Has been my go-to for Chinese and Bubble Tea for years in Bloomington. They're relatively cheap, good quality, and give you a ton of food. Also what I consider the best reasonably priced Bubble Tea in Bloomington. I'd recommend their rice bowls and ma po tofu. read more

Went during lunch time and I got the buffet. There wasn't much of a selection from the buffet line only like 12 different items. Service wasn't too bad since I wasn't expecting it to be great. First time eating here and it was a very casual place, it was relatively empty compared to the amount of tables that they have. The food although did seem to be a little dried out from being there for a while. Next time I would definitely skip the buffet and go for something that will be made when I order it and not something that has been sitting there for a while. read more

See all

Sorry... this review has to be downgraded, one star off completely. I ate here again after 5 years (Yes, I know, you think I'm crazy, but it's nice to be back to the hood, after awhile =)). The owner still the same, remembers me as well, quite surprising. 1 star off due to how the food was cooked. Their buffet are pretty good price and still plenty of food to select, especially seafood wise, like shrimps and crab legs. However, the basic menu like the fried chow mein, fried rice, was definitely weird. Their chow mein was like smothered in sweet soy sauce that it's so deep black, I was almost scared to put into my mouth. Some food looked like they were made with the same sauce, so there's no variety at all for taste wise. The most surprising thing that they have for me was the pork intestine with the hot sauce and cilantro. I would never imagine finding that in Bloomington, at all, Period! Their boba prices were so ridiculously expensive, but hey, it's understandable, there are not that many places in Bloomington selling boba, so they're taking advantage of it. Since I came from LA, the taste is just so-so. Too bad I can't compare their food to Lucky Express, which I heard was really better than this, however, I think it still deserves 4 stars due to great service, still very good food selections and very affordable buffet, compared to China Buffet a.k.a CIBU by the 3rd street. One last thing that's awesome here is on their menu, Indonesian Fried Rice ROCKS!!! read more

The buffet is not bad, but we got carry out sesame chicken from here that was mushy and soggy, sort it like it had been microwaved instead of fried. Texture was like a marshmallow. It might be very good for authentic fare, but I would skip the fried dishes. read more

This is my favorite Chinese restaurant in town. The portions are big, the food is good, there's a large menu of options (Americanized Chinese food and legit Chinese food), and the prices are really fair. Obviously if you come to a Chinese restaurant and order Korean or Vietnamese food, you're going to be disappointed! Every dish I've ordered here has been tasty - orange chicken, kung pao chicken and shrimp, chicken in a ginger scallion sauce with bone in, szechuan chicken, etc. Their lunch buffet is a great price and a nice way to try different types of dishes. They're also really quick if you get it delivered. I am a fan because I manage my expectations. Don't expect red-carpet service but they get the job done--order in, food fast, happy tummy. read more

VERY good, relatively authentic Chinese food! We ordered two "americanized" dishes, Mongolian Beef and General Tso's Chicken, and asked them to recommend one of their house specialties. They made us an egg and shrimp dish that I do not remember the name of and it was GREAT! Ended up being my favorite of the three, though all were good. The eggrolls were more like spring rolls, in my opinion, with a very thin, paper like wrapper, but they were delicious. We also had crab rangoon (a favorite of mine), and happily, boba tea! I was surprised and happy to see that they had boba/bubble tea on the menu. I ordered Taro and my husband ordered watermellon. My mom, she didn't want one, but enjoyed sips of both. It was a little different than I'm used to. I've had more of a "slushy"/blended ice version, while this was more "on the rocks." Either way, it tasted great and really hit the spot. We will without a doubt be visiting Chow Bar for our chinese food cravings in the future. Two YUMS up! read more

Ok food, some foods are delicious, some foods are so so, I love their hot pot fish, and bubble tea, others things like rice bowls are so so read more

Chow Bar - Goat blood with fish - Chinese Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

See all

The boring name is a good fit for this little Chinese place. We decided the food was "okay," a slim notch above "not bad." Looking for positive things to say we found that it is convenient for the Law School corner of campus and the prices are good. I love pot stickers. Theirs were wondrously boring. But you can try a small range of their food at the lunch buffet. This is NOT a place to take a first date if you want a second date. There is absolutely nothing fancy or attractive here. On the other hand, when you have been dating for a year and want to eat together without impressing or busting the wallet, this may be a decent choice. But with so much to choose from in the area I would only return for variety. Perhaps if I loved bubbles in my tea I would have become a fan. read more

