Guido’s Bar & Grill

Had a grilled ham & cheese sandwich that was good. Tater tots were cooked just right. Sat at the bar and service was pretty poor considering it was a Saturday evening and they weren’t very busy.

Ate at Guido’s early Saturday evening. Great burgers, great service. Great date night– would love to go back and try the «boozy milkshakes»

Pretty standard bar fair. A little over priced but great location and a good selection of brews make up for that. Friday fish is their best dish.

Went here during the recent Dad’s Day weekend at University of Illinois. It was a hugely busy weekend, so Guido’s was packed. Pleased to report that though the food took a long time (Dad’s Day is always packed) it was good and the service friendly.

Over the course of a week, there comes a time in a college student’s life when the dining hall food is not an option and cooking a meal requires too much effort. On this particular Thursday, that is exactly what my roommate and I were going through. We typically go for our favorite restaurants (usually the ones within a short drive), however, we tasked ourselves with trying new restaurants in the Champaign-​Urbana area this semester. And that is how we ended up at Guido’s Bar & Grill.
Menu: Big font for the name and smaller font for food description; Subtle colors of maroon, black, goldish yellow, brown
I am the type of person that usually is able to find something right away no matter what the menu offers. However, this time was difficult because the menu did not have as much as I expected. I was in the mood for a sandwich and decided to get the Buffalo Chicken. This consisted chicken breasts battered and deep fried, spicy sauce, melted Swiss cheese, ranch or bleu cheese dressing (I chose bleu cheese)! I honestly only chose this option because it came with all toppings and a choice of a side item. Might as well get the most out of my money, right? For my side choice, I chose my favorite of tater tots.
Restaurant: Spacious room with the bar in the center and surrounded with multiple booths with low lighting.
My roommate and I decided on takeout and were surprised at the amount of people in the restaurant who were studying and networking. When we walked in, we simply walked to the bar and were asked if we ordered takeout. When we said yes, the bartender simply gave us our receipts and then our food with minimal taste.
Food: This is where it gets real.
Nothing is more terrifying than a hungry college student and unfortunately, Guido’s did not meet the mark to satisfy my needs. The food was not as tasty as I expected and it might have been to the combination of the spice as well as the condiments. Also, on a sad note, the sandwich lacked the bleu cheese, which may have aided in the taste. For some reason, the blend of all the ingredients actually made the food quite bland. On a plus note, the tater tots were the perfect combination of crunch on the outside and softness on the inside.
Overall, I do not think that I would return for any of the entrees at this restaurant. Yet, I do think that that their sides would be a great snack on a late night of studying!

Great service and good bar food. Cute place. Smells a bit like the day after of a huge party but what else would you expect at a sports bar close to U of I campus. The beer list is extensive. High back booths are cool. Wouldn’t be my first choice but it was good.

Went for lunch today. Carle coworker (who I was at dog of blackness with yesterday) had decided we wanted to have Black Bean Burgers from the carle coffee shop today. When we got to the coffee shop, it was inexplicably closed. So as we sadly walked back to our desks, we pondered «where can we get a black bean burger from?» He mentioned «doesn’t guido’s have them» and I’m like «yeah». But we also wanted to get the fried mushrooms, and sadly, guido’s doesn’t have fried mushrooms. On a happy note, they have eggplant fries.
So, we drive to downtown Champaign.
Walk into Guidos. I attempt to sit at the bar (as I’m bar folk) but he doesn’t prefer that (he gets plumbers crack sometimes and doesn’t like to sit in exposed back chairs… tmi?) So we grab a booth.
Immediately a server comes to take our drink order, mountain dew for me, diet for him. Drinks arrived momentarily. She asks if we need some time to look at the menu. As we knew what we were in for, we said «nope». Both ordered the black bean burger, his with fries, mine a side of the eggplant fries and toppings on the side.
I go to do outside things.
I come inside, sit down, we chat about office things. Food arrives shortly thereafter.
Black bean burger is as good as a black bean burger can be (and that’s pretty good). Eggplant fries are both eggplant and fried. He tries one, as he’s never heard of such a thing, he becomes a fan.
She refills his diet.
Food is done, she asks if we are ready to pay, we say yes. She drops the checks. She comes back a minute later when we’ve pulled out our cards. She runs them. She brings it back. We sign. We go.
It’s about as perfect a blackbean burger and eggplant fries lunch as you could ask for.
I managed to not go play the devil boxes.

I came in with a friend for some bar food on a Friday.
I have actually been here before with a friend before but only for drinks.
The place is pretty nice on the inside. Clean, fairly spacious and a cool atmosphere. We looked over the menus and started with quesadillas. The menu is pretty basic, most of your standard bar food, plus a few salads and a few other options. Nothing too crazy, but we really weren’t looking for anything too different tonight so it was all good.
The quesadillas were pretty tasty. The cheese was melty and the corn and other contents were tasty as well. Not 5 minutes after our quesedillas came, so did our sandwiches. I ordered the (only available on Friday) beer battered cod sandwich and she got a buffalo chicken sandwich. Mine was pretty tasty. Very messy to eat but I think anything beer-​battered is pretty good. The fish was a decent portion, too. I got tater tots for my side and these were pretty standard, as most tater tots are. She said she liked her buffalo chicken sandwich, and that’s all I can say for that.
Our server was nice, but the entire experience seemed a little rushed. We got our sandwiches a bit too quickly after our appetizer came out. I wasn’t even 75% done with my sandwich when we were asked if we wanted anything else, and when we said no she asked if we wanted the check. I’m not the fastest eater, but the whole sit down experience couldn’t have been longer than 20 minutes, it was a little too rushed especially since there wasn’t really anyone waiting to be seated.
My other qualm was the price. Our entire meal, 2 sandwiches and 1 appetizer, without drinks, came out to nearly $ 28. After tip, we were at nearly $ 35, for bar food, with just water as our drinks. I just think this was way too expensive for what it was. At nearly $ 20/​person there are definitely better options in the area. I also remember the one time I came here last semester, the drinks were pretty expensive too.
Overall, it was expensive for what it was, I felt a little rushed, but the food wasn’t bad.

