So this place is definitely a good breakfast spot . The village deli is known for their pancakes, because they are HUGE and fantastic . . They really do taste great but eating pancakes isn't satisfying to me, I personally always go for the Hoosier scramble *nom nom* (I'm always on the hunt for the best version of biscuits and gravy). The only reason I give four instead of five stars is the service ... HIT & MISS every time ! It's dead even on how many times I've had a great experience, to how many times I've dealt with immature, inexperienced service . (Eye rolls and all). The hit & miss service wouldn't stop me from coming back though, with students coming and going, the staff turnover is constant . *side note- service this morning was great ! For breakfast on the weekends, go right at opening to beat the morning rush . Or you will be waiting.
(4)
Trish S.
Village Deli is one of those places that everyone RAVES about, but I haven't had that experience there. While I do think the pancakes are delicious and giant, I can find great pancakes other places in town. Service is generally very slow. Today was the slowest yet, waiting for our bill, waiting for change... we spent 20 minutes waiting to leave - new employees, I get it, but this has been recurring. Avocado was brown and so hard that I couldn't break through it with the side of my fork. I would have asked for fresh avocado, but we didn't see our waitress for the majority of the meal. Worth checking out and judging for yourself based on my numerous friends that swear by it. my recommendations are: go for breakfast or brunch and be prepared to wait for a table and slow service.
(2)
Maria A.
Never ever disappoints. The food is consistently delicious and fresh. Both breakfast and lunch are awesome. I think it's the only place in town where we've never had a bad experience. The blueberry lemon poppy seed pancakes are amazing! They have the best homefries. The Soma cold brew coffee they serve is tops too. My family and I LOVE the Village Deli!
(5)
Betsy L.
Went to this place only for once in 2013, and their brunch cannot compete with other brunch places even with Spoon/Uptown in town. But this place is still popular and the waiting lines are so long when I pass by, they have renovated after the fire
(3)
T. C.
Nice little breakfast place for Bloomington standards. The first time I came here I ate the Garden Scrambler which tasted bland. The second time I ate here I had the cinnamon roll pancake. The pancake was delicious and was so big it covered the entire plate. They give you one pancake but the size is more than enough. I'd definitely come back here next time in in town.
(4)
Iris T.
I'm beginning to think I'll never have potatoes in Bloomington for breakfast. All of these "home fries" and I can't get a taste! Anyway, in accordance with my attempt to eat at as many Bloomington establishments during my one week stay - or at least as many as I can eat at due to my wonderful vegetarian status... with no onion or garlic (even in powder form) - I decided to stop by. Breakfast joints tend to have something I can try out at the very least. I hoped. I came in a little after 8 AM and was the first one in; I needed to work so I needed to make sure my stomach was satiated first. You seat yourself - the right side is set up more like a diner and the left side has booths reminiscent of the ones I see at chain breakfast places like IHOP or Denny's. I decided I wanted a nice bench all to myself so I went to the left. Within a minute or two of settling myself on a bench, I was greeted by my waiter who was friendly and all smiles. Perhaps a little too happy for such an early hour of the morning, but it was a good thing. Smiles and happiness are contagious so I quite like that attribute. I personally was happy despite the early hour because I was excited to see what I could have... and if I could finally get potatoes for breakfast. I can't. I ended up getting the Run Through the Garden Scrambler (because I want color and veggies in my first meal of the day) with two slices of lightly buttered and halved toasts and a "monkey" of plain yogurt (according to the receipt). The monkey is essentially a small bowl. It would be awesome if an actual monkey came with my yogurt. Is it local lingo for "small bowl"? I didn't take advantage of the meal deal of the day (Monday) and essentially had the scrambler and add-ons since they don't do substitutions and I couldn't enjoy the home fries. It was pretty good, but I was once again spudless. Maybe I'll just make my own french fries when I get back into my kitchen. I may make another trip back for these huge pancakes I keep on hearing about, but all in all, the place was nice and clean (or maybe it was because I was the first one in). Service was really helpful and I didn't feel like I was too much trouble even with all my questions. Location was great and business is good (I may have been the first one in, but there were more shortly after me and it only got busier). Food was breakfast food and how can you do that wrong? You can only do it better. The portion was good for one person, but I ended up taking home the remaining toast because it was too many carbs in the morning. PLEASE, SOMEONE MAKE AMAZING VEGETARIAN FOOD HERE WITHOUT ONION OR GARLIC. UPDATE: Came back again to get their pancakes. I heard about how crazy huge they were. I ended up getting their summer special (Lemon Blueberry Poppy Seed). It wasn't their signature but it was pretty large and were fluffy. I couldn't really taste any lemon (was it named for the lemon it was topped with?) and the blueberries weren't even, but they were still good.
(3)
Jennifer M.
Breakfast served all day. Pancakes bigger than the plate ( with 5+ mix in options). Diner style layout, good spot to eat on Kirkwood, especially after a late night on the town. They get very crowded, especially on the weekends, so come early. The service hasn't been bad, hasn't been exceptional. Very average. I've never when lunch here, but the breakfast options are great, despite no oatmeal. I love the pancakes. Omlets and the scramblers. The biscuits and gravy are just ok. Single bathrooms, no place to park, and small booths (or tables). But come on, you can't beat a local joint on Kirkwood Ave.
(4)
Chris S.
If you went to IU or you come to Bloomington with friends and its breakfast time you'll likely end up here. This place has been a landmark for the community as long as Ive been alive. You'll find a laid back atmosphere, friendly service and a family friendly scene. The food is one grade up from a Dennys or IHOP. Its slightly above average but not by much. Still you cant go wrong for breakfast here. They do a good job cooking normal breakfast dishes and a few they put a twist on but nothing ground breaking. This is the kind of place friends and families come to eat and enjoy time together, not a spot for foodies. The biggest challenge is there's no free parking in the vicinity which makes the average food tougher to swallow but when in Bloomington this is what you come to expect.
(3)
John W.
So we went to this place this morning Friday August 14th and it was our first visit, there were a couple other places on here that had better reviews but it was the pancakes that called to me. So we get here and luckily we got there early enough that you didn't have to pay for parking so that was a bonus. We go in and it is a seat yourself place. We sat about 5 minutes before being greeted and that was about 4.5 minutes too long for me especially since I could see about 5 girls hanging around the beverage station doing nothing but socializing. Finally a server comes over and she was pretty friendly, took our beverage order, I would have ordered coffee but they had no flavored creamers so I went with Pepsi. YAY!! A place with Pepsi products. And even better large glasses with that really good crushed ice. I was in heaven. Well there was so much we wanted to try so we kinda ordered a few different things and just put it in the center of the table family style. We ordered the Cinnamon Roll pancake and it was fabulous!! We then ordered Paxton's potatoes and those were really good too, I don't usually like home fries but these were good and they were topped with cheese and sausauge gravy!! Then we ordered a large order of the biscuits and gravy. Biscuits were horrible and we loved the gravy although the gravy on our biscuits was kinda cold but we overlooked that. It took over 20 minutes to get our food and I was getting concerned because two other tables who came in much later than us had already gotten their food, I can't help but wonder if the server didn't forget to put in our order. I would have given this place 4 stars if the biscuits wasn't the pre-made brown and serve and if service had been better. They really should get flavored creamers, even chain restaurants like ihop has those. We will probably go back for the pancakes and home fries. I will pass on the biscuits and gravy until they can do a better job with the biscuits.
(3)
Chad B.
Great place, great good, great staff! I love their pancakes. The wait can be a little long, but it's not fast food so I wouldn't expect to get in and out in two minutes.
(5)
Robin K.
The wait time is really ridiculous. It's such a staple for Bloomington and I would absolutely go more often, but I can't stand waiting for SOOO long. You wait for a table then you wait for your food then you wait for your check. They should consider getting the app Dash to get things moving!
(2)
Danny K.
Im never disappointed by the quality of breakfast here. Norwegian eggs Benedict is on the menu this morning. Pumpkin pancakes, Benedict specials and traditional fare are also here. Cafe atmosphere and friendly staff... Get here early!
(4)
James K.
If you come to Bloomington you have to go to the Village Deli for breakfast. Awesome pancakes, you won't be able to eat two. Spinach scramble is another awesome selection as is the breakfast burrito. The real start is the Paxton potatoes; they come 2 ways 1) with gravy cheese and chives and my favorite with salsa and cheese. The negatives? If you come on Sunday you are gonna wait for a table and it's noisy. It's well worth both of these. Service is fast as they want to turn tables as quickly as possible.
(5)
Franklin D.
Never been, so I gave it a try. 20 minute wait for a table for 4 people on a Sunday. OK that kinda sucks, but maybe the food is worth it? After another 40 minute wait we finally get our food. Typical of this area, everything is "Bloomington bland" tasting, freshly delivered by freezer-truck. One thing that really got me, the toast, wasn't. It was like they put it in the toaster long enough to get a hint of a tan on one side and that was the best they could manage. Didn't want to risk another 30 minute wait asking for a replacement. So why's this place so crowded if the food isn't outstanding, you snidely ask? Simple numbers folks. It's a small town, lots of students and their families looking for somewhere to eat, but with few choices for places to go for weekend breakfast.
(2)
Kathryn W.
When I ran into a group of friends who were already there the staff got me seated and food quickly. Deserve credit for that. Also, handled almost a dozen individual checks quickly and nicely.
(3)
Pushkar N.
Power breakfast !! When I was in Bloomington I was a regular. I love the chocolate chips walnut pancakes. Eveything on the menu is awesome. Now that i am not in Bloomington, i miss this place. FYI try the home fries...you would love them
(5)
John L.
Could be a four star but 1) no oatmeal & worse 2) English muffin was served hardly toasted. Had high expectations for steel cut oats, fruit and a crisp muffin. Had a vegi omelet which was good and that waste of a good muffin muffin. The "best in B'ton" bacon was good but not exceptional. Great service and good ambiance. Prices were reasonable but heard on weekend prices go up. What's with that?
(3)
Ariana S.
AVOID!! I can't explain how terrible our experience was at Village Deli. During my undergrad days, there was nothing better than an order of pancakes from this place. I went today and had a piss poor experience. We waited so long for our food. I mean FOREVER. Their kitchen is very inefficient. The veggies in my omelette were chopped hugely. Like inedible. It was an all around terrible experience. The manager took off 50%. We shouldn't have had to pay anything for horrible food. We paid because our waitress was so nice.
(1)
Tony K.
Good food. Decent service. Worth checking out. Avoid this place on weekends because they get crowded and wait times can be long.
(3)
Mister M.
I've been here more times than I should have. I like their breakfast, which is nothing amazing but it does the job. For lunch I've been there on at least three occasions where the food simply didn't come and servers blamed the cooks. I don't want to blame anyone just get me my food and some curtesy for wasting my time. If anyone is to blame it's the servers who probably forgot to put in the order. Go for the breakfast if you want to check it out. Their lunch menu is very blaaahhh anyway. The servers are better in the morning also.
(2)
Jeffrey B.
Definitely a college town deli. But the is food is good. I had the "BLT revisited". Always my favorite sandwich, this one had good amount of bacon and added avocado made for a creamy bite. Yummy.
(4)
Miranda B.
I love going to village deli. For the longest time, I always ordered from the breakfast menu. Recently I ordered from the lunch menu and my sandwich was so delicious. The service could have been a little faster, but overall, it is after restaurant with delicious food.
(4)
Heather E.
This place has been hit or miss lately to be honest. I've placed to-go orders when it was dead, heard the kitchen ring the bell and say "order up for heather" and proceeded to wait 20+ minutes after that before actually receiving my food. All the while watching three servers stand around the wait area rolling flatware. Seriously?? My food was ice cold by the time I got it home. I was there this past weekend with my family. Tables were very slow to be cleared. If the turn around were better the wait wouldn't be as long. Some tables sat 15+ minutes before being bussed. The worst part was the front of house manager was just STaNDING in the kitchen/lobby door and talking. He should be helping out his crew when they are that busy. Why is he not bussing tables. I literally watched him do nothing for 30 minutes and I'm sure he does plenty of that when I'm not there. The food is generally good. Paxtonize your home fries. Breakfast is always well done. Avoid this place on the weekends unless you don't mind waiting for up to an hour for a table. Protip: they serve breakfast all day.
(3)
Sonya A.
It was so packed when we went on a Sunday. The service was as quick as it could be with the crowd but the food itself was bland. We had the country fried steak, potatoes and the banana nutella pancakes. Great place for a hungover breakfast for sure since the portions were huge, but not the brunch place of my dreams. Food: 3/5 Service: 4/5 Location: 4/5
(3)
Jordann W.
This place is a go to for comfort breakfast food! I love their Paxton's potatoes! So yummy! And they have decent coffee! The only downfall is if you don't get there early on the weekends you may be waiting a while for a table... With it being so close to the IU campus the hungover students make their way out for breakfast usually later in the mornings. So get there early and you'll be seated right away!
(4)
Michael C.
After 6 years since my last visit, The Village Deli is pretty much the same as it was when I was a grad student in Bloomington. The same cannot be said for the wait staff, who were probably graduating from Middle School at the same time. Despite my high triglycerides, I ordered the chicken fried steak and eggs. I figured, if I can't indulge on a weekend trip down memory lane, when can I, heart disease be damned. As expected the meal was tasty and filling and probably more food than I needed. Hopefully I'll be able to make it back to Bloomington for breakfast before another 6 years pass.
(4)
Melissa K.
Eh. This place was okay but I won't come back as I suspect there's other places that are better. The coffee was weak and the omelet, although reasonably priced, was really bland.
(3)
Allie B.
Why does this place have 3 stars instead of 2? Because it's a Bloomington tradition and you can't just dismiss them. The ambience is what you need for a college diner. It's not exactly a nice looking joint. The seats are uncomfortable, it gets crowded and loud, and don't even try to get a table on game days. The service has always been very hit or miss - depends on your server. The food... The egg dishes and scramblers are not good at all. They're dry and the veggies are always undercooked. Things worth your time - the massive pancakes, specialty pancakes (pumpkin in the fall is pretty good), and the french toast has redeeming qualities. If it weren't for the tradition and the good memories I've had there, I'd say avoid if you're looking for a nice meal. If you're a student in the area, you'll probably end up here at least once in your school career.
(3)
Anish A.
Had the make your own omelet with feta, onion, green peppers and tomato and I have to say it was very average. The add one were not consistently spread out the omelet and lacked flavor. They do have some good food but this time was a disappointment.
(3)
Tim S.
I went back to Village Deli because it was a place I loved when I was in college. I'd say my tastes have changed quite a bit. Village Deli is a great place to go if you're looking for a BIG breakfast or brunch on a budget. Most items are right around $8. The service is pretty good, though on weekends you'll always end up waiting, but the food is just decent. None of the tastes are mind-blowing; they're good and there is a lot of them. The home fries are tasty and the coffee's pretty decent (watch out for the cream, though... occasionally you'll get a spoiled one), but you know what you're going to get at Village Deli. It's consistent and consistently a big portion.
(3)
Julia W.
My favorite are the Cajun cheese fries! Their food is delicious. Sure it's a little wait from being a little busy. But I'm not impatient. I like it here quite a bit! Also blt's are yummy!
(5)
L M.
Waited at least 45 minutes for my takeout, because clearly they forgot my order. When the food finally came, they forgot the coffee. I've been here so many times during the past years, but THIS should be my last time.
(3)
Liz K.
