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    Blooming Thai

    4.2 (76 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 3:00 pm, 4:30 PM - 9:00 PM

    Order Blooming Thai Takeout or Delivery

    Blooming Thai Photos

    BLOOMING THAI ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Blooming Thai

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    Drunken Fried Rice

    Has to be the best Thai I've had in Bloomington, maybe even better than Indy! They also give HIGE portions so it's a great value!

    Tom Kha with shrimp
    CM C.

    So glad this Bloomington staple is back! Fresh Thai dishes PLUS the best Pho in town. We've loved all the handmade appetizers, the curry, pad see ew, etc. Our favorites though are the Tom Kha soup and the pineapple fried rice. SOOO flavorful and yummy. And do NOT skip dessert - they are all homemade and so unique - the thai cream cake was amazing as was the taro cheesecake. I can't wait to try the cream puffs but they keep selling out! They have tasty boba drinks and smoothies too. Their new location is cute with an outdoor patio. Service is always personable, friendly, and efficient. One of our regular go-tos again!

    Cute local Thai right on the square
    Jeff L.

    I finally made it to Blooming Thai after yet another friend told me I absolutely needed to get there. Now I'm kicking myself for not going sooner! What a fantastic experience! The location is downtown, right in the square. Cute place, not big by any means but didn't have to wait for a table at 7:30pm. Crowded but no line. Server was great and even remembered my wife from when he worked at a different Thai place in town. Hmmmm. Maybe remembering her instead of me is something I should think about :). Really couldn't decide between two dishes so ordered one as an appetizer: the Spicy Catfish. Thank goodness my wife wouldn't let me order 'hot' and negotiated medium because it was spicy enough at that level. And amazing. It came with rice and was just the perfect mix of flavors. Too big for an appetizer but I'm known for ordering separate entrees when I can't decide so don't judge. I'm glad I did! For main course, I had the rotisserie chicken fried rice - hot - and it was very good. You could tell the chicken wasn't the normal chicken flavor, the rotisserie added to the dish. To be fair, the spicy catfish heat probably muted the flavor of my main since my taste buds were altered from the appetizer so I'm looking forward to this dish a second time without the mix. Wife had crab fried rice (mild) and liked it as well. Portions were very large for all so for those judging my three entree meal, know we didn't finish everything! I'm not into the Thai iced teas but they had a huge selection and we noticed several people coming in just for those as to-go orders so they must be good. Maybe next time as the banana flavor milktea looked interesting to me. All in all I'll be back - a great experience and a new addition to my 'go to list' in Bloomington!

    Yen Ta Fo Noodle Soup
    Bronson S.

    I was interested in coming here for a while because the exterior of the restaurant is so cute and I see it whenever I'm walking around downtown. The inside is equally as cute and has a very cozy atmosphere. My friends and I all got the 5 dollar cocktails, which were good. We also ordered some summer rolls and pot stickers for appetizers. The pot stickers were well seasoned and the texture was really great as well. The summer rolls were also really good and refreshing and the sauces that came with them were good as well. I ordered the yen ta fo noodle soup and it was great. There were nice big chunks of tripe which absorbed so much of the flavor. The octopus, shrimps, and tofu also had great texture and flavor. The broth was spicy, umami, and salty. The portion size was also really big and I was 100 percent full after eating. The staff was also really nice as well and gave good service. Definitely would come here again.

    #33 Pattaya Pineapple rice with tofu
    Allisyn G.

    After the COVID-caused death of Darn Good Soup, I was hesitant to venture into its replacement. It took me more than a year to walk through the doors but I did and was surprised that it was good, perhaps not "Darn Good" as a replacement but definitely good in its own right. Blooming Thai has many more different options than the standard Thai restaurant. I had the pattaya pineapple rice with tofu which was delicious and something I had never tried before. The presentation was impressive and flavors, good. Their spiciness levels are more on the sensitive scale. I got medium spicy but it seemed more mild. If you want spicy, then I recommend Happy Thai (which is also a great Thai restaurant- my favorite in town). The service was also kind and the place was cute. I'd be happy to try Blooming Thai again for another unique dish.

    Nicole G.

    This place has the cutest decor I really enjoyed the red curry and the taro smoothie! I will definitely come back to eat here :) Also, the staff was so kind!

    #36 Pad See U
    Samir H.

    Delicious! Sweet and salty soft noodles good veggies! Service was amazing! I loved the decor all very instagrammable

    side fried rice
    Sitav E.

