Making the journey to campus can be intimidating, especially if you come from a far away location. But not to worry – no matter your favorite style of cuisine, it’s likely you’ll find comparable food in Champaign-Urbana.

It may seem impossible to visit every restaurant in your short four years on campus, especially while balancing classes and activities, but if you make the trip to some of these local spots, I assure you that it will be worth it.

I have lived in the C-U area for all of my life; it has given me the opportunity to see how quickly restaurants can come and go, and what it takes for a restaurant to stay in business.

Armando Sandoval originally came to Champaign to study sociology at the University. But after some time off due to health issues, Sandoval realized he wanted to pursue small business. He grew up in the restaurant industry and spent 10 years of his life in Mexico. This combination brought him to Champaign to open Maize, found at the corner of Green and First streets. Sandoval’s authentic Mexican dishes use ingredients such as huitlacoche, a type of fungus found on corn, pumpkin flower and freshly made tortillas to bring the flavors of Mexico to the Midwest. Although you might have to squeeze in for a seat at Maize, the small building size actually works to their advantage, Sandoval said.

“When we move, we want to keep the same mentality of the small space that we have here,” Sandoval said. Maize receives shipments of food twice daily because there isn’t any room in the kitchen to store anything; every dish you taste at Maize will be made with the freshest ingredients.

Maize isn’t the only local business taking advantage of the power of fresh ingredients. Three college students, Jeremy Mandell, Sean Baird and Daniel Krause, who wanted to challenge themselves and pursue their culinary interests, opened up the Cracked truck, an all-day breakfast sandwich food truck. The Cracked truck uses local meats from Old Time Meat and Deli Shoppe and fresh bread from Pekara bakery.

“We wanted to stay true to the core of the sandwich, which we feel is the bread and the meat,” Krause said. “We want it to be as local and as fresh as possible.”

The truck is found downtown (Neil Street and University Avenue) during the summer when the guys aren’t working at music festivals, but you can catch them just east of the Engineering Quad on the corner of Mathews Avenue and Springfield Avenue when school starts. To find out when and where the Cracked truck will be, you can check its website.

Visit the Cracked truck and Maize for not only delicious food but a taste of the University’s entrepreneurial spirit. Many students have had great success opening their own businesses on this campus, even if they didn’t go to school here.

Jon Pedigo opened his own hot dog stand throughout the course of one semester. Pedigo wanted to take a break from school and try his hand at opening his own business. With the help of his roommate and another friend, Pedigo opened Man’s Best Friend Hot Dogs, found at the corner of Sixth and Daniel streets, at the beginning of May.

If authentic Mexican, breakfast sandwiches or beef hot dogs don’t ring your bell, keep calm and venture to Bangkok Thai.

Bangkok Thai has daily discounts on some of their best dishes, including a Monday special on Pad Thai. Plenty of C-U restaurants make Pad Thai, but none compare with Bangkok Thai’s. When placing your order, the staff asks how spicy you would like your food to be on a scale of 1-10. This seemingly insignificant question makes all of the difference when enjoying your favorite Thai cuisines.

If you aren’t in the mood to take an adventure to find food, delivery options in C-U are endless. EatCU.com and grubhub.com can provide you a list of all of the restaurants at your delivery disposal. From Chinese food to calzones to a multitude of pizza places, deciding which place to order from might be the most difficult part of your delivery journey.

New hot spots like Maize, the Cracked truck and the reappearance of Wendy’s on campus earlier this year may draw attention away from old favorites like Papa Del’s Pizza for a while, but it won’t last long. Papa Del’s has a reputation for serving the best thick-crusted deep-dish pizza in C-U. The restaurant offers slices at a discounted rate during afternoon hours, so hurry over for lunch after your morning classes get out. You won’t be sorry.

When you aren’t branching out and trying C-U’s local spots, you can rest assured your favorite chain restaurants are close by. Panera Bread, Noodles & Company and Chipotle are just a few of the favorites found on Green Street.

If dorm food isn’t tickling your fancy, don’t forget about the countless restaurants in C-U waiting to serve you fresh, quality food at affordable prices.

Janelle is a senior in Media. She can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @jayohday.