Ramona Tacos + Mezcal

CITY GUIDES | ILLINOIS

Best Restaurants in Springfield, Illinois

Small plates, pasta, horseshoes, and pastries worthy of a detour.

By Jamie Dutton | Jan. 6, 2026

AUTHOR BIO: With family spread across the Midwest and a job that has her in airports near daily, Jamie Dutton finds herself across the Heartland regularly. She’s partial to BPTs a Bell's.

I come to Springfield for work often enough that I have a mental map of the city’s coffee options by the hour.

Somewhere along the way, I started keeping a running list of places that made a long day of meetings feel less like a sentence, and more like an excuse to order well. Now my coworkers who actually live here ask for it the way people ask for a contractor or a babysitter, like it is a practical resource.

Here’s that list, the best restaurants in Springfield, Illinois, right now.

Chili Parlor

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

The Chili Parlor is a solid Springfield meal that does not require a plan, a reservation, or a personality, just an appetite and a tolerance for red sauce. The move is the “three-way,” a bowl of chili ladled over spaghetti and finished with a snowfall of shredded cheese. It is straightforward food with a short learning curve, which is exactly what a lunch break is supposed to be.

Best for: A fast, old-school chili fix

Curate

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Curate is built for grazing, the kind of place where “one more thing” turns into a full meal because the plates stay interesting. Executive chef Justin Richardson steers the menu through crowd-pleasers that still feel chef-driven, like truffle cacio e pepe, lobster sliders, and an elk steak when the night calls for something bigger than pasta. The room leans social, with a wine-first attitude that makes the table talk last longer than the last bite.

Best for: Small plates and a bottle of wine

Harvest Kitchen + Bar

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Harvest is a new-school all-day place that does breakfast straight to dinner-and-cocktails, all without changing outfits. The food reads like a gastropub greatest-hits playlist: Thai chili chilaquiles, hot honey chicken, bacon fried rice, and a roasted peach ricotta toast that the kitchen knows is getting photographed.

Best for: Reliable comfort food from morning to night

Indigo Cuisine Springfield Best Restaurants

Indigo Restaurant

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Indigo is where I go when the group can’t agree on a place, and I want the menu to do the negotiating for us. The lineup runs from baked brie and crab cakes to entrées like New York strip, salmon, and a short rib pot roast, which means it covers both “order a salad” people and “order the steak” people without drama. It delivers as a polished, sit-down dinner place that still takes comfort seriously.

Best for: The everyone-is-happy dinner

Incredibly Delicious

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Incredibly Delicious operates out of the historic Weber House, which is already a strong argument for ordering dessert. Patrick Groth started the bakery in 1995, and the French-leaning casework still does the heavy lifting: croissants, pastries, cakes, and the kind of daily-changing breakfast-and-lunch menu that rewards people who show up hungry and curious. I treat it like a productive detour, because it is hard to feel behind schedule while holding a good pastry.

Best for: A morning pastry that turns into lunch

Los Altos Cocina y Cantina

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Los Altos is Emanuel Lopez’s first restaurant, opened in December 2025 in the west-side space that used to be Tacology 201, with a pitch that lands somewhere between “traditional” and “we’ve got our own style.” The lunch menu is built for repeat visits, with chilaquiles in red or green salsa (finished with crema, queso fresco, radish, and avocado), chile verde pork carnitas in tomatillo, and huevos rancheros set on a refried-bean tostada.

Best for: A new Mexican spot worth the detour

Luminary Kitchen & Provisions

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Luminary is what happens when a restaurant thinks like a kitchen and a pantry at the same time, with chefs Jordan and Aurora Coffey at the center of it. The menu runs seasonal and specific, with brunch plates like “cherry pie” beignets and okonomiyaki, plus enough house-made energy to make the whole place feel like it has a point of view. It is the spot I suggest when someone claims Springfield does not do ambitious food, because it settles the argument quickly.

Best for: A serious brunch with chef-level ambition

Maldaner’s

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Maldaner’s Restaurant & Catering is the kind of place that makes a night feel more formal, even if the day started with emails and ended with more emails. Chef Michael Higgins keeps the menu in classic mode, with plates like beef Wellington, duck confit with huckleberry sauce, and French onion soup baked with Gruyère. It works for the occasions that want real restaurant pacing, not a quick bite dressed up as one.

Best for: A classic special-occasion dinner

Obed & Isaac’s Microbrewery

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Obed & Isaac’s is one block west of Lincoln’s Home, and it has the energy of a place that expects groups, laughter, and at least one person ordering “one more round.” The menu does the pub standards well, including flatbread pizzas, burgers, and horseshoes, and the brewery angle is not symbolic since the craft beer is made right next door. When the weather cooperates, the outdoor setup leans into hangout mode with a beer garden, bocce, and other reasons to stay longer than planned.

Best for: A beer-and-burger night that can handle a crowd

Papo's Cafe Springfield Best Restaurants

Papo’s Café

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Papo’s Café is my reliable daytime reset when I need caffeine, food, and a room that feels awake. The coffee menu gets playful with drinks like a cereal milk latte, while the food side covers breakfast and lunch staples such as Bro Toast, an açaí bowl, a Nashville Caesar Bowl, and a chipotle turkey wrap. It is the kind of place that turns “grab something quick” into “sit for a minute and regroup.”

Best for: Coffee and lunch between meetings

Ramona Tacos + Mezcal

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Ramona is a modern Mexican spot that treats tacos like the main event, not a side hustle, with a menu that moves from snacky queso fundido into bigger swings like molcajetes. I go straight for el pastorcito (spit-grilled pork “on a trompito”) or the grouper tacos on a blue-corn tortillas, then add the tuna tostada with hibiscus rub and fried leeks. Ramona also hosts ticketed Taco Omakase × Mezcalogy nights that turn tacos into a paced tasting with cocktail pairings.

Best for: A Springfield dinner that feels like a memorable night out

VELE

$$$$$ | MAP | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

VELE is the sleek, modern sibling of Curate, part of the Three Gen Hospitality Group, and it reads like Springfield’s answer to a big-city Italian night out. The menu moves from raw bar hits like tuna tartare and hamachi crudo to bigger swings like spicy seafood spaghetti made with squid ink pasta and a short rib pappardelle that does not pretend it is a light decision. I come here when I want the table to feel like an event, even if the calendar says Tuesday.

Best for: Date night pasta and seafood