
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!

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?
Rockford’s Three Most Criminally Overlooked Restaurants According To Yelp
The 25 Best Rockford Restaurants for Cheap Eats According to TripAdvisor
More From 97 ZOK








