The Atlas Bar
209 S College Ave, Bloomington, IN, 47404
The Atlas Bar Menu
Sorry, We are updating this restaurant menu details.
Visit below restaurant in Bloomington for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Bloomington for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Bloomington for healthy meals suggestion.
Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.
Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.
-
Address :
209 S College Ave
Bloomington, IN, 47404 - Phone (812) 334-4435
- Website https://theatlasballroom.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :5:00 pm - 3:00pm
Specialities
- Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Parking : Garage, Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Ambience : Hipster
Noise Level : Average
Music : Juke Box
Good For Dancing : No
Alcohol : Full Bar
Happy Hour : No
Best Nights : Thu, Fri, Sat
Coat Check : No
Smoking : Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
Outdoor Seating : No
Has TV : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
Looky Weed - Buy Marijuana Online
Looky Weed is here to help you navigate the maze of legalized marijuana. We provide you with a complete dispensary directory.
Kevin O M.
Great place for a beer or two... Dave has made this the place to be if you are not looking for the typical drunken college bar.
(5)Jake W.
It has all the desperate effort of a hipster bar, but also all the screaming and spilling of a frat college bar. The bartenders all have ironic facial hair and/or dreadlocks, so I figured they would be happy to demonstrate some classic, old school cocktails. I asked for a Manhattan, and watched the vegan lumberjack behind the bar confidently pour equally from a bottle of vermouth and bourbon into a room temperature rocks glass and hand it to me. Spoiler alert: that isn't how that drink goes. I saw a review that said something like "there are more people oustide smoking than inside drinking" which is a pretty funny way to sum this experience up. Everyone wants to flip through the jukebox, play around with the photo booth and skee ball, smoke outside, get gourmet 19-ingredient grilled cheese from the truck outside, do anything except drink. Which is odd, for a bar. It's a place to watch scraggly young people wear attire from a bygone age, but not display any of the skills that would have been commonplace in people dressing like that in that era. Skills like dancing, conversation, correct cocktail preparation, manners. Go there if you want to see men wear their hair like Don Draper but drink like your little sister.
(2)Franklin D.
I like how quiet it can be in here. I also very much enjoy the Alpha King they have on tap. You can bring your beer out and leave it on the rail while you chain smoke with the other patrons. Good times.
(3)Jordan W.
Good vibes all around. Not a ton to do here except have good conversation over a few drinks.
(4)Charcy L.
I have been to this bar once, smaller than I thought, there have a lot if people, so really hard to find a seat, and decoration isn't very visible than the photos shown on yelp, but their drinks is fine^^
(3)Alise K.
Definitely a college bar. We ordered six drinks and the tab was $17! Perfect we hung out for about an hour and listened to the jukebox.
(4)Anish A.
Where you would go for a night of disappointments. Don't bother they try too hard but still can not do enough for the customer. The bartender has very rude and poor service, it's one way to get people out of the bar.
(1)Greg K.
This is a bar. This is a very, very good old school new hip bar. This is a place you can get great drinks, craft beer and meet new people. Some of the best cocktails in town and 8 great craft beers. Cool atmosphere.
(4)Luke P.
Okay bar. But just doesn't do it for me. Especially after the chair incident. Rude!! If you do go there don't get close to any chairs or you might find yourself out in the cold.
(1)Justin P.
Hipsters, hipsters everywhere. Also there always seems to be more people outside than inside.
(3)David G.
Always one of my immediate go-to's. Great peeps, staff and drinks. Especially like the cool Decor!
(5)Marie P.
Sweet bar for such a popular place. Cool atmosphere and lots of seating. It still gets really crowded and crazy but that's only to be expected. I've had mixed experiences with the staff, though overall they're quick and friendly. The beer selection is good, there's always food carts outside and places to smoke and chat. A fun place for late-night drinks.
(4)Dalia M.
Brought me back to the Mission in SF. Hipster bar with more people smoking outside than drinking inside. It was very dark and quite empty on a Thursday. Nothing special going on, has skeeball in the back for a quarter a game but the score counter is messed up.
(2)Mitch J.
Not impressed. Not bad for a college town but not a craft cocktail destination. They have great spirits but no cocktail list or any creativity. They miss that extra needed to be more than just a place for mixed drinks.
(3)Becky R.
Crowd, ambience, prices, and service are all wonderful. But it is _WAY_ too crowded on weekend nights. It's actually kind of a deal breaker. Even if you're lucky enough to find seats inside, you won't be able to hear your companions no matter how loud you scream. I've actually stood outside here on winter nights because I was so desperate to have the most basic conversation with anyone. I want to try coming here really early (like 7-9:30pm) or on weeknights, because I bet it would be the shit. And I've heard they have a great Sunday brunch as well.
