Hangouts

KAMs (1933-)

608 E. Daniel St.; 618 E. Daniel St.; 102 E. Green St., Champaign

It’s 1933: FDR is moving into the White House; Prohibition is ending after 13 inglorious years; and on Daniel Street in Champaign, Kamerer’s Pharmacy is expanding—opening a fried chicken restaurant in the building next door.

U of I students call it “KAMS.”

Over the next 90 years, KAMS on Daniel will exist in two locations, evolving from a popular eatery and social hangout to the most notorious bar on a campus that’s had its fair share.

Ranked as one of the best college bars in America by Playboy, the old KAMS had many fine qualities, but perhaps its defining feature was its smell, which could charitably be described as gross—a miasma of stale beer, cigarettes, vomit and the lingering stench of poor decision-making.

But students loved the place. And loved to razz it.

“If the soles of your shoes didn’t melt from whatever was on the floor, it was a good night!” laughs Pat Basu, ’00 ENG.

In 2019, the old KAMS closed to make way for a new University office building.

But never fear: In early 2020, KAMS reopened in a brand-new location, at the corner of First and Green.

Larger and more modern-looking than the old location, the new KAMS is a monument to the history of Campustown, with decor that highlights its own legacy and branded spaces that celebrate two gone-but-not-forgotten bars: Second Chance, the short-lived hotspot that burned down in 1977, and Stan Wallace’s Gridiron, which had preceded KAMS at 618 E. Daniel from 1959 to 1975.

Almost a century into its tenure and perhaps better than ever, KAMS still earns its mantle as “Home of the Drinking Illini.”

 

 

DeLuxe Lunch & Billiards (1933-1996) 

522 E. Green St., Champaign

It’s a cliché to describe something as an institution, but sometimes you use a cliché because it’s true. And in Champaign-Urbana, for nearly 50 years, the DeLuxe fish sandwich was an institution.

It’s not only that the sandwich was delicious. It was the whole process of ordering and eating it, as well—a kind of theater in itself.

You could sidle up to the counter, claim a stool, order a sandwich and a Budweiser, and then wait for the curtain to rise, the sounds of conversation and clanking billiard balls all around you.

“You’d watch them fry the fish behind the counter in these two huge stainless-steel pans of oil, set on top of gas burners,” says Steve MacGregor, ’74 FAA, MARCH ’76, MBA ’77. “And the beer was always cold! It was a terrific way to celebrate the end of the week!”

 

 

Illini Inn (1970-)

901 S. Fourth St., Champaign

Today’s students, looking at the brand-spanking-new version of the Illini Inn, would never guess that the place used to be the diviest of dives—dingy, a little disgusting, but an original.

Although the atmosphere and decor have changed dramatically, one essential thing remains the same: the Illini Inn Mug Club.

What’s the Mug Club? It’s simple, really. The bartender gives you a card with a number on it. You memorize the number, chug a beer, drink another beer at a normal pace, and then recite the number back. If you remember it correctly, the bartender writes your name on the card, and you’re in the club.

To date, more than 100,000 people have joined the Mug Club, making it one of the most popular (off-) campus traditions at Illinois. And the Mug Club card remains a cherished item for thousands of Illinois alumni, many of whom still keep theirs in their wallet or purse.

“I still have mine from 1978!” says Dave Meyers, ’82 BUS, MBA ’86.

 

Red Lion Inn (1966-1981)

211 E. Green St., Champaign

From 1966 to 1981, the Red Lion Inn was the place for students who liked their music loud and rockin’. On any given night in the dark, almost fortress-like bar, you could see legends in the making like Head East and Cheap Trick; discover an amazing, face-melting local band like The Rave; or catch a national act like the Ramones.

But the Red Lion’s enduring legacy really resides with one band: REO Speedwagon.

In the late ’60s and early ’70s, the most famous band to ever come out of Champaign-Urbana had a regular place on the bill: “Wednesday nights,” recalls Gary DeWerff, ’73 ENG, “and the cover charge was 50 cents.”

Five decades later, REO is still playing sold-out shows, wherever they go.

