The only thing that bit during our first (and last!) visit was the reality that this was one of the worst dining experiences we've ever had (and we eat out a lot). We waited over 30 minutes for a burger (ordered medium) and farfalle pasta with vodka sauce --we were the only table that had placed a dinner order at that time. No check-ins, no updates. When I finally asked, we were told the kitchen was "plating" and needed five more minutes. My burger came out first and was beyond well-done. It was dry and smothered in sloppy sauce. The pasta was completely wrong: linguini with basic marinara instead of the farfalle with vodka sauce we ordered. The sauce tasted straight from a jar. We were hungry and almost let it go, until my husband took a bite and the pasta was raw. Not al dente. Crunchy. We sent both dishes back because they were simply not edible. (Btw, food wasn't cheap eaither: pasta was $29 and burger was $20) Between the long wait, lack of communication, incorrect dishes, overcooked burger, jar-tasting sauce, and raw pasta, it felt careless, even insulting. Like the menu is banking on diners not knowing the difference. If the movie Reality Bites was about the harsh wake-up call of adulthood, this place is the harsh wake-up call of overpromising and underdelivering. I've never left a restaurant this frustrated. Would never recommend. read more

Reality Bites - Raw not-farfalle pasta. "farfalle + vodka sauce" - New American Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

See all

The seared ahi tuna was delicious especially the dipping sauce. The tacos are perfect for sharing. The shrimp was good but I preferred the fish tacos more. Very cool interior and a welcoming atmosphere. Loved the Halloween skeletons decor at the front of the restaurant. The menu is very different and we were excited to try this place. The only strange thing at the end was my brother left the server a cash tip which included some $2 bills. She came back and told us "we don't accept $2 bills." Excuse me? It is legal US currency. It was also meant to be part of her tip. So there went some of her tip. read more

See all

My wife and I came for dinner and had a great meal. The hamburgers and the grilled chicken were cooked to perfection. In addition, we had great service from Nicole. We asked for some additional things and it came within a few minutes. Many places you get them when you're practically done with your meal. read more

Came here for the first time and it was a phenomenal experience. We sat outside with our dog on the beautiful patio and after about 10 minutes, the owner Butch, came out and brought us a pup cup and was SO friendly and kind. We tried a fall drink and app and they were delicious (get the buffalo chicken egg rolls while you can!). Maya was our server and she was very sweet and attentive. It started raining during our meal, both Maya and Butch made a special spot for us and our pup to come sit inside out of the rain and finish our drinks. Beyond the normal call of customer service. Will definitely be back for the Reality chicken and exceptional service. read more

Great Food, and Awesome service with a long tenured youthful staff that is friendly. The atmosphere is one of Bloomington's best. Not a huge menu but excellent food and variety. A regular visit for us. The owner is there on weekends helping to assure great service!! Try it if you're in town for a visit. We travel extensively and I'm pretty picky in posting reviews! Great for a date. read more

Moved to Bloomington 10 years ago and this was one of my favorite restaurants. The food quality and service has gone significantly downhill. I would not recommend this restaurant! read more

Starting with the food, I ordered a chicken wrap. It was a good size, however, it tasted overly-charred. The fries were odd, they where steak fries, however they where extremely crispy without much actual potato on them and must a crispy skin. My wife got the pecan chicken, which was a decent dish. The chicken was cooked well. And just seemed like a bland dish. With nothing really jumping out to you. The mustard sauce was delicious on it. Service was slow, not very busy. But took a bit of time to get our food. Ambiance was a bar with some tables. Nothing too fancy. read more

First off not a tapas place as in their description. Entrees didn't come out at the same time. 2 people had to send their dishes back. I got the wrong drink and they never acknowledged their mistake. Pretty big deposit for a reservation, when we got there at peak time on a Saturday the place was half empty. read more

Overpriced. Food was mediocre at best , lacking in flavor. Customer service was terrible. Definitely wouldn't recommend.

