The only reason I came here was for "The Real World" casting call BUT I did end up getting food and something to drink. I won't comment on the service, since the place was hectic, but the waitress was friendly...maybe TOO friendly, for a good tip. I had a grilled cheese, which was delicious (how can you mess one of those up?) and my friend had a chicken sandwich, which he liked. The place is smaller but with a lot of seating and is like a log cabin with everything wooden. There's additional seating in the way back, so if you come by and think it's crowded, it may not be. And yes, it is by the campus, so typical college elements are here, too, but the overall concept otherwise is pretty neat.
(3)
Lauren Y.
This is a college bar pure and simple. When you walk in your nose is assaulted by the smell of frat house. The critical difference is that you are going to have to pay for your beer! This is a good place to drink beer and hang out. When you get a little drunk and need to eat, the standard fare is available. The beer selection is good.
(3)
Amy K.
I went to Bear's Place while visiting my out of town man friend. Let me stop you right there: I can already sense you are judging me. Have you ever tried dating in New York? It sucks. Also, this website is is a forum for ME to be judgmental not you. Back to the point... I selected this venue for a quick dinner when I arrived because they had an appealing bacon swiss blue cheese burger special on tuesdays and because I like bears. Had I checked yelp, I probably wouldn't have been so easily lured into this place. The food and service were awful, I'll try to touch on the finer points for you: - The waitress couldn't tell us what options we had for sides with our burger? - We were told we could not specify the temperature of our burgers; I assumed this was due to a stringent policy to protect me from undercooked meats. Later we found that this was because our precooked burgers were being microwaved. - The soup was blatantly frozen and reheated IN THE BOWLS THEY WERE SERVED IN! I think the last point really highlights the over all amateur hour experience Bear's Place is. I have waitressed in bars that reheat soups as they are ordered, and you do it in another container, mix it and THEN put it in the serving bowls so they are heated consistently and don't have tell tale crust on the rims of the bowls. I was so hungry from travel I went along with this awful food, but the waitress was just depressing. She was clearly in her 30's, but her inability to perform even the simplest waitressing tasks indicated she was not a career waitress. Trying to imagine what happened in this dolt's life that required her to leave whatever care facility she was previously housed in to look for work made everything just that much more saddening. The only pro: The opportunity to hear college kids talk about their political views (spoiler alert: they were really unfounded and laughable). I think its also worth mentioning that if you hang out in pubs you should be reasonable with your bathroom expectations (I didn't think these were bad).
(1)
Dave F.
I was told the tale of the legendary Hairy Bear and that if I could down AMF's like water, I wouldn't be able to do it with this one. Sadly they were right. $8 gets you a big ass drink. It is a secret recipe but is said to be 6 or 7 shots in a cup. Insane. It tasted pretty strong and because of previous drinking in the evening, I could not finish this. I only got half way. Hope you enjoy tequila. I did not get to experience the food or the rest of the bar atmosphere, but the bartender was nice and accommodating.
(3)
Mary N.
I come to Bears place once a week for lunch and it's my favorite lunch place on 3rd street. Good burgers, good wraps, we always get in and out during our hour lunch. I personally like the Buffalo chicken wrap. I have been going here for about a year now and honestly service has gotten better over they last year. They have also added more staff, which helps during that lunch rush. I have also come to Bear's on Thursdays because the BF LOVES Karaoke. The set up is great. Only downside is that sometimes depending on when you show up, the kitchen can be a bit slow, however that hasn't happened to me in at least 7 months and I do eat here weekly.
(4)
Claire V.
Big fucking cocktails. That's mostly what I have to say about Bear's. Try the Hairy Bear, it'll knock your socks off. Love hanging out here late at night with friends. The bar staff is very friendly and usually drunk. There's a photo booth now which I love. Don't come here for dinner, come here for drinks.Very comfortable bar.
(4)
Justin P.
This place is rough. Having worked in the restaurant business most of my working life, I forgive a lot of mistakes. We are all human. But this is really sad. I've been to Bear's a few times and the service was insanely slow (which is partially the kitchen's fault, I'm sure) and not once did I have a remotely competent server. I'm not talking a one or a few little mix ups. I mean repeats of the same mistake over and over. Missing beers, missing food, wrong beer, SLOW beer. Even these things are excusable if you can fix them promptly, but most of the time the server is nowhere to be found. One evening, two beers and an order of fries between two people became a two hour ordeal, from sit-down to paying the bill. That's really sad. I know the restaurant world is stressful and bars are crazy, but it IS doable. It's a cool place and I hope they get it together.
(1)
Jake W.
Your hands will stick to the tables, your shoes will stick to the floors, your a$$ will stick to the toilet. If you can brave the thick lacquer of sweat and grime on every surface, you'll find cheap drink specials, including the demonic Hairy Bear and the crippling Jamaican Sunset (the latter has about 7 ounces of booze). Go there to drink between classes at IU, do not order food. I won't lie, I've had some memorable times there. But one does not go to Bear's Place to feel good.
