Reviews of Watson's Shack & Rail (Restaurant)

Jess Ehm

Food was good. Fries and hush puppies were a little overdone. But otherwise everything was good. Indoor and outdoor seating options. Great drink options as well.

ced rob

I had the spinach salad tossed in balsamic and added grilled, pulled chicken. It was great. The bartender is nice and was dressed eloquently vibrant.

Marcos Asse

You could say they do fried chicken well but that would take away from all the other things they do amazing! Local beer, ambiance, cool location, and always great service. Pre-concert, group of buddies or a dinner date, all good. Could be my favorite spot in town.

Heather B

Food overpriced for what you get. Service was fine. Got the chicken and waffle special with the pork belly. Pork belly was dry and the pieces were really small for the extra cost. Waffles were thin, would be better if they were Belgium style. Chicken was well seasoned and well cooked. Not the worst meal ever just had higher hopes.

Clint Foran

Excellent service as always. We will be back! Chelsea's plea is my fav

Matt W

Very clean bar with good atmosphere. Drinks tasted watered down and where very expensive almost unreasonably so. All three times I've eaten there I've been less than impressed. They're chicken is usually either really dry or half burnt. Seems like they're kitchen staff is all inexperienced college kids. The food quality is poor 4/10 bland and tastes like it sat out for hours. Wait staff was unknowledgeable as far as they're menu and what (if any) specials they had for the day.

Heidi Dettmer

Yummy! Great place for lunch! In and out in a half hour or so

Janice Keeler

Any restaurant that lists saltines on their menu makes a tragic statement!

Mohit Anand

The food here is amazing!

Jacob Brown

Wanted to try something new in town and what a great choice. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a chicken sandwich so much. The staff and food was awesome and would definitely recommend for lovers of southern comfort food.

Adena Wilson

Really good food, really good service. Wish they had one or two more vegetarian options but I would definitely go back.

David Campbell

You could be eating Watson's right now instead of thinking about it. Choose wisely!

M Gbertsis

Nice little place that serves really good comfort food. We had the chicken and waffle and special of the night... country fried steak. I added on the pork belly to my chicken and waffle. The chicken had a really good crunchy skin/batter. It’s the waffle that made the dish. The waffle was crunchy and thin which was perfect with the chicken. It was a great balance of sweet and savory due to the apples served with the waffle. The country fried steak was an actual steak and not just ground beef. The collards served with it were mild and they had vinegar on the table to allow you to add it. I also had the adult slushy! Nice! Had the mule version. Missed that they had seasonal flavors.

Valli Shumaker

Fun. Good food. Big portions

Chris Cygnus

This has to be one of the best places to get a chicken sandwich in all for Champaign. The chicken was extremely crispy, yet tender. The Nashville Hot was just the perfect level of spicy! Also their slushy sampler was a really great buy to try a lot of the different drinks. Go and give this place a try. It exceeded my expectations, and I'm sure it'll exceed yours too!

SAMMY OESTERREICH

Our team lunch meeting took place there this past Thursday. I ordered the Watson's Rice Bowl. I found it pretty delicious. You're going to be asked if you wan the addition of the sorghum glazed pork belly. Kindly accept it! You won't regret it!

Evan El Koury

Amazing and unique combinations of chicken and waffles. Lots of top shelf hard liquor.

Gavin Hamilton

Horrible. Big disappointment....completely tasteless, overfried chicken. Gave up after 8 bites.

William O'Banion

Good atmosphere, little loud for conversation, good service from Alex. Fried chicken okay but hard to please a southerner.

Katherine Langdon

Great food (I love Chelsea's Shameless Plea, a chicken and waffles platter) but the space is an issue. It's a small, narrow restaurant (really a bar design). At popular times it can be a long wait to get a table for a group, and there's nowhere to wait, so you might end up awkwardly standing in a row for 30 minutes blocking the aisle as waiters squeeze past you with platters. In short, if you can get in with no to little wait, enjoy! But if you show up and can't get a spot right away, save yourself some hassle and a ruined mood and go elsewhere.

