Taking my wife to the Rutgers game and heading up to CU tomorrow. It’s been perhaps a decade since I’ve been to CU and that was mostly business related.
Any suggestions for bars Saturday night with perhaps some live music? Restaurant suggestions? I scoured trip advisor and my how things have changed since I moved away in 95.
Looking forward to this 60 year old once again looking like a 25 year old rabid, die hard, crazed Illini fan for a couple hours on Sunday. I’m sure she’ll be so proud. Yikes.
Suggestions from my brethren much appreciated in advance.
I L L . . .
I only get to CU once or twice a year for a game, but if you have not been in a decade, I STRONGLY recommend spending some time Downtown ... it has changed a ton since my first time being in that area (circa 2015), and I have heard it is straight-up unrecognizable from pre-2014. While there are a ton of cool spots, these are the two that we hit every single time we are in Champaign:
1. If you want a nicer dinner,
Nando Milano in Downtown Champaign is tough to beat. Excellent atmosphere right next to that area of Downtown that is cut off to traffic and is like one giant patio. The food, of course, is also phenomenal.
2. For a casual beer,
Blind Pig Brewery is our go-to and always will be. Note that there is another Blind Pig location that is also cool, but the one in Neil Street is the coolest, IMO ... it has a back area that leads into one of the best beer gardens I have ever frequented!
I figured others would give great Campustown locations, so I figured this is the best thing I could offer!