(2)
Dawn W.
This is located right next to campus and has 1/2 off burgers and beers on Sundays. We arrived around 6pm and the front of the bar was completely empty. It took a while to get the server's attention but when she arrived she was pleasant. We ordered immediately for fear she might be hard to find later. We all ordered easy burgers with minor requests: one no pickle, another no mayo... We received our drinks right away. Two of our party noticed the Guinness was flat. The food took an hour to arrive. The waitress mentioned it was due to a movie party theme in the back of the bar. But when I walked back there to the restrooms (awful) there were many people back there drinking and talking, not eating and watching movies. Bottom line- the service was slow, even for college standards, the kitchen was hopeless, and the burgers were burnt/chewey. All burgers arrived cooked and prepared exactly the same way, despite the requests. The server offered to take the burgers back to have them prepared correctly but we were starving by then and were not prepared to wait an additional hour. The only redeeming quality of tonight was the awesome fries... and half price Sundays.
(1)
Anne J.
Get your hairy bear and leave.
(3)
Dave N.
Went to Bear's for Jazz Fables a few weeks ago - first time in a long time we've been. I knew they had new ownership and that things would be in transition, and it is - there is work being done inside, but slowly. The music that night happened to be excellent - some college kids tearing it up. The food was decent - I always used to get the patty melt and was never blown away by it, but both of our sandwiches were clearly improved from what I remember - better bread, a little bigger - the food looked to me as though they were giving a better effort at quality. Let's not compare it to a gourmet spot, and we'll all be OK.
(3)
Yohan N.
Came here for round 2 with some people on a Wednesday night - almost empty. There was a live band going on but decided to sit inside since we wouldn't be able to talk to each other.. and the fact that there was only 2 people watching/listening the live band. Was visiting a friend and he got us all Hairy Bear - we got the monster version (Monster energy drink in it). I couldn't really taste the alcohol - overpowered by the sweetness of the Monster drink so I guess that's a deadly combo? oh wells. kills it and was ok. One more and I would have felt it. But definitely a HUGE drink. Not sure if it was the alcohol but ordered from fries to nibble on and the fries were nice and hot/fresh and pretty tasty. Would definitely recommend the fries if you just want to munch on something. Overall, seems like a cool place - carvings of people's names on the walls and bartenders seem friendly. But if you are just visiting, definitely get the Hairy Bear.
(4)
Pig B.
Bear's Place has made a concerted effort to improve both the food and quality of service since the change in ownership/management or whatever it was. The Lil' Bear is one of the best hamburgers in town. The beef is from the Butcher's Block and the bun is from Scholar's Inn. Comes with fries, too. For $5 you'd be hard pressed to find a better deal elsewhere. Yeah, it's a dive bar, and you might run into some guy who looks like they walked out of duck dynasty drowning themselves in vodka tonics at noon on a Tuesday, but so what? This place has absolutely no pretensions, and that is why I love it. The waitresses are really nice, too
(4)
Sidhant B.
By far my worst experience in Bloomington. The staff is not just incredibly rude but also abusive. We walked in at 12 AM...the staff let us in without a word. Five minutes after being served our first (and last drinks), we were informed rather rudely that we need to leave the place in the next five minutes. A long-haired member of the staff told my party to 'get the eff up and leave!' Totally uncalled for to a party that had simply begun to protest being shooed-out. The staff seemed to believe they are indispensable to Bloomington, and that having to deal firmly with customers who are actually inebriated gives them the right to abuse other, perfectly well -behaved customers. They were obnoxious, high-handed and displayed no understanding of how to behave with customers. My party was offended beyond words and swore never to return to this place again.
(1)
Jason J.
haven't been here in a while. and now I remember why. I sat at my table for 10 minutes and not one person said a word to me. not even "hey, I will be right with you". This was at lunch time, and two other small groups of people were in the restaurant, they were in no way too busy to notice me. I cannot comment on the food as they were obviously not in the mood to take my money, so I went somewhere that understands I am paying their bills.
(1)
Liz K.
Food isn't awesome. But the fries are. And $9 pitchers on Friday. Yes. This is why I love bears place.
(4)
Ashley H.
This place has the worst service of any establishment I've ever been to. The servers seem to try but the place is ridiculously understaffed. Tonight I was part of a large party; we sat down and 2 different servers walked past us multiple times without even acknowledging us. We waited 30 MINUTES before one of our people had to track down a waiter and ask for service. No apologies for ignoring us or anything. Thanks for wasting our night just to get a few crappy drinks. Will not be returning here anymore.
(1)
Nick S.
Use to enjoy this place as a starter for the night until there was a night that the owner of the place was there that night and was a belligerent, absolutely rude, disrespectful drunk. Falsely accusing me of doing cross promotion of another bar and being completely disrespectful towards his staff and making a lot of the customers who were women feel uncomfortable. I will not be a returning customer to this establishment.
(1)
Adam H.