Rebecca Pfeiffer

Came in from Minneapolis and enjoyed the Chicken Sandwich. I was also happy to see a great selection of local beer and Surly (from Minneapolis). The food and drink were amazing and I loved the staff. Looking forward to coming back on my next visit!

Cory Guidebeck

Great chicken and waffles.

Tim Schroeder

Great place for fresh fried Chicken. Great atmosphere and good drinks and reasonable prices

Tamara Migut

Both the fried and spit roasted chicken is heavenly! Wish I could eat there every day.

Karen Stevenson

If you haven't been to Watson's you need to go today and be sure to have the crab hush puppies with the comeback sauce... amazing! So much yumminess at one location.

Dragan Milenkovic

Nice place with good food and friendly stuff

Alan Nathan

Noisy with overcooked fried chicken. No need to go there again.

Jacob Willett

A great place for a whiskey cocktail and it also has amazing chicken. Nothing more than the chicken stands out on the menu aside from the random specials that are hard to predict. The atmosphere is interesting and the interior has the smell of home-style cooking. The place is starting to get a bit dusty, but overall still clean from when it opened. I would suggest this place over any other for chicken, but not a place I would frequent often.

Zach Deliberto

Food is delicious and the atmosphere is nice. But the very last time we were ever there, my gf asked for clarity on what a “cinnamon rice milk” drink was and Alex R. Did not clarify what it was, just asked for the ID and brought out a pumpkin spice drink that my gf wound up hating. When she told the server that she didn’t like it, she ignored our comments, charged us for it, and brought out the bill. Communication goes a long way, but not in this case. For a server to assume a guest knows as much as they do about the menu is ridiculous.

Nicholas Carter

Richie was our fantastic server. We sat outside and had a delicious meal starting off with potato wedges and cheese curds. Followed up with the Nashville chicken. Enjoyed every bite and their slushie drinks are a treat.

Byron Stubblefield

This place is awesome!!!! My wife and I first time there with an awesome waitress. She was great. I totally recommend Watson's Shack & Rail....

Linda Goltz

Because this place was voted one of the best establishments in Champaign, my friend and I ate lunch there. The pulled chicken sandwich had a weird taste as did the fries. My friend's soup wasn't all that great. All in all, will not go back and won't go by other people's reviews.

bonnie pruett

Nice place. Good food.

YUN Andrew

Must try Tacos on Tuesdays. Best deal in town

David Silvis

Great food awesome beers

Erik Coleman

Great southern food menu! Loved the fried chicken and they totally were willing to upgrade to white meat I stead of a thigh.

Darren Plattner

Great atmosphere and good food. Simple but unique menu.

Evin Sanders

Love the sandwiches here! The beer selection isnt bad either. Definitely get the gravy fries (eat as a meal or share because it will fill you up)

John Thompson

Great rum slushies. Awesome staff Tasty food.

Wayne Wagner

This place was impressive. I can't believe it's taken us this long to get here. Awesome food, beer selection, and service.

Apryl Jones

The service was horrible the food was horrible the food and drinks were overrated and 2 expensive. IT WAS JUST A HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE..I will never in life go there again

Tamra Parker

Great food, nice staff, fun atmosphere!!

Brian Lu

Third time here. The chicken is always fantastic and the boozy slushie was great. I'm looking forward to coming again to try their whiskeys as well.

Ashton Smith

A great place for a meal or a drink. The chicken-based menu is fantastic! There are options for every diet, including vegetarians, too! My favorite dish is the Shameless Plea. It’s chicken and waffles with apple compote, and it’s to die for! One of my favorite restaurants!!

Ben Karwoski

Chicken sandwich was amazing! Gumbo is delicious. Great atmosphere and service.

Lauren Foran

Incredible food!

