Illinois ‘Top 10 Restaurants’ Video Gets It Completely Wrong

If you want to instantly blow up any chance of your online reviews having any sort of credibility this is the way to do it.

How We Got Here

If you've stumbled into an article of mine for the first time you should know that I'm a foodie. I love just about everything food-related except for big mushrooms. Those are the most disgusting form of "food."

As a foodie, people close to me send me links to restaurants and recipes all the time, which is how we got here.

Someone sent me a link to a video about the dining options in a small town in Illinois. Apparently, there were a few many mistakes.

"Did you see this? They got it all wrong!"

The food-centered YouTube channel with this specific video describes the account as a place for discovering the best restaurants.

On this Channel you will find the best Restaurants and places to eat in various cities all over the earth. We will start with the US but plan to expand our service also over the rest of the planet.

They almost hit the mark and completed their objective except for one important detail. When reviewing restaurants in Byron, Illinois most of the images in the video are completely wrong. If they were going to generic photos (a.k.a stock photos) they should have done a little more research before clicking that publish button.

It might be worth nothing, the video includes nothing about these places except for the name of the joint. Also, it was published in 2021 when at least one of the establishments wasn't even open for business.

Let's grade their attempts at promoting these locally-owned restaurants.

The first restaurant highlighted restaurant is Hairy Cow Brewing Co. They opted for a generic woodfire oven photo.

Grade: C

Next is Dos Amigos Mexican Restaurant. I guess they kind of got the good right in this photo too but, meh.

Grade: C

Sam's Drive-In is a personal favorite of mine. Their menu is what you find at a drive-in; burgers, hotdogs, fries, chicken... but pancakes?

Grade: F

Sunrise II Family Restaurant needs no introduction. This is a great hidden gem in Illinois. Unfortunately, this food review channel chose a pic that isn't even close to the actual restaurant.

Grade: F

I smell another F coming... this is the photo they chose for Swedish Pancake House & Cafe Byron. I'm not sure what that chef is pouring but I've never seen it inside the restaurant.

Grade: F

A great spot for authentic Italian in the Ogle County area is Costa's Pizzeria & Ristorante. I can't give them a bad grade for showing something I can order on the menu.

Grade: n/a

Spanky's Byron Inn was also mentioned in the video and to be honest I can't remember when they closed for remodel (I think?) nor can I remember what the inside looks like.

Grade: n/a

Aero Ale House (Byron) has been closed since before the pandy wandy, I believe. Even if I'm mistaken I know for sure this is not what the inside looks like.

Grade: F

I go to China King more than I would like to admit. I should have partial ownership at this point. That being said, this is so far off from the restaurant interior that I'm actually offended.

Grade: F

Weezy's Sports Bar and Grill is another great place for food and drinks. The problem with this photo is that it looks nothing close the the actual interior of Weezie's.

Grade: F

Overall, I'm giving the Byron, Illinois restaurant review a D- because they failed to include The Cave Inn and Back Alley Br & Grill inside Uptown Lanes.