Restaurants in DeKalb

“Ordered the Dubai chocolate and they were getting it in the box as I walked in greeting me with a big smile. I was very pleased with my Brownie as well highly recommended”

“First time here and we loved it. Of course we had to get Saganaki and it was perfect! The Sea Bass was excellent and I highly recommend it. My wife loved the Pastitsio. We had such a great waitress, Ayris, she was so friendly and recommended some great dishes! We will be back!”

“Decided to stop by since I was in the area and always wanted to try some Indian food. Immediately was welcomed and felt at ease when one of the workers helped me out as to what we should get as our first dishes. Ended up getting the butter chicken, while my partner got the tikka masala, both with garlic naan. For drinks we got the mango lassi, while my partner got the strawberry lassi with their meal. Food and drinks came out pretty fast. Everything tasted great! While I have nothing to compare with since this was the first time I had tried Indian food, as a first time trier, everything was very delicious. The two workers and cook would check up on us and asked us how things were, everyone being extremely nice and welcoming. The only thing I had wish I gotten was some rice, but halfway through our meal, the cook came out and gave us some to try with our meals! For free! Exactly what it was missing. We finished our meals very satisfied, and talking amongst ourselves about what else we want try for the next time we come back. We live about 45 minutes away but to us, the drive is worth coming back to try it again.”

“Really good spicy ramen I had pork along with boas and also a must is the lemon pepper squid the boba was great as well. Cute place for a first date or a friends get together.”

“Mmm the Horchata latte (w oat milk) was the perfect drink for this chilly fall morning! 10/10 would recommend!”

“Love going to egg haven! Their food always tastes so fresh! Employees are always welcoming and the owner is just the nicest person ever!! I definitely recommend egg haven 😊”

“Best fried chicken I have ever had!”

“Went for the first time on my birthday with my husband and mom. Had a great time, staff is super friendly and they have a really good sense of humor. Excellent food - we will definitely go back.”

“We don’t live in DeKalb, but try to stop every time we are in town. Delicious foods! Bea remembers us every time we are dining!”

“I was looking for a place to eat on my first day at NIU, noticed this place on google maps. I wasn't sure what to get, so the chef recommended me a shawarma wrap, and let me tell you it was worth it. They also accept husky bucks, so if you are a student that wants to try something new, this is the place.

Wheelchair accessibility: They have a ramp leading directly off of the pavement next to their shop, and they have a grouping of shorter tables that would be easy to eat at with a wheelchair. There is also ample room to maneuver around in a wheelchair or any other related mobility device. The front door is manual however, so you might have difficulty with it.”

“Delicious. We got the Bianca, the Florentine, and a pepperoni pizza for my kiddo. He prefers it to Papa John’s, and hey, not much higher praise can come from a kid. We’ll be back!”

“Recently hosted my daughter’s 1st birthday at El Jimador’s upstairs venue and all my guests were super impressed with their food & drinks! Big thank you to Lupe who was amazing at helping us pick a menu & answering all my questions. Any parent knows how stressful it is to host a kids party and they definitely made us feel welcomed and comfortable. We had 1 bartender & 1 server and they both were amazing during our time there. We will definitely be back!”

“good food, but a bit pricey”

“Lincoln Inn has provided the Target Distribution Center here in DeKalb with top notch catering & services for countless years. Great communication, accommodations & options for our 1200+ employees. Cannot recommend enough!”

“Great small town pizza with even better staff!”

“Owner and staff are exceptional. Delicious food, generous portions. Lovely atmosphere. Can’t think of a better place to a party. Highly recommended!!”

“We have had many great meals at The Grove. Today we had stopped in for brunch and it was amazing. We ordered the Chicken and Waffles and Smashed biscuits and Gravy, both were delicious! The menu is not your average eggs, meat and toast selections, but a wonderfully curated variety of specialty brunch items. We highly recommend The Grove for brunch, lunch, dinner or just cocktails!”

“It’s clean, food tastes fresh and service is friendly and attentive.”

“excellent food and service”

“First time today, will not be the last! Service was great. Super fast from order to table! Food was great!!”

“went through drive-thru 12 10 23 and the food was fast came out very hot took it home and everything was so delicious best Chinese restaurant in town everyone must try”

“Was looking all over for a good place to scan some illustrations. This place was recommended by a few people and I am also recommending this place. High quality scans and great customer service. Worth the 45 minute drive from Rockford. Thank you!”

“amazing food and great service.”

“Breakfast! Lunch! Dinner! Everything is DELICIOUS!!😋😋😋”

“Food was hot, it was spotless and the ice cream and shake machines were working! Order was correct as well. Fish sandwich was hot! Very pleased after the let downs we've had lately.”

