What a gem! Visited for lunch with my daughter and her boyfriend and enjoyed everything we ordered…read more The sandwiches are huge. Split an eggplant parm sandwich with my vegetarian daughter, and it was still too much for us to eat. Tasty and not greasy. We also tried the porchetta, also top notch and easily enough for two. Broccoli pasta salad (more broccoli than pasta) was a surprise sleeper hit. We really enjoyed the cannoli for dessert. Do note it's not super sweet. That's our preference, but could see how others might want more sugar. Good selection of gelato. The peanut gelato was more peanutty than peanut butter. Gelato has a great texture. If I lived in UC, would be here multiple times a month. It's a better Italian deli than we have in Washington, DC.

I've dined here several occasions and locations. They did a pop-up kitchen in Stone Grove when it…read morewas at Old Farms. I think I was pregnant and demolished two sandwiches: porketta and the other escapes me. If they offered a dessert, I probably got that too and enjoyed it. I recall great service and food. Located at Lincoln Square, the nonprofit I managed had a gig for another organization. Nothing to do with the food, but communicating an appropriate place for us to set up and perform was difficult. In the current location, my friend and I ordered pizzas for lunch. We probably could've shared one and split a salad. It was generous. We asked for take home boxes and were provided a box of foil. We wrapped up our pizza slices and the lady who took our order marched over and demanded the foil back. When she saw we had pizza she said she should've given us boxes. Maybe I'll give it a try again in the future and it won't be weird.

The service was horrible. Waited 15 minutes past the time the delivery order was to be picked up…read more What's the point of ordering ahead if you still have to wait just as long if not longer than if you had ordered in store? Ridiculous!

Ambiance: Clean well maintained interior…read more Service: Staff were friendly and had no issues with adding extra toppings Food: Sub was exactly as expected. Meat was freshly cut and bread was not stale. I got the club sub that included bacon which was very crispy. Truly a sub from above. If you want a nice meaty and juicy sub come here!

PEKARA BAKERY & BISTRO: A HAIKU…read more Polished, quaint menu, a plain panini arrives, pickle steals the show.

Great donuts. High prices. Breakfast sandwiches are not it. I ordered three breakfast sandwiches…read moreonline (which you customize toppings) and not ONE sandwich was correct. Everyone was upset with the sandwiches and the bagels were subpar.

each ordered a bowl of soup and a tea. the "bowl" was a cup and was $7.19! came with 2 small…read moretortilla chips and a few broken pieces. I asked about my order saying I didn't order a cup of soup I ordered a bowl! was told that was the bowl now, a little smaller! HA! We definitely will not be back!!

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.

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!

I ordered a Dee-Dee's Cutlets Sandwich (on the restaurant week's menu) to go. It was delicious! The…read moresandwich contained a big chicken cutlets, and mozzarella (kind of herb seasoned), and was just suitable for feeding me full during dinner. People here were so nice and friendly! I see that it's only open during dinner time through Thursday to Saturday. I think students would be happy if Dee-Dee's Beef could expand its opening hours to lunch throughout the week! Looking forward to that to happen!

Prediction: Dee-Dee's Beef will soon become a Champaign-Urbana institution…read more This place is the real deal. They know what they do extraordinarily well and stick to it. I had never had an authentic Italian beef sandwich before, but after last night, I knew I had had the best in the state, outside of Chicago perhaps. Their menu is straight-forward and harkens back to deli and sandwich shops of old. In fact, I had assumed that Dee-Dee's had been around for decades. My combo sandwich was heavy duty, bursting with beef, juice, and flavor. If you are a more economical eater, unlike myself, then you could certainly get two meals out of it. Customer service was above and beyond. I imagine that I corresponded directly over the phone and counter with one of the Owners when placing and picking up my order. Located in the Cracked restaurant space right on Green Street, they are open three days a week (for now) and accept all major credit cards. We will be back, no question.

This sandwich shop remains unmatched. We came in for Mindy's Italian and Rainbow Veggie sandwiches…read more The ingredients are fresh, the vinegar is expertly balanced, and the French bread gives every bite a crunch. Bravo!

I have officially had the best sandwich in my life, thanks to this place. I'm visiting a friend,…read moreand found Cheese and Crackers on Yelp. I'm not a sandwich person, but my 16 year old is, and I wanted something I could eat to-go. You can smell the scent of yummy as you walked into the door. It appears to be a gourmet grocery store, specializing in sushi grade seafood, pasta from Italy, fancy cheeses, meats, caviar, and sodas from around the country. They had diet Cheerwine, even. I've never seen so many different root beers in one place- there was even a pumpkin root beer! There wasn't a BLT on the menu, but they custom made one for my son, and he added pesto and provolone. He declared it the best BLT ever, and knocked his favorite sandwich place back home to second place. I had the Thanksgiving everyday. A $16 buck sandwich, I was skeptical it wasn't going to live up to its price point. However, it was worth every cent. It was turkey, goat cheese, and homemade cranberry sauce on sourdough, and grilled panini style on a press. The turkey was sliced fresh- everything was made fresh. The taste was absolutely amazing. I live in California, but hate most sourdough bread, because that tang tastes spoiled. You don't have that weird taste with Cheese and Crackers sourdough bread- it's just delicious toasted buttered bread. It was the right texture and made it crunch. The crew appeared very hardworking and enjoyed their jobs. We were greeted kindly, and felt welcome. I use a walker, and was able to navigate the store, but note the space is kinda small. Since I don't live here, I'm going to do my best to recreate my sandwich at home. Cheese and Crackers- thanks for teaching me about a delicious flavor combination, and for providing an enjoyable epicurean experience.

Fantastic place for a light lunch. The draw is fresh ingredients served simply…read more I ordered the hummus sandwich and house onion soup. The sandwich was served on their sweet batard that was pillowy and slightly moist like it came from the oven just an hour beforehand. The garlic hummus was generously spread over both sides with crisp lettuce and tomato -- and sweet pickles -- in between. The soup is flavored with only salt and pepper which gives it a warmth that complements the beef stock's savory taste. Overheard, while I waited for my lunch to be served: "This sandwich is amazing!" I heartily agree.

Overall wonderful experience! My sandwich was so bussin and fire. They had fast service and the…read morevibes were amazing. I was able to study and nap and enjoy my break from classes!