Looking for new Chinese resto since Imperial Buffet closed. Found it interesting to find a Filipino restaurant in the area. Hubby & I gave it a try. We usually get our filipino food fix up in the suburbs. To our surprise the food exceeded our expectations! The palabok was not just topped with the usual crushed pork rind. It was actually chunks of crunchy lechon kawali (pork belly)! Was mentioning to the hubby a few weeks ago that I was craving for pork BBQ (filipino style, in skewers). Got a good deal of 2 pork barbecue with fried rice and lumpia. Then came the dessert. The halo--halo was served in a huge bowl! Definitely had our fill, plus take home for the leftovers. Good thing we came early because more customers came for dine-in and takeout. The place was hopping but unfortunately, they were short-staffed. Note to self: come before the dinner crowd. Otherwise, it's all good! read more

Grand Cafe - Palabok Pancit (Filipino Noodles) pork Bar-B-Que Pork Special - Chinese Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

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Oh my gosh I just ordered sweet and sour chicken delivery, an entree I've ordered a hundred times, and instead of getting it in 3 separate containers- rice in one, chicken in another, and sweet and sour sauce in the third. Tonight I got it with chicken (fried chicken pieces) with the sauce poured on top in a cardboard box container; the chicken was literally drowning in sauce. Chicken was soggy and gross. I was told "we always do it that way unless you order with a request for on the side." I've NEVER had it delivered that way. I've NEVER requested on the side. There's not even an option to order on the side. Don't bother to order this item! Unless you can figure out how to with special instructions. Gross.... read more

Grand Cafe - Sweet and sour chicken drowning in red sauce - Chinese Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

After having lived in Bloomington Normal for 15 years, I've heard about Grand Cafe but never visited. The regular Chinese Take out was closed so we had to try something new. I am SHOCKED that this place has even 3.5 stars. The beef and broccoli tastes like it was either reheated in a Microwave or made in a crock pot. The broccoli was so soggy it no longer had form. The low mein was way over cooked and bland. Now the reason we picked this place was the egg rolls. Let me tell you, even these were a disappointment. Save your money. read more

I ordered chicken almond d in was bland no garlic no flavoring this is not the Grand Café i used to know in throwing my good in the garbage not worth it at all. read more

Grand Cafe - CHICKEN ALMOND DIN no flavor all onions no garlic rice was mushy tossing my dinner in the garbage. - Chinese Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

Still the best egg rolls anywhere!! The rest of the serve is not as good as it used to be portion size seems smaller then before and the price a lot higher.... I wish I could say better things about this restaurant it was one of my all time favorite food places.... read more

This is the 3rd time in a row we've ordered from the Grand Cafe on Oakland and it's taken almost an hour and half from time of order to deliver. Plus the food is not hot. The quality of the food is poor. They always forget something. The price is high after they add a $5 delivery fee plus they'll add their own tip. Just not worth ordering from there again. The ONLY thing they do have that's even worth mentioning are the egg rolls. That's it! read more

Two orders on two different days and disappointing both times! Mobile order through app with curbside pickup. Food was hot both times. First order was correct as ordered. Second order did not come with rice. Never had that happen at any other Asian food restaurant. Taste: Crab Rangoon tasted as it should not times. I always assume these are purchased in bulk so flavor is consistent General Tso's Chicken extra spicy: Had some spice - don't recall why I didn't like. I think the breading just fell off chicken and the sauce was not the typical spicy-sweet that every other restaurant around the state serves. I just figured this place was different and would try something else next time. (Next time) Cashew Chicken add broccoli: besides not getting rice this was just bad. Chicken was chewy, and veggies not all cooked right but one might expect those things. The flavor here was pretty much nonexistent. There was a bit of what appears as a white sauce but it was flavorless. Was expecting brown sauce as that is what usually comes with any other restaurant. To best describe what I received was steamed vegetables and steamed chicken, not what one would have a taste for when ordering Chinese food unless ordering steamed/heart healthy. Restaurant refunded cost of crab Rangoon to make up for missing rice. Advice: Even though the Grand Cafe has been in Bloomington for decades, better to try a different restaurant foe tasty food. I will not be trying a third time. read more

