Super JJ Fish & Chicken 1510 Market Street…read moreBloomington, IL. 61701 Altoona, IA 1:02am 12/1/19 I would have bet my left testicle that I had already written a review for JJ's but my search to update my previous showed that I hadn't. I was in Bloomington on business because why the hell else would someone choose to go there. It's not a bad town, not at all, but it's five hours away from my favorite person. She thought about joining me but her business kept her in Des Moines. This would be the fourth time that I visited a JJ's, my third here in Bloomington. My other visit was to the JJ's that was briefly located in Merle Hay mall in DSM but unfortunately it didn't make it. Location is everything. If your looking for healthy, then JJ's should not be on your radar. If your looking for delicious, well then you've found it. A little over halfway in my drive from Des Moines to Bloomington, my boss called me to remind me of my past travel indulgences and to "take it easy" with the expense report. He knows that I am fan of lower end hotels in the seedier parts of town and normally higher end restaurants yet felt compelled to mention that he could certainly afford a steak or two. JJ's doesn't serve steak but they do serve fried catfish and chicken wings which are two of my favorite foods and at very reasonable prices. When I finally arrived in Bloomington and checked into the hotel, I was met in the lobby by my right hand man "Stones" who was still recovering from a pretty serious injury but wanted to get back to work even though he was somewhat limited. He was ready to eat and wanted to go to the place that I hate almost as much as genital warts and it was barely after 5 pm at this point. "Go right ahead. Enjoy yourself. I've got a few personal things I need to take care of then I'm going to JJ's" A few phone calls later and I'm driving through parts of Bloomington that I probably shouldn't be in, procuring things that I probably shouldn't be procuring but what is life if not one big adventure. Judge me all you want but I'll tell you this. The drugs that my doctor has me on are far, far worse then any pharmaceutical enhancements I may enjoy. When I arrived at JJ's it was pushing 9 pm and there was a gentleman at the counter waiting for his order who sat down at a table when I walked in. I was greeted immediately but took a few minutes to look at the menu which is posted in the wall behind the counter. Not really sure why I did because I already knew what I wanted, a 2/4 combo (2 catfish fillets, 4 wings) and breaded mushrooms. A few things that you should know about JJ's 1. It smells like grease. It doesn't take a Rhodes Scholar to figure this one out. Just about everything is deep fried and why wouldn't it be. Remember it's deliciousness that we are seeking. 2. This isn't fast food so be prepared to wait. Everything is prepared as it is ordered so be patient. and 3. Be prepared to answer the question "Would you like lemon pepper" multiple times with an enthusiastic "Yes I would, thank you" I excused myself to the boom boom room while they prepared my order and dearsweetbabyjesus I was almost knocked out by the fog of stench that filled my nostrils when opening the door. It smelled like Miley Cyrus took a colossal dump after being tag team fisted by Mel Gibson and Hulk Hogan. How it hadn't wafted out into the dining area was a miracle unto itself. I said nothing when returning to the counter after doing my business and they were just finishing up my order. "Sir, would you like lemon pepper" "Yes Sir I would, thank you very much" I paid my bill and took the food back to the room with me but not before stopping at the c store and grabbing a couple packs of Pall Mall orange talls, and a 3 Dt Dr Peppers. It was all delicious and the hot pepper cheese balls were absolutely the right choice. No fork or napkins in the bag kinda pissed me off so I had to eat the coleslaw with my pocket knife because I was to lazy to walk the 50 feet from my room to the lobby to grab one. JJ's is one of those places where you're either a fan or you're not. There is no middle ground here. I'm a fan. My cardiologist and colon, not so much. 4 nonne magnus est vita mirificus

Went tonight worker was polite and respectful even with very difficult non respectiful customers…read moreeven when given a discount and free soda. Food was outstanding and ready early and still piping hot. Corn nuggets were crisp and delicious as always great fish filets also!

First our server Hailey was the sweetest server I had in long time. You walk into the classic old…read moreschool corner tavern where everyone knows your name just a place where all your problems disappear. Then you realize that the food is more of a 5 Star dive bar. The onion rings came highly recommended and they didn't disappoint at all. Next the Breaded Pork Tenderloin came out piping hot served on what seem to be a medium size pizza pan and it took the whole pan the meat was tender and great meat to breading ratio

I really enjoyed my visit to Schooner's Friday night. Set up in a house with outdoor seating in…read morethe back yard, with lots of greenery and ivied trees to enjoy. A beautiful wood bar greets you when you walk in, with some booth seating off to the side. We sat outside for dinner and enjoyed the space. Waitress was attentive with our beers and our dinners were great. We had to order the pork tenderloin, which was incredible. Moist pork within a beautiful fried coating. This kitchen knows how to fry their food. My chicken was a deep golden brown with a moist chicken breast within. YUM! I will definitely stop back in when in Bloomington. Thanks Schooners!

