Worst food in the Bloomington-Normal area! Have tried it twice and each time have been extremely disappointed. Will not be returning.

Unbelievable food every time. The NY strip with bone marrow is just ridiculous in a good way. They have the best mashed potatoes I've ever had, and the scallops are perfect every time. The quality consistently is spot on. I always ask for steak medium rare, and three times it's been instagram quality. Absolutely nail it every time. Maybe bring an extra set of underwear though, because the spinach artichoke dip may make you accidentally jizz. read more

Great place for cocktails or dinner. Nicest upscale dining in the cities. Food is great and staff is top notch. Be sure to try the bacon wrapped dates and chicken parm salad! read more

We went to celebrate my husband's birthday, and from the moment we walked in, the staff was not attentive. hostess acted overly bored, not interested in working, wait- staff below marginal. food was not good. The atmosphere was nice, beautiful job at putting it together, but no skill in restaurant management at all. very disappointed to say the least, and will not be going back. read more

First time here. Reservations were right on time. bar service was excellent. Got to our table and everything from food to service was top shelf. We will be back. read more

Easily my favorite restaurant in Bloomington Normal. The staff is fantastic and answered all my questions. We got the sirloin steak, apple crumble and flourless cake and they were to die for!!! I can't wait to try the rest of the menu! read more

Rob Dob's Restaurant & Bar - Apple Crumble - Steakhouses Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

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We have checked out RobDob's several times since they opened their doors a couple months ago. We have had a wonderful dining experience each time. We are impressed with their wine list. The healthy menu items such as their beet&feta salad are chopped and blended so well that each bite is a total all ingredients palate experience. They had me though with their handsome interior design & warm welcoming atmosphere. read more

I liked the atmosphere and the salmon was perfectly cooked. I always make many special food modification requests due to dietary restrictions and they made no mistakes in my order. read more

Had a fabulous dinner with my siblings with excellent apps and entrees. Our server Julea was knowledgeable about the entire menu and was so delightful. read more

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Lunch the day after Thanksgiving...We both had battered cod and Parmesan steak fries nice lemon-tartar sauce. Generous portion. Service was prompt and cordial. Although our order was simple,everything was good, finally I should mention the decor is beautiful. Someone spent a lot of money Hope it does well. read more

We had a reservation for 6:30 and were seated promptly. The food and cocktails were delicious and our waiter was very nice. We had the spinach and artichoke dip, chop steak, and crusted lamb chops. I would recommend all of them but the spinach dip was the favorite. Great spot for an anniversary. The only reservation about the experience was that it was not crowded at at all but we were originally sat at a small cramped 2 top along the wall between the other parties that were there. Maybe its just us but we prefer not to be huddled up with a bunch of strangers when on a date, especially when there is plenty of other seating available. The waiter was very accommodating to our request to sit at another table and we enjoyed the more comfortable leather swivel chairs. read more

Extremely disappointed... 40 mins and we had no drinks... not even water! We had to go to hostess after 20 mins to even get a waitress. They were NOT busy.... just not attentive to customers... oh, but a couple did come in next to us and they got water! We quietly left after 40 mins.... we were all so excited and extremely disappointed:( read more

The restaurant was beautiful, appetizer calamari was good , oyster po boy's was not so good, sea bass just ok.

Kitchen has it together here. Steaks that melt in your mouth, entrees that impress. Consistent, delicious food, at affordable date night prices. The bar staff is on point- their cocktails & selections are city quality. The bar is exquisite. Live music on the weekends have provided a wonderful night out. read more

Late Saturday night of activities for this household... the decision to go out to eat was an easy one... but to where is always the hard decision for us. It was after 9 before we could make it to a restaurant so our list of options narrowed drastically. Rob Dob's was open so off we went. What started as a huge positive ended up a huge negative... I wish they were closed. The best thing about this place was the prepackaged bread and butter. The cheese curds were good but were way over priced for the portion. My wife received a flat bread which looked nothing like the picture. They took it back and prepared a different one but honestly we should have just saved some food and not bothered. Kids' chicken strips while properly prepared were bland and below average. In the end we all said we would have been a lot better off (and have more money left in my pocket) had we just went to Culver's instead. This was a $125 meal after tax and I can't help but feel anxious about the food experience we just paid that price for. Save you money.. eat next door... or frozen pizza at home. You will end up being a lot more satisfied. read more

Place was great. Very classy and upscale inside. Service and staff were very nice and very informative. Seafood salad is a must if you are looking for healthy choice. We will be back soon. read more