“Fast and friendly staff . It is a lot easier to put in an order with the kiosks or register. I prefer the kiosk. It is much quicker. They always have several deals going on.”

“I love this specific McDonalds. First of all, the staf is super friendly, never had I have a problem with them. Second of all, the fries are always hot and crisp, not soggy like in other locations.”

“Delish. Great service Fried salmon roll”

“Absolutely love eating here! Service is amazing, the food is fantastic, and super chill/fun atmosphere! Love watching the chefs cook! Perfect for a date night, fun lunch with the girls, or nice family night out! We try something new on the menu every time we go & everything has tasted wonderfully!! 10/10!!!”

“Finally went to this famous place. Mostly because their potato salad was highly recommended. Well I have to say i was not impressed. Way to much bacon so you really couldn't taste the potatoes. Chose the tex mex hamburger 🍔 I gave it an 7.5 it was not well done like asked. It was very noisy and extremely loud. It was nice having a free sample of whiskey though. I probably go back but during lunch hour and see if its better. The waitress was great. She was awesome. The wait time for 2 was about 15 -20 minutes tops. Yet the entrance was crazy. Long line and the area is not very big to fit all the people that were waiting to be seated. Overall it was ok.”

“Just found this place, which has apparently been a Dekalb staple for 25 years. The food was very good, and serving sizes were appropriate. The greeter and wait staff were friendly and responsive. The restaurant seating looks as though it has grown over time to expand into several adjacent spaces; a clear sign of success.
I wish we had discovered this place years ago. We would have many times chosen this option over the tollway oasis food counters during lunch and dinner times.
By the way, the salsa with the chips has a pretty good kick; I love it!
Outside seating area next to the building, but it was too cold last night for that.
Give this place a try. Obviously, it's a favorite with students, locals, and travelers alike.

Parking: Lots of parking behind (south of) the building. The restaurant fronts immediately on the Lincoln Highway right of way.”

“THEY ARE AMAZING”

“Raising Cane’s in Sycamore is one of the best chicken spots around. I’ve been through the drive-through and also dined inside on a previous visit—both times the service was quick, friendly, and efficient. The chicken was hot, fresh, and perfectly crispy. The fries and toast were great too. They keep things simple and do it right every time. Highly recommend stopping by if you’re in the area and craving quality fried chicken.”

“Friendly staff, delicious food, and very reasonably priced! Portion sizes are huge too! Literally the best place for my comfort food cravings. Homemade soups are out of this world. I love this place so much!!”

“Lived in dekalb for a number of years while going to college and Fushi Yami was a great place for friends to get together. We still come here while passing through, even if it's a drive from 39.

Sushi has never had a bellow god taste and their hibachi is pretty good too. It's a quick stop, college town, sushi place and it still surpasses expectations, even after ~15? years.

They even have a little robot that delivers you food to your table, which is a perfect touch to the atmosphere.”

“Love this place. ❤️Very friendly staff 😊”

“Excellent pizza!!! Great service! Really good food.”

“it is so good to get it”

“Súper fan of this chain and so happy to have one in my backyard!”

“My first time dining here and everything was perfect. Great customer service, the inside of the restaurant was extremely clean, my food was fresh and delicious. The area is safe. Not sure what others are speaking of. Heavily lit area next to the NIU campus.”

“New college student and I'm 26 so I'm watching my health a bit better and they have great healthy bagel options.
I do wish there was a vegan option, and do charge more if you make a vegan and cream cheese bagel, the vegans won't be upset trust me. It's understandable that it takes more ingredients, I only eat vegetarian sandwiches but I'd love to see a vegan bagel and vegan cream cheese option cuz they exist:)) ..
Loved the food, atmosphere (no music tho :((. )
Everyone's nice and polite.

You should stay open later ! Maybe like 4 or 5.. I get out of classes after there closed so I only can come on the weekends .. please come here

Also I didn't know we can get a discount with student id I wish I was asked when ordering but it's okay”

“Aiden and Jason were absolute sweethearts! Our cookies were served hot and gooey and delicious- literally unfair that we can’t have cookies everyday. It had been a rough night, but their kindness turned everything around. We’ll never forget the care and compassion shown by Insomnia Cookies. Thank you for making our night better! To Insomnia Cookies Corporate- thank you for hiring such amazing humans. GIVE THESE MEN A RAISE ASAP!!!!!!!!”

“Tom is great!!! Such a cool place!,”

“very expensive and completely tasteless. Definitely didn't get a whole scoop.”

“El mejor pan. Tiene buen sabor siempre está muy bueno y me gusta que para el siguiente día sigue sabiendo delicioso como el primer día . Sin duda el mejor pan aquí en Dekalb IL.”