Tina Olszewski

Great atmosphere and good service. I had the fried chicken sandwich. (They do NOT have grilled chicken). It was good but they didn't have tomatoes which was disappointing. None the less the sandwich was good. This was my second visit and it was better. The first time I got a soup and it was not something I cared for. However I would definitely go back and try something new.

Eric Kuhns

Food is decent Mac n cheese is the best I just don’t understand how it can take 30 minutes to get your food when your the only one in the restaurant

Nathan Walters

Their Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich is outstanding - one of my favorite meals in the area. Make sure to ask about their boozy slushies!

Travis Rasmussen

Excellent food and the staff was great too! Loved the atmosphere. We will definitely be back

Justin Korf

Rarely review anything but I felt I had to say how good the food and drinks are. That Watson's rice bowl is one of the best meals I ever had. I have friends hooked on it too. Every time I go I get one. Their mixed drinks are top notch too.

Derrick Stoehr

The guys in the back know how to do chicken. It was almost too juicy and cooked perfectly. Service was great at lunchtime, never had an empty drink. Great craft beer, bourbon, and whiskey selection. Will definitely return for the fried chicken

Douglas Kammeyer

Love the Gumbo! Great Chicken too!

Kirk Love

Great place plenty of gluten-free options

Anish Mehta

Fantastic Food and even better slushies!

Thena Barcus

I had never eaten here before. It came highly recommended...

Momof Boys

Good food and good service

Elsa Lauer

I've been here once for brunch and a handful of times for dinner. The food is excellent.

Annie R

I’ve been here twice with my husband. The food has been phenomenal both times. The service is also excellent. When busy, they can take a second to get back to you for refills, but overall it’s a wonderful experience. This last time we went, they served me the wrong sandwich. I started eating it and wondered if it wasn’t right. Within 3 minutes, they came to the table with the correct sandwich, apologized and boxed the incorrect sandwich for me to enjoy later. Yes they made a mistake, but it was handled quickly and well. I highly recommend Watson’s.

Gerald B

Went in Saturday night after getting treated like dog s*** at Guido's across the street and my girlfriend and I were very impressed with the service (thanks Bonnie) and the food was equally as great. Highly recommended.

Michael Salvato

Live music, great food, even was served and waited on by the owner. We ordered the gravy fries plus pulled chicken on it, a Polish Hammer, and a Nashville Hot. It was a bummer that they had just run out of the Polish sausages, but the owner offered an Andouille sausage in place of it on the sandwich. Worked out very well! Everything was superb and the sweet tea was excellent as well. I will definitely return and I highly recommend you give these guys a try the next time you're looking for a fresh choice, or just a great experience. Thank you to all the staff @ Watson's!

Lauren Sullivan

Great food and atmosphere and have caught some awesome live music!

James Barrett

Meh. No drafts, kind of a poor set up for live music (too narrow).

Tara Tipsord

Great atmosphere and drink selections

Lylah Nova

Really great atmosphere between the lighting and decorations. I go here a lot and I’ve always had great service. The original cocktails are delicious and I love the cycle of adult slushes available—there’s always some flavor I like. That’s not to mention the food, which has never disappointed. Would especially recommend Chelsea’s Shameless Plea and the gumbo. Great spot for a casual date night or getting a drink with some friends.

Nate Mercier

A good hole in the wall place to get some tasty southern chicken or gumbo. Good beer/drink selection as well.

Richard Anderson

It's new so for now its was ok

Robert Shanahan

Delicious food. I had the chicken and waffles. The chicken was incredibly juicy, and the breading had great but not overpowering flavor. I also tasted a Carolina Gold wing which was also very good.

Kevin Welsh

Food was great. Loved the sauce options. Would be 5 stars if the food got to the table faster. Whole visit was close to an hour. Might be good on a typical night but we needed to get back on our road trip.

April Granzow

Great food with high quality ingredients, great beer selection, and awesome service.

Edwin D.G.

Great staff. Decent speed for three dishes on a Saturday lunch. Food was tasteful and fresh.

