Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Uptown Cafe

    4.2 (789 reviews)
    Open 8:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Uptown Cafe Photos

    UPTOWN CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

    You might also consider

    More like Uptown Cafe

    Recommended Reviews - Uptown Cafe

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Menu
    Adam G.

    Recently met some friends for lunch at Uptown. We chose Uptown because the menu had a pretty good variety. We ordered calamari as an appetizer for the table. Good presentation, but taste was average. For an entree, I got the crispy chicken sandwich and my SO tried the salmon wrap. Both our meals were okay, but nothing special. Service was good and the inside was quaint. Overall, I'd say the experience was fairly average, hence 3 stars.

    2 1/2 meal
    Jeanee F.

    Went to this gem for breakfast, and it was soo good I had to post about it! Loved all Of our entrees and the scrumptious cinnamon roll coffee cake. YUM !

    Paul S.

    Table for two and the final bill was $48. So $58 with a tip. But, the food was excellent. Everything from the avocado toast to the huevos rancheros and the jalapeño grits. Great vibe and ambience, too. We love coming during the summer when the students are gone. The only thing missing is Eggs Benedict or the option for poached eggs. Five stars.

    The number 2
    Reyna R.

    The restaurant was charming - old school family restaurant vibes. Everything was very classy, and the service was friendly and great. I absolutely loved my breakfast (the number 2). It was such a classic, but the potatoes were so soft and well seasoned, and this is coming from a person who isn't a big fan of potatoes. The sausage patty was full of flavor and tasted like a mini steak- very high quality. The coffee was nothing special, though.

    Biscuits and gravy, plus egg upcharge (scrambled with cheese)
    Paige T.

    Food: I cannot say enough! Biscuits and gravy were so yummy and flavorful. I would have preferred a little more sausage (or larger pieces) but it was so good! I added the habanero hot sauce on the table and it was . Bacon was thick and perfectly crisp. My boyfriend's meal was also good. My fav was the red potatoes. The star of the show was the waffle! Light, flavorful, and buttery! The berries on top were so good. Service: Andrea was ! She was attentive, thoughtful, and patient. I want service like hers wherever I go. Ambiance: It was crowded for a snowy, cold Sunday morning but we were able to be seated right away. Our 2-seater table was a little bit crowded with 3 plates, a bellini pitcher, 2 bellini glasses, and 2 waters. Restaurant was clean, warm, and noise level was good despite many people there.

    Elizabeth Z.

    Loved our brunch experience here. Great spot to visit in the summer without students in Bloomington. Outdoor seating area right by the street that makes great people watching for summer street festivals. Got the eggs Benedict and a combo plate. Eggs were delicious and the potatoes it came with were a favorite. Will definitely stop by next time we're visiting.

    Salmon salad
    Chris H.

    I've been to btown many times but my first visit to Uptown and I will certainly be back. The steakhouse / Louisiana Cajun theme surprised me and I loved it. I had the pork chop with creole sauce as an added item and it was cooked perfectly and was delicious. I had sautéed spinach which was excellent and I had the jambalaya too and it was just ok. My daughter had the salad and added salmon (basically what she always gets) and she loved it and the sherry vinaigrette dressing. Others at my table were very happy with their dishes including crab cakes and a New York strip. The service was top notch, drinks were flowing, she was very attentive and knowledgeable, and the food came at a good pace.

    Us celebrating my birthday
    J F.

    This place is unique and amazing. My husband too me here for my birthday after i took myself here one night for a glass of very delicious wine on a day off and I had smoked salmon with goat cheese on a toasted baquette and it was delightful. For my birthday I had orange wine which was spectacular. It's wine made from white wine grapes where the grape skins are not removed so it's almost like rose. VERY unique. I loved it. Also had Salmon and truffle fries and sauted spinach and it was amazing. My husband had a great meatloaf sandwich. Also we went crazy for the strawberry pecan salad with the most delicious salad dressing we've ever had in our lives. In house ranch made with garlic, mayo and basil. Very potent and went well with the candied pecans. And I topped it off with a berry lemon cake for dessert which was quite moist, melt in your mouth and fluffy with delicious frosting on top. Yum!

    NY Strip with Steak Fries
    Karen B.

    My husband and I were celebrating our Birthdays!! I had the NY Strip, cooked a perfect mid-rare with steak fries. My husband had the special Baby Back Ribs with steak fries. Everything was delicious!! He had an Old Fashion and I had a glass of Cab. We started things off with the Buchetta appetizer with Goat Cheese, Andouille Sausage and carmelized onions. That is a must when you visit. Our server LaRose made the evening special. She sent us home with our Birthday Desserts!! We always love the Uptown and it's so nice to have affirmation that we've chosen wisely.

