Really good late night food! They were open when no one else was. Definitely recommend!

A must stop every time we're in town! I love the Beer Garden, especially for meeting up with family. We could hang out for hours. :) A fun place with helpful staff and a good variety of things to eat. The wings and fritters are tried and true winners, but they have healthy-ish options, too. read more

Schooners - Club Wrap - American Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

We went there for our Sisters Dinner we do once a month. I ordered a Mesquite grilled chicken salad, specifically asked for NO Cheese. It came with Cheese, sent it back, waited almost 20 minutes for a replacement. Others were almost done eating when my second salad came. Took two bites and discovered there was Cheese on this one. I took it to the counter telling them that this was the second one with Cheese. She asked if I wanted her to make a third one, I told her NO, that I wanted it taken off the bill. I had to sit and watch Mt Sisters enjoy their dinner. Waitress did everything in her power to avoid our table from that moment on. No they were no busy, it was 4:30. read more

This place was bigger than it looks. Appeared to be a local hangout in the bar area. Staff was friendly and service was prompt. We got buffalo shrimp. The bomb! Onion rings. Our 10yr old said they were the best ever! And she loves her some onion rings. Buffalo wings-good. And mozzarella sticks/good. Hamburgers seemed to be frozen patties but they were good and fries were a little undercooked but they were the thick crinkle cut. read more

+best onions rings ever--beer batter, crispy, crunchy, fresh from the kitchen +the delicious tenderloin could feed a small army...or 3 Pagels (go with the onions, pickles, and bbq sauce!) +breaded buffalo wings were generous in size and perfect in flavor... exceeded my expectations! +attentive service +updated interior since the earlier days +Mike the manager is still there after 30+ years!!! Not one negative on this visit! My one word review: Classicallydelicious! read more

Schooners - American Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

Stopped in for a meal with a buddy. 3 waitresses working four tables. Our waitress could not remember who ordered what, there were two of us, her only table. I ordered a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich with onion rings. No cheese on the sandwich. I got 4 large onion rings, which were great, but my buddy got at least 10 with his, neither ordered a separate order of onion rings. After about 10 minutes or so, I was able to get our server to come back and tell her about the no cheese issue. She took the partially eaten sandwich back to the kitchen, they re cooked the same sandwich on the grill and added a tiny slice of Swiss cheese. They should be shut down for food sanitation violations. Will not go back, and no one else should. Poor service, questionable sanitation... read more

How have I not reviewed Schooners yet? I took the lead photo! Schooners is a townie-mostly bar, something I crave occasionally to get away from the Medici or Fat Jacks (Tuesday only) crowd. Best beer you'll find is the Sam Adams, but it always tastes good and is served cold. I love, love, love the big glasses that they come in. It can be very crowded, but we've never had too much trouble finding a place to sit and dive in to some onion rings, which I agree may be the best in town. It's not someplace I seek out often, but when I'm in the mood for a super casual spot where I likely won't see anyone I know and want to eat greasy food and gripe about work, this place is magic. Great outdoor patio in summer months, too! Bring cash. read more

Wonderful place. Great service! Rach was my server; she was fantastic. These are gluten-free wings, btw -- they only batter them if you ask. And the oil they use to fry the wings in is in a dedicated fryer....nothing else but wings! And if they batter them they try them in another fryer. Plus, they change the fryer oil every day...! Great place, seriously great place. Food is affordable, hot, and tastes very good! Highly recommend. read more

Schooners - Ohhh...*fantastic* hot wings! - American Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

Their fish fry (I think it's Tuesday), is fantastic. Their pork tenderloins are epic and boy are they HUGE! Their corn fritters are excellent. Honestly, it's a local watering hole with amazing food. Try it. You won't regret it. Oh and the service is outstanding every single time I go there. read more

Oh Schooner's, how I miss thee. Grew up in Bloomington and we would go here every week. I'd play pinball. Parents would drink beer. We'd leave smelling like cigarettes and come back the next week anyways. The owners now are the same owners from when I was growing up, so every time we go back there are always the familiar faces of both the managers and the customers. The place is like frozen in time, I tell you. Minus the smoke, now. I worked here in college for a couple of years as well and yes, the place is a total grease bomb. Having gone back recently, If I had to guess I'd say that there was a change in staff in the kitchen based on the quality of the food. But regardless, the favorites: 1. Chicken Strips - the sauce that comes with them is out of this world. It does have a kick which I love. The strips themselves almost seem double battered. Crunchy batter. 2. Onion Rings - They have the best onion rings there, but be prepared for some major indigestion. 3. Pork Tenderloin - served on a pizza pan, big enough for your entire family. 4. Chicken Wings - This is probably the first place that I ever had chicken wings. They set the bar pretty high. 5. Beer - If you are getting beer here, make sure you get the schooner glass. It's cheap, and freezing cold!! Don't go to Schooner's expecting out of this world service. It's a super casual place. Also don't go there with your kids and then get ticked off if there are people there that are using words that you may not think are appropriate for your children. It's not a family joint unless you are pretty laid back. read more