Iulia Ionescu

Beautiful architecture, great service, yummy food, and originally I was just going to order a mixed drink, but when the waitress mentioned the "Protect Ya Nectar" alcoholic slushie, I was sold.

Bill Bowman

I really like this place. It's an interesting mix of midwest & southern comfort. Menu has a great variety of southern/Nawlins influenced items. The Alabama White Chicken is unique item and my favorite. Great selection of local micro brews...and one of the best selection of whiskeys I've seen. Enjoy!

Jerrod Parker

Place is always good. Only drawback is the inconsistency in spice/heat level. Sometimes the hot chicken's nice and spicy and other times the heat is barely detectable over the sugar and thyme.

Misty Specht

The Crab Hushpuppies, are a must they have a great crunchy outside and moist inside have just the right amount of crab flavoring so it's not over powering, love the sauce that it comes with. The Fried Wings are also a must, get the Gold and the Cherry Cola BBQ sauces you can't go wrong at all. The Fried brussel sprouts, I dont know if I'd get again they were almost to the point of being burnt but i did have a few that were okay but not enough to say they are also a must have. You also can't go wrong with the biscuits and their homemade jams are a dessert in itself. The mashed potatoes are creamy and lumpy at the same time which gives you both textures which I really liked. Their chicken sandwich with the herb Mayo is it definite go to the seasoning on the chicken and then the herb Mayo combined give it such a great flavor experience that I keep going back to the chicken sandwich even though I tell myself I'm going to try something else. The gumbo takes me down to the south where they obviously know how to make their gumbo. I've also tried my daughters, Chelsea's Shameless Plea it's a lot of down south wonderful flavors that will fill you. The food they give you is definitely worth the price and one of these day I will try the desserts but I'm always too full to ever put another bite of food in my stomach. If you can this is a really must try you won't be disappointed atmosphere, staff, food, all excellent

Troy Lasley

Excellent food and even better atmosphere.

Eric Gire

Food was amazing. Although, I got a drumstick in my chicken and waffles box.

Brian Black

Cool place. Excellent food. Definitely get the Nashville sandwich. There was a slight issue with my order. The server corrected it immediately, and the manager, Ian, came out to follow up. I wouldn't even mention it here (mistakes happen), but they were so genuinely concerned that I wanted to describe their excellent service.

Melissa Mcculloch

The Chicken sandwich was good and the tofu sandwich had a nice zing to it!

Jovanie De La Cruz

Get the chicken and waffles aka "Chelsea's Shamless Plea." The apples are like what you find in an apple pie and it's delish. The chicken was so good! It was crispy and flavorful throughout. They also do some magic with their pork belly. Chicharrones are great for sharing with 4-6 people. They're covered with dried cheese and something similar to tajin. Service was great! Friendly staff coming in and heading out.

Jake Goldsborough

Really interesting menu, but very tasty. Plus they had a great beer tap list. Would go again when I’m back in Champaign.

skyler prahl

Very friendly staff, very tasty food, pretty pricey but worth it imo

Always Hatin

Everything is pretty good. Just freakin expensive. Actin like they part of Hamilton Walkers.

Dain Schneck

Amazing. They're on another level

H Hathaway Miranda

Excellent food. Delicious brussel sprouts!

Steve Davis

Nashville Hot fantastic chicken offering...Hopslam on draft FEB... What a pairing...

Hannah Vinsel

The food was delicious, especially the hush puppies. Great vegetarian options. Webhsd two vegetarians in our party and they loved the tofu and fish sandwich Shady Mary cocktail was also pretty good. Our server was really attentive. My only issue, and its a big one, is that it took us almost two hours for dinner with no real reason for such a wait. We waited 45 minutes for appetizers and at least another half an hour for our meals. We left unhappy despite the great meal.

