I was looking for places that deliver online, and ran across this web page.. http://www.elmada.com/Places/plINRBtonABC.htm
The author of the above referenced site does a nice job of reviewing a lot of places in Bloomington! I can't claim to have been to nearly as many as these, so check out his site if there's something not here that you're looking for. However, I do disagree with a lot of his reviews. Everyone has different tastes and different experiences, so here are mine... but they definitely aren't the same as his, and yours may be totally different than either one of our sites! I tried to put my wife's likes and dislikes in here too for added perspective.
American Chopstick
17th & Walnut
American Chopstick has a very limited Chinese buffet, probably because most people go there for the Mongolian BBQ. I guess they figure why make all that stuff when you can pick what you want and they can cook it on the spot. I was not impressed with the BBQ. They suggested some oils and sauces, but I found it to be pretty disgusting. In fact, I can't remember a Chinese place that I've ever got anything I didn't like except this one. A lot of people like this one, but I don't. Parking is almost as bad as downtown, which doesn't make it any better.
Applebee's Neighborhood Bar & Grill
www.applebees.com
College Mall
This is a national chain, which is usually a good thing in my opinion. "If it's not good enough to be a chain, it must not be very good" is usually my philosophy. But, Applebee's definitely varies from location to location. Some are good, some are ok, and some are horrid. The Bloomington location isn't horrid, but it's close. We were not impressed at all.
Arby's
www.arbys.com
several locations
Arby's is a national roast beef chain, and I think there must be 60 locations in Lexington. There are several here in Bloomington, too, and they are pretty good as Arby's goes. I like the roast beef, the chicken cordon bleu, and occasionally the Philly Beef & Swiss sub, which I think they just changed so I probably don't like it anymore if my past luck is any indication.
Aver's Pizza
www.averspizza.com | Delivers
1837 North Kinser Pike; North side Marsh Shopping Center
South Side, NE corner of Winslow and Henderson
Aver's is different as pizza goes.. they call it gourmet pizza. It's not what I would order when I'm hungry for pizza. But once in a while, just to have something different... it's good. You have to really watch the toppings though. They have some very unusual toppings, like the "cream and crimson" which is a cream sauce with sliced red potatoes. It's not too bad. The Chicken Masterpiece is probably their best... K.C. masterpiece BBQ sauce with sliced chicken and peppers. The breadsticks, though, are by far the best in town. They come with plenty of garlic, and then garlic or cheese dipping sauce on top of that. The crazy 8 deal is a medium pizza, breadsticks, and 2 drinks for $8.88. So, it's a good deal for the money!
Bruster's
www.brustersicecream.com
3rd and 446, east side of town.
Bruster's is an ice cream chain that I had never heard of until I moved to Bloomington. Then, I noticed one in Covington, Georgia.. and haven't seen another one anywhere else. That's a shame, because the ice cream is fabulous for "hard" ice cream, and the portions are HUGE. A popular hangout.
Buffalo Wild Wings
Landmark
BW3 returns to Bloomington in force! This location has tons of projectors and TVs running every major sports event and NTN trivia. The food is pretty good too. They have a wide variety of sauces. The food is a bit overpriced for what it is, but the NTN trivia makes up for it.
Burger King
www.burgerking.com
Several Locations
I try to avoid BK now because it's always rated near last in the nutrition ratings... the calories and carbs are always huge. But, it's the only place to stop between home and work, and so I end up there for breakfast a lot, and occasionally on the way home but not often. Whoppers are wonderful, but way far off the diet. The fries are ok, but again way far off the diet. The drink selection is pretty limited. The breakfast is pretty good, and offers some variety. If it's lunch, I usually go for a chicken whopper and lose at least some of the carbs from a regular whopper. The frustrating thing is the drive up service. A lot of times the battery will be dead on the headset, and you'll sit there for 10 minutes waiting for them to take your order, when no one is actually listening. Then other times it takes them so long to answer, you think that they had a dead battery and they actually didn't. Lines will be long one day and move slower than a dead turtle, other times they move very fast. Time is the big factor for me at BK because I'm usually in a hurry to get to work. At least they do have ICEEs now.