The low ratings make no sense. This is my new favorite hot spot in the Bloomington area. Amazing atmosphere and date night vibes, simple and well thought out menu, vibrant collection of enticing eats and drinks, and in tune staff, I first noticed a higher class aura than expected. The dirty downtown drags all down. Frontman asked if I had a reservation, worked out well as I didn't anyway, was seated and awaited my buddy celebrating his cake day. I quickly sampled two brews and went with a delightful salty fresh beer. There were gorgeous cocktails too but have to note all quite light and sugar forward. They really need some balanced and more raw options. Wished we were more hungry, skipped appetizers, straight to sharing a burger and wow what a fix it was! The Butch. burger tingled all tasted with that meat crowned with pineapple. Few burgers have done so much for me. My buddy's Ex Boyfriend cocktail was perfect for the pink diabetes. Easy to drink and quickly disappeared, wondered around the dessert menu a second, we went for the pumpkin cheesecake. And again what an amazing treat, I had plenty of amazing cheesecakes in my time but this trounced most of them. This is one gorgeous food spot. I cannot wait to come back! read more

See all

Professional manager training! Listen to what your patrons are saying! Food was subpar from start to finish. Learn to listen! I'm sorry you are stressed! Perhaps you don't belong in food service! Patrons were truthful and you chose not to hear the them. And involved other diners. Very unprofessional! read more

A hot take. Great drinks and wine selection with solid apps. I started off with an old fashioned and then went with to a blended wine emit go with the main. Our app was the hummus, top notch. For the main I went with a weekend specialty item " scallop risotto cakes", and I guess it was a typo for the menu since I only received 1 scallop on top of the risotto cakes The risotto itself seemed to be okay but lacking any character... but could've been out shadowed by the overcooked cakes. Overall I wouldn't recommend that feature dish. For desert we went with the tiramisu and the cheesecake. Nothing amazing or offensive here - Both were good. Tip... if you are sitting in the booths, avoid the seat closest to the door (also near the stairs) as the AC will be blasting you non-stop read more

The service and the ambiance of this place was amazing. Ordered a mocktail which turned out pretty tasty. However, the food was alright. The chips that came on the side of my chicken sandwich were way too salty. read more

See all

Chipped plates, dry overcooked appetizers. We had the stuffed mushrooms. There were 5 and small. Two were outright tiny and barely filled. We also had coconut shrimp. The dipping sauce was good but the shrimp were in a hard, dark crust. We peeled the batter from the shrimp and ate just the meat. For our entree we had miso salmon and c-bites chicken club. The chicken was cooked perfectly. It came with homemade chips. Most the chips were left on the plate because as like everything else they were overdone My salmon was so over cooked and dry, I was glad I had a glass of water. We were just sad, for $85. We hope for a nicer meal. The highlight of the meal was our waitress, Tyler. You couldn't ask for better service. She was friendly, cheerful, and everything you would want in a waitress. read more

Enjoyed the pork potstickers and Asian spring rolls for appetizers, along with the blonde ale. The 4 of us sat in a spot closer to the bathrooms which was great, cause it wasn't too cold near the front door. The aesthetics are great and it was delicious foods. I enjoyed the pork belly ramen and it was delicious. The only thing was, I wish our waitress asked us if we wanted dessert! Next time! read more

I drove in from Urbana and my brother and his wife drove down from Peoria and we met in Bloomington for lunch. What a great relaxing spot to catch up with each other. We started with the Italian beef egg rolls which were unique and crispy with just the right amount of jardinera. I had an amazing shrimp pasta and my brother and his wife really enjoyed their meals. The service was good although the server could have been a little more attentive on drink refills. Would definitely go back. read more

Reality Bites - Shrimp Pasta - New American Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

The food here is some of the best in BloNo. Good service, great patio, and I always enjoy downtown.

