Rarely do I ever have anything negative to say about a Mexican restaurant, but this place was just altogether disappointing. Went in with two friends, one of which only wanted a margarita- only to find... They don't have margaritas! Only beer..? That was a first. Next, we ordered a $5 side of guac that was so incredibly runny and bland we couldn't eat it. Finally, I got a $9 taco salad that had no cheese whatsoever in it (despite the menu saying it came with queso blanco and shredded cheese). And, even worse, it only had one lone tomato slice lazily thrown on top of the salad. All in all, spend your money elsewhere for Mexican cuisine in Bloomington. You'll spend around the same amount at La Cha or Juanita's and get way better food (and margaritas!!). read more

It was an awful experience, I will NEVER go back! I took my Goddaughter & her parents out for lunch. I ordered water with lemon, waited 15 minutes for them to bring out the lemon. My guest order coffee, asked for creamer and waited 20 minutes for them to come tell us they had none. Our food took 45 minutes and the restaurant was dead! Our order wasn't right, bug in one guests food. I asked for guacamole and the waiter argued with me that it didn't come with guacamole and finally I yelled and said I know, that's why I ordered it to be added! Sure they took stuff off the bill, but I was horrified! I WILL NEVER GO BACK!!! read more

My first visit to the Casa Brava West location (3482 W 3rd St, Bloomington, IN 47404) was during my freshman year at Indiana University. Half of my floor somehow managed to cram into a couple of cars and made the journey to Casa Brava on a Sunday evening. The restaurant sits off of 3rd street, tucked away in a small strip mall. The location of the restaurant is fairly quiet in the evening because the neighboring stores in the strip mall had already closed their doors for the day. My first impression of the restaurant was not one of utter amazement, but I was certainly intrigued by the cultural decorations scattered throughout the restaurant. From the tables to the floors, the restaurant was very cleanly kept. The mood of the restaurant was very welcoming and reminiscent of Latino culture - albeit that you won't necessarily get a feeling that you're dining in an authentic Mexican restaurant. This is definitely a come-as-you-are establishment; bring your friends for a relaxed night out. Don't expect a noisy environment unless you intend to make it that way. There is no outside seating and the restaurant is usually at half to full capacity in the evenings. Obviously, Mexican cuisine is served at Casa Brava. The first item I ordered was the Quesadilla Rellena - grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato, and sour cream with sides of Mexican rice and refried beans. Quesadilla Rellena is my go-to option at Mexican restaurants, but I must say that Casa Brava's rendition has been my favorite. The amount of food I received for a modest $10 was enough to make even the hungriest college student nod their head in approval. In fact, each of the items that my friends ordered fell into the $10-$15 price range and provided enough food for two meals. We all had leftovers to take back for lunch the next day. I have ordered the Arroz con Pollo every single time that I have gone back to Casa Brava. My entire group of friends orders this dish as well. It's a massive helping of rice, vegetables, grilled chicken, and queso blanco. One member of our group discovered this dish during our first visit and convinced us all to try it as well - the best decision of my life. To be quite honest, devouring this dish makes me feel more Mexican than my three-week-old moustache does. I would absolutely recommend this dish to all first time (or twentieth time) visitors. For the two years that I have visited Casa Brava, I have always been in a group of 10 or more boys and girls. The service I have received has always exceeded expectations. Our group has always received special attention, but perhaps that is because of the tip we leave at the end of the night. The waiters and waitresses have always made sure that our glasses were full and our experience at the restaurant was exceptional. I have never seen other visitors in the restaurant have an issue with the food or the service, however. My subsequent visits to Casa Brava have included getting stuck in an elevator, racing an Audi on a one-lane road, and robbing a bank - just kidding, but only about the last one. Whereas I can't necessarily guarantee your trips to Casa Brava will be quite that adventurous, I can assure you that the food will be rewarding. read more

I know their sign says that they are authentic, but it is far from it. White cheese sauce drenched food is NOT authentic mexican food. Their salsa is tomato sauce :-( and their food has no traditional flavor. In fact, it appears that everything comes out of a can. They even translated their name wrong. Casa Brava means Brave House, not Spicy House. I laugh that they think they call themselves that to begin with it. There is NO authentic mexican food located east of Arizona and this is the worst excuse for a mexican restaurant I have seen. Their refried beans taste funny (out of the can!) If you want great mexican food you need to go to California. I make better mexican food at home cheaper and better tasting! read more

Pretty good food and very cheap. Used to always be able to get lunch for under 6.00. I definitely think this is the best mexican in btown

Great place for lunch. Good prices and service. Best chips and salsa in Bloomington.

