Uptown Cafe

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#2 of 304 Restaurants in Bloomington$$ - $$$, American, Cajun & Creole, Vegetarian friendly

+1 812-339-0900+ Add website

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Hours

Sun

9:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Mon

8:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Tue

8:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Wed

8:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Thu

8:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Fri

8:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Sat

9:00 AM - 2:00 PM5:00 PM - 10:00 PM

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What is Travelers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.5

851 reviews

#2 of 304 Restaurants in Bloomington

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Food and ambience

Local cuisine, American, Cajun & Creole, Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

“Hope to return soon to try the Crème Brûlée French Toast!”

“Everyone was very happy with their meals- creole meatloaf, red beans and rice...”

“We consumed two appetizers ($1 8.50 calamari, $17 andouille goat cheese brusc...”

“... (spicy), my daughter the Chicken Pita, and I had the Shrimp and Grits.”

Location and contact

102 E Kirkwood Ave, Bloomington, IN 47408-3332

+1 812-339-0900

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Is this restaurant good for business meetings?

Yes

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Details

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About

The Uptown Cafe has been a Bloomington landmark since 1976. We serve Breakfast, Weekend Brunch, Lunch and Dinner. We are also known for our beverage program - serving fine wine and spirits, and craft beer and cocktails.

PRICE RANGE

$9.00 – $40.00

CUISINES

American, Cajun & Creole

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Late Night, Drinks

FEATURES

Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Private Dining, Seating, Parking Available, Street Parking, Television, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, American Express, Mastercard, Visa, Free Wifi, Discover, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Gift Cards Available

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4.5

851 reviews

Excellent

532

Very good

230

Average

Poor

Terrible

fooddr

580 contributions

Dinner was so good, we went back for breakfast

Mar 2020 • none

We had a lovely dinner here, with delicious food (crab cakes, steak, seafood entrees) and dessert. The service was awesome on a crowded Thursday night. The kitchen knows what they are doing, and each dish was prepared and presented with care. The next morning we went back for breakfast and even on a busy Saturday morning, we were seated immediately, and the service, and food were great. We'll be back.

Written March 9, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Richard W

8 contributions

A reliable institution in Bloomington for more than 30 years!

Jan 2020 • none

The menu is always built around some New Orleans dishes like gumbo and red beans and rice, but there are always specials, steaks, vegetarian dishes and other options. As close as we come to "fine dining" in Bloomington, while remaining informal and relatively inexpensive. I have never had a bad experience at the Uptown, after eating there more than a hundred times. My daughter worked there as a greeter in high school, and she said it was also a pretty happy workplace. Good management, good food.

Written February 11, 2020

Tampa23

Indianapolis10 contributions

Great staff!

Feb 2020 • couples

We are regulars at the Uptown, dining there at least twice a month. The food is good and the bar side atmosphere is nice. The specials tend to be the same ones and are typically the same as the menu item. So, not sure why they are specials. the staff is overall a great crew. However, a special call out to Jimmy. He is attentive, personable and we feel he is working for us. Lastly, Brenton’s classic Martini is first rate.

Written February 26, 2020

SandiG680

Indianapolis159 contributions

2 visits 2 completely different experiences

Jan 2020 • couples

What could have been our go to place for dinner, was bashed by a terrible dinner experience. Visit 1. 4 stars. The service and food was outstanding. I mentioned to my husband that I do not think we have ever had such fantastic service. I would have rated it a 5, but the grits were not very warm. The food tasted excellent, shrimp and grits for me, seafood gumbo for my husband. Creme Brûlée for dessert. Very yummy. Visit 2. 0-1 star. We arrived at 4:45pm, dressed in business attire. Immediately upon entering the mostly empty restaurant, we felt something was wrong because we did not have a reservation. We were take to a tiny table that is almost touching the bar. Two men were seated at the bar, which because their stools were pushed back, were about one foot from the table. We asked for a different table, which the staff nicely did. The waiter took 20 minutes to take our order, dropped off our food and we didn’t see him again until the bill arrived. We would have had extra drinks and dessert, but he never appeared. He apologized stating he was busy. We left feeling like we were not wanted, thus will probably not return.

Written February 13, 2020

galencassady

Hello! I’d like to apologize for your most recent experience with us. The poor service you had to endure is certainly not up to the standards we have. We’re so happy you had such a wonderful time in your first visit but are disappointed in ourselves that we were not consistent on your next visit. We would appreciate the opportunity to learn more about this experience so we can improve and take action As to what went wrong. If you have the time, we would really appreciate it if you emailed us at uptown@the-uptown.com to give us a few more specifics about your visit (date, time, etc.). We would love the opportunity to serve you again if you would give us another chance! We appreciate your feedback and hope to see you soon!

Written February 14, 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Debbie J

Winona Lake2 contributions

Fatty Pot Roast

Jan 2020 • none

We only live in Bloomington six months of the year so had not been to Uptown since last spring. Our meals have always been excellent before but last Saturday we went and discovered that everything had gone up in price so that we were now paying a lot more for the same meal we have always had. We always get the artichoke appetizer, one salad, two pot roast dinners, and two glasses of wine. I don't know why they call it a glass of wine because it only looks like a few ounces for $11. The pot roast has always been one of our favorite because the meat would just fall apart. It was so tender. Last week we had to use a knife to cut it. Also, I had big chunks of fat that I had to spit out! It seemed like a cheap piece of meat for a lot more money! We are going back in a few weeks because we have enjoyed this place. Hopefully we have a much better experience.

Written January 20, 2020

Jeff C

Indianapolis295 contributions

Wonderful Surprise

Aug 2020 • none

On the way back to Indianapolis from McCormicks Creek State Park we stopped at Uptown Cafe for breakfast. I was pleasantly surprised. The service was great, wonderful updated dining area, nice restrooms. I had 2 eggs, bacon and potatoes. Though it was good especially the potatoes (with onion and mushrooms) I thought an extra $3.00 for 3 slices of bacon was a bit excessive. My friend had the omelette with potatoes. Fantastic coffee! With tip $44.64 so not Denny’s but well worth it.

Written August 9, 2020

Bren4NewYork

Rockville Centre12 contributions

BEST MENU - WILL NOT DISAPPOINT

Aug 2020 • none

It was hard to make a selection because there was so many good choices. We were greeted professionally, well organized, had reservations and the tables were spaced out without leaving the unused tables on the floor (i.e. the removed the excess tables for a clean and polished look). Our waiter was fantastic, new the menu well and also spent some time talking to our son who was looking at the university as a prospective freshman. We had the impossible burger, the Lousianna Chicken, the meat gumbo, and it was all delicious. If there was one minor criticism it was the creme brûlée's (which by the way we ate every last bit) - I prefer the creme brûlée to be prepared in a shallow dish and this is in a deeper dish.

Written August 20, 2020

VLR

Bloomington-Normal167 contributions

Nice Dinner in Bloomington

Nov 2021 • none

We enjoyed Uptown Cafe recently with friends. The restaurant was very busy. Servers wore masks while serving. The food was very good. Some problems with temperature of the food, as all the broccolini at our table was barely warm, really cool actually. Surf and turf entree was good. Seems a bit much to pay for the bread, but we did it anyway ($3 per basket). Prices, in general, are a bit high. They also offer a half-price wine promotion on Mondays, though. That might be one reason it was very busy. Our server was good. Had the persimmon pudding for dessert which was very good.

Written November 6, 2021

hjnmwhps

Bloomington5 contributions

Good as always -- except the prices have gone up!

Aug 2021 • none

We have been going to Uptown for a long time and understand that Covid has been tough on all restaurants. Still, we were surprised at the prices. Bread that used to be complimentary is now $1.50 for two small slices of baguette, and the roasted pepper medallions now cost an impressive $48.00! Exchanging a side for a small salad cost $2 extra -- how can a small side salad be more expensive than a side of Mac'n' Cheese or steak fries? We opted for cheaper burgers and drinks and still had a bill of over $110 dollars for two people. We love the place but won't be able to go there often anymore.

