I was in the mood for a beer and a burger while in Champaign, IL recently and I found a place called Farren's Pub and Eatery in downtown Champaign.
Farren's is on Randolph Ave., a main street in Champaign (see map). But it's sort of hard to find. It's located back off the street and the only way you can find it is the small sign next to an alley way.
Walk in and down a ramp, you find a small dining area and a nice little bar. The kitchen area is just to the right behind the bar. There weren't a lot of people in the place - it was 8 p.m. on a weeknight - and I cozied up to the bar.
The menu is basic - they have sandwiches, appetizers and salads. But their signature is their burgers. They have just regular burgers and they have specialty burgers, such as the Green Chile burger (burger with jalapeno cheese and green chile sauce), the Motherload (mushrooms, blue cheese sauce, bacon) and the Russell (mushrooms, blue cheese sauce, jalapeno cheese - named after a guy named Russell who ordered it every day).
I went with the Russell, but realized that I probably got the Motherload as it had bacon on it, but no cheese. The burger meat is cut from a tube of ground beef they have shipped in to the restaurant each day. The bartender told me that sometimes they cut the burgers a little too thick ("We lose some money on those") but mine was about 3/4" of an inch thick.
It was a tad overcooked, but the bun made up for it. Light and tasty, the bun was very good. I'm a firm believer that a good bun makes or breaks a burger more often than not.
Farren's had a good beer selection of both domestic and export beers. They had a number of good micro and regional brews listed, as well. I went with a semi-warm Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. I know Sierra Nevada beer should be served a little warmer than most beers (about 45 to 50 degrees), but it was definitely warmer than that.
The burger with some crispy handcut fries (they were OK, not the best I've ever had) was a little expensive - $8.95. Add in three Sierra Nevada's and the bill with tip came to about $23.00. A little on the high side for a burger with some beer, but it was good, nonetheless.
The burger at Farren's Pub and Eatery was very good and a spot hitter for me. It's a place I'd recommend for a good burger in the Champaign area.
Comments