Big Grove Tavern

Pros:
The environment is fantastic. If you want to go to a classier place with dim lighting and a truly romantic ambience, this would be a great option to consider. The strings of lights add a certain charm, as does the popcorn served before meals in endearingly tiny tin pails. The restaurant has a classy yet rustic element, which is further enhanced by the use of linen napkins instead of paper, a moderate noise level, and a seating and bar area that compliment each other well.
Cons:
Low quality food for a high price. As someone who loves food and is always eager to explore new options, I was disappointed that for the cost of my meal, it was far too salty for my tastes. I enjoy spices. Salt isn’t a problem. A problem does exist, though, when I find myself consistently reaching for a glass of water to wash down a chicken risotto that tastes of salt and little else. For an approximately $ 18 dinner, I expected more.
Perhaps other foods on the menu are better tasting or better seasoned; however, with the chicken risotto seeming like a tasty option that fell within my price range, I was greatly disappointed. By the end, I was chugging water and eating popcorn out of the charming little pails more than anything else.
Takeaway:
I recommend visiting if you want to grab a casual drink and share a few bar snacks with friends or coworkers in a nice downtown restaurant, or if you are willing to take a gamble on one of the more expensive meal options. Otherwise, I would suggest visiting elsewhere.

Had yet another horrible experience at Big Grove a few weeks ago. My friend wanted to have brunch here for her birthday so I called weeks in advance and they told me for a party of 13 we’d either have to come at 10:30 or 1:30, so I chose 1:30. Then when the day came for brunch, 15 minutes before our reservation I got a phone call from a very apologetic hostess who was calling to inform me that they had run out of most of their brunch items. She put me in touch with her manager (her idea, not mine) and he could not have been more rude. This was now 10 minutes before our large party was supposed to dine at their restaurant after having this reservation for weeks and he barely even apologized and blamed the hostess for calling me. After a frustrating phone call with him I was ready to go anywhere else but my friend still wanted to go and it was her birthday so on we went. One of my friends got there before me and they informed him that they weren’t sure if I was coming because I was «very upset» about the menu, which I thought was uncalled for. When I got there I was promptly ignored for a good what felt like five minutes before the hostess looked up and seated us. I was expecting the manager to stop by our table to check in after the extremely poorly handled debacle, but he never did and of course the service in general was sub par and the food was mediocre. Will not be coming here ever again.

I wish i could review the food, but after sitting for at least 10 minutes (we actually started a timer) no one had come to the table or made eye contact. Its not like they were busy, at least 3 servers were standing around at the bar chatting when we left. This behavior would not be acceptable at Denny’s, let alone a place charging what this place does.

The true star here was our waitress! She was unbelievably friendly and just the right amount of attentive. We had called ahead and learned that we could BYOB our own bottle of wine with a $ 15 corkage fee. She saw the wine bottles right away and knew to offer to open them so they could breath. (We were celebrating so they were really nice bottles.)
The appetizers for me were by far the best part of our meal here. Our waitress suggested the biscuits and an asparagus dish. We added a couple of deviled eggs. They were all great. My favorite was the egg. They do a different one all the time. The night we ate here the egg was «picnic» style. Pretty much a traditional deviled egg placed on a very tasty smear of pickle relish.
My main course was a bone in rib eye steak. It was not good. There was no bone and I have never had a rib eye steak cut that thin in my life. Because of the thinness, even though it was supposed to be cooked medium rare, it was well over done and tough.
We were all pretty full but decided to split one dessert six ways. We had the chocolate bread pudding. Be warned that it takes fifteen minutes to cook. Even for just one bite it is worth it!

Our party of three had an excellent experience and meal. Everything was fresh. Our menu selections included a beef. lamb, and burger entrée. The service was great, and the wine selection was perfect.

Great staff, good food, pleasant atmosphere. Enjoyable casual, but still nice, dining experience.

It’s been a long time since I’ve Unilocaled, but my most recent experience needs to be reported.
I’ll just leave you with the facts:
— It took 15 minutes and asking the hostess to get anyone to attend to our table
— we only saw our waitress when ordering and dealing with the check. She didn’t care at all
— Food was lukewarm, poorly seasoned, and overall mediocre
— I asked for jam, waited 30 minutes and left jam-​less
If you’re interested in poorly prepared food and even worst service, be my guest. But you’ll never find me there again

Awful service and over priced. I want to like this place, but it just doesn’t add up.
I’ve been here too many tines and had snotty servers, mediocre food and overall lousy experiences.
My wife and I went here for my birthday. Never again. We were told it was reservation only, even though hardly any seats were filled. So, after complaining to host, we got a seat.
We got drinks and an appetizer. Appetizer was undercooked and salty. The deviled eggs were runny and salty too. WAY OVERPRICED.
Her salad was sort of grainy. We asked to see a manager but our waitress said we would have to wait as they were busy.
We Paid, left and will never be back.

