Updating my review to say that I have never had a bad pizza here. I've tried many different pizzas, working my way through the gourmet pizza list, different crusts, various sauces, many different combinations of toppings, and all are excellent. On this visit I ordered the Summer Garden pizza on thin crust, and breadsticks. I also ordered a side of ranch for the breadsticks because the ranch dressing here is phenomenal. As always, the pizza was excellent and so wa the service. A true Bloomington legend. read more

See all

Graduation weekend, you know not to go to Mother Bear's on campus, so we visited the other site. Like, who can go to Bloomington and not go to Mother Bear's? There were 10 of us and they did get us seated fairly quickly, which was nice. We had to small ones and they accommodated them nicely. We had family in that had never had Mother Bear's so we went all out on pizza choices. We ordered the standard sauce and pepperoni (amazing), the vodka sauce with pepperoni (YES PLEASE) and the regular sauce with sausage and pepperoni (AGAIN GREAT). Bread sticks and garlic bread are a must. With that said, we went a little deeper with the Monte Cristo and the, wait for it, Broccoli and cheese pizza. I am not joking, my daughter said you won't believe it until you try it. So, I did. My favorite will always be the Vodka sauce (YUM YUM) but I really liked both the Monte Cristo and the Broccoli pizza (I totally forget what it is under on the menu). Pleasantly surprised by the broccoli and cheese. Wrap that on a crust with crispy edges and you have a winner. So, trust me, just try it if it something that you like normally! Who knew, a healthy pizza (probably not, but you can say that). Thanks for accommodating our family this past weekend and thank you for having great service and great pizza. The grandkids were impressed!! PROS: Ease of parking at this site Great options for seating inside Staff friendly GET THE GARLIC BREAD, Just do it!!! CONS: Nothing, just go read more

excellent service from our young man We got the cheese lovers pizza and added pepperoni and sausage to it. I got the house salad with homemade blue cheese dressing. It's a unique salad because instead of croutons they use Pepperidge farm goldfish as the cracker. The pizza sauce is really good. Has a little bit of a kick to it and all those cheeses was really good. The dining room is really unique because the wooden walls is used to be a smoky Bones restaurant. People write their name with sharpie black markers on the wall to let them know that they've been here so I'm really high on the wall as well. read more

Mother Bear's Pizza West - Pizza Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

I go to the campus Mother Bear's regularly but just tried the west side location since my parents are visiting and staying on this side of town. I took my parents here since I thought they should experience Mother Bear's, so, needless to say, I really enjoy the pizza I get at the campus location, and the one I got here was no exception. Their pan pizza is like an intermediate between a regular thick crust pizza and a deep dish, with a delicious dense crust and cheese caramelized up against the edges of the pizza. Their sauces are also notably good. This time I built a pizza with the olive tapenade, and the tapenade was delicious with the artichoke hearts topping. Pretty good house salad too - simple, but the lettuce was fresh and crisp, the balsamic vinaigrette was good, and the goldfish are fun and surprisingly do a lot to enhance the salad. The service was very good. They were very busy on a Saturday evening, and we were told it would be about 25 minutes for a table, which ended up being accurate, and once we were seated, our drinks and food both came out in a timely manner. Our waitress was also friendly. This was a better service experience than I've gotten at the campus location. The atmosphere is family-oriented. There were as many or more families with kids than young students. The writing covering the walls is mostly PG. The furniture has the old school pizza parlor look. There are sound panels all over the ceiling which keeps it from getting too loud even though it's a big place. read more

See all

(Pepsi products tho) Sto Server Tosh was so attentive and friendly. Gave lots of great suggestions. Homemade dressings! Ranch blue cheese and honey mustard Ten inch Tuesday - 10" one topping for $6.95 Classic crust is similar to a pan. Slightly sweet sauce read more