Despite my lengthy Bloomington days, I only visited the Village Deli twice (and the second time was as an alum on a visit back). The first time was just underwhelming enough that I didn't particularly care to try it again - if I want a quick breakfast meal, I'll stop in at Bloomington Bagel Company or Scholar's Inn Bakehouse. This time around I ordered the Southwest Omelette, which was stuffed with cheese and sour cream and enough salsa to fill me up for the next 8 hours. Despite all those supposedly wonderful flavors, it was lacking some spice or at least powerful flavor. The coffee was the same - nothing special. For the price, it was reasonable, but I'd rather increase my budget a little bit to have a less-rushed, more flavorful meal at one of Bloomington's many other fine breakfast locales.
(3)
Katie B.
The banana nutella pancakes are amazing. I mean, why wouldn't they be - they have nutella! What I love even more though is the Potatoes Part Two - potatoes plus cheese, salsa, sour cream, and chives. I ordered these to share and ended up eating at least 75% of them. I almost stabbed my hubby to fend him off. I'm glad to have a no frills breakfast place downtown for classics or something with a little bit of a twist. Plus, they serve breakfast all day, and breakfast for dinner might be one of the best inventions ever.
Pancake here is my favorite. Good for breakfast. But you guys need waiting for a long time on weekend morning.
(4)
Marie P.
I've gone there for breakfast/brunch a few times and I'm addicted to their breakfast croissant--and I know about croissants. The staff is always friendly and efficient, even though it does get pretty crazy crowded there on weekend mornings--but hey, there's a reason why everyone wants to go there! Even when crowded, the staff managed to refill my coffee and water. The space itself is pretty great--lots of tables, but enough air in between for it not to feel like a high school cafeteria. The art is cool and colorful, and there a big windows to sit next to. They have a big selection of food, the portions are generous, and it's not pricey. Overwell, what's not to like?
(5)
Mckenzie E.
This is my go-to breakfast place in town. Perks: * You can substitute / add-on almost any ingredient to an order * Typically fast service * Unique specials * Surprisingly really good salads for a breakfast place Debatable Downsides: * Portion size can be overwhelmingly large, pancakes don't even fit on the plate-- pretty wasteful as many people take a few bites and then don't take food home * Somewhat long wait on weekends * Finishing everything on your plate will give you a food baby
(4)
B C.
Were you ever in a fraternity or a sorority? Do you think sports are more important than academics? If so, try breakfast at the Village Deli. You're going to love it! If not, go to the Runcible Spoon.
(2)
David R.
After waiting 10 minutes and being told our server would be right with us, it was another 5 minutes before he appeared. We never saw him again for a coffee refill, ask how the food was, or to collect the money which I had to take to one of the other waiters. This used to be an excellent place in town for breakfast. Save your money and go elsewhere.
(1)
Thomas C.
The Village Deli seems to be a popular spot for students, townies, and churchgoers. It meets the needs of the non food-conscientious general public. Cozy, unpretentious decor, good service, and great location. It reminds me of the kind of place I'd go to back in my undergrad days after a long night of partying: greasy and buttery breakfasts and sandwiches, fried potatoes, and good prices; the type of place that you go into with low expectations and come out pleasantly satisfied. However, there really isn't much for the food-lover who is looking for locally grown products, higher quality ingredients, and imaginative preparations. Once I ordered biscuits and gravy, envisioning two fluffy biscuits with a cream-based thick sausage gravy, and instead got a tiny biscuit with a cold, mostly flour and milk-based gravy. I tried the huevos rancheros on my next visit, and to my chagrin, they were served on a huge burrito-sized four tortilla - a complete faux pas for anyone familiar with true Mexican cooking. All in all, this is a place that has made a great name for itself, and will always have a following. However, if you are the type of person who wouldn't set foot in a Cracker Barrel, Applebees, or Perkins, you might want to avoid the Village Deli and instead head to Runcible Spoon, Uptown, or Feast.
(2)
Jeff L.
"Eat and Get Out!" - that's their motto! The Village Deli is one of the best breakfast spots in Bloomington with decent lunch and dinner options. To be fair, I always order from the breakfast menu even later in the day, so I'm not the best person to comment on other offerings! The Deli is known for its pancakes - GIANT pancakes! They offer a comprehensive list of add-ins (I prefer banana walnut) and one is usually more than enough. If you're a big eater, the short stack (2) would feed an elephant! Egg creations as well as potatoes (try the Paxton's Potatoes) are also among the favorite dishes for many. If you're looking for a great breakfast option, the Deli should be high on your list. Beware, Sunday mornings often see a line developing as the nearby churches finish morning services - but it's worth the wait!!
(4)
Lyndsey C.
We always loved this place. Great food. We always went here for breakfast when my parents were in town. The place is always packed on a Sunday morning but it is worth the wait. Great prices and fantastic menu.
(5)
Mary V.
We had a group of 7 last weekend that was accommodated very well. I always order the special eggs (scrambled with fresh mushrooms with topping of fresh chives and cheddar) and they didn't disappoint. The waiter was excellent and kept our coffee cups refilled. Someday I will order another item from the menu -- after 30 years it probably is about time but I do love those special eggs!
(4)
Tom H.
There are long lines. The coffee is only passable. But the omelets are pretty good, and they serve traditional lox & bagels. There serve a HUGE pancake, but I'm not a carb loader. Season stuff yourself; they don't salt and pepper much but they have both and Tabasco, and on a good day Sriracha. Their ingredients are of good quality. They're also consistent in their preparation, which is very good. The booths aren't particularly comfortable, and as mentioned elsewhere here, their coffee isn't good, but that might be to flip tables. If the coffee were really good, everyone would stay. But, as their motto goes, they eat and get out. I do this frequently, as budgets allow.
(3)
David V.
I've had several different dishes here. None of them were great. Mediocre at best.
(2)
Kellie M.
We normally like to go to the VD just about every other weekend. My better half gets breakfast and I get lunch. We were really disappointed today to find out the new "abbreviated weekend lunch menu" is really limited and disappointing. I don't think we will be going back until they have their full non-breakfast menu on the weekends again. Until then, there are plenty of other options nearby.
(3)
Patricia N.
Super busy on Saturdays. I'm not sure if it's worth the long wait, no to mention it's hard to find parking nearby. I had the breakfast burrito. It was pretty darn tasty with the eggs and chorizo. I also had it topped with guacamole and sour cream at an additional cost. If you ever plan on getting this...split it with another person, unless you're super hungry. It's pretty big.
(2)
Jon A.
Exquisitely serviceable. They set their expectations and they nail them. Then, at times they knock it out of football arena and create such goodness mixed metaphors don't matter anymore. Oddly, in Indy lox isn't on that many breakfast menus. I said yes to coming here thinking I'd get a manageable omelet Then, lox is on the menu. Done. $7 and I'm transported to the perfect cocktail of offerings I've ever come to know (see my last supper on my profile, I'm not kidding). They nailed the classic lox. Because of that, I will always be on our side. Other reasons I'll be on your side: *the odd domed ceiling. *the sterling staff: fast, happy, accommodating *the humble nature of what you do: you slang brunch.
(3)
Bill S.
Being local residents, my wife and I used to frequent Village Deli on a regular basis. It's been a few months since we've gone there, so we decided to give it a shot tonight. Parking was plentiful tonight and the restaurant didn't look busy at all. Good omen, or bad? At that point we weren't sure. It was about 6:30 pm, but we were both in the mood for breakfast. My wife ordered a half order of biscuits and gravy with a side of corned beef hash, while I ordered Paxton's Potatoes and the lemon poppyseed pancakes. When our orders arrived, we immediately had misgivings. First, the sodas that we ordered were almost completely flat. Second, the biscuits were stale (absolutely rock-hard) on my wife's half order of biscuits and gravy. Third, the potatoes on my order weren't the hot and crisp ones that normally nestle under the sausage gravy, but instead seemed like they had been sitting around the kitchen for a while. Come to think of it, the sausage gravy had almost no sausage in it whatsoever. The waitress did offer to get my wife another biscuit to replace the remaining stale biscuit on her dish, but at that point we didn't really want to bother. No offer was made to deduct the cost of the biscuits and gravy. (Also isn't $4.75 a bit steep for a half order of biscuits and gravy? I'm pretty sure it is.) Long story-short: we spent $27 (not including a decent tip) for a breakfast that could easily have been outclassed by our soon-to-be gone Waffle House. Come on, Village Deli! You used to be much better than this.
(2)
Adam H.
Some of the best breakfast in Bloomington. Honestly I think some of the other places people recommend for breakfast are a little overrated. The service here is great, plenty of staff and the prices are fair. I think they only serve it one day of the week but chorizo scrambler is great.
(4)
Anna W.
I get the feeling my breakfast tastes are different than most people's, because this is the 2nd place that everyone has told me is great and I have been less than impressed. When breakfast was all said and done, I just wasn't wowed. Their menu isn't huge and they have a nice selection of healthy options, but what I ordered lacked flavor. What I saw on everyone else's plates looked generic. Also, like most breakfast places, they make a big deal about giving you way too much food so you either have to be uncomfortably full in order to not be wasteful, or throw away half your plate. It just doesn't seem worth it. I ordered the Village Veggie Omelet. Like I said, it was okay. I appreciated that it wasn't greasy and the vegetables were crisp, but I needed some serious salt and pepper, and it seemed like others did too. I did enjoy that one of the cheese options was feta. I probably won't be back.
(3)
Andrew C.
I'm not generally compelled to review poor experiences -- I don't want to spend any more time on a negative note than necessary. That said, Village Deli might be the most overrated "staple" in Bloomington. With a slogan like "EAT AND GET OUT", they make it awfully hard for a customer to do just that. We went today for lunch -- it was slow on our boothed side of the restaurant, maybe 6-7 tables in total plus a couple outside. We sat ourselves at a clear booth, but there were potatoes in the seat and crumbs on the tabletop. Fair enough, someone could have just left. The waitress kindly came by to wipe of the table, but she used a soaking wet towel and left standing water where she threw the menus down. We ordered drinks -- I got my coffee, but had to ask twice for water. No silverware was ever set on the table, so 7-8 minutes later I finally got the waitress's attention for place settings and was able to stir and drink my coffee. By this time, the coffee had cooled and I drank it quickly. I was never offered a refill during the remainder of my (unnecessarily long) stay. We ordered, waited 30+ minutes for simple breakfast food (their menu so poignantly states that "We don't serve fast food, you may have to wait a while for food during busy hours. If you want fast food go across the street." Unfortunately it was not busy, and we still waited..and waited. Alas, it did finally arrive. When it did, the waitress sat down my "Village Special" with a pancake (I ordered dry wheat toast). They left before I could correct the mis-order, and given the time I had already been there I was inclined to just eat part of the pancake and ignore the mistake. A couple of minutes later they returned and said "I gave you an extra pancake, sorry", took it, and returned it to another tray in the kitchen to be delivered elsewhere. It's common courtesy in a restaurant that anything that touches the table does not go to another customer -- especially if as a server you leave the table. I could have done anything to the pancake during your absence. Not sanitary, to say the least. Our toast was the last item to arrive roughly 5 minutes after the rest of the food (how ironic, the easiest to prepare comes last). The food was fine (we had breakfast, tough to screw up eggs and bacon), but hardly anything special, which is the only reason this review gets 2 stars instead of 1. I've been multiple times and never been impressed, but needless to say this will be our last visit for a while.
(2)
Stacey N.
I wish I could say lots of nice things about Village Deli. I don't know how they keep getting voted 'best' anything. The place was pretty empty, three tables on our side, and yet we were there for over an hour. FOR BREAKFAST. It was ridiculous. The food was plentiful and acceptable, although they didn't have a huge selection. My biggest complaint, the waitress took my credit card, and the cash from the other table and then WALKED AROUND THE RESTAURANT WITH THEM FOR LIKE 10 MINUTES!!!! I wish that was an exaggeration. I mean, what the heck?? How is that acceptable? I tried to mention that to the guy up front who asked how it was as we were leaving, but I don't think he wanted to actually hear the answer. I'm not going back. I don't see the point. It's just another case of downtown restaurants being popular for no good reason. I don't know why I keep trying new ones because I have yet to be impressed by anything but the extremely poor service they seem to think is acceptable.
(2)
Steven M.
Busy on weekends - or after an event which calls for drinking. All in all though, not a bad joint. It wont wow you, but it will satisfy you. I never have had a bad experience here, and found the food to be a couple notches above par.
(4)
SJ H.
"Eat and get out" is an inappropriate slogan. Tried to have eggs there and waited 30 minutes before giving up waiting on the food we ordered. Nothing complicated, but horrible service considering the simplicity of our order.
(2)
James C.
I used to love this place but this last trip it seemed like they phoned it in. The heuvos rancheros was bland and with scrambled eggs instead of fried (they changed this and it isn't an improvement). Perhaps they've gotten too big to keep their quality level up?
(3)
Christopher R.
Very good upscale Denny's type breakfast. Spinach scramble is a must get. Pancakes are huge and very good but I am not a big pancake person. Non-college types need to get here before 9AM on the weekends or face the huge crowds. Uptown, Runcible Spoon and Bloomington Bagels all close by other (better?) options
(4)
Jarrod R.
In my undergraduate days (when the dinosaurs roamed the earth and we were still fighting with the Soviet Union), The Village Deli was on my "rotation" for lunches and when Mom and Dad and other honored guests came to town. Now I'm a parent and while I don't have an IU student, my cousin is down finishing up her Doctorate, so we took our two little ones to visit and take her out to dinner. First off, it was fun to step back in time a little bit and experience the quirky decor and be around IU students again. The service was great and they were patient and kind to our little blond spitfires. I ordered the Bird for the Wise, a delicious combo of turkey, cranberry sauce and lettuce - like Thanksgiving dinner in sammitch form. And those hot potato chips -brought back those sense memories. My eldest had the pancakes and was going to pull a Man v. Food and try to finish them ("I can do it!") but out parenting clicked in thankfully. So, I was able to sample them and they are quite good. All in all, a very solid dining experience - in Bloomington - which is always a great time!
(4)
Katie B.
Pretty good breakfast, though definitely not the best in town. It's usually packed to the gills on the weekends, mostly with students and/or tourists who don't know any better. The servers are okay, but don't really go out of their way to be nice or helpful. This place gets a ton of business because of its location and portion sizes. It's good once in a while, but not great.
(3)
MsAnthro P.
I used to love the Deli about 20 years ago, now I'll only go there if forced. I remember the Sandwich on the Brink once involving an actual breaded breast of chicken and the last time I was there I instead got some weird processed chicken patty that tasted like cardboard. (And even if I would've liked it, the sandwich came with the wrong toppings and the slow-as-hell waitperson was annoyed rather than apologetic about it.) I'm sure my other old-school fave the Deli Melt is probably still good because how can you screw up a grilled cheese with spinach and mushrooms and Thousand Island dressing? What perplexes me the most are all the rave reviews from friends and strangers alike re: the breakfasts here. Yeah, the pancakes are big, but they're as basic as ever. They don't even put most of the fruit in the batter, they just throw it on top of the pancakes. Zzzzzz. And the omelets are bland as hell, even when I've specifically chosen the more seemingly flavorful ingredients. I've had better omelets at pretty much every other Bloomington restaurant that serves omelets. The home fries? Chunky, mealy and undercooked. They're like mini steak fries... and not good ones. And, oh god, the coffee is bile. Seriously, the Sysco Deli would be a better name for this place. Add to all of this the utterly sophomoric conversations you're likely to overhear at the Deli on a busy day, and I'd pretty much eat anywhere else on Kirkwood. Even, god forbid, Kilroy's.
(2)
Tim W.
