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Places in Sterling

98 places to eat & drink in Sterling

912 places in Sterling: 98 places to eat and drink, 131 shops, 54 things to do and 1 places to stay. Local spots first, with directions to every one.

All places
912
62 per 1,000 residents · most nearby
Eat & drink
98
6.7 per 1,000 residents
Shops
131
26 gifts · 6 antiques · 2 books
Things to do
54
22 outdoors · 4 arts · 12 landmarks
Places to stay
1
0.1 per 1,000 residents

What kind of places does Sterling have?

Read from every listing. The page puts what stands out first.

A food town98 places to eat and drink, 6.7 per 1,000 residents.A coffee town12 independent cafés, coffee shops and bakeries, 17 with the sweet shops and chains.Antiques & vintage6 antique, vintage and secondhand shops.
The map

Where Sterling gathers

194 of Sterling’s 912 places sit within a five-minute walk of E 3rd St. A second center gathers around E Lincolnway.

E 3rd StE Lincolnway
194places in a five-minute walk of E 3rd St21% of Sterling’s places
91around E Lincolnway10% of Sterling’s places
★ What stands out · Eat & drink

98 places to eat & drink

57 restaurants, 20 bars & breweries, 17 cafés & treats. Local spots first.

See all →
See all 17 cafés & treats →
Shops

131 shops

26 gifts & boutiques, 22 home & hardware, 21 clothing. Local spots first.

See all →
Things to do

54 things to do

22 parks & outdoors, 16 fitness & sports, 12 history & landmarks. Local spots first.

See all →
See all 22 parks & outdoors →
Everyday

531 errands & services

Groceries, gas, the barber, the vet, the bank.

See all →
Health care 122Bard Optical · Sterling Rock Falls Clinic · CGH Locust Street Medical CenterBanks & insurance 77TBK Bank · Edward Jones · CoinFlip Bitcoin ATM - Discount Liquor (Sterling)Auto & gas 63Kunes Ford of Sterling Service · Kunes Auto Body Of Sterling · Blain's Farm & FleetHair & beauty 53My Nail Salon · All About Massage · B'lush SalonOffices & pros 50RE/MAX Sauk Valley · Whoop Your Axe · Alan LewisHome services 38Minute Key · Blue Rhino Propane Exchange · Blue Rhino Propane ExchangeGroceries & convenience 14Kelley's Market · North End Liquor · Dairy Mart PlusPets 7A Cut Above · Jerrica's Grooming Gallery · Shark's Cove Pet ShopOther services 107Bitstop Bitcoin ATM · CGH Ready Care Clinic (Sterling) · Centennial Auditorium
Community

97 schools, churches & public places

Where Sterling learns, worships and gets things done.

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Schools & childcare 31Sterling High School · St Mary's Catholic Grade School · Challand Middle SchoolPlaces of worship 28Wesley United Methodist Church · Sacred Heart Catholic Church · The Big Red ChurchTown & public services 20Sterling City Hall · United States Postal Service · Sterling Police DepartmentCommunity groups 18Sterling Main Street · YWCA of the Sauk Valley · Nicil
Next door

Sterling and its neighbors

Sterling has the most places per resident of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its places.

Places per 1,000 residents · all places listed
Sterling62Sterling Township59Rock Falls53

Talk & tips

Favorites, openings and closings from Sterling neighbors.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Is 3twelve Restaurant & Tavern the best place to eat in Sterling?

Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.

What’s missing?

Not on the map yet. It may just be missing.

No brewery listed ·
Share a tip

Some place details from Overture Maps (CDLA-Permissive-2.0), checked against the Census town line. Places added by neighbors go live once a second neighbor confirms them. Spot a mistake? Open the place and tap Edit mode.

How we sort and count

Each list puts neighbor favorites first (ratings and photos), then the most complete listings (a website, a phone number, a note), with local, independent spots ahead of national chains. Categories come from each place’s map category, so a café filed under “Shops” still shows up with the cafés. “A five-minute walk” is a quarter mile from the busiest spot on the map. Per-1,000 figures use the Census population.