Usually I try to avoid college dive bars located near campuses, like I avoid leaving out food in a campsite so as not to attract bears. Being, a "mature adult" these places are typically not my scene and I leave them to a much younger crowd. On first sight, Bear's Place seems to fit this bill. The squat cabin stands in stark contrast to the imposing limestone across the street on IU's campus, providing a safe haven for undergrad shenanigans. Looks can be deceiving in my case because both times I visited were in the early evening. The place could change radically on a Friday or Saturday night, but who cares. My most recent trip, I found myself watching a Brazilian film in the back enjoying 2.50 Bells Two-Hearted Ales. On Sundays, for five bucks you are treated to a local movie night, in addition to some really, really awesome drink specials. In fact it seems that there is a different special every night of the week. Truly my kind of place. Reading previous reviews, it seems that the food is something to be desired. I can't speak to the food, but I can speak of their special- The Hairy Bear. This mama grizzly is a large 32 oz beverage filled with liquor and juice, making a beverage so potent, that they only limit you to two per night. I had one once and it seemed ok. Didn't knock me on my butt or light my world on fire like Smokey the Bear, but it will sit you back 8 bucks. When I return to Bloomington to get my fix of Brazilian films, things named after Wendell Wilkie, and things involving bikes/basketball/Indiana Limestone, I will be sure to return Bear's Place
(4)
Lyndsey C.
Cheap and good drink selection. The hairy bears and sunsets will get you very messed up. The comedy shows were always fun. A good place to go for decent food, and good drinks. Nice enough staff.
(4)
Sheila G.
Grossest bathrooms I've ever come across outside of a gas station. No exaggeration. And it's impossible to eat healthy hear. The salad was all iceberg and way too expensive for whatever it was. I would never come back here. But i hear they have a good comedy show. Just pee beforehand.
(1)
Adam N.
If you want a decent meal, RUN, don't walk AWAY from this place... This might be a decent place to see a show or have a drink, but I think it ends there. I have a feeling if you don't pay your bar tab they stick you in the kitchen. The food is not nearly as good as it was years ago. I had a simple meal... a ham and cheese, some potato skins, and a coke. It started off with strange tasting coke. I asked it it came out of the beer dispenser, as some places tend to do, and was told, "Oh, no. That would be ghetto." The food itself was regrettable. None of the veggies on someone's salad really looked fresh, and they actually DID manage to mess up my ham and cheese. The best way I can describe this sandwich is two slices of barely fresh bread, two barely warmed slices of kraft singles, and a slab of funny tasting ham. I had to send the first sandwich back, because they FORGOT THE HAM. I think it's telling that unfinished portions weren't boxed up, and the waitress didn't seem so concerned with me getting the wrong sandwich as with making sure I knew it wasn't her fault. She was sure to show me the receipt. I'm not surprised that the place was so empty on a Friday night. It's gotten pretty bad. There are a LOT of great options in town, and this is not one of them. --I'm sure the bathrooms were gross, but I made sure to go before we went just so I wouldn't have to experience them first hand.
(1)
Kristin M.
I left Bloomington 3 years ago, and Bears is one of the few places I miss. I spent a lot of weeknights here drinking, doing work, meeting friends, and eating pizza. I've never attended karaoke or comedy nights, but on your average weeknight when things are slow this is a great place to be!
(4)
MsAnthro P.
Yet another spot in Bloomington so spoiled by the fact that it's right near campus that the people running it don't feel any need to attempt to improve it in any way. It's a decent-sized space with a restaurant up front, a middle-area bar and a large back room with a stage. Sadly, this doesn't mean there's regularly anything of note going on going on here. Yeah, it gets pretty packed with college types for Thursday karaoke or on Saturday nights, but most times I've been there it's been pretty dead. And that doesn't necessarily make sense. They have a few cheaply priced drink specials every night. They have a full-service restaurant. But the food is bottom-of-the-barrel bar food, some of which is overpriced. I had a tiny iceberg lettuce salad there once with a few chunks of ham in it and I swear it was like $7 or more. And at least half of the time I've ordered burgers there, they've arrived charred on the outside but raw on the inside. Anything involving bacon is nearly inedible because the bacon is always hard and chewy. I do find the bartenders and servers to be fun and amicable, but sometimes that's just not enough. Particularly since the actual "bar" only has three seats, which are generally occupied and surrounded by a cast of older, sort-of-friendly-but-awfully-curmudgeonly regulars. A few days a week, the back room hosts the severely underpopulated Ryder film series, but I hear that's dissolving soon. It hosts the Monday night Comedy Caravan series as well, but I hear that Brad, who hosted for 10+ years was a pretty big draw for the people who went, was recently fired. And if that's true that really sucks because Brad is fucking Bloomington royalty and has given so much of his time to comedy at Bear's and I think it will negatively impact the success of that event. From time to time, bands play there, but it's pretty few and far between, which is a shame since it's not a particularly a bad space for shows. This town is desperate for venues for acts, both touring and local. Bear's would do good to make use of that performance space more frequently. Layout-wise, the place is actually kind of nice. Lots of booths, good lighting. I think it would really benefit the place to consider getting WiFi so students (who appear to be the main clientele) might actually want to spend time there and hang out. I know lots of business owners shy away from that because they want to see turnover, but Bear's is so empty the bulk of the time I can't imagine it would hurt them to actually lure students to stay a while. It would also be a great idea that, on the off chance something's actually going on there, they took the time to update the calendar on their website. Half of the shows I've known were going to be there weren't on even listed on the calendar when I tried to find out details about them. Honestly, though, I don't think any of the things I've suggested will ever be implemented. The owner seems content to rest on his laurels of having had a "successful" business for so long. And speaking of the owner, man does that dude seem egomaniacal and offensive. Every time I've been there when he's been around, I've overheard so much inappropriate conversation, including but not limited to extremely sexist comments about his female clients and employees. That it's coming from the mouth of a business owner while customers are present creates an uncomfortable environment, to say the least.