Ranvit Reddy

Restaurant: I strongly recommend the Buffalo Starchild and Nashville Hot Sandwiches. On most nights, you need to place your order (and pay) at the bar, which is really annoying. Great ambience and cool decorations to look at on the wall

Tyler Hines

This is a great Chicago style downtown bar. The food is excellent and their are multiple menus to experience. I would suggest the brunch on Sundays it is phenomenal. Sunday Funday has a new meaning with this place.

nickkcs Lindy

This place is an absolute MUST when in Champagne Illinois... Great food with a little cajun flare!! The chicken tacos were so flipping good that I wanna smack my momma! (Sorry mom!).. Definitely try one of the flight of frozen drinks.. so u can pick one you love! Keep up the great food and service Watsons.. we will definitely be returning!

Nick Schmidt

I'm not usually the kind of person that leaves reviews, but I was blown away by the food here! The fried chicken isn't your typical run-of-the-mill fried chicken, and the accolades that it has received are completely warranted. The Nashville Hot fried chicken sandwich was simply amazing. My wife and I also tried their alcoholic slushies and they were delicious but not overly sweet, while also containing a fair amount of alcohol. I can't believe it's taken us this long to try this place and we can't wait to go back!

Julie Roberts

One of my favorite places in Champaign. Good, homey, comforting food. The service can be hit or miss, with the staff being a little unfriendly or the food taking awhile. But we usually leave satisfied and happy.

Rohan Tikmany

Best chicken sandwiches and fried chicken in town. Really good cocktails too. Make sure to try the Nashville hot chicken. Not many options for vegetarians ( just one tofu poboy ) but even that is delicious! Would highly recommend.

crowghostexists .

This is a great place, I truly enjoy everything they have to offer. Lived in Nashville for 3 years and still think Watson's hot chicken is great. You have to check it out if you're in this area, just remember it's closed on Mondays!

Jiratt Phonlapat

fried chicken here so juicy and crisp on the outside and so delicious. Chicken wings, fried Brusselssprouts, Hot Nashville chicken (best with dark meat), fried chicken sandwiches all tasty. Delicious cocktails as well. Fast friendly services. Definitely come back for more.

Maria F

Very unpleasant place with nice atmosphere and slow service. We went there for dinner and had to wait for more than an hour to get our food. The food that came was too spicy which was not specified anywhere in the menu, also breaded and too expensive for the amount. They also charge you for sides. The drinks are overprised too, and the choice of coctails is very poor. This being one of the few places in downtown Champaign that serve both regular food and drinks, it is understandable how they're still in business, but considering the quality of the bars around and their pricing they should've been better.

Courtney Lauren

I have been here multiple times over the past few months and all I can say is wow. No matter what I get, every time everything is absolutely perfect. I’m fairly picky and typically when I find something I like I stick to it, however here I am not afraid to try everything! No matter what, it is absolutely fantastic, along with the staff being great too! Highly recommend!

Elizabeth McDermith

The food is always delicious, I love the gravy fries, but its all amazing. Adult slushies are fun,too.

Dave Ingram

"Go to Watson's!", say your friends and family, repeatedly, while you foolishly dismiss their suggestions. Then one day you stop acting like a fool and go. At first you're mad at yourself. Then the fall-out-of-your-seat flavors make you realize it's okay. It's okay to go and savor some of the best chicken you'll ever have.

Toni Jones

Chicken and the scene here is very good. food was so yummy. the service was very welcoming and sociable. menu is like a place in san francisco i loved.

Connor Brown

Chicken and waffles were awesome. Great seasoning on chicken. Waffles tasty. Pork belly was a lilttle too peppery. Wife had fish and chips and were excellent. Service was so/so Food got out quick though.

McKenzie LaValle

Great chicken and even better slushies!

Alex Zickar

Okay, so I'm from Georgia, home of Chick-fil-A, Zaxby's and countless others. None of those hold a candle to Watson's hot chicken sandwich. Everything about it is flawless: the spice level, the crunch, pickles, slaw, bun, all of it. I defy anyone to find me a better chicken sandwich in Champaign, or even Illinois for that matter.