I'ma be honest --- my chinese food repertoire is limited due to a mushroom allergy, so when I get chinese food, I generally tend to only get General's chicken with broccoli, or shrimp and pea pods, or a select few other dishes. I'm not terribly experimental with my chinese food. But that said, I've always enjoyed Chow Bar, because the simple dishes I enjoy, they do very well. Is it "authentic"? I don't know. Is it "good"? Yes. The decor is about as basic as you can get, with some random art on the walls and some very nondescript tables and chairs dotting the landscape. There's a lunch buffet that is affordable and has a good selection of items. I generally just do carryout, but the in-restaurant dining experience is good. We like the pot stickers and the crab rangoon as appetizers. The wait staff are all very friendly to me and my wife, probably because they've seen us in there several times. The dining crowd is a mix of grad students, international students, and faculty, and is generally pretty low-key. Location is great, very close to campus. The bubble teas are very good, although not my sort of thing. (Notice how I could have said "...but not my 'cup of tea'", but I refrained, because I love all of you). read more

Chow Bar is probably the best place to get Chinese food in Bloomington. It's very authentic. The prices are very reasonable. They also have good bubble tea. read more

Chow Bar - Singapore Chow Mei Fun (星洲炒米). Delicious too!!! - Chinese Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

Their buffet has lots of good options and is super cheap, but their boba is out out of this world good!! I had the taro flavor with tapioca and it was outstanding. Will definitely be back like every day. read more

My first time I went I said: For a buffet, not enough choices, no variety and very little flavor. The second time I went almost a year later (on a Sunday) the buffet was great and had lots of seafood. Don't know if it is just better on a weekend or if they simply improved. Also the menu dishes were good. read more

I've ordered from how Bar a few times. They have the largest menu I think I've ever seen and it keeps changing. This is also the best place in Bloomington for boba/bubble tea, it's made with actual tea. I don't recommend ordering from the Americanized Chinese menu, it was just like a bad Panda Express. Go for the real thing. I've ordered pho, ho fun, and taiwanese sausage and it's all been good. read more

See all

Possibly the best for the price in town, good service, the restaurant is always clean, and the food is good! Crab Rangoon's are always served hot and fresh, and the beef and broccoli is a personal favorite! read more

Food is not bad, though not every dishes have same quality. Some dishes just too salty in my opinion. Overall, it's not bad choice for Chinese cuisine in Bloomington read more

One of my favorite Asian restaurants in town. This place is excellent for anyone but especially those who love Asian cuisine and are interested in trying something new. The menu is huge and cotains many items you're not going to find at your typical Asian spot. Prices are more than fair and portions are generous. read more

Best fried rice and bubble tea I've EVER had. Service is okay, but the food makes it all worth it.

I've eaten at Chow Bar a number of times and have gained somewhat of an understanding of what they're doing. Along with Lucky Express, they're providing authentic "student food," sort of a no-frills homestyle meal for the throng of Chinese students at IU. The difference is that Lucky Express' interior looks like it could be in China. Chow Bar isn't exactly a date place, but it at least has room to move around in without worrying about elbowing someone. And I've definitely surmised this about them and their absurdly large menu: some items suck, some items are passable, some items are very good. I haven't even started to crack the menu because honestly, when you find something that is in the "very good" category, you have to stick with it because trying something else often leaves you disappointed. On my first visit, the thing that stuck out was beef rendang. Beef rendang is an Indonesian dish that you very rarely see anywhere. I love this dish and, when done well, it's wonderful. It is not done well here. In fact, don't get it here, because you'll probably say "Meh, it's not that great. That guy on Yelp is full of crap" and that just helps no one. And this is sort of how it is with that ridiculous menu: they have Japanese, Vietnamese and a couple of Korean items. But is any of it good? At a Chinese place, I would normally say no, and, knowing Chow Bar, I would say absolutely not, but I haven't tried any of them. We typically get something more traditionally Chinese. The Sichuan items tend to be some of the worst, as they come out extremely oily and lacking on the meat. Conversely, the vegetable items seem to be much better, with the water spinach being a favorite of ours. What Chow Bar is missing, I think, are lunch specials. Instead, we get the weekday lunch buffet, which is a popular thing in town for "Chinese food." I put that in quotes, because most of the Chinese places in Bloomington are horrendous and are not serving real Chinese food, let alone any sort of American-Chinese version of it. It's just fried garbage. Chow Bar's buffet is not a lot better. They typically have about 10 items, two of which are fried, two of which are slop, and at least one other that I would put in a "gross" category. They also put out soups. At $8 though, it's not a good deal. If you drive two miles east to Mr. Hibachi, you get something like 100 items for $7.50 during the week + Saturday. Even Noodle Town has some very reasonable lunch specials on weekdays. But, if you don't have a car, then this may be a better option. The Sunday lunch buffet they do here is more expensive and features mostly seafood, including mussels and crawfish. Without going too far into it, I can't stand the seafood here, so I've never had it. But, if you're like me, and you're used to good, fresh seafood, then you'll want to avoid this place on Sunday, because the smell will make you sick. Oh, and I should also mention the bobas. They have an impressive flavor selection but, overall, they're not very good. If you want real Chinese food in Bloomington though, then there's not much choice. We come back for those few "very good" items and, every once in a while, try to locate another one among the big list of suck. Be careful when ordering here. read more

