From our BEST new restaurants of the decade feature: The WheelHouse in St. Joseph opened up in 2017. There just aren’t a ton of restaurants like this in St. Joe — which could mean one of …
From our BEST new restaurants of the decade feature: As I made mention in our BEST Food + Drink of the decade feature, Carmon’s was just entirely too short lived. It kinda pains me to think …
Two dispensaries in Champaign-Urbana will have recreational marijuana for sale starting tomorrow, January 1st, at 6 a.m., as Illinois is legalizing recreational marijuana state wide. Sunnyside in Champaign (formerly known as Phoenix Botanical), is owned by …
From our BEST new restaurants of the decade feature: Very few entrepreneurs have the courage that Matt Cho does. After initial success with Cafeteria and Co. and Sipyard, he set his sights on a bigger …
From our BEST new restaurants of the decade feature: What started out as a catering business, hustling porketta sandwiches at pop ups and special events, has turned into a full fledged restaurant, and expansive menu, and …
From our BEST Music of the decade feature: The reunion that we didn’t really expect to see that would send waves across the world of midwest emo was American Football getting back together after nearly …
From our BEST Music of the decade feature: This is an opinion shared by Patrick Singer and myself, so we are going to go with it. Fact is, there are tons of great pickers and …
From our BEST Culture of the decade feature: Of course, as we go through our BEST of the decade week, there are plenty of people who make this place a pretty terrific place to exist. …
From our BEST Arts of the decade feature: Eight artists with eight hours to each create a work of art live in and front of (and often in collaboration with) an audience of local art …
From our BEST Music of the decade feature: The almost 30 year history of the event says enough. But the running list of bands covering bands, and dressing up and making it a thing year …
From our BEST Food + Drink of the decade feature: Golden Harbor makes several appearances in our BEST of the decade round ups (spoilers, sorry!). It’s for good reason. The Chinese food restaurant serves very delicious …
From our BEST Culture of the decade feature: A truly dynamic duo on the local political stage, nothing truly passes muster for the (D)s these days without the approval and support of Carol Ammons, and …
From our BEST Arts of the decade feature: For the past decade, Urbanite has consistently been the most energized and culturally diverse display of artistic engagement in Champaign-Urbana. Executive Producer Douglas Layne, with tireless help from Ashley …
From our BEST new restaurants of the decade feature: I’m not sure I can say anything about Pizzeria Antica that I haven’t already said. It’s probably my favorite pizza in C-U, which I have mentioned before. I …
From our BEST Music of the decade feature: It’s easy to talk about live music from one’s own perspective, from the purview of the type of music we love. In America, and in the middle …
From our BEST Food + Drink of the decade feature: Mike N Molly’s will forever hold a place in my heart for a variety of reasons: the type of bar it was, the constant stream …
From our BEST Culture of the decade feature: Japan House is a local treasure. And if you haven’t discovered it yet, then you obviously don’t read Smile Politely very often, because we are not shy …
From our BEST Arts of the decade feature: I’ve done my fair share of gushing about Champaign-Urbana Adventures in Time and Space here on Smile Politely, and that is not without merit. In my experience …
From our BEST new restaurants of the decade feature: Nando, named for a now 13-year-old dachshund you see in the logo, moved into Downtown Champaign in 2016 as a second location. The original is in …
From our BEST Music of the decade feature: Not to paint with a broad brush, but The Velvet Elvis was different than a lot of venues you might consider a “house” venue. Meaning, it did …
From our BEST Food + Drink of the decade feature: It should be clear to you by now that Jin Park is laser focused on making sure to find smart ways to elevate Champaign-Urbana’s dining scene. …
From our BEST Culture of the decade feature: We have not yet compiled a list of the best parks in Champaign-Urbana, but when we do, Hessel Park will be a top contender. This park has …
From our BEST Arts of the decade feature: Deke Weaver’s Unreliable Bestiary performances are clever, moving, humorous, and devastating. They are transformational: You are not the same person at the end of the performances as you were …
From our BEST new restaurants of the decade feature: Let me preface this by saying I seriously mourned the loss of Escobar’s. It was a favorite date night spot, and their sangria was something to …
