The Owlery Restaurant

Great little restaurant. The French onion soup was a nice treat and the pizza was so fantastic,…read morefresh and delicious. High recommend this place.

Love this place. If you are in bloomington you definitely need to stop by. The food is immaculate…read more Every bagel no matter what u get is going to be good. The people who take your order are rlly nice and helpful. The only reason why it's not 5 stars is because the inside is small so you probably won't get a table. The wait is also sometimes really long. I think it's worth it every time but something to consider.

The Bar

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Entrance to the brewery/bar seating

Big Woods Bloomington

3.7(363 reviews)

0.3 mi

Amazing Food and Even Better Service…read more I was in town from California last week for a family reunion and visited the brewery on Thursday (8/6). The food was so good that we brought several of our local family members from Indianapolis back again on Saturday. While we did encounter a small issue during our visit, what truly stood out was how it was handled. Christian, the manager, could not have been more professional, attentive, and customer-focused. Our server (whose name I unfortunately don't remember) was equally outstanding throughout the experience. I often say that it's easy to provide great service when everything goes perfectly. The real test is how a business responds when something doesn't go as planned. Christian and the team passed that test with flying colors. They addressed the situation promptly, genuinely cared about making things right, and turned what could have been a negative experience into a memorable example of exceptional hospitality. The food was fantastic, the atmosphere was great, and the customer service was truly top-notch. Because of the way Christian and our server handled everything, we left with an even better impression of Big Woods than we had before. Thank you for a wonderful experience. Both my family and I, including our local Indianapolis relatives, will definitely be back!

Shout out to Ava, our server! We had a wonderful dinner, and…read moreeveryone in our party thoroughly enjoyed their meal. Excellent service can make such a difference, and Ava certainly did! Ava was friendly, personable, and attentive from beginning to end. She made sure we had everything we needed, and allowed us to relax and enjoy our evening without ever feeling hurried. To top it off, we shared the wings and everyone thought they were absolutely delicious! Thank you, Ava, We look forward to coming back!

Inside

Thai Steak Tacos (2 of 3), and Mexican street corn side

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Pizzas, sandwiches, wings, tacos, cocktails, and beers

The Tap

4.0(432 reviews)

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!

Tex Mex Steak Wrap

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Brewberry Crunch Beer

Lennie's

4.2(343 reviews)

0.4 mi

Grace did a great job and the food was amazing! The top floor looking out on Kirkwood was fun.read more

Lennie's is such a great spot in Bloomington. Tons of seating--both inside and outside when the…read moreweather cooperates--so it never feels cramped. We had the flatbread and the house salad, and both were excellent. They've got a surprisingly nice wine selection and some solid Bloomington-brewed IPAs. The vibe is a modern diner with a big, varied menu: pasta, soup, salads, pizza, plus a really good lineup of appetizers. The staff is super friendly and really hustles.

Brick Oven

Red Chile Chicken, sub tofu for meat

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Kirkwood Cream Ale

Upland Brewing Co. Bloomington Brewpub

Classic Burger with Gouda cheese was excellent! He fries were crispy and had just the right amount…read moreof salt! My favorite French fries so far! The beer roasted salmon with the sweet potato fingerlings and shiitake mushrooms was very good. The silver skin was not completely removed from the salmon. There was not a lot of spinach. Would have preferred more spinach & less sweet soy syrup. Service was spot on! Server was very attentive and helpful with beer and food selections.

Generally this is a great place to go ! We're locals & love the beer & food. The service is hit &…read moremiss. We went for dinner on a Sat (no home games) at 5-pm & over half of the restaurant was empty & we were told if we didn't have a reservation (never in 17-ish yrs have I never had them ask me this) we wouldn't get seated for over an hr. So we left . Very disappointing Uplands!! A coach gives a shoutout on Tv & all of a sudden they can't seat you w/o a reservation ‍

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Farm Bloomington

3.4(867 reviews)

GREAT RESTAURANT FOR A WEDDING REHEARSAL DINNER IN BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA…read more================================================== My son and his wife reserved the back room at Farm Bloomington on Friday, June 19, 2026 and it was very nice. Our group of about forty filled the room. My daughter-in-law put some things on the tables which was a nice touch. We had a set menu with appetizers and main course options along with two drink coupons each. The room was very nice, the food was good and the service was great. I would highly recommend booking this room for a large group.

I've always loved this restaurant! My father and I used to dine here when he was visiting me…read more Wait staff are on their game! Would definitely recommend this place, especially to the Indiana University parents! while visiting Bloomington, Indiana!

