More Roadfood in Illinois

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
- Random Stops in the Land of Lincoln

Summer is near and lots of Roadfood is coming with it. With international travel restrictions still in place I'm expecting lot's of people to hit the road in some form or fashion this summer. I'm certainly planning to do so and will have quite a few reports from some different places to share. Plus there's always more to uncover in places I have been (expect plenty of follow up reports too). Today's post doc's five food stops in Central Illinois that I tried at some point and time in the last few years or so. 

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The Valley Inn (Green Valley, IL)

When the discussion of breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches (or BPT's) is had, Central Illinois is often overlooked in favor of Indiana and Iowa (as is Kansas City). But as residents of the middle of the state will tell you you're never far from a good BPT in these parts. The town of Spring Valley sits about 30 minutes south of Peoria and is home to one of the regions best BPT's. You can find it at The Valley Inn which is a pretty typical small town America spot where they serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Just be prepared to wait for lunch if it's still breakfast hours. We were there around 10:30a and lunch wasn't until 11a and she wouldn't put the order in until exactly then. I became less annoyed after hearing what sounded like pork tenderloin being pounded in the back kitchen right around 11a. While it's not the biggest BPT I've ever seen Valley Inn serves a pretty large version that's better than most. 

BPT at The Valley Inn

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Avanti's (Multiple Central Illinois locations)

If you went to college at Bradley University or Illinois St. you're probably familiar with our next stop. Avanti's is synonymous with both campuses and all the hungry students that have come through them over the years. It got it's start in Peoria across the street from Bradley University in 1966. The owner bought a previous pizza business and changed the name but kept the Gondola Submarine Sandwiches that the previous tenant sold. Except he decided to switch the bread up and bake his own. The rest of the story is Central Illinois history as that Gondola sandwich has spawned 5 locations in the Peoria area as well as two in Bloomington-Normal which are run by the founders nephews. Not just that but their popularity also meant other places would try and profit off their local fame. Pictured below is one large deluxe Gondola - ham, salami, American cheese, Mozzarella cheese, tomato and lettuce. Served on their signature super sweet house baked bread. This sandwich is cheap and filling thus its been a favorite of the regions college kids and also Illinois politicians who enjoy Gondola's annually when State Rep. Danny Brady has Avanti's cater lunch down at the Capitol in Springfield. 

Gondola Sandwich from Avanti's
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La Gondola Spaghetti House (Multiple Central Illinois locations)

I stopped into a Bloomington location of La Gondola Spaghetti House a couple years back without putting 2 and 2 together. They call their sub sandwiches "torpedo's" here and as someone told me there was a lawsuit over the name between this place and Avanti's. Although I cant find anything on it. That said people really love the pizza bread on top of the sub sandwiches from La Gondola which was also founded in Peoria around 1982. The original location still goes by Leonardo's but they expanded under the La Gondola name. I tried the popular pizza bread and came away with the same conclusion as I did for the sub sandwiches from Avanti's above - this is cheap college food. 

Pizza Bread at La Gondola Spaghetti House 

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Aloha Restaurant (Decatur, IL) 

I had some dealings down in Decatur (Birthplace of Da Bears) about a year or so ago. I can’t even front, this yelper rec’d Chinese restaurant and it's cashew chicken (bottom picture) was the goods. I had my eye on this locally loved American-Chinese restaurant due to its longstanding presence in the Decatur, Illinois community. They’ve been open for more than 40 years making them a popular spot with generations of locals. But what do you get? Well that’s where a site like yelp comes into play. I don’t use it for reviews of trendy dining but I do find use in it for mom and pop spots like this. More times than not you can find a tip or two worth putting to use or at the very least get an idea of the food from the pictures. Another review mentioned the chicken wings which was also a good call. I had to draw the line at the generic tiki cocktails though. The sugar would’ve killed me on the ride home. 

Lunch at Aloha Restaurant 
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K&H Truck Plaza (Gilman, IL)

If you're ever traveling on I-57 and you find yourself hungry around Iroquois County (90 miles south of Chicago) I suggest getting off at the K&H Plaza exit. This is a full fledged truck stop with a terrific little diner where it seems most of the food is homemade. I think we found this little gem by chance while getting gas and I decided to glance at the menu which had a bunch of daily specials that caught my eye. My friend got a standard breakfast plate and some bread pudding that he absolutely crushed. I decided to try something off the daily specials menu which is always the same it just switches by day. On this day they had a smothered pork chop with some sort of paprika / tomato sauce that rocked. I made a mental note of their other daily specials which has options like beef and homemade noodles. All that and their pie is made in-house too. The banana cream piece I took home was also top notch. 