(2)
Ryan M.
Hairy Bears! Cajon Mayo! Karaoke! Bear's place rocks - don't change a thing Caution: Do not have two Hairy Bears. When drunk you may think it's a good idea. It is not, and your friends and co-workers will remember everything the next morning even though you won't.
(5)
Ben A.
A good place to get long island ice tea or the signature hairy bear. The food isn't very good, so stick with drinks only.
(2)
Nan M.
I love Bears. I love that it's the closest bar to my apartment and my program's building on campus. I love going here after an opera or before a night out with friends. I love how easy it is to get wasted there. I love being able to actually have a conversation with my friends because it's not too loud. I love their specials. That being said, Bears is definitely not for everyone. Is it dirty? Yes. Is this service bad? Sometimes. (Once a waitress brought out oranges for my friend because he had a cold. From that point on, every time we had that waitress, she'd bring us oranges. However, I've had some bad experiences with servers.) Is the food awesome? Not especially, although it's not bad bar food. They even have a few vegetarian options. Is it trendy? Definitely not. It still holds a special place in my heart.
(4)
Ally L.
Well, they have good drinks. I love the Hairy Bear and Hairy Beaver. But we usually drink them as fast as possible (not a good idea) to get out of this place ASAP. My biggest gripe with Bears is how filthy it is. Last time I ordered food (was desperate) my menu had gotten wet in the past and smelt of mildew...which killed my appetite right there. The booths, floor and bathroom were all sticky and grimy. I don't even want to see how the kitchen looks if this is how the front of the house is kept. The food is awful, it is quite obvious they use the cheapest suppliers they can find. SO's chicken salad sandwich appeared to be only mustard, mayo and chicken mixed together on a slice of bottom of the barrel white bread. I was at first impressed that my salad had dark Romain lettuce, but after I mixed it around a bit, I realized they tried to trick me by hiding a pile of iceberg under a layer of romaine. Also: Avoid The Bacon At All Costs...it's disgusting. The server wasn't very friendly...but I would be embarrassed and depressed if I had to serve this food too. I get the concept this is a "dive bar" but I've never been to a dive bar where I feared food poisoning. They really should scrap the whole food menu and just serve appetizers that are fried at high temperatures. The owner obviously thinks that there is no reason to improve the restaurant (or even bring it up to "sanitary") because of the location...people are going to keep coming since it is across from campus.
(1)
Emily U.
Absolutely sucktastic service! We came here for a quick drink before picking up our pizza at Mother Bear's in the early evening. We made the mistake of sitting down at a table instead of ordering at the bar. Our waitress took our order and we waited for about 15 minutes. We ended up going up to the bar to retrieve our own cocktails! She messed up my drink order, giving me a Maker's and coke instead of a Maker's and soda (maybe she thought soda = coke???). Even after we had collected our own drinks, I saw our waitress pass by the bar twice without checking to see if our drinks were up. WTF? Did I mention that the place was like DEAD this whole time? There was one other table and a handful of people drinking at the bar. We had about five minutes to enjoy our drinks before we had to pick up our pizza. Our server apologized "for the wait" when she finally approached our table again, which was almost funny at that point. The only reason Bear's gets two stars instead of one is because the drinks were fine and reasonably-priced.
(2)
Maria S.
I love dive bars with strong drinks, cheap eats, and comedy shows on Saturday nights. So, I love Bear's Place. Since moving to Chicago, I miss being able to spend seven bucks on a drink with six shots in it. Oh Bear's Place, I miss you.
(5)
Tricia M.
in this college town, the more quaint a locale is...the better. this place holds good memories, mostly of me trying to duck in from the cold, and succumbing to the smell of brownies baking, and hot chocolate bubbling. at night they host a comedy club. several years back they held a latino comedy night...which all our posse was very receptive to. this place is cool, this place is small town, this place is where every IU student has to go at least once in their 4 year sentence...
