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    3.5 (171 reviews)
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    REALITY BITES ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Loud
    Trendy
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Reality Bites

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    Luke W.

    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!

    Cheesecake
    Gimhani A.

    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.

    Shrimp Pasta

    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.

    Salmon Donuts
    Atha W.

    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!!

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    8 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Our food took a while to come out, but it was very good when it did. The chicken was extra juicy!!

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    Page 2 of 5

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    Revery - Dinning room

    Revery

    4.5(62 reviews)
    1.4 mi

    We came here while in town for graduation at Illinois State University. While on the outside it is…read moreunassuming, the inside reveals a clean, large dining room that feels upscale. We had a reservation so we were seated promptly at a large table in its own little alcove in the back. While the place was busy, we could chat comfortably with one another and felt adequately separate from other tables. The menu has a bit of everything, so everyone should be able to find something they like on it. We started with cocktails, mozzarella sticks, and pretzel bites. The cocktails were good but I could've used less sweetness in mine. The mozzarella sticks and pretzels bites were standard, which means they were great as usual. For a group of 5 of us, an order of each was enough to hold us over until the main meal. I personally got the fish sandwich for my dinner with fries. The fish was great and large enough that it hung over the sides of the bun. My only complaint about the sandwich was the lack of tartar sauce on it. The cook must have just added the smallest dash, as the only sign it was there was a little spot of discoloration on the bun. The fish was good but the sandwich would have been better with more moisture from that tartar. The fries it came with were standard shoe string fries. Nothing special but hit the spot all the same. Everyone else at the table enjoyed their meals as well and we left comfortably full with no leftovers. Overall the meal came at a good pace, the atmosphere was nice, and the prices were reasonably. If in town again we would come back here.

    Food was okay. The Fish & chips, the fish was soggy(ish). The REV burger wasn't anything special…read more The bacon jam was delicious. Baked Brie was delicious. The bread was soft. Our waiter was attentive and polite. The gentleman was prompt with filling waters. The restaurant itself is well lit. The tables have enough space to not feel claustrophobic. They are spread out pretty decent. There's some dead space though which feels a little odd. I did feel that the noise level was a little loud.

    Photos
    Revery - Créeme brûlée

    Créeme brûlée

    Revery - Sink salad

    Sink salad

    Revery - Fish and chips

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    Fish and chips

    Baxters American Grille - Caesar Salad

    Baxters American Grille

    4.0(230 reviews)
    4.4 mi
    $$

    We had eaten at Baxters before and really enjoyed the atmosphere and wonderful pasta dishes. But…read moretoday we wanted a good steakhouse steak dinner. We started off with shrimp cocktail. It was fine, though the cocktail sauce could have used a little more horseradish. The basket of warm bread and whipped butter was great. And The salads were excellent (we went for a standard greens salad and a Caesar salad). For the main dish, we each ordered a bacon wrapped filet, medium rare, with Brussels sprouts. The filets were prepared as directed, but seemed dry, tough and flavorless. Disappointed. But worse was the Brussels sprouts (one of our favorites). The sprouts were hard, woefully undercooked and crunchy. Not in a good way. The flavor was lost in the rough texture. Very disappointed. The staff seemed a little flustered too. Brought a side a sautéed onions when we'd ordered mushrooms. Too bad, as we had enjoyed our pasta meals before and had expected a steakhouse to perform better.

    I came here tonight with 3 colleagues and it was 50% off all appetizers! What a deal! We shared the…read moresticky ribs, the pretzel, the nachos and mushrooms. The hit were the mushrooms and pretzel! It was filling and all very fresh. The mushrooms were gooey with cheese and a sauce. The pretzel was warm and brown with a yummy cheese sauce. We agreed the nachos were average. The ribs were good but I didn't love the mustard in the sauce. We had great service and you couldn't beat the price. Major score tonight!