So a friend told me to vote 6 stars for this place, and I wish I could! After a Sunday morning derby match we were invited by our opponents to go here for a brunch. This must be a hot Sunday Funday spot as it was packed when we got there. We were lucky there were some open seats at the bar. We loved this place because Sundays they have $ 8 bottomless mimosas. When you have about 10 derby girls from Wisconsin you’ll find out there is a bottom to bottomless mimosas. We had great service as the bartender was very helpful and was on top of everything… especially when those mimosa glasses were empty. I ordered a chili scramble which I liked because it did have a kick to it but wasn’t too spicy. I wish the portion size was a little bigger but I was feeling pretty full with the potatoes and toast that came with it. They also have THE BEST DEVILED EGGS EVER! Each egg had a little bacon strip poking from the top of the egg and the egg was on top of some mushroom sauce. It was so soft and fluffy that it was pretty tempting to get more since they only cost $ 1 each. If I come back to this town again, I have to come back here for any meal.

I loved this place when it first opened.
Just went in and was informed it was shift change and the server seemed to rushed to care. I know how it is working in food service, but we didnt feel welcome.
Desthil wins again, also with better hours

Very mixed experience with Big Grove. The first few times I’ve gone was excellent– food was served on time and still hot, good service.
Other times have not been so good. After I boasted about the establishment, my friends and I had to wait 30 minutes despite having made a reservation on Friday night. Our food was served lukewarm, certain things on the menu weren’t served, and our waiter was hardly seen.
I’d give it a 2 star if it wasn’t for their use of local produce, whimsical daily popcorn flavors, and appealing décor. Much like my loyalty to Adam Sandler, I just keep expecting greatness and have great hopes for their future work! A very much romanticized version of Big Grove.

Big Grove can be the best restaurant downtown depending on the day. They are always the best option for brunch. This can be attributed to the best Bloody Mary in town which is served with a stout or porter ‘back’.
The menu always provides interesting choices and is a good length. You have enough choice without having too much choice. A visit is not complete without at least one deviled egg. Aside from the Bloody Mary, they have the most interesting drink list no matter the season.
The atmosphere and décor make for an experience that feels upscale without being overly stuffy. When the weather is nice there is no better outdoor seating in downtown. The only thing that keeps this restaurant from five stars is the service (aside from one or two servers) is not up to the quality of the restaurant.

Great food, great ingredients, great service, and the prices are perfect. Was in town for business, pleasantly surprised at the choices. This was so good, ate here twice. The chili is phenomenal and the free-​range roasted chicken, with green beans, fingerling potatoes and the outstanding herb dumplings… awesome
The BEST cornbread EVER

Restaurant review
I recently visited this restaurant with a friend that came from out of town. The server was friendly and gave us plenty of time to order. While you wait you get complimentary popcorn with seasoning. Although it is good, I can’t say I would fall head over heels for this. I ended up getting the sea scallops. Although I think they were fresh, the mixture of ingredients including blood orange and fennel purée was okay, but on the salty side. The highlight of the meal was the bread pudding that came out piping hot and was the perfect blend of chocolate and vanilla cream. If you like farm to table this is your restaurant, but I think the food is okay and still does not reach to the level of some of the fancier restaurants in chicago
Pros: farm to table food, friendly server, large beer selection, free parking validation
Cons: The food is okay, not superb
Hidden deals:
Monday Night– Date Night
$ 50 for two people four course Prix Fixe menu
Tuesday night– fried chicken and waffles $ 17
Wednesday Night– «Five for $ 5» Cocktail Specials
Thursday Happy Hour– $ 1 off 16oz Draft Beers
Friday Lunch– Fish Sandwich Special 10.99
Friday & Saturday Poutine after 9:00pm
Sunday Night — ½ off Wine by the Glass
Health code rating: B. Clean restaurant, food appears to be prepared well.

Big Grove is another one of those «New American» restaurants which seems to charge more for the vibe than for quality of food.
On my first trip, during dinner, I had a burger, a standard burger which I could have gotten for cheaper and quicker at somewhere like Courier. The meat was highly overcooked, tough and chewy despite ordering it medium rare. My friend had a risotto, which just looked like mush on the plate. Both of our food came lukewarm. It was a quite busy night Im guessing, and the food sat out waiting to be taken — but any proper restaurant would manage better.
When I went for lunch I had a steak sandwich — again with the toughness of the meat and a slightly stale bread this time, by the time I finished eating my jaw was sore, as if it had done some bench pressing.
I’m giving 2 stars because of their poutine available on Friday and Saturday evenings after 9pm. It makes for amazing post-​bars food, maybe since you are not really caring about quality as much…

This place has come a long way since they first opened. The food is fresh, seasonal, and interesting. The flavors are diverse and well-​balanced, and the preparation is excellent. The waiter we had is fantastic; I knew him from his days as a the café manager at Borders, and I was happy to bump into him. The décor is still great, if a little spartan.
The only «cons» to me are the prices are still a tad high and the food is not _​exceptional_​. Also, there are little details like the cumbersome menus and the weirdly-​high tables that leave me feeling like the experience wasn’t quite worth of five stars. But I’ll be going back now, which is more than I could say before this last visit (I was dragged there… thankfully :).

