The
Uptown is located in the heart of downtown Bloomington near the square. A recent external face-lift made this already hot spot, even more of a "must-see" destination. Uptown has a sort of urban, jazz atmosphere. The chic ambiance gives the feeling of being in New York or Chicago.

Everything these people serve up is unique and they do it right! But I have a personal bias for their breakfast menu.

They have one of the best breakfast menus in Bloomington! It is fresh and well worth the wait. And wait you will during the weekend. If you plan on going on a Saturday or Sunday for breakfast, plan at least two hours. Possibly an hour of that will be spent waiting.

Once you get in, you will be treated to fresh squeezed orange juice, fantastic pancakes, toast and a variety of other "chef's specials." They have the best "home fries" I've ever had. They have set the standard (for me) for how "home fries" should taste. The potatoes are soft, with sliced onions and mushrooms, and for a little bit of extra (which I always go for), add swiss cheese and pepperocinis.

Their menus definitely have a little bit of cajun flair. For lunch, you might try their red beans and rice with andouille sausage. Or perhaps just a burger. For dinner, they have steaks to chicken piccata and DELICIOUS mashed potatoes. Really good.

Their dishes have a wide range of prices from a couple of bucks for breakfast to upwards of $20 for dinner. But every menu (breakfast, lunch or dinner), offers something for a reasonable price.    [09 Jul 2001 20:48:46]

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Recommended Dishes: Red beans and rice, chicken piccata, anything for breakfast

     ­Tracey   

Most Overrated Restaurant in Bloomington
I have been here for breakfast and dinner as recently as 2006. The food has never been more than mediocre. Given that eggs and homefries is about the easiest thing to make, my last visit (they got neither right) was an especially disappointing contrast to their reputation. I think this is the place people who have never eaten well or been anywhere actually cosmopolitan go to feel urban and hip and bask in the benign warmth of phony artsy decor. I imagine the clientele is the people who listen to "smooth jazz." I don't know a better place to go for breakfast nearby, but almost anything in the area would be a better choice for dinner (e.g. Samira, Shanti, Esan Thai, Little Tibet).    [14 Sep 2006 09:31:54]

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Recommended Dishes: not the polenta

     ­Andrew   

Ersatz
I will eat lunch or dinner here if someone else is paying. The food is ok, the service is generally good, and it's a good place to have a serious conversation, if that's the reason for the meal. I have always felt that this place does not quite know what it wants to be: the net effect is rather generic, more akin to Applebee's than anything else. (This does not apply to breakfast, which I have never eaten here.)    [12 Sep 2007 21:42:31]

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     ­Anonymous   

Most Money I've Ever Spent on an Average Meal
My boyfriend and I went here on our anniversary and this place was so not worth the $75 bill (no alcohol and no appetizer or dessert). We both ordered steaks at market price and they were overcooked, poorly seasoned, and tough. We complained to the waitress who apologized but didn't offer to have them redone or anything. Service was poor to say the least. We left and never went back.    [03 Dec 2007 11:45:57]

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     ­Anonymous   

Breakfast at the Uptown Is a Drag
I would have to say that after 12 years of living in Bloomington, it never ceases to amaze me that people recommend this restaurant for breakfast. The food is inconsistent and rarely tasty. Cottage Cheese pancakes? Sounds great to the adventurous eater, until you get a stack of incompletely cooked pancakes that are made with sour cottage cheese. And let's not forget the "famous" home fries, which are usually cooked so long that they become a flavorless, mushy mess.

The orange juice is not freshly squeezed, by the way. It comes from a not from concentrate carton, which is pretty tasty, but I feel lied to when it's plainly printed on the menu that it is "Fresh Squeezed." I can only assume that their eggs come from a carton as well since they refuse to make an egg-white omelet. I've offered to pay a dollar an egg extra to get egg whites instead of the Egg-Beaters they insist on serving to the health conscious eater, and they would not budge.

I will say there are one or two gems on the service staff, but you're more than likely to suffer through a terrible dining experience unless you win the server lottery.    [23 Jan 2008 11:23:42]

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     ­Anonymous