The menu is formidably-large to the point of being comical - in addition to Chinese-American, szechuan, and cantonese dishes, Chow Bar also serves Korean, Japanese, and (possibly?) Thai food. I wonder if this is a savvy business practice used to accommodate certain F6 diners who genuinely expect all Asian restaurants to serve the same dishes but, regardless of why these cuisines are available at Chow Bar, I would suggest avoiding the latter parts of the menu altogether. Their miso ramen (a large bowl of miso soup with udon noodles) did not leave a good impression. However, even with this condensed menu, there's a staggering amount of food to choose from! I've tried quite a few things at Chow Bar, but I always come back to their meatless mapo tofu, a spicy & garlicy triumph unrivaled by any other Chinese restaurant in Bloomington. read more

"Why are we playing games? You know everyone just wants Chow Bar!!" The best chinese food in Bloomington...period. I absolutely love it, and I miss being huddled up in the Business School late nights with it. They have fantastic Chinese and Korean food for $10. They also have 20-30 bubble tea flavors. The owner will give you a gigantic bowl of whatever you ordered and they'll keep the white rice coming in at no extra charge. Its all you need in college, and you'd being doing yourself a pretty big disservice by not checking this place out while visiting Indiana University. read more

Chow Bar is one of the more authentic Chinese restaurants in Bloomington. The standard "americanized" dishes like the General Tso's are good but Chow Bar's food gets better as you read further down the menu. Ask the staff for a suggestion on what to order or try one of the soups/stews. The buffet is a pretty good deal during lunch but I'd still stick to the normal menu for the best dining experience. They don't usually have many people working and sometimes you don't get the attention you might want when needing a refill or when you're ready for your check. My biggest complaint is that some of the dishes are quite oily. Even still, you probably aren't going to find better Chinese food in Bloomington. read more

Went to there several times for lunch buffet during school days, and the food was so so. I also visited this place 3 years ago for dinner, and I remembered that their spicy fish was good. The bubble tea is a little bit sweet, not my type. read more

the best chinese food in b-town. I loved there scallion garlic chicken and there Indonesian fried rice. They also had decent bubble tea for a small town like btown. Overall, it was a place where I could get a decent authentic asian meal away from home. read more

I've been here maybe 5 or 6 times, but I'm finally writing this review. The best Chinese food in Bloomington and probably the most authentic. Don't be afraid to try something different. This will be my go to Chinese restaurant from now on. If time is not on your side I wouldn't go. Service is slow sometimes but fast other times. read more

Seriously impressive selection of authentic Asian meats and cooking styles. This place is a safe bet if ever you wanted to try out something unfamiliar. Update: Had their lunch buffet on Sunday? SO good! It runs from noon-2:30 or so, but it had roast duck, porkbelly, clams/crawfish, and a spread of authentic Chinese cold dishes for $11 a head. Just more reasons to love Chow Bar. This place would've made a fortune off me if I attended IU. read more

The buffet is great .But the menu featuring several types of truly authentic Asian food from several different countries is amazing . Each time I order from the menu I am amazed at the quality and authenticity . The service is great and so is the bubble tea .The largest menu of authentic Chinese food I have ever seen. read more

