Firefly GrillBig City Experience in the PrairieDon't miss dining at this gem in downstate Illinois. We make the 75 minute drive from Champaign (Univ of IL) when we want a special dinner. Food is locally sourced when possible, and fresh seafood is flown in twice a week. The fish and seafood specials are always excellent. Flavors are complex, presentations are pleasing, and portion sizes are just right. Desserts are creative and mostly suited for one person. Ice creams are made in house and are delicious, but the scoop is tiny and leaves you wanting more. The setting is lovely with porch seating looking out at a small lake, and restaurant gardens to the side of the building. Service is very good, especially for it's location far from a big city. A delightful experience.5/16/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat find in EffinghamFirefly is an exceptionally fine restaurant for a relatively small town,. The food is locally sourced and delicious. The restaurant is casual with a lovely setting on a lake. Definitely worth a detour if you are in downstate Illinois,5/13/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat all around experienceThis place has a very cool atmosphere, the have a great menue with several off menu specials. everything from the app. to the desert was top notch. Was a great find will deffinatly go back.5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMBest lobster stew ever!!Stopped for lunch while on a road trip heading west on interstate 70 after reading great reviews on the internet. Wedge salad was high quality, lobster stew was best I'd had in years, even the hot tea was high quality. My husband had the roasted chicken and we both commented on how high quality the chicken was; it had true flavor. Even the peas in the roasted chicken dish were exceptional, we speculated that they were fresh rather than frozen. Great meal and the restaurant would be a perfect setting for a wedding or party.4/28/2013 12:00:00 AMA Gem in the HeartlandlFirefly is one of my favorite restaurants! The food is always wonderful! The service is very attentive. The menu is always varied, but with some constants. The atmosphere is casual, but special! Anyone would enjoy dining here. It is a hidden gem, and I'm so happy that we have been able to enjoy it!4/28/2013 12:00:00 AMThis was my first time eatingThis was my first time eating at the Firefly. I ate there for prom and both my girlfriend and I enjoyed it. A friend recommended it to us and we are glad! We will definitely be coming back in the future.4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMI would highly recommend goingI would highly recommend going to the Firefly!.....This is the third year in a row that my husband and I have looked forward to celebrating our Anniversary at the Firefly Grill....We loved the Cheese Board!....the wine pairing that our server suggested was perfect.....In addition , my three sisters and I have started our "Sisters Weekend" at the Firefly for the last 5 years....to say the least we really enjoy the excellent food and relaxing atmosphere!!4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMWhat a surprise! WonderfulWhat a surprise! Wonderful place. We will be back.4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMJust a real great dining experienceJust a real great dining experience, both in food, wine and service.4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent, will be back againExcellent, will be back again and recomend to others4/11/2013 12:00:00 AMFirefly Grill has an innovativeFirefly Grill has an innovative menu and great food. Service is very friendly.4/10/2013 12:00:00 AMFood is outstanding - oneFood is outstanding - one of our very favorite restaurants and hoped that we could convince them to open another restaurant in Chicago area but do not think this will happen. This restaurant always serves a wind variety of extremely tasty food that is seasoned well with great presentation.4/8/2013 12:00:00 AMregular customer - always happy toreturn. Always enjoy the seasonal changes. Firefly offers tempting dishes and I often wait to see others food arrive to see what visual tempts me as much as the menu listing tempts me.
I have never been disappointed and very thankful for such a gem in my home town.
Always my choice for a special treat or gathering place for my friends to share time.4/3/2013 12:00:00 AMFine Dining in the corn fieldsThis restaurant has it all-gorgeous sunset over the little lake deck, locally sustainable food prepared in the manner of creative top shelf chefs, and excellent service. The only disconnect--this place was in Effingham, IL and we got there because of a giant bill board off of the highway. What the heck? This place would do great in Chicago, and I wish we had it there. From the crusty round loaf of fresh bread to exceptional salads, entrees and desserts, this place was a gourmet find in the corn fields. A wedge salad, that I had with strawberry balsamic vinaigrette, was a full small HEAD of lettuce. My Indian curry inspired swordfish with lentils was perfectly spiced. It was so good we time our trip to also stop on the way back home, too!3/30/2013 12:00:00 AMFoodie in EffinghamFood was superb. Two couples going out on Saturday night for a good meal.
Steak – cooked exactly as requested.
Pork Shank x 2 – fall of the bone tender. Brussels sprouts to die for!
Chicken Meal – fork tender and wonderful. Asparagus cooked not overcooked and very tasty.
Service – could not be better. There when we needed them, out of the way to allow us to enjoy the dinner amongst friends.
Only slight negative – we ate in the back room overlooking the frozen pond. Room too sunny and chairs not comfortable.3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMHighly recommended!We were very impressed by this big city type restaurant in rural Illinois. The menu was unique and everything we had was delicious. The service was excellent and friendly. We are now looking for an excuse to travel down state so we can dine at Firefly again!3/22/2013 12:00:00 AMThe Firefly Grill was a welcomeThe Firefly Grill was a welcome surprise when we first went there in February for my wife's birthday. We didn't have reservations, but the hostess seated us anyway.The food was outstanding, and the service was exceptional. We had Brittany for our server in February, and she asked us to come back. We decided we didn't want to wait for my birthday in April, so we went back this past weekend. Brittany was bartending, so we had Elise (? spelling). She was also exceptional, a real gem. The young girl filling water glasses was very nice, and Elise introduced us to another exceptional staffer, Shellie (again, ? spelling). The Firefly Grill excels in every area, whether it's ambience/atmosphere, staff, presentation and quality of food.3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMFood, service, and atmosphereFood, service, and atmosphere were outstanding. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to a friend.3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMFabulous Firefly GrillOne of the best retaurants ever discovered! Wish there was a location closer to where I live, in Columbia, MO. Amazing creative dishes, flavorful and beautifully presented. Great atmosphere. Even Chef Gordon Ramsey would love Firefly Grill, I am sure! Worth the special trip.3/14/2013 12:00:00 AMWhat a surprise!What a surprise to find such an outstanding, sophisticated restaurant in a town the size of Effingham! The menu was very broad, from sole muniere and top-drawer steaks to wood-fired pizzas and more casual dishes. They supplement their menu with sasonal dishes that are inventive and enticing. But everything they do was first class. For example, the chicken in their green salad was as delicious as you could find anywhere. And their raspberry sorbet snaps your head back with the deliciously intense flavor of the fruit. We will go out of our way to stop there anytime we take I-70 or I-57.3/12/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food. Will definitelyGreat food.
Will definitely be returning. Service was very fast even with the full dining room.2/23/2013 12:00:00 AM