The Paxton potatoes are really great. I don't generally like gravy but these tasty taters with gravy and cheese were pretty wonderful. It was a 30-minute wait for the giant pancake but with some toast and Paxton potatoes to help me limp through my hunger, I managed to be able to wait without fussing so much as to disturb the other guests. I recommend adding blueberries to the batter. Hardly needed syrup (not to say I forewent the syrup)
(4)
Michelle L.
This place is surprising. it doesn't look like it will be good from the outside, but happily it is cheap and informal, and large groups of students gather there consistently.
(4)
Josh B.
I don't know why people love this place. Food is OK at best. But nothing I would stand around for and wait for a long time on a Saturday or Sunday. That's another big problem, the wait and slow service! To me it seems like the servers have too many tables to take care of or they are lazy and like to hang out and chat with the other servers rather than take care of the patrons. The wife and I have had service that is quick and friendly to slow and rude. In my opinion find another place that won't be run by annoying IU students who are trying to work on a Sunday morning hungover from the night before.
(2)
Adam N.
The Village Deli is exactly what it appears to be: an inexpensive, clean and simple breakfast diner. The food is fine (it's difficult to mess up eggs, toast and homefries), though it's nothing to write home about. Their coffee needs work. The pancakes, on the other hand, are amazing. If you're planning on going over the weekend, avoid the madness of brunch... you'll be up to your eyebrows in hung-over college students. Simple, tasty, and easy. That's the Village Deli.
(3)
Wes M.
Village Deli is a Kirkwood classic for breakfast in Bloomington. It's abundant portions are bound to fill you up and the prices won't hurt your wallet. You're not getting anything fancy, we're talking your breakfast standards but they do have a few tricks up their sleeves. The Power breakfast - more food than most people can handle. The pancake alone will fill the average patron. This thing hangs over the edges of your plate! If you're going to order pancakes, they give you the option of several fillers or toppings, such as fruit or chocolate chips. This is some serious "I need something to soak up all the alcohol I consumed last night" food. Village Deli does the trick. Steer clear on the weekends due to long wait times unless you get there early [before 10am]. This place gets packed quick!
(3)
John M.
Had Village Deli for breakfast on our way out of town as it seemed like one of those places you're supposed to go in Bloomington. Every time we walked by later in the morning/early in the afternoons it was packed, so we figured they must have been doing something right. We stopped in early to miss the crowds and service was a bit on the slow side as it appeared that they only had two people working the whole place. Our server was good though, so it didn't really hurt anything in that regard. The coffee was mediocre at best, and my wife really didn't like it at all. I thought it was passable, but for a place that serves that much breakfast, they should probably have better. We both got Paxton's potatoes and got a cinnamon pancake for the kid - the Paxton's are supposed to be this super famous thing they've got, but it was just a lot of potatoes with some gravy and cheese - nothing to it and too many taters vs. the other ingredients. The pancake was enormous, and was tasty but a bit sweet as it had a frosting/glaze on it as well, so it was basically a huge flat cinnamon roll. Not a bad thing per se, but a bit much for breakfast - I guess it is the midwest after all. Overrated based on the Food Network etc. type hype.
(3)
MJ W.
Big warning, they are extremely slow during winter break! The slogan is "eat and get out". We tried, but it took 45 minutes to get our order for two. With that being said (CYE anyone?), the food is good. It's nothing over the top, but it's a great value. The coffee is good. I'm sure we will go back, but it is not as good as I remember it in college.
(3)
NotTelling P.
Food: Very good food. Price: Good bargin Service: VERY SLOW. Atmosphere: OK. A quality meal at reasonable prices. I keep coming back.
(4)
Jenny B.
Giant pancakes! That's all I remember about Village Deli. If you love pancakes, never go to IHOP, this place is da BOMB! It's a great place for breakfast/brunch on weekend mornings and service was great, again I didn't usually order other breakfast food, always come here for pancakes... Yeah, lots of crowds though, so better be there early buddies!
(4)
Emily S.
Everyone loves this place, but I don't get it. There is always an outrageous wait time for food that I could have made in my own kitchen. I've tried it a few times and will definitely not be going back.
(2)
Matt H.
Bleh. Everything here is from Sysco. The omlettes are merely plain. The breakfast potatoes are the worst--cube-cut, freeze-dried, undercooked. They serve all their fountain drinks with crushed ice. People seem to like the pancakes, but that's ridiculous: it's just pre-mixed batter from Sysco that they pour right out of the carton on to a skillet. Even the atmosphere of the place is institutional. What makes it worse is that it is a mad house on the weekends when undergrads take their parents there because they don't know where else to go for breakfast and alums take their families their because it was where they went for breakfast as undergrads. A sad cycle which is the only reason the place stays in business. Seriously, go around the block to Runcible Spoon. I give them an extra * for frequently feeding the old schizophrenic homeless woman and allowing her to push her shopping cart into the restaurant on weekday mornings.
(2)
Timothy Y.
If you love to breath...you'll live village deli!:-) Back in basic training I was on a road march early one morning. It was cold and had no brakfast. I started telling the other guys about these huge pancakes at this place where I live. I described them in great detail. I even had the drill sergeants drooling.
(5)
Irene A.
Horrible service!!! We sat down, ordered, then proceeded to wait for about an hour for our food. We asked our server about our food and he replied, "it's coming, the kitchen is running really slow right now.". HOWEVER, the table directly across from us got our food before we did despite having five people compared to just the two of us and arriving about 10-15 minutes after we did. It seems like our order was forgotten about. Once they got their food, we slapped a few bucks on our table for the drinks and left. Will not be going back. Maybe if our server spent some time checking on our order instead of chatting in the lobby, we would have gotten to eat a nice breakfast.
(1)
Leigh H.
Service was fast even though the restaurant was packed. The food was good. I didn't give 5 stars b/c the atmosphere is not so great. And we were stuck in the tiny west room that is cramped and awkward. But if you want a fast, no frills, diner-type experience...The VD delivers.
(4)
Andrew K.
Folks, it's the pancakes. Oh god, the pancakes. I have honestly never had 'cakes like them, and God knows I have tried. I don't know what it is. Scratch that, I do know what it is, and it's the peanut butter and chocolate chips. But even if you don't want dessert for breakfast, get them without the chips. Just get them. Or get one, rather, because they're beyond massive. All else can be forgiven at the Deli for the pancakes. Though I've had plenty of the other food here. Breakfast is the meal of choice of course. Another favorite is Breakfast on a Bagel. Service can be variable as the place employs a rotating cast of college students, locals and other lovable ne'er-do-wells. Oh, the pancakes.
(5)
Tamara M.
The Village Deli is our go-to place for weekday lunches, since it's a short walk from campus. Unfortunately, for the same reason, it gets CRAZY on weekend mornings, so we can only enjoy leisurely breakfasts during summer break, when most of Bloomington's population empties out. Pros: The food is wonderful. They offer figure-friendly options as well as your basic fried fare; I'm a fan of the veggie burgers or the Skinny Turkey with seasonal fruit on the side. The portions can be outrageous, though, especially those flying-saucer-sized pancakes (just order ONE). Cons: The service, while friendly, is very, very slow. That's understandable when it's busy, but during breaks when the place is completely empty but for a couple high schoolers it can still take half an hour to prep a simple sandwich and fries. They must only keep one cook back there. So if you have a lot of time on your hands and don't mind the wait, it's an excellent option for a casual or mildly celebratory meal.
(4)
Christine V.
I've never had the pancakes. Something about eating cake for breakfast is really gross to me. HOWEVER, their breakfast burrito is huge and reallllllly good. It's like a big burrito with a pound of beef and eggs, sour cream, melty cheese. Nothing you couldn't make at home, but it's nice to go out. Fun place to people watch, good coffee, I like the crushed ice. Their home fries are great. I think people love this place because that's where a lot of the piecing together of the night before happens. It's good stuff. Parent friendly too. Which is rare in Bloomington :)
(4)
Meghan L.
completely decent breakfast place with generally decent prices. pros: -amazing belgian waffles, amazing anything with eggs -endless drinkable if not amazing coffee -tasty home fries -just enough grease to soak up the hangover you probably have -delicious homemade granola cons: -that damn granola is so expensive! -honestly...the coffee does kind of suck -gets crowded on weekends oh hmm i wonder why
(4)
Jason F.
This is a disappointing restaurant to be the best breakfast in Bloomington. I got the spinach scramble, which was just eh. Of particular concern were the terrible homefries/potatos, which were really the same potato cubes that come in airport breakfasts. There wasn't too much bacon mixed into my scramble either. I probably should have just gone with the pancakes (I'm just not a pancake person).
(3)
Fred O.
Exactly what you would expect for a college town breakfast join!
(4)
Purvi R.
Delicious morning-after-big-night food. VERY fast service!! I got some type of bagel (maybe egg and cheese with butter?? MMM) and a side of the potatoes with all that yummy crap on it. That yummy crap (some type or variation of salsa??) was DELIcious. As you may know from my previous reviews I am a potato-lover and this mix was very unique. Had sour cream dolluped on top too :) A lot of food. We were full til dinner, perfect since we had a wedding later that day anyways.
(3)
Philippe F.
After a night of drankin at the Blue Bird, a greasy breakfast is what I crave. Their power breakfast will do just that. Eggs and homefries were good. Their sausage patties were delicious. It also comes with one pancake, it even says so on their menu. I'm glad, because this pancake had to be cooked on a griddle the size of my kitchen. It's gynormous and tasty all at the same time. I like the diner feel to this place as well.....along with the classic black and white checkered floors. The only thing I didn't care for was the unisex bathroom. Those damn women never put the seat back up!
(4)
Jonathan F.
The burgers *suck*. it was bland and smelled funny--and it didn't have the consistency of a normal beef patty. By which I mean it had more in common with wonder bread than meat. Also the tomatoes were ice cold and the bun was untoasted and slightly stale. I've had breakfast here a few times and that was acceptable for diner food. Just don't have the burger here.
(3)
Kevin W.
I love this place. It's a great spot to go to on a weekend for breakfast all day. The best hang over cure is a plate full of the pancakes. The service is pretty quick and they follow their motto pretty close "get in & get out!" It's kind of like a diner setting. Sometimes during the weekends of big games, there can be a while of a wait, but it's worth it. It's cheap, quick and decent. Kind of like an upgraded version of Dennys.
(4)
Berrius B.
Village Special with whole wheat toast and sausage patties. Can't beat it! Decent price and quick. As an added bonus, if you eat there in the summer you don't have to put up with nearly as many hung-over frat idiots and sorrostitutes. Their coffee needs to get better. If it does, my rating goes up to 5 stars. Only a few other restaurants in town can compete with the VD for breakfast. Plus you can always ask your fellow diners if they want some VD this morning. You can even say it's your treat.
(4)
Meagan B.
Village Deli is subpar food at best. I was starving one morning and went there and had an omelette that was pretty tasteless. I didn't even finish it. My boyfriend had the eggs and potatoes and pancakes. The only thing that was good was the pancake. I would not go there again, but if you are an IU undergraduate who is hungover at least the portions are good.
(2)
M M.
Great menu, consistent food in my experience...I would totally give them 5 stars if the coffee was better! Why, oh WHY the owner uses cheap coffee is beyond me...brings what could be a great experience every time to a mere mediocre one!
(3)
Rachael S.
HUGE breakfasts! I mean HUGE!!! Pretty solid quality too, at a decent price. I'm a big fan of their huevos rancheros and pancakes. The only thing I've ever had there that I didn't really like was the coffee cake: it was too dry and pretty expensive. It's crowded on weekend mornings, and service can be very slow if you sit outside. Otherwise, I'm a fan!
(4)
Colleen M.
I loveeee the VD, so much food for sooo cheap! My ex loves the sorry charlie, and thinks everything else is gross... whatever I love it all, especially their potato salad (they use some spice that people generally either love or hate in their potato salad). The fries are good too and the breakfast can't be beat. OFten there is a line, but the service staff here seems to always be top notch. Working quickly and effeciently. I'm always shocked when the bill comes with how cheap this place is... totally great! and really close to campus, makes it nice and easy.
(4)
Chris R.
The go-to breakfast spot in Bloomington. Since I moved to DC, we have often woken up in the morning and reminisced about plate-sized pancakes and breakfast burritos that leave you feeling unable to walk. We miss seeing the mix of folks - neighbors, professors, co-workers, classmates - particularly on farmer's market Saturday mornings. While we did rotate occasionally with Wee Willie's and even the Indiana version of Waffle House, this was our favorite and we will always go back when in Bloomington.
(4)
Wendy S.
You've gotta love this place...it's sooooo Bloomington. Great breakfasts, but would love to see them start offering a healthy side to their menu.
(4)
Ann M.
Just can't get into this place - only go when my friends insist on it, which is several times a year. So clearly it had appeal to some people, but I don't get it. I find the front service borderline rude more often than not, particularly if you go on a Sunday morning and you are waiting for a table. I don't think there is much distinguishing the menu other than the enormous pancakes. The booth seating is pretty uncomfortable. I guess it's decent and not too expensive? So's Wee Willies.
(3)
Lisa F.
I have always wanted to like their food. Partly because it's a local diner that has less grease filled options partly because it seems like they really are trying. I have however never found their food to be appetizing and usually only WANT to go there when I have a cold and can't taste food anyway. They don't use seasonings they don't put anything on the food that makes it taste like anything and somehow even their red meat options taste as bland as broiled chicken.
(2)
Nan M.
I can't understand the popularity of Village Deli. I guess that it has something to do with the scarcity of breakfast places and the possibility that some people are weirded out by Runcible Spoon. The truth about Village Deli is that while some of the specials are good, the food isn't amazing. To me, it tastes like plain ol' breakfast food. (Not like that's necessarily a problem, because breakfast food is awesome.) However, for price I go to Wee Willie's and for taste I go to Runcible Spoon.
(3)
Mara S.
An old favorite from my IU days... I went back this weekend and it wasn't as good as I remember - maybe I hyped it up too much in my head. Everything is still just as greasy and the service is still good -- the food is only ok (though I highly recommend the french fries). The diner is pretty laid back, though the valley girls surrounding our table talking about last night's frat party definitely didn't help with the ambiance.
(3)
Josh R.
The Village Deli is the only place in town that can satisfy my diner needs. While the Runcible Spoon is a great boho breakfast, sometimes I just have to eat something more inorganic and less rustic. The ambience, though occasionally marred by a flood of college students, has an appropriate low-brow and functional, but still slightly hip, feel. People-watching opportunities are ideal; you will likely see one of several classic scenes unfold: sorority girls discussing last night at shameless volumes; parents visiting their obviously hung-over student; and a pair, one of whom answered 'yes' to the obligatory breakfast after offer that should never be accepted. The food is diner food. It is thankfully done efficiently with a minimum of frills. Bacon, eggs, sausage, omelets, and sandwiches are all hammered out with comforting, unornamented precision. Some of the braver offerings are my kind of madness; one of the paxton's something-er-others is made by dumping sausage cream gravy and cheese on homefries. The result might be called comfort food if it didn't conjure deeply uncomforting images of my untimely end at the hands of cardiovascular disease with each abrosial bite. Pancakes are unreasonably large as is the consternating fashion of our times, but their texture and flavor do not suffer from this trespass, so I will readily forgive it. The breakfast burrito occasionally sounds appealing, but always disappoints; it's too much food, the salsa is watery and ill-suited to its purpose and the tortilla is starchy and adds nothing to the dish. The home-fries are small, crispy fried squares that are nothing like any home-fries I've ever had, if for no other reason than that they're good. The coffee is coffee; I can explain it little beyond this tautology. If you want coffee that requires adjectives, then go to Soma. I've had little in the way of other drinks, but they use crushed ice, which is a nice touch and handy when playing with your straw (I advise you do so and also fidget with your straw wrapper and empty sugar packets while waiting on your food). My only serious complaint is that the village deli should be open all night because sometimes breakfast can't be bothered to wait until morning.