Onion rings and chicken wings.oh my! So I really had no idea this was a full-service restaurant, because as we walked up, all I saw was a beer garden with a guy singing and playing guitar. It was nice out and it was summertime and well, you get the picture. The beer is cheap, the atmosphere great and the onion rings are awesome. Cash only is a bit of a hardship, but I have endured worse. read more

20 ounce beer comes in a flagon. Got the all you can eat walleye with hush puppies, baked beans and potato salad. Also homemade onion rings. Even with our group of 8 we were seated and served quickly with good service. Placemats are white sheets of paper. read more

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You"re missing nothing if you skip this one. Food right off the back of the Sysco truck. No special prep. We had the wings, chunks, onion rings and fries, cocktails. The onion rings might have been the only thing not to come from the freezer to the oven. This is a neighborhood bar (which I love) we felt not welcome at all. Cocktails weak, Service weak, The music from the jukebox sounded like it was being played through a tin can. John Taffer needs to get a hold of this one and do a bar rescue. read more

Good local place. Schooner in beer really good ice cold cant beat that. Fried seemed to be the theme. Wings were good. I liked Wednesday night 1/2 chicken dinner for $8. I after beers and really good fried chicken i could hardly move outta the booth. Plus the coach of ISU comes by on Thursdays. Go red birds read more

A true locals tavern. 3pm Thursday they started strolling in from work each group meeting up to talk about stuff. Food looked diverse but ended up with sausage sandwich. Bars were craft. Full bar. And there an outdoor beer garden. Parking across the street is large and free. I'll be back! read more

I know it looks like nothing special at first, but it's worth a shot- the locals know what's up: it's amazing. Great wings, great burgers, great everything else. Hidden gem for sure read more

I went here recently for the first time with a party of 7, and they easily accommodated us. While it was a great place to go with such a large group, I wouldn't say anything special about my experience here. Our waitress went to our table a coupe times to check on us, only to find out that our food hadn't been brought out yet, and both times she apologized for it. It was a little strange, as we probably wouldn't have realized that someone had neglected to give us our food had she not mentioned it. As for food, I ordered a burger and fries, and they were pretty average. My fries were on the cold side. For appetizers, we ordered onion rings, and I those were definitely the best thing I had there. Overall, this was a great place to go given the size of our group and how cheap the food was (my burger was around $7.50), but if I had to rate the experience, I would say it was just "A-OK". Nothing really to write home about. read more

The food is typical Midwestern fare. Would you like that fried, fried, or fried? No diner serves a tenderloin sandwich where I live, so that's what I want when I come visit Illinois. I was blown away by the gross enormity of the sandwich....I am not kidding, it's a platter sized piece of tenderloin on a regular sized hamburger bun. My daughter and I got one to share, and we trimmed off enough meat for FOUR more sandwiches. The tenderloin is thick, so be aware if you like your tenderloin thin. It was something like $11 for the sandwich, and an extra charge for another bun. So it came out to $6.00 per meal, not counting the rings. Not too shabby. It's a regular ol' divey restaurant/bar, so dressing as if you just stepped off the tractor is just fine. My sister in law loved her wings. My other sister in law loved her wrap. We also got the onion rings on a recommendation, which are hand cut and battered. Not frozen. They were pretty good. read more

The tenderloin is over-rated and dried out, HOWEVER... there are two things you have to go there to enjoy. And bring cash... no plastic here. The onion rings. Oh my goodness the onion rings. Best in town. Seriously, lightly beer battered flavor, get the biggest basket you can and don't share. Be greedy and make others get their own. They have a special, I think its the first Tuesday of every month. Chicken Fried Steak, Corn and Mashed Potatoes. Best I've ever had. Beer garden is nice too, shaded with tables, tree cover and umbrellas. Local place with regulars, but don't be afraid to stop here, everyone is more than friendly. read more

