We were there on a warm summer evening and dined outside where the classic downtown buildings provided shade for the setting sun. The staff was friendly and welcoming. We ordered drinks and two special appetizers, shrimp in a spicy cream sauce and pork belly bits with diced mango. Both were delicious. For our mains, we chose: Sassy Chicken Thighs and Brown Sugar Brined Pork Chop. The chicken thighs melted in my mouth. We spoke at length with the manager after our dinner and tried to guess the ingredients in the outstanding sauces. The sassy sauce had in addition to the honey and Dijon, some cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, and cumin. Not too spicy, just enough zip to make it interesting. The pork chop was also amazing. Tender and juicy with a cherry balsamic glaze. We would definitely recommend a visit and plan to return the next time we're in town. read more

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This place was really good but my judgement all the way until we got our food was mixed. Very good Yelp reviews but we were able to walk in and be seated immediately on a Friday night. The menu was several pages but only one page with food, drinks were the remainder. We got the dipper appetizer and I had the Sassy Chicken Thighs. Both were good and the thigh was boneless. My wife had the loaded potato salad, asparagus, and broccoli which she enjoyed. My son had the Steak Sliders with the potato salad which he really enjoyed. I suppose when the chef can master a menu there's no need for multiple pages. I misjudged and would definitely come back if I'm in town again. read more

The Mystic Kitchen & Tasting Room - The menu (the whole menu) - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

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Great atmosphere, and great food at Mystic Kitchen tonight. A couple things that you really need to try for yourself. The spiced apple Margarita was delish, tasted just like apple pie. The Salty Caesar Flatbread was exceptional, romaine, herb chicken, bacon, tomatoes, mozzarella, and parmesan all piled on a flatbread, you just have to try it. The Shaved steak sliders were topped with a horseradish aioli and really didn't need the au jus but it was a nice addition. And leave room for dessert because the Blueberry Cobbler was also something that you have to try. Served perfectly warm with just a small scoop of ice cream. Kitchen was a little slow with some of the dishes but it was a great meal and a great experience. read more

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I love the food. The wine selection is delicious. The service is always amazingly fast, accommodating and friendly. I think it's a cute location and it's fun to sit outside when it's nice. read more

Liked it - excellent environment- good service- owner managed - needs a like more in terms of good. Overall good !

Really unique restaurant/bar that has absolutely delicious food! I had the mystic salad (amazing) and the fantastic bourbon glazed steak bites. Tuesday night is half off bottles of wine and they have a good selection. After dinner I enjoyed their blueberry dessert and OMG it was wonderful. The staff was wonderful and very attentive. I will frequent Mystic again and again! read more

The Mystic Kitchen & Tasting Room - Desert and wonderful wine! Terries Blueberry Bramble - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

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The appealing menu and high Yelp rating enticed us to have dinner here. We loved their appetizer menu, and the Mystic salad sounded wonderful, so we ordered 2 Mystic side salads, 2 Tenderloin in Bourbon Glazed Steak Bites appetizer, and B*Tch Loves Dip (fill in your vowel of choice). We started with our salads, and OMG, I told my wife and server it was one of the best salads I'd ever eaten! The spring mix, fresh pears, candied almonds, red onions, carrots, goat cheese, spicy candied jalapeno bacon was topped with champagne vinaigrette and a balsamic reduction. Everything was in perfect balance, and so flavorful! The warm jalapeno-artichoke dip was mild and delicious, and served with chilled cheddar crab & chilled southwest corn dips, served with tortilla chips (meh) & fresh cucumber chips. We asked for extra cucumber chips, and to our surprise charged $3 extra! The crab dip was plainly seasoned and the corn dip was bland and uninteresting. The best dish we ate was the Steak Bites - 4 large squares of tenderloin that were tender and delicious, cooked to medium and topped with a rich bourbon glaze and served with tiny whole Sweety Drop peppers that were bright red, mild, and pickled. Loved them! No live music on our Friday night visit. This was a refreshing change of taste from the ordinary fare served at restaurants that I highly recommend! read more

The Mystic Kitchen & Tasting Room - Mystic House Salad - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

Food was excellent and service was excellent. We had a late dinner and it was not very crowded, and all of the staff were very nice and accommodating. read more

Stopped by on a Thursday night and we were promptly seated. The backgroundmusic was a little instrusive, but we did like the song selection so it was not a problem. Service was prompt and attentive. We had a cocktail and a wine flight which were totally enjoyed. We shared a charcuterie board, the carrots, the roast beef sliders and dessert special. All were excellent. Can not recommend this place enough. Worth heading into town for! read more