(3)Sam T.
This was probably the best bar that I visited while in Bloomington. The door guy let me in, even though my ID is expired. And the bartenders were pretty cool. Fernet is only $5, yo! Fuckin' get fucked up on that. Seriously. Have you ever gotten drunk on it? It'll make you so weird. I was sick and took a couple shots of it and then ended up wandering around Brooklyn for three hours eating Burger King and passing out on my friend's couch eating a piece of pizza and then rolling around laughing and then ended up back in my bed hungover as shit. Also, don't have a sign for Brooklyn Brewery if you don't serve their beers. You can go to The Rail for those.
(4)Joel H.
I love Atlas, and in no particular order, here's why: 1. The bartenders are all friendly, all the time, and they can all make a great drink. 2. They have a jukebox with a fantastic selection of music. 3. The walls are covered with maps and weird taxidermy. 4. The restrooms are clean. 5. They have a great selection of liquor. 6. They have a good selection of beers, both bottled and on tap. 7. The prices are excellent. I'm always surprised If I end up with a tab higher than $30 at the end of the night. 8. The door guys are all friendly, all the time. 9. Skee ball, shuffleboard, and a photo booth. 10. NO TELEVISIONS. The only things I don't like about Atlas: 1. They have DJs spinning live a lot of weekends, and it is not a comfortable place to be when that's happening. 2. Weekend nights in general can be an absolute shit-show; shoulder-to-shoulder from wall to wall. It is not a comfortable place to be when that's happening, either.
(5)Kyle D.
Good selection of drinks. Casual environment. Don't expect to dance here or rage, this is a relaxed bar. Shuffleboard and ski ball are the highlights, along with tons of beer and mixed drink options. Considered a "hipster bar", but I don't see anything wrong with that. Great bar
(4)Jonathan M.
This is my kinda place. Skee ball, photo booths, arcade games, craft beer, good people? Count me in. I have been here twice now and have been impressed each time. I mean the have chilled water available for you to self serve. They know their heavy drinking clientele. You gotta stay hydrated! There are always different food vendors out front for your late night muchie needs. Believe me if you want to get off that B-town beaten path. Try this place.
(5)Mister M.
I actually like this place and the bartenders are cool. The only thing is the owner is a complete loser and lets her friends be complete douche bags to other people. There's a story there but better just leave it at that. Will never give my money to this place. Atmosphere is kind of dank and dingy. I'm not sure whether that place is filled with hobos or hipsters. Is there a difference?
(1)Anthony N.
It's quite exciting to see an unlikely hero pop up against the bar scene city down on Walnut and 7th and the Kilroys mega-bars. The Atlas doesn't like to take no for an answer. Bad location? No way. It's the perfect location for those looking to get away from the bro scene at Brothers and Kilroys. Credit card minimums? None. Tacky wall decorations? Nope, all you've got are classy framed maps, a stuffed deer, and a vast wall of assorted drinks. The people are good. The beer selection is good. There's skeeball. Not sure what else you could be doing to wind down the night, but one thing's for sure - I'll be here.
(5)Thomas C.
Everybody loves Atlas. There isn't really anything else I can add. On a Bloomington bar crawl evening, all roads lead to Atlas, as it is the ultimate place to end up. I am really, really thankful that they put out water pitchers and keep them refreshed throughout the evening; many a hangover is spared or at least mitigated thanks to this helpful touch.
(5)Bodie S.
My friend and I made an impromptu trip to Bloomington to see our friend Margo and what we discovered out of pure curiosity and networking was the Atlas Bar. Extremely spacious with all sorts of interesting decor plaguing its walls. I wouldn't dare of doing it, but all of their decorations would like great in my apartment. They have cameras up, so apparently others felt the same way. The bartenders and staff are all extremely friendly and accommodating and the drinks, well, they're drinks, yet made with love. Moderately expensive, about the same as any other bar, with a location slightly down the street from the main downtown area. There are all some old arcade games in the main room, including skee-ball. We had a really good time here, both day drinking and another time when we were here during the nighttime hours. Either way, we had great experiences at Atlas. It's one of my go-to bars in Bloomington, IN.
(4)Alyssa A.