Casa Brava
Whitehall Pike just east of Marsh
One of the best restaurants in Bloomington!! This authentic mexican place opened up in spring 2002. I heard all the ads on the radio, and kept meaning to try it. The cheese sauce is magnificent!!! You have to order it go to with the nachos, but trust us it's well worth it! The service has been pretty good, too, and the prices are very reasonable. We've never been unhappy with whatever we ordered, although more often that not it's a fajita quesadilla rellena. It seems like every time I went, they would be out of fried ice cream though... but we are usually out late so that as much my fault as it is theirs. Definitely the best mexican in town, although we also liked La Torre. But, they have now closed. (The college mall location might still be open, I'm not sure) This is owned by the same folks as La Charreda, and they serve pretty much the same menu at both locations.
Chili's Grill & Bar
www.chilis.com
3rd and Pete Ellis
Chili's is another national chain, which means it's good and it's predicable. They have some good food, but I find their menu a little short. We go there once in a while, but not often. This particular location seems to be pretty good compared to others I've visited.
China Buffet
College Mall Rd/Next to Borders
A nice, sit down chinese buffet. They also have american food on the bar, which cuts out a lot of my favorite chinese selections. It's ok food, but to me a chinese buffet should have more variety. You have to refill your own drinks (they have the tiny little glasses), and pay when you enter.
China House
W. 3rd St. at IN-37 (hopefully soon to be I-69)
This is a Chicago area chain that recently opened in Bloomington. It's the third restaurant in this building in the four years I've lived here. It used to be a steak place that lasted only a couple of months, before that it was LaTorre, and before that Shoney's. They serve an americanized chinese buffet that is definitely the best chinese in Bloomington. They have all the standard chinese dishes, but also have pizza, spaghetti, and that kind of thing. The choices might be a little better at Mandarin Buffet, but the quality of the food is far superior. If you like Chinese, this is the place to go in Bloomington hands down.
Chocolate Moose
Walnut, between 2nd and 3rd
This is a cool little stand near downtown that also serves some decent ice cream, including chocolate soft serve. Personally, I love Dairy Queen so I like them a little better, and if you want "hard" ice cream, Bruster's is the place to go. But, the chocolate moose is good too! I don't like that they close during the winter months, but I guess I'm the only person who is crazy enough about ice cream to eat it when it's freezing outside.
City Grille
216 S. College (College and 3rd)
(812) 336-6839
This was the first place we went to after officially moving in. What a disappointment. We were used to real BBQ, not this "Yankee BBQ" as my wife calls it. Owensboro, KY is the BBQ capital of the world, and when we were in Evansville we made trips over there just to go to Moonlite BBQ. Shyler's BBQ in Evansville was also one of our favorite places to go, so we had high hopes of finding good BBQ here. All we found was a loud place with lots of TVs, full of smoke, lousy food, and high prices. The appetizers are ok though, and we enjoyed some as we watched the space shuttle launch on the big screen there after we returned from Florida. (Some of my students sent a protein crystallization experiment up on the space shuttle to the ISS... we had to come home early because of a fuel leak that delayed the launch several days.) But other than that, we haven't been back.
Colorado Steakhouse
colorado-steakhouse.com
College, South of the By-Pass
At work I got a gift certificate for helping out with a project, and my wife loves steak, so we decided to try Colorado Steakhouse. It's pretty much what you would expect for a more upscale midwest steakhouse. They have a lot of Colorado memorabilia on the walls, and have pretty good food. But, the prices are very high. In fact, so high that I doubt we will go back.