Some of my earliest memories of eating out aren't McDonalds, they are getting a tenderloin pizza and some yummy onion rings. Simply put: this is the ultimate divey greasy pub style restaurant. That is what makes it great, their prices are super low and there is an attached bar, if you prefer bar seating. read more

Schooner's is a local favorite. It's a very segmented space: there's a beer garden, which operates independently (more later), the indoor restaurant seating and bar area. Tap beer inside is served in schooners (see photos) and they do some other things a bit differently. The pork tenderloin is huge -- spilling onto four buns (a must-share item (unless you're trying to prove that you don't care about your health and take pride in how much you can put into your stomach in one sitting)). Corn Fritters are balls of dough/corn kernels, deep-fried and rolled in powdered sugar. Avg size: somewhere between a golf ball and baseball. Schooner's is home to my favorite beer garden in Bloomington-Normal. It's fairly large and has plenty of shade. It's a great place to host a party if you're looking to plan an event. The one oddity is that the beer garden seems to operate independently of the rest of Schooner's. There's a separate beer garden menu, so you're limited on what you can order. For example, if you want a buffalo chicken sandwich, you're out of luck unless your server is willing to make an exception. I'm sure there's some reason for this set-up. If you're reading this and know the reason, by all means, please let me know. Schooner's is an all-around great place though. If you haven't been there and you live in the area, put it high on your list, especially during the summer months. Need-to-know: Schooner's does not accept credit card. They have an ATM machine. Hopefully they'll start taking credit one day soon. Maybe they'll start by taking it only in the beer garden. read more

Two words: Gebby burger. If for nothing else but the "juice". Great service, award winning wings, a sporty feel makes this neighborhood hangout a place to join with family and friends to celebrate and/or come to discuss weather, politics or religion Just go. It's all good there! read more

I am really torn about this review because it has one really great thing going for it but a few down sides. The great thing up front is the onion rings and corn fritters. They are unique and taste awesome. The Rings have extra batter that is so crispy and flavorful that you have a hard time saving room for the rest of your meal. The down sides are the price, the wait times, and they do not take credit cards. I have had the hot wings and the beer battered chicken and thought both were okay. I would really prefer that they use the same batter used for the onion rings on the fried chicken adding a little more spice for kick, but this tends to be a place I will go back for the onion rings alone maybe once every few months. read more

Awesome local place for a good price & good bar food. If the weather is nice try to eat outside. Service was fast. Wings were really good.

I love big beers. And cold beers. And cheap beers! :) Schooners has 'em. Cash only. Could be worse, right? Pork tenderloin, OMG. Get the one for 4 and it's under 10 bucks and it is so delish. I've never had a pork tenderloin until I tried it at Schooners, and I will never ever have one from somewhere else. Hands down, one of the best sandwiches ever. The onion rings are amazing. Yum yum yum! :) The wings are pretty good too. It's a great bar and I definitely suggest you get over there and get yourself a big ol' beer. :) I really like that indian statue looking guy on the bar too. Awesome. read more

I worked for Schooners back in the mid 90's. Loved their basket of rings and king tenderloin.... Headed to Indiana from Texas in June and going over 400 miles out of route to come visit you guy again. Hopefully taste hasn't changed... read more

First of all, a warning. The place only takes cash. There is an ATM inside the place but no credit or checks. The food is very average and not bad but the deep fried corn fritters are amazing. You get 8 per order and that is more than enough for 4-5 people. The fried chicken sandwich is what I had and it wasn't a Chick-fil-a or anything special. The burgers were ok too. Again, nothing out of the ordinary. read more

Great wings, extremely friendly staff and awesome clientele. Will definitely go back if ever in Bloomington again.

Great onion rings. Very good Gebby Burger. Wife had great wings. Nice local neighborhood bar/restaurant. Very good service. And food came very fast. We were traveling thru and used Yelp to find this place. Would come again for sure next time in town. read more

Schooners - Great Onion Rings!!! - American Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

Nice neighborhood bar. Stopped by while visiting my son at ISU. Enjoyed a few beers and a fantastic, hugh, burger on a Sunday afternoon. Friendly service, bar was filled with locals enjoying various sports on the many tv s at the bar. Definitely will return to check out the beer garden! read more

Schooners - Miller lite Schooner - American Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