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Late Night Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Divey Noise Level : Average Music : Live Good For Dancing : No Alcohol : Full Bar Happy Hour : Yes Best Nights : Thu, Fri, Sat Coat Check : No Smoking : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes
Dani K.
The only reason I came here was for "The Real World" casting call BUT I did end up getting food and something to drink. I won't comment on the service, since the place was hectic, but the waitress was friendly...maybe TOO friendly, for a good tip. I had a grilled cheese, which was delicious (how can you mess one of those up?) and my friend had a chicken sandwich, which he liked. The place is smaller but with a lot of seating and is like a log cabin with everything wooden. There's additional seating in the way back, so if you come by and think it's crowded, it may not be. And yes, it is by the campus, so typical college elements are here, too, but the overall concept otherwise is pretty neat.
(3)Lauren Y.
This is a college bar pure and simple. When you walk in your nose is assaulted by the smell of frat house. The critical difference is that you are going to have to pay for your beer! This is a good place to drink beer and hang out. When you get a little drunk and need to eat, the standard fare is available. The beer selection is good.
(3)Amy K.
I went to Bear's Place while visiting my out of town man friend. Let me stop you right there: I can already sense you are judging me. Have you ever tried dating in New York? It sucks. Also, this website is is a forum for ME to be judgmental not you. Back to the point... I selected this venue for a quick dinner when I arrived because they had an appealing bacon swiss blue cheese burger special on tuesdays and because I like bears. Had I checked yelp, I probably wouldn't have been so easily lured into this place. The food and service were awful, I'll try to touch on the finer points for you: - The waitress couldn't tell us what options we had for sides with our burger? - We were told we could not specify the temperature of our burgers; I assumed this was due to a stringent policy to protect me from undercooked meats. Later we found that this was because our precooked burgers were being microwaved. - The soup was blatantly frozen and reheated IN THE BOWLS THEY WERE SERVED IN! I think the last point really highlights the over all amateur hour experience Bear's Place is. I have waitressed in bars that reheat soups as they are ordered, and you do it in another container, mix it and THEN put it in the serving bowls so they are heated consistently and don't have tell tale crust on the rims of the bowls. I was so hungry from travel I went along with this awful food, but the waitress was just depressing. She was clearly in her 30's, but her inability to perform even the simplest waitressing tasks indicated she was not a career waitress. Trying to imagine what happened in this dolt's life that required her to leave whatever care facility she was previously housed in to look for work made everything just that much more saddening. The only pro: The opportunity to hear college kids talk about their political views (spoiler alert: they were really unfounded and laughable). I think its also worth mentioning that if you hang out in pubs you should be reasonable with your bathroom expectations (I didn't think these were bad).
(1)Dave F.
I was told the tale of the legendary Hairy Bear and that if I could down AMF's like water, I wouldn't be able to do it with this one. Sadly they were right. $8 gets you a big ass drink. It is a secret recipe but is said to be 6 or 7 shots in a cup. Insane. It tasted pretty strong and because of previous drinking in the evening, I could not finish this. I only got half way. Hope you enjoy tequila. I did not get to experience the food or the rest of the bar atmosphere, but the bartender was nice and accommodating.
(3)Mary N.
I come to Bears place once a week for lunch and it's my favorite lunch place on 3rd street. Good burgers, good wraps, we always get in and out during our hour lunch. I personally like the Buffalo chicken wrap. I have been going here for about a year now and honestly service has gotten better over they last year. They have also added more staff, which helps during that lunch rush. I have also come to Bear's on Thursdays because the BF LOVES Karaoke. The set up is great. Only downside is that sometimes depending on when you show up, the kitchen can be a bit slow, however that hasn't happened to me in at least 7 months and I do eat here weekly.
(4)Claire V.
Big fucking cocktails. That's mostly what I have to say about Bear's. Try the Hairy Bear, it'll knock your socks off. Love hanging out here late at night with friends. The bar staff is very friendly and usually drunk. There's a photo booth now which I love. Don't come here for dinner, come here for drinks.Very comfortable bar.
(4)Justin P.
This place is rough. Having worked in the restaurant business most of my working life, I forgive a lot of mistakes. We are all human. But this is really sad. I've been to Bear's a few times and the service was insanely slow (which is partially the kitchen's fault, I'm sure) and not once did I have a remotely competent server. I'm not talking a one or a few little mix ups. I mean repeats of the same mistake over and over. Missing beers, missing food, wrong beer, SLOW beer. Even these things are excusable if you can fix them promptly, but most of the time the server is nowhere to be found. One evening, two beers and an order of fries between two people became a two hour ordeal, from sit-down to paying the bill. That's really sad. I know the restaurant world is stressful and bars are crazy, but it IS doable. It's a cool place and I hope they get it together.
(1)Jake W.
Your hands will stick to the tables, your shoes will stick to the floors, your a$$ will stick to the toilet. If you can brave the thick lacquer of sweat and grime on every surface, you'll find cheap drink specials, including the demonic Hairy Bear and the crippling Jamaican Sunset (the latter has about 7 ounces of booze). Go there to drink between classes at IU, do not order food. I won't lie, I've had some memorable times there. But one does not go to Bear's Place to feel good.