Finally, a Bloomington bar that could stand the test of time in a larger market. After moving to Bloomington from Chicago I was highly disappointed in the town's bar option, but Atlas steps up where everyone else is lacking. 1. Friendly staff 2. Amazing beer selection 3. Quality cocktails with a good pour 4. CLEAN bathrooms!!! 5. No televisions 6. Interesting local and national artists hang from the walls. 7. Photobooth! Skeeball and Shuffle board. 8. The bartender Brad said they're always open 7 days a week till 3am.
(5)Ellen G.
One of the few places I feel comfortable going to as someone who isn't a 22 year old IU student. Very open-minded staff.
(5)Zachary N.
I've only been once so I'll once I go back I could bump the review up a star. This is a very clean and yes even the bathrooms are clean and not just kind of clean but actually impressive. I played ski-ball which was an interesting addition, they weren't very noisy. I watched some people play shuffle board, but the boards were popular they night I was there so I didn't get a chance to try them out, maybe next time. Good prices for strong drinks, you get your money's worth. Friendly staff. Music playing in the back ground but not over powering most of the noise is just from people hanging around and talk, that isn't to say its really loud inside. Interesting decor. It could have used some more seating but that isn't really the establishments fault they just get busy and stay busy. It may lean a bit to one certain type of people you could say but really I feel like there was still a healthy mix of different groups.
(4)matty z.
I was recently in Bloomington for three nights. And each night ended at this bar. It's a great place, with a fairly palatable clientele, as Bloomington goes. The cheap skeeball and not-so-bad jukebox selections make it even better. AND, a surprisingly good selection of liquors-- not often do you see Michter's whiskey anywhere, nor North Shore distillery in central Indiana. Bravo for that. Will definitely return on future trips!
(4)Lucas A.
I have been going to Atlas since it first opened and it has steadily gotten better and better, and I quite comfortably recommend Atlas as one of the best bars if not the best bar in town. The layout of the bar is very effective. There is a respectable sized area outside for standing, smoking, etc. Inside is a large bar area with sturdy chairs and tables, weird freaky art and taxidermy, a loyal jukebox, and a few other surprises. Atlas is a very clean, open bar with good feng shui. Tough-as-nails gloss paint on brick insures no graffiti or holes in the bathrooms. The bathrooms are the cleanest I have seen in a bar, ever. The clientele is great! I love getting a 'buzz' on then heading down to Atlas for a little bit of people watching and alcohol. The crowd which I identify most with over other Btown bars consists of Bloomington's best: including disheveled industry misfits, aging hipsters, weirdo townies, annoying grad students, Kirkwood trash, and a slew of other 'types'. I feel at home here! The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, professional. The prices are good, the pours are actually stiff enough to cut through dinner, the tap and liquor selection is respectable and modern. Yeah, and they will make you a bloody mary from scratch, they will boil water for a hot toddy, just make sure to tip these guys, they deserve it. The people at Atlas are running slick operation, a tight ship, whatever you want to call it. I even sent them an inquiry one time on their website and got a prompt reply from the owner himself the next day. I'll be damned if I can find anything wrong with Atlas!
(5)J K.
I really can't say enough good about this place. Great staff, solid clientele. There were a few kids who showed up and got out of hand, but the management shored them up fast enough. The drink selection and WIDE range of scotches, whiskeys and bourbon was a treat! Not a TV in sight. Terminator Deer Heads! Shuffleboard! HOORAY!!! I look forward to going back!
(5)Emma G.
Classy place with affordable drinks and attentive, friendly bartenders. I absolutely love the decor, too!
(5)MsAnthro P.
You know, I've been several times and have yet to even play Skee-Ball or shuffleboard, but I always feel comforted that they're there just in case. But yeah, I go to a bar to drink. And the Atlas makes it easy: they have a good beer selection and they carry Kraken rum. There are a few things I dislike, for instance, it still smells like new paint and it gets muggy as hell in there even when not crowded. And some weekend nights are crazy packed, which can prove annoying when friends and I gaze in through the window to see what looks like a bleary photograph of ourselves 20-25 years ago. But that's the pain of all aging college-town hipsters, I suppose. That said, there's plenty to keep me distracted from obsessing and depressing over how many 20something girls can look like Debbie Harry in 1976 without knowing who she even is, such as: they take cards even if you're not running a huge tab; they've expertly culled the town for the coolest bartenders; they have a cheap jukebox chock-full of punk, power pop, soul, new wave, etc.; they have bad-ass taxidermy all over the place; there are no damned televisions; there is ample seating for those who arrive early enough; the prices are reasonable; and you don't have to pass the douches in front of Brothers to get there. On a busy night, the line to the bar can get a little long (possibly because of the aforementioned they-take-cards-whenevs thing), but if you're the type who wants to go to this place when it's busy, my guess is you're cool with socializing with what's-his-name from Secretly Canadian or that chick who works at Bloomingfoods while you wait. If not, try it on a weeknight when it's chill as hell. The Atlas gives you options.