    I've had Thai from every place in town, and they're all good but each has their own special staple item that's better than the others - Blooming Thai I actually found two! Their spicy catfish was AMAZING, truly delicious with great heat but also really amazing flavor, and by far the absolute BEST crab Rangoon I've ever had in my life. I will make a special stop here anytime I was Rangoon, it ruined all others for me, so delicious I can't even tell you! Their massaman curry was great, I want to try the egg pad Thai next time, but man do yourself a favor and get that Rangoon!

    Spring rolls
    Leslie A.

    Had the spring rolls and egg pad Thai. Awesomeness!!!! Everything tasted great authentic and right amount of spice to sweetness ratio.

    Chicken Pineapple Lovers served in a pineapple! Completely delicious.
    Kirk, K.

    This place is completely fantastic! We started off with enough food to last for days (it really did!) and are excited to work our way through the menu. My husband had a chicken and pineapple dish served in half a pineapple (see below). We shared what I think was a special called Drunken Fried Rice--as our server explained, this is MUCH spicier than most fried rice on purpose, to help people with hangovers. Although we weren't hung over, we enjoyed it very much. I ate most of it since I'm more into spiciness. I also had Pad Thai with Egg (Pad Thai wrapped in an egg). That might not be the exact name, but that's what you'll see on the menu. It was delicious! The best Pad Thai I've ever had. The décor and vibe put us in a good mood right away. Our server was very attentive and answered our questions nicely--he made us laugh. It's wonderful to have a new favorite place!

    We stopped in for a quick snack. The hot and sour soup was amazing. Some of the best I've ever had. And a huge portion for the price!

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    8 months ago

    Delicious food and quick service in a small little shack on Bloomington's 4th street (which is know for its quality international cuisines)

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    Ask the Community - Blooming Thai

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    Bapu Fresh - Matcha green tea smoothie with strawberry and honey boba

    Bapu Fresh

    (38 reviews)

    Took daughter for an event at IU Bloomington and needed some bubble tea…read more Very cute inside, bathroom available . I enjoyed an orange tea with orange popping bubbles. Service was kind. I did have to pay to park and walk to the location.

    Okay, so I have been here a handful of times now, and I really like the drinks, but the menu is…read morejust so inconsistent. Almost every time I've come here, they're either out of something or the fryer is down/not on yet. They have non dairy milk listed on the menu, and the first time I came here, I ordered and received an oolong milk tea with almond milk, but next time, when I tried to order a green milk tea with soy milk, they said all the milk teas were made with non-dairy creamer and they could only do the alt milk for lattes. All that aside, I have never been unhappy with anything that I actually got. Their matcha latte (regular or strawberry) is pretty good and the honey boba is excellent. The regular sugar level is too sweet for me, but less sweet is great. The cheese corn dog varies in the ratio of cornbread to cheese and how "done" it's cooked, but I've never gotten one that was bad. The most recent one I got was the best. They are kind of difficult and messy to eat because the melted cheese doesn't want to stay on the stick with the breading weighing it down. I haven't had the issue with the super long wait time again. The corn dog normally takes about 10 minutes because of how long it takes to make the thing, drinks are usually ready sooner. Most of the baristas are friendly, some not so much. I have gotten the eye roll once when I asked for a topping they were out of even though there was no way I could have known this. I do think it's overall worth it to come here, because again, the product is good and the cafe space is cute, but the situation where you can't count on anything being available is frustrating.

    Cafe Bali - Mozzarella sticks

    Cafe Bali

    (54 reviews)

    $

    This time I tried the tofu curry rice and a lavender milk tea with grass jelly. Really enjoyed the…read morecurry rice. Not comparable to what you get if you visit a real Japanese curry house, but still delicious. The menu marks it as spicy but, while it was warming and hearty, I didn't think it was very spicy. I like how they prepare their tofu - the texture is perfect for holding sauce. The lavender milk tea was the basic stuff from a premade mix. Not bad but not great. I think they may just have used too much of the mix because the drink was very sweet and a little thick. The grass jelly was also firmer than usual so I suspect this was a premade canned brand of not particularly high quality. I do sometimes like bubble tea made from tea mixes, so I might try different flavours and toppings to see if other options are better. They had regular waiter service this time. I had a different waitress than last time. She mentioned that she had just started, but she was very nice and did great.

    The picture was alittle deceiving. I ordered the crepe cake expecting creamy light and refreshing…read more This one tasted really stale and not fresh at all. The cream between the layers was quite stiffened and dry. You might have needed a knife to cut through the layers. Yes... that bad. I also ordered an americano coffee, the cashier didn't really offer cream or sugar... so I had it black which is fine, but bc of how stale the cake was, it did not help the coffee any. I'm hoping it was just an off day. The young cashier seemed like she did not want to be there and I totally feel her, I remember being that age and not wanting to work, so it may also be a staffing issue as well. Overall, was kind of disappointed in my visit here. But there are other places in Bloomington to try out so no worries.

    Kung Fu Tea

    Kung Fu Tea

    (8 reviews)

    I love coming to Kung Fu Tea, no matter what state they're in. It's always consistent drinks and…read morevery flavorful. This one is, in my opinion, the best boba tea in Bloomington and, although you have to drive to the west side to get it, it's very worth the short trip. The employees are always very quick to take your order and make your drinks. The shop the always clean and it has a wide open space with lots of tables and chairs. They also have a lot of small items and toys you can purchase while waiting for your drinks.

    Went tonight with the kid. Her favorite spot is on the east side…read more Let me start by saying that this place should NOT be listed in the boba tea category. They technically have boba they can add to any tea or drink you choose, but unless they simply didn't offer it, there is no variety. Kid had a strawberry drink she said was very good, but when it got to the boba she didn't like it and didn't finish it. Her favorite place offers all kinds of boba, including fizzy boba. That being said, they have a wide array of drinks, which means you don't have to be a coffee or tea drinker to enjoy what they serve. There are some good looking concoctions there! The staff was very friendly, and they have a nice little selection of merchandise that is imported straight from china, which is always cool to see. I wound up getting a stuffy for the kid. They also had hair clips, jewelry, pens, and some other goodies. I may stop in myself sometime for a drink. The prices seemed reasonable, and the drink seemed like it was made with care. We don't have many places like this on the west side. Give it a try!

    Sunny Poke Tea - Decoration

    Sunny Poke Tea

    (43 reviews)

    I come here pretty often because of the location, and I've found them to be pretty consistent in…read moredelivering fresh poke and bubble tea. Something I like here is that a lot of the proteins are marinated/sauced, and the marinades are very tasty, although this does result in the bowls coming out really saucy when you add sauces and dressings on top of that. All of the poke I've ordered has come out delicious. The unagi in the unagi don was a little tough, but the other proteins seem to be good quality and the veggies are fresh. Even the small bowl is filling enough for a meal for me, and since most toppings are free, you can load up with the veggies you want. I never feel like they get stingy with the portions. I'm not super impressed with the other food besides poke. It's not bad but nothing special. The spring rolls were unoffensive but could've been grocery store frozen spring rolls, and were only served with the duck sauce packets you get with Chinese takeout. The caramel pudding was okay but the texture was a little grainy. They have really good drinks if you know what to order. Some of their bubble tea is just the basic flavoured stuff, but the fancy-sounding teas - anything from the specialty drink series or pure tea series - are really good. They do run a bit sweet and I'm still not sure if you can adjust the sugar level. Maybe I'll remember to ask next time now that I've written it down. The staff here are nice, and the assembly-line ordering for the poke means it's very fast to grab food here. They take a little longer to make drinks but they're still usually a little faster than most bubble tea places in town.

    Overall, a solid spot - especially for poke…read more The poke bowls are really good: fresh ingredients, nice portions, and a great variety of toppings and combinations to choose from. It's a reliable place if you're craving something quick, customizable, and satisfying. They also have a wide selection of boba drinks with lots of different flavors, which is great in terms of variety. That said, I found the drinks to be a bit too sweet for my taste, and it would be great if there were adjustment options available. That's really the only reason I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5. Still, a great option in Bloomington for both poke and boba - just be mindful of the boba if you do get it here.

    Zero Degrees - Takoyaki Balls and Popcorn Chicken

    Zero Degrees

    (61 reviews)

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    Zero Degrees has east Asian food and drinks including but not limited to bubble tea, ramen,…read moreKorean-style corn dogs, and egg waffles. The store is colourful and cute but not over the top, and the seating is very comfortable. They have wifi. I got a taro meets ube drink with pudding and a pumpkin spice egg waffle (fall special). I haven't had an egg waffle in a while since I don't know of any other place in Bloomington that makes them and I love pumpkin spice, so I was very excited about this waffle, and it did not let me down. The pumpkin spice flavour was nice, the waffle was fluffy and cooked right. They lightly drizzled it with a caramel sauce but the waffle itself wasn't too sweet so it balanced out. I liked the taro meets ube, which was taro milk tea with ube paste. The taro and ube flavours were similar but enhanced each other. I didn't see if I could adjust the sweetness level, but the default wasn't overly sweet. I was able to get this drink with soy milk instead of regular milk, although the barista let me know that the ube paste contains milk that can't be removed. The barista and lady cooking in the back both seemed very friendly. My drink was ready quickly. It took a while, maybe 15 minutes to get my waffle, but they apologized for the wait. There's a 4% charge on card purchases. Bring cash to save a little.

    I went to get my internet set up and I found this cute little boba shop, Zero Degrees ! They have…read moresmoothies, all sorts of teas, boba, and they have a small menu filled with Asian cuisines ! The seating area is adorable and the workers are super sweet ! I love me some boba. So I got a peach tea with popping mango boba. Delicious ! Any time I'm on the side of town, I'm going to make sure to pop (haha get it?) in !

    Soma Coffee House and Juice Bar

    Soma Coffee House and Juice Bar

    (61 reviews)

    $

    I come here a lot because it's right across the street from IU Jacobs, and it's the only…read moreindependent coffee shop that opens early (they open at 6 am M-F and actually have food out when they open, unlike the nearby Crumble and Inkwell that open at 7/7:30 but don't have baked goods out until about an hour later). The baristas are always friendly. The place is spacious with a good amount of seating, but it can sometimes be hard to find a good seat inside because, as you would expect, students come to study/work and stay for a long time. I love their baked goods - they have interesting and unique offerings and everything tastes wholesome. Besides their Soma-made bakes (muffins, loaves, scones, dessert bars, cookies, and more), the bagels (I think from Gables) and Piccolo Dolci pastries are great, but they have these two muffins that are from a different supplier that I didn't think were of very good quality - I recommend avoiding the chocolate cheesecake muffin and banana nut muffin. I think the veggie/cheese sandwich is decent. It's just deli cheese slices with lettuce, cucumber, pesto, and mayo, but the bread is good and if you want something simple it's surprisingly satisfying. The coffee is pretty good. I am a decaf drinker so I appreciate that they have both decaf coffee and decaf espresso. They have a really good loose leaf tea selection and the teas are legit. Between the variety and quality it's the best tea selection I've found at a coffee shop in Bloomington. The quality of the chai and matcha are less impressive. I feel like there's a slight artificial flavour to the matcha, but to be fair, I've only tried it with flavour added, so maybe it's better unsweetened. When I asked for half sweet, that was better than regular sweetness. Both are still better than Starbucks. But I'd definitely recommend the loose leaf tea lattes over the chai/matcha. As mentioned in my previous review, some things are self-serve. It turns out they do have glasses and mugs available if you ask, but if you don't ask for dine-in, the default is disposable cups. Brewed coffee is self-serve, with your choice of (usually) two regular roasts and one decaf. If you want a toasted bagel, you have to slice and toast it yourself in the toaster on the condiment table. It seems like you sort of have to know what to order here, but as I'm learning what's good, I really appreciate the offerings that are good, the comfortable unpretentious environment, and long hours at Soma.

    You will find this coffee shop right across the street from the main IU campus. There is a small…read morelot available in front of the the shop that has spots with a 20 minute max. Since the shop is so close to IU campus, most people walk here. The dining area is large and has couches, tables/chairs and bar seating along the front window. You can imagine that the place is usually filled with IU students working away on their laptops of in small social groups, given the shop's close proximity to the campus. The women that were working during my visit were all so very helpful and friendly. they helped my make my selection. They serve a wide array of hot and iced coffees and also has teas, smoothies and juices as well. The coffees come in 3 sizes, yep you guessed it, small, medium and large. The light food options that they have includes cookies, scones, muffins, parfaits, quiche, zucchini bread, brownies, and cinnamon rolls. I ended up getting a large iced pumpkin spice latte. It took about 7 minutes for me to get my drink. It was very savory and hit the spot. It was gone in a matter of seconds. Anyway, I highly recommend checking this place out. It is a traditional coffee house, with a great staff, savory drinks and delicious treats. I highly recommend checking this place out.

    Blooming Thai - thai - Updated May 2026

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