Cracker Barrel
http://www.crackerbarrel.com/
West Side, Near Kohls
I was amazed when Cracker Barrel came to town, because there still isn't an interstate here (which is even more amazing... and irritating). I knew they wouldn't put one in Evansville until they built I-164, and then they were doing everything they could to open. It's been a company policy, and I don't know how they broke it here, but they did. As with all Cracker Barrels, the lines are long because the food is good and resonably priced. Since they are new to town, they fall under the non-smoking requirement... so you don't have to ask for non-smoking here. Now that Cracker Barrel is here, we can only hope that the interstate will follow!!!! (And the plans for it have!)
Dagwood's Deli & Sub Shop
http://dagwoodsandwiches.com
two locations: 4th and Indiana,
and East 10th Street, near Lennies
Delivers
I had not tried this place until the 2004 football season. Some of the parents provide food and drinks for the media, clock keepers, and announcer (yours truly), and they brought in a couple of subs from Dagwood's for a couple of games. They were very good!
Dairy Queen
http://www.dairyqueen.com/
2423 S. Walnut
(812) 334-2423
DQ is one of those chains that really varies from location to location... some are dumps, and others are pretty nice. Once again, the Bloomington location is one of the better ones. I would go to DQ every day if I could, but it's not good on the diet. I've really cut back on DQ, but my heart is still there quite often. They have the best soft serve ice cream in the USA. I have some former students that work there, and I enjoy visiting with them when I do go there. The only problem with the Bloomington location is that they close during the winter months. I wish they were open year-round, and I also wish they carried the ice cream cakes. It's probably better for the diet though that they don't.
Denny's
www.dennys.com
Walnut and the By-Pass
Denny's is Denny's. I went to the Bloomington location a couple of times with some friends before I moved here, and they had stories to tell about this old lady waitress that just didn't have a great life to put it mildly. The highlight for me, yes, you guessed it... breakfast anytime.
Dragon
Whitehall Pike/Next to K-mart
A great little Chinese take out place. I seem to remember it being cash only. You can eat there, but there's only a few small tables. Their main business is carry out. Very reasonably priced, as Chinese usually is.
Encore Cafe
316 West 6th
This is where I went when I was first considering moving up here to take the job at South. It's ok, but not really my style. It's a cafeteria style sandwich place that has a few other items to pick from. They have some unusual drinks, which is usually of interest to me. They have garlic roasted potatoes which are pretty good. But, the selection is rather limited, and personally I think it's a little overpriced for just a sandwich made on bread you can get from the grocery store. They do have live entertainment some evenings. And, it's downtown which is always a strike against it in my opinion. Parking is not horrible for downtown, but could definitely be better. It's not bad for lunch, but I wouldn't do supper there again if I can help it.
Fazoli's
www.fazolis.com
3rd and College Mall Road
I've always liked Fazoli's, and have never found a bad location. It's real itailian, real fast.. just like they claim. The sampler is a sure way to go, the submarinos are some of the best sandwiches I've ever had, and the desserts are good too. The quality is good, and the place is clean. In fact the last time I went, there were workers standing there waiting on trays to wash. The breadsticks are great... second only to Aver's, and the prices are amazing for Italian food. The drive up is convenient too.
Golden China
South Marsh Shopping Center
2478 S. Walnut
335-9688
This is a nice, quiet sit down Chinese buffet. It's good food, but again I like a big variety in a Chinese buffet, and Golden China just doesn't have it. But, what they do have is good, and for me it's close.
Golden Corral
www.goldencorral.com
West Third and State Road 37
Golden Corral is what I think of as the typical american steak place. They are a national chain that has a huge salad bar, good steak, and plenty to drink. Golden Corral also has a food bar that has all kinds of stuff on it, including pizza, fried and baked chicken, and potato bar. They have a great bakery too. If you're really hungry, this is the place to go. The weekend breakfast buffet looks fabulous, but it's too early in the morning for me.
Gray Brothers Cafeteria
moved out after 6 months... what a shame!
