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We Are Illinois

partner publisher · 5.8K followers
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Joliet Rock Club The Forge Ends Nine-year Run As Chicago Venues Shift And Expand

The Forge in Joliet is closing its doors after nine years as a go-to spot for heavy music fans, while Chicago's Salt Shed is planning a massive expansion across the street with a new 15,000-seat outdoor stage.

Chicago, IL · 8d

Q985

partner publisher · 3.8K followers
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Illinois Barbecue Rivals Texas & Memphis, But Nobody's Talking

Forget what you think you know about Illinois food. The barbecue here is legit and deserves way more attention than it gets.

Illinois · 5d

fastfoodclub.com

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Winter Comfort Food Keeps Regulars Loyal To These 6 Illinois Family Diners

When January wind rips across Illinois, a plate of biscuits and gravy starts to look like a solid life plan. Family diners have always been where people warm up, catch up, and order the same thing they ordered last winter. This list covers six of them, from Rockford down to...

Illinois · 8d
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everafterinthewoods.com

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Pierogi, Borscht Or Kielbasa Fill The Menus At These 9 Illinois Eastern European Spots

Chocolate pierogi exist, and somebody in Illinois is making them for dessert. I didn’t know I needed that sentence until I read it. That discovery sent me down a very hungry rabbit hole. I found a Polish restaurant on the shore of a lake, a deli where the owner hands out samples, and a lunch counter serving something called a Polish gyro.

Illinois · 9d
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everafterinthewoods.com

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This Unassuming Illinois Pork Tenderloin Joint In Atlanta Serves Sandwiches Wider Than The Plate

A working 1950s pinball machine still blinks away inside a Route 66 diner that traces its story back to the 1930s. Upstairs, there’s a small museum. Across the street stands a giant man holding a hot dog. That’s a lot of personality for one small Illinois block. The cafe...

Atlanta, IL · 9d

familydestinationsguide.com

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The 8 Illinois Restaurants That Deserve A Spot On Your Foodie Bucket List Right Now

Ready to find the best restaurants in Illinois for your foodie bucket list?. These 8 restaurants serve up incredible flavors and unforgettable dining experiences!. 1. Alongi’s Italian Restaurant (Du Quoin) Some restaurants just feel like a warm hug the moment you walk in. Alongi’s Italian Restaurant in Du Quoin...

Illinois · 18d

familydestinationsguide.com

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8 Illinois Restaurants So Unique They Could Easily Star In Their Own Reality Television Show

Ready to find the most show-stopping restaurants in Illinois?. These 8 unique spots serve up unforgettable food and one-of-a-kind experiences!. Most restaurants just put food on a plate and call it a night, but EL Ideas has a completely different idea about what dinner should be. This Chicago spot is...

Chicago, IL · 14d

fastfoodclub.com

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Eight Illinois Courthouse-Square Eateries Where Small-Town Gossip Comes With Your Eggs

Every Illinois county seat has a courthouse, and almost every courthouse square has a cafe where the coffee pot never seems to sit still. These are the places where farmers, shop owners, and retirees trade news before the stores open, and where a stranger can learn more about a town in one breakfast than in a whole afternoon of sightseeing.

Illinois · 9d

everafterinthewoods.com

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Packed Lunch Counters Keep These 7 Illinois Small-Town Cafes Busy Since The 1950s

One Illinois lunch counter never locks its doors, serving horseshoe sandwiches around the clock. Midnight, noon, Tuesday, Sunday. The griddle just keeps going. That detail hooked me fast. Then I learned about a diner with a 1950s pinball machine and a sandwich shop in a building from 1928. Another spot...

Illinois · 9d

familydestinationsguide.com

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This Under-The-Radar Seafood Spot In Illinois Serves Up Some Of The Best Food You’ll Ever Taste

Somewhere in Peoria, Illinois, there’s a restaurant that makes you forget you’re landlocked, and it’s called the Fish House. This place has been quietly serving up some of the most impressive seafood you’ll find anywhere in the Midwest, and somehow, not enough people are talking about it.

Peoria, IL · 15d

unearththevoyage.com

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Nobody Leaves Empty-Handed From These 7 Old-Fashioned Illinois Candy Stores Packed With Retro Sweets

You walk past a small storefront on a quiet Main Street, and a bell jingles as the door swings open. Suddenly you are surrounded by candy you forgot existed, the kind you once bought with pocket change. Across Illinois, a handful of old-fashioned sweet shops still keep that feeling alive,...

Illinois · 8d

unearththevoyage.com

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Grab A Warm Paper Bag Of Donuts At These 8 Illinois Orchards Before The Season Closes

Some of the best bites in Illinois come from places you might drive right past, like a plain farm stand at the end of a gravel lot. You pull in expecting a quick stop, and then someone hands you a warm paper bag that smells like cinnamon and fresh apples.

Illinois · 9d

smilepolitely.com

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Inspiration for Chinese takeout orders

Tomorrow, November 5 is National Chinese Takeout Day. In honor of the holiday and because Champaign-Urbana is home to the BEST Chinese food in the nation, here’s an alphabetical round up of our Chinese restaurant reviews in one handy dandy list. Click the links to read our most recently...

Urbana, IL · 6d

We Are Illinois

partner publisher · 5.8K followers

Belvidere To Champaign, Illinois Barbecue Rivals Texas And Memphis

Illinois has some seriously good barbecue tucked away in small towns and Chicago neighborhoods, but most people don't realize it's even there.

Illinois · 5d

smilepolitely.com

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An interview with Everyday Feast Bakery

As Smile Politely readers know from my review of Everyday Feast, this small business has been making fresh salads and dangerously delicious cookies at Urbana’s Market at The Square since 2024. The rye brown butter blondie with chocolate chips and any cookie with fruit are favorites in our house.

Urbana, IL · 7d

mindfullyamerican.com

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7 Portillo’s Orders Illinoisans Defend Like Family

Everybody has a go-to order, and everybody thinks theirs is the right one. At Portillo’s, Illinoisans can get downright protective about what they order at the counter. Here are the picks that tend to start the debate. 1. Chocolate Cake Shake. A 2017 DNAinfo Chicago guide describes Portillo’s Chocolate...

Illinois · 13d

unearththevoyage.com

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These 6 Illinois Restaurants Turn Dinner Into A Show Kids Talk About All Week

I once pulled into a plain parking lot expecting a quick meal and walked out with a kid who would not stop talking about it for days. That is the magic of a dinner that doubles as a show, and Illinois has more of these spots than you might guess.

Illinois · 9d

smilepolitely.com

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Five things to eat or drink: November 2026

With a warm latte in hand and tasty plans on the horizon, let’s welcome November. My five things list this month showcases the gamut of food and drink: something from a bar, a cafe, a food truck, a brand-new restaurant, and an old restaurant’s second location. Before we get to the list—in the spirit of November, I want to express gratitude to all the local restauranteurs, chefs, servers, bakers, bartenders, baristas, runners, bussers, dishwashers, and hungry readers like you. Thank you.

Urbana, IL · 8d

unearththevoyage.com

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Illinois Isn’t A Seafood State, Yet These 9 Spots Serve Fish Worth The Drive

Illinois sits about a thousand miles from the nearest ocean, so great seafood is not the first thing most folks expect here. But every so often you pull into a plain little lot, smell something frying or smoking, and realize you have found a place you will be thinking about for weeks.

Illinois · 8d