My days of going to the Bluebird 2-3 times a week are long behind me, but as I was attending a show…read morethis weekend, I realized I have never done a Yelp review, and since it's potentially the best bar on the planet, I decided I needed to correct that oversight. During my college years, a good portion of my Bloomington memories are from the Bluebird. Fantastic bands, good friends and a somewhat aggressive number of drinks were the common theme multiple nights a week. Now that I'm OLD(er) the visits are less frequent, but when the right bands are in town and my calendar isn't slammed with adulting, I still find the Bird to be my favorite place in town. The original Bluebird was about half the size it is today. Several years ago, they bought out the restaurant next door and added a large additional space, leading to a pretty big bar/nightclub with a 'bar area' that includes a nice full bar, booths and tables, and the 'live music' portion which has a big stage, plenty of room for big crowds, and a warehouse vibe that is second to none. When you arrive, you'll start to see pictures of the amazing acts that run thru the Bluebird when they're just on the cusp of being 'huge' - from REM to Miranda Lambert to Gryffin, just about every genre is represented and it's nice to say 'I saw them with a few hundred of my friends' after you give ticketmaster your kidney to pay for their giant stadium shows. Reasonable drink prices, good people behind the bar, and the best bands currently playing the area, you can't go wrong with a night at the Bluebird. I wish I was still young and able to do multiple shows every week, but for now I'll just appreciate having it in my backyard so I can attend with the mood hits . Best bar in Bloomington. Probably anywhere.

A classic IU and Bloomington live music tradition since 1973! Gotta check it out if you're ever in…read moreB-town. Such greats as John Cougar Mellencamp to Bill Monroe & The Blue Grass Boys have played there. If the walls of the place could only speak... and check out the walls for photos of the many famous bands that have played there. #TheBluebird

Great little club with good cocktails and excellent service. We enjoyed playing here. Would…read morereturn, would recommend.

My girlfriend used to love The Bishop when she was in school, but after her experience a few weeks…read moreago, she won't be back. She and four friends (a group of five) walked in on a Thursday night and were told by the bartender she wouldn't serve them as a group of five because she was "the only one working." Oddly, she said she would have served them if they were a group of three and a group of two. They offered to come up one by one to order instead. They did just that--individually bought beers--but when one of her friends (a Black man) walked back outside within the rails of the establishment, the bartender followed him, grabbed the beer out of his hand, and poured it in the street. She claimed it was "past the rail," even though other groups in the exact same spot were drinking without issue. When they asked for clarification, she eventually handed another friend ~$7 cash to give back to him. The whole situation felt discriminatory, especially since the group was diverse (including Black, Arab, and LGBTQ+ friends), respectful, and well-dressed professionals. Meanwhile, other patrons were not treated this way. To make it worse, when one of them asked a simple question about whether the former owner still ran the place, another customer started yelling at her, saying "everyone knows [owner's name], that doesn't make you special" and the bartender did nothing. What should have been a normal, fun night out turned into an incredibly uncomfortable experience.

This is a small local bar in a college town. I went to hear the Pat Harbison Quintet. The music…read morewas amazing. Parking is in the garage or on a lot. Be sure to use the app to pay for the parking. Patrons can bring food in to the bar to eat because they don't offer much in the way of munchies. Drinks were readily available and inexpensive. I enjoyed reading the graffiti in the bathroom!

Can't beat the blockhouse -- live music, kind & consistent community & staff, an awesome sense of…read moreplace, & $3 PBR! what more could you ask for?

The orbit room is always wonderful! They have wonderful music acts come in, both local and touring,…read moreand the YUMMIEST brown butter popcorn I have ever had.

This review is strictly for food--I'm glad this place exists presenting the weird music that they…read moreare. That said, the hot dogs are...not great for a place specializing in hot dogs. They're a bit too squishy, probably due to being steamed rather than charred, and I found the bun to be soggy and untoasted, the vegan "chili" to really just be black beans, and the "horseradish aioli" to just be ordinary mayo. I'm sure I'll be back for music, but I'll probably just order a drink next time.

I've been to the tap many a time - but this particular visit I was focused on the fries. See - I…read morewas on a quest to find the best fry in Bloomington. So here's how the tap came out: It was a busy Saturday night. Easy to grab a high top, but being over 30 - it's not fun sitting on a bar stool. That's fine. The service - like I said, they were busy. But one of my friends never even got his drink, and he ended up telling the waitress to cancel it because we were already eating our fries. The fries - - 4 dipping sauces equals 5 stars! Love the ability to try different flavors and find your fav. My fav is the pesto aioli because its unique! I give the seasoning 4 stars, and it was a little heavy handed, and kind of overpowered the sauces. Texture was good, some were a lil soggy, overall they were good! I've had the other food at the tap, and always enjoyed myself. Definitely worth a visit - but be prepared if they're super slammed!