(2)Dawn W.
This is located right next to campus and has 1/2 off burgers and beers on Sundays. We arrived around 6pm and the front of the bar was completely empty. It took a while to get the server's attention but when she arrived she was pleasant. We ordered immediately for fear she might be hard to find later. We all ordered easy burgers with minor requests: one no pickle, another no mayo... We received our drinks right away. Two of our party noticed the Guinness was flat. The food took an hour to arrive. The waitress mentioned it was due to a movie party theme in the back of the bar. But when I walked back there to the restrooms (awful) there were many people back there drinking and talking, not eating and watching movies. Bottom line- the service was slow, even for college standards, the kitchen was hopeless, and the burgers were burnt/chewey. All burgers arrived cooked and prepared exactly the same way, despite the requests. The server offered to take the burgers back to have them prepared correctly but we were starving by then and were not prepared to wait an additional hour. The only redeeming quality of tonight was the awesome fries... and half price Sundays.
(1)Anne J.
Get your hairy bear and leave.
(3)Dave N.
Went to Bear's for Jazz Fables a few weeks ago - first time in a long time we've been. I knew they had new ownership and that things would be in transition, and it is - there is work being done inside, but slowly. The music that night happened to be excellent - some college kids tearing it up. The food was decent - I always used to get the patty melt and was never blown away by it, but both of our sandwiches were clearly improved from what I remember - better bread, a little bigger - the food looked to me as though they were giving a better effort at quality. Let's not compare it to a gourmet spot, and we'll all be OK.
(3)Yohan N.
Came here for round 2 with some people on a Wednesday night - almost empty. There was a live band going on but decided to sit inside since we wouldn't be able to talk to each other.. and the fact that there was only 2 people watching/listening the live band. Was visiting a friend and he got us all Hairy Bear - we got the monster version (Monster energy drink in it). I couldn't really taste the alcohol - overpowered by the sweetness of the Monster drink so I guess that's a deadly combo? oh wells. kills it and was ok. One more and I would have felt it. But definitely a HUGE drink. Not sure if it was the alcohol but ordered from fries to nibble on and the fries were nice and hot/fresh and pretty tasty. Would definitely recommend the fries if you just want to munch on something. Overall, seems like a cool place - carvings of people's names on the walls and bartenders seem friendly. But if you are just visiting, definitely get the Hairy Bear.
(4)Pig B.
Bear's Place has made a concerted effort to improve both the food and quality of service since the change in ownership/management or whatever it was. The Lil' Bear is one of the best hamburgers in town. The beef is from the Butcher's Block and the bun is from Scholar's Inn. Comes with fries, too. For $5 you'd be hard pressed to find a better deal elsewhere. Yeah, it's a dive bar, and you might run into some guy who looks like they walked out of duck dynasty drowning themselves in vodka tonics at noon on a Tuesday, but so what? This place has absolutely no pretensions, and that is why I love it. The waitresses are really nice, too
(4)Sidhant B.
By far my worst experience in Bloomington. The staff is not just incredibly rude but also abusive. We walked in at 12 AM...the staff let us in without a word. Five minutes after being served our first (and last drinks), we were informed rather rudely that we need to leave the place in the next five minutes. A long-haired member of the staff told my party to 'get the eff up and leave!' Totally uncalled for to a party that had simply begun to protest being shooed-out. The staff seemed to believe they are indispensable to Bloomington, and that having to deal firmly with customers who are actually inebriated gives them the right to abuse other, perfectly well -behaved customers. They were obnoxious, high-handed and displayed no understanding of how to behave with customers. My party was offended beyond words and swore never to return to this place again.
(1)Jason J.
haven't been here in a while. and now I remember why. I sat at my table for 10 minutes and not one person said a word to me. not even "hey, I will be right with you". This was at lunch time, and two other small groups of people were in the restaurant, they were in no way too busy to notice me. I cannot comment on the food as they were obviously not in the mood to take my money, so I went somewhere that understands I am paying their bills.
(1)Liz K.
Food isn't awesome. But the fries are. And $9 pitchers on Friday. Yes. This is why I love bears place.
(4)Ashley H.
This place has the worst service of any establishment I've ever been to. The servers seem to try but the place is ridiculously understaffed. Tonight I was part of a large party; we sat down and 2 different servers walked past us multiple times without even acknowledging us. We waited 30 MINUTES before one of our people had to track down a waiter and ask for service. No apologies for ignoring us or anything. Thanks for wasting our night just to get a few crappy drinks. Will not be returning here anymore.
(1)Nick S.
Use to enjoy this place as a starter for the night until there was a night that the owner of the place was there that night and was a belligerent, absolutely rude, disrespectful drunk. Falsely accusing me of doing cross promotion of another bar and being completely disrespectful towards his staff and making a lot of the customers who were women feel uncomfortable. I will not be a returning customer to this establishment.
