The Urbana Lodge — Restaurant in Urbana

I had been very excited to try this place, especially after seeing some of the reviews. However, it was a huge disappointment on all marks. We went around 330pm today and sat at the bar. Stephanie greeted us quickly enough but it all went down hill after that. We ordered some beers, soup, and meals. My husband got his beer, I ordered a Guinness, which she had started to pour then left it sitting behind the taps half full for several minutes. The gentleman next to me requested another beer, which is what reminded her that mine was still sitting there half full. She then finished filling the glass and handed it to me, but of course it was half warm by then. As we placed our order, I requested our soup to arrive before our meals; my husband received his crab soup but I did not receive my chili until he had already finished his. Stephanie didn't even notice, luckily a second bartender came in around 4pm and checked on where my food was. My husband's food also came out shortly after his soup, which was the appetizer with the quesadillas, egg rolls, shrimp, and wings. This was brought to us with no plates, so at this point he had both of his meals while I still had absolutely nothing. I don't understand why two soups can't come out at the same time. Once Stephanie saw I had my chili, she said, let me get you some crackers, which she never did of course. Then my pulled pork sandwich came, which wasn't even edible. Big, dry hunks of meat with no sauce served on a sticky roll that cracked and fell apart. The Cole slaw in the side bowl was warm. The French fries looked good, but somehow those tasted terrible as well. Stephanie offered me a beer on the house, but the thought of staying longer was not appealing so I declined. The other bartender was kind enough to offer to get the manager, who came by and apologized and offered me anything on the menu for free. I appreciate his kindness and eagerness to rectify the situation, but once you're turned off at a restaurant, it's hard to want anything else. We decided we would just leave since there really was zero redeeming qualities about this establishment. Kudos to the manager and bartender that came in at 4pm who tried their best, I recognize most of these errors fall on the kitchen. But Stephanie was too busy chit chatting to really pay attention to her customers, I've never had so much trouble getting a bartender's attention. This place has a lot to work on both at the front and back of the house, I see no reason to ever go back when there are way better options in the area at these...

TLDR: Food was good, but the service and overall experience need work. I’d give it a few months before coming back.

We had dinner on a Saturday after hearing the restaurant was new and still ironing things out. There were three of us. When ordering drinks, our server mentioned half-price wine and offered a sample. We liked it and ordered the bottle, but she returned with the half-price wine menu showing that exact bottle listed at $15 and said it was out of stock. She added that we could order it by the glass for $8. We declined and ordered the Bonanza Cabernet instead—until she came back again to say that was also unavailable and suggested a Malbec instead, saying it was “very similar to a Cabernet,” which isn’t quite accurate.

It took 48 minutes from when we sat down until our drinks (wine and tea) arrived. Chips came out shortly afterward, and food followed soon after that.

I’m gluten free and let the server know. When the plates were delivered, mine was carried on top of someone else’s, and several breaded fries ended up on my gluten-free bun. I won’t get sick from cross-contact, but someone with celiac disease would.

The good: • Complimentary chips were great. • Burgers were good and cooked medium well as ordered.

Needs improvement: • Nearly 50 minutes to receive drinks. • Several menu items, including two wines, were out of stock. • Staff seemed unsure about wine substitutions and basic menu knowledge. • Service felt distracted—our bottle was paused mid-opening to train another staff member. • The server had to return multiple times to confirm parts of our order. • Gluten-free handling wasn’t careful.

It felt like a team that is still learning—possibly understaffed, undertrained, or both. The food was solid, and I think this place has potential, but better training, allergen awareness, and smoother service would make a big difference. I’d give it some time...

We visited the restaurant for the first time today, and overall the experience was good, but there was one situation that made me feel uncomfortable. At first, a waitress named Dani came to our table and told us she would be taking care of us. She served us water, but a few minutes later another waitress, Meg, came directly speaking in Spanish and started attending to us without any explanation about the change. What made it even more confusing is that Dani continued working and attending other tables, which made the situation feel unnecessary and awkward.

Personally, I felt the way this was handled had a subtle discriminatory or even racist undertone, since Dani never explained why the change happened, and it left me with the impression that it was only because we speak Spanish.

That being said, I truly want to highlight the outstanding service from Meg. I went today with my elderly mother, and she took the time to explain the menu clearly and patiently. I was also with my brother, who has special needs, and Meg made him feel comfortable, respected, and very well taken care of. Her kindness, professionalism, and warm attitude truly made a difference in our experience.

The food was excellent, the atmosphere was very clean, and the place is beautifully decorated.

I would still recommend the restaurant, but I believe the staff should be more clear and sensitive when communicating with customers to avoid situations that may feel uncomfortable. However, I want to give special recognition to Meg for providing us with such exceptional and...