Elevated to a Five Star. Several reasons why…read more First, the food is really good. We've had several dishes here and all have been very very good. They don't arrive quickly, but they're worth the wait. Secondly, there's a good variety of both vegetarian and meat dishes. Several were tried, including curries as well as tandoori. All were good. Thirdly, this is formal dining, and served correctly. Not plastic plates, not table service in a crowded noisy venue. Although it's a "sports bar", there is no cacophony of noise, although the monitors are distracting. Also distracting is the fact that the Edison lights sit low, and those seated can see these bulbs across their vision too easily. It's actually quieter than its competition, and there is stiff competition. Service is good and not overbearing, also not distracted by whatever the waiter/waitress is looking at on their phones. Parking is downtown, and therefore horrific on a good day, but there's a parking garage nearby. Recommended without reservation.

Great Happy Hour drink specials and a full bar. $4 High Noon. Wonderful service and clean dining…read moreroom area. The place was slammed with take out orders. I like sitting at the bar or in a booth. Chicken Tikka Masala Medium with Garlic Nann is an easy go to. I recommend trying g the Korma and they have many vegan and vegetarian options.

Really liked it. I believe it's mostly, if not all, vegan. I know they were experimenting with some…read moreitems with dairy a while ago but I did not notice any non-vegan items while I was there, so not sure if that's still a thing. Anyway, it is a little out of the way. It's walkable from downtown but not really in the downtown core. Pretty quiet when I was there, but the atmosphere felt approachable. Some of the chairs were like school desk chairs (adult-sized, of course) that I haven't seen since I was in primary school which was kind of funny. The guy at the counter was cheerful and friendly. They looked like they had run out of some of the hot savory items by Saturday mid-afternoon, but there was still a wide variety of sweets. I believe the current owners are Indian, and you see some of those flavours featured. I got: Samosa handpie: Good, not mind-blowing, but good. Nice flavours. If you like a flaky crust, this is not it, but I liked the rustic pastry crust. Pistachio cardamom donut: Loved it. Before I moved to Bloomington, there were a few bakeries that offered vegan-GF cake donuts that I loved, and this was the first thing I've gotten here that reminded me of that. Pleasant texture and strong cardamom flavour, not too sweet. I think these are baked donuts, so they're a little different from regular fried donuts, but in a good way IMO. Rose dream latte: Milk with rose syrup topped with coconut whip and nuts, no espresso. Tasted great, but more of a dessert drink than I was expecting. The coconut whip was quite thick. The concept could probably use some refinement, because the whip was too thick and rigid to drink without a straw, but the nut pieces were too big to go through a straw, and so I couldn't figure out the best way to drink it. From what I understand, there are some longtime fans of this place who feel like the quality has dropped since the most recent change in ownership, but as someone who had never been here before, I really had a good experience. I get why people would be upset when something changes, but if you are considering trying this place for the first time, I wouldn't be too put off by the negativity around the change in ownership. There's no other place specialized in vegan baking in Bloomington, so I think it's good to support what they are continuing to do here, and even though I am partial to vegan food I wouldn't say that if it wasn't also GOOD. They also had some refreshingly unique options for baked goods.

Rainbow Bakery sits off of 4th street west of the IU campus. It's all vegan, and we had a chance to…read morestop by and get two donuts and a cookie. The inside is cute and whimsical. The owners, a Sikh family, gave us their cardamom donut for free. The samosa hand pies were out. I would rate it 4/5. The decor was nice, and the owners were friendly. We were told that the staff is limited, and the owners themselves are thinking of selling this location and hoping to restart it in Greenwood, where they currently live and actually drive down to Bloomington every day. The matcha latte was fine. Everything was fine but not great. The vegan chocolate chip cookie was good, but could've used more chocolate chips.

Absolutely wonderful place, ambiance and food. The owner is very kind, as are his employees. The…read morefood is delicious, freshly made. The yaglama with lamb is one of our favorites!

We stopped by when they were closed and the owner welcomed us in anyways and gave us this delicious…read moreube tres leches cake. Such a kind man and hospitality experience that we're already planning a meal here in the fall when we come back. Thank you for your kindness!

