Monical's Pizza — Restaurant in Champaign

There is no denying that Monical's is a local legend to us simple folk in Central Illinois, and that their pizza is one of the tastiest and crispiest thin crusts that money can buy. However, the Monical's on Mattis leaves much to be desired...

Before the world went crazy, if you dined in for lunch, the service was near non existent. The three or four visits that I made left me feeling as if I had somehow inconvenienced the entire staff by making the choice to spend my money there.

That's another sore spot on Monical's. While the quality is undoubtedly superior to many, the cost per square inch of delicious pizza pie is astronomical. On top of that, there is no reason for the inflation; especially considering the multitude of alternatives to choose from.

Their packaging is not travel friendly and makes it so delivery or carryout to anywhere more than 5 or so minutes from the restaurant leaves the pizza in a weird state of marbled soggy from grease soaking in and also hard where the dough has morphed into a cracker like state.

All in all, there are too many factors that steal the thunder from Monical's truly good pizza; perhaps this recent cataclysm for the restaurant industry provided ample opportunity for the management to teach the waitstaff how important good service is to the dining experience. That said, if you only care about a good pizza, and don't mind snobby or glassy-eyed service coupled with a not so great atmosphere and don't plan on leaving the premise with your pie - all while having more coin that Scrooge McDuck to afford the outrageous prices - then Monical's is exactly the pizza place...

It’s not physically possible for me to visit Champaign without stopping in at Monicals. It’s what I grew up on and any good foodie is loyal to their childhood favorites. Yes, there are better pizzas in the world but, for me, this experience is sacred.

I love this Monicals location - right off Mattis and centrally located with plenty of parking. Always bustling, the restaurant is roomy with several different “wings”. I love how they also incorporated the University theme at the entry.

Here is my favorite thing to order The People Pleaser - this consists of a large bowl of shredded iceberg lettuce, shredded cheese and tomatoes. This is not a nutritional salad but I don’t care - this is what I expect when go to Monicals.

Pizza - Super thin crust, pepperoni, mushroom and sausage. BOOM. Oh, and they cut it into squares. Which means I get to indulge in the coveted corner pieces. Yes, I’m a little off center when it comes to my favorite foods.

Finally, you MUST (and I mean must) dip your pizza in french dressing. It’s probably the most sugary thing I’ve consumed in a while and most likely contains high fructose corn syrup and red dye #5 but that’s what i came there for. Monicals is incredibly consistent and has been for 40+ years. Thank God for that….

Overall a fun experience with my extended family - we all loved it!

Can I just tell you how sad I am, however, that I left my leftovers, including the precious French Dressing, in the refrigerator of my hotel. ...

This is honestly one of my favorite pizza places in Champaign, but after a recent experience, I will think twice about going back.

I ordered a pizza for carry-out that I was going to pick up and take to my wife at work. I then made plans to go out of town to visit my sisters directly after. I picked up the pizza, took it to my wife, and headed out of town.

Half an hour later (when I was already heading to my sisters’) I got a call saying they had given me the wrong pizza. No problem - mistakes happen. I headed back to the store to get the original pizza I ordered.

Once I got to the store, I asked if they could give me some kind of coupon in addition to my original order. They had caused me quite a bit of inconvenience, so I thought it was only fair. They told me that they would not be giving me a coupon as I was already getting two pizzas for the price of one. I explained that my wife and I did not like the toppings on the original pizza, so I was essentially having to drive to the store and her work twice just to get my original order and a pizza we weren’t going to eat. They still refused, and I left with the original pizza I ordered only.

As I said, mistakes happen. I completely understand that. But their refusal to compensate me for all of the inconvenience that their mistake caused will make me hesitate...