Restaurant review

Restaurants come and go, but some spaces seem destined to remain restaurants forever, like the space occupied since early 2024 by Clocktower Cafe at 751 S. Durkin Drive in Springfield. To the best of my memory, it previously housed several restaurants including Nico’s Homestyle and, more recently, Brunchfield Café.  Clocktower Cafe is advertised as an […]

If you grew up in the 1990s, a visit to The Spot 90’s Bar & Grill is likely to trigger a wave of nostalgia that approaches sensory overload. Located on Ginger Creek Drive on Springfield’s west side, The Spot pays homage to a decade that gave us everything from grunge music and compact discs to […]

Puerto Vallarta Mexican Restaurant opened recently in the former Taqueria Moroleon space near the Wabash Avenue curve. It’s a family-run operation with great service and, even for a Mexican restaurant, a huge menu that will satisfy everyone. It doesn’t look like Puerto Vallarta did much to the space. It’s still festooned with tons of color […]

Billing itself as Springfield’s “newest retro diner,” The Fountain on 66 has been dishing out classic American favorites for the last year out of the historic former Sonrise Donut space along the original Route 66. The Fountain on 66 embraces the diner vibe and offers visitors a bright, airy space with large windows and 1950s […]

Richard’s Family Restaurant is the latest diner to open in Springfield and is a most welcome addition to the genre. Located on Ninth Street, just south of North Grand Avenue, Richard’s operates in the space formerly occupied by Homestyle Café. Homestyle had gotten a little long in the tooth, but Richard’s started with a deep […]

Soy Oaxaca, which translates from Spanish to, “I am Oaxaca,” is also the name of downtown Springfield’s latest restaurant. Soy Oaxaca itself is both a state and a capital city in southern Mexico. Some call it the culinary capital of Mexico (especially with respect to mole) but all agree that its United Nations Educational, Scientific […]

One of my besties has been crowing to me about Jo’s Place in Virden and that I needed to do a review of it. Unfortunately, some timing issues meant that I was unable to do the review with him. Instead, I visited with my wife and mother-in-law – each a critic in their own right. […]

I’ve been going to Gabatoni’s since I arrived in Springfield in 1999 and maybe even in 1992 while I was here for a judicial clerkship. I was saddened when the pandemic led the prior owners to shift to takeout only, which lasted even after the COVID-19 restrictions eased. But, with new ownership and a re-do […]

It had been a bit since core group of golf guys had gotten together. So, the call went out and, being the food reviewer, I was appointed the location manager. It was a title that was called into jeopardy. Having heard good things about Palermo’s, it seemed liked a good call for the group. But […]

Located near Sam’s Club in the former Empire Korean Steakhouse space, Japan House is yet another on Springfield’s growing list of all-you-can-eat Asian restaurants. Japan House, however, is not a buffet; instead, diners order from a menu. Open for lunch and dinner, the restaurant charges $16.99 for lunch and $27.99 for dinner. By my recollection, […]