“Awesome family run place for great food and drinks with a friendly atmosphere.”

“Great food, awesome bartenders alway smiling and treating their customers with respect. Always a fun time. Travis does a Great job with Karaoke lots of fun also.”

“newly a regular here and the staff are very nice and dont make you feel unwelcome! my service dog and I both enjoy the walk to and from here to get my daily bagel and hashbrowns 😊”

“Went for lunch. had a fabulous waitress/bartender, Sydney. She was informative, very attentive n very friendly. Food was delicious. definitely will revisit.”

“todo el producto es de lo mejor”

“We stopped here for pizza after an NIU game and it was really good. We got the meat lovers and we ate way more than we should have, but just had to have one more bite!”

“OMG, I was walking g out and had this super nice “employee” opening the door for me as he exited. We made small talk and he shared HE’S THE OWNER! OMG I WAS SO EXCITED FOR THIS YOUNG MAN!! Congratulations on this new venture, as well as listening to my feedback! Keep improving!”

“The best place ever for having seafood clean delicious they are so nice the manager his more friendly good service I recommend trying it”

“The staff was amazing, drinks were amazing. They were on top of it while it was packed with people everywhere. We normally have only ordered food but I know we will be back for the bar scene again. It was very comfortable! Oooo I got a butterfly drawn on my hand too! That made my night! Woke up with it on my face too 😅”

“Terrible bar, crowd, and security. Don't expect to get in depending on who's working security. sometimes you can get in late on a Monday but they won't let you in the same time on a Saturday. The crowd is the worst part of the neighborhood coming out and the bartenders are slow unless you know them. Go to Hometown or go to Sycamore, any bar in sycamore is better than this place. Especially Cub and Spanks”

“These are the nastiest wings I ever had in my life, I ordered a 16 piece lemon pepper hot wing and they sent one order of bland hot wings with curly frys and a order of no flavor tasteless wings with cury frys I did not know chicken could be so bland and nasty. we didn't even eat them they're just sitting there, we did not even have dinner because it was so bad.”

“First experience with this establishment was delivering their order of groceries from Uber … I was quite surprised how clean and kept up the place looks… besides gaming there is a pool table and a dart board that’s separate from the gaming area… complete full bar… and they specialize in a variety of Rum Buckets… I thought this place had a vibe that most bars lack these days… I took the initiative and asked if they were hiring… luck was on my side and I was offered a job… management takes pride in making sure the atmosphere is comfortable for all patrons as well as his employees here, Charley’s and Shelly’s of Sycamore ..thankful everyday of being part of this family”

“Music, atmosphere and the bartenders! Amazing place :) check it out 💋”

“Had menudo. and Wow. They don't skip on potions. Very excellent home taste. Food is always fresh and ready. Place is always very clean. great experience and great employees as well.”

“It's a very nice place. The service is really good. The atmosphere is relaxed and quite with delicious snacks and drinks.

Parking: Big, a lot of spots right in front of the gambling place”

“Traditional wings. Very filling.”

“A cozy little Starbucks nestled in the first floor/basement of the newly renovated Holmes Student Center. Courteous and fast service that delivers aromatic and delicious coffee, as always. Glad there's yet another venue for students to socialize or study while getting caffeinated. Nice diversion from the office when working here con campus as well.”

“At first I’m not sure how I felt about the sweet chicken. However I had pulled pork today and I could say it was very fulfilling and I will go again. The lines can be long so bring a friend!

As a student I appreciate the hard working the staff is.”

“If you aren’t getting the teriyaki chicken on a stick with crab rangoon, you’re doing yourself a service. I consistently order large quantities of both because it is truly so GOOD”

“This will be the last time we order from here , the food was so greasy, I called to complain and got yell at said it was my fault, very unprofessional, he said he didn't need my business the food was horrible me and my wife still feeling not well after the next day. He actually told me something may be wrong with my health, go to the doctor his food is fine the arrogance...wow”

“Good Food, Friendly Service, and Delicious Ice Cream 🍨 😎👍”

“Super fast and friendly”

“**Updated review (4/27/25)** Well I went back. 3 years after my previous (2 star) review and Ive been multiple times now recently. Happy to say that they seemed to have turned things around. Current staff is very friendly and take some pride in their work. I understand the customer service industry can be grueling especially when mixed with food service. This current staff puts their best foot forward from the moment you walk in. My food has been consistent every time Ive gone lately & good. Ingredients are fresh. So much so I had to update my review. Great work! Would recommend.