This is sort of a 2 for 1 review based on one visit and one attempted visit. Visit 1 - Met someone for a lunch date. I wasn't very hungry at all and just had the garlic cheese bread, which is normally all sorts of awesome. Person I was with had a slice. The bread was cheesy, but did not have nearly the garlic flavor it normally does. It was fine. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't up to the quality I normally expect. Attempted visit - This left me extremely disappointed. It's frustrating that there is no contact page for Mother Bear's that I can find, so I literally cannot even call them or message them to express my feelings to them directly. The number listed just goes to the east side location. I had plans on going to dinner with my kid on my birthday. I looked online to make sure they were open on Mondays. Everything online said they were open until 9. Great! When we drove up, the building was dark. There were renovations apparently happening, and they were closed with a sign on the door stating birthday dinners would be honored on the 4th (How much good is that going to do me now?) and the 7th. It's now the 7th, and I don't have any company to go with, so now I miss out on a Mother Bear's birthday dinner because no one could be bothered to update their website and whatever web services and Yelp that post their hours. All they had was a note on FB, which clearly not a lot of us check since other cars drove up and had to drive away when they realized it was closed. So you cannot message them on their FB account. There is no corporate contact. Instead there is just disappointment because a planned fun evening turned into a trip to McDonald's. Thanks, guys. It's things like this that erase a lot of the good feelings I generally have about you. I don't like being the person to come on and complain about stuff like this, but hopefully in doing so, someone will consider actually working to make sure websites are updated when something like this happens. A lot of us avoid FB as much as possible. What a freakin' disappointment. read more

Who would think Fishy cracker's in a salad would be good , not me but holy cr_p it was . Great job read more

Mother Bear's Pizza West - Fishy Crackers - Pizza Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

Salads are always fresh and they make their own home ranch dressing! Little whale crackers are a trademark on their salads. Pizza options are aplenty. A medium pizza can feed two hungry people. "Divine Swine" is my favorite but definitely they have a multitude of other pizza toppings combos to suit anyone's pallet. I'm usually a thin crust type of guy at most pizza places, but Mother Bears Traditional crust is perfect with a nice crunch. It's not too thick...not too thin. It's just right....as I think was said in a famous kid's story with bears involved. Depending on the day of week and/or time of day, you might have to wait a moment for a table. While you wait, look around at the random scribbles on the walls. It's a tidy place but also casual. But they are efficient and will accommodate ASAP. FYI---their pizzas make for nice cold breakfast the next morning! read more

See all

We order from Mother Bears a LOT - and I realized I've never written a review. This is my preferred pizza in Bloomington. They have really good speciality pizzas if you're looking for something different - and you just can't go wrong with a pan pizza. We personally love the specials they run, because they're great for a date night order in. I've eaten in at this restaurant a few times, but most often I order pick up. The staff is always friendly and my food is always ready on time or early! You can't beat the prices for the quality. read more

Mother Bear's Pizza West - Our fav. The early bird deal + wings! We got the Dixie Two Step Pizza. And the cheese sticks. White sauce and garlic sauce always! - Pizza Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

Really good pizza. Stopped here on the way home for lunch. The place was packed but we got right in. Ordered two medium pizzas for the family - Divine Swine and The Palermo. Delicious. read more

Mother Bear's Pizza West - Pizza Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

Mother Bear's has been my go-to for the past 2 years, and it's no secret it's a Bloomington gem. Their salads are weirdly addictive--I blame the goldfish crackers. I've tried to recreate it at home, and nope... not the same. Their ranch is the best I've ever had, and yes, it belongs on your pizza. Pizza-wise, I typically always go with traditional crust and vodka sauce. Today I topped it up with mozzarella, feta, green peppers, and onion. Had to get it one last time before leaving Bloomington, and honestly... what a way to go out. Forever a Mother Bear's fan. Always a 10/10. read more

Mother Bear's Pizza West - Pizza Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

See all

I waited 30 minutes for a pickup that consisted of two appetizers and I received cold food even though i was early for pickup. The staff was very nice but I am disappointed that i spent $15 on lunch and received cold food. read more

I'm sad we were in a rush when we went here so I couldn't enjoy it fully but I LOVED this pizza spot! There's a lot of seating and we didn't have to wait too long even though it's popular place. We had the mozzarella sticks and a pizza which were both so cheesy and delicious! Would definitely go again if I'm in the area! read more

Mother Bear's Pizza West - Pizza Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

This is our go to pizza place any time we stop into Bloomington to see family. We always get take out, but I would love to eat in sometime. It has a very cute ambiance, the staff is super friendly, and the breadsticks are top notch. The pizza is good if you like thicker pieces of pizza. I'd highly recommend trying it out if you are ever in Bloomington. read more

See all

If you're cruising through Bloomington Indiana and are craving really good pizza then you should definitely stop here. Pizza is great, breadsticks are delicious. I'm sure they get busy but we were there in the middle of the afternoon and got right in, but it was full. Next time I'll remember to bring my sharpie so I can write on the walls. read more

See all

Stopped by Mother Bears Pizza while heading home from Bloomington. We had their version of a Caesar salad and a regular crust pizza. The Caesar salad did not appear to have anchovy flavor, just oil and lemon flavors, which was still good. We had pepperoni, banana pepper, red onions, and green peppers on the pizza, This has to be one of the best pizzas I have had. Wish we had one near us. The thick pan pizza also looked good. read more