(4)
Heather K.
Pax II, I miss you.
(4)
Kat F.
Back in my IU days I used to practically live here. I was all about the Paxtons part II - the South of the Border home fries. It's a bowl of homefries, mixed with peppers and onions, topped with salsa, sour cream and cheddar cheese and green onions. It's ridiculously cheap and fills you up. My heart is happy that I don't eat this 4+ times a week anymore. My soul, however, still mourns.
(4)
Louis O.
Best place in B-Town for breakfast. You'll probably have to wait a while with a big party, but it's usually worth the wait. The Omlettes are amazing.
(5)
Eric M.
As far as brunch places go, The Village Deli is ok. Our wait was exactly what they quoted, which was 20 minutes for a Sunday morning, and our server was very nice. The coffee needed sugar or cream as it had no flavor. I ordered the biscuits and sausage gravy, which contained very little sausage. It came with a side of eggs, which I ordered over hard, and they were ok. One of my friends ordered the pancakes which I realize should've been my decision. It contained both chocolate and peanut butter chips and was the size of a manhole cover. The few bites I had caused a small tear to run down my cheek.
(3)
Jenna W.
I personally don't think this place is much good for anything but their breakfast food, but luckily, they serve the breakfast menu all day! I love eggs, and unfortunately theirs are slightly bland, but nothing salt can't help. Their pancakes however, not only are they HUGE, so big they barely fit on the plate...but they are literally "melt-in-your-mouth" and you won't even know that definition until you try them! They are simply devine, melt with first bite, and you can taste the sugar in them!
(4)
Justin W.
Best Saturday morning breakfast place in town. I love those pancakes and omelets.
(4)
Laura D.
The food at the Village Deli is really great. I'm a sucker for their spinach scramble for breakfast food and the falafel filled pita sandwich can't be beat. The pancakes are huge and the coffee has always been strong and hot. Service can get a bit slow when it's really busy, but it's also obvious that the servers do try their best to keep up with their customers despite the crowds.
(4)
Aaron B.
Great place for weekend breakfast. I wouldn't recommend anything but breakfast food from here, but their breakfast is fantastic. Granola pancakes are a favorite of mine. The service is good and the place is generally crowded on the weekends.
(4)
Rebecca N.
So this place is definitely a good breakfast spot . The village deli is known for their pancakes, because they are HUGE and fantastic . . They really do taste great but eating pancakes isn't satisfying to me, I personally always go for the Hoosier scramble *nom nom* (I'm always on the hunt for the best version of biscuits and gravy). The only reason I give four instead of five stars is the service ... HIT & MISS every time ! It's dead even on how many times I've had a great experience, to how many times I've dealt with immature, inexperienced service . (Eye rolls and all). The hit & miss service wouldn't stop me from coming back though, with students coming and going, the staff turnover is constant . *side note- service this morning was great ! For breakfast on the weekends, go right at opening to beat the morning rush . Or you will be waiting.
(4)
Trish S.
Village Deli is one of those places that everyone RAVES about, but I haven't had that experience there. While I do think the pancakes are delicious and giant, I can find great pancakes other places in town. Service is generally very slow. Today was the slowest yet, waiting for our bill, waiting for change... we spent 20 minutes waiting to leave - new employees, I get it, but this has been recurring. Avocado was brown and so hard that I couldn't break through it with the side of my fork. I would have asked for fresh avocado, but we didn't see our waitress for the majority of the meal. Worth checking out and judging for yourself based on my numerous friends that swear by it. my recommendations are: go for breakfast or brunch and be prepared to wait for a table and slow service.
(2)
Maria A.
Never ever disappoints. The food is consistently delicious and fresh. Both breakfast and lunch are awesome. I think it's the only place in town where we've never had a bad experience. The blueberry lemon poppy seed pancakes are amazing! They have the best homefries. The Soma cold brew coffee they serve is tops too. My family and I LOVE the Village Deli!
(5)
Betsy L.
Went to this place only for once in 2013, and their brunch cannot compete with other brunch places even with Spoon/Uptown in town. But this place is still popular and the waiting lines are so long when I pass by, they have renovated after the fire
(3)
T. C.
Nice little breakfast place for Bloomington standards. The first time I came here I ate the Garden Scrambler which tasted bland. The second time I ate here I had the cinnamon roll pancake. The pancake was delicious and was so big it covered the entire plate. They give you one pancake but the size is more than enough. I'd definitely come back here next time in in town.
(4)
Iris T.
I'm beginning to think I'll never have potatoes in Bloomington for breakfast. All of these "home fries" and I can't get a taste! Anyway, in accordance with my attempt to eat at as many Bloomington establishments during my one week stay - or at least as many as I can eat at due to my wonderful vegetarian status... with no onion or garlic (even in powder form) - I decided to stop by. Breakfast joints tend to have something I can try out at the very least. I hoped. I came in a little after 8 AM and was the first one in; I needed to work so I needed to make sure my stomach was satiated first. You seat yourself - the right side is set up more like a diner and the left side has booths reminiscent of the ones I see at chain breakfast places like IHOP or Denny's. I decided I wanted a nice bench all to myself so I went to the left. Within a minute or two of settling myself on a bench, I was greeted by my waiter who was friendly and all smiles. Perhaps a little too happy for such an early hour of the morning, but it was a good thing. Smiles and happiness are contagious so I quite like that attribute. I personally was happy despite the early hour because I was excited to see what I could have... and if I could finally get potatoes for breakfast. I can't. I ended up getting the Run Through the Garden Scrambler (because I want color and veggies in my first meal of the day) with two slices of lightly buttered and halved toasts and a "monkey" of plain yogurt (according to the receipt). The monkey is essentially a small bowl. It would be awesome if an actual monkey came with my yogurt. Is it local lingo for "small bowl"? I didn't take advantage of the meal deal of the day (Monday) and essentially had the scrambler and add-ons since they don't do substitutions and I couldn't enjoy the home fries. It was pretty good, but I was once again spudless. Maybe I'll just make my own french fries when I get back into my kitchen. I may make another trip back for these huge pancakes I keep on hearing about, but all in all, the place was nice and clean (or maybe it was because I was the first one in). Service was really helpful and I didn't feel like I was too much trouble even with all my questions. Location was great and business is good (I may have been the first one in, but there were more shortly after me and it only got busier). Food was breakfast food and how can you do that wrong? You can only do it better. The portion was good for one person, but I ended up taking home the remaining toast because it was too many carbs in the morning. PLEASE, SOMEONE MAKE AMAZING VEGETARIAN FOOD HERE WITHOUT ONION OR GARLIC. UPDATE: Came back again to get their pancakes. I heard about how crazy huge they were. I ended up getting their summer special (Lemon Blueberry Poppy Seed). It wasn't their signature but it was pretty large and were fluffy. I couldn't really taste any lemon (was it named for the lemon it was topped with?) and the blueberries weren't even, but they were still good.
(3)
Jennifer M.
Breakfast served all day. Pancakes bigger than the plate ( with 5+ mix in options). Diner style layout, good spot to eat on Kirkwood, especially after a late night on the town. They get very crowded, especially on the weekends, so come early. The service hasn't been bad, hasn't been exceptional. Very average. I've never when lunch here, but the breakfast options are great, despite no oatmeal. I love the pancakes. Omlets and the scramblers. The biscuits and gravy are just ok. Single bathrooms, no place to park, and small booths (or tables). But come on, you can't beat a local joint on Kirkwood Ave.
(4)
Chris S.
If you went to IU or you come to Bloomington with friends and its breakfast time you'll likely end up here. This place has been a landmark for the community as long as Ive been alive. You'll find a laid back atmosphere, friendly service and a family friendly scene. The food is one grade up from a Dennys or IHOP. Its slightly above average but not by much. Still you cant go wrong for breakfast here. They do a good job cooking normal breakfast dishes and a few they put a twist on but nothing ground breaking. This is the kind of place friends and families come to eat and enjoy time together, not a spot for foodies. The biggest challenge is there's no free parking in the vicinity which makes the average food tougher to swallow but when in Bloomington this is what you come to expect.
(3)
John W.
So we went to this place this morning Friday August 14th and it was our first visit, there were a couple other places on here that had better reviews but it was the pancakes that called to me. So we get here and luckily we got there early enough that you didn't have to pay for parking so that was a bonus. We go in and it is a seat yourself place. We sat about 5 minutes before being greeted and that was about 4.5 minutes too long for me especially since I could see about 5 girls hanging around the beverage station doing nothing but socializing. Finally a server comes over and she was pretty friendly, took our beverage order, I would have ordered coffee but they had no flavored creamers so I went with Pepsi. YAY!! A place with Pepsi products. And even better large glasses with that really good crushed ice. I was in heaven. Well there was so much we wanted to try so we kinda ordered a few different things and just put it in the center of the table family style. We ordered the Cinnamon Roll pancake and it was fabulous!! We then ordered Paxton's potatoes and those were really good too, I don't usually like home fries but these were good and they were topped with cheese and sausauge gravy!! Then we ordered a large order of the biscuits and gravy. Biscuits were horrible and we loved the gravy although the gravy on our biscuits was kinda cold but we overlooked that. It took over 20 minutes to get our food and I was getting concerned because two other tables who came in much later than us had already gotten their food, I can't help but wonder if the server didn't forget to put in our order. I would have given this place 4 stars if the biscuits wasn't the pre-made brown and serve and if service had been better. They really should get flavored creamers, even chain restaurants like ihop has those. We will probably go back for the pancakes and home fries. I will pass on the biscuits and gravy until they can do a better job with the biscuits.
(3)
Chad B.
Great place, great good, great staff! I love their pancakes. The wait can be a little long, but it's not fast food so I wouldn't expect to get in and out in two minutes.
(5)
Robin K.
The wait time is really ridiculous. It's such a staple for Bloomington and I would absolutely go more often, but I can't stand waiting for SOOO long. You wait for a table then you wait for your food then you wait for your check. They should consider getting the app Dash to get things moving!
(2)
Danny K.
Im never disappointed by the quality of breakfast here. Norwegian eggs Benedict is on the menu this morning. Pumpkin pancakes, Benedict specials and traditional fare are also here. Cafe atmosphere and friendly staff... Get here early!
(4)
James K.
If you come to Bloomington you have to go to the Village Deli for breakfast. Awesome pancakes, you won't be able to eat two. Spinach scramble is another awesome selection as is the breakfast burrito. The real start is the Paxton potatoes; they come 2 ways 1) with gravy cheese and chives and my favorite with salsa and cheese. The negatives? If you come on Sunday you are gonna wait for a table and it's noisy. It's well worth both of these. Service is fast as they want to turn tables as quickly as possible.
(5)
Franklin D.
Never been, so I gave it a try. 20 minute wait for a table for 4 people on a Sunday. OK that kinda sucks, but maybe the food is worth it? After another 40 minute wait we finally get our food. Typical of this area, everything is "Bloomington bland" tasting, freshly delivered by freezer-truck. One thing that really got me, the toast, wasn't. It was like they put it in the toaster long enough to get a hint of a tan on one side and that was the best they could manage. Didn't want to risk another 30 minute wait asking for a replacement. So why's this place so crowded if the food isn't outstanding, you snidely ask? Simple numbers folks. It's a small town, lots of students and their families looking for somewhere to eat, but with few choices for places to go for weekend breakfast.
(2)
Kathryn W.
When I ran into a group of friends who were already there the staff got me seated and food quickly. Deserve credit for that. Also, handled almost a dozen individual checks quickly and nicely.
(3)
Pushkar N.
Power breakfast !! When I was in Bloomington I was a regular. I love the chocolate chips walnut pancakes. Eveything on the menu is awesome. Now that i am not in Bloomington, i miss this place. FYI try the home fries...you would love them
(5)
John L.
Could be a four star but 1) no oatmeal & worse 2) English muffin was served hardly toasted. Had high expectations for steel cut oats, fruit and a crisp muffin. Had a vegi omelet which was good and that waste of a good muffin muffin. The "best in B'ton" bacon was good but not exceptional. Great service and good ambiance. Prices were reasonable but heard on weekend prices go up. What's with that?
(3)
Ariana S.
AVOID!! I can't explain how terrible our experience was at Village Deli. During my undergrad days, there was nothing better than an order of pancakes from this place. I went today and had a piss poor experience. We waited so long for our food. I mean FOREVER. Their kitchen is very inefficient. The veggies in my omelette were chopped hugely. Like inedible. It was an all around terrible experience. The manager took off 50%. We shouldn't have had to pay anything for horrible food. We paid because our waitress was so nice.
(1)
Tony K.
Good food. Decent service. Worth checking out. Avoid this place on weekends because they get crowded and wait times can be long.
(3)
Mister M.
I've been here more times than I should have. I like their breakfast, which is nothing amazing but it does the job. For lunch I've been there on at least three occasions where the food simply didn't come and servers blamed the cooks. I don't want to blame anyone just get me my food and some curtesy for wasting my time. If anyone is to blame it's the servers who probably forgot to put in the order. Go for the breakfast if you want to check it out. Their lunch menu is very blaaahhh anyway. The servers are better in the morning also.
(2)
Jeffrey B.
Definitely a college town deli. But the is food is good. I had the "BLT revisited". Always my favorite sandwich, this one had good amount of bacon and added avocado made for a creamy bite. Yummy.
(4)
Miranda B.
I love going to village deli. For the longest time, I always ordered from the breakfast menu. Recently I ordered from the lunch menu and my sandwich was so delicious. The service could have been a little faster, but overall, it is after restaurant with delicious food.
(4)
Heather E.
This place has been hit or miss lately to be honest. I've placed to-go orders when it was dead, heard the kitchen ring the bell and say "order up for heather" and proceeded to wait 20+ minutes after that before actually receiving my food. All the while watching three servers stand around the wait area rolling flatware. Seriously?? My food was ice cold by the time I got it home. I was there this past weekend with my family. Tables were very slow to be cleared. If the turn around were better the wait wouldn't be as long. Some tables sat 15+ minutes before being bussed. The worst part was the front of house manager was just STaNDING in the kitchen/lobby door and talking. He should be helping out his crew when they are that busy. Why is he not bussing tables. I literally watched him do nothing for 30 minutes and I'm sure he does plenty of that when I'm not there. The food is generally good. Paxtonize your home fries. Breakfast is always well done. Avoid this place on the weekends unless you don't mind waiting for up to an hour for a table. Protip: they serve breakfast all day.
(3)
Sonya A.
It was so packed when we went on a Sunday. The service was as quick as it could be with the crowd but the food itself was bland. We had the country fried steak, potatoes and the banana nutella pancakes. Great place for a hungover breakfast for sure since the portions were huge, but not the brunch place of my dreams. Food: 3/5 Service: 4/5 Location: 4/5
(3)
Jordann W.
This place is a go to for comfort breakfast food! I love their Paxton's potatoes! So yummy! And they have decent coffee! The only downfall is if you don't get there early on the weekends you may be waiting a while for a table... With it being so close to the IU campus the hungover students make their way out for breakfast usually later in the mornings. So get there early and you'll be seated right away!
(4)
Michael C.
