Latest reviews from Urbana

“Basically a big wine/liquor store with 2 refrigerators of beer in the back. I would guess around 50 or so different beers - American micro to import, quite a few Belgians. It is nice that they sell each beer by the bottle, so it’s easy to get a variety in one purchase. Prices seemed fair - not great but not bad.“

csaso 4447 days ago

“Amazing little place! When I say little, I do mean little though, so expect to wait for a table, but it is WELL worth it. BBQ was awesome. Beer selection pretty good - about 6-7 on tap plus maybe 25-30 bottles. Good variety, American micros, a bunch of Belgians. Sat at the bar and received excellent service for the bartender. Will definitely be back to this place!“

csaso 4447 days ago

“Monday lunch @ 12:30 wasn’t too crowded; large menu with a good selection; sides like sweet potato fries; spicy potato salad were both good; great sandwiches at reasonable price; very good beer selection and offer a beer flight of current on tap; look forward to an evening meal to try the entree menu.“

JohnBruns 4596 days ago

“Decent selection of a few craft beers, but the reason this place is always packed is the barbeque. This stuff is the most fantastic smoked barbeque I have every had. Just plain great. A must stop for my wife and I.“

oldcatcher 4786 days ago

“Before you read further, this is a local Pit BBQ restaurant bar with a good beer menu, not a beer bar with rarities. If only want beer, there are better choices in Champaign-Urbana. But if you want great food and good beer to have with it- then this is one of the better establishments in town. Love Pit BBQ? This place is a must. Be warned- the place is small and gets crowded around lunch and dinner time. I highly recommend the burnt ends (brisket) and the pit beans. As for beer, they have 5 rotating craft beers on tap (check their facebook page for current line up). They have a about 50 or so bottles, ranging from craft domestics to Belgians.“

illinismitty 5056 days ago

“Great beer selection. Good food. Great Ambiance. Service was good, But I was in there early on a Monday So I don’t know how it is around any other time. This place has the best beer selection for a pub around the CU area.“

Snot19kilo 5295 days ago

“I had a great Reuben here, and everyone in our large group who ordered meals seemed satisfied. The beer menu was lengthy yet somewhat common to a Chicagoan like myself. Nice atmosphere on an uncrowded, post-graduation afternoon, but it would have been cool to see the place hoppin’ as well. Crane Alley was a fine starting point for a pub crawl from Urbana to Champaign. (Plus it was a hoot to watch Carl order his baba of Roog Buubu Bibba.)“

frankenkitty 6174 days ago

“A very clean, well-kept shop. While the selection of beers is not overwhelming, it certainly is diverse and I was able to purchase quite a few brews that I haven’t seen around town (although I don’t venture out as much as some of you other guys). Our checker was a young, helpful beerophile who made banter in regards to many of our purchases. A pleasant shopping experience in close proximity to a nice beer bar.“

frankenkitty 6174 days ago

“Nice place, a long bar, pool tables, plenty of room. The food that I had (a portobello sandwich with sweet potato fries) was pretty good and the others in the group seemed happy with their choices. Very nice beer selection, both on tap and in the bottle. If you’re going to be in the Champaign-Urbana area, you couldn’t do much better for decent eats and some good beer.“

Cornfield 6186 days ago

“As others have noted, this is primarily a wine store. In the back cooler, however, is a good number of apparently carefully selected quality beers. I’m told there’s a decent turnover of the beers that they carry. The staff is attentive and helpful. I’d definitely stop back when in the area again.“

Cornfield 6186 days ago

“This restaurant is unique. Small, European deli by day, and quaint, romantic dining by night, it offers a very unique combination of atmospheres. The food is always good, but limited to sandwiches, during lunch hours. The dinner menu features other fare, such as pasta, specialty pizzas, and fondue. The beer selection is very small, and in recent years has featured a couple of tapped Three Floyds offerings, as well as some German pilsners and whatnot. Not a great place to sample many and varied beers, but if you want a good pint with your lunch or dinner, it’s a nice atmosphere with good food.“

