The Rock Restaurant

I came from texas for the special Olympics for my niece. We chose your restaurant for the final…read moreday. She had shrimp tacos I had beef strognof my brother had a gyro and my sister in law had chicken flat bread. The beef strognof was something I will dream of here in texas forever It was the very best that I had EVER HAD IN MY LIFE NEXT TO MY SISTERS GREAT JON

Deviled eggs appetizer was great. Creamy gnocchi and the seafood cioppino were excellent. Family…read morerun restaurant and service was superb. Quaint atmosphere.

Restaurant interior

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DESTIHL Restaurant & Brew Works

4.2(996 reviews)

1.6 mi

The corned beef was incredibly tender and full of flavor. The Brussels sprouts were different--they…read morewere shredded and mixed with sauerkraut--but they were still really good, even though they weren't like any I've had before. The potatoes were also pretty solid. The flavored tea was nice, it just needed a bit of sugar. Our waitress was super friendly and made the experience even better. She was enthusiastic and enjoyed sharing her favorite menu items, which I appreciated. The ambiance was very welcoming, and I liked how open the space felt. The only downside was that the host who seated us seemed a little short when asking if we had reservations, especially when I asked if they were required.

So, I know the new kids in the block like this kind of thing to order from table and pay and…read morewaitress just plops food on table with all canned drinks no fountain drinks but honestly I didn't like that. I prefer more interaction with the people who are trying to earn a tip. But food was good 4 for food 1 for business profile So 3

Seating by bar area. We arrived at an off time, so it wasn't crowded. People started filtering in around 4pm.

Guajillo Chicken Nachos & Sausage and pepperoni stone oven pizza

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Dining area

DESTIHL Brewery & Beer Hall

4.1(215 reviews)

2.5 mi

On a recent 04/17/26 visit to Bloomington-Normal we stopped in for dinner/drinks and had an…read moreexcellent time. Very nice space: the beer was terrific, as was the food. Highly recommended!! As we were finishing up our meal/drinks some really bad weather moved in, and suddenly tornado warnings hit everyone's phones. Destihl management quickly moved all remaining patrons (us included) into the brewery portion of the building for safety for approximately 45 minutes or so. Kudos to all members of the Destihl team that night, as they were friendly and professional during this severe and intense weather event.

We don't come to that part of town often, but happened to be staying at hotel close by. And we saw…read morethe place driving to our hotel. Food is really good. I got the charcuterie shareable as my entree and a dragon fruit sangria. Drink was fruity and tasty ; but a lot of alcohol. The charcuterie was filling although a little salty. Which should have been expected DUH! Hubby got fried cod and a house salad. He enjoyed both. Website recommended reservations. We were seated immediately without one. It's spacious on the inside. The women's restrooms was individual powder room with your own pedestal sink! Wanna come back and try breakfast next time.

Caesar Salad

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Dosvidanya 13.5% ABV Russian Imperial Stout, hits like a Makarov pistol; decadent, lethally boozy, and full of spice.

Baxters American Grille

4.0(230 reviews)

4.2 mi

We had eaten at Baxters before and really enjoyed the atmosphere and wonderful pasta dishes. But…read moretoday we wanted a good steakhouse steak dinner. We started off with shrimp cocktail. It was fine, though the cocktail sauce could have used a little more horseradish. The basket of warm bread and whipped butter was great. And The salads were excellent (we went for a standard greens salad and a Caesar salad). For the main dish, we each ordered a bacon wrapped filet, medium rare, with Brussels sprouts. The filets were prepared as directed, but seemed dry, tough and flavorless. Disappointed. But worse was the Brussels sprouts (one of our favorites). The sprouts were hard, woefully undercooked and crunchy. Not in a good way. The flavor was lost in the rough texture. Very disappointed. The staff seemed a little flustered too. Brought a side a sautéed onions when we'd ordered mushrooms. Too bad, as we had enjoyed our pasta meals before and had expected a steakhouse to perform better.

I came here tonight with 3 colleagues and it was 50% off all appetizers! What a deal! We shared the…read moresticky ribs, the pretzel, the nachos and mushrooms. The hit were the mushrooms and pretzel! It was filling and all very fresh. The mushrooms were gooey with cheese and a sauce. The pretzel was warm and brown with a yummy cheese sauce. We agreed the nachos were average. The ribs were good but I didn't love the mustard in the sauce. We had great service and you couldn't beat the price. Major score tonight!

Chilled Wine

Butter cake. Very thin slice that is slightly gooey. But great flavor.