Probably the best meal I have had in Bloomington. It was a seasonal special, braised kielbasa in mustard apple cream sauce with mashed potatoes and kraut. It spoke to my eastern European roots. That's just the food though, The moment I stepped in , I felt warmy welcomed into a festive environment. There was live music playing, a hopping bar scene and cheerful decor. I was greeted by a server immediately, as the hostess was seating someone else. They found my little group a table, not too close to the music that we couldn't talk, but not so far we couldn't hear. It was such a good night, I was tempted to go back tonight. read more

The best meal I've ever had in Bloomington! My wife and I came here for a date night on the recommendation of a friend, and we were blown away. The food and drinks are the quality you would expect from an upscale establishment in a bigger city, but served in a low key environment. Service was great. The only small issue we had was that the music was so loud we had to sit on the same side of the booth to hear each other, but it was date night, so a little close cuddling wasn't too much to ask. The menu changes seasonally, so don't expect them to have the same things all the time, but we ordered a range of things, starting with a salad to share. It had pears and candied nuts and bacon, very good and not too heavy. For dinner we chose the duck flatbread and I was unprepared for how good it was. The figs, the duck, the cheese, everything worked perfectly without so much as a discordant note. This was so good we were making yummy noises. For our other entree we had the pulled pork sliders, and pulled pork is just pulled pork, classic, steady, safe, right? Wrong! This was so good. It was so tender and flavorful we kept asking each other, "Why is this so good?" For dessert we had tiramisu, which didn't really look like the traditional version and was a lot firmer than we're used to, but the taste was excellent. Lastly, I am not much of a drinker so I didn't have any cocktails, but my wife's Steel Magnolia drink was very pretty with a flower in it. We also tried a sweet wine flight, which our server catered to ours tastes, and again, I didn't drink much, but I thought she did a nice job of customizing for us. The individual touch took a great meal and turned it into an experience to remember. We don't get back to Bloomington often, but I can promise you that when we do, we will be coming back to Mystic Kitchen. read more

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We were looking for wine and charcuterie while visiting family and weren't disappointed! They offered a sweet or dry tasting flight (we tried both). Decent sized pours and we liked a few from each. The charcuterie board was nice - they swapped out the meat for us (vegetarians) and the goat cheese and jam was a table favorite! We also tried the pretzel bites, they were so-so. We went early on a Saturday night (5-ish) and quickly got seated in the bar both but it was filling up as we watched. We'll definitely stop in on another visit to the area. read more

The Mystic Kitchen & Tasting Room - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

perfect temperature steak. tastes good. probably would have been better if I liked the mushroom topping. ambiance was good. Sat in the restaurant section away from the bar. good for groups or date night. service was attentive, playful, and friendly. I would go back. read more

Not sure why I'm keep going back.. haha... probably because my friends want to. Anywho... was there over Halloween and had deviled shrimp pasta which was one of the specials. Had high hopes... why... idk.... It tasted like someone (not a chef) tried a recipe at home with frozen shrimps. It had no flavor and the shrimps were sad. Service was decent but the server highly recommended the pasta dish so.....kind of questioning his honesty or ability as server... They had nice decoration for Halloween tho. Bottom line.... I won't be coming back no matter who wants to come here as we dropped $150 and it was not good. read more

Everything about our first time here was wonderful. From the friendly staff to the delicious food, it was a very enjoyable evening! Because my first choice for dinner was sold out, the owner was kind enough to give us a free dessert delicious apple crisp. Best of all, she also gave me her recipe for her amazing carrot soup. read more

Another excellent experience at The Mystic last night. The beer, wine and drink selection was its usual high quality, the service at the bar nearly impeccable, and the loaded potato wedges and barmundi/sea bass were new ventures for us and did not disappoint. The crispy sear on the fish was great, the various sauces were VERY tasty and the prices reasonable. Although the fish took a bit too long considering the light crowd, the lively bar conversation, along with the tasty apps and drinks made it largely a moot point. I wish I understood why there weren't more people out on a Thursday night, but suspect the light snow forecast was the culprit. If you haven't yet had the pleasure, make this place a post-pandemic priority! read more

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The food was awesome. We celebrated my sisters birthday. The service was great and took measures to make it a special time. My sister had salmon, I ordered chicken thigh on top of mashed potatoes and my other sister had pumpkin ravioli. Everything was prepared well. read more

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This is my favorite Bloomington restaurant. Great cocktails, fresh entree selections and great service.