(4)Phillip W.
If you used to be a regular at The Vid and you wondered where all the polite grad students had gone, you should probably check out The Atlas. At 21, I may have been the youngest in the crowd. Attention to detail is abound. There is a fair amount of taxidermy along the walls. The space is open and fortifies social contact. Not a single TV in sight. Skeeball machines in the back are constantly reconnecting patrons with their childhoods. Someone was nice enough to select quite a bit of The Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street from the jukebox. If you want a mixed drink, you can expect it to be made correctly and with a heavy pour. The booze selection's finer choices seem to lean toward Pale Ales and Whisk(e)y. It's only been open for a short time, but if I invite someone to drinks, we usually don't even bother discussing where we're going. There's not a better bar in Bloomington. We always end up here.
(5)Julie L.
We checked this out last night. Yes, good drinks, friendly staff. Didnt expect much for thurs night, but loved the bar! We will check it out on weekend. ***this review was actually written over a year ago. I had NOT confirmed my email address***Oh and having food vendors out is a great idea!!
(5)Neal T.
I spent a short amount of time in this bar, not even long enough to have a drink, but what I saw in the first minute was enough to make me fall in love with The Atlas Bar immediately. How do I love thee, Atlas Bar? Let me count the ways. 1. You don't have televisions. 2. You do have shuffle board tables and skeeball machines. 3. You have a list of artists I will NOT find on your jukebox. 4. You are committed to craft beers and liquors. 5. You have furniture made from beautiful, locally sourced and milled cherry wood. 6. You have an immaculate stamped tin ceiling. 7. You have a terrifyingly deconstructed buck head on your wall. 8. You have three locally made belt-driven propeller ceiling fans. 9. Your window shades are maps. Very few business owners put this level of attention into their establishments and I was so blown away by The Atlas Bar that I didn't know whether to shit or go blind.
(5)Katie B.
One of my favorite bars in Bloomington so far. I wish they had a better mix of draft beers with less IPAs hogging the taps, but I still always find something I like. The crowd is grad school-aged and older, which is nice. Bartenders are friendly. I love the skeeball and tabletop shuffeboard. Good mix of music. Just an all-around good bar.
(4)Wes M.
It took me two visits to realize why there were maps all over the walls... Atlas doesn't seem to be popular just because it's the new bar in town and people are looking for a change of venue. It's a great place to hang out for hours due it's ample seating and the obvious attraction of shuffle board and skee ball. Great selection of beer, on tap and in bottles, and the mixed drinks are strong. Everything is reasonably priced. The entire bar is clean and well maintained. You never see a table filled with empty bottles, the staff is always on top of things. It may be some what of a hipster crowd but it's always filled with friendly people who are just looking to enjoy the evening.
(4)Vanessa V.
Strongbow on tap. Skee-ball. Shufflepuck. That is all you need to know.
(4)Erin M.
This place is just ok. The beer is good and it's nice that when it's crowded most people (save a few women who think they are more important than everyone else?) wait in a somewhat orderly fashion to get served with minimal shoving to the front to get a drink. My issue with this place is the ambiance/layout is kind of off. Maybe it's the big open space or something, but it feels restaurant-like; almost as though someone converted a Jason's Deli into a bar and threw some deer heads on the wall to make sure no one noticed.
(3)Ryan B.
I've only been here once, but will probably go again. I liked the people better than most bars in town (although it's summer so with the kids gone it's hard to tell). Staff seemed really cool too. Skee ball is fun. Good experience.
(4)Samantha L.
I LOVED this place! This bar was not around when I was going to IU, and how I wish it had been! It is packed full of hipsters, but surprisingly the nicest hipsters you will ever meet. Pretty much everyone I encountered was very friendly, and I only dealt with one creep minimally that night, as opposed to the average 15 at Sports. Brad the Bartender is the friendliest bartender I've ever had, and he actually made an effort to tell me more about the local brews I hadn't heard of. My DD was a little too buzzed and I asked for water, and he offered free juice, noting the calories would help absorb a bit more booze. I went during Little 500, and it was busy, but still not terribly crowded. The only thing I didn't LOVE was the weird taxidermy animals around the place. Overall, I would totally visit this bar often if it were in Chicago, and it would be my first choice if I ever returned to IU again.