After 6 years since my last visit, The Village Deli is pretty much the same as it was when I was a grad student in Bloomington. The same cannot be said for the wait staff, who were probably graduating from Middle School at the same time. Despite my high triglycerides, I ordered the chicken fried steak and eggs. I figured, if I can't indulge on a weekend trip down memory lane, when can I, heart disease be damned. As expected the meal was tasty and filling and probably more food than I needed. Hopefully I'll be able to make it back to Bloomington for breakfast before another 6 years pass.
(4)
Melissa K.
Eh. This place was okay but I won't come back as I suspect there's other places that are better. The coffee was weak and the omelet, although reasonably priced, was really bland.
(3)
Allie B.
Why does this place have 3 stars instead of 2? Because it's a Bloomington tradition and you can't just dismiss them. The ambience is what you need for a college diner. It's not exactly a nice looking joint. The seats are uncomfortable, it gets crowded and loud, and don't even try to get a table on game days. The service has always been very hit or miss - depends on your server. The food... The egg dishes and scramblers are not good at all. They're dry and the veggies are always undercooked. Things worth your time - the massive pancakes, specialty pancakes (pumpkin in the fall is pretty good), and the french toast has redeeming qualities. If it weren't for the tradition and the good memories I've had there, I'd say avoid if you're looking for a nice meal. If you're a student in the area, you'll probably end up here at least once in your school career.
(3)
Anish A.
Had the make your own omelet with feta, onion, green peppers and tomato and I have to say it was very average. The add one were not consistently spread out the omelet and lacked flavor. They do have some good food but this time was a disappointment.
(3)
Tim S.
I went back to Village Deli because it was a place I loved when I was in college. I'd say my tastes have changed quite a bit. Village Deli is a great place to go if you're looking for a BIG breakfast or brunch on a budget. Most items are right around $8. The service is pretty good, though on weekends you'll always end up waiting, but the food is just decent. None of the tastes are mind-blowing; they're good and there is a lot of them. The home fries are tasty and the coffee's pretty decent (watch out for the cream, though... occasionally you'll get a spoiled one), but you know what you're going to get at Village Deli. It's consistent and consistently a big portion.
(3)
Julia W.
My favorite are the Cajun cheese fries! Their food is delicious. Sure it's a little wait from being a little busy. But I'm not impatient. I like it here quite a bit! Also blt's are yummy!
(5)
L M.
Waited at least 45 minutes for my takeout, because clearly they forgot my order. When the food finally came, they forgot the coffee. I've been here so many times during the past years, but THIS should be my last time.
(3)
Liz K.
Despite my lengthy Bloomington days, I only visited the Village Deli twice (and the second time was as an alum on a visit back). The first time was just underwhelming enough that I didn't particularly care to try it again - if I want a quick breakfast meal, I'll stop in at Bloomington Bagel Company or Scholar's Inn Bakehouse. This time around I ordered the Southwest Omelette, which was stuffed with cheese and sour cream and enough salsa to fill me up for the next 8 hours. Despite all those supposedly wonderful flavors, it was lacking some spice or at least powerful flavor. The coffee was the same - nothing special. For the price, it was reasonable, but I'd rather increase my budget a little bit to have a less-rushed, more flavorful meal at one of Bloomington's many other fine breakfast locales.
(3)
Katie B.
The banana nutella pancakes are amazing. I mean, why wouldn't they be - they have nutella! What I love even more though is the Potatoes Part Two - potatoes plus cheese, salsa, sour cream, and chives. I ordered these to share and ended up eating at least 75% of them. I almost stabbed my hubby to fend him off. I'm glad to have a no frills breakfast place downtown for classics or something with a little bit of a twist. Plus, they serve breakfast all day, and breakfast for dinner might be one of the best inventions ever.
Pancake here is my favorite. Good for breakfast. But you guys need waiting for a long time on weekend morning.
(4)
Marie P.
I've gone there for breakfast/brunch a few times and I'm addicted to their breakfast croissant--and I know about croissants. The staff is always friendly and efficient, even though it does get pretty crazy crowded there on weekend mornings--but hey, there's a reason why everyone wants to go there! Even when crowded, the staff managed to refill my coffee and water. The space itself is pretty great--lots of tables, but enough air in between for it not to feel like a high school cafeteria. The art is cool and colorful, and there a big windows to sit next to. They have a big selection of food, the portions are generous, and it's not pricey. Overwell, what's not to like?
(5)
Mckenzie E.
This is my go-to breakfast place in town. Perks: * You can substitute / add-on almost any ingredient to an order * Typically fast service * Unique specials * Surprisingly really good salads for a breakfast place Debatable Downsides: * Portion size can be overwhelmingly large, pancakes don't even fit on the plate-- pretty wasteful as many people take a few bites and then don't take food home * Somewhat long wait on weekends * Finishing everything on your plate will give you a food baby
(4)
B C.
Were you ever in a fraternity or a sorority? Do you think sports are more important than academics? If so, try breakfast at the Village Deli. You're going to love it! If not, go to the Runcible Spoon.
(2)
David R.
After waiting 10 minutes and being told our server would be right with us, it was another 5 minutes before he appeared. We never saw him again for a coffee refill, ask how the food was, or to collect the money which I had to take to one of the other waiters. This used to be an excellent place in town for breakfast. Save your money and go elsewhere.
(1)
Thomas C.
The Village Deli seems to be a popular spot for students, townies, and churchgoers. It meets the needs of the non food-conscientious general public. Cozy, unpretentious decor, good service, and great location. It reminds me of the kind of place I'd go to back in my undergrad days after a long night of partying: greasy and buttery breakfasts and sandwiches, fried potatoes, and good prices; the type of place that you go into with low expectations and come out pleasantly satisfied. However, there really isn't much for the food-lover who is looking for locally grown products, higher quality ingredients, and imaginative preparations. Once I ordered biscuits and gravy, envisioning two fluffy biscuits with a cream-based thick sausage gravy, and instead got a tiny biscuit with a cold, mostly flour and milk-based gravy. I tried the huevos rancheros on my next visit, and to my chagrin, they were served on a huge burrito-sized four tortilla - a complete faux pas for anyone familiar with true Mexican cooking. All in all, this is a place that has made a great name for itself, and will always have a following. However, if you are the type of person who wouldn't set foot in a Cracker Barrel, Applebees, or Perkins, you might want to avoid the Village Deli and instead head to Runcible Spoon, Uptown, or Feast.
(2)
Jeff L.
"Eat and Get Out!" - that's their motto! The Village Deli is one of the best breakfast spots in Bloomington with decent lunch and dinner options. To be fair, I always order from the breakfast menu even later in the day, so I'm not the best person to comment on other offerings! The Deli is known for its pancakes - GIANT pancakes! They offer a comprehensive list of add-ins (I prefer banana walnut) and one is usually more than enough. If you're a big eater, the short stack (2) would feed an elephant! Egg creations as well as potatoes (try the Paxton's Potatoes) are also among the favorite dishes for many. If you're looking for a great breakfast option, the Deli should be high on your list. Beware, Sunday mornings often see a line developing as the nearby churches finish morning services - but it's worth the wait!!
(4)
Lyndsey C.
We always loved this place. Great food. We always went here for breakfast when my parents were in town. The place is always packed on a Sunday morning but it is worth the wait. Great prices and fantastic menu.
(5)
Mary V.
We had a group of 7 last weekend that was accommodated very well. I always order the special eggs (scrambled with fresh mushrooms with topping of fresh chives and cheddar) and they didn't disappoint. The waiter was excellent and kept our coffee cups refilled. Someday I will order another item from the menu -- after 30 years it probably is about time but I do love those special eggs!
(4)
Tom H.
There are long lines. The coffee is only passable. But the omelets are pretty good, and they serve traditional lox & bagels. There serve a HUGE pancake, but I'm not a carb loader. Season stuff yourself; they don't salt and pepper much but they have both and Tabasco, and on a good day Sriracha. Their ingredients are of good quality. They're also consistent in their preparation, which is very good. The booths aren't particularly comfortable, and as mentioned elsewhere here, their coffee isn't good, but that might be to flip tables. If the coffee were really good, everyone would stay. But, as their motto goes, they eat and get out. I do this frequently, as budgets allow.
(3)
David V.
I've had several different dishes here. None of them were great. Mediocre at best.
(2)
Kellie M.
We normally like to go to the VD just about every other weekend. My better half gets breakfast and I get lunch. We were really disappointed today to find out the new "abbreviated weekend lunch menu" is really limited and disappointing. I don't think we will be going back until they have their full non-breakfast menu on the weekends again. Until then, there are plenty of other options nearby.
(3)
Patricia N.
Super busy on Saturdays. I'm not sure if it's worth the long wait, no to mention it's hard to find parking nearby. I had the breakfast burrito. It was pretty darn tasty with the eggs and chorizo. I also had it topped with guacamole and sour cream at an additional cost. If you ever plan on getting this...split it with another person, unless you're super hungry. It's pretty big.
(2)
Jon A.
Exquisitely serviceable. They set their expectations and they nail them. Then, at times they knock it out of football arena and create such goodness mixed metaphors don't matter anymore. Oddly, in Indy lox isn't on that many breakfast menus. I said yes to coming here thinking I'd get a manageable omelet Then, lox is on the menu. Done. $7 and I'm transported to the perfect cocktail of offerings I've ever come to know (see my last supper on my profile, I'm not kidding). They nailed the classic lox. Because of that, I will always be on our side. Other reasons I'll be on your side: *the odd domed ceiling. *the sterling staff: fast, happy, accommodating *the humble nature of what you do: you slang brunch.
(3)
Bill S.
Being local residents, my wife and I used to frequent Village Deli on a regular basis. It's been a few months since we've gone there, so we decided to give it a shot tonight. Parking was plentiful tonight and the restaurant didn't look busy at all. Good omen, or bad? At that point we weren't sure. It was about 6:30 pm, but we were both in the mood for breakfast. My wife ordered a half order of biscuits and gravy with a side of corned beef hash, while I ordered Paxton's Potatoes and the lemon poppyseed pancakes. When our orders arrived, we immediately had misgivings. First, the sodas that we ordered were almost completely flat. Second, the biscuits were stale (absolutely rock-hard) on my wife's half order of biscuits and gravy. Third, the potatoes on my order weren't the hot and crisp ones that normally nestle under the sausage gravy, but instead seemed like they had been sitting around the kitchen for a while. Come to think of it, the sausage gravy had almost no sausage in it whatsoever. The waitress did offer to get my wife another biscuit to replace the remaining stale biscuit on her dish, but at that point we didn't really want to bother. No offer was made to deduct the cost of the biscuits and gravy. (Also isn't $4.75 a bit steep for a half order of biscuits and gravy? I'm pretty sure it is.) Long story-short: we spent $27 (not including a decent tip) for a breakfast that could easily have been outclassed by our soon-to-be gone Waffle House. Come on, Village Deli! You used to be much better than this.
(2)
Adam H.
Some of the best breakfast in Bloomington. Honestly I think some of the other places people recommend for breakfast are a little overrated. The service here is great, plenty of staff and the prices are fair. I think they only serve it one day of the week but chorizo scrambler is great.
(4)
Anna W.
I get the feeling my breakfast tastes are different than most people's, because this is the 2nd place that everyone has told me is great and I have been less than impressed. When breakfast was all said and done, I just wasn't wowed. Their menu isn't huge and they have a nice selection of healthy options, but what I ordered lacked flavor. What I saw on everyone else's plates looked generic. Also, like most breakfast places, they make a big deal about giving you way too much food so you either have to be uncomfortably full in order to not be wasteful, or throw away half your plate. It just doesn't seem worth it. I ordered the Village Veggie Omelet. Like I said, it was okay. I appreciated that it wasn't greasy and the vegetables were crisp, but I needed some serious salt and pepper, and it seemed like others did too. I did enjoy that one of the cheese options was feta. I probably won't be back.
(3)
Andrew C.
I'm not generally compelled to review poor experiences -- I don't want to spend any more time on a negative note than necessary. That said, Village Deli might be the most overrated "staple" in Bloomington. With a slogan like "EAT AND GET OUT", they make it awfully hard for a customer to do just that. We went today for lunch -- it was slow on our boothed side of the restaurant, maybe 6-7 tables in total plus a couple outside. We sat ourselves at a clear booth, but there were potatoes in the seat and crumbs on the tabletop. Fair enough, someone could have just left. The waitress kindly came by to wipe of the table, but she used a soaking wet towel and left standing water where she threw the menus down. We ordered drinks -- I got my coffee, but had to ask twice for water. No silverware was ever set on the table, so 7-8 minutes later I finally got the waitress's attention for place settings and was able to stir and drink my coffee. By this time, the coffee had cooled and I drank it quickly. I was never offered a refill during the remainder of my (unnecessarily long) stay. We ordered, waited 30+ minutes for simple breakfast food (their menu so poignantly states that "We don't serve fast food, you may have to wait a while for food during busy hours. If you want fast food go across the street." Unfortunately it was not busy, and we still waited..and waited. Alas, it did finally arrive. When it did, the waitress sat down my "Village Special" with a pancake (I ordered dry wheat toast). They left before I could correct the mis-order, and given the time I had already been there I was inclined to just eat part of the pancake and ignore the mistake. A couple of minutes later they returned and said "I gave you an extra pancake, sorry", took it, and returned it to another tray in the kitchen to be delivered elsewhere. It's common courtesy in a restaurant that anything that touches the table does not go to another customer -- especially if as a server you leave the table. I could have done anything to the pancake during your absence. Not sanitary, to say the least. Our toast was the last item to arrive roughly 5 minutes after the rest of the food (how ironic, the easiest to prepare comes last). The food was fine (we had breakfast, tough to screw up eggs and bacon), but hardly anything special, which is the only reason this review gets 2 stars instead of 1. I've been multiple times and never been impressed, but needless to say this will be our last visit for a while.
(2)
Stacey N.
I wish I could say lots of nice things about Village Deli. I don't know how they keep getting voted 'best' anything. The place was pretty empty, three tables on our side, and yet we were there for over an hour. FOR BREAKFAST. It was ridiculous. The food was plentiful and acceptable, although they didn't have a huge selection. My biggest complaint, the waitress took my credit card, and the cash from the other table and then WALKED AROUND THE RESTAURANT WITH THEM FOR LIKE 10 MINUTES!!!! I wish that was an exaggeration. I mean, what the heck?? How is that acceptable? I tried to mention that to the guy up front who asked how it was as we were leaving, but I don't think he wanted to actually hear the answer. I'm not going back. I don't see the point. It's just another case of downtown restaurants being popular for no good reason. I don't know why I keep trying new ones because I have yet to be impressed by anything but the extremely poor service they seem to think is acceptable.
(2)
Steven M.
Busy on weekends - or after an event which calls for drinking. All in all though, not a bad joint. It wont wow you, but it will satisfy you. I never have had a bad experience here, and found the food to be a couple notches above par.
(4)
SJ H.
"Eat and get out" is an inappropriate slogan. Tried to have eggs there and waited 30 minutes before giving up waiting on the food we ordered. Nothing complicated, but horrible service considering the simplicity of our order.
(2)
James C.
I used to love this place but this last trip it seemed like they phoned it in. The heuvos rancheros was bland and with scrambled eggs instead of fried (they changed this and it isn't an improvement). Perhaps they've gotten too big to keep their quality level up?
(3)
Christopher R.
Very good upscale Denny's type breakfast. Spinach scramble is a must get. Pancakes are huge and very good but I am not a big pancake person. Non-college types need to get here before 9AM on the weekends or face the huge crowds. Uptown, Runcible Spoon and Bloomington Bagels all close by other (better?) options
(4)
Jarrod R.