Home Cooked Food at the K&H Truck Plaza Restaurant 
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See ya next time @chibbqking

Eating BIG in Peoria

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
- Exploring P-Town and the Surrounding Area

I've taken a handful of roadtrips over to the Peoria area the last decade or so. It's an interesting place. River towns always are. I've always felt a certain mystique with them and Peoria definitely brings that to the table. The Illinois river town is only about a 2 hour and 40 minute drive from Chicago. I think it falls in right around number eight for most populated places in the state however it has more history than most of the spots ranked ahead of it. A good place to learn of the city's history is at the Riverfront Museum which we visited a couple years back during the IHSA Basketball playoffs. Exhibits switch up but on our visit there was some truly interesting stuff including a hall totally dedicated to the IHSA and it's history as well as one dedicated to both Peoria's past and also the life of a River Rat which there were once plenty of with the Illinois river cutting right through town.

Sights from the Peoria Riverfront Museum 

(DYK that before prohibition Peoria was the country's top producer of whiskey?)

Unless you have family or some sort of outdoor weekend planned you really only need one day to get a good feel of Peoria. If you're a stand up comedy fan you probably already know that it was the childhood home of Richard Pryor who's one of the best to ever tell jokes on a stage. He has a statue in town so that's really cool and worth stopping for a snap if you're a fan. If you're into otherworldly activities the nearby Peoria State Hospital in Bartonville has a haunted past and you can feel that if you visit the area. Over in, or should I say up in, Hopewell Illinois rests a cool view of the entire area. There's all sorts of old school stuff from buildings to old relics and such found around town. So if you're a photographer you may enjoy taking the day to snap photos of this always interesting place.

Sights from Peoria

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Castle's Patio Inn

This little dive bar has been dishing out drinks in one form or the other since the end of prohibition. The current owner has had it for more than 25 years but it's the previous owner before her that made what was then known as Ray's Patio Inn to be the cheesiest place in town. It was then owner Ray who introduced free cheese spread (with crackers) back in the 60's. No one knows the origin but it's been a part of the bar ever since. These day's Castle's Patio Inn is owned by a widower who continues her husbands legacy. The cheese is so popular they make more than 4000 lbs during the holiday season. Much of it shipped out as Xmas gifts across the country to people from Peoria who miss it. I cant remember if it's still free but I don't believe it to be. But nothing is expensive in these parts. We actually visited here a handful of years ago but it's the type of spot that hasn't changed much since the Castle's took over. Thus it makes for a cool spot to stop for a beer. The cheese spread is your reward. Next time I'm in the area I plan on stopping by for some to take home.

Pub Cheese at Castle's Patio Inn 

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Kabab G

The Metro Peoria area is home to more than 8000 Lebanese-Americans. They've become a primary anchor of local business success. One form of this is in the local restaurant scene. Peoria has a handful of Lebanese options and if online reviews are to be believed they're all pretty good. I can vouch for Kabab-G which we went to a couple years ago and enjoyed both fresh fried falafel and beef shawarma cut directly from a spit. The same trip I'd seen a couple signs for local businesses and communities that were holding Kebab fundraisers and such. Like they do with brats in Wisconsin.

Falafel and Beef Shawarma at Kabab-G

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Emo's Dairy Mart

Peoria has a nice little drive-in / dairy culture. Emo's Dairy Mart is just one of a few popular Peoria summertime destinations. These places signify the start of spring for locals. Each spot has a menu item or two that people line up for while they all serve ice cream which people line up for all summer. Emo's is one we happened to be driving by. Look at this place. How could I not stop? The most popular food items at these Peoria dairy shacks seems to be hot dogs, tamales, and loose meat sandwiches. I got a loose meat from Emo's bc I wanted to see how it compared to another spot. I liked the other place better but I'll never not stop for a spot like this. We don't have them in Chicago.

Loose Meat Sandwich at Emo's Dairy Mart

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Twistee Treat

Here's an interesting piece of Fast Food Americana located in East Peoria. Twistee Treat is a corporate chain from Florida that has changed hands a few times following bankruptcy etc. The original was found in 1983 with it's signature buildings shaped in the form of an ice cream cone. The story of how one of those buildings got to East Peoria can be traced back to the original owners who opened an ice cream shop in a vacant Dairy Queen. That land was eventually sold to the state and the couple went on vacation to Florida. It was there they saw the Twistee Treat building. Since the company had gone bankrupt they purchased it for $25,000 and had it shipped to East Peoria. It came in 19 pieces according to a story I read online. They eventually sold to the current owner who has added her own touch. I tried a house special chili dog which comes with a bright tomato forward chili and relish and onions. Not my favorite chili dog ever but I loved everything else about this place.

