Had dinner there Saturday night late around 8 PM. Service is very good, very attentive, with a new waitress in training. Drinks were served promptly. I had a very nice draft IPA and seared tuna appetizer that was excellent. Had the Anna salad with a glass of wine - both excellent. read more

Despite living here, this was our first time going there. We had dinner with a couple of friends who had been there before. Thanks to other reviews and checking out their website in advance, I had prepared myself, as it is a bit pricey. The bar and the decor was nice and they kept it fairly dark and intimate. We had the goat cheese and the tiger shrimp appetizers. The goat cheese was pretty good and the tiger shrimp was excellent. As for the main meal, I had the fish tacos and my wife had the steak sanny. My meal came with 3 fish tacos which were pretty good and of OK size. My said the steak sanny was good as well. We didn't see the waitress very much, but we didn't mind this night because we were chatting with our friends. All in all it was a nice atmosphere with pretty good food. As others have stated, just be prepared to pay a bit more than other places in town. read more

There are níce places in this icy town, and most of them seem to be on the same stretch of Main Street. This one has a cozy bar and friendly service with a menu that consists of cold or warm (American style) tapas. I had crab cakes, and though not of the quality of those I ate in Princeton - they were quite passable. The beer came from a brewery I had never heard of before: Boulevard, but their tripel (is there tripel outside Belgium?) was really good. My colleague had lamb chops and some ceviche of shrimp or crab (the lamb chops did look better than the ceviche which looked rather messy). It looks like you need to make reservations here if you want to have a table. Not sure if I'd want this: the bar looked good enought to me, but even that one was pretty full.. read more

This isn't the place it was before. Entrees, not Tapas, were weirdly timed and none of us ate together. The couple of steaks were over cooked. The seared tuna appetizer came with 4 extremely small pieces of tuna; one of them just a small bite. The pork belly for tacos was extremely tough and the red snapper was weird and served skin side down causing it to sit in a bed of sauce and become extremely soggy. We won't be back. read more

Reality Bites catered one of our community events and went above and beyond our expectations! Heaven put together a phenomenal menu with some of the most delicious pulled pork I have ever eaten. read more

I am sorry to have to update this review (down from 5 stars to 3)...I have loved this place for years, but they recently changed their menu and frankly it's pretty mediocre. Seems more like a steakhouse menu now (why??). The items we got from it were just okay. And they took my favorite item off the menu (breaded scallops). I liked the tapas and the more adventurous entrees. Wish they would change things back. The atmosphere is still very cool. Probably won't go back again unless I hear they changed back to their original menu or something like it. read more

Been here a few times, have not been disappointed by any thing except the wait time to get in. As has been said before - if you go on Friday or Saturday, call ahead well in advance (called on a Saturday afternoon, earliest reservation time was 8:30). Usually get the risotto (not many places in town serve it!) which is delicious and hearty for what you pay. Have been with a group of friends ordering a variety of tapas, excellent choice. Don't know what the final price was for everyone as I had to leave early and just left 20$, but this is a great place to go with a group of friends for a fun meal! Overall, the atmosphere is excellent for small groups or a date, the food is unique and it won't break your bank. I haven't had a problem with the quality of the food but then again I have usually stuck to only a few menu items. My only complaint about service is they forgot to bring out bread, but overall I would highly recommend! read more

Small good and tasty portions. There are "Ok" drinks, nothing good or bad to say about it. If you are in the rush its a good place to be; meals arrived 5min after ordered. Thats it. Hope this helps. Cheers read more

Reality Bites - New American Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

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Had to wait because of tour de chocolate but worth it. Got Comped some drinks. Spring rolls were delish.

Had the mussels. Mashed potatoes. Pork dumpling. Seared tuna. And pork belly ramen. Food was delicious and amazing and loved every single one of those foods!!! read more

Great service great food! The tacos rock and the beers are great! The goat cheese balls are very good as well!

Omg omg omg best food in town hands down! Goats cheese balls are the fresh hummus and they have a great selection of alcohol in a friendly staff read more

The food was wonderful. I had bacon wrapped dates to start, and then I had Chicken Bruchetta which was amazing. The waitress was great to. I would recommend this place for a wonderful place to eat. read more

I'm afraid my two visits there do not warrant another return trip. While the food I had was ok to pretty good, it's horribly overpriced, and the drinks are weak. My family has had some terrible experiences with it taking over an hour to get the food. Once when they took so long that we had to leave for a theater event, we sent back a plate they brought out an hour and a half after we ordered. They actually had the nerve to argue with us and try to charge us. We refused. Then we saw them try to serve that same plate to another customer. Tapas should not cost $7 or $8, and drinks that cost $7 should taste like the actually have alcohol in them. The concept is great, but execution and customer service are poor. read more