In my undergraduate days (when the dinosaurs roamed the earth and we were still fighting with the Soviet Union), The Village Deli was on my "rotation" for lunches and when Mom and Dad and other honored guests came to town. Now I'm a parent and while I don't have an IU student, my cousin is down finishing up her Doctorate, so we took our two little ones to visit and take her out to dinner. First off, it was fun to step back in time a little bit and experience the quirky decor and be around IU students again. The service was great and they were patient and kind to our little blond spitfires. I ordered the Bird for the Wise, a delicious combo of turkey, cranberry sauce and lettuce - like Thanksgiving dinner in sammitch form. And those hot potato chips -brought back those sense memories. My eldest had the pancakes and was going to pull a Man v. Food and try to finish them ("I can do it!") but out parenting clicked in thankfully. So, I was able to sample them and they are quite good. All in all, a very solid dining experience - in Bloomington - which is always a great time!
(4)
Katie B.
Pretty good breakfast, though definitely not the best in town. It's usually packed to the gills on the weekends, mostly with students and/or tourists who don't know any better. The servers are okay, but don't really go out of their way to be nice or helpful. This place gets a ton of business because of its location and portion sizes. It's good once in a while, but not great.
(3)
MsAnthro P.
I used to love the Deli about 20 years ago, now I'll only go there if forced. I remember the Sandwich on the Brink once involving an actual breaded breast of chicken and the last time I was there I instead got some weird processed chicken patty that tasted like cardboard. (And even if I would've liked it, the sandwich came with the wrong toppings and the slow-as-hell waitperson was annoyed rather than apologetic about it.) I'm sure my other old-school fave the Deli Melt is probably still good because how can you screw up a grilled cheese with spinach and mushrooms and Thousand Island dressing? What perplexes me the most are all the rave reviews from friends and strangers alike re: the breakfasts here. Yeah, the pancakes are big, but they're as basic as ever. They don't even put most of the fruit in the batter, they just throw it on top of the pancakes. Zzzzzz. And the omelets are bland as hell, even when I've specifically chosen the more seemingly flavorful ingredients. I've had better omelets at pretty much every other Bloomington restaurant that serves omelets. The home fries? Chunky, mealy and undercooked. They're like mini steak fries... and not good ones. And, oh god, the coffee is bile. Seriously, the Sysco Deli would be a better name for this place. Add to all of this the utterly sophomoric conversations you're likely to overhear at the Deli on a busy day, and I'd pretty much eat anywhere else on Kirkwood. Even, god forbid, Kilroy's.
(2)
Tim W.
The Paxton potatoes are really great. I don't generally like gravy but these tasty taters with gravy and cheese were pretty wonderful. It was a 30-minute wait for the giant pancake but with some toast and Paxton potatoes to help me limp through my hunger, I managed to be able to wait without fussing so much as to disturb the other guests. I recommend adding blueberries to the batter. Hardly needed syrup (not to say I forewent the syrup)
(4)
Michelle L.
This place is surprising. it doesn't look like it will be good from the outside, but happily it is cheap and informal, and large groups of students gather there consistently.
(4)
Josh B.
I don't know why people love this place. Food is OK at best. But nothing I would stand around for and wait for a long time on a Saturday or Sunday. That's another big problem, the wait and slow service! To me it seems like the servers have too many tables to take care of or they are lazy and like to hang out and chat with the other servers rather than take care of the patrons. The wife and I have had service that is quick and friendly to slow and rude. In my opinion find another place that won't be run by annoying IU students who are trying to work on a Sunday morning hungover from the night before.
(2)
Jenny B.
Giant pancakes! That's all I remember about Village Deli. If you love pancakes, never go to IHOP, this place is da BOMB! It's a great place for breakfast/brunch on weekend mornings and service was great, again I didn't usually order other breakfast food, always come here for pancakes... Yeah, lots of crowds though, so better be there early buddies!
(4)
Emily S.
Everyone loves this place, but I don't get it. There is always an outrageous wait time for food that I could have made in my own kitchen. I've tried it a few times and will definitely not be going back.
(2)
Wes M.
Village Deli is a Kirkwood classic for breakfast in Bloomington. It's abundant portions are bound to fill you up and the prices won't hurt your wallet. You're not getting anything fancy, we're talking your breakfast standards but they do have a few tricks up their sleeves. The Power breakfast - more food than most people can handle. The pancake alone will fill the average patron. This thing hangs over the edges of your plate! If you're going to order pancakes, they give you the option of several fillers or toppings, such as fruit or chocolate chips. This is some serious "I need something to soak up all the alcohol I consumed last night" food. Village Deli does the trick. Steer clear on the weekends due to long wait times unless you get there early [before 10am]. This place gets packed quick!
(3)
John M.
Had Village Deli for breakfast on our way out of town as it seemed like one of those places you're supposed to go in Bloomington. Every time we walked by later in the morning/early in the afternoons it was packed, so we figured they must have been doing something right. We stopped in early to miss the crowds and service was a bit on the slow side as it appeared that they only had two people working the whole place. Our server was good though, so it didn't really hurt anything in that regard. The coffee was mediocre at best, and my wife really didn't like it at all. I thought it was passable, but for a place that serves that much breakfast, they should probably have better. We both got Paxton's potatoes and got a cinnamon pancake for the kid - the Paxton's are supposed to be this super famous thing they've got, but it was just a lot of potatoes with some gravy and cheese - nothing to it and too many taters vs. the other ingredients. The pancake was enormous, and was tasty but a bit sweet as it had a frosting/glaze on it as well, so it was basically a huge flat cinnamon roll. Not a bad thing per se, but a bit much for breakfast - I guess it is the midwest after all. Overrated based on the Food Network etc. type hype.
(3)
MJ W.
Big warning, they are extremely slow during winter break! The slogan is "eat and get out". We tried, but it took 45 minutes to get our order for two. With that being said (CYE anyone?), the food is good. It's nothing over the top, but it's a great value. The coffee is good. I'm sure we will go back, but it is not as good as I remember it in college.
(3)
NotTelling P.
Food: Very good food. Price: Good bargin Service: VERY SLOW. Atmosphere: OK. A quality meal at reasonable prices. I keep coming back.
(4)
Adam N.
The Village Deli is exactly what it appears to be: an inexpensive, clean and simple breakfast diner. The food is fine (it's difficult to mess up eggs, toast and homefries), though it's nothing to write home about. Their coffee needs work. The pancakes, on the other hand, are amazing. If you're planning on going over the weekend, avoid the madness of brunch... you'll be up to your eyebrows in hung-over college students. Simple, tasty, and easy. That's the Village Deli.
(3)
Matt H.
Bleh. Everything here is from Sysco. The omlettes are merely plain. The breakfast potatoes are the worst--cube-cut, freeze-dried, undercooked. They serve all their fountain drinks with crushed ice. People seem to like the pancakes, but that's ridiculous: it's just pre-mixed batter from Sysco that they pour right out of the carton on to a skillet. Even the atmosphere of the place is institutional. What makes it worse is that it is a mad house on the weekends when undergrads take their parents there because they don't know where else to go for breakfast and alums take their families their because it was where they went for breakfast as undergrads. A sad cycle which is the only reason the place stays in business. Seriously, go around the block to Runcible Spoon. I give them an extra * for frequently feeding the old schizophrenic homeless woman and allowing her to push her shopping cart into the restaurant on weekday mornings.
(2)
Timothy Y.
If you love to breath...you'll live village deli!:-) Back in basic training I was on a road march early one morning. It was cold and had no brakfast. I started telling the other guys about these huge pancakes at this place where I live. I described them in great detail. I even had the drill sergeants drooling.
(5)
Irene A.
Horrible service!!! We sat down, ordered, then proceeded to wait for about an hour for our food. We asked our server about our food and he replied, "it's coming, the kitchen is running really slow right now.". HOWEVER, the table directly across from us got our food before we did despite having five people compared to just the two of us and arriving about 10-15 minutes after we did. It seems like our order was forgotten about. Once they got their food, we slapped a few bucks on our table for the drinks and left. Will not be going back. Maybe if our server spent some time checking on our order instead of chatting in the lobby, we would have gotten to eat a nice breakfast.
(1)
Leigh H.
Service was fast even though the restaurant was packed. The food was good. I didn't give 5 stars b/c the atmosphere is not so great. And we were stuck in the tiny west room that is cramped and awkward. But if you want a fast, no frills, diner-type experience...The VD delivers.
(4)
Andrew K.
Folks, it's the pancakes. Oh god, the pancakes. I have honestly never had 'cakes like them, and God knows I have tried. I don't know what it is. Scratch that, I do know what it is, and it's the peanut butter and chocolate chips. But even if you don't want dessert for breakfast, get them without the chips. Just get them. Or get one, rather, because they're beyond massive. All else can be forgiven at the Deli for the pancakes. Though I've had plenty of the other food here. Breakfast is the meal of choice of course. Another favorite is Breakfast on a Bagel. Service can be variable as the place employs a rotating cast of college students, locals and other lovable ne'er-do-wells. Oh, the pancakes.
(5)
Tamara M.
The Village Deli is our go-to place for weekday lunches, since it's a short walk from campus. Unfortunately, for the same reason, it gets CRAZY on weekend mornings, so we can only enjoy leisurely breakfasts during summer break, when most of Bloomington's population empties out. Pros: The food is wonderful. They offer figure-friendly options as well as your basic fried fare; I'm a fan of the veggie burgers or the Skinny Turkey with seasonal fruit on the side. The portions can be outrageous, though, especially those flying-saucer-sized pancakes (just order ONE). Cons: The service, while friendly, is very, very slow. That's understandable when it's busy, but during breaks when the place is completely empty but for a couple high schoolers it can still take half an hour to prep a simple sandwich and fries. They must only keep one cook back there. So if you have a lot of time on your hands and don't mind the wait, it's an excellent option for a casual or mildly celebratory meal.
(4)
Christine V.
I've never had the pancakes. Something about eating cake for breakfast is really gross to me. HOWEVER, their breakfast burrito is huge and reallllllly good. It's like a big burrito with a pound of beef and eggs, sour cream, melty cheese. Nothing you couldn't make at home, but it's nice to go out. Fun place to people watch, good coffee, I like the crushed ice. Their home fries are great. I think people love this place because that's where a lot of the piecing together of the night before happens. It's good stuff. Parent friendly too. Which is rare in Bloomington :)
(4)
Meghan L.
completely decent breakfast place with generally decent prices. pros: -amazing belgian waffles, amazing anything with eggs -endless drinkable if not amazing coffee -tasty home fries -just enough grease to soak up the hangover you probably have -delicious homemade granola cons: -that damn granola is so expensive! -honestly...the coffee does kind of suck -gets crowded on weekends oh hmm i wonder why
(4)
Jason F.
This is a disappointing restaurant to be the best breakfast in Bloomington. I got the spinach scramble, which was just eh. Of particular concern were the terrible homefries/potatos, which were really the same potato cubes that come in airport breakfasts. There wasn't too much bacon mixed into my scramble either. I probably should have just gone with the pancakes (I'm just not a pancake person).
(3)
Fred O.
Exactly what you would expect for a college town breakfast join!
(4)
Purvi R.
Delicious morning-after-big-night food. VERY fast service!! I got some type of bagel (maybe egg and cheese with butter?? MMM) and a side of the potatoes with all that yummy crap on it. That yummy crap (some type or variation of salsa??) was DELIcious. As you may know from my previous reviews I am a potato-lover and this mix was very unique. Had sour cream dolluped on top too :) A lot of food. We were full til dinner, perfect since we had a wedding later that day anyways.
(3)
Philippe F.
After a night of drankin at the Blue Bird, a greasy breakfast is what I crave. Their power breakfast will do just that. Eggs and homefries were good. Their sausage patties were delicious. It also comes with one pancake, it even says so on their menu. I'm glad, because this pancake had to be cooked on a griddle the size of my kitchen. It's gynormous and tasty all at the same time. I like the diner feel to this place as well.....along with the classic black and white checkered floors. The only thing I didn't care for was the unisex bathroom. Those damn women never put the seat back up!
(4)
Jonathan F.
The burgers *suck*. it was bland and smelled funny--and it didn't have the consistency of a normal beef patty. By which I mean it had more in common with wonder bread than meat. Also the tomatoes were ice cold and the bun was untoasted and slightly stale. I've had breakfast here a few times and that was acceptable for diner food. Just don't have the burger here.
(3)
Kevin W.
I love this place. It's a great spot to go to on a weekend for breakfast all day. The best hang over cure is a plate full of the pancakes. The service is pretty quick and they follow their motto pretty close "get in & get out!" It's kind of like a diner setting. Sometimes during the weekends of big games, there can be a while of a wait, but it's worth it. It's cheap, quick and decent. Kind of like an upgraded version of Dennys.
(4)
Berrius B.
Village Special with whole wheat toast and sausage patties. Can't beat it! Decent price and quick. As an added bonus, if you eat there in the summer you don't have to put up with nearly as many hung-over frat idiots and sorrostitutes. Their coffee needs to get better. If it does, my rating goes up to 5 stars. Only a few other restaurants in town can compete with the VD for breakfast. Plus you can always ask your fellow diners if they want some VD this morning. You can even say it's your treat.
(4)
Meagan B.
Village Deli is subpar food at best. I was starving one morning and went there and had an omelette that was pretty tasteless. I didn't even finish it. My boyfriend had the eggs and potatoes and pancakes. The only thing that was good was the pancake. I would not go there again, but if you are an IU undergraduate who is hungover at least the portions are good.
(2)
M M.
Great menu, consistent food in my experience...I would totally give them 5 stars if the coffee was better! Why, oh WHY the owner uses cheap coffee is beyond me...brings what could be a great experience every time to a mere mediocre one!
(3)
Rachael S.
HUGE breakfasts! I mean HUGE!!! Pretty solid quality too, at a decent price. I'm a big fan of their huevos rancheros and pancakes. The only thing I've ever had there that I didn't really like was the coffee cake: it was too dry and pretty expensive. It's crowded on weekend mornings, and service can be very slow if you sit outside. Otherwise, I'm a fan!
(4)
Colleen M.
I loveeee the VD, so much food for sooo cheap! My ex loves the sorry charlie, and thinks everything else is gross... whatever I love it all, especially their potato salad (they use some spice that people generally either love or hate in their potato salad). The fries are good too and the breakfast can't be beat. OFten there is a line, but the service staff here seems to always be top notch. Working quickly and effeciently. I'm always shocked when the bill comes with how cheap this place is... totally great! and really close to campus, makes it nice and easy.
(4)
Chris R.
The go-to breakfast spot in Bloomington. Since I moved to DC, we have often woken up in the morning and reminisced about plate-sized pancakes and breakfast burritos that leave you feeling unable to walk. We miss seeing the mix of folks - neighbors, professors, co-workers, classmates - particularly on farmer's market Saturday mornings. While we did rotate occasionally with Wee Willie's and even the Indiana version of Waffle House, this was our favorite and we will always go back when in Bloomington.
(4)
Wendy S.
You've gotta love this place...it's sooooo Bloomington. Great breakfasts, but would love to see them start offering a healthy side to their menu.
(4)
Ann M.
Just can't get into this place - only go when my friends insist on it, which is several times a year. So clearly it had appeal to some people, but I don't get it. I find the front service borderline rude more often than not, particularly if you go on a Sunday morning and you are waiting for a table. I don't think there is much distinguishing the menu other than the enormous pancakes. The booth seating is pretty uncomfortable. I guess it's decent and not too expensive? So's Wee Willies.
