Manolo’s Pizza & Empanadas

Urbana, United States

3.5

Closed now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 217-365-0110
Website:
www.manolospizza.com
Address:
1115 W Oregon St, Urbana, IL, 61801
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
340 ftChemical & Life Sciences
0.3 miIllini Union
0.3 miArmory & Wright
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
No
Delivery
Yes
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
No
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Divey
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
No
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Has TV
No
Waiter Service
No
Caters
No

Today

Today 8:30 am – 2:30 am
Closed now
Local time (Urbana) 6:40 AM Monday, June 2, 2025

Business hours

Monday 8:30 am – 2:30 am
Tuesday 8:30 am – 2:30 am
Wednesday 8:30 am – 2:30 am
Thursday 8:30 am – 2:30 am
Friday 8:30 am – 2:30 am
Saturday 11:00 am – 2:30 am
Sunday 11:00 am – 2:30 am

Description

Specialties

Manolo’s Pizza & Empanadas is known throughout Champaign-​Urbana for our super-​thin, New York-​style, sourdough crust pizzas and our delicious Argentine-​inspired empanadas.

Our pizzas are gourmet, and we’re not just saying that. Though we’re close to campus, please don’t confuse us with those other run-​of-​the-​mill pizza joints. We strive to use fresh, quality ingredients in all of our pizzas, and enjoy pushing the envelop on flavor with our caramelized onion, gorgonzola, goat cheese, portabello mushrooms, and delicious artichoke toppings. Feeling adventurous? Try a pizza with our roasted garlic cream sauce or fresh basil pesto. Looking for a flavor explosion? Break outside the ordinary with one of our specialty pizzas like Modena Veggie.

Similar to a small calzone, our empanadas are a puff pastry shell stuffed with beef, chicken, vegetarian, or desert fillings and baked to perfection. Try our Chicken Inferno for a kick, or our brownie dessert ‘nada to satisfy your sweet tooth.

History

Established in 2007.

Now heading into our fourth year as a business, Manolo’s Pizza and Empanadas likes to look at back at how it all started: we’re the story of one man with a dream to own his own restaurant and the desire to combine three of his great loves: his Italian heritage, his obsession with gourmet cooking and fresh, quality, ingredients, and his new found passion for empanadas — the South American treat that he discovered while vacationing in Argentina.

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Vicinity

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20 reviews of Manolo’s Pizza & Empanadas

