THE 23 BEST American Restaurants in Bloomington, IL - 2024 Restaurantji (2024)

Customers` Favorites

“My family absolutely loves it here! They have a little bit of everything on the menu. Something for everyone! My personal favorites for breakfast would be the cinnamon french toast combo or the Mexican omelet with home fries. Now, at lunch, you can't go wrong with anything on that menu. I love the tenderloin. Someone else at my table ordered the fish sandwich recently, and it was amazing. I will be ordering that next time. Burgers are really excellent, and the fries are actually good! I haven't been there much for dinner but I can tell you the stir fry is delicious! I haven't had the dessert here yet since I'm most frequently here for breakfast. It looks delicious though.“

Customers` Favorites

“Absolutely thrilled with our first visit to Run n Erin's! The food was not just good but truly phenomenal. The service was impeccable, and our dishes arrived promptly, making for a delightful experience. Plus, they offer a fantastic selection of drinks. Can't wait to go back!“

Customers` Favorites

“I totally judged the name of this place and wasn’t expecting anything special. We during late breakfast and place was packed and I thought it would take forever for our food. I was wrong! Our waitress was outstanding and greeted us immediately and quickly got our drinks. We started with the saganoki which was perfect. Our food came out very quickly the cinnamon buns were delicious. Everyone enjoyed their meals. The waitress was on top of everything and never missed a refill. Can’t remember the last time we had a waitress so attentive!“

Customers` Favorites

“Found this place by chance and thought it would be a fun place to try out. The fact that President Lincoln had been here also added to the atmosphere. It was like stepping back into history yet, still felt new! The food was simple.yet amazing, and the fries were an unexpected treat! I would recommend it to anyone in the Bloomongton area!“

Customers` Favorites

“I'm my opinion it's the best place to get great food and co*cktails in town. It's on the more pricey side, but worth it if celebrating or treating yourself to a delicious meal. The service is usual really good and the dining room is cozy. My husband always gets the pork feature, no matter what it is, and it always impresses. Don't skip dessert!“

Customers` Favorites

“Great food and fantastic service. Chatted at the pitmasters when first came in and as we left after eating at a picnic table outside. Owner was there taking care of lunch for his employees with food from somewhere else. Nice touch and was a super nice and BBQ chatty owner. :)The Brisket was very well smoked if a bit salty but I am fine with that. I thought it was brined first but was assured it was not. The chicken, pulled pork and ribs were all great as well with good smoke. The spicy sausage was really good. Too much for my wife but not insane to me but a very nice spice bite.We got the green beans, baked beans and coleslaw as sides. The green beans were OK, nothing special to me. The baked beans were interesting. At first you get a "oh, this is a savory bean" and then the sweet comes in and it is an interesting play that finishes with a bit of heat on the back end but nothing crazy at all. With the slaw, if you like KFC's, you will like the flavor. This is a MUCH finer shred but the flavor is very similar.Overall, great BBQ joint. Seating is just a couple picnic tables outside but that was enough for us even on a cool day. We live in Peoria but my wife will be coming to Bloomington monthly for quilting fabric and I can see this being the lunch stop quite often. :)Parking: Relatively small lot - maybe 15 spots - but since it is primarily takeout this shouldn't be an issue as the turnover is pretty good. We were there late lunchtime (around 3pm) and there were 6-7 spots.“

Customers` Favorites

“This was our first time stopping in. Just wanted to give it a try. What a wonderful place. Nice decor friendly staff and amazing food. I would definitely recommend giving it a try.Kid-friendliness: First time here and the staff was super friendly with amazing service!“

Customers` Favorites

“So, the oysters and the mussels were very good. I’m pretty sure the sourcing of all ingredients is very thoughtful. Even the potatoes were exceptional. We like the use of what turned out to be turnips. Everything was cooked well. I like that they are inspired by April Bloomfield, one of my favourite chefs. However, the entrees weren’t anything special. I guess it was more comfort food, and disappointing after the awesome starters. They were accommodating and made a kind of gravy. I did like the lightly fried potato slabs. The non alcoholic drinks weren’t great. And the dessert, while clearly made with good ingredients, was not as intriguing as the description. Not sure where the peach jam was in it all. The atmosphere is fine. A little darker than I’d like, a lamp on the table or small one above our heads would have been useful. The music doesn’t go with the atmosphere. I think it’s a new restaurant, and they might also be timid due to their location, but I feel they should do more with what they have.“

Customers` Favorites

“The food was really good, the staff was pleasant but not necessarily friendly or exuding a desire to be there. The whole side of the restaurant for that burger joint was dark, dreary, and very cold. Because of this we got it to go and ate in the car “

Customers` Favorites

“Just had the best chicken gizzards of my life today at Keller’s. Not only are gizzards usually hard to come by, but often they are chewy and dried out. These were so, so tender and the spice - incredible. Such a great lunch special, too. If you love gizzards, here you go!!“