Great Taste China Buffet
West Third, Next to Big Lots
I have mixed feelings on this place. Of all the Chinese buffets in town, I'd say theirs is the best. They have good food and good selection for a very good price. The location is very scary, though, because this building is old and there just isn't that much business going on at Big Lots or the Buffet. So, it's a little disconcerning that no one is ever there. The bathroom is disgusting, but the tables and buffet are very, very clean. But, I can't get my wife to go there because of the location and lack of traffic.
Grisanti's
Sadly, it's gone too... this was our favorite Italian place in town. I guess there is still one in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska.
Irish Lion
www.irishlion.com
Kirkwood, between College and Morton
Now this is one that the other web site and I can definitely agree on. This is one of the best places in Bloomington. My former student Matt told me he'd eat there every meal if he could, and that I should try it. I never did. It had too many strikes against it from the beginning... downtown, no parking, and it wasn't a chain... all things that weigh BIG in where I choose to go. Well, one night my (now ex-)wife decided to prove me wrong. She got take out from Irish Lion. She wouldn't tell me where it came from or what it was until I tried it. I did, and now it's definitely high on my list. I still don't like the parking, but the not being a chain thing is not bothering me anymore. I don't like stairs either... but this place is worth it. If you want a nice, quiet, serious meal out... this is the place to go in Bloomington.
KFC
www.kfc.com
two locations.
KFC is a little slow on Whitehall Pike, ok really slow, but generally worth it. It's average compared to other KFC's, but that's still pretty good. My biggest complaint is that they close way too early. I've been by there a little after 8 pm, and had to go somewhere else because they had already closed up for the day.
Long John Silvers
Two locations... Eastland Plaza and Whitehall Pike
Here's another one that I go to when it's just me and not Amy. She doesn't like LJS all that well, but I do. The LJS at Whitehall Pike had great service, and great food. It's what you'd expect from a LJS chain. They have been very generous with free stuff if they didn't hear me order it or messed up the order somehow, which hasn't happened very often.
Mad Mushroom Pizza
A run of the mill pizza place. I wasn't all that thrilled about it.
Mandarin Garden Bar-B-Que Buffet
Whitehall Pike/next to Outback (old Wendy's)
This place used to be in the old Grasshopper Chinese place in front of Big
Lots on Whitehall Pike. When Grasshopper closed, Asianna International Buffet
went in, which was one of my favorite Chinese places in Bloomington. Continuing
with my luck on finding good places to eat in Bloomington, it closed within
1 month because they couldn't hire enough help. Mandarin Mongolian BBQ had planned
on going in the old Wendy's, but instead took over the lease from Asianna, and
had a pretty good buffet too. Then they closed at the end of the year's lease,
and now they are back... in the old Wendy's. The selection is excellent. They
have the Mongolian BBQ and sushi if you like that kind of thing. I would rate
this second to China House. My biggest complaint is that the food is seldom
fresh. It is often dried out and has been sitting for a long time. If you get
there about 4:30 in the afternoon, it's pretty good. After that, it just slowly
gets worse. But, if you want peanut butter chicken or some of the less common
items that China House doesn't have, this is the place to go.
McDonald's
www.mcdonalds.com
several locations
McDonalds is one of the more consistent chains in the US. The ones in Bloomington keep plenty busy. Their lines are always long, but they do seem to move. I still can't figure out why the one on Kirkwood closed. Every time I go by there's a long line at the drive up.
Noble Romans' Pizza
several locations
Noble Roman's has closed up a lot of their restaurants and gone into the gasoline/convenience store market. But, there are a few independent ones remaining, including one on South Walnut. I love their Monster pizza, which is a real deep dish pizza. I also like some other toppings that the Hut doesn't have. The breadsticks are much better than most pizza places.
O'Charley's
www.ocharleys.com
Westside, across parking lot from Lowe's
West 3rd and State Road 37 (simple intersection)
I've never really been very happy with this chain, and the Bloomington location lives up to this reputation. The food was lousy and overpriced, and we actually just gave up, paid, and left and went somewhere else. Definitely one of the worst places in Bloomington to eat...
