although it says 2 stars on my review, i would say it is more like 1 and a half. i have had lunch here couple of times. i got the buffet. the first time i thought it was decent and the price wasn't bad. however, the 2nd time- it was awful. i mean it was china buffet on eastland plaza-like bad. everything seemed off and the selection didn't do much for me either. i can't say i anticipate returning. read more

Love their steamed whole tilapia and the chicken in the aluminum pot. The crispy roasted duck is also very good. A lot more dishes need to be discovered! read more

I love everything here. They're very speedy at making food and customer service is great. One of my favorite places in Bloomington!

Only had the boba and it sucked. Do not waste your money, go somewhere else for boba. I did not have any food.

As a college student, price plays a crucial role in how I evaluate a restaurant. I came in at around 4pm and got a big plate of Green Curry for only $6. It wasn't how I normally expect it to be made - it was simply sauce, rice, chicken and asparagus - but for $6, it was great. Servers were eating when we came in and ate at a nearby table while we ate. This didn't bother me but the service wasn't akin to a more professional restaurant. Also, the menu is huge. And there are two of them, so it can get confusing. Overall, the food is good and cheap. I'll go back. read more

This was a lot better than I was expecting. Not that I had heard anything bad about Chow bar, I just hadn't heard anyone rave about it, either. Our waitress was ridiculously nice. I ordered a pot of tea, which was really good. It tasted...spicy. Then, my roommate and I ordered the tofu one pot and I'm super glad we shared because there is no way in freaking hell I would have been able to finish that by myself. Decent prices, too, for the crazy amount of food you get. read more

I really like Chow Bar because I like their selection of bubble tea and the neat cups they are poured into and sealed. However, I don't love what they serve. Lots of bubble tea, though! read more

Great lunch buffet for reasonable price. Food quality was pretty good for a chinese place in Indiana.

I used to love eating here, but when I went for lunch today the buffet was almost out of food and was never replenished the entire time that I was there. All of the food tasted old as if they reheated leftovers. With a wealth of great Asian dining around the corner on 4th street, there isn't much point in eating at Chow Bar. read more

I've been here twice, and must say my last visit left my mouth watering for more. The first time my friends were unwilling to try interesting foods, so we ended up with sesame chicken and Kung pao chicken, both of which I thought were not very good. This last visit I went with my usual friends, and finally tasted what chow bar had offer. We ordered chili chicken, which was perfectly spicy and flavorful. Next we had garlic beef, which while flavorful was ok. After that came wontons, which had way to much wrapping and not enoughmeat filling. Next we had the rice noodles with pork, which although very oily was absolutely delicious, and one of my two recommendations. Last we had the bum bum chicken, which was my favorite dish for this restaurant and one of my favorite Chinese chicken dishes ever!! I gave this place three stars as the dishes are hit or miss, but if you get the right ones you'll be hooked!! read more

I have ordered from here a few times and each time the food was well made. I judge a place for its food and not on vane petty stuff so if you want some good food at a nice price then this is the place to eat. As for these people who are complaining how it looks, this whole town is a college town. I walk by beer cans and red cups left in peoples yards everyday. Wrong town for "ambienece". There is no place in this town that sells food and doesnt look run down when half the town are drunk kids who can not clean up after them self. I've been to China that said, the food here is good for being Chinese food in the middle of Indiana. If you want better Chinese food you would have to go to China and I doubt you would care for real Chinese food since most people do not realizse how Americanized all "fast" food is in this town. Over all this place deserves more props for being some good food. read more

Extensive vegan and vegetarian options with consistently good quality makes this restaurant a favorite for my family.

Huge servings, excellent fried rice and crab ragoon. I will go way out of my way to eat here. I recommend ordering off the menu over the buffet. read more

Amazing selection and a buffet for a affordable price. Quick lunch to work! With amazing authentic Chinese food with amazing bubble tea. There are many delicious flavors. It could either be warm for winter or a cold refreshing drink for the humid summer. 100% recommend this to anyone that likes amazing Chinese food. read more

