
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!
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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?