Cheese & Crackers — Restaurant in Champaign

Placed in the middle of a little strip mall off of S. Mattis Ave., Cheese & Crackers is a hidden gem of a sandwich shop. When you first enter the shop from the street, you find yourself immediately in front of shelves of pantry staples (much of it Italian.) At the far end of the grocery items is a fridge full of fresh fish. The real treasure is between you and the ladies preparing sandwiches. Inside the room diving, refrigerated case is a huge assortment of cheeses of all sorts, deli meats, and crocks of olives in brine. Your stomach starts growling before you even find the menu up of the wall.

Since we were celebrating a birthday and wanted everything to be just right, I called the evening before to ask about the menu and the ordering process. I was lucky enough to speak with the owner, Bart. We discussed some of the sandwiches a bit and why he uses one type of bread over another and how well the warm sandwiches hold up if you can’t eat them right away. (BTW-Bart says warm sandwich should be eaten as soon as possible to get their best flavor and texture.) He was so enthusiastic about what he does that I was so excited to pick up my sandwich the next day.

Despite the warning from the night before, I decided to try out the Rueben, as it is rare that I get a really good Rueben for lunch. The main element to the sandwich was of course a generous pile of thinly sliced corned beef which itself was perfectly cooked and not in the least bit tough. The kraut and dressing added a sweet and tangy flavor to the meat’s slightly salty flavor. The entire sandwich was slowly heated up to the point where the marble rye was toasty, the Swiss cheese was melted, and the middle of the sandwich was also warm. The sandwich is wrapped slightly open so that steam can escape during its journey from the shop to your table. In my case, it was close to twenty minutes before I could sit down and enjoy it and the bread had not started to get soggy quite yet. This sandwich went perfect with some salty potato chips.

The rest of my family ordered the Premium Italian, Premium Club, Everyday is Thanksgiving, and the Cuban. There must be something about the sandwiches being warmed up on a cool spring day, but my son declared that he had the best sandwich of the bunch (the Cuban).

The next day, I decided to come back and try the Cuban for myself. The flavors seem like a mid-west version of the classic Cubano. It was missing some of that Key West flavor that comes from using more of carnitas type of pork. Their menu says they use Italian roast pork. Aside from that, the flavors were very good together and particularly tasty on a rainy day as the sandwich is warmed and toasted like the Reuben. Also, like the the Reuben, Cheese & Cracker’s Cuban sandwich is made on marble rye, which is another deviation from the classic Cubano. What makes this sandwich so good is the crunchy pickle in the middle that seems in contrast to the soft, melted cheese and tangy mustard.

I wish I had more time to visit Champaign so I could try more of...

I ordered the Blue Ox, a hot sandwich with roast beef, onions, and blue cheese, much tastier than I could have gotten at a large sandwich chain. Downside is the economics don’t scale as well for the consumer and price wise one has to decide between quality and time, not easy during lunch rush. Across Mattis is another sandwich shop where I might expect to have paid less for a sandwich of similar size and content (and at a shorter wait time). Still, I enjoy the occasional splurge.

Save yourself frustration by factoring in an extra 7 minutes to whatever they say at the counter that it will take to prepare your sandwich. I was told 5, and it took 12 minutes…that seems like an eternity when people who came in after you are getting their orders ahead of yours. I understand that this was lunchtime, but clear communication is what is needed so that the customer doesn’t feel relegated.

There’s only two small tables outside each with a couple of chairs, so you’re better off ordering food to go. The ready made food and groceries on their shelves are mostly high end delicacies, with some specialty treats and dessert items. Plenty of good quality cheeses are in the cold cases and a decent variety of beverages. Overall, a very good sandwich shop,...

I've been in Champaign for 2 years now and I am yet to find a better store or better food around. I have been to some of the best delis on the east coast and this place is just as good. They have the specialty items I can't find anywhere else around, the fish is top quality, the meat is all fantastic and they have an insane variety, the same goes for the cheese as well. One of the best parts is all the employees there seem to know what they're talking about with all the meat and cheese and they offer samples which is nice for a picky person like me. However, the best thing is the sandwiches, and it isn't even close. Every sandwich my family or I have ordered from them is incredible. They use the nice stuff to make them and the variety and kinds you can get is better than anyone else around. The Cuban is seriously amazing. Can't say enough good stuff about this...