It’s no secret that the bars in the Champaign-Urbana area are pretty unique. Besides the fact that U of I is one of the few schools that let minors in, each of the bars have different personalities and vibes during different days. Legends is where you to watch the game, Firehaus is where you go to get your fishbowl race on and you don’t go to Joe’s unless you’re ready to dance with a variety of strangers.
Besides the drinks and the atmosphere, however, there’s another factor that set the bars apart: food. It’s not every time when you go out that you get a craving to eat bar food, but around town, there are certain munchies that are iconic around some bars on campus. The three that I’ve heard the most buzz (and the three that I’ve had the honor of trying at least once) are…
Irish Nachos
Found at: Murphy’s (Green Street)
Waffle fries, cheese, salsa, sour cream, olives, onions. This sounds like the list of a very illicit and calorie-high combination. However, when put together, you get Irish Nachos, or, in my mind, one of the defining awesome elements of Murphy’s.
The beauty of these nachos is that they taste the same when you’re sober as well as when you’re not: nothing short of amazing. In fact, the ratio of times I’ve eaten this while I was happy to the times I’ve eaten this while I was HAPPY is probably 1.5 to 1.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10. Seriously, I would eat these every day. In fact, I’m glad I don’t live in Champaign, because I would travel out to Murphy’s. A lot. So I could eat these every day.
Pizza and calzones
Found at: Fire Station (John Street)
The great thing about Fire Station is that it’s equally based around bar food as it is drinks. The first time my friend and I walked in there, we just sat and ordered an embarrassing amount of Bosco sticks. However, I’ve heard raves about their pizza and calzones, so when my friend celebrated her 21 birthday at Fire Station, I made sure to (and steal someone’s BBQ Chicken pizza).
Rating: 6 out of 10. Maybe I’m a little biased, because I’m not a pizza person. However, I AM a calzone person, and I wasn’t too impressed. If you can’t convince me why I should buy from you instead of ordering from D.P. Dough when I’m drunk, then you’ve lost me.
10 cent wings
Found at: Brothers (Green Street)
Let’s be honest – Wednesday is one of the worst days of the week. However, Brothers decided to counteract that and offer us some sweet buffalo chicken wings for only 10 cents each. I, being a chicken-fiend, have eaten many chicken wings to be somewhat of a Brothers foodie, and many students do flock to brothers for the opportunity to grab some (as well, of course, as beer, which is also at a deal).
Rating: 7.5 out of 10. Honestly, the main draw from the chicken is the fact that there’s a deal. Don’t get me wrong: chicken is chicken, and I’m grateful that Brothers wants to supply me with wings. However, I don’t think I’d constantly eat these if I were sober.