We celebrate Juneteenth tomorrow, Wednesday, June 19th. Juneteenth is a holiday that centers the accomplishments and contributions of Black Americans. Celebrations should have good food, and those looking for Black excellence in our local food scene will find many, many delicious options.
With more than twenty restaurants, food trucks, shops, and bakeries, this list has delicious foods and drink by Black-owned businesses to enjoy in Champaign-Urbana this Juneteenth — and all year ’round.
Neil St. Blues restaurant
This Wednesday, June 19th, Neil St. Blues of Downtown Champaign is hosting a Juneteenth Day party with a dinner buffet, a D.J., and drink specials. Neil St. Blues serves flavor-packed Southern food six days a week, but their brunch is exceptional. Learn what makes the Sunday brunch so good in my June Five Things list and in this review of 2022’s Juneteenth brunch. Check out our interview with the restaurant owner, and visit their website for more information.
Stango Cuisine + Stango Bites food truck
Run by Chef Mubanga Chanda, Champaign’s first and only Zambian restaurant Stango Cuisine has a dine in location in Champaign and a food truck that serves the restaurant’s popular bites all over town. I’m obsessed with Stango’s beignets, but aren’t we all? Stango’s beef handpies are my favorite savory food, but I love so much of the Zambian menu. The saucy, spiced wings are fire. Chicken curry and beef samosas are both great, too. For more about the food truck eats, read Remington’s recent review of the Zambian food, or click to Stango’s site.
Wood N’ Hog restaurant
I recently had the jerk tips at Wood N’ Hog and was blown away by the delicious flavor of those tender tips. Here, I also love the pulled pork sandwich (as evidenced here, here, here, here, here, and here). Honestly, everything this Urbana barbecue joint makes tastes good. I like the fried catfish, and I love the fried chicken wings — like, really love them. I also enjoy the fried drumsticks with mix sauce and the pulled chicken sandwich, too. Currently, the restaurant only operates out of their Urbana location as the Champaign location is now home to Stango Cuisine dine-in and for Wood N’ Hog catering. For more info, check out Wood N’ Hog’s website here and Carl’s full restaurant review here.
Brien’s Bistro food truck
The food truck by the name of Brien’s Bistro slings fun twists on classic eats. My review of dinner from the truck published yesterday. Spoiler: go for the mashed potato parfait. It’s a crazy delicious take on loaded mashed potatoes with saucy pulled pork, barbecue sauce, and cheese sprinkles over garlicky, from-scratch mashed ‘taters. Check out the Brien’s Bistro’s site here, and follow the silver truck on Facebook.
Sepelas Restaurant
Sepelas Restaurant offers upscale Congolese cuisine in Urbana. The restaurant opened last year by immigrants of the Democratic Republic of the Congo who had always dreamed of opening an African restaurant. I like the restaurant’s grilled chicken and grilled pork, but the steak kabobs and plantains are insanely good. The plantains here are excellent because the chef slices them thin, so there’s lots of crispy, caramelized deliciousness around every bite of warm plantain. Be careful with the pili pili, the African hot sauce, because even a drop is extremely spicy. For more about the food, peep Carl’s full review of the African takeout and Sepelas’ website.
Sooie Bros Bar-B-Que Joint
Champaign’s Sooie Bros Bar-B-Que serves slow-cooked barbecue ribs, brisket, pork, and burgers plus housemade classic sides. The restaurant first opened in 2022 in a different location before re-opening in 2023 at the spot they are now at the corner of Kirby and Neil. For more about the food, check out Carl’s restaurant review, and follow the barbecue joint on Facebook. No matter what, save room for dessert because Sooie Bros has the most amazing bourbon butter pecan cheesecake.
Alexander’s Primetime Seasonings & Rubs
This Champaign-Urbana spicemaker sells seasonings and rubs at the Tuesday farmers’ market. I am a fan of Alexander’s Primetime chicken seasoning, but the garlic-herb is so good I bought the giant size. That one has a mix of garlic powder, onion powder, dried cilantro, thyme, basil, and oregano — and it goes great on everything. If you’re not sure what spice to buy, talk to the owner because he’s chatty and knows his seasonings.
Cool Bliss Popped Bliss shop
Neil Street shop Cool Bliss Popped Bliss makes amazing fresh popcorn and delicious dipped desserts. Gourmet popcorn flavors include caramel, cheesy bacon, cheesy ranch, cashew crunch, birthday cake, devil’s dust, and more. CBPB also sells tasty sweets like chocolate covered pretzels and chocolate-covered Twinkies. Read Caitlin’s recent review, our pandemic interview with the owner, and see the full menu on Facebook.
Come Get This food truck
Come Get This food truck has a full menu of summer eats. From Chicago hot dogs to a Philly steak to Boo Boo burgers, the food truck serves a satisfying meal. Find the truck at events and parked around Champaign-Urbana. Check out our reviews of the truck’s food here, here, and here. Follow the truck on Facebook for hours and locations.