**Old review** Let me start by saying i love Jersey Mikes. But I stopped going to this location a couple years ago due to a staff member knocking a dirty dish rag off the counter onto the floor while making my sandwich, picking up said rag and then proceeding to make my sandwich. I pointed it out and she said “Oh it’s okay it’s a clean rag.” It was not a clean rag. She also was complaining about her job very loudly during the whole ordeal. I walked out before the sandwich was finished. Well recently I figured I’d give this location another chance & while most of the sandwich was good, the bacon was ROCK hard and I got minor food poisoning. I’ve never had an issue with food poisoning at any Jersey Mikes before. Won’t be going back.”

“I've not seen a Majorly Stocked Smoke shop like this since visiting Denver years ago. If this place doesn't have what you want....you don't know what you Want!!”

“This Panda Express is located in the DeKalb Oasis right off the tollway. Even though they probably get the worst customers you can imagine, and I've seen this with my own eyes, they always have my order exactly correct and done quickly. I don't know why, but this one tastes better than the other location in DeKalb.”

“Their pizza is our absolute favorite, but the service is even better! The new owner's got customer satisfaction down to a T!”

“I love Arbys and about half the time this location rocks it. the other half, they dont put cheddar on their beef and CHEDDAR sandwiches. This time, they tried at least... not gunna lie, that's kind of getting annoying...”

“Went for the first time on my birthday with my husband and mom. Had a great time, staff is super friendly and they have a really good sense of humor. Excellent food - we will definitely go back.”

“This will be the last time we order from here , the food was so greasy, I called to complain and got yell at said it was my fault, very unprofessional, he said he didn't need my business the food was horrible me and my wife still feeling not well after the next day. He actually told me something may be wrong with my health, go to the doctor his food is fine the arrogance...wow”

“We don’t live in DeKalb, but try to stop every time we are in town. Delicious foods! Bea remembers us every time we are dining!”

“The best place ever for having seafood clean delicious they are so nice the manager his more friendly good service I recommend trying it”

“I have to say, this Popeyes has really stepped up its game! The new team here truly cares about what they do, and it shows. I decided to give them another chance, and I’m so glad I did.

The service was friendly and attentive, and the food came out hot, fresh, and full of flavor. Everything tasted just the way it should.

If you haven’t been here in a while, it’s definitely worth stopping by again. You’ll be pleasantly surprised!”

“We stopped here after our son’s graduation from NIU this past Saturday afternoon. We had a party of 11 and showed up unannounced. The staff went above and beyond to get us all seated as soon as they were able. The host consistently kept us informed of table status. Once we were seated, we had drink orders taken immediately. Meal orders shortly after. The incredible staff all worked fast to bring us our salads and soups, and then our entrees arrived in no time. Everything was accurate and delicious. The staff were top notch, professional, friendly and worked hard. We had a wonderful experience to celebrate this special milestone for our son. Thank you, Chili’s of Dekalb!”

“Traditional wings. Very filling.”

“I love this specific McDonalds. First of all, the staf is super friendly, never had I have a problem with them. Second of all, the fries are always hot and crisp, not soggy like in other locations.”

“amzing”

“I had a great experience with Nadine at the Panera in DeKalb. She was helpful over the phone and very friendly in person! She made my ordering experience worry-free and I look forward to seeing her when I return to Panera. I am a very pleased customer!”

“hey its chicken an beer what more ya want”

“OMG, I was walking g out and had this super nice “employee” opening the door for me as he exited. We made small talk and he shared HE’S THE OWNER! OMG I WAS SO EXCITED FOR THIS YOUNG MAN!! Congratulations on this new venture, as well as listening to my feedback! Keep improving!”

“excellent food and service”

“First time today, will not be the last! Service was great. Super fast from order to table! Food was great!!”

“Fast and friendly staff . It is a lot easier to put in an order with the kiosks or register. I prefer the kiosk. It is much quicker. They always have several deals going on.”

“Love the Chicken burritos but very disappointed the chips were stale...boo”

“I've never been into a steak and shake before in my life so I thought I would give it a try. I thought the fries were amazing because they were freshly cooked and hot, I ordered the double cheeseburger which also tasted fresh , it looked good and it was probably about the best fast food Burger I've ever had honestly. The reason for four stars is because you order off of a kiosk and then when you're making payment it asks you for a tip. I have a hard time tipping when I'm standing at a counter ordering from a kiosk and then wait for my name to be called. I also hate this because you feel like you haven't even got your food or any kind of service at all yet, and I feel like I'm a little bit squeezed because if I don't give a tip is somebody going to do something to my food? Anyway I did not tip because I ordered at a counter and my name is called when it was done.”

“The best place ever for having seafood clean delicious they are so nice the manager his more friendly good service I recommend trying it”

“We stopped in after an event in town, so it was close to closing and they were slammed. Despite that, the employees were super friendly and moving quickly. Our food was hot and fresh and our order was correct!”