Mother Bear's Pizza West - Pizza Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

My husband went to school at IU, so he loves to stop by mother bears whenever we are passing through Bloomington. This location is an expansion on the original, and we really like it. It is spacious, has much more parking than the original building, and the food is just as good. My husband had the lunch special which consists of a slice of pizza and four breadsticks, and he enjoyed it a lot. The pizza style is not thin crust, it is hearty. The breadsticks are very well seasoned and salty. I had the ham and cheese sandwich, and it was very good. Sandwiches at pizza joints hinge on the bread, and this bread was crispy on the outside, soft in the middle, and generally perfect. They don't have hellmans mayo, but the brand that they did have did the job. The cups with drinks are weirdly large, and I like that. This is a great option for local pizza in Bloomington, we will definitely be back many times. read more

See all

First time I've been anywhere where I can say its a party of x amount of people, and I have to wait for everyone else to show up before Im allowed to get a table. At this point I should've just chose delivery and got pizza hut or papa John's. The pizza is just like any other pizza chain, nothing special. read more

Always my go to when I'm in Bloomington!! Great relaxed atmosphere. Excellent pizza. The sauce has a little kick to it but is so incredibly tasty. We got a large pepperoni and sausage pizza, breadsticks (really great too with tons of flavor and great dipping sauce). And sodas to drink. We were there between 4 and 6 so we got a deal for all of the above. Service was great! Server was friendly and even though he was busy took great care of us and was always there when needed. Highly recommend! read more

The stuffed mushrooms were good. The Sweet Grogia Brown salad was NOT good. The chicken tenders were dry, The strawberries must have been reconstituted freeze drie strawberries; the blueberries frozen. There were just a few very small pieces of pecans. At the END of my meal, Elkes, my server, finally asked how the meal was. I complained about the hicken tenders. She appologized and walked off. We did complain to the waistress, expecially about her speaking style; way too fast and not well enunciated; once we located her to pay the bill. read more

Terrible first time ordering a pizza, we were order 153 last Friday night we ordered a deluxe pizza we received a thick crust NO cheese, few pepperoni NO sausage few peppers and the sauce was just a big glob on top ! i put pictures on facebook and a bad review as well WE will not try this place again, when my husband got home he laughed said what did you order !! It was a mess and you would think they might get back with me with at least an apology . read more

This is an excellent pizza establishment that we visited while we were in the area. My family went in here on a Saturday evening and did not have a long wait at all. I though the place looked really cool with the cabin look that it has. IT felt like i was walking into outdoor man or something. It was awesome. We got a couple pizzas for our family and we really enjoyed. I really like the pepperoni pizza that my wife and I had. My daughters got the cheese and they both approved as well. Excellent place overall that I highly recommend. Food- 5/5 Atmosphere 5/5 Price 4/5 Service 4/5 read more

See all

The pizza was delicious and the atmosphere made me nostalgic for the way a Pizza Hut used to feel. The service was wonderful as well.

I had researched the classic IU dining destinations for our road trip to Bloomington and Mother Bear's was high on every list. Campus was hopping during our homecoming weekend visit, so we ruled out the original campus location, but when we realized that this location was so close to our hotel, it was an easy decision. We pulled up and saw that the parking lot was packed, so we were concerned it was going to be a long wait. We were pleasantly surprised when they told us it would only be 10 minutes and they sat us even quicker than that. Our server, Braden was very friendly and accommodating and super responsive, even though the place was packed. The menu had a lot of great choices, but we landed on the toasted ravioli, a Caesar salad and the Monet pizza...we loved it all! I totally understand why this place is the icon that it is! read more

See all

Mother Bear's is awesome pizza. The west side location is a little more open and spacious than campus. Same great flavor. DID YOU KNOW, that on your bday, Mother Bear's will give you a percentage discount equivalent to your age? I recently learned this before my son's bday, so we only got about $.86 off, but my husband and I plan on hitting them up on our big days from here on out for more sizable savings. read more

Update good was much better so was the service also had sports all over the TVs. Food was hot this time, get the breadsticks. It was not that loud. Overall it was very nice this time is was awesome read more

My family absolutely loves this place. We probably go every time we come into Bloomington. The pizza is delicious and it's a true Bloomington staple. read more

Ironic my favorite Chicago style pizza is in Bloomington. Great pizza, better than any of the big name places IMHO. Don't miss out if you are passing by. You won't be disappointed. read more