WabashMan 6233 days ago

“The Corkscrew is a small liquor store, that focuses on wines, but also carries a small selection of bottles beers (all for purchase as singles), whiskys, and a few other high end liquors. Their beer selection is small, but always rotating new brews in, to make their selection seem larger. Unlike larger chain stores, the workers are VERY friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. If you go in when Drew is in, he’s tried all the beers in the cooler and can give you lots of tasting notes as well as an exorbitant amount of details about the beer’s history. Also, because it’s a small, local shop, they make an effort to get beers that aren’t available at the larger stores in the area. So, while the selection is smaller, it’s also more varied, if you’ve just come from Piccadilly or Friar Tuck. Every town should have a store like this one!“

WabashMan 6233 days ago

“As good a beer selection as you’ll likely find in a town the size of Champaign-Urbana, Crane Alley has a nice selection of bottles, and a good rotation of drafts, including some that aren’t widely available. The food is very good for bar food. Lots of sandwich choices (I recommend the chicken salad sandwich), some steak/seafood choices, etc. Most of the food is pretty good. I had some pumpkin tortellini there (seasonal offering) that was to die for! But beef sandwiches (italian beef, steak sandwich) always turn out a bit tough, for me. But, I avoid them, to my pleasure. I, too, have had bad service here, on occasion. But I go often enough to know this isn’t the norm. Maybe 10% of the time? Hell, bar service is usually inferior to restaurant service, so I’m not gonna complain too much. There’s usually not much of a lunch crowd, so if you want a quiet pint or two, it’s a good choice. At night and on the weekends, it gets pretty crowded.“

WabashMan 6233 days ago

“A wine and spirits store, but the beer fridge is worth checking out. Seems to me the beer fridge has been declining lately though from what it was a couple years ago. No more FFF hard-to-finds, not much in the way of Founders stuff either. A few weeks ago Piccadilly and Friar Tuck in the CU area got a couple cases of Breakfast stout and Corkscrew had not. Not too much in the way of DFH either. I’ll check this place out occasionally, but if I’m looking for something in particular I’ll call first because chances are if its rare, they probably won’t have it.“

Illini08 6319 days ago

“Been here a few times now. Better than average food for a bar. Good Italian beef and a pretty good menu all around. Great bottle selection and usually some decent micro and import stuff on draft.“

Illini08 6319 days ago

“Whenever I come home to CU, this is one of the three stores I hit. What they do not have in quantity, they make up in quality. They get some of the rare beers that no one else gets, (ie Panil, Founders Kentucky Breakfast, Peche Mortel, etc.). The problem is that they do not get much of those, and the boys in the CU beer club snatch them up quickly. If you have the time, worth a quick peek. UPDATE 2007: I will echo what the others have said. It has gone downhill a bit. I would only swing by if you are in the area. Otherwise a Friar Tuck and Picadilly stop will suffice. This store is really focused on the wine these days.“

illinismitty 6493 days ago

“Offering what I believe is the best beer selection for fine dining in town. There are a few macros, but they also have botles of Sprecher Black Bavarian, Murphy’s Chocolate, Rogue Dead Guy, Rogue Hazelnut, and perhaps one or two others worthy of note. Come not for the beer, but for the food. I enjoyed the roast duck with a balsamic glaze, while others sampled a crab and lobster dish, and peppered rabbit. Expect entrees to set you back about 25 each. The tomato basil salad with fresh mozzarella goes highly recommended.“

Philip 6610 days ago

“The Corkscrew is a wine store but hidden along the back wall is a beer fridge. This beer fridge is the premier place in Champaign-Urbana to go to get good hard-to-find and unique beers from micro and foreign brewers. The staff is exceptional: both with service and knowledge of beers (and wine). The beer and wine samplings are the best around. Drew is always willing and trying to bring in more hard to get beers.“

RooftopRogue 6689 days ago

“Ah yes, the good ol bread company. This place has a special place in my heart, mainly because it was there for me when I was first getting into beer. They introduced me to three floyds (the FIRST place in champaign to have them on tap). They only have a couple on tap but what the do have you can really count on. Check it out if you are on campus and cant get to anywhere else in the area.“

SubstanceT 6773 days ago

“The selection of beer is small but usually good, like Three Floyds beer and Rogue. The baked goods, especially the bread, is excellent. The food served is okay.“