(3)
Lisa F.
I have always wanted to like their food. Partly because it's a local diner that has less grease filled options partly because it seems like they really are trying. I have however never found their food to be appetizing and usually only WANT to go there when I have a cold and can't taste food anyway. They don't use seasonings they don't put anything on the food that makes it taste like anything and somehow even their red meat options taste as bland as broiled chicken.
(2)
Nan M.
I can't understand the popularity of Village Deli. I guess that it has something to do with the scarcity of breakfast places and the possibility that some people are weirded out by Runcible Spoon. The truth about Village Deli is that while some of the specials are good, the food isn't amazing. To me, it tastes like plain ol' breakfast food. (Not like that's necessarily a problem, because breakfast food is awesome.) However, for price I go to Wee Willie's and for taste I go to Runcible Spoon.
(3)
Mara S.
An old favorite from my IU days... I went back this weekend and it wasn't as good as I remember - maybe I hyped it up too much in my head. Everything is still just as greasy and the service is still good -- the food is only ok (though I highly recommend the french fries). The diner is pretty laid back, though the valley girls surrounding our table talking about last night's frat party definitely didn't help with the ambiance.
(3)
Josh R.
The Village Deli is the only place in town that can satisfy my diner needs. While the Runcible Spoon is a great boho breakfast, sometimes I just have to eat something more inorganic and less rustic. The ambience, though occasionally marred by a flood of college students, has an appropriate low-brow and functional, but still slightly hip, feel. People-watching opportunities are ideal; you will likely see one of several classic scenes unfold: sorority girls discussing last night at shameless volumes; parents visiting their obviously hung-over student; and a pair, one of whom answered 'yes' to the obligatory breakfast after offer that should never be accepted. The food is diner food. It is thankfully done efficiently with a minimum of frills. Bacon, eggs, sausage, omelets, and sandwiches are all hammered out with comforting, unornamented precision. Some of the braver offerings are my kind of madness; one of the paxton's something-er-others is made by dumping sausage cream gravy and cheese on homefries. The result might be called comfort food if it didn't conjure deeply uncomforting images of my untimely end at the hands of cardiovascular disease with each abrosial bite. Pancakes are unreasonably large as is the consternating fashion of our times, but their texture and flavor do not suffer from this trespass, so I will readily forgive it. The breakfast burrito occasionally sounds appealing, but always disappoints; it's too much food, the salsa is watery and ill-suited to its purpose and the tortilla is starchy and adds nothing to the dish. The home-fries are small, crispy fried squares that are nothing like any home-fries I've ever had, if for no other reason than that they're good. The coffee is coffee; I can explain it little beyond this tautology. If you want coffee that requires adjectives, then go to Soma. I've had little in the way of other drinks, but they use crushed ice, which is a nice touch and handy when playing with your straw (I advise you do so and also fidget with your straw wrapper and empty sugar packets while waiting on your food). My only serious complaint is that the village deli should be open all night because sometimes breakfast can't be bothered to wait until morning.
(4)
Heather K.
Pax II, I miss you.
(4)
Kat F.
Back in my IU days I used to practically live here. I was all about the Paxtons part II - the South of the Border home fries. It's a bowl of homefries, mixed with peppers and onions, topped with salsa, sour cream and cheddar cheese and green onions. It's ridiculously cheap and fills you up. My heart is happy that I don't eat this 4+ times a week anymore. My soul, however, still mourns.
(4)
Louis O.
Best place in B-Town for breakfast. You'll probably have to wait a while with a big party, but it's usually worth the wait. The Omlettes are amazing.
(5)
Eric M.
As far as brunch places go, The Village Deli is ok. Our wait was exactly what they quoted, which was 20 minutes for a Sunday morning, and our server was very nice. The coffee needed sugar or cream as it had no flavor. I ordered the biscuits and sausage gravy, which contained very little sausage. It came with a side of eggs, which I ordered over hard, and they were ok. One of my friends ordered the pancakes which I realize should've been my decision. It contained both chocolate and peanut butter chips and was the size of a manhole cover. The few bites I had caused a small tear to run down my cheek.
(3)
Jenna W.
I personally don't think this place is much good for anything but their breakfast food, but luckily, they serve the breakfast menu all day! I love eggs, and unfortunately theirs are slightly bland, but nothing salt can't help. Their pancakes however, not only are they HUGE, so big they barely fit on the plate...but they are literally "melt-in-your-mouth" and you won't even know that definition until you try them! They are simply devine, melt with first bite, and you can taste the sugar in them!
(4)
Justin W.
Best Saturday morning breakfast place in town. I love those pancakes and omelets.
(4)
Laura D.
The food at the Village Deli is really great. I'm a sucker for their spinach scramble for breakfast food and the falafel filled pita sandwich can't be beat. The pancakes are huge and the coffee has always been strong and hot. Service can get a bit slow when it's really busy, but it's also obvious that the servers do try their best to keep up with their customers despite the crowds.
(4)
Aaron B.
Great place for weekend breakfast. I wouldn't recommend anything but breakfast food from here, but their breakfast is fantastic. Granola pancakes are a favorite of mine. The service is good and the place is generally crowded on the weekends.
(4)
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Address :409 E Kirkwood Ave
Bloomington, IN, 47408
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Breakfast, Brunch Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : No Dogs Allowed : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Rebecca N.
So this place is definitely a good breakfast spot . The village deli is known for their pancakes, because they are HUGE and fantastic . . They really do taste great but eating pancakes isn't satisfying to me, I personally always go for the Hoosier scramble *nom nom* (I'm always on the hunt for the best version of biscuits and gravy). The only reason I give four instead of five stars is the service ... HIT & MISS every time ! It's dead even on how many times I've had a great experience, to how many times I've dealt with immature, inexperienced service . (Eye rolls and all). The hit & miss service wouldn't stop me from coming back though, with students coming and going, the staff turnover is constant . *side note- service this morning was great ! For breakfast on the weekends, go right at opening to beat the morning rush . Or you will be waiting.
(4)Trish S.
Village Deli is one of those places that everyone RAVES about, but I haven't had that experience there. While I do think the pancakes are delicious and giant, I can find great pancakes other places in town. Service is generally very slow. Today was the slowest yet, waiting for our bill, waiting for change... we spent 20 minutes waiting to leave - new employees, I get it, but this has been recurring. Avocado was brown and so hard that I couldn't break through it with the side of my fork. I would have asked for fresh avocado, but we didn't see our waitress for the majority of the meal. Worth checking out and judging for yourself based on my numerous friends that swear by it. my recommendations are: go for breakfast or brunch and be prepared to wait for a table and slow service.
(2)Maria A.
Never ever disappoints. The food is consistently delicious and fresh. Both breakfast and lunch are awesome. I think it's the only place in town where we've never had a bad experience. The blueberry lemon poppy seed pancakes are amazing! They have the best homefries. The Soma cold brew coffee they serve is tops too. My family and I LOVE the Village Deli!
(5)Betsy L.
Went to this place only for once in 2013, and their brunch cannot compete with other brunch places even with Spoon/Uptown in town. But this place is still popular and the waiting lines are so long when I pass by, they have renovated after the fire
(3)T. C.
Nice little breakfast place for Bloomington standards. The first time I came here I ate the Garden Scrambler which tasted bland. The second time I ate here I had the cinnamon roll pancake. The pancake was delicious and was so big it covered the entire plate. They give you one pancake but the size is more than enough. I'd definitely come back here next time in in town.
(4)Iris T.
I'm beginning to think I'll never have potatoes in Bloomington for breakfast. All of these "home fries" and I can't get a taste! Anyway, in accordance with my attempt to eat at as many Bloomington establishments during my one week stay - or at least as many as I can eat at due to my wonderful vegetarian status... with no onion or garlic (even in powder form) - I decided to stop by. Breakfast joints tend to have something I can try out at the very least. I hoped. I came in a little after 8 AM and was the first one in; I needed to work so I needed to make sure my stomach was satiated first. You seat yourself - the right side is set up more like a diner and the left side has booths reminiscent of the ones I see at chain breakfast places like IHOP or Denny's. I decided I wanted a nice bench all to myself so I went to the left. Within a minute or two of settling myself on a bench, I was greeted by my waiter who was friendly and all smiles. Perhaps a little too happy for such an early hour of the morning, but it was a good thing. Smiles and happiness are contagious so I quite like that attribute. I personally was happy despite the early hour because I was excited to see what I could have... and if I could finally get potatoes for breakfast. I can't. I ended up getting the Run Through the Garden Scrambler (because I want color and veggies in my first meal of the day) with two slices of lightly buttered and halved toasts and a "monkey" of plain yogurt (according to the receipt). The monkey is essentially a small bowl. It would be awesome if an actual monkey came with my yogurt. Is it local lingo for "small bowl"? I didn't take advantage of the meal deal of the day (Monday) and essentially had the scrambler and add-ons since they don't do substitutions and I couldn't enjoy the home fries. It was pretty good, but I was once again spudless. Maybe I'll just make my own french fries when I get back into my kitchen. I may make another trip back for these huge pancakes I keep on hearing about, but all in all, the place was nice and clean (or maybe it was because I was the first one in). Service was really helpful and I didn't feel like I was too much trouble even with all my questions. Location was great and business is good (I may have been the first one in, but there were more shortly after me and it only got busier). Food was breakfast food and how can you do that wrong? You can only do it better. The portion was good for one person, but I ended up taking home the remaining toast because it was too many carbs in the morning. PLEASE, SOMEONE MAKE AMAZING VEGETARIAN FOOD HERE WITHOUT ONION OR GARLIC. UPDATE: Came back again to get their pancakes. I heard about how crazy huge they were. I ended up getting their summer special (Lemon Blueberry Poppy Seed). It wasn't their signature but it was pretty large and were fluffy. I couldn't really taste any lemon (was it named for the lemon it was topped with?) and the blueberries weren't even, but they were still good.
(3)Jennifer M.
Breakfast served all day. Pancakes bigger than the plate ( with 5+ mix in options). Diner style layout, good spot to eat on Kirkwood, especially after a late night on the town. They get very crowded, especially on the weekends, so come early. The service hasn't been bad, hasn't been exceptional. Very average. I've never when lunch here, but the breakfast options are great, despite no oatmeal. I love the pancakes. Omlets and the scramblers. The biscuits and gravy are just ok. Single bathrooms, no place to park, and small booths (or tables). But come on, you can't beat a local joint on Kirkwood Ave.
(4)Chris S.
If you went to IU or you come to Bloomington with friends and its breakfast time you'll likely end up here. This place has been a landmark for the community as long as Ive been alive. You'll find a laid back atmosphere, friendly service and a family friendly scene. The food is one grade up from a Dennys or IHOP. Its slightly above average but not by much. Still you cant go wrong for breakfast here. They do a good job cooking normal breakfast dishes and a few they put a twist on but nothing ground breaking. This is the kind of place friends and families come to eat and enjoy time together, not a spot for foodies. The biggest challenge is there's no free parking in the vicinity which makes the average food tougher to swallow but when in Bloomington this is what you come to expect.
(3)John W.
So we went to this place this morning Friday August 14th and it was our first visit, there were a couple other places on here that had better reviews but it was the pancakes that called to me. So we get here and luckily we got there early enough that you didn't have to pay for parking so that was a bonus. We go in and it is a seat yourself place. We sat about 5 minutes before being greeted and that was about 4.5 minutes too long for me especially since I could see about 5 girls hanging around the beverage station doing nothing but socializing. Finally a server comes over and she was pretty friendly, took our beverage order, I would have ordered coffee but they had no flavored creamers so I went with Pepsi. YAY!! A place with Pepsi products. And even better large glasses with that really good crushed ice. I was in heaven. Well there was so much we wanted to try so we kinda ordered a few different things and just put it in the center of the table family style. We ordered the Cinnamon Roll pancake and it was fabulous!! We then ordered Paxton's potatoes and those were really good too, I don't usually like home fries but these were good and they were topped with cheese and sausauge gravy!! Then we ordered a large order of the biscuits and gravy. Biscuits were horrible and we loved the gravy although the gravy on our biscuits was kinda cold but we overlooked that. It took over 20 minutes to get our food and I was getting concerned because two other tables who came in much later than us had already gotten their food, I can't help but wonder if the server didn't forget to put in our order. I would have given this place 4 stars if the biscuits wasn't the pre-made brown and serve and if service had been better. They really should get flavored creamers, even chain restaurants like ihop has those. We will probably go back for the pancakes and home fries. I will pass on the biscuits and gravy until they can do a better job with the biscuits.
(3)Chad B.
Great place, great good, great staff! I love their pancakes. The wait can be a little long, but it's not fast food so I wouldn't expect to get in and out in two minutes.
(5)Robin K.
The wait time is really ridiculous. It's such a staple for Bloomington and I would absolutely go more often, but I can't stand waiting for SOOO long. You wait for a table then you wait for your food then you wait for your check. They should consider getting the app Dash to get things moving!
(2)Danny K.
Im never disappointed by the quality of breakfast here. Norwegian eggs Benedict is on the menu this morning. Pumpkin pancakes, Benedict specials and traditional fare are also here. Cafe atmosphere and friendly staff... Get here early!
(4)James K.
If you come to Bloomington you have to go to the Village Deli for breakfast. Awesome pancakes, you won't be able to eat two. Spinach scramble is another awesome selection as is the breakfast burrito. The real start is the Paxton potatoes; they come 2 ways 1) with gravy cheese and chives and my favorite with salsa and cheese. The negatives? If you come on Sunday you are gonna wait for a table and it's noisy. It's well worth both of these. Service is fast as they want to turn tables as quickly as possible.
(5)Franklin D.
Never been, so I gave it a try. 20 minute wait for a table for 4 people on a Sunday. OK that kinda sucks, but maybe the food is worth it? After another 40 minute wait we finally get our food. Typical of this area, everything is "Bloomington bland" tasting, freshly delivered by freezer-truck. One thing that really got me, the toast, wasn't. It was like they put it in the toaster long enough to get a hint of a tan on one side and that was the best they could manage. Didn't want to risk another 30 minute wait asking for a replacement. So why's this place so crowded if the food isn't outstanding, you snidely ask? Simple numbers folks. It's a small town, lots of students and their families looking for somewhere to eat, but with few choices for places to go for weekend breakfast.
(2)Kathryn W.
When I ran into a group of friends who were already there the staff got me seated and food quickly. Deserve credit for that. Also, handled almost a dozen individual checks quickly and nicely.
(3)Pushkar N.
Power breakfast !! When I was in Bloomington I was a regular. I love the chocolate chips walnut pancakes. Eveything on the menu is awesome. Now that i am not in Bloomington, i miss this place. FYI try the home fries...you would love them
(5)John L.
Could be a four star but 1) no oatmeal & worse 2) English muffin was served hardly toasted. Had high expectations for steel cut oats, fruit and a crisp muffin. Had a vegi omelet which was good and that waste of a good muffin muffin. The "best in B'ton" bacon was good but not exceptional. Great service and good ambiance. Prices were reasonable but heard on weekend prices go up. What's with that?
(3)Ariana S.
AVOID!! I can't explain how terrible our experience was at Village Deli. During my undergrad days, there was nothing better than an order of pancakes from this place. I went today and had a piss poor experience. We waited so long for our food. I mean FOREVER. Their kitchen is very inefficient. The veggies in my omelette were chopped hugely. Like inedible. It was an all around terrible experience. The manager took off 50%. We shouldn't have had to pay anything for horrible food. We paid because our waitress was so nice.