Awful. Four meals plus crab Rangoon & 3 egg rolls = $70. Rangoon and sweet/sour chicken worst I've ever had. Don't waste your money. Never again. read more

The food was delicious! The long ago known dishes were just as they were before. Very happy! Our group had a grand tray, chicken almond din with white rice, crab rangoon, Filipino Egg Rolls, and shrimp chop suey with fried rice. Try the Filipino Egg Rolls To say that we have missed the grand cafe would be a huge understatement! I think it says a lot that the new owners got an express version open while theu are renovating. I posted the menu as it is currently on the day of its opening which is today. I heard a few people complaining about time to wait. Its day one guys, keep that in mind, a little patience goes a LONG WAY! They don't have the tea yet. They are also ferrying used to a new point of sale since it used to be all handwritten tickets with all individual price entering. They are using square now. They have limited seating inside, bear in mind it is the express location. read more

My sweet-and-sour view of Grand Cafe. Let me start out by saying that I grew up in Bloomington and my family was very close friends with the original owners of Grand Cafe. Having that biased, let us proceed. As my wife and I were bickering over where to eat for lunch, I mentioned, " let's get some Grand Cafe." You see, as most of you, I read the unfortunate news that Grand Cafe had closed... until it was re-opend. I was extremely excited when my wife agreed and we were literally 10 minutes early. When the doors opened, I was shocked to see a Panda Express like vibe. I am going to skip the lunch deal as we skipped the price cut and went straight for our favorites. Here is the sweet part. I could not get enough of the egg rolls, they were almost spot on, and reminded me of sitting in a 10 person booth with my family at the original GC. By far, they still have the best egg rolles around. The egg rolles are so good that I ordered two more to go after the first. When the Special fried rice came I was a little concerned, it was very dark in color. However, it was deliriously formiliar. Though, it was not exactly the same as I remember, it was still home. I will still argue it is the best special fried rice you can buy to date from a restaurant. The wait staff, Not to bad, not to bad at all. Better than most, better than I would have expected from the establishment I walked into. Our host was on top of everything. In a good way. I thought we would have an issue as the first person employee we met told us there was no Wait staff. Sour, The crab rangoons were okay, average at most. The Mongolian beef my wife orderd was confusing. The meat itself was delicious, but the sauce reminded me of a Campbell's soup beef broth mixed with flour. No spice and Generic. It also doesn't help when I can hear employees talking about other jobs they are getting. All in All I will eat at GC again, if only for the egg rolls and fried rice. I understand this establishment is under new management, but please do it justice like I hope you intended on in the first place. read more

In town for business and just happened to drive by this place. Half Filipino myself so I had to give it a try. Lumpia and adobo hit the spot! Can't wait to come back and try other dishes. Spoke w/ the owner on the way out and he was really friendly. Will definitely be coming back! read more

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This place has gone down hill in the 45+ years I have enjoyed the grand cafe! Portion size way down and prices way up.... broccoli and chicken was 8-1 broccoli to chicken and most of the chicken meat was smaller than a quarter! It's like they are trying to make it on the egg rolls.... Watch your change if you pay in cash has come back short a couple of times and had to complain latest was for a $1 read more

Grand Cafe - Broccoli chicken with very minimal chicken - Chinese Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

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Very disappointed we ordered broccoli chicken, crab ragoon, and egg rolls. we didn't get the broccoli chicken or the egg rolls and when I called them they treated me like I was lying and then wanted me to come back across town to pick up what they forgot. we have ordered before and were disappointed then so gave them a 2nd chance they definitly wont get a 3rd chance. If I were you order Chings in Normal instead! read more

Food is unique and awesome. Service was great even though it was busy. New dining area is very nice.

Great food. Best egg rolls. Service is kind! We like it here. We come all the time!.,!,!!