    J David H.

    The Uptown is a bit of a landmark cafe located in beautiful downtown Bloomington. It has been cranking delicious diner food for many, many decades. I dined on a weekend in late April, so a bit of a tardy review. Parking is by app pay in a parking lot behind, or off the street I believe also app pay. I was seated quickly by a hostess and provided a menu. My friendly waitress had water out before I even asked. I requested coffee which was returned in minutes. My order was biscuits and gravy with egg on top was turned around in about 10 minutes and a coffee refill was performed. My dish was great! Biscuits seemed fresh and gravy tasty. My bill was provided and turned around quickly. I thought the meal was a good value. If I return the Uptown Cafe is high on my list and hopefully for lunch next time.

    STEAK BENEDICT  4oz grilled beef tenderloin, bacon, two basted eggs, toasted English muffin, sliced tomato, hollandaise, home fries

    The steak Benedict is good. Good size for a brunch. The winner however was the chicken sandwich my wife had. It's amazing!!! Lots of flavor. I didn't get a picture of it, but 107 pound woman ate all of it!

    Huevos Rancheros
    Tanuj C.

    Uptown Cafe was an amazing experience and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a spot to eat in Bloomington. I came here for brunch with my club tennis team on a Saturday morning while we were waiting out a rain delay. As an upscale location, the prices are a bit steep, but they are definitely worth it. I got the hot chocolate topped with whipped cream, which had an amazing presentation (as seen in the picture) and also tasted great. For my main course, I got the huevos rancheros with chorizo (3 extra dollars for the chorizo). It comes with 3 tortillas as well as pico de gallo, sour cream, and hot sauce. The eggs and avocados were tasty and the chorizo took it to another level. I would definitely recommend getting these when coming here. The service was good, as food came out quick considering it was a party of 6 and our waiter was kind and attentive as well. Overall ambiance is great for a nice occasion as well as a casual outing. 5/5!

    Peter P.

    This is a nice place for weekend brunch. They have a fun selection of cocktails and benedicts from which to choose.

    Thai Fried Chicken

    See all

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of F. L.
    7
    994
    21

    1 month ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Galen C.

    Galen C.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 months ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Galen C.

    Galen C.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Adam G.
    469
    553
    2445

    7 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of J F.
    2
    24
    93

    9 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 26
    Thanks 10
    Love this 22
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    3 months ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Galen C.

    Galen C.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Peter P.
    257
    2306
    5474

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Joe B.
    0
    14
    0

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 3
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 months ago

    Great place! I hosted a private party there recently and it was amazing! I'm a regular visitor and have been for years! Bravo Uptown!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Alyssa W.
    1
    130
    168

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 7
    Thanks 2
    Love this 9
    Oh no 0

    4 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 months ago

    Great vibe and food. Even better service. Perfect for a low key romantic spot. Definitely will go again.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Brad H.
    43
    33
    10

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    5 months ago

    The best restaurant in Bloomington. This is a real hometown experience, but with sophisticated cuisine and lovely service.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Lisa B.
    104
    32
    0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 20

    Uptown Cafe Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Uptown Cafe

    Do you have bar drinks?

    Yes, we have a full bar with wine, beer, and spirits.

    What specials on which evenings?

    While all our specials are subject to availability, our specials are on the following schedule: Fat… Read more

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    You might also consider

    The Tap - Beer Cheese Burger

    The Tap

    4.0(429 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$

    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!

    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!

    Photos
    The Tap
    The Tap - Tex Mex Steak Wrap

    Tex Mex Steak Wrap

    The Tap - Brewberry Crunch Beer

    See all

    Brewberry Crunch Beer

    Malibu Grill - House Salad with ranch

    Malibu Grill

    3.7(351 reviews)
    0.0 mi
    $$

    Malibu Grill is one of those places that feels stitched into the identity of Bloomington. It's not…read morejust a restaurant, it's a downtown staple with a lively, slightly upscale energy that works just as well for date nights as it does for celebrations. The food never misses. The ahi tuna is absolutely fantastic--fresh, flavorful, and beautifully done every time. And the filet sliders are a must: tender, rich, and perfectly indulgent. What really sets Malibu apart, though, is the people. Owner JB (John Bailey) has created something special here, and it shows in every detail. The staff is consistently excellent, and Tyler at the bar is one of our favorites--always welcoming and on point. Great food, great atmosphere, and genuinely great people. This is one of those iconic Bloomington spots that keeps you coming back.