OMG! I love it here! It's located on the corner, with outdoor and indoor dining and there is ample street parking, if you're lucky enough to snag one right outside of the restaurant. I went 2 days in a row. LOL Ambiance: It's seductive and tasteful.... idk... that's the vibe I had both times I went. It's a great space, for what appeared to be a small restaurant, but it's larger than you think once you walk in. Service: Great! Everyone was personable, helpful and appeared very genuine. What a great work atmosphere for employees and for that to project onto me as a customer. Food: I enjoyed everything that was ordered. I do have to admit that all the wedges that you see in my posts are gone temporarily and are now mashed potates. It changed from my first night to my next night, so imagine my surprise. LOL The potatoes were good too tho. Wine: I ordered a semi sweet red wine and it was delish. When ever in Normal again, it will be a stop. Thank you for making me feel so welcome and wishing me well on my drive back to MN. read more

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Everything is top drawer!! Food, Service, Ambiance. It has it all !! Live music, Saturday summer brunch on the patio. read more

A hot take. Scallops. Full stop. The atmosphere in the evening is top notch and gives you a reason to go downtown Bloomington. The wine list is really great as well and the staff did a great job helping pair with the main. Will certainly be returning - highly recommend making reservations as it does fill up pretty fast. read more

We had a party of 10 and everyone tried something different and shared bites and loved it all. It is such a fun welcoming atmosphere and our server Alex was amazing! Desserts were shared as well and fantastic. We will definitely be back:) read more

Food is some of the BEST! All the employees are incredibly welcoming and friendly. The drinks are some of the best I have ever had. Highly recommend. read more

First experience here. Work related outing. Server so nice and helpful - brought us samples of the soup of the day (pumpkin apple bisque). Many exciting items on the menu . This is "mainly" a wine bar with a fancy tasting room and cellar to go hang out in... But there is. Afull bar with a large number of specialized cocktails. I had the bacon/jalapeno wrapped shrimp sliders and swapped (one for one with a crabcake slider - with dining companion) ... sandwiches came with choice of soup, salad, or House chips. I tried the salad and had one of the 3 house dressings. Very tasty - somewhat pricey Very cool concept and atmosphere Maybe I will take a date next time I go read more

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Eclectic, fun, dining with a quaint bar! Friendly owner and great staff. Limited menu but very good! Quality meal.

I've heard great things about Mystic and it did not disappoint! There's extensive outdoor seating, so we were seated with no wait. We ordered the bourbon steak bites, watermelon and goat cheese salad, and the shrimp sliders, which was honestly enough food for two people. I got a lemonade (standard Minute Maid, which is A-OK with me). The bourbon steak bites were super juicy and delicious. I think they were my favorite dish, but the shrimp sliders were honestly also amazing. The shrimp was HUGE, especially for this far inland in the Midwest! I honestly cannot think of a place where I've eaten bigger shrimp. So sue me, I'm a shrimp size queen. Anyway, they were delicious and also came with potato wedges, which were nicely seasoned. They could have maybe been a little crispier, but honestly they were still tasty and I don't have an actual complaint. I, unfortunately, totally forgot that I actually hate goat cheese, so the watermelon and goat cheese salad was not as loved as it could have been. We also ordered closer to the fall end of summer, but I can imagine this salad would be super refreshing on a hot day. It came with tomatoes (I think), cucumber and some mint, with a drizzle of balsamic, and was pretty tasty even with the goat cheese, my enemy. I'm looking forward to going back and trying the other stuff on the menu! read more

The drinks are great, food is amazing and the service is on point! Not to mention the friendly atmosphere...to be honest it's hard not to love this place! read more

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Food was delicious loved the duck flatbread my favorite. Dessert was amazing. Service was great, waiter was very pleasant and nice. Ambiance it could be better, behind us was group of people were loud and obnoxious. I still would come back for the food and services. read more

Was so disappointed with our visit. Had found this place by accident while walking around the Farmers Market on a Saturday and ended up having brunch there. Everything was delicious. Wait staff (all girls) were phenomenal and very friendly. Had the Burrata with arugula, prosciutto and pears. Just delicious! Was so excited about coming back some night for dinner. Had a friend visit from NY and thought I would show him this place and was just raving about it. Well ,,, you know how that goes,, that they NEVER hold up to your praise. We got there for dinner and our waiter asked for our drink order. My friend ordered his usual mixed drink that is Capt Morgans and ginger ale. When he got it he couldn't drink it due to the horrible bitter and cinnamon taste. I asked the waiter what was in the drink and he said the bartender added Bitters to it.... why? what would make him add that if not specifically asked for? Weird but new drink was better. The dinner menu is small, only like 4 or 5 entrees to pick from. I had come specifically to get the Burrata again and was promptly told its only sold on Saturdays. BIG letdown! And then I wanted the Scallops and was told they were out of them. ???? How do you have 5 entrees ONLY for dinner and be out of one? So unprofessional. Ended up with Mystic Salad which was delicious. Charcuterie board was good. I had been told by everyone the Duck Flatbread was to die for so I got that. Horrible! Maybe three dried up pieces of duck to be seen and no flavor besides on the bread. Couldn't eat it. Very disappointed it that. My friend had the Filet but the weird combination of Steak, Shrimp and shrimp sauce over mashed potatoes was weird. Not the best Filet either... Dinner was over $100 and we left hungry and VERY disappointed. I had been singing the praises of this place to everyone based on my Saturday afternoon visit,,, but changed my tune after Saturday night. Would come in again for drinks and little snacks,, but not dinner. read more