From our BEST Music of the decade feature: The future prospects of this amazing upstart chapter of Girls Rock! is, in some ways, representative of what the next decade of music and learning might look …
From our BEST Food + Drink of the decade feature: You may recall that this was an entry in WORST 2017, and suffice to say that it went over about as well as a lead balloon. …
From our BEST Culture of the decade feature: The list of things that Sam Smith does here and abroad is astounding. When he’s not bridging the gaps in Champaign-Urbana’s long history of campus / community …
From our BEST Arts of the decade feature: Few programs bring together such a wide variety of talented artists as Pens to Lens’ yearly screenwriting and filmmaking competitions. Started in 2013, Pens to Lens inspired …
From our BEST new restaurants of the decade feature: In a different decade, Watson’s Shack & Rail probably hits a Top 5 entry here. As you will read below and what we wrote above, there …
From our BEST Music of the decade feature: We’ve seen a lot of venues shutter up these past ten years. Stages have been replaced with seats, identities have changed, and the way people consume entertainment …
From our BEST Food + Drink of the decade feature: When Mike N Molly’s closed in 2016, Ashley Buerkett mourned it like the rest of us, but instead also got to work with her partner …
From our BEST Culture of the decade feature: I can’t fully express how sad I am that Golden Harbor’s social media presence is no more. It was funny and uplifting, and made our BEST lists …
From our BEST Arts of the decade feature: Over the years, Champaign-Urbana has been lucky to play host to some of our nation’s great authors. Add Nafissa Thompson-Spires’ name to that list. With an ethical …
From our BEST new restaurants of the decade feature: I am so happy to eat Caribbean Grill’s food. Like many, I first experienced CG at Taste of C-U. It was hard to get to Refinery …
From our BEST Music of the decade feature: There was a particular moment in 2017 where I was watching Crofton Coleman and The Amber Sky perform at The Accord, at the very end of the …
From our BEST Food + Drink of the decade feature: We’re certain of a few things when it comes to operating this magazine: people care about eating and drinking, and people care about nostalgia in …
From our BEST Culture of the decade feature: In this community we focus a lot on men’s sports, particularly Illini basketball and football. This is not unique to C-U by any means, it’s generally the …
From our BEST new restaurants of the decade feature: Very few entrepreneurs have the courage that Matt Cho does. After initial success with Cafeteria and Co. and Sipyard, he set his sights on a bigger …
From our BEST Arts of the decade feature: Typically, there’s a discussion that goes alongside a piece of artwork, regardless of the form it takes. We’ve been doing this as humans for a very, very …
From our BEST new restaurants of the decade feature: When MIGA opened, it became a welcomed addition to Downtown Champaign, which featured a lot of bars and casual sit-down restaurants already. Even in the dense center …
I happened upon this delightful ornament on my friend’s Christmas tree last week, and my heart skipped a beat. Those of you who have been living in Champaign-Urbana for long enough surely remember Yen Ching, …
From our BEST Music of the decade feature: Although Polyvinyl Records itself isn’t an export of Champaign-Urbana in the sense that they are sending things out into the world that are from here, certainly, the work …
From our BEST Food + Drink of the decade feature: Filling a still very large void in our community, Red Herring continues to serve us well by dishing out the finest in vegan cuisine almost …
From our BEST Culture of the decade feature: Though there’s a good amount of red in this state, it is still sometimes hard to believe that Bruce Rauner served as our state’s governor for a …
From our BEST Arts of the decade feature: Last spring, Re-Fashioned, a re-use student fashion show helmed by University of Illinois School of Art + Design faculty member Susan Becker, celebrated its 12th runway season. This show, …
From our BEST new restaurants of the decade feature: This was a much anticipated addition to the restaurant scene, and just squeezed into the decade, opening early in 2019. As you can see, there are …
From our BEST Music of the decade/BEST albums of the decade features: Matthew Campbell and Robert Hirschfeld’s work as Common Loon functioned as two bookends to a decade in local music releases: their debut record, The …
From our BEST Food + Drink of the decade feature: You would be hard pressed to find a more controversial topic in the food service industry in town than the proliferation of food trucks over …
From our BEST Culture of the decade feature: Political engagement ebbs and flows over years and even generations, but the latter portion of this decade has seen a pretty significant shift in activism both nationwide, …