Really cool place - they have a ton of beer to try! Their beer menu (which was fully printed and…read moreavailable at our table - no scanning a QR code or squinting to read a board at the bar) had a whole page of beers by The Tap Brewery, followed by two pages of guest craft beer representing every major type of beer and with some unique options, all on tap. For drinks, cocktails (and a few mocktails) and a smaller selection of wine are also available. I wanted to get beer but I was kind of tempted by the cocktails. My first choice was a flight that included a mix of The Tap beers and guest beers, but the waiter came back after taking the order and told me that they could only do flights with their beers but could let me sample the beers I wanted to try, so I did that, and the samples were probably around 2 oz each so I basically got half a flight. After that, I ended up ordering a real flight of their beer. The Tap beers I tried were: Kill the Lights stout (regular and barrel-aged), Tapenator dark lager, Frost Bite winter ale, Nefarious Nectar blonde. Guest beers: Jacob Leinenkugel white mocha stout, Weihanstephaner Hefeweissbier, BrewDog Winter Staycation. Not going to waste space reviewing all of these, but they were all fantastic. I was really grateful that they let me sample so many! And they also have food. The menu isn't huge but does have some variety, and it's not just basic pub food. I had the ahi tuna crunch bowl and it was pretty good! It kind of had the vibe of stuff thrown together in a poke bowl, but it worked and I thought the fish was done really well. Our waiter was wonderful! He was really friendly and just the right amount of attentive. My friend and I stayed for a while talking after we had paid and he didn't rush us out at all. Granted, it was a pretty quiet night. We both really liked the vibe of the place. I would love to be back soon!

If I lived around here this would easily be one of my go-to bars. They have a full bar plus 10 or…read moreso craft beers on tap and a PBR tap inside an old Chevy on the other side of the bar. Cozy, chill vibes, great low lighting, clean, unique decor...idk about the deer, but there's a lil something for everyone.  While we were there, the music made me feel like I was at The Bronze. They also have shuffleboard, ski ball, and foosball tables. Note: They do card everyone and ask for proof of vaccination. This is a great place to hang out with friends. All love.

Yep, you're not imagining it. I too, quit going here when I was asked for my Covid vaccination card…read morein 2023 (have alwaus been vaxxed). Which was made sadly amusing by the fact that I sat there for 25 minutes trying to look for it before ordering anything -- at which point you'd think they would be anxious I spread the virus all over the bar. Ridiculous. Brainless America at its best.

I am a millennial and probably too old to be here on a Saturday night, but there we were! DJ Bongo…read morewas lighting it up. It almost feels like a speak easy with the not-super-obvious entrance. I like that there are smaller, more intimate spaces for conversations in the Cellar in addition to a small dance floor. I loved the twinkly lights and the vibes. Also, coming from Indy my jaw was on the floor at drink prices -- amazing. What took the cake? A SLUSHIE machine that actually still had slushie drinks in it.

One of my favorite bars in town! Whenever we go out we always make a stop at the root cellar for…read morethe cheap drinks and lively atmosphere. I always suggest going on a dance party night or a themed night because it is always more fun that way. The bartenders are a little rude but that is to be expected from a packed bar on a Saturday night where you aren't trying to get good service just a quick cheap drink

This location has been a popular spot in Bloomington since the late '90s. If you haven't been…read morethere, it's definitely worth checking out. There's always something going on.

Overcharging for drinks and under serve your drinks. Post that you open at 8 PM. And then have a…read moreline out the door past 8:45 PM and still not letting anyone in. That's fake af. This place is not worth your money. Management is not doing their job. DJ is never good. SoundCloud has better mixes

My girlfriend are on a quest to visit all the lesbian bars in the country, and luckily my sister…read moregoes to school in Bloomington. The weekend we went happened to be Bloomington Pride, so this place was packed. A fun mixture of college students, 20 something's, and older folks. You enter through a tall fence off of an alleyway, so I'm guessing it's challenging to find if you don't know where you're going, but that's part of the fun. Of the 4 lesbian bars we've been to, this place wins for best decor hands down. We're talking zebra print walls, stuffed unicorn heads, yonic art, glow in the dark paint. Great vibes. They have a super cute outdoor patio as well, and I loved the little food truck on the patio that opens at 9 pm! Great waffle fries and hot sandwiches. Nothing hits as right as hot cheese when you're drunk. They have tons of fun specialty drinks on a menu behind the bar! Also a great mocktail menu for the sober community! Everyone was super welcoming in this space. The one complaint I have is the Dj... we came here to dance the night away and barely made it to 11 pm because the DJ didn't play any recognizable songs or songs with a dancing beat. There were only around 10 people on the dance floor at a given time. On the other hand, this is the first lesbian bar I've been in that has had an operational dance floor with anyone on it, so that's a win. I can't wait to come back again the next time I visit Bloomington!

Ok. Im biting my tongue some in this review. While i personally still do not agree with charging…read morefor mixers, i absolutely agree this place needs to do whatever is necessary to keep their doors open. Its a safe place to foster community of any kind. They support so many local organizations it makes my head spin. I do know the owners on a personal level. That doesnt sway my 5* vote. They are true women who do care. It is undeniably the best place to dance in BLM any day of the week. They do have great drink specials. Some of the bartenders make the best drinks in town, and its not over priced. Gay, straight, anywhere in between has a home here. Come join us.

Two weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to go out with the MBA program and had the best time that I…read morehave had in Bloomington. Shelby took care of our entire party and Sarah was so sweet. Could not recommend this place enough. 5/5.

Bouncers are weird and touchy, asked to pat down my girl friends but not me... would not recommend…read moreto the female crowd