I'm not sure what happened. This has always been one of our favorite places. Tonight was a complete miss. Food took quite a while to come out even though they were practically empty. Scallops had a strong smell, sauce was tasteless and separated, date bites were burnt. We won't be back anytime soon but I hope if we ever are, there is a vast improvement. read more

Bloomington is a culinary disaster for the most part. There are a few good Asian restaurants, a couple steak houses and a decent italian place or two, other than that it is all chain restaurants. Reality Bites tries to bust out of tradition with a very interesting menu. The menu is, if nothing else, fun to read. We got a couple appetizers, a dip of some sort and hummus. I really liked the hummus, it came garnished with veggies too, not just pita bread, kudos for that. I got fish tacos for my entree, and they were great. Grilled fish lightly seasoned on a tortilla with some spiced guac, and of course I had a Rogue dead guy ale, always nice seeing Rogue on a beer menu. So no complaints about the food, family and friends were all happy too, except the mashed potatoes were a little bland, I was told. We sat upstairs, and although a neat atmosphere, it was hotter than the blazes of hell up there. And I would know, I've been to Yuma. Fix the AC and start serving martinis in more spill resistant receptacles, and we'd have a 4 star'r. read more

On the way to the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, we decided to stop in Normal-Bloomington to get a look at ISU. Reality Bites is a bar in downtown Bloomington with good--though un-cheap-- food. David's tuna melt and fries were on special, but my apricot salad and a bowl of lentil soup ran us $12. We also shared hummus and pita. All in all, the food was good, but the total was around $28 without tip. The bar has a chic atmosphere (French posters on the wall even, one with my favorite French word, "parapluie"). If you visit, I suggest checking out the Mexican deli and grocery directly across the street. They have cookies. read more

Visited reality bites for my first time tonight. Being from champaign I've been wanting to go there for quite some time now but just never had the chance whether it being closed or just going some place else. We started off with the goat cheese bites. They were great! I'm a huge goat cheese fan but I would recommend them adding an additional cup or dipping sauce for them as the decorative sauces on the side of the bowl isn't nearly enough for the balls. Fish tacos were really good...fresh and lots of taste. The pork tacos needed a little extra something...definitely tasted as if something was missing. Bland. I ordered the Greek salad. As it arrived at the table it was definitely not what I expected... Literally about 5 bites worth of lettuce. The rest consisted of feta cheese (my fav), kalamata olives (also my fav), tomatoes and onions. I was pretty bummed about the lack of lettuce in my salad but as I continued to eat, the dish turned out to be very tasteful. The veggies had a lot of flavor & just all around good. Just still wish there was a little more lettuce! All in all it was a good first visit for me. The waitress was really friendly and we will definitely be back!! read more

My husband and I hit this place while visiting Bloomington over the Christmas holidays. I love local cafes with a hip vibe. This place delivered a pleasing atmosphere, a friendly and helpful server, and an interesting menu. The food was good. It is a bit pricey but well done. read more

Great wine list and awesome atmosphere. Just a cozy place that you can have some drinks with friends or an intimate dinner with that special someone. Thurs/Fri/Saturdays make sure you make reservations! There goat cheese balls used to be better. They used to be a bit bigger...ha ha bigger balls and they had more honey...who doesn't like more honey drizzled over there goat cheese balls. Okay enough ball talk. Bacon wrapped dates are a must! Chicken kabobs are super yummy as well! Spinach artichoke is okay...kind of looked/tasted like shaker parm and not fresh. Oh ya and throw some veggies on the hummus for dipping! Enough with just pita bread, add carrot and celery sticks and more olives, red onion, cucumbers and tomatoes...if you do this I will bump this baby up to five stars. read more

Baked goat cheese is an all time fav!! Great for a later dinner...ambiance at night is wonderful!! Go hungry; you will be full when you leave! read more

I have tried the food here twice and both times I have been disappointed. Today, I ordered a salad and it was awful. $14 for a salad and 95% was just mixed greens. The "candied pecans" were just plain pecans and the avocado was just five tiny cubes tossed in. The goat cheese has been undercooked and extremely greasy both times I have ordered it. I am extremely underwhelmed and will never eat here again. read more

i like that reality bites is trying to break away from the "bloomington-normal, world capital for chain restaurants" scene. i've been here for a birthday party with a large group - we had the top floor area reserved. service was a little spotty, but the group was big and the server made up for it by splitting checks. the menu is very diverse, almost confusing. i had the chicken enchiladas and loved them. the beer flight is fun and makes for a fun way to start a meal. i'd go back to check out the rest of the menu and enjoy the atmosphere. read more

Believe they are undergoing change and have new ownership soon. Hopefully they will be back to 5 star after a cleaning and refurbishing-can't wait!!! read more