No registration required
Place rating: 3
Aurora, IL
Empanadas were OK. Hawaiian pizza was good. Crust is a good mix of crispy and chewy. Half dozen counter style seats facing the sidewalk, no inside tables, couple small outside tables. Service was quick and friendly. Good for a quick lunch/​dinner.
Place rating: 5
Streamwood, IL
The empanadas and the Italian potato pizza slice are definitely the things I missed most when I moved out of Urbana-​Champaign. Whenever I come back to visit I make sure to stop here and grab some frozen empanadas before I leave!
Place rating: 4
Libertyville, IL
Best pizza I’ve tried in CU (better than Antonio’s). It’s a little on the pricier side when it comes to pizza, but definitely worth the splurge especially since the slices are huge and filling. My favorites are the Spicy Vegetarian Curry and Spotted Goat. Both are super flavorful and have an excellent balance between the toppings and sauce. My only complaint is the greasiness.
Also, if you haven’t tried the dessert empanadas, they are amazing! I’ve had Chocolate Brownie and Raspberry Cheesecake. Both are super rich with the perfect amount of filling and a thin, crispy exterior. If you love chocolate, get the brownie empanada. It’s super moist and fudge, just the way a brownie should be, none of that cakey nonsense. And the raspberry one has a great tanginess with just the right amount of sweetness.
Place rating: 2
Elgin, IL
the food itself was good. however, it took 2 hours for them to deliver it. and when I called, 30 min said delivery time, they said it was leaving in 5 min and would be there soon. but my food still didn’t arrive for 40 minutes… and on the phone, they were not apologetic at all. plus my pizza was kind of cold… sad day.
Place rating: 4
Orland Park, IL
I stopped into Manolo’s for a quick bite to eat between classes on a Tuesday afternoon.
I’ve had their pizza and empanadas and was in a sandwich kind of a mood, so I opted to try that.
I ordered the Manolo’s Italian sandwich, which was salami with provolone, mixed greens, tomato and pesto mayo.
The sandwich wasn’t exactly a sub sandwich, but rather more rectangular. The bread on it was high quality, soft on the outside but crispy towards the center, it added a very nice crunch to the sandwich. All the other ingredients blended together extremely well. I’m a total sucker for anything with pesto, tomato and cheese, and this sandwich totally nailed it.
I was really surprised that Manolo’s makes this tasty and this high quality of a sandwich. It does come at a price though, my Italian was about $ 6.50 after tax. Regardless, the sandwich was very tasty and my only minor gripe with it would be to add a little more meat, but all in all it was an unexpectedly good lunch and I’ll have to come back to try their other sandwiches.
Place rating: 4
Overland Park, KS
This is the first pizza delivery we tried while in Champaign. We were satisfied enough to order here again without trying any others. The salads are especially good.
Place rating: 3
Monmouth Junction, NJ
The empanadas taste good– but their portions aren’t worth the price. Even with their combo deals, you end up paying a lot for 3 empanadas.
Place rating: 1
Santa Ana, CA
We placed an order and our food never showed up. This was a Sunday night, and we waited over an hour and a half, which surpassed both the delivery estimates. We received notification that the order was in fact «out for delivery,» but it never came. Once we called the restaurant they revealed they never actually sent it out and that there were «problems with the kitchen». They told us it would take a minimum of 25 more minutes to make and deliver our order of 6 empanadas, meaning the delivery time would be past 1:30am (over 2 hours after our order time). Absolutely ridiculous service. Literally ASTOUNDED that they would lie on their grub hub notifications to keep the delivery times lower, meanwhile screwing over customers. I have ordered from them many times in the past, but will never be ordering from them again. I don’t care how
good your food is, LYING loses customers, plain and simple.
Place rating: 1
Claremont, CA
Easily the most incompetent people I’ve ever dealt with in my life. Ordered online and delivery time was estimated between 1 – 1.5 hours for 9 empanadas. Okay, it’s late night, I get it. 1 AM hits and there is still nothing (about 1.75 hours into it) and I finally call. The «manager» who must double as an idiot for his day job said the FOOD HAS NOT BEEN MADE YET. THIS IS AFTER THE FOOD WAS CONFIRMED AS BEING DELIVERED. AKA THE MENTALLY INCAPABLE MANAGER APPROVED A DELIVERY THAT WAS NEVER PHYSICALLY MADE OR SENT OUT. If you want to waste your money and deal with people who are sorry excuses for human beings, you can order from this place. If you want to save brain cells and understand your order will not be taken, will be falsely reported as sent out (even if it actually hasn’t even been made), and deal with managers that are literally dumber than Neanderthals, this is the place for you!!!
Place rating: 4
Champaign, IL
After torturing my taste buds with pizza from dominos/​pizza hut, I was desperately looking for a great pizza place to remind my taste buds what a real pizza tastes like and finally I found it. I ordered spotted goat along with bread sticks. Did not like bread sticks but loved the pizza. The base of Thin crust pizza in many places tastes like biscuit/​cracker, but not here. The base was crispy but not hard. I cranked my oven to 450 °F and reheated my pizza as I only enjoy pizza when the cheese is bubbling. Definitely going again here.
Place rating: 5
Decatur, IL
It’s my favorite pizza place in Central Illinois.
Place rating: 5
Urbana, IL
One of the best pizza place in Champaign. Honestly, I think this place is better than pizza hut and papa johns. The flavor is much better and the taste is just right for lunch, dinner and late night. Strongly recommend to those craving for pizza.
Place rating: 4
Urbana, IL
