Restaurant Reviews

Boston's The Gourmet Pizza

Boston's* is a new addition to CU, in the ever-growing North Prospect shopping area. Since we shop at Meijer often, we watched the construction progress and were excited to try it out. And we finally did.

The menu is very diverse, offering pizza, salads, pasta, and sandwiches, as well as appetizers such as nachos and buffalo wings and desserts. The price range is reasonable (from about $8-$14 for entrees). Over the two visits, we tried several items (nachos, salmon caesar, asian salad, baked ravioli, ribs, beef sandwich, shrimp alfredo, kids mac and cheese, kids calzone, and kids dino bites). Overall, the food is ok. The nachos were very good. The salads, not so much. A lot of boring lettuce with a bit of other veggies. The shrimp alfredo was disappointing as well...about 1/2 lb of spaghetti with about 7 shrimp and a handful of veggies. The ribs were ok (you should check out other restaurants for something better). The baked ravioli, however, was very tasty. The beef sandwich was very good and surprisingly light. They offer traditional sides with many dishes (e.g. fries, coleslaw) but they also offer side salads or veggies as substitutes (the roasted veggies were great!).

The kids menu is actually pretty good. They offer a nice variety and offer healthy side options as well. Kraft mac and cheese is a staple on most menus these days...which is great for my picky eater. My daughter loved the kid's calzone! (I tasted it too, it was good). They also have some fun drink options (e.g. Lionel's Root Beer, Roy Rogers). And every kid's meal comes with a drink and cookie.

Although we were seated right away...we choose to sit outside both times, the service, although friendly, was slow (both visits, so I think it might be a trend). We were there for 90 mins! with three kids, that is too long. Also a warning!! If you sit on the patio, watch the kids. My 20 mon old can and did fit under the glass wall (thankfully they do have doors out there so I could retrieve him without having to go inside the restaurant). The atmosphere, outside is nice (they do have fans for the summer and heaters for the cooler days) and it is quiet enough to have nice conversation.

However, I cannot really recommend Boston's. The food isn't great enough and the slow service is a big turn-off. It was just ok and there are a lot better restaurants in the area. I would however, give it one more try to order pizza or maybe hang out in the sports bar portion and have wings or pizza while watching a big game.

*(If you sign up on the website, you will receive a free appetizer coupon and then another coupon for your birthday)


Courier Cafe
The Courier Cafe in downtown Urbana is a favorite of our family. We love to go there for the salad bar and sandwiches. But we often forget about their great breakfast. There are limited options for breakfast in CU on the Sunday morning. Additionally, it is always a dreadful thought to think about the wait on the weekends. But today, there was no wait at the Courier. Additionally, the service as amazingly fast and friendly.

The breakfast menu has great variety (egg dishes, omelets, pancakes, french toast, oatmeal, breads, fruit, meats) with generous but not overwhelming portions. Additionally, they offer some very healthy options including whole grains, egg whites, tofu, black beans, and fresh fruit. There are several dishes that have a Spanish flare. The price ranges from about $3.75-$7. Although they do not have a specific kids' menu, the regular menu can suit the little ones just fine (my boys shared a whole wheat french toast). The coffee is excellent. I would highly recommend this place for any meal.