Good food, love the macho nachos. Reasonable price. Something for the kids. Quick too.

Delicious even though swimming in oil. You know how you look at some photos in cookbooks and they are just glistening in the light...I think they are adding oil to those dishes for quality photos. I think they did the same here. I got the Chicken Tikka or something like that. The flavor was awesome but goodness! the amount of oil was something like I have never seen before. Underneath my spanish rice was a pool or orangish red oil that was somewhat frightening. I actaully ordered this dish to attempt to be somewhat healthful and that definately did not work out...which is ok. It actually made me giggle to myself about trying to be healthful and getting the most oily dish of my life. Again the flavor was good. This definately is an Americanized Mexican Restaurant. read more

There's nothing really special about Casa Brava, but I don't mean that as derogatively as that may sound. You'll get your standard Americanized Mexican food for a decent price. Everything's really tasty and there's a huge variety of dishes. Service is good. Chips and salsa excellent. If you need a Mexican fix in Bloomington this is a good spot to hit. I'd give them 3 1/2 stars. read more

Nice staff, good food, great prices. The Queso Fundido is the best I have ever had. If you can tolerate the hillbillys and screaming kids, it's worth it. I have not been to the eastside location yet. read more

Decent American-Mexican restaurant at decent prices. Lacks piquancy.

I'm not a fan of Mexican food, so I have only tried the quesadilla's. They are awesome though!!! Everyone I work with loves this place.

I had Choriopollo, and it was very good. The atmosphere is warm and more upscale than most Mexican restaurants. I look forward to dining here again. read more

I'm not a big Mexican food fan, but the food, environment and service here are good and my extended family really likes it. I usually get their Chimichanga with rice along with the chips and salsa. Not the healthiest choice for me. read more

I was so unsatisfied with my visit on Sat. April 11th. 1. I was shocked to find out they didn't have Margaritas, okay no big deal, but the waiter was so rude about it. In fact he was rude during the entire meal. He brought my friend the wrong taco, he hardly serviced us with our drink refills and it was just a very unpleasant experience. I don't normally do this, but we didn't leave a tip. read more

Disclaimer: I'm a recent transplant from California, but I did grow up and frequently visit and eat Mexican in North Dakota. This is probably the worst Mexican food I've ever ate. The chips and beans are edible, but everything else I tried (enchiladas, chile relleno, guac) was just horrible. I didn't expect much in the Midwest, but I'm not sure what kind of soupy cheese was involved. And the guac - fresh?? There are only three ingredients required for guac - avocado, garlic, and a bit of lime. I'm not sure what was in this one - it was sort of creamy and tasteless. The salsa seem like canned Doritos style. Not a bit of spice in anything. I miss my old home even more after eating here tonight! read more

I honestly don't know how they can call this Mexican food. It is the most bland food I've ever tasted. Seriously. Taco Bell is far more flavorful than what you'll find at Casa Brava. The manager even agreed that it was tasteless. Do not go here if you've ever experienced Mexican food with any hint of a jalapeno ... or flavor! HORRIBLE!!!!! read more

This is my favorite Mexican restaurant in town. As a vegetarian, I always order the cheese-version of any dish but sometimes the kitchen staff gives me chicken or beef. The wait staff always takes care of the mistake immediately, and the food is so good that I will keep coming back even if it takes more than one try to get my order right! I love the bean taco, chili rellano, and cheese enchilada. I'm not a fan of the cheese tamale anymore. They used to be filled with melted cheese, but now it is chewy. read more

I visited Casa Brava West on June 22 on a double date. It was great! The staff was having a great time, our server made a great recommendation, and the chips and salsa were amazing! I've had 6 years of Spanish and spoke mainly to my server in Spanish and he actually replied in Spanish (I'm usually replied to in English) so I automatically liked him. The rest of the staff was very funny! Our friend was looking for the restroom and he accidentally walked into the kitchen. They were very playful with him, showed him the way, and joked about it on the way out. We used to be big fans of El Norteno but we are also drinkers when we dine out; they no longer serve brewskis so we probably won't be back there. Aside from great food and service, the decor was beautiful and the prices were the best! I asked a co worker who is Mexican where the best place was for this kind of food; Casa Brava West. This will be my primary for Mexican food! read more

Chips and salsa were good but the lunch service was very slow on a day when the restaurant wasn't that busy. It took about an hour for our food to come once our orders were taken. Food was average. Noticed that that our server had time to text, though. read more

I ordered the chicken and shrimp fajatas- they were amazing! The chips and salsa were so good! Best chips I ever had! We will definitely be coming back. The restaurant was nice inside. The wait staff very friendly and hardworking. We will definitely go back! read more