I actually really like the pizza here; the empanadas can be a bit dry, especially toward the end of the day, but they are still superior. I am expressly thrilled by Manolo’s daily selection of sliced pizza and their consideration of vegetarians and people who like something other than «pepperoni» or «cheese». The sliced pizza is well-​priced, thin crust and yummy, not to mention relatively creative in the flavor department so I would recommend this to the hungry passing by. I yet to try a better pizza by the slice in this area.
Place rating: 3
Eagle River, AK
The empanadas are so good. There’s a vast selection & just about any of them are mouthwatering. If you haven’t had the dessert empanadas, they’re really tasty too. Empanadas are a little over $ 2 for each pocket of yum but don’t let that stop you. There are deals like «pick 6» where you get a little discount for volume purchasing. Sometimes there are deals on Hooked or Grub Hub as well. The pizza is also delicious. It’s NY style pizza so it’s thin crust that’s toasted when you place an order. Spotted Goat is a popular selection but my favourite is still a plain cheese slice. The place is tiny & it can get crowded in the evenings, especially if there’s stuff going on at Canopy Club or Krannert. Cleanliness is not their forte. I’ve seen someone touch their hair then work the pizza dough with their hands. I don’t like to think about that.
Place rating: 5
Miami, FL
By far the best pizza in Champaign-​Urbana. The crust is crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. All you need is the Spotted Goat. Top it with Whiteford’s hot sauce, the best hot sauce you’ve never heard of and can’t find anywhere else. I could honestly eat it two, three times a week.
A little pricey per slice, but two slices will make you completely full.
Empanadas are waaay too expensive for their size, but also pretty tasty.
Place rating: 3
Urbana, IL
Manolo’s is a small, yet popular, place on campus to get a quick bite. Their late hours and delivery option make it very convenient, but I find the prices to be too high for what you get.
The pizza is pretty good and each slice is fairly large. They have a wide selection of empanadas, including vegetarian and dessert options. My favorite empanada is the chocolate brownie, and I also really like the apple and spinach mushroom manicotti ones. The more empanadas you order, the better deal you can get. You can also find special deals online or on apps like ‘Hooked’ that can help save you some money.
Manolo’s is good for a small treat and definitely worth stopping by if you are in the area.
Place rating: 5
Evanston, IL
The best pizza you can get in champaign. Their spotted goat is really popular. I personally prefer just plain cheese but it never disappoints. I always get a side of ranch and add cholula.
They are also connect to the canopy club which is the music venue in champaign. They are always open at the end of shows so it is a great place to stop in and get a drunken slice of pizza.
Place rating: 4
Champaign, IL
The Good:
–The Pizza. I have only tried the Modena Veggie, but I love it so much that I haven’t wanted to get another pizza yet!
–The breadsticks. My friend recommended them, and I was suspicious that they could be as good as she said, but they were delicious!
–The timing is great! I’ve ordered pizzas from other places ahead of time for advanced delivering, and the timing always seems to be 20 – 25 minutes off. I requested a 6:30pm delivery and it arrived at 6:25pm, which was great!
The Meh:
–I honestly am not a fan of the empanadas. I’ve tried six of them, and none of them really impressed me, and they’re a little expensive for their size.
— Manolo’s is a little expensive. A medium specialty pizza is $ 14.99, but I think this has more to do with my perception of the cost of pizza, living in a college town. The pizza’s are definitely worth the price though.
Overall:
I’ve had Manolo’s three times, and would order again, even if it is expensive.
Place rating: 3
Champaign, IL
We’ve ordered pizza and empanadas in large quantities from here for work events, so it’s now on our list for takeout to home as well. They don’t normally deliver out to us (W. Champaign), but they did tell me that if the bill subtotal was over $ 50 that they would deliver out of range a little. I usually just go down there after work to pick up our order.
I’ve had the BBQ Meats, Chicken Pesto, and the Supreme pizzas, and all were pretty decent. Large slice thin crust (ala NY style), and they have a LOT of interesting combinations available. For empanadas, the Inferno Chicken is by far my favorite. I’ve tried several others as well and they are just ok. The only ones on the menu that I tried and did not like was the Potato Cheddar and Raspberry Cheesecake. They were just a mushy mess with not much flavor. The empanadas are not really budget-​friendly if you’re getting them in quantity (2 – 2.50 each). I don’t normally get slices, but the whole pizza are just slightly above average compared to other places in town.
Beware when trying to pick up an order if there is a popular show at the Canopy Club, because finding a place to park nearby is difficult if the show crowd is around.
If you’re tired of all the chain places in town, this is a nice choice to change things up.
Place rating: 2
Valmy, NV
In a tired and hungry stupor I stumbled in this place as I was working a show next door. Being on a college campus, you’re usually only walking distance of chains or fast food.
I quickly ordered a slice of pizza and an empanada and instantly regretted it.
I looked around and nearly had an anxiety attack as everyone around me is laughing and talking and laughing and talking and shoving this garbage food down their throat.
It seems like class must have ended because the tiny place fills up as I’m forced to wait in the corner. I quickly lose interest in my order as I see it sitting on the table waiting to be served. Eventually I get my lunch and sit out on the curb and take a few bites while realizing I should talk to my parents more and possibly volunteer.