Unbelievably rude bartender. Asked for a water at the bar and he all but spit in my face. He got into my face and told me to get the hell out of his bar. Seriously?! I have NEVER experienced such horrible service in my life. I was appalled. I hope it was worth being a condescending jerk because my huge group left because of him, as well as the group of guys next to us at the bar that witnessed his behavior. Will never go back. I would definitely beware of this bar. Much better places to go in Bloomington where you aren't treated like crap. read more

Great place to be. There's a space for those who prefer lounging, and another area for those more in to the club scene. There's always a drink special and the bartenders are pretty cool. Def. worth the $5 cover! The other bars I've been to really don't compare. The only thing I don't like about downtown Normal in general is the parking. When it's cold, you either lug your coat around with you or just run to the bar if you don't want to carry it. There's a parking garage but it's often too crowded. read more

Just one more bar in downtown Bloomington. Please, please, tell someone to paint those walls.

The bouncers are so simple minded that, when handed a legally-binding horizontal 21+ Australian ID, they reject admittance because it's too much brain power to try to look for a birth date on a slightly different form of identification. It's evident that they would not have performed well on critical thinking skills assessments in junior high. I have never before witnessed such an utter look of confusion. I'm talking one eyebrow raised so high it almost melted into his hairline. Real men of genius working the front door at Fat Jacks. The whiskey ginger tasted like jenkum. read more

I did end up coming back at a later date with my mom, aunt, and friends. We had a blast! Played darts, had good drinks, danced in a back room somewhere, and even saw someone getting married? It was indeed a great night! read more

My absolute favorite bar in Bloomington the back room has the dance floor and the atmosphere is SO MUCH FUN!!! The music is awesome and has so many throwbacks. The tsunamis are delicious! read more

Easily top five beer slinger/ beer belly counselor of all time in Great Kate, Katie, the Kate-en-ator. I've been in thousands of bars and she is easily remembered as an all time great. The bar itself is clean and fabulous. I lean toward a dive but when it comes to class and great selection (before the college party), this place takes the keg. Just an awesome experience and I look forward to my next frothy pint at Fat Jacks! read more

Cool place to hang out and have a cold one or some shots. They have two bars, pool tables and a dance floor. If you are in the area, this place is a must stop. Service is great and the place is clean. read more

Service was a little slow when we arrived @ 6 on a Friday. Only one server on the floor. Another one came on and it was fine afterwards. The three of us in our party all had something different and were all pleased with our choices. I had the blackened chicken panini, the other two had the shrimp po' boy and pork bbq. We all commented that it had a little kick which was a nice surprise. Everything was well cooked and the beer chips in a bag a spear pickle were awesome. Prices were reasonable but a 30% cash tip couldn't get a 'thank you' from the server that was late for work. read more

THE quintessential college bar. Big main bar with a ton of great beers on tap and a rotating selection. No cheap domestics on tap, just imports and micros. Great back bar and liquor selection and excellent specials. Three different spaces. Main bar, for a great hangout. Looking for something cooler, try the Blue Room for a more loungey feel. Wanna dance your face off, wander back to room 4. read more

One of my favorite bars to go out on weekends. They have really good drink specials. My fav are Tsunamis. I also like the different room genres (love top hits section), fav bartender is Courtney always gives me drink recommendations. Fun party place! read more

Best bar, bar none (pun intended). Great for Trivia Night on Thursdays with friends and incredible drink specials on the weekend. Get a tsunami and dance like there's no tomorrow! read more

Fat Jacks is a cool place to go to in Bloomingoton. I think it's considered to be the "it" bar of downtown. If you want to have a good time then Fat Jacks is the place for you. It will please everyone because they have 4 different rooms which makes it spacious for everyone to have a good time. It is the only place in Bloomington that has a "night club" feel thanks to room 4. The DJ's have gotten better with music selection and keeping the crowd entertained. The only think I have to complain about is that they removed the couches and added more pool tables making the place hard to walk around and the lack of seating leaves people standing around getting in each others way. Also, the other thing that I don't like about this place is that it gets a little overcrowded; it seems they let everybody in and that makes everyone become crabby leading them to get into fights. Overall is a good place if you wanna have a drink, dress up and dance and meet a good mix crowd of college students and yuppies. read more

Great bar, great atmosphere, outstanding drink prices, amazing people who are always friendly and remember you the next time you come

Once a month I will stop back at Fat Jacks for a drink and something to eat and every time I leave pissed I even bothered to go there. Tonight I stopped by and asked my waitress if they had cheeseburgers, she replied I just started and need to look, came back and said we have sliders. I said fine so they showed up plain, NO CHEESE and nothing else but meat and bun. As in the past my waitress disappears to god knows where for 15 minutes. After I consumed everything she finally shows up and asks is everything ok, I said do you not offer these with cheese......OHHH, he, he sorry, grabbed my bill and took off. The wait staff have an attitude that continues to get worse. I wish Tyler the owner would try harder to hire people that care about there customers and not just 'look hot'! They all have an 'air' about them like we are lucky they are waiting on us, not for me anymore read more

Best beer around. Love all the blond girls. ;) Love hanging here for all the collage memories. Keep it Classy Fat Jacks!