 

Treno’s (1966-1994)

1117 W. Oregon St., Urbana

With a chill atmosphere, 20-foot ceilings, circular fans, hanging plants and Spanish tile as far as the eye could see, you could have mistaken Treno’s for any number of restaurants in Barcelona. But from 1966 to 1994, it was right here in Urbana, at the corner of Goodwin and Oregon, in the former location of Prehn’s (1928-1966) and the current home of Espresso Royale.

What was Treno’s? “It was a place with multiple personalities,” says John Matras, ’70 LAS. Indeed, Treno’s functioned as a restaurant, coffee house, community space, jazz club and more. What you found depended on the day and time you arrived. “Saturday night it was a bar,” Matras continues, “but with more of a tavern vibe than a typical campus bar. The pizza was great, and the juicy burgers on black bread were incredible. Yet while people were getting drunk and singing to ‘Bottle of Wine’ or ‘Hey Jude’ you could go to the back room and play cards.” Treno’s was many things to many people and seemingly offered something for everyone, whether you were in the market for nachos or pinball or, like Willard Broom, ’72 MEDIA, EDM ’78, great jazz. “Every home football game,” Broom recalls, “I would leave after halftime and head for Treno’s to hear the Tony Zamora Ensemble.

“You could go to New York City or anywhere else, and not listen to better jazz.”

 

Red Herring (1967-)

1209 W. Oregon St., Urbana

At the corner of Oregon and Mathews sits the former Unitarian Universalist Church, a Tudor Revival building that looks a bit like a storybook cottage, right out of the movie Snow White.

If you go around back and walk down the basement stairs, you’ll find yourself in an equally fabled place: the Red Herring Vegetarian Restaurant.

For more than 50 years, the Red Herring has been a haven for student artists, musicians, English majors and the like, who show up for the chili and conversation, stay for the live music and luxuriate in the welcoming atmosphere.

But for Illinois alumni from the late ’60s and early ’70s, including Lois Dal Santo Harring, ’73 LAS, the Red Herring will always be synonymous with the campus folk music scene. “I saw Dan Fogelberg there!” she says.

 

Boni’s (1974-1980)

Lando Place, 707 S. Sixth St., Champaign

While some remember Boni’s for its cheap beer, gyros and fantastic jukebox, virtually every patron came away with another memory that’s as strong as oak.

“It had a tree in the middle!” says Kim Cox, ’76 LAS.

No fooling: the self-proclaimed “French café,” named after Napoleon Bonaparte, had a giant tree enclosed in glass, right behind the bar. Students could take a seat with their $2 pitchers of PBR, talk about the world of ideas and commune with nature, all at once.

Another reason Illini loved Boni’s: If you looked like a student, you were in—ID or no ID. “But on Halloween, the rule was they had to card anyone [wearing] a mask,” recalls Tom Callies, ’81 ACES. “Some guy walked up with a carved-out pumpkin over his head, and the bouncer, Mike Cummings, ’78 LAS, MBA ’80, asked for his ID. The guy gladly whipped out his student ID, and it had a pumpkin pasted over his face! Cummings laughed and waived him in.”

To the sorrow of humans and jack-o-lanterns everywhere, the state raised its legal drinking age from 19 to 21 in 1980, and Boni’s closed, following a drop in business.

 

Canopy Club (1998-)

708 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana

Like many buildings on campus, the music club at 708 S. Goodwin Ave. in Urbana has a long and storied history. Alumni from the mid ’60s to the late ’90s know it as the Thunder-bird Theater, a popular movie house that was one of several single-screen theaters that students could walk to.

But since 1998, it’s been the Canopy Club, one of the area’s most active concert venues. Host to thousands of established performers—ranging from Wilco to Hum to Janelle Monáe—the Canopy has always offered a little bit of everything. It has also been a training ground for legions of college musicians, from piano players to rappers to death metal guitarists and more.

“It was where my band had its first gig!” recalls Michael Hall, ’98 AHS.

 

White Horse Inn (1972-2010)

112 E. Green St., Champaign

The White Horse Inn, waaaay down at Second and Green, was a no-frills kind of place where you could have a beer and watch a game (or karaoke) before moving on to one of the louder, crazier establishments scattered throughout Campustown, such as KAMS or O’Malley’s.

