25 Most Underrated Local Shops & Restaurants You’ll Find in Illinois

Rockford and surrounding cities might have a ton of incredible local businesses, but we're on the hunt for the most underrated spots.  Can you add to the list?

One of my favorite bakeries I go to with my mom is Banana Cherry Bakery in Rockford.  Every time we go, I always say how nobody ever talks about how awesome their freshly baked goods are!

Related: Illinois Eatery Called One Of America’s Most Romantic Restaurants

Whether it's the prices, the service, or the wait time that you can't get anywhere else, I found 25 locally underrated spots you might want to check out!

Get our free mobile app

Here are the most mentioned after I posted the question to Facebook.  Let me just say, you did not disappoint with the responses!

25 Most Underrated Local Businesses You'll Find in the Rockford Area

• Banana Cherry Bakery
• Uncle Nick's
• Lydia's Café
• Los Portales
• Hidden Treasures Mall & Antiques
• Schiro's Restaurant & Lounge
• Giuseppi's Pizza
• Rockford Public Library
• Habitat ReStore 
• Rockford BMX
• Jerry's Café
• Rock Pho'd
• Spider Sushi
• Taqueria Guanajuato
• Buddy's Burgers
• Panino's
• Minnihan's
• Magpie
• Winnebago County Forest Preserves
• Primo's Pizza
• Gill's Diner
• Geno's Diner
• Thai Hut
• Hai Quynh
• Smoke House Barbecue

I def agree with majority of the list - I used to order Panino's literally every day during shutdown.  It's one of my favorite restaurants to eat inside at, the vibe is always great.

Here are a ton of other local places that made the list!

• Gulotta's Pizza
• TNT Funnel Cakes
• Anna's Pizza
• Salamone's Cherry Valley
• Javi's Tacos 
• Real Beautiful You, LLC
• Marvin's tire shop
• Sam's Drive-in
• Behr Den
• Alchemy at Aldeen
• Tortacos Soto

Read More: 12 Wisconsin Restaurants Featured on the Food Network 

Now that you've seen what others suggested, what could you add to this list?