Can't beat service- place where everyone knows your name. So friendly and consistent food

Review Visit: July 23rd, 2018 I normally start a blog post with a cheeky comment. Does this count? On the weird day that was this day, my friend and I needed a place to eat. We agreed that a nice burger sounded good, so we pulled up Yelp and found one with great reviews. Off we went to try Cheeks! Upon entering, I noticed the bar had a warm and friendly feel to it. It has the vibe that I like in a bar. Chill and relaxed. The bar area itself is nice and has a large display of alcohol to pick from. The dining area was large. It felt like it was a restaurant at one point that was converted into a bar. There is a small area for gaming machines and another small area for darts. There is a beer garden so if you want to wine and dine outside, you can. We came here for a burger and the good reviews, so let's talk about the food. We scoured over the menu and were surprised how small the selection was. Not that its a bad thing, but was surprised by the limited selection. We both settled on a cheese burger. Pepperjack for me and American for her. Mine came with some chips. I expected some homemade chips, but they were Lays. Meh, I'm not a fan of Lays, but I digress. My friend ordered sweet potato tater tots with her burger. We were excited to try the tots as we both have never seen them offered anywhere before. The tots did not live up to our excitement to try them. They tasted a bit gooey on the inside; like a cheese ball or something. So the tots were bad, but how were the burgers? They were also bad. We both agreed that the burger was lacking in flavor and wow-factor. Definitely a bummer to our stomachs. Looking around the bar, it was obvious this was a pretty hopping place to be. Beer posters advertised fun events to attend and bands playing live music. Maybe it was an off day or maybe we just ordered the combination of wrong things. I want to say Cheeks is deserving of the great reviews but I would have to come back a few more times to agree with them. read more

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Great service, and great food!! It was busy, but no dip in service!!! Fun atmosphere, very friendly!

We went for music bingo. The food was not that great (but it's a bar) but we had a good time and the server/bartender was excellent. We'd go back for sure read more

Slow service on a Friday. Food was mid. Side orders and dipping sauces were completely forgotten.

Really easy and simple food. Nice location to gather with friends for a beverage, but it isn't too packed with people.

Traveling for work and was looking for a nice lunch spot, the Cubs memorabilia in the window was an immediate draw for me! Such a fun friendly dive bar with many drink options and excellent food. I had their famous stuffed burger which is a rotating burger, this time it was stuffed with cheddar cheese and ranch. EXCELLENT. The waffle fries were hot and fresh. Excellent lunch spot. read more

At the end of a strip mall. Fairly spacious and not too loud bar. They have a gaming section and a bar. Happy hour specials. I had the burger and onion rings which was good but the put cheese on it, which wasn't stated on the menu or asked for. I was able to pull it off quite easily. Server was very attentive and prices were great. Music bingo 7-9 on Wednesday night. read more

Cheeks Bar & Grill - Burger and onion rings - Burgers Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

Great burgers! I got their cheeseburger with grilled onion and pickle. Tons of melted cheese with perfectly grilled onions. Burger patty was large and juicy. Outstanding waffle fries! The Cheek's Special is a bacon chicken sandwich that was almost too tall to eat. We had to eat individual pieces of it by hand after it fell apart. All good tasting, but difficult to eat. read more

Cheeks Bar & Grill - Cheek's Special - bacon chicken sandwich - Burgers Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

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Food was hot and on spot!! Waitress/bartender was friendly. Bathrooms and establishment were clean! Very nice atmosphere!

One of my favorite and top to go bars in town , decent prices, nice place overall, and pretty nice food selection with alittle bit of everything to choose from on there menu, best local bar and grill in my opinion read more

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We picked up a carry out order from Jake's bar and Grill. As always the food was delicious portions were large. The staff is always friendly and professional. read more

Ok this is a gem of a spot!!! Great atmosphere, reasonable prices for both Food and drinks! Friendly staff and I know I'll be back!! read more

I remember their old sign with a HHUUGGEE picture of a woman's daisy-duke butt cheeks. The girls I lived with at the time- we all that it was HIlarious, so we ventured in. WHAT THE?? It was a nice place. Lots of tall wooden tables with high stools, pool tables, a juke box, not so crowded, but adult crowd at that. You don't have to fight to get drinks. And it's mostly go-up-to-the-bar ordering, but their bartenders come out and make rounds to see if they can get you something if it's not busy. A word of warning- don't come here for bar food. Not good. In fact- last tie I was there- we ordered a pizza. We all smelled something horribly burning- it was our "frozen pizza". ICK! They made us another one- but it took forever in the end- and it was a $#@*! frozen pizza. But check the place out!! read more

Great little bar with 3.00 burgers on Sunday's ! Very friendly, pleasant and tasty. Great stop on the road . read more

This place has the best bar food and burgers out of all the bars I've went to. The place is spacious and the atmosphere is nice. This place is geared more toward the older crowd. 30's and up. I'm in my early 40's and like having a place to go where I'm not surrounded by a bunch of out of control rude 20 year olds. read more