Then you could circle back to the Horse at the end of the night for its legendary drunk food: haystacks piled high—hashbrowns, sausage, eggs and cheese—or tacos, cheap wings, burgers and more.

On Sunday mornings, you could get up late and go there for brunch: biscuits and gravy, French toast, Bloody Marys by the pitcher. You know, the finer things.

“It was not quite church, but maybe some got religion after a morning there!” says Bill McCrindle, ’80 LAS.

 

Espresso Royale (1988-)

1117 W. Oregon St., Urbana; 604 E. Daniel St., Champaign; other locations

The question, “Which Espresso Royale did you go to?” can tell you a lot about a person’s college years: where they lived or what they studied, their vibe, even when they attended the U of I.

Started as a college-town chain in the 1980s, Espresso has been an Illinois institution since 1988, and in the nearly 40 years since, has occupied a wide variety of campus locations, from the Illini Union’s Courtyard Café to the Krannert Art Museum to the Business Instructional Facility, to the beloved coffee houses on Daniel and Oregon streets that became popular hangouts for generations of students.

“The Espresso on Daniel is where I learned to love coffee,” says Alexis Simmons, ’19 MEDIA. “I literally went there every day, spent hours and hours there, and left no seat un-sat in. I bawled like a baby when I heard it was being torn down.”

Today, the original Oregon street location remains, in the space once occupied by Treno’s and Prehn’s. Together, those three icons span nearly a century in the history of student life at Illinois.

 

Stan Wallace’s Gridiron (1959-1975)

618 E. Daniel St., Champaign

For many Illini Baby Boomers, Stan Wallace’s Gridiron was the bar and grill of choice in the 1960s and ’70s, a place known for its “simple interior and unfaked atmosphere,” its plentiful foosball tables and “the best brat and cheese” in town, says Susan Glowacz Zwick, ’70 LAS.

Named after its proprietor, the U of I football and Chicago Bears defensive back, Stan’s became a local institution almost immediately, and for the next 16 years it served as a reliable hangout for thousands of students—a joint where you could drop in between classes for a 15-cent beer and a laugh, or stay awhile to process a national tragedy, such as the JFK assassination.

 

Mabel’s (1978-2001)

613 E. Green St., Champaign

“Mabel’s kind of ruined live music for me,” says Abhi Gami, ’90 BUS. “I grew up expecting all shows to be in a small venue—what did it hold, maybe 200?—where you could hang out with the acts afterwards. I didn’t drink, but I bought a lot of beer for a lot of great bands.

“They Might Be Giants, Jane’s Addiction, Smashing Pumpkins, Adrian Belew and so many more incredible acts played there my first year,” Gami recalls. “The best part was the balcony, and if you got there early enough to grab the little box seating, just above the stairs, you could be within spitting distance of the stage.”

And what a stage it was. For more than 20 years, Mabel’s was the epicenter of the Champaign-Urbana music scene, with live performers nearly every night, in a wide variety of genres. It was a place where local acts such as the Poster Children and Elvis Brothers cut their teeth, where Nirvana played on its first national  tour and where a who’s who of music legends blew the roof off.

A brief list of artists who played at Mabel’s doesn’t even begin to capture its cultural relevance, but here goes: Iggy Pop, Bo Diddley, Joan Jett, Black Flag, The Replacements, Muddy Waters—on a stage that went dark nearly a quarter-century ago.

“My favorite places on campus are all gone,” says Craig Barner, ’87 LAS. “But I especially lament the passing of Mabel’s. I have never been in a better pop/rock music venue.”

 

Papa Del’s (1970-)

601 S. Wright St.; 206 E. Green St.; 1201 S. Neil St., Champaign

Ever since the Timpone family brought pizza to Champaign-Urbana in 1947, there’s been no shortage of great places to get a slice of that savory pie.

There’s also been no shortage of debate about which place is the best.