YourDarkLord 6778 days ago

“Make no mistake, this is about 98% a wine store with the remaining 2% devoted to single bottles of beer you won’t find at your average liquor store. Prices were good and the staff was helpful even though there was a wine tasting going on. Selection was best for Avery, Rogue, DFH and Bear Republic. Everything else was hit & miss.“

barleyPops 6781 days ago

“Excellent European style cafe. Flavorful crusty bread for lunch-time sandwiches, with the drawback at lunch is you have to order and pick up your food at the counter. Evening specials are generally very good and my wife had a delicious salad. Beer selection is limited but will occasionally have a guest tap. ( In May ’05< they had 3F Gumballhead on tap. )“

barleyPops 6787 days ago

“Nice place, decent relaxing atmosphere, attractive but not trashy-looking waitstaff, mature grad student-type clientele rather than frat meatheads, not huge but good quality beer slection, blah blah blah. However:

RIPOFF ALERT!! Think that pint shaker glass of tap beer the bartender just handed you is actually a pint? Wrong. The sides are thicker, the taper is slightly narrower and the bottom is convex. Net result -- what looks like a pint glass barely holds 12 ounces -- maybe 13 if filled to the very brim. Try this experiment: Order a bottled beer and then ask for a pint glass to pour it in. You’ll find it fills right up to the top. I really can’t stand this kind of deception and dishonesty just to save a few pennies on a pour. If you’re going to serve 12-ounce taps, just announce they’re 12-ounce taps instead of making the patrons think they’re getting pints. Goddamn cheapskates.

EDIT: I am informed by a Crane Alley regular that they are 14-ounce glasses to the brim rather than 13. Nonetheless, the same premise still holds. Feckin’ stingy pricks.

UPDATE MAR 2006: Revisited against my better judgement. The server did not wait on us ONCE in 90 minutes. She passed by us several times, seemingly deliberately avoiding eye contact, to diligently serve others. What the FUCK is up with that? Screw this place. So much potential, all wasted.“

TheEnemy 6819 days ago

“The Bread Company maintains a small selection of beers on tap. Generally the number ranges from 3-4, but usually among them is a solid Rogue beer and a Three Floyds’ product. The place is a quality bakery first and foremost, the couple of exceptional taps are an added bonus.“

Philip 6828 days ago

“The beer selection focuses on the unique, so you won’t find many products from brewers like Rogue or Bells, but you will find gems like Thomas Hardy Ale and J.W. Lees on occassion. UPDATE 2007: Store has gone downhill markedly with the disappearance of their manager and their former staff. Beer selection is still okay, but the tastings aren’t of the same caliber.“

Philip 6838 days ago

“Strictly in terms of beer, Crane Alley does a decent job bringing in some good mircrobrews to counter the Bass, Guiness, Harp junk. Yeti Imperial Stout, North Coast’s Rasputin, and even Bells Batch 6000 have all made their way to the tap list within the past year, and that’s impressive. The service is highly dependent on who your particular server is the night you dine. *************************** 2006 UPDATE: Food has declined quite a bit over the last few months after their original chef left. The specials aren’t as good, and even some of the sandwiches seem to be more up and down than before. The tap selection is solid, but doesn’t seem to be quite as good and innovative as before either due to the loss of their manager.“

Philip 6838 days ago

“had lunch here a few months ago when in town to pick up my son. food was delicious and the beer selection was about as good as you’ll find anywhere in central Illinois. staff was pleasant, friendly and even though our waiter had cute short bangs, nobody hit on him either. ;)“

barleyPops 6867 days ago

“You know what? fuck this place. The hot blonde bitch bartender was a fucking bitch. Serious attitude problem. And she had short bangs. Who has bangs anymore? And i didn’t make any passes on her or anything. She just was unhappy. They had like 15 beers on tap. The best was Gumballhead. They had a lot of bottles. but not more than 70. and a lot are busch/miller products. but other than some pool tables this place sucks. everyone that worked there was a fucking dickface.“