This was my first time at Schooners. New to this area some friends and I decided to try it out. We ordered the garlic wings. These wings were pale, slimy and smothered with green fat. The flavor of the crispy and soaked with grease fried chicken skin tasted like rubber. We told the waitress who honestly seemed just as grossed out as we were. A guy came out from the back. Didn't introduce himself just let us know that he looked at the chicken( meaning he combed through partially eaten chicken) just to tell us it was just fat and nothing was wrong. He said that he appreciated us telling him and offered to make us something else. Why would I want to eat something else ? I was revolted by my first meal. I wasn't provided with any kind of apology and paid full price. What a shame. read more

Awesome food! I've been here several times and everything I've had has been great. We went once during the summer as well and they have live music out on the patio! Great food, friendly staff, and good prices on food and beer! Definitely need to go visit if you haven't been yet read more

Not a great place to look at, but a wonderful place to eat. As mentioned by others, their pork tenderloin sandwich is very good and extremely generous. It really is a meal for 2-3 people. You know it is going to be a monster when they ask you how many buns you want with it. It is about a 9-10 inch round tenderloin. Buffalo wings are great, and ordered by the pound. Burgers, other sandwiches and fried chicken are also very good. Go for the food and reasonable prices, not for the atmosphere. read more

I was not impressed and i came with such high hopes. I've seen my share of low bars which are fun, but this wasn't. Ill just list out the problems. 1. Beer specials good, not great 2. Interior super cheap, even for a dive, looks like they robbed a third rate dinning hall to furnish the dinning area. 3. food was alright, way over priced. 4. no credit card, come on give me a break. 5. I can't blame the bar but others mentioned it in their comments. It was really annoying having a bunch of loud men who were well over forty. I don't have any problem with people getting drunk or having fun, but this was just pathetic and annoying. read more

Schooners has been my favorite restaurant in Bloomington. My daughter introduced me your delicious food (chicken wings) in 1990. We always go Schooners whenever I was visiting her!! Now I am a resident, my visiting guests are always treated to your restaurant for good food and amazing customer service, thank you!! read more

We were in BLONO for a dog show and our kids go to ISU so happy to find a new place. Yelp says it's dog friendly but we where sad to find out it's not. The outdoor menu is not the same as inside so we decided to eat inside and ran the car with the remote start while the dog was in the car. The onion rings looked amazing and we will have to try next time. We got the tenderloin which is the size of a 14" pizza. It was delicious!!! Also boneless wings. We will be back! read more

At the recommendation of a friend and the reviews here on Yelp I gave this place a try for dinner. I must have gotten there right in time as I immediately got a seat, right before the place filled up. I had the wings to start; very good wings, much better than most chain places (Buffalo Wild Wings, I'm looking at you). The smallest size you can order is a pound, which was more wings than I wanted, but whatever. They should offer a smaller order for those dining alone that want some wings to go with their dinner. Bonus points for serving them with blue cheese though (ranch wasn't even offered). I also had the mini tenderloin, as it seemed that the tenderloin was the thing to get here. They were good, but not great. Basically it seemed like I was eating a pork version of Chick-fil-a. The onion rings served with it were great though. The service was a bit off. The waitresses were friendly, but they seemed to expect that I had been there often and knew the routine. Thanks to the previous reviews I knew to bring cash, but they really need to get with the times. Heck, I've seen vending machines that can take cards, so it can't be that hard. Over all I like this place, and will probably be back, just next time I'll try something other than the tenderloin. read more

My husband & I had lunch here while our vehicle was being serviced at Kelly's Automotive. Cute little place. We walked in through the bar by mistake. It appeared to be the front door. The two people working the bar (there were no customers) had no interest in directing us where to go or what to do. A little aggravating. We stumbled upon someone who was taking a liquor order (didn't work for Schooners) who directed us to the dining area around the corner. The staff on this side of the restaurant was much nicer. We were seated right away. Our food came out very quickly. The food was perfectly prepared, very good and a great price! This place filled up about 11:30am and going forward. It was quite packed! If we're ever in this area again, we'll definitely stop in. read more

Good food, great price! You can't beat schooners if you are looking for greasy good bar food (but they also have healthy options like the Mesquite Chicken Salad!). I don't think you can go wrong with anything on the menu! But if you go, you must order a rootbeer shooter, it's the bars non-advertised specialty drink - it's a large shot (hints the name shooter) that taste like soda - you become a regular once you try this!!! read more

I love this bar! I have been a loyal customer to Schooners for more than 8 years and I love it. The food, the staff, the drinks and of course those loud guys in the bar! The wings are great, the soups (always homemade), and the burgers are great. The pricing is fair and although I am not a beer garden person, it is fun. Keep it up Schooners! read more