Scallop ceviche

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Broiled cheese on toast

Nick's English Hut

3.8(413 reviews)

0.3 mi

The famous Sample Gates of Indiana University are just right down the street from Nick's English…read moreHut in Bloomington. Next year Nick's will turn 100 years old!!! An amazing success! Greek immigrant Nick Hrisomalos started Nick's. Nick's "Sink the Biz" fries have Nick's spices sprinkled on them along with Romano cheese and a great garlic mayo to dip them in! The Stromboli is incredible! Lots of flavor, great bread, meat, cheese yum!!! Oh, and the bread and butter pickles on the side are delicious too! The inside is really cool! Lots of booths always a plus, I U memorabilia, TV's playing sports, a bar, all in a very warm and inviting down home college hang out. I took home one of their great glass mugs. Took a keychain home also on the at out. Just nice friendly staff in a great college town. Oh, I will say I don't like mushrooms but on the way out we saw a plate of breaded mushrooms and my goodness they were huge and looked good. I might've tried one. Ha

NICK'S ENGLISH HUT IN BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA IS NOSTALGIC…read more============================== I attended a parent's cocktail party about nine years ago when I visited IU during the student orientation for my son. I had fun, had a beer and collected a Nick's Hut glass jar/glass. Fast forward nine years and my son and daughter-in-law had their "Welcome Party" the evening before their wedding on Friday, June 19, 2026. This was after their wedding rehearsal and dinner elsewhere. We had a great time on the second floor that was totally reserved for our big group. They had more food, beer and other beverages as well. Kind of cool to attend events before my son started college and years later.

Strom, no pickles

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Outdoor seating

Uptown Cafe

4.2(795 reviews)

My favorite restaurant in Bloomington for 25 years! The quality of food is still the same -…read moreexcellent!

Took a quick detour off 69 while heading south and found Uptown Cafe in Bloomington, IN. What a…read moreGREAT find!! Hands down the best Caesar salad I've ever had (complete with anchovies which are optional). Too many good looking choices on the menu and settled for a Cajun pasta special that was more than I could eat. Sat at the bar and service was excellent. Prices are reasonable and the place had an upbeat vibe for being a random Tuesday during July when most IU students are home for the summer. Overall - Fabulous dining experience !!

Salmon Benedict was alright. The potatoes were top tier.

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Malibu Grill

3.7(358 reviews)

Kendall was an amazing server. Cajun Maytag Burger was cooked very well and had an amazing maple…read moreDijon sauce on it. Very nice place to have a peaceful lunch or nicer dinner.

Full bar and dining area with large selection of wine, cocktails, and spirits. Wonderful service…read moreand I prefer sitting at the bar or in the bar area for a more engaging atmosphere. Great lunch specials and flavorful dinner options. Salmon is very good and goes well With the mashed potatoes and asparagus. Can't go wrong with a Martini on Martini Wednesday!

Bar area

Pan Seared Filet Medallions with mashed potatoes and asparagus!

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Bar area

The Elm

4.3(111 reviews)

0.6 mi

Always a delight! The Elm is your place if you are looking…read morefor something delightfully unexpected in Bloomington. Seasonal menus, beautiful plates, and an amazing bar (and coffee bar). We have been coming for years and just tried brunch today and it was 10/10! Spring menu highlight: the cabbage is phenomenal! We ordered for the table to share as a last minute decision and it was the star of the show Brunch: Latke was so yummy and the sauce was horseradish cream goodness Chilaquiles and smash burger both got an A+ Staff is always on point.

Great setting, service and beautiful place. Bar service was outstanding. The steak frites:…read moredelicious meat, French fries probably doubled fried, not so good.

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Assorted Truffles for $10: Dark Chocolate, Citrus Chocolate & Birthday Cake

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The Duo: Filet (left) and Short-rib (right)

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22 reviews that are not currently recommended

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Claude C.

