Diners' Choice: Best Overall restaurants in Central Illinois

OpenTable

Updated July 05, 2025

Looking for the best overall restaurants in Central Illinois? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Jonah's Seafood House

4.8

4.8 (1676)

$30 and under

Seafood

Peoria/East Peoria

About the restaurant

Jonah’s Seafood House specializes in fresh seafood with a diverse mix of steak, chicken, and sandwich options. The menu is printed everyday to keep pace with seafood seasons and offers a wide variety of choices. Children’s menu, too! The house specialties change with the menu. The Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna is a Jonah’s Classic.

The 2601 Oyster Bar is a casual, seat-yourself atmosphere set in a world class oyster bar. The menu is an exciting mixture of oyster bar selections from around the nation. New York, San Francisco, New Orleans, Tampa and Miami are all represented. The house specialty is a wide offering of flat breads and the signature Cuban sandwich.

Jonah’s "Down Under" Banquet Bar & Grill is a banquet facility with capacity from 20-300. Jonah's offers river level views and the cook-to-order style will make your next function the talk of the town!

Top review

JohnVIP

Dined 5 days ago

Great experience with great service, beautiful view and phenomenal food as always.

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Popular dish

Crab Cake

Popular dish

Clam Chowder and Gumbo

Hamilton Walker's

4.8

4.8 (1649)

$30 and under

Steakhouse

Champaign

About the restaurant

Hamilton Walker's is the community's gathering place. Founded by three long-time residents of Champaign, this modern steakhouse with a chic 1940's Hollywood vibe is an inviting backdrop for meeting, dining, and socializing; for friends, family, and business; for toasting special events and celebrating life. Our mission is to offer memorable food and flawless service in an extraordinary setting. Stewarded by widely-respected culinarian, Chef Zachary Schweig, Hamilton Walker's never disappoints. The menu-created from the finest premium aged meats, freshest seafood, and hand-selected produce-offers a superior dining experience, presented with Hamilton Walker's signature flair.

Top review

Michael

Dined on Jun 25, 2025

We had a great experience for our first time to Hamilton Walker’s. The steak was amazing!

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Popular dish

7oz Center Cut Filet Mignon

Firefly Grill

4.7

4.7 (3062)

$30 and under

Unspecified

Effingham

About the restaurant

The kitchen is the heart of the Campbell house which is why we created an expedition kitchen so customers can see all of the love and hard work that goes into our dishes. firefly's vision is a sustainable one; the frame of the building is recycled steel, all of the barn wood is reclaimed as is much of our furniture, the pond irrigates our gardens which greatly reduce our carbon footprint along with all the trash that comes with packaging food, we compost, are constantly upgrading our energy efficiency and NEVER use chemical fertilizers or pesticides in our garden.

Top review

Jill

Dined 5 days ago

We make it a point to stop here anytime we are traveling in the area. Excellent farm to table food, outstanding service, and an absolutely beautiful interior.

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4.7

4.7 (274)

$30 and under

American

Mount Zion

About the restaurant

Small restaurant packed with an amazing menu, and cold beer. We give Mt Zion a flavor profile that you do not get in any other restaurant in town.

Top review

Jane

Dined on Jun 13, 2025

Very good food & service. The cocktails & whiskey selection is really good

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Popular dish

Smash Burger

Baxters American Grille

4.6

4.6 (1286)

$31 to $50

American

Bloomington / Normal

About the restaurant

Experience the contemporary decor, freshly made entrees from our professional chef and exceptional service. The restaurant offers seating for groups from 1- 80. Our outdoor patio is perfect for the summer evenings and our lounge is an exciting setting to view your favorite sports game with friends.

Dinner Menu includes: Fresh seasonal entrees & appetizers including: Tuna Tartare, Drunken Stuffed Mushrooms, Hand Cut Steaks, Fresh Seafood & Signature Dishes such as our Herb Crusted Lamb Chops & Chicken Picatta.

Top review

Kartheek

Dined on Jun 26, 2025

The food and ambience were truly exceptional—thoughtfully crafted dishes in a beautifully designed space. However, the overall experience was dampened by the service. Despite multiple polite requests, we weren’t offered bread until after placing our order, which felt unnecessarily rigid. Our server also struggled to answer basic menu questions, leaving us a bit uncertain. I was hoping for a seamless celebration for my birthday, but unfortunately, the service left a lasting impression for the wrong reasons.