Food here isn't bad. Service is often spotty, especially when they get busy. Tonight I had a frustrating experience with my bill. My meal came to $11.60. I paid with a $20. The server came back with my change...eight dollars. Change should have been $8.40. Now being shorted 40 cents isn't going to ruin me financially, but this sort of thing isn't right. If the server wants to avoid handling coins, that's the server's business. Just assuming he can keep my money isn't cool. So he ended up with a 40 cent tip. read more

I was so happy with my meal but my husband doesn't feel the same way as I do...(He rates it 2 stars..he has had better) Maybe it depends on dish. I had chimichanga fajita which was just Wonderful!! read more

BEWARE: NO MARGARITAS at this Mexican joint. I wish I'd read the reviews a little more closely before choosing this spot, since tequila is a huge factor in my decision to eat Mexican food. Other than that, the food was delicious and my fajitas were cheaper than average. The service was fantastic and very attentive. read more

I love Mexican food and I liked my food for sure which is why it's two stars and not one. We did come in during a busy lunch hour and got seated within 3 minutes which wasn't bad. We did immediately get chips but we were trying to eat and then go on a trip so we needed to get things going. Our one year old wasn't given a high chair for another ten minutes after we got chips, which was rough. Everything we got something was off though. We were short a straw, didn't get lemons which we had specifically asked for, and then my iced unsweetened tea turned out to be sweet. I asked for no lettuce or tomatoes and that stayed how I asked but the sour cream was left out and someone else had gotten food that came with guacamole but they didn't get it and were told it didn't come with it but they went and got it still. Waiting on the check still, they aren't very attentive and don't bring young children here. I don't like giving negative reviews but I'll leave one if I find a good favorite or need to warn people what happens. We are literally about to put down cash and leave since we are about to miss out on making our trip on time. read more

This is my favorite Mexican restaurant ever (other than the one I ate at in Mexico if that says anything!) SO GOOD!! Everyones nice and joke w the costumers a lot and just have a fun atmosphere, clean, amazingggg food! I take my family from out of town here to show off that my fave Mexican food place is better than whatever theirs is, and they always agree after their meal. :) read more

One of those so-so Mexican places that serves the same type of food as so many other so-so Mexican places. They do serve large portions, and it's not terrible. It's just so amazingly unexceptional and interchangeable with dozens of other similar joints. read more

Been coming since 1998. Always has good service and food. Service today was good. MAKE SURE TO PAY AT TABLE though manager kinda off to send us back to table to pay with a comment of "it's been that ways for years" - no it hasn't. Might avoid now read more

I ate here twice and I will go there the third time tonight. The food is delicious. Large quantity is provided. It deserves your try.

I know authentic Mexican food and this is good for Bloomington. It wouldn't do well in Goshen or Elkhart, but that's real food up there. Overall, meh. read more

They need to update their website. It states they have rum, tequila, agave and full bar. WRONG! No Margaritas, no Rum, no BAR whatsoever. Then they were out of the 2 kinds of beer we ordered. Now we are down to water. So, no it's not just about the beverages, the food was mediocre at best and the waiter was condescending while attempting what may have been a bit of flirting. Not amused. The menus were dirty and reminded us of the filthy gross menus at La Charreda. Won't be back. The search continues for a good, clean Mexican restaurant in Bloomington where you can enjoy a delicious Margarita. read more

Greatest mexican food ive ever had... only problem is that the staff doesnt always understand what you want.

Took one bite of my meal and found someone must have put an ounce of salt in it. Tried two items from my father's plate and they were quite oversalted too. The beef in my dish was skimpy and uninspiring. The guacamole on the side was very sparse. I'll not be going back. read more

My wife and I both love good Mexican food & were excited to discover a Mexican restaurant open late-nite. My wife is a migraine sufferer and the only trigger is MSG (monsodium glutamate). Many Chinese & Mexican stripmall stores use this as a flavor enhancer. I ran in while she waites in the car to check with the manager if they use MSG. He responds in a somewhat indignant manner that only Chinese restaurants use MSG, never Mexican, and certainly not his. Cool! We order, we eat. They are not very busy so we get great service. The food is okay. The fire grilled pork chops are actually pan fried, a bit dry, but the verde sauce saves them. My wife's grilled chicken breast with grilled veggies are flavorful, so much so she eats with trepidation and forboding. I assure her that the manager was insistant of the no MSG. Long story short, the auras and pain kick in at 4:00 am and the full blown migraine is still with her 2 days later. read more