Olive Garden
Westside, across parking lot from Lowe's
http://www.olivegarden.com/
People were so excited to see Olive Garden come to town, including myself, but I was in for a big disappointment. It's hard to mess up Italian to where I don't like it, but this location comes close to that. I haven't been happy with the quality of the food here, although the service has been great. Fazoli's tastes just as good as this Olive Garden, and is a lot cheaper. But, since Grisanti's left town, this is about the only option. When we want good Italian, we go to Greenwood to Buca di Beppo, or even better Carino's in Lexington (but that's a LONG way to go for supper!) Grisanti's was this local place that we used to go to all the time. We loved their stuffed mushrooms, and everything else on the menu really. We never had a bad meal there, the service was excellent, and the menu was great. Grisanti's was our stand-by restaurant that we could always count on. Some friends has introduced it to us when we signed the papers on the house. (And it's rather amazing that I liked it since it was a local place, and definitely didn't scream chain!) But, one day they abruptly closed.. and so yet another one of the few restaurants in Bloomington that I truly liked went away.
Outback Steakhouse
www.outback.com
West 3rd Street at SR 37
This chain steakhouse always has long lines, because it's one of the best places in Bloomington. Nothing against Outback, but when that's one of the best restaurants in town, you know that there must not be much competition. I love that Drover's platter and the Alice chicken. Thankfully they added call ahead seating and curbside take out, because otherwise you'd have to wait forever.
Panera Bread
www.panera.com
322 South College Mall Road
Eastland Plaza, near Borders
ph. (812) 335-9785
fx. (812) 335-9906
I was not impressed at all. I'd rather go to Subway or Quizno's.
Papa John's Pizza
www.papajohns.com
Several Locations, Delivery
Another run of the mill pizza place. They have jalapenos and garlic sauce available, which sets them aside from the competition. But, this is pretty much the standard pizza. (which still ain't bad!!)
Pizza Express
express.bloomington.com
several locations | delivery.
I tried this at Field Day this year, and it was pretty good. I've been meaning to give it another try, but I keep calling Pizza Hut or Magia instead. Maybe next time I will...
Pizza Hut
www.pizzahut.com
several locations | delivery
Pizza Hut Pizza is the same all over the country. The pizza is good, but the breadsticks are awful. They used to have real good sticks, but several years ago they "improved" the reciepe. But, you can count on it to be good, fresh, and hot. It's hard to beat Pizza Hut. About the only ones that can are Gino's East in Chicago and Bobe's in Vincennes.... especially Byron Bobe's on Main Street.
Pizza Queen
http://www.iupizzaqueen.com
South Walnut, just north of Bloomington High School South next to CVS
Pizza Queen is an independant version of the Indiana tradition, Pizza King. The sandwiches are good, and so is the pizza. They used crushed pepperoni instead of sliced, which takes a little getting used to.. but it's a nice change of pace. Don't bother with the breadsticks, though.
Rally's
Between Walnut and College, south of 2nd
A double drive through that has good fries, and some pretty good burgers too. Amy found a hair in one I brought home for her one day, and she hasn't been back since. Most Rally's are known for super speedy drive throughs, but not in Bloomington...
Smokey Bones BBQ
Whitehall Plaza, next to Kohl's
This is the closest thing you're going to find to good southern BBQ around here. The chicken and ribs are excellent. They even have a soup or two I like, which is very unusual.
Snow Lion
Grant, between 4th and Kirkwood.
We went there with friends once. They really liked it, but I can't say the same. It's just not my kind of food. The mango shake was interesting, though. Once again, proof that downtown and not a chain resurarant equals bad experiences.
Sonic Drive-In
sadly, it's gone too
Steak 'n Shake
www.steaknshake.com
several locations
I'll quote the other web site I was talking about earlier... it sums it up better than I can.