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Revery

4.5(62 reviews)

2.8 mi

A beautiful place for dinner and/or drinks. Great bourbon selection!…read moreMason is most gracious and welcoming! He took care of everything we needed and was helpful in going over the menu with us. Definitely a go to for an enjoyable time

We came here while in town for graduation at Illinois State University. While on the outside it is…read moreunassuming, the inside reveals a clean, large dining room that feels upscale. We had a reservation so we were seated promptly at a large table in its own little alcove in the back. While the place was busy, we could chat comfortably with one another and felt adequately separate from other tables. The menu has a bit of everything, so everyone should be able to find something they like on it. We started with cocktails, mozzarella sticks, and pretzel bites. The cocktails were good but I could've used less sweetness in mine. The mozzarella sticks and pretzels bites were standard, which means they were great as usual. For a group of 5 of us, an order of each was enough to hold us over until the main meal. I personally got the fish sandwich for my dinner with fries. The fish was great and large enough that it hung over the sides of the bun. My only complaint about the sandwich was the lack of tartar sauce on it. The cook must have just added the smallest dash, as the only sign it was there was a little spot of discoloration on the bun. The fish was good but the sandwich would have been better with more moisture from that tartar. The fries it came with were standard shoe string fries. Nothing special but hit the spot all the same. Everyone else at the table enjoyed their meals as well and we left comfortably full with no leftovers. Overall the meal came at a good pace, the atmosphere was nice, and the prices were reasonably. If in town again we would come back here.

Créeme brûlée

Sink salad

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Fish and chips

Bakery and Pickle

4.2(69 reviews)

1.9 mi

Was such a fun experience and our waitress was just fantastic! Great anniversary, and romantic…read morevibe. We did several courses, and was blown away by each dish. The salad was the best part, still thinking about the dressing.

Place was awesome, but this last time everything we ordered was mediocre at best. So disappointing…read more The steak had a heavy gravy on it that I would have asked to have removed if I knew it would be served this way. It was so salty and tough. My boyfriend had a chicken dish which is usually delicious, but this time was heavily breaded and beyond salty. The kale salad was tasty, but tough for his mom to eat and she couldn't add just a chicken breast or something to it. All in all the ambience and wait staff is great, but if this is the new quality of the food then we'll take a pass on going here for dinner and just stick to the cocktails. Even the oyster dish I loved in the past was too salty and tasted different from before. What happened B&the P??

Interior

Banana croissant

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Restaurant seating

Cadillac Jack's

4.6(45 reviews)

3.1 mi

We were traveling as nd decided to stop for lunch. We were not disappointed. We were greeted with…read morehellos from the bartender and he said we could sit anywhere. Our server came right over and took our drink order. They have daily specials. But he got a bourbon burger cooked perfectly and I got a taco. We shared an order of fries. Everything was very tasty. They restaurant and bathrooms were clean. It was reasonably priced. We would definitely eat here again given the chance

We were in town for a golf tournament and to visit family. We got into town late and Cadillac…read moreJack's was close to our Airbnb so we gave them a try. They had live music in the parking lot that was very loud, so we decided to eat inside. The waitress was nice and made several menu suggestions since it was our first visit. We started out with pretzels and cheese. It was good. They offered two different cheeses with it, beer cheese and nacho cheese. We tried both and they were good. I created my own pizza with pepperoni, onions, peppers, and mushrooms, my son had a pepperoni pizza, and my husband had the Philly steak with onion rings. The food was just ok, but we didn't leave hungry.

Local beer and bar

Bourbon burger and taco

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Jesse's Grille

3.2(32 reviews)

0.0 mi

5/5 this dinner, service, and beautiful atmosphere was so good that I specifically downloaded yelp…read moreto give a review. I saw other reviews that were not good. We arrived after long drive from Michigan and I wasn't expecting such an excellent meal. I had the Marriott Burger, other had a Smoked Chicken Panini. They couldn't have been any better. Jason gave excellent service, and the atmosphere of the hotel is beautiful.

Nice quiet place to eat if you just don't want to leave your hotel. Great bartender/server, but the…read morekitchen could have been much better. I ordered a burger, medium with everything. It wasn't busy at all but the cook time seemed excessive. Beautiful presentation, but after the second bite, I realized one side was over cooked. It was done and my server asked if I wanted to have it remade. I said no it's ok, my server comped my draft beer to make up for the kitchen. Maybe just a bad night, I'll probably be be back hoping for a better kitchen.

Menu 2

Updated menus. Was told construction would wrap up in December and fully back open in the new year!

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Overcooked one side of the burger.

Epiphany Farms Restaurant

4.5(515 reviews)

2.1 mi

•$$$

Really great experience every time I have been. Drinks A++ Food A++ Service A++ Even sat at the bar…read moreand had a drink while I waited on a date and for our Table upstairs and the bartender was so nice and helpful and gave us great recommendations

Place was great! Met some family there for lunch, and everyone enjoyed everything. Great vibe,…read moregreat food, fresh, and great staff.