This place used to be one of my favorite places. We went two Fridays ago for a late lunch. When we got there our waitress seemed super distracted. We ordered a platter a side of rice and two extra egg rolls. She brought us some waters she basically threw the four egg rolls on our table and went back into the kitchen. We then heard someone say " I'm calling the police". We never saw our waitress again. We then sat at our table for about 30 mins until someone brought us a plate of rice. Sure enough we got a front row see to seeing some sort of report being filed by the BPD right in front of the restaurant. About 30 minutes after we got our rice someone came up to us and asked what we had ordered. We told them and they said it hadn't been put in. By the time it was done we just asked for a box and paid our bill and left. We were there for a little over 2 hours. read more

Went and picked up a carry out. The lady that's obviously worked there along time gave half my order away. No apology or offered anything for the mistake. I had to wait 15 more minutes to get the rest of the order. Food was cold and tasteless was filled with broccoli beca it's a cheaper vegetable. I remember now why I don't order from there anymore. It's gone downhill since being downtown. Won't make this mistake again! read more

As a Filipino who newly moved to Bloomington, I'm so happy to find this place! Their Filipino pork skewer is the best! My husband who is not Filipino also loves the pork skewer. I tried the lumpia which is also good. This place is not fancy, can do sit down or to go food. It definitely satisfies my Filipino food cravings. I will be back to try their other dishes. read more

Pretty solid Americanized Chinese place. The gourmet dinner is a pretty good deal as it comes with a good selection of appetizers. They are also pretty flexible about substituting the entree with a menu item not listed under the selection. The egg roll was delicious! I also really enjoyed the fried rice. The chicken I got was pretty good though not at all spicy. When I ordered it I was warned that it comes "pretty spicy, not sweet like at other places." I'm not dying to come again, but I definitely wouldn't turn it down if someone suggests it. read more

this is possibly the worst Chinese food I've ever eaten. nothing our group ordered was good. the egg rolls tasted like the oil they were cooked in. the entrees were tasteless. I have been going to Grand cafe for years but not anymore. read more

Went to this place a couple days ago. Was really busy when we got there, but cleared out after a bit. I got the skewer meal. Very good, much like I remember in the P.I.. Service was excellent, cost was very reasonable. Can't wait to try the other Filipino dishes. Very glad to see another local business that's good. read more

Egg rolls and wonton soup are still good but as a whole the place is "meh". I miss the Grand Cafe of my youth. The cheesy decor. The piping hot food and huge portions. The skinny glasses , the covered metal serving dishes and the friendly staff. I think I would like to go back about 20 years and order dinner for two (choosing from A and B categories on the menu).I miss that it seemed like a real family resturant and they seemed to really care. It was always americanized chinese food but it was a great place to go and I really miss it. read more

This is a disappointing review to write. I have been going to Grand Cafe for 30 years. I am just fine with raising prices, but when you skimp on the portions and raise the prices, that is not acceptable. The main dishes were maybe 1/2 of what they were, the egg roll are smaller, when ordering the dinner for two you only get 2 wontons in your soup instead of 4. The pork tidbits are now 2 not 4-6. No deserts anymore. The price has gone up almost 200%. Price needs to go up to deliver the same quality and quantity as it once was. I don't mind higher prices when the food is the same. Service was lacking to beat it all. Part of our order was never brought to us, until we mentioned to take it off the bill. Instead of a couple times a month it will be a couple times a year, unless it gets worse then it will be not at all. Not sure expansion right now is a good idea. Raise the price again for the skimpy dishes and no one will come. read more

Ordered takeout tonight for my wife and I. I ordered the pork belly Ramen it was absolutely terrible the broth had no flavor. The only thing grand about grande café was the price. read more

I will never again enter or buy from Grand Cafe. I went in to make a to go order (strange that you can't stand and wait for your order not touching anything, but you can sit inside and touch the chairs table and items on the table, and when you leave those area aren't sanitized). So today Grand Cafe lost a long time customer and they could have cared less. Today 10/05/2021, I went in and ordered 2 egg rolls, with house sweet and sour sauce, and 1 order of Sada steak. Bill came to $15.74 (Good grief they charge 75 cents for the sweet and sour sauce) I paid and was asked what kind of vehicle I drove because I had to go out and pull my car up and wait in my car. I told them and went to my car, I asked how long the wait would be and was told 5 minutes as they had to make the Sada steak fresh. After 10 minutes, the girl came out and asked if I had an order to pick up and I told her I had just been inside and made an order. She went back in and then came back a few minutes later and said "are you sure you ordered here?, they have no orders waiting". So I handed her my receipt and told her to just give me my money back because I paid with cash and had already waited 10 minutes. I can get egg rolls that just as good as their mediocre so called "best egg rolls in town since 1921" at a Huck's gas station and they don't charge for the sweet and sour sauce, and the egg rolls are 2 for $3.50. When the man that had waited on me returned my cash he said sorry about that and laughed, I responded that I would never buy from them again and he said thank you read more

