Hillsboro Illinois restaurants
Hawaiian Burger, fries and fresh-brewed ice tee from the Street Eats food truck in downtown Hillsboro; Photo credit: Nathan Lambrecht

When Alora Chandler was growing up in Hillsboro, there wasn’t a lot to do. But over the last five or so years, downtown has blossomed – in part due to her dessert shop, Sweet Addictions, on Main Street.

Chandler’s father ran a Tropical Sno stand, and her husband Matt’s family had been in the ice cream business. So in 2015, the couple decided to combine their expertise and open Sweet Addictions, which offers Tropical Sno shaved ice, hand-dipped ice cream, milkshakes and sundaes, among other delicious concoctions.

Their ice cream is small-batch from Cedar Crest in Wisconsin. “It’s probably the best ice cream I’ve ever had,” Chandler says. Top-selling flavors include Superman (a mix of blue raspberry, cherry and vanilla that kids go crazy for) and the old standbys of chocolate and vanilla. Chandler also does some specialty items on the side, including ice cream sandwiches made with homemade chocolate chip cookies, pecan turtles and peanut butter cups. It’s no wonder there’s often a line out the door.

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If all those desserts make your head swirl in a sugar rush, you can head outside to Street Eats, the couple’s food truck that launched in 2018. It’s typically parked right on Main Street, though it does move around to local businesses for lunch or special events (check Facebook to find its location).

Street Eats is known for its specialty burgers. Customers love the Hawaiian burger (made with grilled fresh pineapple and honey garlic sauce and served on a Hawaiian bun) and the beer burger (for which chef Matt makes a beer-bacon-onion jam out of local Opera House Brewing Company beer). There are some lighter offerings as well, like a strawberry feta salad with homemade red wine vinaigrette, and items for kids to enjoy – think corn dogs, chicken tenders and cheese fries.

Sweet Addictions & Street Eats

Location: 400 S. Main St. in Hillsboro

Hours: 1-9 p.m. daily

Phone: (217) 532-2292

Website: yoursweetaddictions.com

Chandler’s own children, ages 3 and 5, beg to come to work with her. After all, how cool would it be to have your parents own an ice cream shop and food truck? “It’s somewhere for parents to bring their kids to eat some ice cream or food, sit outside and get away from their life for a little bit,” she says. “It’s like a little minivacation in our own town.”

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