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!

The running joke of the ice cream machine not working started at this McDonald's. Jokeread more

The service is terrible especially for DoorDash drivers. Waited an additional 20 minutes after the…read moreorder was supposed to be prepared.

Just got a hot dog and the bun must have been left over from WWII. Let's do better than this DQ…read more For almost $4 I expect a fresh hot dog bun!!!

You rarely leave with everything you've ordered. And the prices just keep going up while the…read morequality of the food keeps going down.

The hamburgers are seriously REALLY good! The fries can be ordered without the "garlic salt" (for…read moreit tends to be a WHOLE LOT), the servings of fries given is MASSIVE so be prepared,ha. Small dining area but an interesting one. Service is actually pretty quick along with being friendly.

Placed a to go order while we were in town visiting family. They have been saying they love the…read moreburgers so we decided to get burgers and fries for dinner. I got the mozzarella burger with grilled onions, mayo and mustard with salt. I was nervous bc I was the only one that didn't order a double burger but the single was enough. Love that the burger hangs out beyond the bun. There was a good amount of cheese and onion. The salt was just right. Mayo and mustard were good too. Sometimes you just don't get enough but I found it to be the proper amount. Ordered the family size fries and they fed 5 of us with leftovers. The fries were pretty good and crispy too considering they went on a 20 minute journey in the bag back to the house. Would definitely eat here again.

Ordered a $10 chicken salad on white bread....i got chicken salad on two pieces of white…read morebread....no lettuce, no tomatoes no nothing. I should have known as I was the only one in the place at lunchtime today, July 16, 2024. I should've gone to Subway.

This place is mid. We stopped coming back from Chicago since it had good reviews…read more The lady at the counter was nice. Our food took a pretty long time to come out considering we got sandwiches. When we did get our sandwiches, one was completely wrong. We decided it wasn't worth waiting another 15-20 minutes for a new one. The sandwiches themselves were fine. Nothing amazing, nothing terrible. Personally I didn't love the environment. If you don't like nonstop Christian music and groups of women loudly cackling in the corner, this probably isn't your place. They did have cool snacks in their store and the desserts looked good but we didn't try any. Edit to add the bathrooms were really clean and they also had Narcan in both the men and women's which I think is a really cool way to keep an eye out for your neighbors.

Best catfish I've ever had! Light and crispy! I don't know how they do it…read more Friendly staff. A real Midwest atmosphere.

Fantastic fish dinners. I had their catfish filled dinner with fries. Very good at a great price!!read more

Meh. Expected more. The meat was dry and the taste was uneventful for as long at the line was...read more

I have been there 2 times in the last week. New owners have changed the food…read more Hamburgers the first time had a weird flavored bun. Steak sandwich tonight was cubed steak not ribeye like the previous owner used! It was tough and hard. Not good. We won't be back! Milkshake was delicious, haven't changed.

Nice day for a drive! Our car club went out for a drive …read more Most people where having ice cream but we went for lunch. I had a grilled chicken sandwich and my husband had a cheese burger with fries. Both where very good. One of the best chicken sandwiches I have had. I added grilled onions Delicious

The treats are tasty. It's a little pricey. But what isn't these days? I would highly recommend…read moregiving it a shot!

While looking up restaurants once I got settled in at my hotel, I was surprised to find that there…read morewas a Portillo's restaurant in the city of Champaign, Illinois. With it being one of my favorite restaurants back in Chicago, it completed my search for a restaurant. I ended up ordering online via Uber Eats delivery being that I was comfortably settled in for the day, plus watching college football. Portillo's Champaign had a 4.4 rating out of (1,500+) which was the assurance I needed that I would have a quality experience. On the menu, I was interested in ordering either the Plant-based Garden Dog, or the Breaded Whitefish Sandwich. Out of both, I ended up choosing the Plant-based Garden Dog, which is highly a favorite of mine at Portillo's. Whether it be Grubhub or now Uber Eats, I love ordering online because it is convenient. Much praise to the Uber Eats delivery driver, Alexis, for arriving with my order in a reasonable time, as well as meeting me in front of the hotel as requested. And Alexis also confirmed that it was me grabbing the order, which I cannot thank him so much for. My mouth salivated as I took pictures of my order to share on yelp. The Crinkle-cut French Fries were the first item I started with eating and oh my they did not disappoint! While my eyes were peeled to the Georgia Bulldogs vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets college football game on television, my fingers were grabbing French Fries by the second to eat. As a lover of the Plant-based Garden Dog, these eyes of mine lit up prior to taking my first bite. A bite that left me satisfied as my tastebuds were met with the delicious garden dog and its toppings while at the same time poppy seeds fell from the bun. I swear! I can eat a Plant-based Garden Dog each week and still be satisfied with it like I never had it before, tehehe. Now for dessert, the Chocolate Cake Slice was the cherry on top to a satisfying dinner ordered from Portillo's. I would be lying if I said that my mouth was not salivating prior to sticking my fork inside of it. And each forkful of that moist chocolatey piece of heaven left my mouth salivating along with a devilish grin on my face; there was no chocolate left behind, I swear. Being that I had a great ordering experience, I would surely order from Portillo's Champaign again when in the city of Champaign whether it be Uber Eats delivery or takeout. Service: 5 | Ambiance: N/A | Food: 5 ~ Good vibes coming your way ~ Thomas G

I was excited to try out Portillo's for the first time, as all my Chicago-area friends were raving…read moreabout it. I got one classic hot dog and a chili cheese dog, both of which were great. Service was quick, as my order came out about 5-10 minutes after I put it in. The environment is great, as the restaurant has a vintage vibe that really adds to the experience. Definitely recommend if you're in Illinois, 5/5.

My favorite dish here is the teriyaki wrap. I get it with chicken or salmon. Some of the dishes are…read moretoo hot or garlicky for me, but there's plenty I can eat on the menu. A little on the pricey side. But we do eat here regularly. Good service too.

Lived in Mt. Zion for several years and frequented the FourNine when it was still in the little old…read morewhite house and saw it transition into the new building. Was back in town and excited to see they had added a dinner menu. Ordered the NY Strip medium rare. They delivered it well done. Sent it back. 2nd steak arrived medium well+. Had to look really hard to detect even the slightest hint of pink in it. Gave up and decided to suffer through it. Poorest quality cut of steak I have ever had, it was 50% gristle. Positive notes: The fried green tomatoes, bruschetta, and pretzel appetizers are still Excellent. Extreme buyers remorse on my part wishing I would have stuck with one of their tried and true handhelds. Would not recommend ordering steak off the dinner menu based on my experience.