Farm Restaurant

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Epiphany Farm Restaurant

Garden of Paradise

3.9(130 reviews)

2.0 mi

I came to town to visit my dad, Jackie Mo, along with Ryan Mo, and the rest of the family. While…read moreI've been here on vacation, I've eaten at Garden of Paradise a couple of times, and it's been excellent every visit. The staff is friendly and welcoming, and our waitress, Abby, was awesome. She provided great service and made sure we had everything we needed. The food was fresh, delicious, and consistently good. I'll definitely be coming back the next time I'm in town. Thank you to Abby and the entire team at Garden Paradise for another great dining experience!

They have such delicious food. The catfish is awesome. I will be going as soon as I feel better…read more Thank you for your great food and service.

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Inside

Garden of Paradise - Greek Skillet came with nearly no Gyro meat, so I ordered an extra side of Gyro Meat. Lacked seasoning. Nice Tzatsiki sauce though.

Greek Skillet came with nearly no Gyro meat, so I ordered an extra side of Gyro Meat. Lacked seasoning. Nice Tzatsiki sauce though.

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Insid3

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63 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Jacqueline K.

5 years ago

This is my first time here so I have no idea what is in the food and the young lady working practically explained everything on the menu for me. For this alone the place gets 5 stars and Hailey would get 20 stars if I could give them to her. She was so patient with my group and her fantastic smile put us all at ease. Best worker ever in my opinion. Most people nowadays have the attitude of that they are being bothered when asked anything. Not Hailey. She was more than happy to assist us. For the food. I got the Gyro Special. Kinda small portions but it turned out to be just right. Super crispy fries and the gyro was med sized but jammed packed with meat. That ranch sauce stuff was pretty good too. Place was neat and clean and super nice. Highly recommend this place! read more

Olivia F.

12 years ago

First off I would like to say that the owner is really nice. When I ate there to see what all the fuss was about I was expecting a fantastic meal. The food was about average, there really wasn't anything spectacular about it. He's raised prices since the last time I looked over the menu. If you're looking for something greasy and a hearty portion then it's not a bad place. I will say that the portions you get are hearty for the price you pay. read more

Mack D.

11 years ago

Best philly cheesesteak in town. Beware if you see a kid doing the cooking. No experience causes the meat to be burnt and dried out. Make sure one of the owners/mgrs are doing the cooking. Gyro meat is okay, but they over heat the pita bread till it's too dry and brittle. They store the pita too close to the cooktop so it's overly dry anyway. Overall, it's a good place owned and managed by good people. read more

Jane S.

13 years ago

Eh, The Rock isn't really that special. Had their gyros once and they didn't really taste genuine. It tasted more processed than anything. The stuff looks like it all comes from a bag and doesn't look like it takes much to prepare the food. This makes me believe that the prices shouldn't be so high for the amount of effort that goes into it. read more

Doctor D.

13 years ago

I love this place. My favorite thing to get is the grilled chicken gyro with fries, and I HAVE to have ranch dressing for my fries. Something about the crispy coating on the fries makes them perfect for ranch dressing. It's my Sunday go to place for dinner because it's close to the constitution trail and I like to stop in after my ride. read more

Chad S.

11 years ago

Great food, great people, great atmosphere, it's great, just go and try it. I always get the challenger. The fries remind me of Burger King fries, but taste better. The new renovation is really good. I think they may be adding outdoor seating as well, not sure though read more

Michael M.

10 years ago

Falafel salad was really good, only problem was the iceberg lettuce. There are local farmers producing some great greens , so , why not try them? Iceberg is the sawdust/cardboard of the lettuce world. That said , My wife and I will definitely be back. read more

Jack F.

10 years ago

What can I say about the rock, the gorgeous scenery of uptown normal mixed with the succulent Mediterranean cuisine will leave you wanting to come back everyday. The friendly staff and open kitchen make the rock one of the best places to eat in normal read more

Mason D.

12 years ago

Great philly cheesesteak, but the gyro's aren't as good. The meat for the gyro's is great, but the pita bread is always stale because they grill it instead of steaming it which dries it out to the max. They fries here aren't worth ordering either. read more

Danny S.

10 years ago

This place is just absolutely incredible. I leave speechless every time I'm there. From the garlic chicken to the falafel you will be amazed with just how great this food is! Ran by a top notch family this place is a must stop! read more

Chris K.

10 years ago

Amazing restaurant. Very clean place with the nicest employees. The food reminds of the home cooked meals back home in Lebanon. Definitely a must stop if you are in Bloomington Nornal. read more

Britney R.

9 years ago

It's a little loud in here. Sound travels fast in a small space. But the food is good so it's usually packed! Good prices. The food comes out fast. I love those pretzel bun burgers. read more

John J.