Baxters American Grille - Champaign

4.7

4.7 (700)

$31 to $50

Steakhouse

Champaign

About the restaurant

Baxters American Grille - Champaign offers seasonal menus that boast a variety of signature dishes that you can't get or find anywhere else. Our concept provides a variety of steaks, seafood, and chops accompanied with a management & chef team that are excited to offer a unique culinary experience. We offer a big-city dining experience in the Champaign area as well as private dining and catering events. Whether you stop in for one of our new signature martinis, or to dine in our upscale dining room, Baxters is the destination for you!

Top review

Bruce

Dined on May 24, 2025

Food was excellent, our server was knowledgeable, the staff was attentive and efficient.

Thyme Kitchen & Craft Beer

4.6

4.6 (422)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Peoria/East Peoria

About the restaurant

Thyme not only offers the ultimate restaurant experience, but can also provide guests an extraordinary bar experience if so desired. Opened in the old Sealtest building in the heart of the historic warehouse district of downtown Peoria, Thyme Kitchen + Craft Beer offers a variety of unique food items as well as an extensive bar menu that offers choices for all. While keeping the tradition of producing quality food alive, Thyme Kitchen + Craft Beer has superb menu items that provide an exciting and versatile experience for all guests who walk through the doors.

Top review

Mike

Dined 6 days ago

We had a great dinner and service by Jayce was excellent. We split and order of Chicken Pot Pie and mixed it with the Fried Brussel Sprouts and it tasted great (a little unorthodox, I know) We live in Bloomington, about 50 miles away..but, try to eat here as often as we can

William B's - Par-A-Dice Hotel & Casino

4.6

4.6 (235)

$31 to $50

Steak

Peoria/East Peoria

About the restaurant

Enjoy a dining experience founded on flavor and built on exceeding expectations with succulent steaks, seafood, pasta and more! It's an experience you'll want to share...with cuisine you'll be tempted to keep all to yourself.

Top review

Stanley

Dined on Jun 25, 2025

Best steakhouse in the Peoria area! The quality of the food, particularly the steaks, was truly excellent. We were a part of three men - each had a different cut of beef - and each of us were very pleased. Our steaks were cooked perfectly. We share appetizers which were also very good - the crab cakes arrives with visible CHUNKS of crab. Somehow we even had room to share carrot cake - which did not disappoint! The service was also on point. Very “Midwest” friendly, but never intrusive. She offered very helpful suggestions and was attentive throughout the evening. The wine list is not impressive and the atmosphere is “fine.” But I will be back!

Saffron Social

4.6

4.6 (395)

$50 and over

Steak

Peoria/East Peoria

About the restaurant

Saffron Social brings Peoria its latest upscale experience. Offering Prime Steaks, Fresh Seafood, and Pasta

Top review

Tina

Dined 7 days ago

Saffron went above and beyond to honor the request of a quick turnaround for lunch as my boss was on tight timeline. The service is truly impeccable! Highly recommend.

Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant - Springfield, IL

4.4

4.4 (3692)

$30 and under

American

Springfield

About the restaurant

Experience the perfect fusion of award-winning wines, Napa-style tasting rooms, and modern casual dining at Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants. Enjoy contemporary American cuisine influenced by international flavors from our scratch kitchen. Each dish is expertly paired with our selection of wines for the best food and wine match. Whether you explore the tasting room for a pre- or post-dinner adventure or join the world's largest wine club, we believe in the power of food and wine to create lasting connections. Dining reservations are highly recommended, but walk-in guests are always welcome on a first-come, first-serve basis. Gluten-free and vegetarian dishes are available.

Top review

Patrick

Dined 3 days ago

We went to Cooper's Hawk in Springfield for my youngest son's birthday as we often do for family birthdays. Everything was great. Our server Elizabeth H did a great job and the food was outstanding. We had a great family dinner and will be back again soon!

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Wine ‘O’ Clock Happy Hour | Mon-Fri 3 - 5:30 pm

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