I have been trying different restaurants in Blo/No since moving here 2 1/2 mos. ago. So far this is the best we have found. The service was good, no problems. We went on a Friday night and made a reservation in advance. The atmosphere is nice, bricks and wood, small space hence the need for reservations. The food was unique and very flavorful, a quality meal. They have a regular menu and then a few specials. Portions are more than adequate. Mixed drinks were good. Price is average for a nice dinner. We will definitely go back! read more

I really enjoy this spot great for lunch. The last time I stopped in I met the owner who was a great guy. I have known the current head chef for awhile he always does a great job and the menu has improved since he took over. Usually something fun and new to try on special for lunch huge bar selection. read more

Upscale local bar and grill. Nice atmosphere and decor. Good martini and beer list. Service is friendly but a bit slow when busy. The food is excellent and not your average fare. Two plates per person should fill everyone up and are $8 each so not sure why some reviews say it's expensive. I recommend the Bites salad, Tuna Tartare, Ribeye Nachos and Apricot Salad. The filet medallions are amazing when they have it on special. The filet would be a welcome addition to the regular menu along with the recently added Ribeye nachos and Ribeye. On the down side, they aren't open on Sunday and Monday, which is odd since they are packed every night even on a Tuesday. Also, the kitchen is only open to 9, which is a pain for a hopping bar and grill that you would expect to be open later. read more

Reality Bites - Bar - New American Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

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Made reservations earlier and was sat immediately upon arriving. Had the hummas and bacon wrapped dates. Both were perfectly matched and amazing. My girlfriend and I shared the chicken picatta and i was BLOWN AWAY. The flavors and use of mushroom wild rice was phenominal. This place is much better than the previous reviews have given it. Top 5 in town read more

If you haven't tried Reality Bites recently, you should! I had dinner there before and the service was terrible...I just was not a fan. However, I visited again last night with a larger group. The service was amazing and the pork tacos were awesome. The server went out of his way to get us a bottle of wine we had great memories of. My husband and I will definitely be back. read more

This place has great food and the service is outstanding...Took the family after my daughters graduation and it was perfect...

Great atmosphere, good service, excellent food and low cost. Why can't Peoria have one?

Great food and excellent service. Had a great meal and waitress was attentive. I loved the decor and the atmosphere was unique and fun I hadn't been there in a while but we'll be coming back often read more

Didn't like the calamari. Too greasy. Spent a lot of money for not a whole lot.

Oh my goodness, this place is amazing! The ambience, the servers, the food and the beer is simply perfect! We had the steak roll up, fish tacos and ribs. Everything was so tender and flavorful! I can't wait to come back and try more of their foods! read more

Came here after graduation for a few drinks. Delicious drinks and a friendly staff Next time I'm in the area I'll definitely stop by.

Only thing I really liked were the bacon wrapped dates. Fish tacos were disappointing.

This was our first Tapas experience. We did the Caprese Skewers and the Seared Ahi Tuna, they were both amazing! I had the Drunken Chicken and the boy had Bruschetta Chicken, both entrees were great!! I had 3 Martinis, they were phenom!! The atmosphere was great with great ambiance and low lighting, made for a perfect romantic dinner! We will def be back! The only reason they didn't get 5 stars, our waitress was a bit of a snob at a few points. She would pay a lot of attention to me because I was drinking but my guy was drinking iced tea and I had to ask for a refill. read more

We had a party of 4 and everyone tried something different and no one was disappointed. To start the menu selection is awesome with so many good choices. We had the tuna tartar and chips to start and the mixture was fresh and excellent tasting. Most of the menu items are small plate however there are items with larger portions. I had the crab cakes and arugola and and the sauce and dressing were tasty and I was sufficiently filled by the time I finished the 4 small cakes. Others in our party had the salmon tacos, pork tacos, and drunken chicken. Salmon tacos had excellent seasoning and fillings. The pork tacos were raved over as well tender pork with excellent flavor. Drunken Chicken came with some kick ass mashed potatoes with a garlic influence, fresh green beens and a tender appeared to be grilled chicken breast. Great tap beer selection as well and drink menu looked interesting.Was not able to try dessert as we had birthday cake post meal but we will be back for sure. read more

Reality Bites - Salmon Tacos the shiznik :) - New American Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

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I've only been here once, but it was a mostly positive experience. For a late lunch on a weekday with mostly senior citizens present, their musical taste was rather loud and offensive. And their vegetarian options are limited, but in B-N that's to be expected. I had the risotto and it was delicious. Friends enjoyed the Caesar salad. Great environment with a unique menu for the area. read more

This is a great place to go when you tire of the seemingly endless parade of chain restaurants in B-N. A fairly eclectic menu that is moderately priced. This is more of a meet and socialize place due to the noise and small size. As mentioned several times previously, it gets very crowded Thursday-Saturday so definitely make a reservation. The drinks were well priced and the martinis were excellent. read more