The Courier Cafe

Our first time sitting down and eating here and the visit was phenomenal. I had the main street cheese burger with Swiss and fries and my partner had the bayou burger with slaw and both dishes were super fresh. The atmosphere was amazing, very cozy. Feels like home a little. Service was great too, Miranda was super friendly and quick and accommodating.

I love the location, it's so cute. The parking is cramped but accessible. I do love the vibe of the place and loved to see young black girls working the register and in other areas of the place.. yes that matters to me because since moving to Champaign, I haven't seen a lot of that. I originally wanted soup but didn't know their lunch hours differed on the weekend. Lunch starts 11:45a, I was there at 11:25a. I honestly was bummed out but since I was there and lacked enthusiasm to go elsewhere I stayed and had breakfast. Food was mid.. but maybe that's because I really didn't have a taste for what I ordered. Tried their banana Walnut pancakes and they were decent. There seemed to be maybe 2 ladies serving and I had a bit of a wait trying to catch my server to request previously requested condiments. I'm coming back again for my soup.

One of the nice hidden places in Urbana downtown. Had best chicken tenders here at a good price. Friendly staff.

It was a Tuesday late in the morning. I called first for reservations but they said they didn’t take reservations that it was walk in only. We got there at 11:25 and there were 4 people ahead of us (2 couples). But they were seated pretty quickly. We were told we would be seated next and I saw a table for 9 that was set up. Others kept coming in and they were all seated before us. It was now 11:45. I asked how much longer, they said a table needed to clear up. So I asked about the empty table for 9. She said that was for someone who had made a reservation for 11:30! I was surprised since I was told reservations were not taken. I mentioned that, and the lady told me that was a person who was friends with the owners. Then I asked if it was an 11:30 reservation and it was now 11:50, isn’t there a time you hold the table until? She agreed and went in to check with someone else. Came back out and completely ignored me. By this time we had waited 25 minutes. I said, “I guess we’re not getting a table” and she responded “I guess not”. At that point my daughters and I felt even though there were no racial remarks, it definitely felt we were a minority they did not care about! (Just by their whole demeanor, being ignored, others being seated before us who came later) We will definitely not be visiting this place again. And neither will my friend and her two daughters. We then went to our usual brunch place Original Pancake House, where we were welcomed by friendly staff, there was a wait, but they were fair and just to all those who waited for their turn. No favorites and definitely did not get ignored!

Nice dinner with my wife. Get the Skinny Dippers! My Reuben was fantastic, nice crispy bread and very flavorful! Only issue is someone (not our server, she was GREAT!) on two separate occasions tried to take dishes off of our table that still had food on them we wanted to finish. Otherwise, an overall wonderful meal.

Always have a good time here. One of the classic vibe American breakfast restaurants in Urbana.

Saw another review about how impossible it is to get seated and how they take reservations for some people but not others and wanted to echo the sentiment. I've been here a few times and HAVEN'T been able to get in because of the insane wait times. Every time I've tried to go we are told it's a 40 minute wait even when there are open seats. The hostesses just stare at you like deer in headlights and forget the order they checked people in. I wanted to like this place because of all the other nice reviews, but I haven't actually been able to try the food.

Was there on Sunday. Not a long wait for the table. Busy place. That told me must be good. It was. My daughter and I had pancakes. Walnut banana for her.
I had a short stack. All good. Will come back again soon.

Great service. Delicious almond french toast. Great price too. My new favorite breakfast spot when I'm in the area.
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5/16/2023
I think there was a miscommunication on both mine and the waitresses part! My lunch partner and I just ended up getting the salad bar so not to be sitting another 30 minutes without any service. The salad bar was fresh and delicious!

It had been 30 years since my last visit and it was fantastic. Great food and great service. I had the deluxe ribeye sandwich and it did not disappoint. Perfectly cooked and seasoned.