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.

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.

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.

My daughter and I just had the most delicious meal at Longfei. We ordered bok choy w garlic &…read moreginger and Salt&Pepper fish fillets (and white rice). It was so delicious and savory and spicy and bright and fresh. I want a repeat, tomorrow! Highly recommend, and I am grateful, too, for the warm, hospitable and unfussy service.

Pan fried dumpling were a 10/10. These were delicious! Highly recommend. We then had house special…read morefried rice which has all the different meets in the fried rice. All of them were good. The texture of the rice was perfect but there was a seasoning in it that I didn't love. We then had the general tsos chicken. It was good. The breading was good. There was some gristle in it which I don't love. Service was fast and nice once we got seated. From the outside, you would never expect what it looks like in the inside. All of the portions were large enough you could definitely share each meal.

This is one of our favorite coffee shops in Bloomington. I love their themed drinks. They have…read moretheir standards and their seasonals. Have not tried their food but their coffee is consistent. Service is always quick and accurate. They let us use our own travel mugs as well. Generally a busy spot so not always able to get a table but most of the time we are just getting our coffee to go anyway. Seems like this would be a great spot to hang out and work if you were a college student or artist.

It's a shame there aren't more Soma coffee shops dotted around Bloomington instead of Starbucks…read more Soma holds the title of my favorite coffee spot in town, but their locations tend to be off my beaten path. While visiting this particular spot, my boyfriend was delighted to find they offer the Swamp, although it's not listed on their menu--a pleasant surprise for those in the know. The location doesn't have much indoor seating, but it does also offer outdoor seating. Luckily today, the indoor seating was available with many tables still open but with some tables needing some TLC.

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 !

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.

Really liked it! I really chose this place for dinner because I wanted bubble tea, and the bubble…read moretea was good but the food was the highlight. The menu is very vegetarian-friendly since you can choose tofu as a protein for most entrees, and even vegan-friendly since they have nondairy milk options for drinks and some entrees can be easily customized to be vegan (order with tofu/no meat and remove egg). I got a matcha latte with brown sugar crystal boba and the Pattaya pineapple rice. Matcha latte: The matcha was decent - it had the flavour of matcha latte mix rather than pure matcha, but it wasn't unpleasant, and it was strong. I like the brown sugar crystal boba as a topping - the flavour is very similar to brown sugar tapioca boba, but it doesn't sit as heavy. It's a different kind of chewy than tapioca, but it's close enough that it basically gives the same kind of experience as regular tapioca boba in a drink. Pattaya pineapple rice: Really good! The rice was well-seasoned and the pieces of juicy pineapple and raisins added some sweetness that contrasted very nicely with the curry-spiced rice. They have 5 spice levels (mild, medium, hot, extra hot, Thai hot). I usually went for medium heat when I lived on the west coast, but since this is the Midwest, I tried "hot" and found it had a bit of a kick, but the heat was still secondary to the other flavours, so it was the right choice for me. Very good service. The waiter was very friendly and attentive without hovering - he came by at just the right times. My drink and food came out not too long after I ordered. The place is nice. Like the other restaurants in this area, it's situated in a small house-like building. The atmosphere feels down-to-earth. There were lots of things on the menu that caught my interest, so I'll definitely be back!

The orange chicken was perfectly deep fried and sweet - probably the best orange chicken I've ever…read morehad! This was my BF's 4th time getting the green curry, his favorite. The mango sticky rice is a must try for anyone new to Asian dessert.

The food here was home-style and homemade, and reasonably tasty, but not my favorite Chinese food…read morein Bloomington. Wonton noodle soup: broth was a chicken broth that tasted super homemade, and might have been the best part of the meal. Wontons were okay, noodles were average premade. It all balances out.

I had the vegetable lo mein and a Thai milk tea with boba. All was very good. The lo mein was very…read moretasty, the noodles were tender, there were lots of vegetables, and the sauce wasn't too oily. The serving size was perfect for dinner. When I first saw the Thai milk tea, I thought it looked pale compared to the distinct orange colour most Thai tea has, and I worried it would be weak, but it was actually a nice milk tea with a subtle Thai-style spice, and the boba were supremely good. The guy who takes orders comes off as very unfriendly. I am used to no-nonsense Cantonese service and I don't think that's what this is; it feels like he doesn't want you to order. The first time I tried to order here I kind of got intimidated out of it because he told me it would be a 20 minute wait for food as I was just opening my mouth to order and the way it was delivered, I thought that was his way of telling me to go away. There was no 20-minute wait this time (I guess they were less busy) but it was the same vibe. I do intend to eat here again and look forward to it, I'm just not setting high expectations for the service.

Came for an early-ish dinner and it was pretty quiet. The service and atmosphere were both kind of…read morebare bones. There was no music so it was almost silent. I was had someone come to my table to take my order and bring my food but no one came by again after I got the food, so I went to the register to pay. Maybe a bit of a language barrier with the staff. I asked for jelly in my drink and got tapioca boba instead and generally felt like they didn't really understand what I was saying. I got a tofu rice bowl with miso sauce and a green milk tea with boba. The rice bowl was the perfect size for one meal, and there was a lot of tofu which made it filling. It was simple, with just the protein and sauce over steamed greens and rice, and I felt like it was pretty healthy. It didn't blow me away but it was good! The green milk tea was also good, strong but not too sweet. Some versions of the menu call it matcha but it very much tasted like green tea, not matcha. I think it was from a powder mix but that's fine. Reasonable prices. If I remember correctly, the rice bowl was about $13 and the boba was about $6 including the topping. I liked the food and would definitely eat here again.

Food here can be a bit hit or miss, depending on what you order. The salt and pepper squid and beef…read moreand broccoli are both really good -- definitely worth getting. Other dishes, like the Yeung Chow fried rice, aren't quite on par with what you'd find in bigger cities like Vancouver or San Francisco, but still decent for Bloomington. Service can come across as a little abrupt, but I think it's just their efficient, no-nonsense style, similar to what you'd see in major Chinese cities -- not actually rude. The ambience is quiet and relaxed, though the interior feels a bit dated and could use a refresh. Overall, solid Chinese food for Bloomington, especially if you know what to order.