Some Illinois alumni would argue themselves blue about the merits of Garcia’s Gutbuster, while others swear by the original Timpone’s pizza, which was first available at a restaurant by that name and, later, at the Thunderbird, The Jolly Roger and the “new” Timpone’s, which opened in 1986 and is still going strong.

More often than not, though, this pizza debate firmly ends when Papa Del’s enters the conversation. Pops has been serving its delectable deep-dish slices since 1970 and is often cited by alumni as the thing they miss most about their time on campus.

As Majadi Rodney Perry, ’91 LAS, says, “It’s still the gold standard!”

 

Murphy’s Pub (1969-)

604 E. Green St., Champaign

Since 1969, the Irish pub Murphy’s, with its delicious burgers and plentiful stock of libations, has been a favorite among graduate students, English majors, Rugby Club members and many others—including “theater kids,” says Jarrett Dapier, ’01 LAS, MS ’15 IS.

“If you were a theater kid in 1997 and 1998, Murphy’s was the place to be every Thursday night from 10 p.m. until closing,” he says. “This was back when it was just a narrow, dark, cramped, one-room, shotgun-style pub with tiny booths, wooden tables and names of past barflies etched into the wood everywhere you looked. [In 2009, Murphy’s expanded into the former Bar Guiliani space to the east and became much, much larger.] We would always grab the back corner tables where we would sing, flirt, talk plays, movies and music—the place had a sort of romance and magic to it. I got to know two of my best friends there. One of them is my wife.”

 

Chester Street Bar (1978-2017)

63 Chester St., Champaign

For nearly 40 years, the Chester Street Bar—best known as C-Street—was a rarity in central Illinois: a nightclub owned, operated and frequented by the LGBTQIA+ community.

It was a place that fostered a sense of belonging for its patrons: a safe space where people of all sexual orientations and genders could cut loose, relax, be themselves, make new friends, watch a drag show. And dance.

“Chester Street was the best place to dance,” says Stephanie Pillar, ’86 LAS. “I used to go with my gay male friends and dance the night away on the speakers!”

When C-Street closed in 2017, it was a huge loss for LGBTQIA+ students and community members—and, following the bar’s destruction in a 2021 fire, one that may never heal.

 

Other Hot Spots

Abe’s Red Hots (1970-1979)

Aunt Sonya’s (1980-2005)

Bidwell’s (1919-1969)

The Blind Pig (1990-2024)

The Blind Pig Brewery (2009-2024)

Bub’s Pizza and Pub (1990-2001)

Bubby and Zadie’s Delicatessen (1971-1979)

C.O. Daniel’s (1982-2009)

Caffe Paradiso (1998-)

Chances R (1966-1978)

Cochrane’s (1978-1998)

Coslow’s (1978-1994)

Cowboy Monkey (2003-)

Dooley’s (1970-1982)

Firehaus (2005-2018)

Garcia’s (1971-)

Gully’s (1983-2006)

Gumby’s Pizza (1991-2013)

The High Dive (1999-2015)

House of Chin (1964-1994)

Illini Brown Jug (1967-1971)

Illini Union (1941-)

It’s Brothers (2001-)

Joe’s Brewery (1991-)

Katsinas Restaurant (1929-1996)

Legends (1998-)

Merry-Ann’s Diner (1983-)

Mike ’n’ Molly’s (1996-2016)

Nature’s Table (1980-1991)

O’Malley’s Pub (1982-1995)

Panama Red’s (1977-1983)

Prehn’s-on-Oregon (1928-1966)

Record Service (1969-2004)

Riggs Beer Company (2016-)

Rose Bowl Tavern (1946-)

Round Robin (1972-1984)

Ruby Gulch (1972-1976)

Second Chance (1971-1977)

Steak ’n Shake (1937-)

Strawberry Fields (1975-)

The Clybourne (1995-2018)

The Daily Grind (1978-2002)

The Jolly Roger (1954-2007)

The Thunderbird Restaurant (1959-1986)

Triptych Brewing (2013-)

Trito’s Uptown (1984-1990)

Turk’s Head Coffee House (1958-1968)

Uncle John’s Pancake House (1961-1980)

Whitt’s End (1970-1975)

Zorba’s (1973-2020)