I Visited the establishment on a Monday afternoon around 2pm. We came in (2 people), and stood around for a minute or so before we were seated which would not have been an issue if there was not someone at the host table- the owner was on her phone and barely even noticed us. We sat down and after a while I would say around 10-15 min we were greeted by the nice waitress. She was nice but didn't know too much information about the menu or what came in the food. We ordered water and didn't get a cup for about 15 min which was already irritating (they were not busy), and a refill was given once. once we received our drinks we ordered, the waitress couldn't tell us any vegetarian options because she was not sure of the items used (My mom is a vegetarian and there was barely any options). The food took 45 min to an hour when all that was ordered was the French onion soup, a salad and a turkey sandwich with fries. Once we received the soup the fried piece of cheese bread looked very unappetizing and as if it was fried early in the day and put in the microwave, the soup itself tasted like it was heated up in the microwave and was lacking onions and flavor (the onions that were in the soup were soggy and looked like they've been caramelized weeks ago), the salad was just lettuce like they opened a big and dumped it on the plate. the turkey sandwich was okay (could've and have made better at home) and the fries were just fries can't go wrong on those. The decoration however is nice I could see it appealing to an older crowd not as modern like you'd see in restaurants in Chicago. I just wish they would've spent less money on decorations and more money to pay a better chef or even have a better menu. Overall I would not recommended and I would save my money and go to Applebee's or just go to Baxter's. read more

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As a local, I was excited to try this new restaurant. I waited a few months to try it thinking by now they would have worked the kinks out. I won't be back. Food, service, drinks, staff knowledge and overall experience was terrible. It definitely shows that the owners have zero experience in operating a fine dining experience. They should stick to McDonalds. Don't waste your time and money. read more

My family and I have just returned after a less than pleasant experience at Rob Dob's. In so many cases, customers are dissatisfied and just never return. Since I really hope this restaurant is a huge success, I am going to tell you why we were unhappy. We waited for 20 minutes before we were served water. We placed our orders, and the appetizers arrived before the drinks were served. The bar did not have the beer or two or the liquors ordered. Drinks arrived 35 minutes after we were seated. Our meals came just as we were finishing the salads - literally, just putting our forks down. My filet was ordered medium rare plus and was very rare, in fact, too rare to finish. My son's rib-eye was ordered medium rare and was well done and dry. His side of creamed spinach was never delivered. My son-in-law had salmon. The salmon was dry and the rice side dish was crunchy. Crunchy rice is unacceptable. Both our baked potatoes were undercooked. One of the other folks in our party sent his baked potato back because he couldn't even get the fork in it. It came back to him after everyone had finished eating and was packaged to go. Both other people in that party complained about under-baked potatoes, as well. Rolls were delivered to the table after all six people had finished their meals. The server never returned to our table to ask if our steaks were satisfactory or if we needed anything. We saw her again, when she brought the check. She was apologetic and said she hoped next time would be better. My son first spoke to the hostess and then to you personally, and was told it would be made up "next time". My check was for $159.02 (Approval 504166). I certainly never mind paying for a great meal and wonderful service. Unfortunately, neither of these things happened. This is the second time we have dined at Rob Dob's, and sadly neither experience has been good. As I mentioned earlier, I would love to see your beautiful facility become a huge success. Without some major changes in service and in the kitchen, that cannot happen. When this many serious issues happen in one meal, and are brought to a manager's attention without resolution, it does bode well. I have emailed twice with no response. I can only assume that they have no real concern about repeat business. read more

Three of us went today to Rob Dob's for lunch. When we walked in we told the hostess our name and that we had reservations. She looked down grabbed menus and walked away. No welcome or follow me to your table, actually no words at all. Once we were seated we looked at the menu and it took 25 minutes before our waiter came to take drink orders. Since we were there on a lunch break, we had our order ready as well. The waiter was very nice and the best part of the entire experience. The food was very underwhelming. One of us had the pick two with a sandwich that came out with the bread burnt. Another had a hamburger that was not medium but well done and did not have the bacon. I had the pick two with a salad which the croutons were soggy and not crunchy at all and was drenched in dressing and a mushroom soup that had purée mushrooms and was quite disgusting. No one asked us how our experience was and the owner was in our section and stopped at two tables but not ours. There were only the three tables with people in our section. We will not be back, the food is not good at all. We had high hopes. read more

Tried to enjoy an early dinner tonight; were ignored for 20 minutes once seated, had to ask the hostess if someone could wait on us; waitress finally arrived, took our orders, then returned five minutes later and asked which beer my neighbor ordered! 45 minutes later, we departed RobDobs; would rate them a zero, but one star is as low as the system allows; won't be back after this horrible experience. read more

My wife and I wanted to pick a place that we've never been to before and chose Rob Dob's Restaurant. They had an impressive wine and beer list as well as a great variety of appetizers and entrees.When we ordered drinks, I did notice that my Smithwicks beer was flat, so I immediately reported it to the staff. Within 3 minutes (which is an amazing turn around time by the way), the staff apologized and reported it to a manager, addressed the tap/keg issue, updated me on the status, and replaced my beer. I had the Caesar Salad, Shrimp & Steak, then the chocolate flourless cake. Extremely impressed at the quality of the food, the knowledge and professionalism of the staff, and the overall experience. I will absolutely be recommending this place to my friends and family. 5 Stars. read more