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Chow Bar ranks among my favorite Chinese food restaurants of all time. The food varies from American style to the supremely alien and challenging authentic dishes. They offer an excellent lunch buffet, but menu only for dinner. The weekend buffet is more geared toward the authentic and can include such wonderful treats as pig feet. Dishes are always served promptly and hot and the servers are always nice and helpful, if sometimes restricted in their English. I mostly order from their specials menu, which tends to be very authentic and includes the decadent pork in plum sauce, the korean/chinese favorite noodle dish ja jiang mein, and pork tripe with pickled vegetable. Anyone can enjoy the first two, sweet, savory, and acidic sauce with meat and vegetables with rice and noodles respectively, however, it takes someone of particular tastes to truly appreciate the tripe. The tripe has a musky aroma and a squelchy texture that is frequently enjoyed in Asian cultures and typically hated by Americans. I think it's an outstanding dish, but you might not be able to stomach it if you haven't eaten tripe before. Not all of the challenging dishes are an instant hit. I couldn't get my mind into the pigs' ear, but I think that was more because of the combination of oiliness and cilantro, and not the squelchiness of the ear cartilage. The buffet typically offers some nice vegetables (baby bok choy, green beans, eggplant) in addition to the fried squid, fish, sesame chicken, and various stir fry dishes. The bubble teas are excellent; there's a large variety of flavors, but the milk tea and lychee stand out to me. I have been there when the machine that seals the top is not working, but enjoyed my tea nonetheless; I was just extra careful not to spill. As a side note, I'm somewhat confused by the review calling this a, "[t]ypical Americanized Chinese buffet." I've never seen pig's ear or feet served in any other restaurant in the United States nor have I seen the extremely authentic ja jiang mein anywhere else. read more

I try to get something different every time I go to this restaurant and I'm always surprised by how amazing the food is and how friendly the services read more

General Tso's and Szechuan spicy dumplings came out piping hot, and just as spicy as we asked for. Nothing more, and nothing less than what you'd expect. As a starving college student, I love this place. read more

Typical Americanized Chinese buffet. Nothing special, nothing terrible. Hard to imagine any other Chinese place in Bloomington being much better, but also hard to imagine another being much worse. They're all the same to me. Althought, I will say they had a decent shrimp dish and amazing rangoons. read more

The biggest thing going for Chow Bar is that it's right next to campus, but the food's not bad either. The menu is huge and covers everything from Chinese to American Chinese to Thai/Vietnamese, although I haven't tried the latter. They have a lunch buffet which is pretty standard American Chinese sort of fare. Oily and heavily sauced, par for the course. Sometimes that's what you crave though, so my only complaint is that there never seems to be any variation in the buffet. Their one-portion meals (rice bowls, chow fun, beef noodle soup, etc.) are always good. Ordering dishes family-style is kind of inconsistent. Seasoning tends toward the heavy side, and sometimes the flavors are muddled. Some nights it's above average, some nights below average, and once in a while they hit it out of the park. Overall, despite some flaws, Chow Bar is near the top of my list for Chinese food in Bloomington. read more

Lord have mercy...Chow Bar is the best Chinese restaurant I've ever been to. The other reviews on this page say it all, not sure if it's worth adding my input. Rest assured that you will not find better Asian cuisine in the state of Indiana. I usually skip the buffet, and order off the menu even during lunch. read more

The lunch buffet is solid, though not spectacular. I was really disappointed with the hot and sour soup, but otherwise this place is pretty excellent. I recommend actually going here for dinner versus the buffet. Do yourself a favor and get the twice-cooked pork... wow. This dish was really authentic - it actually used pork belly instead of just pork strips and it was simply delicious. Explosions of flavor all over the place - I want to try other things but I don't think I really can, because it was so good. read more

Extensive menu. My mapo tofu was garlicky and tangy . Lots of spicy. Lots of choices for "american-style" chinese lovers.

I mostly went to Chow Bar with friends when we missed having Chinese food the first few months being in the US. I had the buffet most of the time because I felt that it was the most worth it then, being able to try a variety of soups, meat, and vegetables, rather than just one dish (and it wasn't too expensive). The portion is pretty big if you just order one dish, and the prices are reasonable. I would say the food is pretty authentic but there are definitely better Chinese restaurants in Bloomington. I ordered the Honeydew bubble tea once and I think it tasted kind of powdery, so I guess I wouldn't recommend having that. Also, I wanted to order delivery recently but was appalled to find out that the menu pretty much has no vegan options. read more

My favorite Chinese restaurant in Bloomington! It's near and had great taste. I almost go there once a week! Love it!

Very misleading .... Went to experience the "Super Sunday Buffet Brunch" which is listed on the menu, the website AND advertised on the front window today. When we arrived at 12:20p, we were surprised to see an empty buffet line. When we asked the server about it, I'm assuming that there was a language barrier because she seemed very confused when asked about it. What we finally could understand was "no more, no more." Okay, fine. No more for us either.... I really hate bait and switch. Fix your website and your window! read more

Huge servings and wonderful food. One of my favorite places that is close to campus.