Came here for drinks on a Friday night. 2 stars because my tab was 15.50 for two well vodkas and lemonade and 2 Budweiser bottles. 15 fucking 50 who the hell does this place think it is. Really did we magically take a road trip to Chicago. God damn I’m just so mad that a bar this average in central Illinois would have the balls to charge that for 4 cheap drinks. What ever guido’s keep over charging people for drinks I won’t come back here.

Wow! Who knew eggplant fries were so good?!? The service was a slow start, but the food was great! I had a black bean burger with eggplant fries, delish! It also has a lovely outdoor seating area. I would dine there again.

I keep coming back over and over for a good drink at a nice bar. It’s great for our friends and my wife because we can both really enjoy what we enjoy whether it’s her wide variety of beer or martinis or my usual order of an Old Fashioned or Manhattan. They do both very well and at a reasonable price. Bar food is good and the atmosphere can range from hip and jumping, to sports night, to low level relaxation depending on time of year or time of day.

This is a bar that i have been to a lot of networking and social events so I can only speak to that aspect of the business. I have not come to this restaurant and sat upstairs to get real service or anything. But, there is a great space downstairs that is versatile and easily used for events.
The bartenders are always very friendly and nice. Also, the bar food is fantastic but it usually is always running late coming out of the kitchen. But please, indulge in the quesadillas, tiny burgers, and chicken fingers with honey mustard: D.

I came here for a work happy hour and our group received substandard service. The server was unfamiliar with the beer list. Our group started as three and then grew to just 6. Not a large group and it was surprising when she was annoyed that the additional people that joined wanted to order food. It was only 6:30 — 7:00 on a Friday night, so we weren’t putting anyone out as the place was fairly empty. This was my first visit and my last.

I had not been to Guido’s for several years. When my work group came for happy hour, I was totally down. We received our menus and I asked if the draft beer menu was up to date. The waitress said yes and walked away. The menu listed 4 beers as seasonal. When she came back, I asked her what the seasonal beers were for Sam Adams, Bells, Leinenkugels, and Stone. She let me know that they didn’t have any Bells or Sam Adams seasonal beers, but had Lienie Summer Shady and an Avery IPA available. The entire time, she was surly and annoyed with my questions.
I just wanted to know what was on tap at your bar. Give me a break.
After my drink, I left my group and had a wonderful experience at Radio Maria.

Food just never up to par. Walk across the street to try something else. Good bar though.

Mediocre to sub par. Great location is wasted on the below average food. Started out with simple chips/​salsa. Salsa was out of a jar. Chips were restaurant supply, not fresh. Oh well.$ 4 I’ll never get back. Wife had eggplant sandwich on the server recommendation. No flavor, nothing to write home about. Left half-​eaten. I had the classic with cheese and bacon. Meat had no seasoning. Chinsy on the bacon. Wendy’s classic has more flavor.
Service was outstanding. Beer list was decent. Unimpressed and will not go back for food.

Last time we came here, it was a busy Saturday night and after being seated, the staff had no idea. After waiting for 15 minutes, we notified the bouncer and had to wait an additional 5 minutes. At that point we left and still saw no sign of the waitress.
2 stars for half price drafts on Wednesday.

I was really impressed with Guido’s. Couple of my friends that attend UIUC love dining off-​campus here, and I can see why — fab food, affordable beer menu, great service. I was surprised to not have to wait for a table during the height of Saturday dinner rush. Once I sat down our waitress came by, gave me a water and took my beer order. Totally friendly and personable, she took good care of us [wish I could remember her name!]. The five of us were catching up and she seemed to have perfect timing for when to come by for drink refills/​seeing how we’re doing.
I ended up with the Western burger and eggplant fries [thanks be to Unilocal]. Totally in love with the entire meal. I’d never had an eggplant fry before and would come back just for a basket of those suckers. Definitely a cool place in an area that seems to be getting fairly hip.

While nothing is particularly wrong with Guido’s, it is not a place I go unless I am with a group. I only ever go there during the day as the crowd at night is a bit too annoying. Tends to be frequented by young (early 20s) looking to score. Not really my scene.
For the food there are better burgers & sandwiches, better nachos, and better salads at the many other places downtown. The staff is very friendly and the prices very reasonable but again I can find that at most of the places downtown.
During the summer it is nice to sit outside as they have a prime people watching location.
Guido’s is good for large groups.

Came in, sat at the bar, tried to order a beer. Bartender didn’t have the proper drink menu. Took him about five minutes to show the proper menu. Drinks are ordered and given to us. Didn’t check on our status at all (e.g., how are the beers, need a refill). Overall, a horrible experience.
No need to waste time here when there are so many other better choices, all of which have so much better service.
To be fair, the bartender could have just been a jerk.