Very unimpressed. Had a reservation at 5:30pm and were originally seated in a room that feels like a banquet room in a vacant hotel. Waiter had no idea if they had a drink menu, then informed us they do not, yet it shows one on their website. Drinks took 35 minutes each time, and were not very good. Food was good but portions for very small for the price. Waiter had only tasted two menu items so had no recommendations to provide. read more

Had dinner at Rob Dob's for a special occasion. This was our first visit. The food and service were both good. I had the New York strip while my wife had the filet mignon and lobster tail. The wine list was good and reasonably priced. We had a bottle of Malbec. Desserts were also tasty. Unfortunately, they experienced some type of fire alarm malfunction resulting in the audible alarm sounding for about 15 minutes and the visible flashing lights continued for an hour and 15 minutes during our visit. Unfortunately, this impacted the ambience negatively. We plan to visit Rob Dob's in the future with the hope the atmosphere will match the food and service. read more

Ok so my family and I went here for a early dinner at 415 we sat right away and glasses of water were served promptly, drink orders were taken and arrived promptly as well. We ordered 3 different apps for our table and they came out to table ...ordered baked clams, Brussels sprouts and cheese curds. All the apps were delightful but nothing I would drive across town for. The menu has a wide variety of food and our group ordered a variety as well. The ribeye and New York strip came out and both were closer to medium then the medium-rare and neither had a flavor that wowed either my brother or dad , three others ordered a pasta dish that seemed to be skimpy on the portion of pasta. One ordered a po boy sandwich and he had no complaints about his order. I ordered the RD cut of prime rib it came out perfect med rare and was very good but at $38 it was underwhelming for the that price. The service was spot on during our visit but it was a 415p reservation. After much discussion we really felt it was nice but nothing that we could get from any of the chain restaurants in town and that was disappointing. We love eating local but we just felt there wasn't anything that stood out and would bring us back. read more

Service has been excellent each visit. The steak was very tender and cooked just to my liking. My kids were part of the clean plate club and enjoyed their ice cream treat afterwards. read more

Wow, so disappointed! The restaurant is new and nice but the food is overrated. I had steak and it honestly tasted Iike they were covering up the poor quality of meat with seasoning. It's too expensive for the quality. The owners should have stuck with fast food. read more

We visited RD twice in a 2 week period. The first time was a table of 4 and the next time a group of 12. First experience we sat in the booths north of the bar area. Great ambiance. Welcoming fireplace. Quiet though crowded allowed for easy conversation at the table. Overall the food was very good but our waiter was inexperienced, nervous but tried hard. Ribeye was very flavorful, pork chop good and a unique offering for Bloomington. The 2nd visit went were in the large green room. Nothing special about that area , but the Christmas trees were pretty. Artwork doesn't match the decor but interesting. Took over 30 min. to get water. 45 min. to get drink orders (at least 25 min after ordered). Had several appetizers to pass at the table. All were very good. The food order came much faster from time of order compared to drinks. Flavor of everything was good. Ribeye not cooked as ordered but good. Salads very good. Everyone liked their food, however, drinks including water were never refilled and there were mix ups on billing between couples. Summary - good food but could take some lessons from Biaggi's on service training. read more

Liver was over cooked and burnt on one side. Potatoes were about 3/8 inch thick and hard. Not cooked enough. Bacon wrapped dates were way to sweet. The bread was great. No where near the money we paid. read more

We dined at Rob DOB's last evening. Brynn was our waitress and Tyler assisted. We were a party of 4 and had the prime rib, bacon burger, petite filet and lobster tail and the Mediterranean pasta. All of the dishes were great and the service was excellent. Doris checked on us a couple of times and we really enjoyed not feeling rushed, the food and the atmosphere. We will definitely be back and thank you to the staff for a great night out. Happy Holidays. read more

Decided to sit at the bar for dinner tonight and it took a long time to get our order placed. While LA, the bartender, was doing the best he could it clearly was understaffed. Had a great beer list and went on to order a filet and lobster tail dinner, the steak had no seasoning and the lobster tail was undercooked. Clearly there is a lot to work through in the kitchen and with these prices we expected better. read more

We just left and are already talking about when we can go back!!! We had reservations and right when we got there, we were seated. We had great service not only by our waitress, Marilu, but the people cleaning off tables and the gentleman bringing out the food. Food was absolutely amazing!! Onion rings - oh my you have to try them!! Entree's were both good and we even got dessert! We ate on the patio and it was so nice! The band was an added bonus. Worth your time to go!! read more