Food was pretty good. Nice size portions. Servers were not very attentive in my opinion.

I enjoy this place a lot, as their food is very tasty and their buffet quite good as well as a very good value for the variety presented. Their variety of bubble teas is quite extraordinary as well. I always enjoy eating at this establishment, as they offer something for all tastes, and are also priced reasonably. read more

One of the best kept secrets in Bloomington. Definitely the BEST Chinese restaurants in the area (or any area, for that matter). Try the Korean-style General Tso's chicken (K-10), cold sesame noodles, and DEFINITELY do not leave without a bubble tea (green tea is my fave). Once you go Chow Bar, you won't go back. (I mean, where else is there - Dragon Express?) read more

Upon departure from chow bar I found a hair in my magic mocha bubble tea. I was absolutely appalled and by the time I found it I was already almost home. After finding the hair my view of chow bar had changed and the chicken and broccoli I had tasted subpar. read more

I am from NJ here on business staying at Biddle. This is the fastest delivery food I have ever received, and it is pretty tasty, too. The Lodel app really helped, and I recommend both the app and the Gen C's chicken. read more

My wife and I, Americans who like Asian food, but admittedly Americanized, did the Sunday Buffet and agree with other reviews that this seemed pretty authentic. The clientele demographic today at least supports this claim. They had some unusual offerings. We're no stranger to Asian food, especially having lived in LA and Sacramento for quite awhile, but I had to ask what one dish was (something with calamari). The pigs feet were obvious. We did like the honey sesame chicken and spicy beef (I hope :-) and soy tofu (not sure what it was called, since there were no signs). We both tried the original bubble tea and thought it was just okay. The bubbles were a little scary looking (not ever seen or heard of it before). My first thought was some part of a fish, especially since it was black and a little slippery, but was just tapioca (so they said, with a smile) that had the taste of licorice. My brave wife tried it first. Chow Bar lacked Hot & Sour soup and many of the Chinese vegetables that I like. It was not a place we will crave, but for those that want authentic or desire to try something a little different, the food and service was good. The Sunday brunch is a little more pricey than during the week (~$14pp with drink before tip). I'd suggest a weekday brunch to try some of their variety. The ambiance is clean, well lit and simple. read more

This is some authentic delish Chinese food . The veggies are so fresh . The combination appetizer was 2 dumplings, 2 eggroll,2 chicken on a stick , 2 chinese ribs and 2 crab Rangoon and they bring it out on this fancy dish that turns and has a fire pit in the center. Orange beef was delicious . I will try a rice bowl next time . So many menu options . read more

Chow bar was okay. It definitely worked as a place to eat. The food was alright... not as good as what you pay for though. Also the waitstaff isn't too helpful, they gave us water and asked if we wanted the buffet. We all said yes and we didn't see her again. It also kind of made my stomach hurt later, but that was to be expected. read more

Chow Bar is the best Chinese food I've ever had. Best in Bloomington for sure. Go check out their lunch buffet to get a sampling of their food. It is different than the typical China Buffet type places. The flavor at Chow Bar is richer, more flavorful. read more

good lunch buffet, good homestyle bean curd, but who am i kidding? i always just went for the bubble tea. my favorite flavor is the green bean (not what it sounds like, folks.) it tastes kind of like green tea but creamier/smokier. is smokey too pretentious of a word to use when describing bubble tea? nah, i'm gonna go with it. anyway. good place. get something with bok choy; it's always nice and squeaky fresh. read more

close to campus, great food, many beloved dishes by both American and Chinese.

I really love this place. It has lots of interesting dishes on the buffet that you never see in other restaurants. From baby bok choi to spicy shrimp dishes to eggplant and spicy green beans, etc. It can be addictive and soon you'll be craving to return to have more. It is frequented by lots of Asians, proving that they also approve of the food, but I have noticed that generally they all order off of the menu while the Caucasians and others eat the buffet. Wonder what's up with that? read more

My favorite asian take out spot in Bloomington. The Indonesian fried rice is amazing- especially if you love spicy foods. Skip fortune cookie- go here! read more

I heard something good about Chow Bar. Therefore, I gave it a try. On September 28, 2014, I was a little late for the Sunday lunch buffet, but there was still a lot of time left. There were not many foods left. The restaurant would not cook additional food for you either. The price is higher than other Chinese buffet restaurant. It is not worth it. They do not offer free drinks. There is no ice cream either. read more