Food was good well. Served in a bag. Love crabs. Server…read morewas attentive. Could have been a little cleaner

This time we each got 1lb of snow crab. My wife enjoyed the medium spicy level. They no longer…read moreallow corkage but they do a generous pour of the glass of Pinot Grigio wine.

Prompt, courteous service combined with delightful entree's which are designed for the universal…read moreappetite - from simple to complex all strata of people can enjoy well prepared fresh meals.

Bartenders are always amazing... Food ..I've never had anything bad here. Oktoberfest menu is great.read more

Wehad relatives in town. They are from the south and I know they love BBQ. I had been wanting to…read moretry here for a long time. My wife loves the collared greens and green beans. We also got mac n cheese, corn muffins, brisket, pulled pork. Hint, I think its cheaper to get the "corn muffins" by the dozen. We ordered six. But for the price of 8 we could have gotten 12. Also, they tasted and had a texture more like vanilla yellow cake cupcakes rather than corn muffins. We also order burnt ends. But when we got there they were out....so they subbed rib tips plus an extra half lb to make up the dif. Whichbis fair... except rib tips are loaded with bones and in general not a decent replacement for burnt ends. Overall everything was pretty decent BBQ. But we did find some bones in the pulled pork and in the collared greens? so beware. I will try again. But mostly because my wife liked the sides. And I also have to try the burnt ends and texas twinkies...which they were also out of. 9

Annie's is located in one of the "sketchier" parts of Bloomington but the food is anything but…read moresketchy. I was skeptical about it at first, but after trying it, it's become part of my restaurant rotation. First, you have to get yourself an appetizer. The BBQ Nachos are an absolute flavor bomb. The portion size here is so big you could honestly order it as a meal for one person. Eat them quickly or they will get soggy. Next, you have to get yourself an entree. The meat here never misses. I've had the pulled pork, chicken, and brisket sandwiches. The meat is ACTUALLY properly seasoned (imagine that), and is always beautifully tender. The barbeque sauces are a fitting compliment to any meat. I am partial to the Kickin' Tangy. 9.5/10

We got the Tavern Style thin crust pizza with pepperoni, sausage, onion, green peppers. It was…read morefine. I prefer the Detroit style. The thin crust today need more sauce and it barely had any green peppers on it. They have a great selection of craft beers on tap. I love the Riggs Hefeweizen. My wife got the house Sauvignon Blanc wine and it was fine.

Left Nashville early morning and looking for a spot to watch the Big 10 Tournament game between…read moreWisconsin and Michigan. Hit the door about tip off time. Place was plenty busy with kids having pizza parties. Place was not fancy nor was the food. Plenty of TVs to choose from so we parked ourselves just outside the kitchen door facing a big multi screen set up. Started with a Cobb Salad with the intention of having salad and pizza. They had several pizza options that looked very good: square, hand tossed and the cheese crusted box. Salad was plenty big but nothing fancy. Served the two of us with some to spare. Boiled egg, tomatoes, onions, green peppers and cheese, but the lettuce was cut in an odd way and actually continued a core section. Blue cheese and an Italian dressing came on the side. Nevertheless, we ate it during the first half. We had every intention of ordering pizza but got tracked by the chicken fingers on the menu. Nana's giant chicken fingers were huge, the size of a chicken breast. There were 4 of them in the order. We decided on the hot-spicy herb Parmesan sauce. Well, that was a lot of chicken. The coating was heavy breading covered with hot sauce. That actually worked for us because the coating came off without much effort. We never got the pizza. That was probably a mistake. We watched the game and jumped into the car very satisfied for the rest of the trip. I can't make a recommendation based on the food, but I can say the staff was friendly and attentive. Would return for a kids party and stick to the pizza.

First our server was awesome tonight and it wasn't her fault. However much to our surprise there is…read morea new menu and many of the best things we loved about Baxters have been taken off. Spinach artichoke dip and the Sicilian Flatbread which were the 2 things we went there for tonight that we missed. Along with the new menus the prices have gone up as well :(

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!

Server Emmy is amazing!!! I can't appreciate enough the fresh cut veggies...so simple yet great. I…read morehad the chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich... Delicious!

Came here after Family weekend at ISU and waited for two hours to get food. The waitress was so…read morebusy that we got only one drink per person. When we finally got our food it was cold. The outdoor patio was nice but so far out of the way that we were invisible. Food was mediocre at best.