Disclaimer: Picked this place to eat on the way back to Chicago from a work trip downstate with my coworkers. I'm comparing my food/experience to all my others, not pretending Chicago is somehow better than anywhere else, because it's not. However, this is up there with terrible and disappointing food. So, coworker googled some Bloomington spots and this place describes itself as "Bloomington's Exclusive Tapas and Fine Dining Restaurant." We picked this place for the "tapas" description. This is not a tapas restaurant. Tapas, small plates, typically Spanish in nature, thinking we'd order a bunch of stuff to share. No, this place has a few "shared bites" that range from $15-$17. The menu then also offers a variety of salads, a taco menu at the bottom (very confusing, also $18 for three tacos lol), and flip side for burgers and the expensive "large plates" menu. I ordered the "Reality Chicken" large plate as recommended by the waitress: TERIYAKI GLAZED CHICKEN WITH MASHED POTATOES AND HOUSE VEGETABLES For $20. Was really disappointed when what showed up was a small, overcooked, dry chicken breast next to mashed potatoes with some grilled bell peppers next to it that had pesto on them (?). Some kind of teriyaki sauce poured on everything. Weird choice of flavors. Sad meal. Had me wondering if my coworker suggesting Cracker Barrel earlier was probably the better move. I'm trying to imagine what a $40 "fine dining" steak looks like considering the $18 tacos on the menu came with salsa in a plastic to-go container. Or "ossu bucco" on the menu? Yikes. They do offer $150 bottles of wine if you want. Seems like a spot that needs a new name and needs to figure out what kind of restaurant it actually. "BloNo" expect more! read more

I will admit the name is like Oh this sounds like an okay place to eat! When actuality This place should be called Fantasy Bites! The food is so amazing, that you want to say slap me I must be dreaming. It is most certainly worth the drive from Champaign to Bloomington. The staff is on point and this place actually stays pretty busy. We have come here twice so far!! Not only that Bloomington's Downtown area has a lot going on. I want to come back during the day so I can eat and then walk it all off visiting the local shops!! Bravo Reality Bites Bravo!! read more

See all

All of the nicest spots in town! Excellent staff and food! Best place to pick up middle aged divorced women!

Rude. Sat at the bar for 10 minutes while the bartender told a story to another patron. Not busy at all. No one acknowledged me and I left without any service. Will never go back. read more

Reality Bites is one of the more up-scale restaurants in town. I'm so glad that I finally got the chance to try it! It's my new favorite! The restaurant has a urban and modern decor, with a lively ambiance. Their speciality is tapas and I love it! I tried the date bites, goat cheese balls, the seasonal features, elotes, and the jalapeño steak tacos. I highly recommend the date bites, for it has the sweet cloudy fruit texture and tasty bacon on the outside. Steak tacos are great! The beef was amazing and the seasonings were diverse. I'm not a big cheese person but the cheese balls has a great presentation. Elotes can use more seasonings and cheese. For two, the bill could easily be 60 with drinks. But it's totally worth it! I just found my new favorite restaurant in town! read more

See all

It was all so wonderful. Food is sooooo great. Fun cute atmosphere. They really take care of you. Can't wait to go back.

Very bad food with great drinks. Cook is very bad and has no clue about how to use salt. I had lobster roll and it was the worst that I ever had. Way too much salt. Wife had shrimp and mushrooms risotto. Not a risotto at all. Just badly cooked rice. My manhattan was great. read more

What a great evening. Enjoyed the brisket, the brew and the bartenders. Delightful atmosphere and great food and drinks. We needed a night away and were pleasantly surprised at this spot we hadn't visited before. Try the brisket nachos and the sliders. Sure to please! This place is in our list going forward. read more

Great vibe and great food. This place had such a great feel to it. The food was very good and nice cocktails too.

I give Reality Bites three stars because it was good, but not amazing. The service was good--our waitress was friendly and our food came out relatively quickly. The food was ok. I had the risotto, and while it was cooked well, it wasn't too special. One of my friends complained that the crab in the crab mac and cheese seemed like imitation and wasn't very good. The restaurant was rather dark, with a large bar as the focal point. My biggest complaint is that there was only one restroom, resulting in a line as women waited. read more

Last time I came here was my 4th time here, and I was a bit disappointed. We were seated almost right away on a busy night which was great. Our appetizers came out looking great, and tasting great, my favorite was the buffalo chicken dip with pitas. Surprisingly the mac and cheese egg rolls with honey mustard was good, even though we were skeptical! Each time I come here, I order the Reality Chicken, and each time it just has gotten worse - presentation wise and taste wise. I am disappointed as I truly thought I found something I can't find at another restaurant. Our server had brought me a red wine, when I had asked for white, and it took over half an hour to get it switched. My friend also had ordered her burger well done and it was served almost rare - it was inedible as she lost her appetite. We also had someone return their drinks a couple times as each cocktail was very vodka heavy and was not the flavor they expected based on the description on the drink menu. The first time I came here, I thought this would be one of my favorite restaurants of all time, so I'm really hoping next time will be a better experience. But, the staff are wonderful. Our server and the manager profusely apologized and we appreciated the service so much. read more

