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The Inkwell

4.2 (162 reviews)
Closed • 8:00 am - 5:30 pm

The Inkwell Photos

THE INKWELL ATMOSPHERE

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Coffee bar
Sheree W.

What a neat place to visit when in Bloomington! Came here for breakfast as we were looking for a place to eat that wasn't a chain. When we walked up there was a line basically outside the door. You must order at the cash register and get a number and take it to your table. Thankfully while it was packed there is plenty of seating and we didn't have trouble finding a table for 3. The menu isn't super vast but the choices are solid for coffee drinks, breakfast and lunch bites. I ordered the avocado scrambler which was really good. It came with toast. I also had the americano 10/10. It's a busy place but the customer service was great, the food is good and the prices are reasonable.

Chorizo scramble
David Y.

food: standard breakfast items, liked their chai latte service: nice staff ambiance: did some work at this shop, gets pretty crowded so not best for full focus but great place to sit & chat

J K.

Best avocado toast I've ever eaten! Not simply toast & avocado spread with egg but layered with arugula, red onions, carrots, cherry tomatoes, radishes & egg yolk drizzle with other quality ingredients & flavors with whole grain toast, very healthy but delectable & surprisingly hearty. Matcha soy latte was the perfect compliment for a delicious breakfast in the heart of B-town. Friendly service; central downtown location across the street from the Monroe County Courthouse; paid parallel street parking; spacious & rustic interior; outdoor seating; moderate noise level when busy; highly recommended. Support your local small businesses & cafes.

Cobb salad
Joyce D.

My partner and I have eaten here a few times when we are in Bloomington. The place is nice and clean, the staff always friendly. We have tried their salad and sandwiches and have not had a bad experience. The most recent visit I ordered the tuna salad sandwich and it was delicious! Check them out for good food/coffee if you are ever in the area!

Roger L.

Absolutely love this place!! Super well built out, efficient and amazing value! Breakfast sandwiches galore and good coffee for a great value, buildout is super clean and relaxing

Veggie sandwich
Divya V.

We stumbled upon this cafe as we were looking for a good cafe to grab coffee before the college football game in Indiana University! It is a cute cafe located in college town. I felt they were a bit under staffed. There was a ridiculous long queue to place our order, however once we placed the order, it did not take a lot of time for them to deliver our food. They have a lot of breakfast options, I ordered a veggie sandwich and Lavender Latte with almond milk. They have very limited Vegan food options. My sandwich was loaded with veggies - tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach and smashed avocado and smoked gouda. The bread was slightly dry for my taste. Overall, decent place to pick up coffee and quick food if you're in the Square area to explore the college town of Bloomington.

Liz T.

I typically go to their Atwater location,and I absolutely love it. Their food and drinks are simple yet delicious. The broken yolk sandwich is my go to! I highly recommend.

Georgie T.

The coffee and food here is consistently good. The matcha is fabulous and today I tried a raspberry latte which was very yummy. They have a great assortment of tasty pastries. The ambience is great and I love coming here to lock into my Kelley brain. However, today I went to the location off 3rd street (rather than the one downtown which I frequent) and the staff were rude. They were talking badly about other customers and were very salty and uninterested when taking my order. Of course I still tipped, I'm not an asshole, but I wish they would be a little more plesent to customers on such a lovely Wednesday afternoon.

Syrup flavors & milk options.
Brooke Lynn B.

Open, upbeat vibe. Comfortable space. Friendly, efficient employees. The broken yolk sandwich with avocado on sourdough was delicious. As was my dirty chai with oat milk. Overall yum!

Hahaha
Ethan Z.

I read this on another Yelper's review and I honestly can't think of a better phrase "The Latte is world class" (thank you Todd J.). All I ordered from here was a Sugar-Free Vanilla Oatmilk Latte and it was seriously the best latte I have ever had. I am not sure what they do to make it so great, but I had the sun beaming down on me while I sat outside on their patio and was sipping a hot latte and I could not be more appeased! MUST TRY LATTE FOLKS!!! Although I did not get any of the food items, they did have plenty to choose from, most of which were very affordable. I will definitely be going back to grab another latte (or 7) and get some of their food items!

Chocolate chip scone Iced chai latte

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6 months ago

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8 months ago

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3 months ago

Great coffee, great sandwich, great service, great atmosphere, great price. Trust me.