Chili Dog at Twistee Treat

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Ernie's Dairy Dream

Here's yet another old school dairy / sandwich shack. Ernie's Dairy Dream sits in a residential part of town. I actually wrote about it in another Illinois Roadfood special I did a couple years back but I'll include it in this list too since it's in Peoria. From August of 2018. "According to an article in the PJ Star Ernie's reopened last year after a three year hiatus. Ernie's was born in South Peoria in 1959 in what was a bustling area. They had as many as 20 employees. As times changed and other businesses shut down so did Ernie's. But with it's recent rebirth I got to try one of their famous Castle Burgers which is really just a loose meat sandwich. Loose meat being exactly what it sounds like. Crumbled up ground beef served on a bun. A Sloppy Joe without the slop. Ernie's makes a good one that reminded me a bit of White Castle. It had that smooth slider taste. Dare I say it was great."

Castle Burger at Ernie's Dairy Dream 

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"The Original" Wonderdog

The "Original" Wonderdog is the premiere spot for chili dogs and tamales in East Peoria. The latter of which have a rich history in the area. There was a time when downtown Peoria would be flooded with Tamale Men. Not the Mexican kind but the Mississippi Delta variety that kind of morphed into a Chicago style hot dog stand tamale. In fact a while back I did a feature on a wonderful spot in Sparland, IL (outside Peoria) ran by a man named Willie Smith (RIP). Before him there was a guy Art Knutsen who started selling tamales from a cart back in 1932. His tamales went onto to become a local treat found at grocery stores all over town but the state shut it down. Somebody new bought the licensing and recipes and brought them back last year. They're similar to Tom-Tom and such. Now back to Wonderdog which also closed down for a while when it was known as the Velvet Freeze. The owners who supplied the Freeze with the meat for their chili dogs took over the space and switched it up by adding some menu items. But the chili dogs and the tamales are staples of the spaces past.

Chili Dog and Tamale and The Original Wonderdog 

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B's Drive-Inn (Farmington, IL)

About 30 minutes west of Peoria lies the small farm town of Farmington, IL. This spot is one of 100+ places I have listed on a Google Maps of Roadfood in Illinois. So we made our way over a couple summers ago. B's Drive-Inn is the most Central Illinois dining destination I've ever been. I'm not even exactly sure what I mean by that but if you ever need to shoot some film in the most Midwest of farm town looking places possible this is it. Not just the restaurant itself but the surrounding area too. There's very little on the history of B's but it's an old school spot housed in what feels like the middle of nowhere or maybe the middle of a corn field. That said I'm sure B's is the place to be for Farmington teens and such. Online reviews rave about the breaded pork tenderloin which is very popular in these parts. The BPT is often mentioned with Iowa and Indiana but it's also very big in Central Illinois and parts of Missouri. B's serves a real homemade tenderloin and not a fritter. So I was interested in trying it even though the peak for one of these can only go so high. Everything about B's was looking good but the seasoning was lacking. As you can see below this one pops way out of the bun but it's more so a big rectangle than a big circle. There's mustard, onion, pickles on there but bc the breading wasn't seasoned it was pretty damn plain. Very good lemon soft serve though.

BPT at B's Drive-Inn

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Susie's Hot Dogs (Morton, IL)

Some biz down in Delavan last year allowed me to hunt down an elusive white whale on the Illinois roadfood trail. Susie’s is a small little shack that’s been slanging chili dogs for the last 32 years in Morton - pumpkin capitol of the world here in Central Illinois. The Peoria area has quite a few old time chili dog vendors but Susie’s keeps very limited hours (Mon-Sat 11-2) so I’d never had a chance to check them out until now. Everything includes chili, mustard, onion and they’re small enough to where people eat a few. Of course I had to have a taco too which is made with the chili. Fun little stop, literally. There’s enough room for maybe 8 customers inside. Line was out the door as we left.

Menu, Taco, Hot Dog at Susie's Hot Dogs 

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Burger Barge 

Peoria is a river town which means there's more than a few spots to enjoy food and booze down by the river. Burger Barge is one of the most popular spots to do so. They have a nice setup and it has the feels of some random bar on the Floribama Coast or somewhere. So if that's your scene you will feel at home over here. I wish I could say something good about the burgers but they weren't anything special by any means. No idea why they have a reputation for such but I'd stick with the High Lifes.

Cheeseburger at Burger Barge 

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 Pottstown Meat and Deli 

I've always enjoyed checking out mom and pop type butcher shops across the Midwest. Pottstown Meat and Deli is a good one. It's been a local family meat business for more than 100 years. Much of their beef comes from Kilgus Farms in Fairbury, IL and all the chicken is locally raised. Both of those are worth grabbing as is some of their sausage. They must have over 50 varieties on offer. One that I really like is their breakfast sausage links. Bring a cooler bc you can stock up the entire fridge here.