One of my favorite places in Bloomington. Excellent food and lovely service. Meals come with…read morecomplimentary bread and roasted egg plant which is absolutely delicious.

If you're in Bloomington and want a meal that feels both comforting and special, Samira is the…read morespot. The Afghan dishes are full of flavor, the portions are generous, and the service is warm without being pushy. The bolani and kebabs are always on point, and the fresh bread alone is worth the trip. Cozy atmosphere, consistently great food--an easy five stars.

Momos, when done well, always hit the spot. They are definitely done well here. I had those and the…read moretraditional stew dish. I was pretty much alone in the restaurant on the Monday early evening, and the food arrived quickly. The staff are friendly and polite. They have some outdoor seating as well. I was only on campus for an event but if I lived there locally I would frequent this place. If you're reading this trying to decide whether to try it... you should.

I really like Little Tibet! I have tried all sorts of stuff from the menu and I think the dumplings…read moreand the Thai are the best choices. Their vegetarian dumplings are all tasty but each is a little different. I've only tried the steamed so far because I really like the tenderness of the steamed version. The dumplings come with soy sauce and chili sauce for dipping, which are not optional - you need to dip them for the best experience. The chili sauce isn't too hot, so you can and should be generous with it. The Tibetan tea is interesting - it's a smooth milk tea, kind of like a milder version of Indian chai, but it does have its own unique taste that I can't totally put my finger. Other drinks are all good too, thought some aren't exactly as you might expect. The iced Indian tea is a little milky for my taste but the hot version is stronger. The Thai iced coffee is great but it's less sweet than the usual ones (not inherently good or bad, just depends on your preference). The mango lassi tasted closer to mango juice, but it was really refreshing. All of the food is kind of different from the usual restaurant style food from the various cuisines represented on the menu; it feels more like home cooking, so more subtle flavours, less salty and a little lighter, but very wholesome and hearty. The hotter spice level comes from a chili paste they add, and I recommend getting at least a level 2 (level 1 is no spice), because the chili paste also flavours the dish and level 2 is still pretty mild. The people are very kind and I love the calming atmosphere. I have seen them get busy in the evening on weekends, but usually you can count on being able to get a table.

I thought it was really good! You might not expect it from the outside, but the interior of the…read morerestaurant is pretty classy. I was there for dinner on a weeknight, and while there were a few takeout/delivery orders that came through, I was the only dine-in customer, and the man who served me was extremely courteous. I ordered their vegetable malai kofta, plain naan, and Indian tea. I'm pretty sure what I was kadhi kofta instead of malai kofta; the gravy tasted like tangy savoury kadhi rather than creamy malai gravy. I'm not upset about the mistake because this is actually what I would've ordered, but I didn't see it on the paper menu. Anyway, the dish was very flavourful and the medium hot was actually medium hot - no watered down spice level here! Good naan, soft and charred in the right places. The food was reasonably priced and portioned generously. Cumin rice was included with the entree. The Indian tea (chai) was strong, and I felt like the tea itself was actually of good quality, but it was served sweetened and it was too sweet for me. I prefer chai unsweetened but don't mind some tasteful sweetness, but theirs was really strong. It was also pretty small, almost cutting chai size, and didn't come out until I was almost done eating. The tea wasn't expensive, but not so inexpensive that I was expecting it to be so small. Definitely would visit again. The hours are a little weird - they open at 2:30 pm and close between 1 am-2:30 am depending on the night. It would be nice if they were open at normal lunch time, but on the bright side, they're open during the mid-afternoon window when most restaurants close between lunch and dinner and stay open late when most everything else still open is fast food.

My first experience with Indian food in Bloomington. Friendly staff. Food was great and plenty…read morespicy for me as regular. I was most surprised by the portions. Plenty food for two

Gayle and I were in town to visit her oldest Son, his Wife, and of course the darling grand girls…read more We take them out to dinner at least once during these times, with a popular choice being Sushi. Ami was chosen as a family favorite and a place close to campus, where the oldest daughter (now a Junior at IU) could show us around after the meal. Note: Ami could sure use a new exterior sign. Ami is mainly a Sushi restaurant, but has Korean accents, of which my Cupbap bowl (Chicken and Rice) was quite good. I'm completely clueless regarding Sushi nomenclature, but I did know that those choices (in generous quantity) were enjoyed by the other 5 folks at the table. I was the only one that ordered beer, of which my Upland Dragonfly IPA choice had just the right amount of bite and at only $5. We also had a nice roomy table by the window. Service was friendly and prompt, albeit a bit uninspired. It was a very good family outing.

One of my favorite spots in Bloomington! Always clean and quick service. My favorite roll is the…read moreBond Girl roll. The combination boxes are great too. Both come with miso soup and salad.

IU is lucky to have this so close to campus! Best Indian in btown. Consistent friendly service,…read morefood is reasonably priced and delicious. If you like Indian food def try it!

Party of four. Saturday night after NK. Place was packed with a line, but we arrived at the last…read moretable for four. We expected medium chaos, and were happily surprised. Orders were mainstream, Malai Kofta, Mushroom Saag, Butter Chicken and Chicken Tikka. A side order of vegetable pakora was really good. The Malai Kofta, usually a brown curry with kofta balls, was instead, an orange curry; my partner said it was fine, if different than most we've tried. My Mushroom Saag was five stars. The other diners like their offerings. Food came quickly, an amazing feat given the sheer traffic and line waiting. And there came the only rub. They were a bit insistent about getting our plates and flipping our table. Didn't feel good. No, we weren't dawdling, just getting rushed. Bad idea, and cost them a star. We're happy they've improved from our prior experiences. They were once our go-to Indian Food in Bloomington, then fell from grace. They're improving. They need to take a chill pill, however. Grace under pressure is a desirable skill.

It's still the best Indian cuisine in Bloomington…read more Took friends this evening; great food. Oddly, service was yawning at best, and it wasn't crowded. We've also noticed that the carryout portions are larger than the dining portions, all the way around (naan is the same size). It was great; we sat outdoors, and paid cash, because there is a discount. Yeah, we save dimes where we can-- they add up. Tough to go wrong here.

This updated review is still mostly based on the buffet. I've been to the buffet a handful of…read moretimes, and gotten dinner service once. It's not bad food, and some of the items are great, but particularly on my most recent buffet trip, I felt like the curries were the most Midwesterenized take on Indian food you can get, like they've had the pizazz sucked out of them. Out of all the curries on the Sunday buffet, the only ones that really satisfied my craving were the malai soya chaap (this one was great, with big, tender pieces of chaap and a rich gravy) and the saag paneer (theirs is not like any other version of the dish that I've had, but I've come to like it for what it is). The rest of the curries (and this goes for other visits too) were just very stewlike, and the gravy on the shahi paneer was the thinnest I've ever seen. Aside from the underwhelming curries, the other buffet food was fine, but nothing else stood out. I've only tried the saag choley and chai a la carte. Again, the saag dish had kind of an nontraditional texture, but it was good. I ordered spicy and got way more flavour than you get out of any of the buffet dishes. Someone in my group ordered the chili cheese naan, and I didn't have any, but it looked delicious and he said it was great. The a la carte chai was also slightly better than the buffet chai, a little richer. The buffet chai didn't do much for me, but I'd get the a la carte chai again. The pros of the buffet are that you get to try a large variety of comforting dishes for a very good price: $15 with card or $14 with cash. It's very vegetarian-friendly with a wide variety of veg dishes. If possible, go for the Sunday buffet, which is the same price but includes a slightly expanded food selection and drinks (mango lassi and chai). The waiters are polite and keep the buffet stocked. The cons are that it can be very crowded inside (but the patio is more comfortable when weather allows) and the Midwesternness of it. But if you have unadventurous eaters, it might work for them. The place is very popular so evidently it's working for someone. Dinner service is a little better but I still don't think this is the place for very authentic Indian.