Very disappointed with this place! We went in on a Friday night at 9:15pm, 1st thing we hear is that we "stop seating at 9pm" even though the hrs were listed until 10pm. One of the owners was there corrected the hostess and then we finally got seated. The whole time we were there, we kept hearing about how the kitchen is closing... felt rushed and unappreciated. The food was below average!!! I ordered the swordfish which was way undercooked and flavorless! My husband ordered the filet and lobster and that was beyond disappointing the meat appeared to be frozen and flavorless the lobster was cold and again with no flavor! Overall just a terrible experience! Save your money go to Culver's next door!!! read more

Beautiful choice for a date, drinks after work or dinner with the whole family! From the appetizers through the meal and dessert, the flavors were perfectly matched and presented. Our server, Micah, was amazingly attentive and knowledgeable about the menu and provided lovely conversation to compliment our meal. The decor and overall feel is warm and inviting from the second you walk through the door. Something on the menu for every taste and price. Will be coming back soon to see what fresh flavors are coming from the kitchen!! read more

I was hesitant to try Rob Dob's after seeing the mediocre reviews here, but family coming to town wanted a non-chain steakhouse, so we made reservations for Friday night. We were sat in what must be a private banquet space where tables get set up on weekend nights. The tables in that room were like what you would expect at a fast food restaurant, only covered with a black tablecloth. Not exactly a confidence booster. I expect if you turn right at the host stand instead of left you would find more solid tables. However, things turned up from there! Our waiter Micah was fantastic. Several of the workers seemed confused, taking things to the wrong tables, but Micah was helping them out and seemed to have control of the room. He also was a professional waiter, seeming to know what we needed before we did. The only thing I would change with the service is getting a water refill would have been nice. The filet mignon (horseradish crust) was very good, and the first time I can remember ordering it medium and actually getting it a true medium. The brocollini seemed thrown on the plate, so a little better presentation could have helped. The specialty old fashioned and the creme brûlée hit the spot as well. Bob Dobski was making the rounds in the dining room which was nice. I will definitely be back!! read more

Beautiful lovely place. I will say that. Sat at a little table in the bar. Very nice. Very busy. Great piano player. Great waiter. Service good. Got our water & our drinks promptly. Ordered food. Got it promptly. Oysters Rockefeller. Terrible. I had salmon. Terrible. Sent it back. I love salmon. Eat it a lot. This was fishy fishy. Bad. Am I going back soon. Not for dinner. Maybe lunch Will try it again because place is lovely . read more

I went to RobDobs with my two grown sons. One ordered the clams. They were cold when they made it to our table. I had the chicken fried steak. That was ok, but the gravy had no flavor and tasted like white sauce. The green beans had no flavor. My other son had the fish and chips. He saId that was good. We won't be back! read more

My wife and I have stopped by on a few occasions since the opening. I can tell you that they excel at providing a really great dining experience. The restaurant has a very unique appeal. I hosted a lunch for 14 people and it went flawlessly. Our experience with food, service and beverage has been outstanding. There is something for everyone here. I know the restaurant scene very well in Bloomington. They treat customers fairly and I'm there probably 3 times a week. Don't appreciate that Yelp hid this review. I owe nothing to the owners and they are close to my residence. read more

We visited at 1730 on a Tuesday. I ordered a pint of the White Oak Extra-Medium Mild and the Meatloaf entree. The beer that arrived was something similar to a Blue Moon, so I sent it back. We'd been sat 45 minutes before the correct beer arrived. I also saw the bartender bring a cocktail to the next table which was also sent back as incorrect. I love the meatloaf at Lucca so wanted to see if Rob Dobs could keep up with the local competition. It doesn't. I was served a single giant meatball with a miserly small pool of sauce. The meatball was very dry inside, if I was serving "meatloaf" that bad I'd drown it in gravy. The garlic mashed potatoes were super bland. Perhaps they passed by a bulb of garlic as they headed through the kitchen. On the whole a pretty disappointing experience as it's not cheap. They are charging prices around that you would expect from the Cheesecake Factory, but with portions half the size or less. The Meatloaf there is also significantly more appetizing. As for the decor, the restaurant is pretty nice inside, the fireplace is a nice feature. read more

Was really looking forward to trying this, as it's new in town and we were looking for a great date night place. However, I am less than impressed. When we walked in, we were seated at a high top in the bar area, and it felt like we were in the way. I had made a reservation, and it felt like they just stuck us wherever they could. After being asked to moved to a regular table, we were still in the bar but it was better. Our waitress was overly friendly and seemed rather pushy, which put me off from the start. After ordering our meal, my steak came out almost rare, rather than medium. They re-cooked it with no issue, but it was mediocre and nothing was taken off the bill or given for the inconvenience. Our bill came, and I was disappointed in how much we had paid for a subpar meal. Next time, we might as well go to Outback. read more