst pizza I've ever had, but it isn't amazing either. The BBQ chicken doesn't come with onions, so we made sure to add those. Even still the chicken was a little dry, and the crust was a little bland. The barbecue sauce was delicious though, and overall pizza isn't bad. I might go for a different crust option next time though.

Tim B.

Enjoyed going to get pizza here!! The place was clean and decorated very nice. Our waitress was friendly and attentive to our needs. Bread sticks were good and the pizza was really tasty also. Highly recommended as I've heard the locals really like it as well.

Burnt really

When we think of Monical's we think of hometown pride. With the cost being pretty high we expect good quality pizza. This was not good quality and that is why we are second guessing to continue going here.

Mia V.

It's not physically possible for me to visit Champaign without stopping in at Monicals. It's what I grew up on and any good foodie is loyal to their childhood favorites. Yes, there are better pizzas in the world but, for me, this experience is sacred. I love this Monicals location - right off Mattis and centrally located with plenty of parking. Always bustling, the restaurant is roomy with several different "wings". I love how they also incorporated the University theme at the entry. Here is my favorite thing to order The People Pleaser - this consists of a large bowl of shredded iceberg lettuce, shredded cheese and tomatoes. This is not a nutritional salad but I don't care - this is what I expect when go to Monicals. Pizza - Super thin crust, pepperoni, mushroom and sausage. BOOM. Oh, and they cut it into squares. Which means I get to indulge in the coveted corner pieces. Yes, I'm a little off center when it comes to my favorite foods. Finally, you MUST (and I mean must) dip your pizza in french dressing. It's probably the most sugary thing I've consumed in a while and most likely contains high fructose corn syrup and red dye #5 but that's what i came there for. Monicals is incredibly consistent and has been for 40+ years. Thank God for that.... Overall a fun experience with my extended family - we all loved it! Can I just tell you how sad I am, however, that I left my leftovers, including the precious French Dressing, in the refrigerator of my hotel. #StillInMourning

Here's a night time picture of Monical's Pizza on N Mattis Ave in Champaign.
Tyler N.

This review was for the Monicals Pizza on north Mattis Avenue on June 25, 2012. I had a $10 coupon to try a new style of pizza that Monicals was starting to offer. A stuffed pizza. Mine was to have sausage and pepperoni . Wellll... they evidently didn't know everything they needed to know to make this a success. Complete disaster. First pizza was BURNT.... badly. I'll upload s picture of it after I'm done with this review. After I called back and reported the burnt pizza, I arrived back to the store at the time they said it'd be ready...maybe even a couple minutes after. When I entered ... they said it needed a couple more minutes. He took the pizza out. Checked inside temperature with thermometer. Then put it back in for another few minutes. Pulled it back out. Checked its temperature again. And ... this time .. it was evidently good enough to send home with me. By now it's way more than an hour after first calling to place the original order and I'm getting pretty hungry. I arrived home. Open up my well anticipated prized pizza ... and ... the pizza was raw on the inside! Which is what the whole process of checking the temperature on the inside was all about. Prior to receiving the pizza, I was lectured about how important it was for the inside temperature was to reach a certain point or it could be bad news. Normally, when you bite into a freshly cooked pizza, the pizza is HOT to the mouth and tongue. There were still COOL parts (less than 98.6 degrees) and even some of the cheese was still the rectangular shredded shape. A fair amount of the cheese in the center hadn't melted together to make one gooey wonderful blend of melted cheese. I've got a picture of that too! I'll post it as well. This is my favorite and closest Monicals. I've been eating Monicals pizza for more than 4 decades (back to the 60's). I've written about this on Facebook. I've filled out a web survey complaint form. Annnnd ... nothing. Not even a call or email saying they are sorry for such a crappy pizza. Because of that, I will not eat at this Monicals location.

a half eaten pizza

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4 months ago

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2 years ago

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7 years ago

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2 years ago

The Florentine deep dish pizza and green salad are excellent. They delivered it right to our hotel room in less than a hour.

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4 years ago

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6 years ago

Monical's is always a favorite of mine. The crispy thin crust is always fantastic. I could drink the French dressing. No shame.

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16 years ago

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18 years ago

Horrible food and overpriced. Go to the grocery store and get some frozen pizza, it's probably better quality and about 5 times cheaper.

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18 years ago

The best thin crust pizza ever! Whenever we visit Champaign, we have to go to Monical's a couple of times so I can get my fix. =)

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10 years ago

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Ask the Community - Monical's Pizza

Review Highlights - Monical's Pizza

Finally, you MUST (and I mean must) dip your pizza in french dressing.

Mentioned in 4 reviews

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50 minutes. 2 items. Placed an online order for a wrap and a bowl. Showed up about 20 minutes…read moreafter ordering, only to have them start on the order. Stand in the pickup area for another 30 minutes. Told at 15 minutes 'the press isn't heated up yet' (now 11:00a - lunch service). Watched 3 wrap orders get served to eat-in patrons after this. Asked staff multiple times about the order with different excuses, eventually being ignored. Food is decent - it's a great option to have in town, but never again with that level of service. Wasted my entire lunch hour waiting.

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I am upset. This rating is for the food only. The food was…read moreso far below what I'm used to from this restaurant (which is normally a favorite). What we got: New Yorker on jalapeño bread 3/10 Tomato "bisque" 2/10 Black Angus spud 2/10 Broccoli soup 5.5/10 Sugar cookies 7/10 Banana butterscotch pie 6/10 Let's talk about why each item got it's rating. The NY was a half sandwich, which we weren't told. Flavors were mute & dull, very lacking. Tomato "bisque" should not be called that, it was offensively acidic/bitter. I honestly can't imagine how it went wrong in so many ways. The BAS upset me the most by far. It was an unseasoned, unloved, meat slab spud. No flavor, tough meat and no condiments to be found. I couldn't even tuck in because of the effort it took to cut into pieces. Broccoli soup was subpar, not seasoned and lacking but the best thing I ate in this meal. Why are the cookies sooooooo thin? But the taste was expected. Lastly the pie.... if it weren't for the absolutely soaked crust it would've been great. The filing was smooth and yummy but the crust was inedible. **Now normally I don't go so deep on a review but I was really caught off guard.

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This place was within walking distance of my cousins house so I walked down for a quick bite…read more I was quickly seated. The menu looked delicious but I choose the Ruben based on the servers rec. it was great. The corned beef was tasty, the cheese was the perfect amount. Nicely warmed on a seedless marbled rye. The salad was so fresh with an incredible greed goddess dressing that is house made. The restaurant has a cozy cafe feel. I do feel it's a bit pricey for a college town. I know if I were a student that I couldn't afford over $20 plus gratuity for a sandwich, side salad and soda. I know, it's fresh and homemade and the economy has changed but I'm just stating the facts.

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Excellent food and service. Great atmosphere and dining…read moreexperience. I recommend for business lunch or a special date.

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Monical's Pizza - pizza - Updated July 2026

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