MB's does not disappoint! We got the early bird special-10 inch pizza, drinks and bread. We of course ordered our Cobb salad-it's a must when coming here! Tons of leftovers heading into the weekend. Don't forget your sharpie to sign the walls. Benches, anywhere you can find a spot. read more

See all

The place is really fun and has great pizza and I loved the lasagna. Kinda spicy, made with sausage. read more

Mother Bear's Pizza West - Kids cheese pizza - Pizza Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

See all

I really wanted to like this place more, but just couldn't. It seemed like a fun family friendly restaurant, which it kind of was . The restaurant has tons of parking available and the staff is friendly. The restaurant is huge with tons of indoor seating available. They also have outdoor patio seating. The menu is packed with various food selections, but they are best known for their pizza. And wait there's more. They serve alcohol, beer and wine. I guess their thing is allowing people to write on the walls and furniture. I however, am not a fan. It is kind of dirty looking to me and not something I want to see while I am eating. The bathroom also needed some attention. It was pretty dirty and one soap dispenser was empty and the other one had come off the wall. It was very sad. I ordered the spaghetti for the littles and a Longhorn pizza. The spaghetti was not drained well at all. I got about a half a bowl of water out between the two bowls of spaghetti. There is a pic of the water I drained in my photos. We also got some of the cheesy bread sticks as an appetizer. They were the star of the meal. They were delicious. They never had a chance. I would definitely recommend getting them. The pizza was good. I have had better and I have had worse. In other words, I would eat it again if I had to, but probably would not make a special trip. For me, this place is ok. I did not see what the hype was all about at all. read more

See all

The curbside process was broken today. Meh... There is a first for everything. : ( Food is always solid. The convenience factor (today) negates the yummy food this go around. read more

Good service, good food, good atmosphere , wait was reasonable , everyone was courteous .

Since the campus location was closed during the winter break we ordered take out from the west location about a 15 minute drive to campus. Order app was super easy to use to order or modify the pie. We got the early bird special which was a deep dish, sticks, and a 2 L. Perfect order process, and the app gave the timing super accurately as to when we needed to arrive. Lots of parking spots for pick up orders and the delivery person came right out with the food. All was hot fresh and delicious. Highly recommend the deep dish and the early bird special!!! read more

Mother Bear's Pizza West - Cheese deep dish - Pizza Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

See all

This was my first time at Mother Bear's and it had a lot of hype to live up to. The restaurant has an inviting log cabin vibe with a bar in the middle and 10-12ish beers on tap. You're reminded that you're in a college town by the sharpie signatures and doodles covering the walls. But other than that, the restsurant seemed clean. The breadsticks were different from any breadstick I've had. The consistency was similar to a hotdog bun. Odd but they were okay.  As for the pizza, I LOVE a good red sauce -- the more the better. I ordered the Veggie Delight and it didn't disappoint. They loaded it with toppings and cheese, the crust was crispy and the sauce had a great flavor -- I could have used a bit more, so next time I'll ask for extra. We also ordered the Spinoccoli, which has a garlic sauce base - also delicious.  Overall, Mother Bear's lived up to the hype and I'd definitely come back next time I'm around. read more

See all

Good food. Good for kids and the Monty Cristo pizza was amazing. Bring your sharpie- they have welcomed graffiti all over the inside of their restaurant. read more

The food is fantastic! Best pizza in all of Indiana with the best choices. Always hot, always delicious

We have eaten here a lot since they opened this location & have always been pleased, but we stopped in Saturday for lunch & was extremely disappointed in the service. We always sit at the bar because it's usually very friendly, not the case Saturday. Don't know if bartender was having a bad day or wasn't suppose to work & got called in. The only time she was even remotely friendly was when it was time to pay the bill, too late then, sorry. The only good thing was the food was good as always, but service sucked! read more

I know this place is an institution but, ugh. Pizza is acceptable but not much more (sauce too spicy, crust just ok, whole thing kind of flavorless except for too spicy sauce). This is the new location which already is getting shabby. Every time we go the tables are all sticky (yech) and the floor looks filthy as well so not so clean to me. I know lots of locals swear by Mother Bear's but not sure why. read more

We ordered the pepperoni pizza and the Dixie Two Step. The pepperoni lacked as described PEPPERONI. 1out of 5 The two step is a great option and is a 5 out of 5 The drinks here are massive so if your thirst is great your in a good place. read more

Mother Bear's Pizza West - Booth that once was used by a semi pro goat hearder named Randy - Pizza Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana