Making myself extremely hungry as I write this...
Bloomington Bagel CompanyLocation: Dunn Street off Kirkwood
I LOVE BAGELS. BBC is the place to get bagels in Btown. You can choose from a plethora of flavors, “schmears” (spreads) and toppings. My go to is a lox, light plain cream cheese, sprouts and cucumber sandwich on a 9 grain bagel. I’m drooling just at the thought of it.
I need this.
Hartzell'sLocation: Dunn Street off Kirkwood next to BBC
Best ice cream in town for sure! Do yourself a favor and get the s’mores spinner (it’s like a McFlurry or Frosty).It’s life changing. Marshmallow flavored soft serve with crushed graham crackers and chocolate - seriously so so SO good, I can’t even describe to you how delicious it is. And bonus: they take CampusAccess!
Location: Kirkwood, a couple doors down from Buskirk Chumley
Their garlic fries are game changing and it’s also a great brunch spot! Really cute place, my best friend and I go here every couple months or so because it’s a little bit pricier. It’s a great place to bring your parents when they come to town because they’ll get the check!
Mother Bear's PizzaLocation: 3rd Street, catty corner from the Jacobs School of Music
As far as Btown pizza places go, this is the cult favorite - everyone knows and loves Mother Bear's! They have fantastic pizza and a great college town atmosphere. It’s so fun reading everyone’s signatures and notes that are scribbled all over the walls, tables and booths. I bring all my Btown guests here and highly suggest it to visiting families on tours. My favorite is the Veggie Delight! Bonus: they deliver AND they take CampusAccess!
Location: Kirkwood
You don’t even want to get me started on how much I love The Village Deli, but basically it’s my favorite breakfast place in the entire world. So much so that I wrote an entire article about it here.
The OwleryLocation: The Square, 6th Street
Completely vegetarian and vegan options, their poutine is prime. Super fun place to have a meatless meal!
Or if you're like Ron Swanson...
For the complete opposite of The Owlery, try some of the nation’s best buffalo wings (one of America's top ten wing joints by USA Today)! Bonus: they deliver! There’s nothing like sports on the TV and wings in your stomach.
There’s so many other places in town that I could go on forever about, but hopefully you have a few ideas for some non-dining hall meals! Seriously go out and discover what Bloomington has to offer, you won’t regret it!