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7 months ago

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2 years ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

Quality is okay. Wouldn't say that the quality reflects the price. A cute spot on campus though.

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2 years ago

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4 years ago

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5 years ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

Met my daughter and sister in law here for breakfast. Food was good and atmosphere was welcoming

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7 years ago

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1 year ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

Great breakfast every time, enjoy the atmosphere and the variety of breakfast foods. Baristas make excellent coffee

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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8 years ago

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2 years ago

Love it here - great location, great vibe, great food/coffee. What more can you want???? Service is flawless.

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3 years ago

Nice breakfast with coffee and eggs -- most people there working on laptops-- right on the town square

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2 years ago

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4 years ago

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Hopscotch Coffee - Korean bowl

Hopscotch Coffee

(189 reviews)

$$

Coffee Shop No. 421 Hopscotch Coffee & Kitchen…read moreBloomington, ID September 26, 2024 The beauty of a cortado is it can be enjoyed quietly on your own or with good friends. On this particular outing a friend was eager to take my husband and I to his favorite coffee shop in his hometown of Bloomington, ID. Hopscotch Coffee & Kitchen sits right in along the Bloomington Rail Trail. The setting of the cafe is calm, inviting, and simple. A large porch welcomes you to the shop; it's obviously a local favorite. When you enter the shop the coffee bar is to the right, comfortable couch seating along with work tables and cafe tables are to the left. If you want something more than a coffee and a treat there is a restaurant towards the back on your left. The cortado was delicious and the company was priceless. I hope you're able to share a cortado with someone soon. It's a good way to turn something ordinary into something special. Enjoying life one cortado at a time!

The service is impeccable. The baristas are lovely and very helpful! The vibes were definitely…read morecollege town, so as someone who was just visiting the city, I felt nostalgic to my old college years, haha. I don't know if it was a bad batch or what, but my latte wasn't great. I think it was the syrup. It didn't really taste like maple syrup at all. It was kind of metallic-y in a way. I would be interested in trying some of their other house made syrups if I'm in the area!

Poindexter - Chicken Caesar Wrap with fries.

Poindexter

(52 reviews)

Poindexter, situated in the Hilton Graduate Hotel, kind of occupies a middle grey area between…read morecoffee shop, brunch restaurant, and bar. Despite being located in a hotel, most customers seemed like local students. I like the decor, there's lots of eclectic little pieces to look at, hidden in corners all over the space. I wasn't sure where to order when I walked in. There's a small bar with a few seats that was manned by a bartender and another counter by the baked goods display that had paper food menus and a drink menu but was unattended for a while. Eventually someone came out to the second counter and took my order. They gave me a number for my table and said they would bring my food out, but when it was ready they called my name and I had to go get it myself and take the number back. I got: Vegan tenders: I thought the tenders were very good and tasted close to real chicken tenders. They come with the option of regular or sweet potato fries. I got sweet potato fries and thought they were fine but average, maybe a little oily. Choice of dipping sauce is also included - I loved their honey mustard. There's also ketchup and hot sauce available at the condiment stand. Chocolate chip cookies: I really wanted these oatmeal cookies they had in the display but I was told the display cookies were old and they had chocolate chip instead. I thought I was just getting one cookie but I guess one order is two cookies. I thought they were nothing remarkable and a little dry. Sincronici-tea: This was a seasonal drink - white chocolate blueberry matcha latte with cashew milk. The flavours were interesting but I could barely taste the matcha. Prices are maybe a little on the high side but acceptable; the meals are like restaurant food rather than cafe food. For the high end ambiance it seems like they're going for, it would be nice if the cookies and drink didn't come in takeout containers. Overall, I wasn't too impressed but would give it another chance. I wouldn't get matcha again.