When I need a comfort meal after a long day of work in the Champaign area, my mind immediately goes to Big Grove’s tavern burger! It’s a blend of beef, bison & pork, you can add cheese, and it has an aioli on top. I’ve tried it bunless, and the meal is equally as satisfying sans bun bc the meat is so juicy and flavorful!
Each time you dine in, you get a little tin of complimentary seasoned popcorn of the day. Nice touch. Another nice touch is the olive oil drizzle you can request on the vanilla ice cream for dessert!
On my latest visit, I wandered in at brunch time and tried the chilaquiles. Based on my previous dinners here, I had high hopes for the dish, but my heart sank with my first bite, as the pulled chicken was cold. I was able to find a few pieces that were lukewarm, but that was disappointing. The two poached eggs were bordering on cold too, so they had obviously been poached earlier. Atleast the tortilla chips were crunchy… I also appreciated the fresh cup of decaf brought to me mid-​meal, since the kitchen had just brewed a fresh pot. I would’ve enjoyed a meal as hot as that coffee!
Last notes: I liked the strings of lights hanging from the ceiling, ornaments hanging by the bar, and snowflakes drawn in the window. Very festive! Music playing was right up my alley too, so I enjoyed the ambiance. The burger gets 5 stars, but the chilaquiles experience was 3, so it averages out to a 4.

Complimentary popcorn greets you upon being seated. Not just ordinary popcorn… today was bacon-​coffee. Others are: sage, old bay, brown butter…
Farm to table
You’ll be ruined from eating any bagged greens… Greens today from Blue Moon Farm (my server mentioned that he worked there for three years) — they sell also at Urbana Farmer’s Market.
Coffee is a special blend created for Big Grove from the Columbia Roastery (down the road.)
Paprika hollandaise was too mild for my taste but a pinch of salt and pepper (fresh ground), perked it right up. The house-​made English muffins are dense and doughy and I’d like to take home a dozen! Or maybe only six, since they’re at least twice the size of store-​bought.
The dining space is swag-​bulb lit, wood floor, with accents of naked branches over the bar.
Music is light and sometimes acoustic only — soothing harp sounds were the perfect touch for a few leisurely moments at brunch. Chill yet vibrant somehow…
Babies don’t cry in here! (Well, at least not the adorable 10 mo old next to me. Maybe I just have that effect.)
Nice outdoor patio — even open in October (not that I spotted a heat lamp.)
They don’t offer the popcorn for sale, but who knows when an awesome server might offer you some to go.
Happy in the Big Grove…& from their website:
«Our name comes from a large stand of trees called, „The Big Grove,“ which offered shelter from the wide open prairie skies during the earliest days of our community. Now known as Busey Woods, you can still see the remnant of Big Grove in Urbana today.»

I tried Big Grove based on recommendation and the menu looked different and local. The outdoor patio is really cute and well decorated. Really enjoyed sitting there in the good weather! Our waitress let us taste a few wines before we picked a bottle, but other than that, she was pretty unpleasant.
I got the succotash, which was nicely presented and the flavors were great. It was a pretty small dish, but I was warned. My friend got the chicken which was also really well put together and tasted great.
While we were there, a Spanish mariachi band stopped by and played and that also really added to the fun atmosphere. The place was not overcrowded so it was really enjoyable to sit there for a while. The reason for the 4 stars is just based on the waitress we had, but the food was good and I would eat there again.

I heard about Big Grove Tavern a year ago and I just got to try it. It was such a good choice for Sunday lunch!
We were seated pretty quickly and it was nice to be outside. You can bring your dog if you want; It has to be on a leash. The kettle corn like popcorn was a sweet treat as a mini appetizer. Our server was really sweet and gave her opinion if we needed her help. I can’t quite remember what I had because it was the special, but i thought it was delicious. It was two fried tortillas with black beans, rice, and salsa verde. It was topped with 2 fried eggs.
Big Grove Tavern is not a place where you go just to «have lunch». It is a place where you know you will get a good meal while feeling good about yourself because local farmers’ produce is used in all steps of production.