    Disappointing! We had a reservation for Valentine's Day. We showed up on time, checked in, and were…read moretold it would be "just a few minutes." Turns out "a few minutes" meant an hour. Other guests were frustrated with the poor planning and left, but we stuck it out because the weather was bad and, well, we figured a reservation should actually mean something. Then came the food wait. We ordered quickly and still waited another hour and a half. The cherry on top was that the takeout containers wouldn't even close properly. The food was okay. Dry. I would rather go somewhere else. We won't be back.

    Photos
    Malibu Grill - Bar area

    Bar area

    Malibu Grill - Pan Seared Filet Medallions with mashed potatoes and asparagus!

    Pan Seared Filet Medallions with mashed potatoes and asparagus!

    Malibu Grill - Bar area

    See all

    Bar area

    The Elm - Pork Two Ways entree

    The Elm

    4.3(108 reviews)
    0.5 mi

    The Elm is "one of one" in Bloomington, really no place like it…read more From service to decor to the food, The Elm stands out. Went for dinner on a non-football weekend night and had great service. Helpful guidance on menu choices and super attentive without being a bother. The room and bar are handsomely decked out, with comfortable, well-spaced tables and banquettes and booths. Makes for a fun setting. The food is seasonal and local -- lots of corn and squash this time of year. The chicken roulettes are excellent, as was the beet salad with Calabrian honey and whipped feta -- a nice sweet/hot combo. The steak frites was perfectly cooked to medium rare as requested, and accompanied by scalloped potato fries. Don't miss the desserts, either. The sweet corn creme brûlée with popped sorghum was totally new to me and delish. The chocolate medley was also excellent. Kudos for well-made cocktails too. Great experience and 100% different from everything else in town. A little NYC in IN.

    Elm absolutely delivered on every level. We tried the halibut, lamb ribs, and their signature…read morepull-apart milk bread with herbed butter--and every dish was beautifully presented and full of flavor. The lamb was perfectly tender, richly seasoned, and paired well with bright, fresh sides. The halibut was delicate and artfully plated with vibrant greens and a silky sauce. And that milk bread? Pillowy, golden, and served with some of the best butter I've ever had. The ambiance was refined yet welcoming--perfect for a special night out or an upscale casual dinner. Service was attentive and warm without being overbearing. In my opinion, this is one of the best dining experiences in Bloomington. A must-visit for locals and visitors alike.

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

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

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

    See all

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

    BuffaLouie's - Medium Traditional Wings with Celery & Carrots with a Soft Drink

    BuffaLouie's

    3.9(456 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    Onion Rings: 10/10 -- i would come back just for these!!! the crisp was immaculate and the batter…read morewas so good the onion stayed in tact with each bite. the house sauce was a creamy aoili-like mix which was super yummy too. Buffalo Chicken: 6/10 -- my sister got this and rated it a 6 (because there are no 7s on my scale). for $15+ and no side of fries this was kind of a scam sandwich lol #recessionindicator Sweet Lou's: 6/10 -- heavy on the sweet i was a fool i looooove bbq but their special "q sauce" was a bit like molasses rather than classic bbq. the patty, onion ring, and bacon were perfect but i literally could not taste them without scraping off the sticky sauce. again, $15+ and no side i feel like the flavor wasn't enough for me to recommend this to anyone. Tender & Fries: 6/10 -- what in the walmart brand frozen curly fries without salt nonsense on a plate was this... they got us LOOOOL... great value??? YEAH hard pass!!!! I was visiting my sister and she recommended this place because she had heard about it from fellow IU students. My thoughts: come for the IU memorabilia, and ambience, eat an order of onion rings (maybe sip a beer) while you watch a game and leave! The food was mediocre at best and wayyy overpriced.

    Bloomington institution that, if you have parents, they'll wanna go to with you…read more If you dont have parents its still an okay place to go. Counter service, cold beer, pretty good wings. Right by the sample gates. Cool inside too, lots of different levels of seating.

    Photos
    BuffaLouie's
    BuffaLouie's - Buffalo Chicken Salad

    Buffalo Chicken Salad

    BuffaLouie's - All-American Burger with Curly Fries

    See all

    All-American Burger with Curly Fries

    Uptown Cafe - breakfast_brunch - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...