It just goes to show, one must always consider the source. I am amazed at how many people give this subpar food a good review. Must be an indicator of a generation raised on chicken nuggets and Kraft mac and cheese . Sure, deep frying an egg roll might give you average food there, but these guys are consistent in using obvious second-rate ingredients in most anything that has any significant cost. Charge me $6-7, I should get a decent lunch made of mostly inexpensive noodles, veggies, and a few filler items to complement decent chicken, pork or beef. When someone says "trim the fat", that doesn't mean into the breading and then the fryer. Someone forgot to tell these folks that not everyone is happy with second or third rate Chinese Fast Food. Next time I'm with a group again and stop in, I'll just get crab Rangoon and call Jimmy John's otw back to work. Or maybe call into China Star across the street for a pick up order? 10x better there, btw. Improve food quality, I'll improve the review. read more

Ten years ago, this place would have earned five stars. It's declining fast while their food prices have risen astronomically. Last order I got was light on the meat. Very light on the meat. I struggled to find pieces of it. The egg rolls are still phenomenal. This place can't survive on egg rolls alone. read more

Love their food! Always fresh and great portions. Plus, they sell Lumpia, which I've not had since leaving Arkansas; greatest things ever!! I highly recommend them; great food, service, and fairly fast delivery! read more

I love that Filipino cuisine is finally getting its break in our little town. Great tasting dishes--both Chinese and Filipino. The egg roll and PC Tray are good as always, but try the lumpia, pork adobo, and beef caldereta! read more

Wackest Chinese food I've had in quite sometime. I don't know what General TSO recipe that was. Beef & Broccoli was wack as well. Y'all need to change somthing up but if it's working good for ya. Not for me. read more

As a Filipino, the food is authentic and close to home cooked meals. Staff are also very friendly :)

I was so excited to find this Filipino restaurant near me! I knew this place would be authentic because they had crispy chicken skin on the menu! It was delicious! We also ordered adobo, pancit palabok, and Tapsilog. Everything was amazing and the portions were huge! We ordered it to go, but the restaurant looked super clean. I can't wait to come back and try the other dishes too! read more

I can't believe we haven't tried this before. First time ordering (delivery) and I am truly impressed with the authenticity and huge flavors of their Filipino specialties. We ordered the pork skewer dinner and the chicken adobo and can't stop raving about the amazing flavors and quantity/quality. Thank you Grand Cafe for giving me a favorite go to for Asian food! read more

Terrible!!! Just because this place has been in the community for so long doesn't mean it's good. It's NOT good. The restaurant is out-dated, dirty and dilapidated. The staff are terrible at customer service and it would be a compliment to say the food is mediocre. But even the food isn't mediocre. It's bad. With so many other MUCH better options in the area, no one should waste there money or time at Grand Cafe and possibly a trip to the pharmacy after. The price of food and a doctors office visit or over the counter meds is a high price to pay. I have started NOT going to Grand Cafe as of this review. When I last ordered take-out I checked google on my smartphone for the phone number because I was out and about on a Saturday afternoon. I got the number and the google search results showed the hours for that day to be 11:30 am - 10 pm. I called at 3:35 pm and went to pick up the take out. When I got there at 3:50 pm the door was locked so I went back to my car to wait suspecting that maybe they don't open until 4 pm -- which was correct. When I went in to get my food I was told it would be at least 10 minutes. When I explained that I called almost 30 minutes ago and the owner told me they didn't open until 4 pm. I said then why do you answer the phone before 4 pm only to make people wait and at least explain that. And also he argued with me when I questioned why does it say the hours are 11:30 am - 10 pm. He said Google is wrong and people should go to the grand cafe web site and not use google. Ok read more