Zeswaft 6887 days ago

“Well, I walked in and only saw wine. However, they had a single, three door glass fridge full oh individual beer bottles. Let me tell you what, they have a really good selection. They have about 200+ beers total. A handful of Rogue, Victory, Dogfish Head, Founders, Great Divide, and Avery. Some but not too many foreign beers. They seemed to have an unusual amount of Imperial stouts and barley wines. They had 12 oz bottles of stuff that I’d only seen in bombers, eg. Left Hand Imperial stout and Rogue I2PA. I still spent about 15 minutes trying to pick out a few beers. The prices are pretty cheap too. 12 oz bottles of the likes Storm King and 90 minute were $2 and change. Bombers cheap too. 0 cheap beer and you can’t buy by the six pack. They have a shit ton of wine. Individual bottles were cheaper than Piccadily.“

Zeswaft 6889 days ago

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CraneAlley 7108 days ago

“Yeah this place isnt that bad. The service is pretty good and they do have a very good beer list and is better than most places listed on this site. If you are in town, you may want to check it out. Since the first time that I was there they have drastically improved the place. Fairly classy joint with a very very solid selection of beer.“

SubstanceT 7332 days ago

“The Corkscrew is a bit different than any of the other beer/wine/liquor stores in the Champaign-Urbana area. In addition to having top-notch wine and liquor, they have quite a beer selection. What sets them apart is that they only carry craft brews, currently they have no less than 6 of the Cantillon including Fou Fonne, Lou Pepe, and the amazing St. Lamvinus. They have a thoughtful selection of Belgians and Germans, arguably the best representation of British beers, and a hearty handful of American and Canadian Craft beer. The employees of the store have always been helpful, and every one I've ever dealt with knows their stuff. My only possible complaint about their service is that they don't have very many employees so at first it may seem as if no one is there to help you but I've found it's very difficult to fly in under the radar. They conduct tastings nearly every Sunday, fee is usually around $2, which is a steal since you get to try on average 10 different brews. The last two that I went to were IPAs, which included Dreadnaught and 120 min, and Lambics, which included Cantillon Kriek and Gueuze and an 8 year old Liefman's Frambozenbier. The only complain on the selection is that they are limited in space, so what they have is great, but its only sold by the bottle to give more facings.“

jables 7336 days ago

“[ edit your review ] Lots of room in here, three pool tables and lots of booths and tables to sit in plus I nice long bar. The place is beautiful on the inside, go to the website and check out pics. The beer selection is fantastic, taps are always rotating. Bottles include Corsendonk, Unibroue (my Maudite was served in a wide wine glass as that was the closest to appropriate glassware I could get) including Terrible, Three Floyds, Two Brothers heavy handed and bitter end, Ayinger, Hacker-Pschorr, Paulaner, and more, great selection, will keep you interested well into the wee hours of the morning. Kitchen should be opening soon so I will re-review with the food. -- “

jables 7336 days ago

“I just love this place. Good food, good beer, good people. Scott runs a good show. Decent selection of beer on tap and in bottles. Pool tables availabe and TVs for watching sports or whatever. Atmosphere good. Beer selection has many interesting items like trappist beers, lambics, and such. The bartenders know how to pour, too. Their food is good. Not standard bar fare. More upscale cuisine. Have had everything on their menu. The Champaign-Urbana Beer Club meets there on the third Wednesday of the month, 6:30 PM. “

YourDarkLord 7338 days ago

“This is the place to go in champaign-Urbana to learn about beer. It has the feel of a warehouse with a fairly limited beer selection. In fact, the beer selection is very limited to only good beer. Everything they sell is interesting and most of it is good. The one thing that makes this place stand out is their supurb service. Any question they can answer, and if they do not know the answer they WILL find out for you and tell you next time you are in!“

SubstanceT 7382 days ago

“Primarily a wine store, with a small selection of beers to purchase by the bottle. Beer tasting held most Sundays. Regulars create a raucous tone, adding more beer to the lineup offered. One big party. Premium pours available of all sorts of things: Scotch, Bourbon, cognac, whatever. Friday and Saturday wine tastings are especially good. Very knowledgeable staff and an excellent selection and price range.“

YourDarkLord 7409 days ago