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Sidney Saloon »
Address: 204 S. David St. Sidney, IL 61877
Phone: (217) 688-3161
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Philo Tavern »
Address: 101 1/2 Washington St. Philo, IL 61864
Phone: (217) 684-2117
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Sadorus Pub »
Address: 109 E. Market Sadorus, IL 61872
Phone: (217) 598-2919
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CU is brimming with restaurants. There are rows of chain restaurants with predictable menus. There are brightly colored buildings for all different ethnicities. There are diners known for their late night breakfast and cups of coffee. All different tastes, preferences and cultures can find satisfaction with the area’s restaurants, but there is a whole dining world to be explored just outside Champaign County. Ten minutes from Champaign are options that may remind you more of home — more personal, slow-paced dining experiences.

This summer, take Route 130 a little past the new Meijer and head to the Sidney Saloon or the Philo Tavern, or take Route 45 past the Savoy 16 and visit the Sadorus Pub or Bridget’s Blarney Stone in Ivesdale. A nice summer drive is the perfect preface to the dining experiences these restaurants offer.

The Sidney Saloon hasn’t been around long, opening in 2005, two years after Sidney’s change from a “dry” to “wet” village. The Saloon offers a typical selection of bar food — hamburgers, chicken strips, pork tenderloins, fries and onion rings are a few menu items — the difference is quality.

“The food is really good, especially our hamburgers. We use our own cattle.” said Cindy Mumm, the Saloon’s manager. The Sidney Saloon hand patties all of their hamburgers and gets the Angus beef from Block Farms, in Broadlands and Paris, Ill .

Wednesdays, they have a taco night. “We make 145 tacos, and we sell out,” Mumm said. At $1.50 a taco with drink specials every night, it’s easy to see how the Sidney Saloon can be a big attraction. Regardless of popularity, the Sidney Saloon offers a friendly, genuine atmosphere. The Saloon is a smaller restaurant, with nice outdoor seating, new TVs around the bar and a wide beer and liquor selection.

“It’s not a rough place. Everyone’s friendly. Even my kids love it,” said Margi Eldridge, a Sidney Saloon bartender since last year. During the early evening, the Sidney Saloon is a family friendly restaurant environment, but by nightfall, the bar side comes out as well, making it a place for everyone.

Only about a seven-minute drive from Champaign, straight south on 130, is the Philo Tavern.

“It’s a destination place. You have to go for a drive to get here.” said Brad Bollman, co-owner of the Philo Tavern. Bollman has operated the Tavern for six years but has worked there since 1987. “It’s homey and comfortable,” Bollman said while wrapping containers of raw chicken for the Thursday night fried chicken dinner crowd. Despite the large amount of chicken the Tavern will be cooking, fish is their most popular seller. Friday nights, the Tavern cooks fried cod or cod almondine as well as fried catfish. “A lot of people like the fish, but the prime rib is my favorite,” Bollman said. Saturday is the Tavern’s prime rib night, with a side of twice-baked potatoes available as well. They can be added to any dinner for only $1.50, and considering these potatoes are baked, laboriously hand scooped, then mixed with cheese, sour scream, bacon and then baked again, it’s a steal. On top of the food is a comfortable environment. “It’s a relaxed place,” said Mona Murray, a bartender at the Tavern. “There’s no hurrying and getting you out.” The Philo Tavern also offers a screened beer garden, which is heated in the winter and open-air in the summer. There’s also a small pond in the back, which adds to the relaxed, small-town atmosphere that keeps people making the drive out.

The Sadorus Pub is a short drive south of Tolono on Route 45.

“We see a lot of people from Champaign-Urbana,” said Angie Wright, who co-owns the Pub with her husband, David. The Pub serves prime rib Fridays and Sundays. “We rub and roast it ourselves,” said Wright. Sunday mornings, they serve breakfast from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. The menu offers eggs, pancakes, bacon and home fries in all combinations and arrangements.

There are also all varieties of pie for $2.75 a slice. “We serve homemade pie,” Wright said. “My husband hand makes them every morning.” Whole pies can be sold two days advanced notice.

“It’s a nice little getaway from Champaign,” Wright said, standing behind a wooden bar with a brass rail lining. An assortment of beers chill in a wooden cooler with glass doors behind her. It’s a nice, homey place. Oak and brick are the primary decorations, and Christmas lights around the ceiling create an inviting atmosphere. There’s an open-deck beer garden for warmer months as well. “It’s a good place to come get a home cooked meal and visit with friends.” Wright said.

Bridget’s Blarney Stone in Ivesdale is the furthest drive from Champaign but has an Irish theme and selection of Irish whiskey that will make it worth the drive.

“We have over 20 Irish whiskies,” said Jani Eckstein, bartender for nine of the bar’s 15 years of operation. The bar also has a wide Irish beer selection as well as American whiskies, bourbons and ryes. The Blarney Stone has a beer drinking club, an Irish Whiskey drinking team and an American whiskey drinking team. Through a series of visits, punch cards of selected drinks are completed, and at the end, T-shirts, hats, plaques and honor are awarded. Framed whiskey-drinking degrees decorate the long wall running the length of the bar, and small plaques recognize the beer drinkers on a wooden board. The Irish whiskey team has an apprentice, journeyman, master’s and doctoral level, making it a project that could last a long time. Drinking is not the Blarney Stone’s only draw, either. “The food is spectacular,” Eckstein said. On weekends, two-pound baskets of wings are sold for $7.50. They are sold from Friday to Sunday. “It’s a fresh product, so it’s only until they’re sold out,” Eckstein added.