Heather Miller

I've had Sunday lunch - it was excellent, went back for "girl's lunch" this past Saturday - had the pulled chicken sandwich and crisp fried potato wedges - I have never eaten an entire order of fried potatoes before - but I made an exception for these...excellent food, very friendly wait-staff each time.

Alishah Jamal

Food here was good. I had the pulled chicken sandwich and the chicken was very dry, hence the 4 stars! But other than that, the beer selection, fries, and service was great! I would recommend it, maybe I just got a bad batch. Wasn't overly expensive; I think my burger was 15?

Kaylin Pritchard

Great food, great staff

Molly Blazier

Good comfort food. Slushies are tasty and i love their rice bowl. Not a huge fan of their wedge fries with gravy on top and some of their other items, but that's just my opinion. Definitely worth trying!

melissa vessell

Saturday special is Chicken Fried Steak and it's LIFE CHANGING. All of their chicken is wonderful, tasty and served with a smile. It's only a smidge more than eating at a chain restaurant but the flavor and portions are well worth the cost.

Amy Weber

Gumbo was delish. Kids loved the waffles and Mac n cheese. Great dinner on a Thursday night in the summer!

Cynthia Kelly

Menu is unique and food was very good. Service also very good. Recommend Watson's highly.

Don Gerard

Amazing local chicken shack featuring farm-to-fork cuisine in a rustic and lively setting.

Angela Baldridge

So good! One of the best places I've eaten in CU. Love the kale salad topped with fried chicken and the spicy wings.

Michelle Meas

Watson's is the only restaurant I genuinely miss after leaving Champaign. Great drinks, AMAZING food, and excellent service. Has that cosy feel you can only replicate in a sleepy Midwest city.

Jim Youhas

Delicious, but crazy expensive.

Jim Reed

Excellent food and service. Great Bourbon and Rye selections.

Jeff S

Food is great, but priced a bit high for what you get. Still worth the trip. Recommend the Nashville Hot if you like spicy.

Andrew Stillwell

Great service and chicken. Good selection of beers on tap and adult slushies. Ask for extra pickles on everything, totally worth it.

Martin Persson

Best fried chicken in the area. Nice whiskey selection. A tad pricey but great atmosphere.

Steve Sanchez

I would give it six stars if I could. Bruch was DELICIOUS. Just stupendous. I got the Cali Girl (delicious multigrain toast, guacamole, sliced avocado, baby heirloom tomatoes, RAW corn kernels... yes, the corn was so incredible you could eat it raw... and fantastic chimmichurri sauce. Wow. My friend was BLOWN AWAY by his chilaquiles -- the staff were even kind enough to send us away with a little to go container of the salsa so that we can try to recreate a least a little of the magic at home. Nice booze-free breakfast drink as well (cherry-lime) and great coffee. We had just been to the Prairie Fruits Farm 100-Yard chef's dinner the night before, and this actually measured up as a great follow up. We sat outside and it was lovely, but inside looks like fun too. Who cares if we live in Chicago? I could see this becoming a regular spot for us for breakfast!!

Nicole Davis

The food and drinks are fantastic! They also make tasty seasonal drinks. Occasionally, there is live music on the small stage at the front of the restaurant. There is a parking lot behind the building to the West, but if that is full there is always the Busey lot or the parking garage on Hill.

Shubham Jain

Great place. Less options but that actually helps in spending less time on deciding. The Nashville hot wasn’t too hot for me though

David Lansford

Service was very friendly and knowledgeable. Food was "meh". There are better chicken places on Bradley Ave.

G F

Friendly, Fun, and Lively

Jasen LaBolle

Great food, relaxed and helpful staff!

Abu Naser Rashid Reza

Food here is awsm. If you want to have spicy taste, do try there Nashvile Chicken.

정수지

Super good!!!! Great Food & Reasonable Price & Kind Staff!!

Angie Cantrall-Mikulcik

Overpriced tasteless chicken. Better off going to KFC or popeyes for as much as you pay for this.

Shane Corbin

Great for, great service, just a great environment!! Something everyone needs to experience!