When I started thinking about what I could short list as the top foods of Bloomington, the list got longer and longer to the point where it wasn't even remotely a "short" list anymore.
Being a very ardent foodie, I have been able to indulge myself into the rich food cultures in Bloomington over the past three and a half years. I can recall spending most of the weekend nights in different restaurants through my first semester. I have always found it to be remarkable how such a small town in southern Indiana can have such diversity in food. The town has consistently been put in the top 5 cities for "Best Foodie Cities" in the entire country. So one can imagine just how many choices there are, and can also not blame me so much for the freshmen 15!
My list is probably very subjective and also very situational based. Nevertheless, I would say the countdown for the best three places to eat in Bloomington are:
No. 3) Feast Bakery: This little bakery has everything you can imagine in such a small place. It has room for a small coffee meet, all the way to a full meal for lunch. The ambiance is so unexpectedly good, considering its such a small little place on the outside. Feast Bakery is always a nice place to dress up and go with friends or family.
No. 2) Scotty's Brewhouse: Since I am very biased towards nice sit-down places to eat, where you can enjoy some times with your friends and not have the 'fast food' environment, I have found that Scotty's Brewhouse is a perfect fit for that. This is a good experience for an American food experience, with some great (albeit unhealthy!) food and drinks. However, the most overwhelmingly exciting part of Scotty's is their menu. They have a range of food and describe everything in such a appetizing way. I have wanted to order everything on the menu every time I've eaten there.
And finally....
No. 1) Uptown Cafe: The Uptown Cafe is a nice, classy place for families to have a great gourmet meal for brunch, lunch or dinner. I have never had a bad experience there. Though it is upscale and costs a little more- I personally think it is worth every cent. The interesting thing about Uptown is that there is no actual distinguished or differentiating factor that makes it unique. But it is one of the oldest and most renowned upscale places, which gives it such a great reputation that it certainly lives up to!
I hope this gives you an idea of the better places to eat in Bloomington! I would love to hear other people's opinions on this as well.