Sights from Pottstown Meats and Deli

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See ya next time @chibbqking

Willie's Homemade Tamales

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
-Mississippi Delta Tamales in Central IL

I love the off the beaten paths food stops that exist in every corner and crevice of our country. It was late May in 2007 when I made my first visit to a place that became one of my favorite finds while on the roads and byways of America. I was en route to some hippie fest near Peoria in a town called Chillicothe and was led to a place in nearby Sparland, IL from some people in the know. Back in 2007 Willie's Tamales sat in an abandoned gas station located at the corner of Routes 29 and 17 and cooked BBQ outside during summer. Willie Smith has been known around Peoria for his Mississippi Delta Tamales for some time now. I have since made my much anticipated visit back since my first visit here and came to see that Willie's had come up.


a diamond in central Illinois

Its no longer an old gas station lot with visible ripped out gas pumps, its been built from the ground up and I for one am really impressed. Willie comes to us from the Mississippi Delta region and he originally moved to Peoria only to go back home and not leave until he perfected the art of the tamale. Perfect it he did! I'm a big tamale eater, have been since I tried my first at 7 years old and I would say I have tried as many tamales as anyone my age. the tamale has so many different variations and methods but the Delta style is my favorite. So much so that I hope to make it down to the Mississippi Delta Tamale Trail sometime this Summer or Fall. If your unfamiliar with this popular regional snack check out the Southern Foodways Alliance special on them right HERE. Its a great piece of work put together by the people over there who do a stellar job with everything they do.


a bundle of Willies famous Delta style tamales

When I first found Willie's back in '07 he was manning the grill and was thrilled to chat me up about his story and the story of what are some of the greasiest, tastiest melt in your mouth tamales I have ever tasted. Willy uses 100% corn meal and the spicing is perfect, a lil on the hot side like it should be and there's no way you can eat just one so they come by the bundle and cost $6 for six of them. The tamales are what made Willie a well known name around this area but he does up alot of other real good things down there in Central Illinois. The area down there is lucky to have him around, we have no options here in Chicago for authentic Delta style tamales that I am aware of. So if anyone out there with an old family recipe is reading this, come on thru, we need you. It's a shame I cant get to Willies every weekend.


Delta Tamales are usually made with beef and heavily spiced


Inside of Willies with a bar area and some tables for dining in


Willie has been around for a while, its good to see he's got this Sparland spot

When Willie's first opened they were doing all the cooking outside in the smoker and grill which can be seen in the pic up at the very bottom of this story. But since they now have a building with electricity, some space and all that they also have an aquarium smoker inside and are smokin' year round. They also have a grill inside but no AC and not a great ventilation system and smoking is allowed so it gets really smokey in there from the grill and cigs. I saw a sign saying they will start cooking outside next week. If you should be in the area this is a great summertime lunch stop.


Taking the sideroads and byways of America leads you to places like Willie's

Willie wasn't in when we were there but the two ladies working took our order and got to work. I went with 2 bunches of Tamales, a butterflied pork chop sandwich and the rib tips. On my first visit here we had a slab of ribs that were phenomenal and I left wishing I got that again instead of the tips which were ok just not like those ribs were. Willie uses mainly fruit tree woods like apple wood when smokin' his BBQ. I couldn't eat the tamales fast enough. A bunch goes for $6 and they are small and pretty easy to eat alot of but still worth it for me since I cant get anything like these in the city.


Rib Tips


Greasy Goodness

I had heard that Willie had a few locations in and around Peoria. Willie has always had a food cart located downtown at Adams and Main. Its a very popular lunch stop and aside from the obvious tamales the locals love the butterflied pork chop sandwich. Willie gets the chop from a local butcher and its cut to his liking as you can see in the pic below. It was a great sandwich that had me wanting another as soon as I took my fist bite. It was crisped perfectly and you are able to dress it up with what you want from the condiments bar next to where you order inside.


Butterflied Pork Chop Sandwich

I was so happy to see that Willie's is really rocking these days and is now thee spot to eat around this way. Unless you get off the main interstates and do some exploring you wont come across a place like this which is why I always like to take the byways when traveling on roadtrips. I try to take them as much as time will allow me to and you should too this summer. You never know what you might cruise upon.


What will you find on the roads of America?

Willies Homemade Tamales
194 Railroad Street
Sparland, IL 61565
(309) 469-2222

Willie's Tamale Cart
Located at Adams and Main St
Peoria, IL