Customers` Favorites

“GREAT FOOD, friendly staff and fast service, also see a lot of them smiling while working which is unusual at most places I've been so it does add sparkle to the place. They got a neat decor setup and a patio in the back which is super cozy !! Prices are about average. Would recommend!!Parking: Depending on how busy it is you may have to walk a little bit to get there from where you parkKid-friendliness: They do have food options for kids and most of their food is kid-friendly with lots of options!Wheelchair accessibility: They have a ramp and plenty of space once inside“

Customers` Favorites

“Great selection of beers, with a frequently-changing list that often brings back the most popular drafts of previous rotations. Great entertainment, including live music, karaoke, and the occasional movie. They've almost always got something entertaining on the TVs, and the staff are usually pretty quick to come take your order when you're ready.“

Customers` Favorites

“We had not been to Baxters for a while and decided to give it a try, and we left feeling very good about the choice. Emma was our server and she did a great job of making sure that we did not want for anything. The food was served promptly and was very good. I had a steak and the wife had the Halibut and both were cooked perfectly and were very tasty. The price was reasonable and the atmosphere was quiet and friendly. Overall a good experience.“

Customers` Favorites

“We’re trying new places around town and decided to give this burger place a shot. I’m glad we did! It seemed like the owner was in when we arrived. He was very friendly and checked in with us a few times to make sure we were pleased with our food. Our burgers were delicious and fresh. We tried both the regular and Cajun fries which were also a hit, but I’m not sure they’re friendly to reheating. The coffee shake was excellent! We’ll be back for sure.“

Customers` Favorites

“Always a great stop. Cozy place with great burgers! Nice family atmosphere and very friendly staff. We love coming here in the winter because they have a heated outdoor area where we can smoke cigars. We also really enjoy the fact they have the Golden Tee game.“

Customers` Favorites

“Why has it taken this long for us to find this Gem! Absolutely thee best restaurant so far that we have found for breakfast. They currently only surve breakfast and lunch. But seems they are thinking dinner menus soon. This place was quite, and very welcoming. They provide two dinning areas, the lounge (bar- our favorite) that also has table tops for four. Then there is the dinner! Here is photos of our trip for breakfast!“

Customers` Favorites

“Played gig there tonight WRG. Best Hostess’ EverBest Food Ever Took home the Ham n Cheese and Carolina Pork sandwich both to die for cooked perfectly and the side slaw for the Pork Sandwich I ate by itself it was absolutely the best slaw EVER. Highly Recommend their food and awesome service.“

Customers` Favorites

“I've been going to this place for 40+ years. The changes in the past few years are very disappointing. Menu offerings for 30 years are now gone. Prices dramatically up, while portions and inclusive items are reducedNegative double whammy! ☹️“

“The VFW Post 454 Riders Group are very community minded, with a focus on supporting our Veterans. All of the proceeds they raise are donated to area organizations such as Home Sweet Home Ministries Homeless Veterans, Illiana VA PTSD and Military Suicide Prevention and Awareness, Hooah Deer Hunt for Heroes, and Marine Corps Toys For Tots of McLean County.“

Customers` Favorites

“Very clean! Friendly smiling staff. The chili was very flavorful not spicy. The onion rings were amazing. The barbecued, bacon burger were cooked perfectly and had great flavor. The pork tenderloin was the best my husband has ever eaten! It was huge! Our waitress Kay was smiling, friendly, informative, and extremely efficient! She was fantastic! We will be back and highly recommend Schooners!“

Customers` Favorites

“Parkview Inn is located on historic Route 66 and has been in operation since 1925. Parkview Inn is the oldest restaurant in Bloomington, Illinois. Who doesn’t love traveling on the Mother Road especially when you can stop at to eat at restaurants along the route. Parkview Inn is located near Miller Park and the zoo.We were seated quickly upon entering the restaurant at one of the high top tables inside the restaurant. The have an outdoor patio area but it was too hot for that. We all decided on cheeseburgers and fries. We were starving so we were able to eat pretty much everything but a few fries. We plan to come back next time we are in town. #bucketlistKid-friendliness: Relaxed atmosphere“

“I just tried this for the first time. First, it's a cool place, off the beaten path, with a very big city soul vibe. It's dark, carry out only, cool graphics on the walls, menu in chalk on the walls, good tunes. The food cooking in the kitchen smells amazing. It didn't disappoint one bit. The mac and cheese, greens, and lamb chops (something I've never had before) were delicious! Lots of great flavor and beautifully cooked. Can't wait to try again!“

Customers` Favorites

“Like home cooking. The broccoli chicken cheese bake was soooo good. Our server James polite and efficient. Between serving he cleaned tables. His section looking good. I've noticed more restaurants with dirty tables and it was a refreshing change to see such excellent work.“