(1)Adam H.
Usually I try to avoid college dive bars located near campuses, like I avoid leaving out food in a campsite so as not to attract bears. Being, a "mature adult" these places are typically not my scene and I leave them to a much younger crowd. On first sight, Bear's Place seems to fit this bill. The squat cabin stands in stark contrast to the imposing limestone across the street on IU's campus, providing a safe haven for undergrad shenanigans. Looks can be deceiving in my case because both times I visited were in the early evening. The place could change radically on a Friday or Saturday night, but who cares. My most recent trip, I found myself watching a Brazilian film in the back enjoying 2.50 Bells Two-Hearted Ales. On Sundays, for five bucks you are treated to a local movie night, in addition to some really, really awesome drink specials. In fact it seems that there is a different special every night of the week. Truly my kind of place. Reading previous reviews, it seems that the food is something to be desired. I can't speak to the food, but I can speak of their special- The Hairy Bear. This mama grizzly is a large 32 oz beverage filled with liquor and juice, making a beverage so potent, that they only limit you to two per night. I had one once and it seemed ok. Didn't knock me on my butt or light my world on fire like Smokey the Bear, but it will sit you back 8 bucks. When I return to Bloomington to get my fix of Brazilian films, things named after Wendell Wilkie, and things involving bikes/basketball/Indiana Limestone, I will be sure to return Bear's Place
(4)Lyndsey C.
Cheap and good drink selection. The hairy bears and sunsets will get you very messed up. The comedy shows were always fun. A good place to go for decent food, and good drinks. Nice enough staff.
(4)Sheila G.
Grossest bathrooms I've ever come across outside of a gas station. No exaggeration. And it's impossible to eat healthy hear. The salad was all iceberg and way too expensive for whatever it was. I would never come back here. But i hear they have a good comedy show. Just pee beforehand.
(1)Adam N.
If you want a decent meal, RUN, don't walk AWAY from this place... This might be a decent place to see a show or have a drink, but I think it ends there. I have a feeling if you don't pay your bar tab they stick you in the kitchen. The food is not nearly as good as it was years ago. I had a simple meal... a ham and cheese, some potato skins, and a coke. It started off with strange tasting coke. I asked it it came out of the beer dispenser, as some places tend to do, and was told, "Oh, no. That would be ghetto." The food itself was regrettable. None of the veggies on someone's salad really looked fresh, and they actually DID manage to mess up my ham and cheese. The best way I can describe this sandwich is two slices of barely fresh bread, two barely warmed slices of kraft singles, and a slab of funny tasting ham. I had to send the first sandwich back, because they FORGOT THE HAM. I think it's telling that unfinished portions weren't boxed up, and the waitress didn't seem so concerned with me getting the wrong sandwich as with making sure I knew it wasn't her fault. She was sure to show me the receipt. I'm not surprised that the place was so empty on a Friday night. It's gotten pretty bad. There are a LOT of great options in town, and this is not one of them. --I'm sure the bathrooms were gross, but I made sure to go before we went just so I wouldn't have to experience them first hand.
(1)Kristin M.
I left Bloomington 3 years ago, and Bears is one of the few places I miss. I spent a lot of weeknights here drinking, doing work, meeting friends, and eating pizza. I've never attended karaoke or comedy nights, but on your average weeknight when things are slow this is a great place to be!
(4)MsAnthro P.
Yet another spot in Bloomington so spoiled by the fact that it's right near campus that the people running it don't feel any need to attempt to improve it in any way. It's a decent-sized space with a restaurant up front, a middle-area bar and a large back room with a stage. Sadly, this doesn't mean there's regularly anything of note going on going on here. Yeah, it gets pretty packed with college types for Thursday karaoke or on Saturday nights, but most times I've been there it's been pretty dead. And that doesn't necessarily make sense. They have a few cheaply priced drink specials every night. They have a full-service restaurant. But the food is bottom-of-the-barrel bar food, some of which is overpriced. I had a tiny iceberg lettuce salad there once with a few chunks of ham in it and I swear it was like $7 or more. And at least half of the time I've ordered burgers there, they've arrived charred on the outside but raw on the inside. Anything involving bacon is nearly inedible because the bacon is always hard and chewy. I do find the bartenders and servers to be fun and amicable, but sometimes that's just not enough. Particularly since the actual "bar" only has three seats, which are generally occupied and surrounded by a cast of older, sort-of-friendly-but-awfully-curmudgeonly regulars. A few days a week, the back room hosts the severely underpopulated Ryder film series, but I hear that's dissolving soon. It hosts the Monday night Comedy Caravan series as well, but I hear that Brad, who hosted for 10+ years was a pretty big draw for the people who went, was recently fired. And if that's true that really sucks because Brad is fucking Bloomington royalty and has given so much of his time to comedy at Bear's and I think it will negatively impact the success of that event. From time to time, bands play there, but it's pretty few and far between, which is a shame since it's not a particularly a bad space for shows. This town is desperate for venues for acts, both touring and local. Bear's would do good to make use of that performance space more frequently. Layout-wise, the place is actually kind of nice. Lots of booths, good lighting. I think it would really benefit the place to consider getting WiFi so students (who appear to be the main clientele) might actually want to spend time there and hang out. I know lots of business owners shy away from that because they want to see turnover, but Bear's is so empty the bulk of the time I can't imagine it would hurt them to actually lure students to stay a while. It would also be a great idea that, on the off chance something's actually going on there, they took the time to update the calendar on their website. Half of the shows I've known were going to be there weren't on even listed on the calendar when I tried to find out details about them. Honestly, though, I don't think any of the things I've suggested will ever be implemented. The owner seems content to rest on his laurels of having had a "successful" business for so long. And speaking of the owner, man does that dude seem egomaniacal and offensive. Every time I've been there when he's been around, I've overheard so much inappropriate conversation, including but not limited to extremely sexist comments about his female clients and employees. That it's coming from the mouth of a business owner while customers are present creates an uncomfortable environment, to say the least.