15 years ago

When our vegan son visited us recently from Philadelphia, we were all eager to try Bloomington's new vegetarian restaurant, The Owlery. The intimate space comprises three rooms in a converted house on the edge of Bloomington's historic Phoenix Hill neighborhood. When we went on a Saturday night in late April 2011, it was full of warm chatter and the clink-clank of tableware on china. The service was friendly. Our wait person seemed genuinely interested in advising our son and gave my wife a complementary glass of ice tea, because it was being brewed when she ordered and took 15 minutes to arrive. The service was also indifferent. We had to ask for forks; and later, had to ask again for napkins. "Comfort food for vegetarians" sums up the menu. Warm, plentiful sandwiches and plates will satisfying your carb cravings at modest prices. We found the appetizers more interesting than the entrees. If you have never tried poutine, at least once in your life you owe yourself a serving of the Owlery's Classic Poutine: French fries, drowned in a zesty, brown gravy and sprinkled with vegan cheese. The flavors were great, but the fries were soggy. Definitely not straight from the fryer. And, when the gravy cooled a bit, the cornstarch base was intrusive. On a recommendation, we also ordered the Coconut Macadamia Tofu. The wonderfully sweet crust was complemented with a peanut sauce with just the right blend of ginger and soy sauce. Again, however, this item had been cooked in advance and reheated before serving, which gave it a slightly greasy residue. Our meals -- a meatball sandwich, vegetarian lasagne and eggplant parmigiana -- were satisfying but undistinguished. The marinara sauce on my side of spaghetti could have used more basil and oregano. Every restaurant has the right to define itself, but this much must be said: It is sad that purveyors of vegan and vegetarian food think they still must imitate meat. For example, the Owlery's menu offers a Reuben, Fish and Chips, Philly Cheesesteak, Meatballs and a Fried Chicken Dinner, with various combinations of tofu, tempeh and seitan providing the ersatz meat. As a 90-percent vegetarian, I look forward to the day when American restaurants can honestly present vegetables, beans, grains and fruits in all their delicious glory without feeling required to pump them full of artificial flavorings to make them taste like meat. This requires moving outside America's borders to adapt the cuisines of India, the middle east, northern Africa and Mexico. In fairness, the Owlery does offer a handful of non-disguised tempeh items, but the menu tries too hard to evoke all those meat-laden meals you consumed before going vegetarian. Given the university community, I'm certain Bloomington's dinning public is ready for something more. We will definitely go back to the Owlery, but only when our son visits. read more

Ann D.

13 years ago

I was excited to see a restaurant that claimed to be geared toward those with food preferences, requirements and allergies. The food is quite good but.... SERVICE IS ABSOLUTELY AWFUL!!!!!!!!! Wait-staff is VERY unfriendly and downright aggressive with patrons for no apparent reason. Don't know who the heavy woman with the faded pink pig-tails may be, but she's really pissed at the world and has absolutely no business working in any service industry. If she's a waitress, they should fire her. If she's management, god help this place! I went to the Owlery for the first time for an early dinner with two other families who have children with food sensitivities. The afore mentioned waitress was sullen, mumbled into her order pad and otherwise acted as if we were inconveniencing her tremendously. When a child with allergies was proactive and responsible enough to ask about gluten-free options, she rolled her eyes at him and sighed while allowing that yes, they had gluten-free bread for his sandwich. When our food came she threw the orders down in front of us and didn't bother to return the table but had to be flagged down. It was well before any kind of rush-hour and the restaurant was not even close to crowded but she continued to behave as if we were all just too much to bear! I decided that perhaps the first experience was just due to someone having a bad day; we all have those, right? So I decided to try it one more time. We came for late lunch and again, we had the same surly woman waiting on us and, again, it was a slow time of day with few people in attendance. The same waitress seated us and then disappeared. When she did come back put water on the table she spilled a glass onto the son of a friend of mine and, without any sort of apology or even an "oops" she angrily swiped the water off the table, glaring at the poor kid as if it were his fault! After we placed our order, my 2 year-old son wanted to move so I took him to an out of the way spot to play quietly with his truck on the floor. The same woman stalked over to us, rolled her eyes at me and growled "Could you please do something about this?" as if were screaming high-volume death metal in the middle of the restaurant. She then waked off angrily shaking her head... Needless to say, we left. Would love to be able to eat at the Owlery but not if this is what they think of as service. Never again!!!! read more

Amanda K.

9 years ago

Best place for vegan and vegetarian comfort food in town! Chris and Ginger are my absolute favorite servers. The cooks are pretty open to adjusting orders if you request a small change. The Owlery's brunch on Sundays is the BEST thing ever and my only complaint is that it doesn't happen more often. My meat-eating friends and family also approve. My boyfriend and I pretty much go to the Owlery at least twice a month, sometimes once a week. I love it. read more

Ann H.

14 years ago

THE BEST RESTAURANT IN BLOOMINGTON....Hands down! The food is delicious, consistent and made by folks who truly care about your experience. The Reuben, Cobb Salad and BLT are amazing and their soups cannot be beat! Definitely do not miss a meal here! We go at least twice a week! read more

Melissa S.

12 years ago

It took an hour to be seated in this quaint little hole-in-the-wall restaurant. They had 3 people working during lunch hour. The meal was nothing more than what I would make at home for my children. Very sub-par for the price I paid. $12 for a grilled cheese sandwich. read more

Laura P.

10 years ago

I haven't had a bad experience here and it fits so perfectly in Bloomington! I've tried to get something new every time, and everything has been super tasty! Very affordable and it's quiet enough to catch up with friends too :) read more

Jessica L.

13 years ago

I was tricked into coming by a vegetarian friend. However, the three stars was earned by the poutine. Nom Nom Nom. I will return for you gravy smothered cheese fries! read more

Al R.

10 years ago

Definitely the most vegan friendly restaurant near downtown. The beer selection is small but the brews on tap are quite good. Not that much seating. read more

Francesco L.

5 years ago

There are over 20 empty seats in here and they won't seat the three of us until a bigger table opens up. I'm not happy.

Alyssa A.

11 years ago

Everything is deep fried. Everything. You'd think vegans and vegetarians would offer healthy alternatives. Nope.

Tracie D.

7 years ago

Super friendly customer service and the food was amazing. Everything is a good price for how much you get.

Donald A M.

6 years ago

, . "" . , , , , . . , . , . , , , , .

Carl V.

7 years ago

This is absolutely one of the worst restaurants I've ever eaten that in my entire life.

Mike L.

8 years ago

Some of the very best baked goods i have ever had (vegan or non-vegan). Fantastic!

Sue S.

14 years ago

Absolutely wonderful! My husband and I are addicted to the Cobb salad!!,

Robyn M.

Elite 18

9 years ago

I loved eating here and everything I ever tried off the menu was amazing

K. E.

14 years ago

amazing staff, atmosphere, and food. hard to go any place else

Will L.

13 years ago

Best vegan place in town. Delicious, affordable, *awesome*.

Mel N.

13 years ago

From appetizers to dessert, this place was great.

Sarah F.

126

8 years ago

Great food, great price, and great people!

The Owlery Restaurant - vegan - Updated September 2026

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Hive

4.0

(152 reviews)

The Sausage Smash with a cup of coffee was the best breakfast I've had in a long time! Great local…read moreingredients. Very well prepared. Reasonable price. Peaceful atmosphere. Prompt service.

The menu features burgers, sandwiches, pot pies, bowls. The Chicken Salad was a little different…read morethan a usual chicken salad. There was a thin layer of slaw on the bun. It was an interesting addition to the sandwich because it made the sandwich a little more sour. I added a little hot honey to help counter some of the sourness. The Hive bun was very fresh. It had great texture- crunchy edges but spongy middle. The burgers looked good but appeared very small. I was a little surprised by the portion size considering the cost. It was very expensive for such a small burger that did not come with sides & drink. I liked the big plastic cups for water. It had a bunch of advertisements on the cup, but thought it was great sizewise for water. Usually we get a small plastic flimsy cup for water at other restaurants, so it was a nice surprise. The staff was friendly and served our order relatively quickly. Patrons came in waves. The outside is deceiving because the sign isn't flashy and looks relatively small. But, once you walk in, it appears a lot more spacious than from the outside. Plenty of seating for big/small groups.

Planted Bloomington

4.7

(13 reviews)

Really good vegan food! The food truck has open-faced sandwiches ("flats"), ice cream, and kombucha…read moreon tap. Sometimes there are other seasonal specials. The flats are really creative, which is a very nice change of pace in a city without a lot of adventurous vegan options. I tried their black oak (apple butter bbq jackfruit) and sumac (roasted squash and whipped sumac "feta") flats. Both were delicious with interesting flavours. Their vegan ice cream is also pretty good. The vanilla and Mexican chocolate ice creams were pretty smooth but the texture on the apple butter was a little icier compared to most dairy ice cream, but not in an unpleasant way. The apple butter flavour was so good and not too sweet. You can get the ice cream as plain scoops or in a sundae, and the caramel pie crust sundae was heavenly- the cinnamon pie crust pieces were delicious on their own. The people who work the truck are very nice. I so appreciate the commitment to sustainability. They serve their food in paper containers with wood cutlery (that actually works - no blunt forks), and if you bring your own cup for kombucha you get $1 off.

It was a rather hot day in June, but we still enjoyed the food truck options at a neighborhood…read moreget-together. Food truck options included "PLANTED". My wife is not vegan nor vegetarian, but she definitely devoured the Bellflower food item which included a chick pea patty and some other stuff she liked. The gal taking orders was friendly and they were efficient despite the temps being in 90's. Speaking on behalf of my wife, she genuinely enjoyed the food. See pics for other menu options and ingredients. Interesting flavors!!

