• the217
• Food + Drink
• Top 5 places to eat with live entertainment

Besides my post-graduation plans, where to go for dinner is one of the hardest decisions for me to make. Deciding where I want to listen to some good live music is another problem in itself, so deciding where to go for dinner and catch a show? Forget it! But there are a few places that can make this fickle girl happy.

The Iron Post (120 S. Race St., Urbana)

I mainly go here for my Jazz fix. Back home, I’d have to drive an hour out to Chicago for some good live Jazz. The Iron Post is a convenient 10-minute walk from my apartment. Plus, I love my stuffing my face with their bleu cheeseburger and fries while chugging it all down with a Honey Brown. Good times, man.

Aroma Café (118 N. Neil St., Champaign)

I’ve mentioned Aroma before in my list of off-campus coffee shops, but it applies in this situation as well. Where else can you sip on a latte, munch on a yummy Cuban sandwich and listen to live, acoustic music on Thursday nights? Ok, so maybe there are other places in town that fit the bill, but the atmosphere is inviting and comfortable that Aroma stands heads above the rest.

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts (500 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana)

Every time I purchase a ticket from Krannert, my excitement makes me forget to stop by Intermezzo Café. I can’t even remember to go during regular hours when I need some grub in between classes. The first time I actually got around to trying the food, I had one of the best chicken salad sandwiches I ever had. Yes, chicken salad sounds mundane, but you know it’s a good place if they can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary (It’s clichéd, I know).

The Embassy Tavern (114 S. Race St., Urbana)

If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m pro-Urbana. So sue me. After stuffing my face and enjoying some live music over at the Iron Post, I venture over to the Embassy Tavern and continue my binge eating and drinking. Except this time I’m eating a full order of hot wings and chugging Strongbow Ciders. Oh yeah, and Dragon Karaoke on Wednesdays is fun too.

Pasha Mediterranean Cuisine (2506 Village Green Place, Champaign)

If you're tired of the same dishes that usually comprise your diet, venture off to Pasha and delve into a Turkish or Greek meal to shake things up for you palette. If you go on a Saturday, you can catch the live entertainment of belly-dancing while you nibble on some lamb or scoop up your humus and babaganush. It's quite a trek from campus, but well worth the trip.