We started out the night in Uptown Normal but it was Deadtown So we headed to Bloomington Rhinos had a little goin on but but we kept heading down the street Fat Jacks was jumping It wasn't 11pm yet and the place was full but we could still hear each other an ddidnt feel cramped It Didn't take too long to get drinks either The bartender said the cheaper bar vodka would fool my fancy friend that drinks Grey Goose in her drinks but I assured him my fancy friend knows her Grey Goose The place got more hype as the night went on Plenty of dancing with places to chill inbetween on a couch and stuff Plenty of more dancing We stayed for about an hour and a half and it was a blast the entire time When we left before 1am the line to get in was out the door Same thing at Daddios and whatever the next one down the street is Even though the weather wasn't the best everyone was out and having a blast Party Up Bloomington! read more

I worked at Fat Jacks all through college to support myself and pay my bills, and I still can't believe how great of a place Fat Jacks is! They have four different spaces in the bar, all with a different feel to it, and the rooms help to make the place totally diverse. I still can't believe that Fat Jacks has 25 beers on tap at a primarily college dominated bar, all types of beers also, from Framboise and Woodchuck Pear (Pair o' Titties drink was created one night while I was working and it was a favorite by staff members!!), to Blue Moon, Sierra Nevada, Summit, Bass, and 312. Fat Jacks is THE PLACE to go if you are in Bloomington at all, whether that be connected to ISU or not. If traveling there and wanting to not get acclimated to your college years, visit around 5:00 pm on Sundays, when the crowd tends to be more of the working adults living in Bloomington, who still like to go out and enjoy a draft beer, without the celebrating 21 year old puking in a trash can nearby. $2.75 drink specials still going strong!! read more

Had a terrible experience at this bar last night. They have a strict dress code even though they're a college town bar and no one knows about it. I wore a pair of black sweat shorts with my girlfriend and all my friends and the bouncer wouldn't let me in. He then decided to put me in a choke hold and kick me out of the bar while trying to elbow my girlfriend and also punch my friend that got his arm off my neck. The manager didn't believe any of us and was too scared to check the cameras. The cops also were on our side and told us they've heard multiple complaints about the bouncers abusing their power there. Highly don't recommend this bar. From the bouncers to the manager they need to shape up. read more

This place is okay during the summer, but during the school year is often referred to as "Frat Jacks" because it is overrun with the steriotypical college frat guys. Even when I was in college I was not fond of this place. I do not think I've ever been there without at least one fist fight breaking out, often times involving members of the staff. The service is generally terrible and it takes FOREVER to get a drink, especially if you are a guy. If you go early during the summer months it's not terrible and you can usually get service, but it is still a little expensive and can still turn into "Frat Jacks" on the weekends. read more

I LOVE this place. It's a bar but it genuinely has something for everyone. it has the main bar area with table seating for those who like the usual bar scene. Then there's lounge seating around coffee tables in the same area as the pool tables that is usually much more mellow and conducive to conversation than the other areas. Finally, there's a dance floor/club scene area in the back. Each area has its own music and its own atmosphere. There's always drink specials. Whether I'm out with fellow college students or bringing my parents out when they visit, I never feel out of place because the age mix is really great. I promise, if you want a fun night with any age or type of crowd, Fat Jacks is the place to be! read more

Bouncers are on a weird power trip. I have seen them, in groups, beat people up when they could just escort them out(numerous times). They supposedly enforce a dress code of no flatbill hats but after removing mine, at least ten other people had them on. DJs are lame. Staff is rude. Going downhill fast... Don't recommend to anybody... read more

It's the bar that is always hopping downtown. They have a pretty good setup and reasonable prices. I always find myself at Fat Jacks at some point during the weekend read more

Only times I've been here were on the weekends and I was a college kid that liked to drink. Beyond that it's mostly been a good time. I like how it's three bars in one and when I went the atmosphere wasn't too bad, that was almost 2 years ago though. The atmosphere is real nice though. The fat jack drink is actually pretty good and I'm not ashamed that I've ordered it. read more

One of the better places in Bloomington. The staff is nice and very friendly. Best choice of micro brewed beer around, the food is so so, but a nice place to drink a new beer. read more

Well, the negative reviews really sum up my Fat Jacks experience well. The bouncers are indeed on a weird power trip, I was out with some friends recently and not only were the bouncers incredibly rude and pushy, but one of them actually tried to create a conflict between myself and some women I had never met before. Perhaps he was bored and having a slow night, but even his fellow bouncer told him that was not ok. The current waitresses' drink knowledge is embarrassingly poor, and service is slow even on a dead night. I made a mistake and ordered a dish with shrimp, I think it was supposed to be some sort of tapenade crostini, it ended up being crackers with diced tomatoes from a can with green olives and a cold grey shrimp on top. Overall, after being spoiled by the nightlife elsewhere having lived in Champaign-Urbana for a few years, now trying to go to Fat Jacks for a drink with friends, I'd rather go to Kam's during Greek Week and step in puke than return to this sorry excuse for a bar. read more