Diners' Choice: Good for special occasions restaurants in Central Illinois

OpenTable

Updated June 05, 2025

Looking for the best special occasion 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!

Firefly Grill

4.8

4.8 (3054)

$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

Bradley

Dined 3 days ago

A little oasis that you must explore. Delicious food, great serve staff and a truly comfortable atmosphere

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Jonah's Seafood House

4.8

4.8 (1671)

$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

Mike

Dined 4 days ago

Great tuna! We had the shrimp grilled and they were delicious!

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Popular dish

Crab Cake

Popular dish

Devil's Double Dark Chocolate Cake

Popular dish

Jonah's Famous Chocolate Cake

Hamilton Walker's

4.8

4.8 (1645)

$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

Hyland

Dined 5 days ago

The food and service was excellent. I received the food the way I expected. Service was very friendly and on top of everything.

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Popular dish

7oz Center Cut Filet Mignon

Baxters American Grille

4.6

4.6 (1285)

$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

Dana

Dined on Jun 7, 2025

We arrived very early in the evening about 5:00 p.m. on a Saturday, a little ahead of our reservation and chose to sit at the bar. I only glanced in the dining room but it looked very nice and the bar was wonderful. The cocktail menu is fabulous. The service was great. Our drinks were fantastic and we just had small shareable plates, steak nachos and steak sliders. Both great!! This place had ample service staff, all seemed well trained, professional and polite. This place definitely made our list of locations to return to, highly recommend.

William B's

4.6

4.6 (234)

$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

jean

Dined 7 days ago

This was our second time going to William B, food was amazing. The french onion soup is so good. We will be back again.

Baxters American Grille - Champaign

4.6

4.6 (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.

Saffron Social

4.6

4.6 (387)

$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

ReneeVIP

Dined on Jun 13, 2025

Nicki was a great server. Very polite and went out of her way to help us enjoy great evening! Food was amayzing!!

Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant - Springfield, IL

4.5

4.5 (3681)

$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

Howard

Dined 2 days ago

As always, our dining experience was outstanding at Cooper's Hawk,

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

Revery

4.3

4.3 (157)

$31 to $50

American

Bloomington / Normal

About the restaurant

Revery can be found tucked in a quaint neighborhood in Bloomington, Illinois. The building, once a locally famous restaurant, will be serving authentic American cuisine once more. Revery’s mission is to provide high-quality food & drinks for all those who wish to combine fun and enjoyable ambiance with skillful cooking into one extraordinary dining experience.

Top review

Jean Claude

Dined on May 15, 2025

This is my fourth time coming to Revery and I just love it. The food is always good, but their crème brûlée is my favorite! I also really enjoy their mocktails — super tasty and refreshing. The place feels cozy and the staff is always kind. Always happy to come back.

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Popular dish

Steak Frites

Saltgrass Steak House - Danville

4.0

4 (660)

$30 and under

Steakhouse

Danville

About the restaurant

Saltgrass Steak House is an award-winning steakhouse in Danville, IL famous for serving Angus Beef steaks. Each steak is cooked to perfection with Saltgrass-7 Steak Spice, and topped with garlic butter. All breads, dressings, soups and desserts are made from scratch daily. Great food and legendary hospitality make Saltgrass an enjoyable experience for the whole family.

Top review

Lisa

Dined on Jun 3, 2025

The salmon when thick tends to not be completely done in the middle. Otherwise everything was great, service was great.

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