"Open 24/7, Steak 'n Shake is an Indiana based restaurant chain. They pride themselves on providing waiters in a quasi-fast food atmosphere. It's great when other restaurants are closed and you want a hamburger (err... they call them "Steakburgers") and/or shake."
Subway
www.subway.com
several locations
Two of the Subway's (South Walnut, Landmark) now have drive-ups which is a definite plus! The lines are usually slow and long at the other locations. The one at Jordan and Atwater is where the famous Jared ate twice a day during his weight loss campaign. But if it's a sub you want, this is probably the way to go unless you go to the trouble getting to Dagwood's.
Taco Bell
www.tacobell.com
Taco Bell is open late, thank goodness, because it seems like no one else is ever open at night. We like Taco Bell a lot. It's miles above that awful Taco John's stuff, which closed up except for the one on campus. It's good, and it's cheap. And, Bloominton's stores don't seem to be painfully slow like a lot of other's I've been to.
Tortilla Flat
9th and Walnut
This definitely qualifies for one of the worst meals I've had in Bloomington. We tried this place out with some friends, because someone at work said this was her favorite place. The food was horrid, the service wasn't much better, and of course that made the prices too high. Go to Casa Brava, or heck even Taco Bell.
Trojan Horse
Kirkwood and Walnut, SE corner.
This placed was doomed before I ever walked in the door. It's downtown, and it's not a chain. It's impossible to find parking, and the menu has little to offer to my taste buds. I was in a rotten mood, not to mention ill, when we went there, and I was not a happy camper. So like I said, was already swinging on strike 3 before I ever arrived. Well, the company liked it, but I didn't like it at all. Then, I had to make an emergency trip to the bathroom. What a mistake. I liked to never get up the stairs to get there, and when I did the stall was so small that I didn't even fit. The door was so close to the toilet that it wouldn't even close. Fortunately, I managed to take care of things without making a mess, but it took about 20 minutes. Then, I liked to never get back downstairs. Then, the bill came and it was too high for the quality of food we received. If I have my way, I'll never go back.
Tumbleweed
www.tumbleweedrestaurant.com
West 3rd St. at IN-37 (soon I-69 hopefully!)
I first experienced Tumbleweed in Evansville several years ago and was truly impressed. Tumbleweed is a southwest grill. The chicken quesadilla is excellent, and I love the Grilled Chicken Cheyenne. As with most restaurants in Bloomington, this is a great chain that is lacking a little with the Bloomington location. They have very good food, curbside available, but it just isn't extremely excellent like the Evansville location. But, being very good is good enough to put it in the top 5 in Bloomington, especially now that Gray's is gone. If you want southwest food, this is a must.
Upland Brewing Company
www.uplandbeer.com
We had a meeting at Upland for some ham radio stuff, and it was very good! The service was pretty slow, but the burger and fries was good, especially for a local place. It does have that downtown thing going against it though.
Waffle House
College and 10th
This is the Indiana based Waffle House chain that is open 24/7 and has breakfast all day. I used to go to one in Vincennes as a kid, and it was good food with good service...especially breakfast. But this one is more like "The Greasy Spoon". We went there one night, and it was full of smokers, the service was horrible, and the food was, well, mediocre at best. It took over an hour just for a burger and fries. Don't bother.
Wendy's
several locations
White Castle
www.whitecastle.com
3rd and SR 37 (Whitehall Plaza)
I was SO excited when we moved to Bloomington that I would finally live somewhere with a White Castle. Every time I'd be in Indy for one thing or another, I'd try to stop by a White Castle. Now that I'm here, I hardly ever go! The burgers do act as a laxative (as does Taco Bell and Buca di Beppo), but they are good every once in a while. The mozzarella cheese sticks and the chicken rings are probably our favorite. They used to have Church's chicken also, which I picked up and brought home quite often, but dropped after January 1. The long standing White Castle by the mall recently closed.
Bloomington's Top Five:
1. Irish Lion
2. Casa Brava
3. Outback Steakhouse
4. Tumbleweed
5. China House