As far as affordable Chinese food goes, Chow bar is my go-to. Their menu has a wide selection (including authentic Chinese cuisine), and I have yet to find something on the menu I don't like. The interior could use some remodeling, and hopefully once COVID passes the buffet will return. read more

First time at this restaurant and have nothing but great things to say about it. The food was fresh and very tasty. Parking is a little limited. Service was good, and the food was great. Price was in line with other places of this type. The menu is huge, American/Chinese, pure Chinese, I will be going back, soon. read more

Their food was good in the past and no big issues found, but no more. In recent couple orders, I found hair in all their dishes, which is very nasty. So disappointed, definitely never order again. read more

The food is not bad, but it's also not clean. Two weeks ago, I found a worm dead in the fish soup when I was having lunch in Chow Bar. That was ridiculous and then I thought I am not gonna be there anymore..... read more

Not very good... at all. I had an eggplant tofu dish which sounded awesome but it not only tasted terrible, but left my intestines feeling less than great too. Would not recommend to anyone. Also, my meal cost me $13, which makes no sense at all read more

Reminds me of those small restaurants in Hong Kong...A good choice if you love Canton food. And an option for a rush hour on campus.

Oh, the ginger chicken and the snow-white shrimp. Bubble tea! Spicy, tender eggplant! Whole, crispy, spicy fish! We ate at Chow Bar whenever we could when my niece was at IU. It's hard eating Chinese food anywhere else now. The ginger chicken tasted like it was poached in a ginger broth, it was so tender and flavorful. The snow-white shrimp came out sizzling in their delicate batter, nestled on ice-cold shredded cabbage with some kind of addictive white sauce. They have bubble tea, a rarity in this part of the country. One star off for not being closer, and six stars for food. read more

I would highly suggest hoping on this delicous MSG train. The Chow Bar is one of the tastiest Chinese places in town. I typically get the more Americanized dishes, (Orange Chicken, General Tso's, Kung Po, etc) but i have never had a bad expereince at the Chow Bar. Dig it read more

I really like the coconut milk tea here!! It's delicious and I think I even taste coconut flakes in it which is amazing. I wish they had more options for bubbles because the traditional Boba can get boring. Also, I've had some of the food, it tastes ok, maybe I'm just not a big Asian food person. read more

Who is giving this place 4 and 5 stars?!? I went to school directly across the street from this place for 3 years, and I found this food so disgusting, I refused to eat there....even on the laziest of days. I hear their bubble tea is actually legit but their food is not. I absolutely felt sick after having lunch there. Give it a try if you are really itching for Chinese food but if you expect 4 star/5 star Chinese food, you're going to be very disappointed. read more

Chow Bar is the best Chinese restaurant I've ever found, flat out. A couple of friends and I sometimes make the drive to Bloomington from Greenwood (me) and Mooresville (them) just to go eat there. I'm boring and get the same thing every time I go - Hunan Chicken. The sauce is amazing and I have to control myself so that I don't lick the bowl when I'm done. Going during the day (except on Sundays), the lunch portion is plenty but I will also shovel down the dinner portion if I'm there later. Don't skip the eggrolls either! My friends tend to go for the General's Chicken and we all dig into a pile of egg rolls. Sometimes bubble tea is involved; I'm personally not a huge fan of it in general, but for those that like it, the flavor selection at Chow Bar is paradise. I've never been to another restaurant with more flavors. I could go on and on about this place, but I'm going to stop myself. If you're anywhere close, it's worth giving Chow Bar a try...if you're on campus, hurry up and walk across the street to acquire some delicious-ness! PS - I picked the $11 - $30 price range because I typically order an entree plus two egg rolls, then tip the server, so my total is around $15. Not too shabby. read more

Their food is consistently outstanding! My husband and I ordered it on Christmas Eve (enough to feed an army) and made three giant meals out of it. The spicy beef seemed very authentic. I loved it! Their Americanized Chinese dishes have always been great too (sesame chicken, orange chicken and general's chicken). Christmas was our fifth time or so ordering, and I don't have a bad thing to say about the place!!! read more

Love their steamed whole tilapia and the chicken in the aluminum pot. The crispy roasted duck is also very good. A lot more dishes need to be discovered! read more

I love everything here. They're very speedy at making food and customer service is great. One of my favorite places in Bloomington!