I wish I never came here so that this restaurant can keep a good review stars. As an authentic Chinese and a honest reviewer, I am sorry that even Panda Express is better than this place. First of all, i don't know what to order, since most of them are American Chinese, not the normal food I ever eat in China, or even Chicago Chinatown. And then I pick up Kungpo Chicken as a safe choice. What could go wrong for Kungpo chicken? Well, it turns out that when they serve the dish, I couldn't even recognize this is Kungpo chicken. Who will use Chicken fliet? It has to be cut as cubes. If the chef doesn't know how to cook Chinese food, go online and follow YouTube step by step. The reason I am so angry is because it humiliates the Chinese food. You thought your tolerance has been extremed with Panda Express? No, Panda is much better than here, at least it followed the basic recipe. Please please please, go YouTube, and check the real Chinese food. If you don't know how to cook, I can teach you. Stop fooling people here with fake and horrible quality Chinese food. ( I haven't mentioned that the sauce is really salty, not healthy at all). Or don't say you serve Chinese food. The food you place served, is not Chinese , and have hell no idea what it is. read more

Grand Cafe - You call this Kungpo Chicken? How about garbage with $ 9.9? - Chinese Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

Such a dissapointment. I was lured in by the, "best in Bloomington" marketing sign on their facade. After eating there, I have no idea what they're "best" at. But whatever they're best at, like Wolverine, it ain't very nice. The food here was bland, Midwestern Chinese. Over-fried, overly crunchy, and generally flavorless food dominates the menu. We sampled about 6 different dishes, and absolutely none of them stood out. While not bad food, it's absolutely nothing you could get a slightly subpar chinese buffet. If you think of mongolian barbecue and fine dining, this place may be 3 stars. But such boastful claims as "best in Bloomington" certainly aren't substantiated. There are at least five other places within 5 miles certainly worth the drive, often at a lower price point. read more

Things to know about Grand Cafe: 1- the decor is dim and old...it isn't fancy and it isnt new. If you know this before you go in, it won't be a surprise. 2- the food isn't gourmet...it's just good. 3- the waitresses are very efficient here...you won't get a lot of "oh, how are you...so nice to see you", but you will get good service. All of this being said, they have good food. It's generally busy on the weekends, and in my opinion, Chinese food seems to be better when a place is busy. I really like their hot mustard when you dine in...there is just something about it. My mom really likes it, as does my husband. The parking lot is SMALL, so I would suggest find a spot in the downtown and walk (working up a little appetite getting there and walking it off afterwards). It is RIGHT next to the BCPA, so it's a perfect spot to go when shows are playing, but it gets SUPER busy on those nights, so budget your time. read more

So good!! Not the most attractive inside but the most tasty affordable food for Chinese in town and priced like fast food but definitely worth every penny and then some! DELICIOUS!! read more

Grand Cafe - Chicken fried rice - Chinese Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

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Yes it is Americanized Chinese, but it is consistent and very good. I have been going here my whole life....so long that I remember their previous 2 locations before they moved to this address many many years ago. Very good food, and very good service. As almost everyone seems to be pointing out, they have the best egg rolls in town. The fried rice is excellent, as is the Egg Foo Young and Sweet and Sour Chicken. Just about everything here is good. If I ever had a complaint, it would be that I am not a big fan of their Lo Mein noodles. I am not sure there is any place in B/N to get good authentic Chinese, so why not go to the best Americanized place? :) Good stuff! read more

I'm sad about this place. The only positive thing I can say is that the egg rolls were crispy, the insides were bland. I love food, I cook good food and I appreciate good food and because of this I will not be returning to Grand Cafe. The szechuan beef was bland, there was no bite, no flavor, no heat. I didn't see garlic or any remnants of chiles. The garlic chicken was bland, no flavor and there certainly wasn't any "Bite" you would expect from garlic. The crab rangoon had no crab or sweetness. It tastes like straight cream cheese. Overall a big disappointment. Even the house fried rice was just so-so and semi-flavorful. If you give this "staple" more than 3 stars at most, I have to wonder what you eat on a regular basis that would lead you to believe this is of quality or considered quasi-delicious?! read more