Reality Bites - Buffalo Chicken Dip, brisket potato skins, mac and cheese egg rolls - New American Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

See all

Came here with my ladies for a dinner ! We loved it !! Drinks were delicious food was great! I'm from out of town so I'll make sure to make it a point to come back to eat here when I'm in town ! Service was phenomenal! read more

See all

So so so disappointed with this visit. We had a friend in from out of town and brought him here because of fantastic previous experiences. Unfortunately, instead of enjoying the dinner I spent the whole meal apologizing for recommending it. Seated quickly in the darkest possible corner. Had to use our phones to read the menus. Waited quite a few minutes for our drink order to be taken, and then only 2 of 3 drinks came out. Waited quite a bit longer to get the attention of a passing server (not ours) to try and get the third drink. They said they'd send over OUR server who came 10 minutes later - she apologized and left to get that drink (but didn't pause to notice we were also out of water and both of the original drinks were gone). Eventually got more water and she took our appetizer and entre order. They were out of our guest's preferred entree (would have been nice to know when we got the menus) and despite being labeled "grilled mahi mahi" we were told the mahi was fried - in fact she said NONE of the fish on the menu was grilled, which nixed my husband's preferred choices. It's possible the server was conflating "sauteed" and "fried," but either way, if the menu says grilled it should be grilled (and for someone with a heart condition, that's an important distinction). Both of them got the chicken club, I got the salmon. At this point we were 90 minutes in and still hadn't received another water refill or a second round of drinks. Never got the appetizers. Finally got the entrees and when we told the server we didn't get the appetizers she offered to take them off the bill - which was great, but at that point they were the only thing we were looking forward to. Salmon was dry and overcooked (except the very middle which was yummy). Veggies and mash were delicious, but nothing special. The guys said the chicken was good, way too many fries, but the buns were grocery store quality - dry and disintegrated while eating. Both ended up knife-and-forking the chicken. Total visit was about 2 hours - after waiting an hour and a half we ate fast and got out of there to get dessert elsewhere. Reality Bites used to be one of my favorite spots in town, but I really don't think I'll go back after this. The small plates haven't updated much since they first opened and the entrees have become so basic they're not much different from what I can make at home - and that's assuming they have the proteins we want in stock. Moreover, the menu discrepancies are a problem when you have health issues to accommodate. I don't think it was our server's fault - she was clearly running and stressed and all the servers looked to be about the same. In fact, the only person who didn't look stressed was the host. Maybe this was just a one-off bad night, but for these menu prices, and with other great options in town, I'm not going to risk it. read more

Server was great. Food was better than expected from a college town establishment. Drinks were a little pricey, but not too bad.

Absolutely amazing! I had the Mediterranean Pita--so good I ate all of it before taking a picture. Our waiter, Kyle, was an absolute sweetheart and the manager checked on us a few times to make sure that everything was going well. The one thing that I do wish was different was the styrofoam take-out containers. A more eco-friendly material or at least a recyclable container would have been much more preferred! read more

The Bar set up, menu and decor is great, attractive, and hip. Our server was very attentive and cordial, very friendly bartenders; as well is one server who scratched her buttocks and without washing her hands she was attending tables . The food was the worst experience we have ever had, i am not sure if they have a chef, but it was the Chef's day off; or is just a short order cook that does not know how to cook burgers. My wife had the Woodford Bourbon burger, I had the House Burger. We requested for specific meat temperatures, yet both of the meat patties were small because of the over cooking, very dry and burn that they tasted like cardboard, we were embarrassed to ask for meal replacement or the manager.... but the food was very very bad My wife's burger had no Bourbon taste, no bourbon poached pears, the caramelized onion were so overcook that they tested like wrapping plastic film, almost like the those onions were precooked, reheated and cold down again by the time they made it to our burger; the burger bun was the only thing that was not burn or over cook . My order had lettuce tomatoes and onions to my request, besides the over cook patty the cook had just plain salad lettuce, the big chunks that you see at the romaine's lettuce bottom shoot. Just like my wife's, the burger bun and in my case the Fries were the only good things We are not going back unless we know for sure that they have another cook or the cook they have now has learned how to cook. read more