Lincoln Square Pancake House - Bloomington

4.2

(70 reviews)

My food was really good. the service was really top notch. They have been doing such a good job on…read moreeverything from there music tovece

I the greek omelet and pancakes - absolutely killer! I would also recommend the biscuits and gravy.read more

Trojan Horse

3.6

(267 reviews)

Ridiculously slow service…read more No crowd --almost no customers--and over twenty minutes to get a gyro? We ordered baklava with baklava ice cream and after another 15-20 minutes had to cancel because we had to leave. She took it off the bill. She didn't seem concerned and we didn't get an apology, much less an explanation. We had been looking forward to this all day. The food is excellent and this USED TO BE one of our favorite places. We have been going here over 35 years. I'm not sure we'll go back. This has happened before, but this was the first time we had to cancel an order.

I think I enjoy Trojan Horse for its absolute charm. I'm going to miss their Kirkwood location,…read moreespecially the giant door ! I was there Saturday as a last hurrah ! And sat up top for the first time ever. We order multiple appetizers, but the one that was the best was the cheesepa'rer. I'm going to have to start making that at home ! The spanakopita was delicious and so was the saganaki. The gyro I had was kind of dry, however. Our server was super sweet and kept us topped up on beverages !

Feta Kitchen + Cafe

4.1

(113 reviews)

I love feta! Great food and always feels so good after eating!l. I come to get my physical therapy…read moredone here in town from Champaign and this is always my go to stops :)

A couple of poke bowls after a long days work, with their signature sweet potato fries…read more The protein bowl was... sort of dry. Roasted carrots were in it that had only been mildly tanned. Flavors were OK. Ingredients were missing that are normal for this bowl. We eagerly awaited the fries, which are made to order, and might be the best in Bloomington. That's if, as they'd promised, they would be delivered to our outside table. I had to chase them; they weren't quite hot, but good enough. There is lots of solid competition for bowls in Bloomington; these were average and the service weak. The flavors were OK, but the food was sort of dry. Perhaps if the server hadn't had trouble hearing over the constant sound of the smoothie machine blasting away, something different might happen, also the reason we sat outside in the first place. There is dysfunction here. We've liked it in the past, but see competition.

Vivencia Latin Flavors

4.2

(90 reviews)

It tastes like they love me…read more very pretty interior, nice patio, tres leches, smoothies, cafe beautiful smiling staff

I've been here for breakfast and lunch and both times had a great experience with delicious food…read moreand good service. Between my two visits, I got the vegan arepa, Venezuelan breakfast plate, tres leches cake cup, and regular and horchata matcha lattes. The vegan arepa was very tasty. It was a little difficult to eat because the arepa was sliced so thinly that it didn't look sturdy enough to pick up, but it was too crispy to easily cut through with a fork and knife. Still delicious though. I had meant to order with the pink sauce but forgot to specify and got what I think was the guasacaca instead, but it was so good that I didn't really mind. The Venezuelan plate was the right balance of simple and flavourful. Great acai bowl. Tres leches was very sweet, but I enjoyed it, and it was a nice individual portion. The regular matcha latte was pretty good, however the horchata was so sweet that I thought it somewhat overpowered the matcha in the horchata latte. I also tried the açai bowl and fresh-squeezed OJ that my family ordered, and would also highly recommend both of those! Whether you're visiting for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, there's a ton of variety including Venezuelan, Mexican, other Latin American, and USAmerican dishes, and some vegetarian and vegan options. The atmosphere is cool with the fake plants on the ceiling, and they had fun Latin music on. The waitress we had both times was friendly and professional, and the food was reasonably quick to come out. Recommended for something different in Bloomington!

Samira Restaurant

4.3

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excellent food, great service, inviting atmosphere. Fun place to go in Bloomington right on the…read moresquare. The eggplant and Kabobs are amazing!

First time eating at Samira the food was really good and so was the service. Everything was…read moreunique and made with fresh ingredients highly recommended

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We had the Italian Sub, the meat was fresh and plentiful. Cream of potato soup was delicious as…read morewell. Service was quick.

All comments on the food hold true from my previous 4 star review, but docking a star because the…read moreservice just has not been great the last few times. It takes a while for anyone to come out to help you after you come in and then they seem unhappy to be having to take your order, and it still takes a while to get the food even when you get something easy like soup. I could forgive the wait if they were just friendlier.

Ami

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