Love it here!!! The outside is such a nice place to get a drink and appetizer as the sun goes down. I live out of town and it's me and my moms tradition to go here anytime the weather is nice! GREAT espresso martini!! read more

The Mystic Kitchen & Tasting Room - Espresso martini and amaretto and orange juice - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

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This place is a gem in Bloomington/Normal. Mystic Kitchen offers a great wine/drink selection if you want to just meet up for beverages and they have a unique menu that doesn't disappoint. My friends and I ordered multiple starters and flatbreads and just shared amongst the table. We had plenty to eat with the Smoked Duck and the Urban Cowboy flatbreads, Charcuterie Board, Tamale cakes, half baked potatoes, and the Bourbon Glazed steak bites. I'd have to say it was all so good I didn't really have one favorite. The service was great as she was attentive with refilling drinks and also respectful in letting us have time to catch up with friends. read more

Took my wife and kids for a birthday dinner. Did not disappoint! Superb steak and fish. Wonderful atmosphere. Will definitely go back.

Slightly expensive for the portion sizes like most Bloomington restaurants, thank you for that (what is it now?) 12% food tax? however a wonderful place for solo or big groups, really neat atmosphere from modern city vibes to most classical farm house feel. My friend and I tried an app, entrees, and desert, all for great times. Everything seemed freshly sourced, well prepared, and easy to eat. Nice atmosphere and offers a more enticing alternative than the other local downtown spots; really hits right on the marks American/Euro fare. Will be back! read more

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Mystic Kitchen is my friends and I's go-to for birthdays. Their Espresso Martini is the best I've had. I have also had their Loving Cup and Mojito, both great! Food is amazing. I would highly recommend the Shrimp Sliders with mashed potatoes. For appetizers, their pretzels, Bitch Loves Dip, Tamale Cakes, all great. Service is always a 12/10, all staff is friendly, never rush you, and always ready to refill your glass! Atmosphere is great, super relaxed with dim lighting, love sitting outside when it's nice out and they had live music! read more

The Mystic Kitchen & Tasting Room - Shrimp Sliders - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

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I visited the Mystic while in Bloomington for work. It is beautiful inside and the historical building is beautiful. The wine was well priced and they had a good selection. My waitress Andrea made a recommendation when I asked and she selected the $7 glass vs the $9 glass. I really enjoyed the wine and was thrilled she didn't default to the more expensive glass to just increase the cost of my bill. Andrea was very friendly, made quick small talk and made me feel very welcome. She found out that I was a solo traveler and invited me back when I'm in town. The food was very good and quick! After I finished my food I chilled in a comfortable chair in the bar and finished my wine. It was a great experience and I have already told several locals about my experience. I will be back anytime I am in town! Thanks for the great evening! read more

The Mystic Kitchen & Tasting Room - Great pillar covered in corks - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

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Beautiful and sensual decor. God-fearing, young women and men cooking, wholesome and hardy meals. Wonderful place to go after church church services. It's a blessing. read more

We drove across town based on the glowing reviews BUT I have been to Stave so I am spoiled. I got the wine flight and cheese plate. The wine flight had a decent red blend and three ho hum wines. The cheese plate was served with room temperature sweaty meats and some great cheeses and cheese that had a hardened shell, like at the end of a party. The service was good and this place was busy but I will not be back. read more

Probably one of the best places in Bloomington. It feels like you are at a friend's the minute you walk in. The staff is welcoming. The service is accommodating and timed well. By time well I mean, not rushed and not ignored. The food was amazing. I have now tried everything on the menu. This place gets what it means when you think of better fine dining. read more

Place is pretty nice. The food was good. Will go back. Service was as expected. Had a deconstructed tamale. It was amazing. Had 2 other plates don't remember lol. But that tamale. Sofa king good. read more

I love the atmosphere! The food was great, super flavorful. The service was outstanding. I would drive back from Springfield to eat here again. read more

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