(5)Kahi J.
Just a really great place! Drinks worth the money!
(5)J C.
The bad thing about sports you play in bars is that I'm horrible at all of them no matter how drunk I get. EXCEPT FOR SHUFFLE BOARD. The boards here are really short so my delicate female touch comes in handy for once, instead of making me look like a creep. Yay!!! They also have skee ball, which people enjoy but which I (of course) cannot do. I love the people that work here. The drinks are stiff, and there is an eerie bio-mechanical stuffed deer that leers at you over your tall frosty beer. I'm not sure what else you could possibly want with your adult beverage service.
(5)Galen C.
Fun place with a nice mixed crowd - part hipster, part townie, part grad student, part band nerd. Shuffleboard and skee ball are always fun diversions. Beer selection isn't nearly as extensive as some other places in town, but they cover most of the bases, and it's always ice cold. The Atlas motif on the walls always gives you something to talk about. Occasionally, they get food truck service, and that's awesome. It's a bit off the beaten path, but worth the walk down College Avenue.
(5)Mrs. Goody G.
Hands down our fave. We are townies who loved our time at IU but we are way past being students, and this is where we want to hang when we want a drink and the best bar atmosphere in town. It's just like my bro's fave place Johnny's Bar. Thank you lovely people at The Atlas for providing us a great place to hang.
(5)Brandon D.
Great bar where us townies can go and get away from the Fratty McFrat dipshits that hang out at Kilroys!
(5)Emily W.
Cheap drinks, lots of seating, good beer selection. Doesn't really get crowded on a weekend night until 10:30pm. It is fun to go early and play shuffle board.
(5)Tema K.
This a fun place to hang out and has some good games along with some nice drinks, but it is a little dingy for my taste.
(3)Albert A.
Finally, a decent place to get a strong cocktail. No TVs, Skeeball, Shuffleboard and best of all, an older crowd that knows how to behave in a bar.
(5)D h.
definitely a hipster bar. lower lighting, but not dark. plenty of windows (with atlas as shades) so plenty of sunlight in the late afternoon. 3 shorter shuffleboards and $2 pabst pints (great to be drinking in a college town). walk in the south door to an open area with the bar on the right (south) and seating on the left (north). there are many lower tables/booths along the west wall and high tables throughout the middle of the room. though there is only a small 6-10 stool double L-shaped bar to serve everyone, even on a packed night it's surprisingly easy to grab a drink and maybe even find a bar stool. tattooed bartenders that are mostly experienced and likely the reason the wait for a drink is short. one huge annoyance....patrons that walk up to the bar, are asked what they would like to drink, are pointed to the taps, than stand and stare while they make a decision. if you're only drinking one, than you should either know what you want or what does it matter. if drinking more than one, try multiple. in any case, it there is a line, just take a look at what's on tap and decide what you want before you're asked. the decor, aside from the atlas', is an animal lab gone awry. concrete floor, wooden table tops/bar, & black vinyl seating. everyone's eyes almost immediately go to the 8 or so tabs on the east wall behind the bar, all fancy beers, though surprisingly no sun king or upland (at least on the nights i've been). old school stamped ceiling over the south half of the bar and belt-driven fans. no tvs anywhere in the place, but there is a game section with the aforementioned shuffleboards and skeeball on the northeast side next to the restrooms. just watch for a pitcher of the sliders next to the taps. no charge. jukebox is hipster music minus johnny cash. compliments to the owners of the atlas for creating a bar that isn't your average college bar (brothers & kilroys).
(4)Emily J.
since the Atlas has opened up, I've spent almost every night that I go out there. The atmosphere is friendly, the decor us impeccable, the drinks are stiff, the music is great and the bartender are smokin' hot. Perfect!
(5)Katie C.
Came here in a gaggle of grad students after an orientation event and all of my fears about not being able to find a decent bar in Bloomington were allayed (not sure why I was ever worried). The drink options were good, the prices were better, and the service was something to write home about-- especially if you're a New Yorker like myself who is used to getting ignored and/or treated poorly as a rule at bars. The atmosphere here was pleasantly surprising as well, hip without being in-your-face-trying-so-hard hipster. A few in our group were pretty hungry and disappointed by the lack of food options at the Atlas, but after talking to the bartender we were happy to discover that they were just fine with us bringing in food that we purchased elsewhere. It did get pretty loud and crowded as the night went on, (it was a Friday), but the space is big enough that I had no complaints. Also, shockingly nice bathrooms for a dive-y establishment!
(4)