    Photos
    Baxters American Grille - Chilled Wine

    Chilled Wine

    Baxters American Grille - Parmesan crusted Halibut

    Parmesan crusted Halibut

    Baxters American Grille

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    DESTIHL Restaurant & Brew Works - Stuffed poblano peppers

    DESTIHL Restaurant & Brew Works

    4.2(1k reviews)
    2.5 mi
    $$

    So in 2018 we took a short weekend trip to Champaign, went to Allerton, got lost in the woods while…read moretowing a child who didn't walk and felt we were doomed. After getting back to our car finally in air conditioning, I looked for a place for lunch and picked Destihl in Champaign. VERY MEMORABLE MEAL. My husband and kids were very happy. Fastforward 8 years. My kids are teens and we go down to ISU for the state Special Olympics championship. My child who barely walked last time is now particpating in a sporting event and I need a place for lunch. I literally started looking on Yelp hoping to find something like that meal we had back in 2018. What do you know but Destihl is in Normal and we can go there. Went for lunch with a reservation on a Friday. They were very busy so I was happy I reserved. The service was awesome (Emil was our server). We ordered two apps (Snack plate / Pretzel) and all got lunches (Pickled Mac n Cheese, Fish tacos, Club). We didn't want to eat too much since we had a lot of walking in the sun coming for us. Everything was great. Here's the deal with Destihl and what I like about it: Lots of components to dishes and it works. Each component is well-thought out, very fresh and seasoned perfectly. I wanted to order everything on the menu. The first time wasn't a fluke (I was afraid it might be). I'm glad they are still creating great food and service. The restaurant is very roomy and comfortable. While we don't live close, we will make it back whenever we're around ISU.

    So, I know the new kids in the block like this kind of thing to order from table and pay and…read morewaitress just plops food on table with all canned drinks no fountain drinks but honestly I didn't like that. I prefer more interaction with the people who are trying to earn a tip. But food was good 4 for food 1 for business profile So 3

    Photos
    DESTIHL Restaurant & Brew Works - Seating by bar area. We arrived at an off time, so it wasn't crowded. People started filtering in around 4pm.

    Seating by bar area. We arrived at an off time, so it wasn't crowded. People started filtering in around 4pm.

    DESTIHL Restaurant & Brew Works - Guajillo Chicken Nachos & Sausage and pepperoni stone oven pizza

    Guajillo Chicken Nachos & Sausage and pepperoni stone oven pizza

    DESTIHL Restaurant & Brew Works - Dining area

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    Dining area

    The Rock Restaurant

    The Rock Restaurant

    4.2(466 reviews)
    1.9 mi
    $

    The rock has one of the best burgers in central Illinois! The fries are also really good!…read more The owners are awesome! Ordered carry out by phone for Saturday lunch. Ordered 1 half lb, 2 6 oz cheeseburgers with 2 medium fries and 1 small hummus with pita. The price difference between a 6 oz and 1/2 lb burger is only a dollar. I'll remember that for next time. The burgers come with cheese, lettuce, onion, tomato, pickle, mustard, ketchup and mayo. Next time, I'll order the burgers with just cheese, pickle, lettuce and onion. My wife doesn't like mustard and tomatoes. I forgot these burgers come loaded with everything. Everything was hot and fresh! One of the owners even gave me an extra fry! I have been coming here since high school! I've been a customer for 30 plus years!

    Friendly, helpful, casual, relaxing vibe. I've only had the Mediterranean side of the menu and I've…read morebeen stopping in for years. It is delish. Consistently good. From the Rock Salad to the hummus, grape leaves or baba ghannoush, whichever you're in the mood for, they come with pita (pillowy and warm). I've also had the falafel and gyros, it's all worth it. Also enjoyed the baklava and lady fingers with pistachios at various times for dessert. Easy street parking near the restaurant or in the deck on Mulberry/College Ave a block away. You can easily pick up & take out with the special walk up window inside or order and eat in with a view from the tall windows, comfortable seating and chill atmosphere. When the weather's nice, definitely choose the outdoor seating.

    Photos
    The Rock Restaurant - The ceiling. Just had to take this.

    The ceiling. Just had to take this.

    The Rock Restaurant - Elementary chicken gyro and baklava

    Elementary chicken gyro and baklava

    The Rock Restaurant

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    Reality Bites - newamerican - Updated September 2026

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