A taste of urban dinning in a central Illinois town, YES! Reality Bites was an excellent surprise on my visit to Bloomington. I shared the Tiger Shrimp Risotto with a friend and indulged in the flight of draft beers. The risotto was delicious, the risotto was not mushy and the shrimp were plump. The flight of drafts were excellent, it was four beers almost a full pint of each Anchor Steam, 312, Smithwicks Irish Ale, and Octoberfest. Reality Bites is going to become a regular stop for me each time I am back in Bloomington. read more

Reality Bites - New American Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

I was thrilled when someone suggested we go here before a concert. Upon further inspection, yes it is tapas, and it does have some traditional dishes, like bacon-wrapped dates and goat cheese balls (Tradicional pintxo dishes from northern Spain). They also have some Mexican-focused tapas, like tacos. Remember people! Tapas are meant to be shared, so don't be selfish! We shared the baked goat cheese (Big bowl with the baked goat cheese surrounded by marinara sauce, eaten with crostini), chicken skewers (Three skewers of teriyaki chicken, onions and green peppers atop mashed potatoes) and bacon-wrapped dates (Eight of them plus a little field greens salad) which ended up being a lot of food. I lived in Spain, know a thing or two about tapas, so the portion size was excellent compared to other tapas places in Chicagoland. All of it was delicious but I would have been satisfied with one less dish. I paired the dishes with the house Chardonnay which was surprisingly good. I was itching to try one of the flights (They have beer, martini, wine and reds) but I'll save that for another time. We had excellent service so I'm confused when I read some of the other reviews. The server was very sweet and attentive. Small place, romantic with candles on the table. Four beers on tap. Wooden decor, which, if you read my Medici review, you'd know I absolutely love! Overall a nice place in BloNo and I hope to be back! read more

Planned on eating a full dinner here last night but only made it through appetizers before jumping ship to another place. The food was good (bacon wrapped dates and tiger shrimp appetizers) but the environment, service and pricing were less than okay. Our waitress seemed pained to deal with us at all, the tables are placed so close together, I could've eaten off of our neighbor's plates and joined their conversation...and the pricing was a tad high for Bloomington IL. (had the service and environment been better, I wouldn't be mentioning the prices.) All in all, don't waste your time. read more

I should probably not be reviewing this, but as an almost customer who was really looking forward to having a drink and a few small plates at Reality Bites, I feel I have to. This will be short. We drove in from Cincinnati to see Rickie Lee Jones. As usual, I looked on line to find places to eat / drink / hang before the concert. Reality Bites really caught my attention. Their food and drink menus get three stars. We arrived at @ 5:30. We were out of luck. They did not have an opening until 8:00. I suppose locals know better, but being from out of town I never dreamt we would need a reservation and there is nothing on the website that alludes to or suggests reservations. Not giving us a head's up equals minus one star. If this really is the place to be on the weekends and one needs a reservation to get in at dinner time, please consider mentioning this fact on the website. I would gladly have made reservations. Perhaps another concert will bring us to Bloomington, Il. If so, I will make reservations in advance. I definitely want to give this place a fair shake. read more

My friends and I came to Reality Bites on Taco Tuesday for their tacos and margarita deals. Though this isn't a Mexican establishment, I was blown away by their Chicken Taco. It was amazing and dare I say the best chicken taco in town. The other Pork Taco I had was decent but did not compare to the chicken. Same with the Peach Margarita, it was ok but I've had better. You can't beat the pricing however as it was only about $11 for the 2 tacos and margarita, a super good deal. I will definitely be a returning Tuesday customer. read more

Reality Bites - Peach and Strawberry Margaritas - New American Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

See all

We love this place. From management on down, from the tap and small plate rotation to the entries, friendly staff with attention to detail...we like 'Inch', we dig this place....to steal some cliches...he 'does it right' and 'keeps it fresh'! read more

Reality Bites - Now THATS a beer snobs' beer selection! - New American Near Me - Bloomington, Illinois

Great service! Bartenders and servers were super friendly and accommodating. We went with a group of friends and everyone agreed the food was just okay. My vegetables were over cooked and super oily. read more