Would I attend a happy hour here? Yes I have and yes I will. Would I organize a happy hour here? Nope. Better choices in town in my opinion. Gimme details you say? - Nothing is on tap. Nothing. Sure the bottle selection is extensive to make up for it, but as a wanna be beer snob it does not. - They do accept plastic, but be advised if you start a tab they KEEP your card. Doesn't bother me, but I just want you to know that ahead of time. - I've heard good things about the burgers, but when i tried them a few years ago (i admit i should try again) they were nothing special and definitely NOT comparable to Green Gables. Blasphemy! - Plenty of parking - Heated outdoor patio for the smokers and the friends of smokers - pool tables :-) but due to a band we could not play - gambling machines in the back - big groups have a tough time finding seating Look, its a solid townie bar and if you're not picky about your beer you'll get a great deal with reasonable pub food. It's just not my top pick in town. read more

Cheeks- what a name!! And yes, THOSE Cheeks are the inspiration. It's a bar (and all of Blono is nonsmoking) and they have inexpensive good food. I don't eat beef, so I get the chicken and really like it...served with chips or fries. Why 4 stars? It can be pokey...when we go when we're on a time crunch, we call ahead and ask them to start our food ahead of time! Oh, and RC products...yucka. read more

A great looking bar in the middle of no where Bloomington Illinois far from the downtown bars. This isolated bar is in the most remote and crappy strip mall I have ever seen with dilapidated potholes all over the place ready to kill your tire. However the bar was nice looking and has an outdoor patio. there is both tap and bottle beer although the choice is somewhat limited and one pool table. Video gaming is available and the service was super friendly and enjoyable. read more

Cheeks Bar & Grill - My hand a babe and beer - Burgers Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

This place had an odd smoky odor to it. It was empty and we had to get up twice and ask our waitress (who was too busy doing God knows what on her phone and flirting with a male employee). I will not go back, the food is frozen and just fried. BOOOOOO! I'm BOOOOOing YOU CHEEKS! read more

Thought I'd make this my new "go to" bar since I have family in Bloomington now. Last night was awful and will not be returning! Decent food but for a Saturday night, the place was empty. Townie bar all the way. Rude late night folks at the bar-talking trashy while the bartender stood there. When I spoke up-she said "she used to work here". Really? No reason to have to listen to such filth at a neighborhood bar-walked out. read more

Simple bar food that seemed a little overpriced for my taste. Very attentive wait staff. We had a beer and left.

Yes, the pizza was frozen......??? It's a bar! Not a pizza-pub. Their burgers really are the best. Comparable to Green Gables. And saturdays they're $2 or something, at a certain time. Maybe it's Sundays....not sure. Plenty of TVs, heated smoking patio, dartboards, pool tables, jukebox, plenty of stuff to do and plenty of places to sit. If I had one complaint it would be they don't have draught beer. But plenty of other beer to chose from. Always a good choice. And right in the middle of town...good location. read more

One of the best, simple burger baskets you can get in town. Tremendous french fries, always white hot when they show up at the table. I kind of miss the square burger, but I guess the College Hills Meat Shop (which provides the burgers) got rid of their old square burger making machine. The taste is exactly the same. Really, really good. Also a huge fan of the pepper jack cheese balls. There is nothing fancy about the food here. But it's simple and great. read more

Bruno, you are not in Chicago anymore...7 draught beers and order of poppers....$14.37ish. Did I say I can walk there.

Awsome Cubin sandwich that made me remaniss the time I lived on an island in southern FL, Sanable isl. I usta stumble home via a Cubin grub shack. A must stop if you haven't been here yet oh yes and I can't forget amazing french fries. Very Funkshui and relaxing great if you have a large group, plenty of space to move around in. read more

This has become our go to place for football Saturday and Sunday. NFL package, nice friendly service and very good food. Very impressive is the cleanliness of the open kitchen. Love this place so far. read more

Great place for a quick little lunch. I had the steak enchilada wrap with tortilla chips and salsa. Also tried the chili. The chili was some of the best I've had other than homemade. Steak wrap was good as well but could have used some extra sauce. Overall I was pleased with the service and bar grub menu. read more

This is a very nice, clean bar with polite employees and a great selection of beers and spirits. There are local bands that play there on most weekends. Dart boards, golden tee, buck hunter, video gaming and touch tunes jukebox add to the entertainment aspect. The food is well above average for bar food and the prices are fair. Located in the middle of Bloomington, you won't find crazy drunk college kids but more of a mature audience. With plenty of big TVs and a heated beer garden, I would definitely recommend this place to catch a burger and a beer while watching the game. read more

We went to watch the Cub game and have a burger last night because we knew that it would be a good experience. They did not disappoint us! The staff was very attentive and friendly. The burger and wrap were awesome! read more

the food was okay, definitely not five stars. service wasn't great either and the area was a little weird

I have been going for years. Popular place for the adult crowd, good cheese burgers. However they just raised food & drink prices $4.75 for mixed drinks & five beer buckets from $10 up to $12 ! Worst is they now require you to give up your credit card to start a tab, unheard of in small local bar & grills. I predict their business will suffer. New ownership? read more