Avanti's Italian Restaurant

Food is always great...actually legendary. I went to college here almost 50 years ago when the only Avantis was on campus. This time, I was in town for a family visit and stopped by the Far East location by the airport . At 5PM, there is no real wait staff. You meet an associate at the reception area that is now their order center, look over the menu, make your selection and pay for your meal by credit card and add a tip (?), You are given a tray and a number so that they can bring it out from the kitchen when ready. Beverages are self-serve and utensils are picked up from the reception area. All in all, the food was excellent 👌 as we have come to expect. Perhaps it was just because I arrived when only one other person was there 🤔... probably an anticipated slow time. Or maybe this is a sign of some businesses returning to their routines before Covid-19. Or perhaps it's only this location that is slow. It just felt weird 😕

I have always felt like eating at Avanti's was a treat. Mainly because Champaign Illinois doesn't have one for some reason. That all changed Saturday night. I was expecting a long wait and packed dining room. Nope... Having to order at the host stand was awkward and not what I expected. The dining room had some tables filled with people but nothing like before. Some of the other empty tables were dirty. Where is the wait staff? Having to get up and fill my paper cup in the back of the restaurant made me feel like I worked there. Having to ask for to go boxes at the host stand made me feel awkward also. I didn't come to work, I came to eat and enjoy. I brought a friend that had never eaten there, and I was kinda embarrassed. The only saving grace was that the food was hot and just as good as ever. As an avid fan of Avanti's and a customer, I was put off. I feel like I should say that whatever you are doing isn't working. I probably won't dine in unless things go back normal. I will get my food for carryout as long as that stays good.

This is a local favorite. The house special is a sandwich called The Gondola, which is terrific. It's the bread. The Italian dishes have good sauce. If you dine in, enjoy any of them and you can walk to the takeout counter and order a Gondola sandwich to go. They'll leave it "deconstructed" for you to put together and enjoy the next day.

Avantis has been my favorite since I was a child and now I have the privilege of taking my kids here! As many times as I’ve been here I find myself getting the same things: Gondola Spaghetti with meat sauce or cheese raviolis Cheese balls Garlic bread mozzarella open face Salad with bread chips And most importantly the ranch! It’s not super expensive and a great way to have many options while feeding the whole family!