According to Yelp and some of my friends in the Bloomington area, Poindexter is the place to be for…read morequality coffee, brunch, and cocktails. However, my experience did not match the rave reviews. First of all, the actual restaurant is currently get getting renovated, so a makeshift seating area and coffee shop is set up in the lobby of the Graduate Hotel. It's a small space, but they arranged the tables nicely, so it didn't feel crowded. We ordered at the counter, where you can get paper menus or look off the board. I got one of the seasonal drinks, called "Nosferatu's Nectar." It was supposed to be a white chocolate raspberry mocha, but the coffee was so watered down and I couldn't taste any of the white chocolate. I was super disappointed because I felt like I just wasted $7. My friend got a hot chai latte, but it was only lukewarm. Overall, the drinks left much to be desired. For brunch, we both ordered the stuffed French toast, which was supposed to be topped with cream cheese icing and fresh berries, but it only came with a light sprinkle of powdered sugar. They also did not have butter for the French toast. Even though it was a nice portion, it was not worth the $13 price tag. I don't know if they're currently having trouble with their quality due to the renovations and I need to come back when they're back in their main location, but Poindexter did not live up to my expectations.

Crumble Coffee & Bakery - plenty of places to eat

Crumble Coffee & Bakery

(73 reviews)

$$

Great coffee shop with delish drinks and pastries. Drinks…read moreare made fresh, made to order. Staff is super nice. Love the menu options, there is something for everyone!

This is a cute little coffee shop that is located in a small plaza area right by an apartment…read morecomplex. There is a fair amount of parking available and they have a couple of short term spots in the front of the shop to park, grab and go. They not only serve kombucha, espresso, and hot and iced coffee drinks, but they have baked goods including quiches, muffins, pies, scones, bars, paninis, coffee cakes and fruit crumbles. They also have t-shirts and other merch that you can purchase. The women working the shop were friendly enough. I will admit that my interaction with them was limited. You will find some tables on the plaza area outside of the shop that you can sit and enjoy your drink and/or baked good. The shop has a large dining area and offers free wifi to its patrons. The shop was clean and had music playing in the background. I got a Honey Bear iced coffee with a blueberry crumble. They were both ok. I was not wow'ed and had better. I did not like the the crumble part of my blueberry crumble. What i did not like about this shop as compared to other shops is that it did not have a lounge/couch area. And I know it is not the fault of the shop and is out of their control, but some of the patrons were very loud and made it difficult to concentrate at times. All things considered, this is a good shop to get your coffee fix, along with some baked goods. It would not put it in the category of being the best coffee shops, but it is still pretty good and served as a place for me to do some work while sipping on a signature iced drink.

Runcible Spoon Cafe & Restaurant - Chai tea

Runcible Spoon Cafe & Restaurant

(672 reviews)

$$

Cute place. It may be slightly run down but not yet to the point where it's concerning. I liked the…read morecolourful atmosphere with the painted walls and stained glass decoration in the windows, and I thought my seat was very cozy. The food is diner-style but very good so far. I visited twice for a breakfast and a lunch. Lunch: I had a Black Russian sandwich and a pot of Emperor's Pride tea. The sandwich, which is a vegetarian version of a Reuben with roasted veggies instead of meat, was delicious. They really piled on the veggies. Some fell out of the sandwich, but I just ate them with the home fries. The home fries also were nicely seasoned. The tea was a little off. It's possible it was the tea itself that didn't taste how I expected, but it kind of tasted like I was getting the flavour of a different tea in the pot. Breakfast: Apple pancake and bouquet latte (seasonal special - lavender Ceylon tea latte with honey and rose syrup). The bouquet latte was wonderful and had this beautiful red swirl latte art. The pancake was nice and fluffy. One pancake is something like $5, but one is enough for a complete meal, maybe with a protein side if you're especially hungry. The staff is very friendly and makes you feel welcome. The food didn't take very long even though they seemed busy.

I'm not sure why we don't go to the Runcible Spoon more often, but honestly think we kind of forget…read moreit. Son decided he wanted to go as he was craving breakfast for dinner, so off we went. Again, as always, was impressed and enjoy the quirky nature of the Spoon. RS is in an old house just off Kirkwood. A bunch of smaller rooms, plus a large outdoor dining patio out front. We got lucky with parking on the street pretty close to the restaurant (no real parking lot) and I would have preferred to eat outside but daughter got to the hostess first and we ended up indoors. Everyone ended up with breakfast choices. Wife had an omelette, said it was great. I had banana+granola pancakes (two) which was plenty. The flavor was great. Also eggs and toast. Son had the Kevin which is basically what I ordered but with French Toast. Daughter had a chocolate chip pancake which she enjoyed. Overall, great food and very reasonable. Service was on point and again the atmosphere is fun and quirky. Need to add to our regular rotation.

The Inkwell - coffee - Updated May 2026

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