Bloomington recommendations?

Submitted by eth2 on
Hey All, heading to Bloomington this weekend and looking for some recommendations: - best bars (good beer and food a plus. Also lots of TVs for sports) - best places for breakfast, for lunch, for dinner. - other places to not miss Any other tips appreciated for game day, e.g., getting to game, tailgating, etc. Many thanks in advance.
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Football
Indiana
Bars
restaurants
Bloomington

MJ14

October 12th, 2017 at 10:39 PM ^

I think there is over 20 solid pizza places in town with another 10 that are not strictly pizza but make a decent pizza and then probably another 10-15 places that are chain restaurants with pizza on the menu. I mean I'm not a huge pizza fan. I'm surprised though to see someone say they can't find decent pizza here.

Joined: 01/09/2011

MGoPoints: 16334

mchicagoblue

October 12th, 2017 at 2:23 PM ^

Breakfast - Village Deli.

Lunch/Dinner: Buffa Louie's for wings, Cafe Pizzeria for pizza (Mother Bear's is good, but nowhere near as good as folks there make it out to be). No burger place really stands out.

Traffic in Bloomington is awful under normal circumstances, so allot plenty of time, especially if there's construction.

Joined: 03/01/2015

MGoPoints: 1711

CarrIsMyHomeboy

October 12th, 2017 at 5:05 PM ^

My favorites around town are these:

  • Upland (brewery with big footprint and outdoor seating),
  • Quaff On (terribly named brewery with small footprint and some outdoor seating),
  • Farm (locally sourced, creative, and high end)
  • Feast (probably the best chef/menu in town; modest portions, but delectable)
  • Uptown (snazzy bar/restaurant, where you'd feel funny in a sweatshirt, but superb)
  • All kinds of (20 or so) awesome multinational options on a 3-block chunk of 4th Street (my favorite is Mandalay, which is Burmese)
  • Mother Bear's (pizza)
  • Best holes in the wall (The Vid [standard bar with pool tables and dart boards], Nick's [in the undergrad night life epicenter], and Bear's)

For lunch on a weekend pass-through? 

  • Laughing Planet (great burritos, sandwiches, and soups; immediately above a very solid coffee shop)

For breakfast?

  • Runcible Spoon (get the Salmon/Egg Bennie)
  • Feast (from above) again

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 7324

sharklover

October 12th, 2017 at 9:23 PM ^

Yogis is a pretty good spot to get a beer and watch games. They changed their menu a couple of years ago, and the food went from almost decent to pretty mediocre. But they have a good beer selection and a number of TVs. They are a short walk from the football stadium.

Upland has better food and OK beer for a midwest microbrewery, but it is a little ways away from downtown, and far from the heart of campus and the football stadium.

Function microbrewery is my favorite spot to grab a brew and a sandwich, but they don't have TVs. 

Joined: 11/30/2015

MGoPoints: 6140