12 years ago

Best place to eat in uptown normal. Fantastic food, good prices, and friendly staff. Great menu options. I definitely recommend the Gyro Special or the Challenger. read more

Mee M.

8 years ago

Great food, great atmosphere, prices are right, good service, very clean restaurant, owners really care about their customers! I highly recommend the Rock. read more

Said S.

3 years ago

Great food, great atmosphere, prices are right, good service, very clean restaurant, owners really care about their customers! I highly recommend the Rock read more

Rachelle K.

10 years ago

Food is amazing, and workers are great! This restaurant is one of my favorites! It's extremely clean and I always leave with a big smile on my face. read more

Giacomo L.

7 years ago

Visiting in town and absolutely had a great time. Was greeted warmly by all the workers, food was fast and fresh, and overall a great time!

Michele K.

11 years ago

Awesome food, AWESOME staff! Must come in and see the awesome new renovation. Love the hummus, falafel and gyros. Amazing look inside!

Kristin M.

11 years ago

Really great restaurant in downtown Normal. Very friendly staff and incredible food! We had the chicken gyros with hummus! Soooo good!

Joe W.

323

11 years ago

Absolutely the best int he business..... Amazing food! No more words needed.... take it from a guy who loves his food! read more

The Rock Restaurant - greek - Updated September 2026

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They have such delicious food. The catfish is awesome. I will be going as soon as I feel better…read more Thank you for your great food and service.

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The only thing that bit during our first (and last!) visit was the reality that this was one of the…read moreworst dining experiences we've ever had (and we eat out a lot). We waited over 30 minutes for a burger (ordered medium) and farfalle pasta with vodka sauce --we were the only table that had placed a dinner order at that time. No check-ins, no updates. When I finally asked, we were told the kitchen was "plating" and needed five more minutes. My burger came out first and was beyond well-done. It was dry and smothered in sloppy sauce. The pasta was completely wrong: linguini with basic marinara instead of the farfalle with vodka sauce we ordered. The sauce tasted straight from a jar. We were hungry and almost let it go, until my husband took a bite and the pasta was raw. Not al dente. Crunchy. We sent both dishes back because they were simply not edible. (Btw, food wasn't cheap eaither: pasta was $29 and burger was $20) Between the long wait, lack of communication, incorrect dishes, overcooked burger, jar-tasting sauce, and raw pasta, it felt careless, even insulting. Like the menu is banking on diners not knowing the difference. If the movie Reality Bites was about the harsh wake-up call of adulthood, this place is the harsh wake-up call of overpromising and underdelivering. I've never left a restaurant this frustrated. Would never recommend.

The seared ahi tuna was delicious especially the dipping sauce…read more The tacos are perfect for sharing. The shrimp was good but I preferred the fish tacos more. Very cool interior and a welcoming atmosphere. Loved the Halloween skeletons decor at the front of the restaurant. The menu is very different and we were excited to try this place. The only strange thing at the end was my brother left the server a cash tip which included some $2 bills. She came back and told us "we don't accept $2 bills." Excuse me? It is legal US currency. It was also meant to be part of her tip. So there went some of her tip.

Bernardi's Restaurant

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Great service, polite staff. Cajun shrimp was great, I'd personally avoid anything not pasta on the…read moremenu

Julie and I visited Bernardi's in Washington on Thursday, August 6, 2026, to meet up with a group…read moreof friends. There were eight of us at the table. When we arrived, the other six people in our group were already there, having drinks and sharing bread from the basket provided at the table. We ordered our meals, and when our food arrived, I asked for some additional bread to go with my meal. I was told, rather abruptly, that there was only one basket of bread per table. What I found particularly frustrating was that there were other tables with only two people sitting at them, and they had a full basket of bread. Meanwhile, our table of eight was expected to share one basket. I even offered to pay for additional bread, but I was simply told no, and I never received any additional bread. The policy itself was disappointing, but what really bothered me was the way the situation was handled. The waitress was extremely abrasive and difficult to understand, and there was no attempt to explain the policy or offer any alternative. A simple explanation such as, "I'm sorry, we have a new policy, but you can purchase additional bread if you'd like," would have been completely different. We have traditionally enjoyed Bernardi's and have gone there about once a week, either dining in or getting carryout. Unfortunately, after this experience, I won't be returning. Restaurants have plenty of competition, and when you're spending your hard-earned money somewhere, you should be treated with courtesy and respect. I understand that restaurants can change their policies, even policies I may not agree with. What I don't understand or accept is being treated rudely when simply asking for something as basic as a piece of bread with my meal. It wasn't the bread that ultimately made me decide not to return. It was the way I was treated.

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