(2)Ryan M.
Hairy Bears! Cajon Mayo! Karaoke! Bear's place rocks - don't change a thing Caution: Do not have two Hairy Bears. When drunk you may think it's a good idea. It is not, and your friends and co-workers will remember everything the next morning even though you won't.
(5)Ben A.
A good place to get long island ice tea or the signature hairy bear. The food isn't very good, so stick with drinks only.
(2)Nan M.
I love Bears. I love that it's the closest bar to my apartment and my program's building on campus. I love going here after an opera or before a night out with friends. I love how easy it is to get wasted there. I love being able to actually have a conversation with my friends because it's not too loud. I love their specials. That being said, Bears is definitely not for everyone. Is it dirty? Yes. Is this service bad? Sometimes. (Once a waitress brought out oranges for my friend because he had a cold. From that point on, every time we had that waitress, she'd bring us oranges. However, I've had some bad experiences with servers.) Is the food awesome? Not especially, although it's not bad bar food. They even have a few vegetarian options. Is it trendy? Definitely not. It still holds a special place in my heart.
(4)Ally L.
Well, they have good drinks. I love the Hairy Bear and Hairy Beaver. But we usually drink them as fast as possible (not a good idea) to get out of this place ASAP. My biggest gripe with Bears is how filthy it is. Last time I ordered food (was desperate) my menu had gotten wet in the past and smelt of mildew...which killed my appetite right there. The booths, floor and bathroom were all sticky and grimy. I don't even want to see how the kitchen looks if this is how the front of the house is kept. The food is awful, it is quite obvious they use the cheapest suppliers they can find. SO's chicken salad sandwich appeared to be only mustard, mayo and chicken mixed together on a slice of bottom of the barrel white bread. I was at first impressed that my salad had dark Romain lettuce, but after I mixed it around a bit, I realized they tried to trick me by hiding a pile of iceberg under a layer of romaine. Also: Avoid The Bacon At All Costs...it's disgusting. The server wasn't very friendly...but I would be embarrassed and depressed if I had to serve this food too. I get the concept this is a "dive bar" but I've never been to a dive bar where I feared food poisoning. They really should scrap the whole food menu and just serve appetizers that are fried at high temperatures. The owner obviously thinks that there is no reason to improve the restaurant (or even bring it up to "sanitary") because of the location...people are going to keep coming since it is across from campus.
(1)Emily U.
Absolutely sucktastic service! We came here for a quick drink before picking up our pizza at Mother Bear's in the early evening. We made the mistake of sitting down at a table instead of ordering at the bar. Our waitress took our order and we waited for about 15 minutes. We ended up going up to the bar to retrieve our own cocktails! She messed up my drink order, giving me a Maker's and coke instead of a Maker's and soda (maybe she thought soda = coke???). Even after we had collected our own drinks, I saw our waitress pass by the bar twice without checking to see if our drinks were up. WTF? Did I mention that the place was like DEAD this whole time? There was one other table and a handful of people drinking at the bar. We had about five minutes to enjoy our drinks before we had to pick up our pizza. Our server apologized "for the wait" when she finally approached our table again, which was almost funny at that point. The only reason Bear's gets two stars instead of one is because the drinks were fine and reasonably-priced.
(2)Maria S.
I love dive bars with strong drinks, cheap eats, and comedy shows on Saturday nights. So, I love Bear's Place. Since moving to Chicago, I miss being able to spend seven bucks on a drink with six shots in it. Oh Bear's Place, I miss you.
(5)Tricia M.
in this college town, the more quaint a locale is...the better. this place holds good memories, mostly of me trying to duck in from the cold, and succumbing to the smell of brownies baking, and hot chocolate bubbling. at night they host a comedy club. several years back they held a latino comedy night...which all our posse was very receptive to. this place is cool, this place is small town, this place is where every IU student has to go at least once in their 4 year sentence...
(3)