28 | March | 2009 | Mid-Michigan Dining

Mia Za’s Cafe – Champaign, IL

28 03 2009

629 E. Green Street
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 352-2697
Website
Menu

Mia Za's Cafe on Green Street in Champaign, IL

Another Saturday. Another Saturday working. Actually, that’s been rare the last year and very welcome. I was back in Champaign for game two of a three game set between the University of Illinois and Michigan State University’s baseball teams. Once again, lunch time rolled around and I went in search of good food.

Yesterday, I ran into some trouble finding businesses open on Green Street, but I did notice a cafe open near the end of the stretch of businesses. I was craving an Italian beef and knew this place wouldn’t have it, but today, I just wanted a sandwich, so I headed back.

Mia Za’s Cafe is on Green Street near the corner of Green and Sixth. The cafe is one of three locations in Big Ten communities. The other two stores are in Madison, WI (University of Wisconsin) and Ann Arbor. If the name sounds sort of familiar, but not really, they used to go under the name Za’s Italian Cafe. The Ann Arbor store is located at 615 E. University. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: Cafe, Champaign, Illinois, Mia Za's, panini, Restaurant, Reviews
Categories : Big Ten Tour, Cafe, Champaign, Champaign/Urbana, Chicken, Illinois, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Niro’s Gyros – Urbana, IL

28 03 2009

1007 W. University Avenue
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 328-6476
No Known Website
Menu

Niro's Gyros on University Avenue in Urbana.

The Italian beef craving set in again. I’m just not going to go back to Illinois and not get one. I left Illinois Field on my lunch break and headed towards Green Street to get lunch like I always do. Problem is, when I got there, everything was closed. U of I is on spring break and everything closed up with them. I panicked a little. Where else was I going to go? I was driving around and I came up to University Avenue. Then it clicked. There was a little Greek place up the road where I could get my Italian beef.

Niro’s Gyros is located on University near Lincoln in Urbana. Niro’s has several locations in the Champaign/Urbana area and there are even stores that I know of in Bloomington, IL. I have no idea why Greek places tend to have Italian beef in Illinois, but it’s fairly common. Places like Niro’s are almost cookie-cutter to the extent that you know what’s on the menu before you get there.

There’s not much to this Niro’s location. There’s a drive thru which I should have used and a walk up window. There’s no seating inside. They have some concrete tables outside, but that’s it. When you walk in, there’s just enough room for a menu board and a window. Read the rest of this entry »