Written August 30, 2021

Galen C

Hi! Thank you for your feedback and continued support over the years! You’re right, the COVID-19 pandemic has been tough on all of us. This is extremely evident in the supply chain, cost of goods, and labor demands. As a result, we chose to be a business that pays its staff well and continues to serve high quality food and beverages. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again soon!

Written September 3, 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Vacation541188

Washington DC15 contributions

Great breakfast

Sep 2021 • family

We had breakfast there on the Saturday of IU’s parents weekend with our son. The restaurant was about 1/4 full. the food was delicious. I had cottage cheese pancakes with blueberries that I loved, other people in my party had the huervos rancheros which had a ton of meat on it, Belgian waffles which were pretty good, and scrambled eggs and toast. We actually went back again the next morning for breakfast (a Sunday) the wait was 45 minutes. We set our expectations accordingly and were fine to walk around the Square while we waited. Again we had an excellent breakfast, one person loved the crème brûlée French toast and the steak and eggs. The cappuccino was delicious as well

Written September 23, 2021

James B

9 contributions

Very Nice, But?

Nov 2021 • none

The service was great, the beer was cold and the food was even better. The prices are reasonable except for my mixed drink. There is not a place in the state of Indiana that should be charging $12.00 for a straight up Manhattan. It is a simple 3 part drink that requires little to no skill to mix. Other than that little gripe, I will be back.

Written November 19, 2021

Roberta2301

Valparaiso86 contributions

Birthday Celebration

Jan 2022 • none

Three couples came here to celebrate the birthday of one member in our parties birthday. We are all seniors so we made a reservation for a Saturday evening and asked for a round table. Our table was ready when we arrived and we were seated immediately. Two people enjoyed the delicious fillet, several people enjoyed the spinach salad, the Shrimp Bisque was very good, grouper was yummy, sea bass was tasty, crab cake was very good. Several beers and wines were enjoyed by all. Desserts for the table included crème brûlée, chocolate flourless cake for the birthday woman that came with a candle, almond cake, sugar cream pie and ice cream were enjoyed by everyone. Food is always delicious at this restaurant. Restaurant was quite busy so reservations might be needed. Uptown was well staffed and has a nice variety of specials. Service was excellent and we enjoyed our celebrated much.

Written January 10, 2022

chasemarta

Chapel Hill378 contributions

Great Sunday Brunch

Mar 2020 • none

We decided to go out for sunday brunch at the last minute and headed to Uptown Cafe. We weren't sure if we could get a table for six but were lucky and were seated immediately. The brunch menu was varied and everyone loved their selections: Huevos rancheros, denver omlet regular and vegetarian, popeye vegetarian omlet, Creme brûlée french toast, and salmon eggs benedict. The service was excellent and the food wonderful.

Written March 8, 2020

Cello12345

Urbana824 contributions

Local favorite

Oct 2023 • couples

Just down the street from our hotel, we were pleasantly surprised to find that we could get a table at this very popular, bustling restaurant without a reservation. There's a lot of space inside, though you can't tell from the street. It's in an old building with tin ceilings, and they've made an effort to dampen the noise with hanging baffles, yet it was still quite loud! The steaks looked lovely, but at $54 a plate we decided to go with other things that looked good on the menu. We appreciated the fried red onions that were offered as an alternative to potatoes! We each had a cup of their much touted black bean soup - decided we should have asked for hot sauce. We shared the Mesclun salad, with the house made sherry vinaigrette dressing. For main dishes we had the Cajun meat loaf and the Polenta Marinara. The meat loaf was pretty ordinary, to our way of thinking, but the polenta was awesome, with goat cheese and spinach!

Written October 25, 2023

Paul D

Saint Louis102 contributions

Excellent Food (upscale prices)

Feb 2020 • none

We visited on a Saturday during their brunch hours, and everything we had was excellent. That included the Malted Belgian Waffle, Creme Brulee French Toast, and Smoke Salmon Eggs Benedict. Service was also very good. The only real shock was seeing the bill (although we knew what was coming): definitely on the higher side price-wise for Bloomington. But still, great food is worth a splurge at times.

Written March 7, 2020