Mama Duke’s food truck
Mama Duke’s sells great barbecue and saucy sandwiches from a food truck with a smoker on the back, but my favorite thing here is Mama Duke’s baked beans. These barbecue beans have ground beef in it, making the side deliciously meaty. Catch the truck occasionally at Riggs and at events around Champaign-Urbana-Savoy. On Juneteenth, the truck will be at Colbert Park from 2 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday. For more about the food, check out my full review of the truck or the truck’s Facebook page.
RiPoppedIt
A gourmet popcorn business, RiPoppedIt sells colorful, freshly popped popcorn in lots of yummy flavors. Find RiRi’s popcorn on Saturdays at Urbana’s Market at the Square or pre-order pretty popcorn favors for an event. RiPoppedIt’s most popular flavors are cinnamon roll, banana pudding, and salted caramel pecan, served in varying sizes. If not picked up at the farmers market, flavored popcorn is available for pickup at Hunny Bunny Bakes’ cooperative Neil Street storefront. For more about the artisan popcorn, read our exclusive interview with the owner, and visit RiPoppedIt’s website.
C&C Kitchen food truck
Owned and operated by Curtis and Cameshia McGhee, C&C Kitchen food truck offers yummy Southern-style American eats at affordable prices. Sometimes it’s parked at Riggs for dinner, and I love when they have the beer cheese burger topped with beer cheese made from Riggs beer. Carl loves the truck’s rib tips and potato salad. For more about the food, read Jess’ review of C&C’s consistently delicious food, and follow the truck on Facebook.
Niece’s Pieces Brownies bakery
The home bakery called Niece’s Pieces makes deliciously decadent brownies by the slice or pan. I love the toffee brownie most because those candy pieces are baked in, adding even more sweetness to the dessert. These brownies are addicting! I love the rich, fudgy chocolate texture because it is gooey yet somehow still firm. Buy Niece’s Pieces brownies at the farmers market on Saturday mornings. Follow on Facebook and Instagram.
Ashar African Market grocery store
Opened in 2017, Ashar African Market is a small grocer in Urbana off Cunningham Avenue. Fresh produce arrives to the store every Monday. The shelves are stocked with African goods and international products. Find yummy snacks, pantry goods, and edible gifts among the store’s variety. For more about the grocery, check out our interview with the owner.
Best of Africa grocery store + Mama’s African Kitchen
Co-owned by Congolese immigrants Memoire Budimbu Mabiza and Lisette Mbaki, Best of Africa‘s new location is now open. In what used to be I Heart Mac & Cheese, Best of Africa grocery store has shelves with African products, ingredients for dinner, starches, snacks, peanuts, produce, and frozen meat, plus housewares and clothing. I’m awaiting the re-opening of the grocery’s restaurant Mama’s African Kitchen; owners say the restaurant will re-open at the new location soon. Check out a walk-through of the new location here, and visit the store’s website here.
Nothing Bundt Cakes bakery
Opened in 2020, Nothing Bundt Cakes is a dessert shop specializing in bundt cakes of varying sizes and flavors, each with signature stripes of sweet cream cheese frosting. Smile Politely’s resident dessert expert Matt loves the strawberry one. I like them all: red velvet, the vanilla, the chocolate, the pecan praline, and chocolate chocolate chip. For more info, check out the cake shop’s website here.
Les Gourmets Cuisine
Inside Urbana’s Broadway Food Hall, Les Gourmets Cuisine is open six days a week with a menu of tasty African cuisine. The food hall vendor’s menu offers poulet mayo, tilapia, fufu, kwanga, fried rice, and more for dine-in and carryout. Learn about this beef steak with a side of potatoes in my full restaurant review of Les Gourmets Cuisine. For additional info, visit the restaurant’s website or Facebook page.
Garro’s Taste of the City food truck
Garro’s Taste of the City is a food truck with a menu of Chicago eats that regularly parks at an Urbana Shell gas station. I am obsessed with the red truck’s Italian beef (a lot), but the truck’s gyro fries and crispy wings are awesome, too. Garro’s wings have the same delicious salty, lemon-pepper seasoning as his fries, and I love it. We named Garro’s Taste of the City the BEST new food truck of 2022 because it’s delicious. Catch my full review of the truck’s eats here, and follow the truck on Facebook.
Sugga Shaii’s Sweets
Anybody with a sweet tooth probably already knows about Sugga Shaii’s Sweets. Her dessert food truck comes to the Saturday market with yummy treats and sweets. Jess loves the chocolate turtles; I love the cupcake in a jar, but everything she makes looks good. For updates on what’s baking next, follow Sugga Shaii’s Sweets on Facebook.
Leeyah-Symone’s Lemonade Stand
Leeyah-Symone’s Lemonade is an occasional vendor at Urbana’s Market at the Square. The colorful lemonade stand offers bottled homemade lemonade and pink lemonade made with cane sugar. Both my kids and I enjoyed the sweet drinks from the market. Learn more about the business from their website.
Field of Sweets
Last but not least, admire this cake by home baker Tiara Winfield, who won last year’s Edible Book Festival. Her cake inspired by Finding Me by Viola Davis is one of many stunning cakes and cupcakes the home baker has made with intricate details for events and birthdays. Read our interview with the talented local baker, and follow her on Instagram.