(1)Tony K.
Good food. Decent service. Worth checking out. Avoid this place on weekends because they get crowded and wait times can be long.
(3)Mister M.
I've been here more times than I should have. I like their breakfast, which is nothing amazing but it does the job. For lunch I've been there on at least three occasions where the food simply didn't come and servers blamed the cooks. I don't want to blame anyone just get me my food and some curtesy for wasting my time. If anyone is to blame it's the servers who probably forgot to put in the order. Go for the breakfast if you want to check it out. Their lunch menu is very blaaahhh anyway. The servers are better in the morning also.
(2)Jeffrey B.
Definitely a college town deli. But the is food is good. I had the "BLT revisited". Always my favorite sandwich, this one had good amount of bacon and added avocado made for a creamy bite. Yummy.
(4)Miranda B.
I love going to village deli. For the longest time, I always ordered from the breakfast menu. Recently I ordered from the lunch menu and my sandwich was so delicious. The service could have been a little faster, but overall, it is after restaurant with delicious food.
(4)Heather E.
This place has been hit or miss lately to be honest. I've placed to-go orders when it was dead, heard the kitchen ring the bell and say "order up for heather" and proceeded to wait 20+ minutes after that before actually receiving my food. All the while watching three servers stand around the wait area rolling flatware. Seriously?? My food was ice cold by the time I got it home. I was there this past weekend with my family. Tables were very slow to be cleared. If the turn around were better the wait wouldn't be as long. Some tables sat 15+ minutes before being bussed. The worst part was the front of house manager was just STaNDING in the kitchen/lobby door and talking. He should be helping out his crew when they are that busy. Why is he not bussing tables. I literally watched him do nothing for 30 minutes and I'm sure he does plenty of that when I'm not there. The food is generally good. Paxtonize your home fries. Breakfast is always well done. Avoid this place on the weekends unless you don't mind waiting for up to an hour for a table. Protip: they serve breakfast all day.
(3)Sonya A.
It was so packed when we went on a Sunday. The service was as quick as it could be with the crowd but the food itself was bland. We had the country fried steak, potatoes and the banana nutella pancakes. Great place for a hungover breakfast for sure since the portions were huge, but not the brunch place of my dreams. Food: 3/5 Service: 4/5 Location: 4/5
(3)Jordann W.
This place is a go to for comfort breakfast food! I love their Paxton's potatoes! So yummy! And they have decent coffee! The only downfall is if you don't get there early on the weekends you may be waiting a while for a table... With it being so close to the IU campus the hungover students make their way out for breakfast usually later in the mornings. So get there early and you'll be seated right away!
(4)Michael C.
After 6 years since my last visit, The Village Deli is pretty much the same as it was when I was a grad student in Bloomington. The same cannot be said for the wait staff, who were probably graduating from Middle School at the same time. Despite my high triglycerides, I ordered the chicken fried steak and eggs. I figured, if I can't indulge on a weekend trip down memory lane, when can I, heart disease be damned. As expected the meal was tasty and filling and probably more food than I needed. Hopefully I'll be able to make it back to Bloomington for breakfast before another 6 years pass.
(4)Melissa K.
Eh. This place was okay but I won't come back as I suspect there's other places that are better. The coffee was weak and the omelet, although reasonably priced, was really bland.
(3)Allie B.
Why does this place have 3 stars instead of 2? Because it's a Bloomington tradition and you can't just dismiss them. The ambience is what you need for a college diner. It's not exactly a nice looking joint. The seats are uncomfortable, it gets crowded and loud, and don't even try to get a table on game days. The service has always been very hit or miss - depends on your server. The food... The egg dishes and scramblers are not good at all. They're dry and the veggies are always undercooked. Things worth your time - the massive pancakes, specialty pancakes (pumpkin in the fall is pretty good), and the french toast has redeeming qualities. If it weren't for the tradition and the good memories I've had there, I'd say avoid if you're looking for a nice meal. If you're a student in the area, you'll probably end up here at least once in your school career.
(3)Anish A.
Had the make your own omelet with feta, onion, green peppers and tomato and I have to say it was very average. The add one were not consistently spread out the omelet and lacked flavor. They do have some good food but this time was a disappointment.
(3)Tim S.
I went back to Village Deli because it was a place I loved when I was in college. I'd say my tastes have changed quite a bit. Village Deli is a great place to go if you're looking for a BIG breakfast or brunch on a budget. Most items are right around $8. The service is pretty good, though on weekends you'll always end up waiting, but the food is just decent. None of the tastes are mind-blowing; they're good and there is a lot of them. The home fries are tasty and the coffee's pretty decent (watch out for the cream, though... occasionally you'll get a spoiled one), but you know what you're going to get at Village Deli. It's consistent and consistently a big portion.
(3)Julia W.
My favorite are the Cajun cheese fries! Their food is delicious. Sure it's a little wait from being a little busy. But I'm not impatient. I like it here quite a bit! Also blt's are yummy!
(5)L M.
Waited at least 45 minutes for my takeout, because clearly they forgot my order. When the food finally came, they forgot the coffee. I've been here so many times during the past years, but THIS should be my last time.
(3)Liz K.
Despite my lengthy Bloomington days, I only visited the Village Deli twice (and the second time was as an alum on a visit back). The first time was just underwhelming enough that I didn't particularly care to try it again - if I want a quick breakfast meal, I'll stop in at Bloomington Bagel Company or Scholar's Inn Bakehouse. This time around I ordered the Southwest Omelette, which was stuffed with cheese and sour cream and enough salsa to fill me up for the next 8 hours. Despite all those supposedly wonderful flavors, it was lacking some spice or at least powerful flavor. The coffee was the same - nothing special. For the price, it was reasonable, but I'd rather increase my budget a little bit to have a less-rushed, more flavorful meal at one of Bloomington's many other fine breakfast locales.
(3)Katie B.
The banana nutella pancakes are amazing. I mean, why wouldn't they be - they have nutella! What I love even more though is the Potatoes Part Two - potatoes plus cheese, salsa, sour cream, and chives. I ordered these to share and ended up eating at least 75% of them. I almost stabbed my hubby to fend him off. I'm glad to have a no frills breakfast place downtown for classics or something with a little bit of a twist. Plus, they serve breakfast all day, and breakfast for dinner might be one of the best inventions ever.
(4)Andrew L.
Village Deli is a Bloomington classic. When it comes to breakfast, I think most would agree Village Deli is second to none. Nestled in the heart of Kirkwood, this restaurant is centrally located between downtown Bloomington and the IU campus, making it an ideal destination for both students and locals alike. I've been to Village Deli numerous times during my three years in Bloomington and I can honestly say I've never left disappointed. They serve great food at reasonable prices in a welcoming atmosphere. I would even recommend visiting for lunch sometime. My personal favorite non-breakfast item on the menu is the "Croissant of My Dreams" - a grilled ham and swiss croissant sandwich. Village Deli is most well known for their pancakes though, appropriately dubbed "Our Famous, Colossal, Huge, Ginormous, Fresh Buttermilk Pancakes." During my last visit to Village Deli I ordered the "Jimmy the Greek" scrambler. It was a late Saturday morning and I was accompanied by four colleagues of mine from the business school. The scrambler was very good. It was a mixture of spinach, tomatoes, onions, feta cheese, and olives mixed with scrambled eggs. I am not particularly fond of olives, so I plucked them out, but that's a matter of personal preference. The scrambler was served with home fries and whole wheat toast. Toast is toast in my opinion, but the home fries were particularly noteworthy. They were seasoned well and had a good potato-to-potato skin ratio. I would recommend the fries with ketchup, but they are good enough to be eaten by themselves too. I think the rest of the group enjoyed their food as much as I did. It's been a few weeks since this particular visit, so I can't remember exactly what everyone ordered, but I do know we all left satisfied (as I always do at Village Deli). If you're looking for a great breakfast/brunch destination, look no further than Village Deli. If the weather is nice out, consider dining at the picnic tables located just outside the front of the restaurant. You can watch the activity of all the people on Kirkwood while enjoying your breakfast. I recommend the pancakes, the Hoosier Scramble, or anything on the menu really! Bon Appétit!
(5)Nancy Q.
Pancake here is my favorite. Good for breakfast. But you guys need waiting for a long time on weekend morning.
(4)Marie P.
I've gone there for breakfast/brunch a few times and I'm addicted to their breakfast croissant--and I know about croissants. The staff is always friendly and efficient, even though it does get pretty crazy crowded there on weekend mornings--but hey, there's a reason why everyone wants to go there! Even when crowded, the staff managed to refill my coffee and water. The space itself is pretty great--lots of tables, but enough air in between for it not to feel like a high school cafeteria. The art is cool and colorful, and there a big windows to sit next to. They have a big selection of food, the portions are generous, and it's not pricey. Overwell, what's not to like?
(5)Mckenzie E.
This is my go-to breakfast place in town. Perks: * You can substitute / add-on almost any ingredient to an order * Typically fast service * Unique specials * Surprisingly really good salads for a breakfast place Debatable Downsides: * Portion size can be overwhelmingly large, pancakes don't even fit on the plate-- pretty wasteful as many people take a few bites and then don't take food home * Somewhat long wait on weekends * Finishing everything on your plate will give you a food baby
(4)B C.
Were you ever in a fraternity or a sorority? Do you think sports are more important than academics? If so, try breakfast at the Village Deli. You're going to love it! If not, go to the Runcible Spoon.
(2)David R.
After waiting 10 minutes and being told our server would be right with us, it was another 5 minutes before he appeared. We never saw him again for a coffee refill, ask how the food was, or to collect the money which I had to take to one of the other waiters. This used to be an excellent place in town for breakfast. Save your money and go elsewhere.
(1)Thomas C.
The Village Deli seems to be a popular spot for students, townies, and churchgoers. It meets the needs of the non food-conscientious general public. Cozy, unpretentious decor, good service, and great location. It reminds me of the kind of place I'd go to back in my undergrad days after a long night of partying: greasy and buttery breakfasts and sandwiches, fried potatoes, and good prices; the type of place that you go into with low expectations and come out pleasantly satisfied. However, there really isn't much for the food-lover who is looking for locally grown products, higher quality ingredients, and imaginative preparations. Once I ordered biscuits and gravy, envisioning two fluffy biscuits with a cream-based thick sausage gravy, and instead got a tiny biscuit with a cold, mostly flour and milk-based gravy. I tried the huevos rancheros on my next visit, and to my chagrin, they were served on a huge burrito-sized four tortilla - a complete faux pas for anyone familiar with true Mexican cooking. All in all, this is a place that has made a great name for itself, and will always have a following. However, if you are the type of person who wouldn't set foot in a Cracker Barrel, Applebees, or Perkins, you might want to avoid the Village Deli and instead head to Runcible Spoon, Uptown, or Feast.
(2)Jeff L.
"Eat and Get Out!" - that's their motto! The Village Deli is one of the best breakfast spots in Bloomington with decent lunch and dinner options. To be fair, I always order from the breakfast menu even later in the day, so I'm not the best person to comment on other offerings! The Deli is known for its pancakes - GIANT pancakes! They offer a comprehensive list of add-ins (I prefer banana walnut) and one is usually more than enough. If you're a big eater, the short stack (2) would feed an elephant! Egg creations as well as potatoes (try the Paxton's Potatoes) are also among the favorite dishes for many. If you're looking for a great breakfast option, the Deli should be high on your list. Beware, Sunday mornings often see a line developing as the nearby churches finish morning services - but it's worth the wait!!
(4)Lyndsey C.
We always loved this place. Great food. We always went here for breakfast when my parents were in town. The place is always packed on a Sunday morning but it is worth the wait. Great prices and fantastic menu.
(5)Mary V.
We had a group of 7 last weekend that was accommodated very well. I always order the special eggs (scrambled with fresh mushrooms with topping of fresh chives and cheddar) and they didn't disappoint. The waiter was excellent and kept our coffee cups refilled. Someday I will order another item from the menu -- after 30 years it probably is about time but I do love those special eggs!
(4)Tom H.
There are long lines. The coffee is only passable. But the omelets are pretty good, and they serve traditional lox & bagels. There serve a HUGE pancake, but I'm not a carb loader. Season stuff yourself; they don't salt and pepper much but they have both and Tabasco, and on a good day Sriracha. Their ingredients are of good quality. They're also consistent in their preparation, which is very good. The booths aren't particularly comfortable, and as mentioned elsewhere here, their coffee isn't good, but that might be to flip tables. If the coffee were really good, everyone would stay. But, as their motto goes, they eat and get out. I do this frequently, as budgets allow.
(3)David V.
I've had several different dishes here. None of them were great. Mediocre at best.
(2)Kellie M.
We normally like to go to the VD just about every other weekend. My better half gets breakfast and I get lunch. We were really disappointed today to find out the new "abbreviated weekend lunch menu" is really limited and disappointing. I don't think we will be going back until they have their full non-breakfast menu on the weekends again. Until then, there are plenty of other options nearby.
(3)Patricia N.
Super busy on Saturdays. I'm not sure if it's worth the long wait, no to mention it's hard to find parking nearby. I had the breakfast burrito. It was pretty darn tasty with the eggs and chorizo. I also had it topped with guacamole and sour cream at an additional cost. If you ever plan on getting this...split it with another person, unless you're super hungry. It's pretty big.
(2)Jon A.
Exquisitely serviceable. They set their expectations and they nail them. Then, at times they knock it out of football arena and create such goodness mixed metaphors don't matter anymore. Oddly, in Indy lox isn't on that many breakfast menus. I said yes to coming here thinking I'd get a manageable omelet Then, lox is on the menu. Done. $7 and I'm transported to the perfect cocktail of offerings I've ever come to know (see my last supper on my profile, I'm not kidding). They nailed the classic lox. Because of that, I will always be on our side. Other reasons I'll be on your side: *the odd domed ceiling. *the sterling staff: fast, happy, accommodating *the humble nature of what you do: you slang brunch.
(3)Bill S.
Being local residents, my wife and I used to frequent Village Deli on a regular basis. It's been a few months since we've gone there, so we decided to give it a shot tonight. Parking was plentiful tonight and the restaurant didn't look busy at all. Good omen, or bad? At that point we weren't sure. It was about 6:30 pm, but we were both in the mood for breakfast. My wife ordered a half order of biscuits and gravy with a side of corned beef hash, while I ordered Paxton's Potatoes and the lemon poppyseed pancakes. When our orders arrived, we immediately had misgivings. First, the sodas that we ordered were almost completely flat. Second, the biscuits were stale (absolutely rock-hard) on my wife's half order of biscuits and gravy. Third, the potatoes on my order weren't the hot and crisp ones that normally nestle under the sausage gravy, but instead seemed like they had been sitting around the kitchen for a while. Come to think of it, the sausage gravy had almost no sausage in it whatsoever. The waitress did offer to get my wife another biscuit to replace the remaining stale biscuit on her dish, but at that point we didn't really want to bother. No offer was made to deduct the cost of the biscuits and gravy. (Also isn't $4.75 a bit steep for a half order of biscuits and gravy? I'm pretty sure it is.) Long story-short: we spent $27 (not including a decent tip) for a breakfast that could easily have been outclassed by our soon-to-be gone Waffle House. Come on, Village Deli! You used to be much better than this.
(2)Adam H.
Some of the best breakfast in Bloomington. Honestly I think some of the other places people recommend for breakfast are a little overrated. The service here is great, plenty of staff and the prices are fair. I think they only serve it one day of the week but chorizo scrambler is great.
(4)Anna W.
I get the feeling my breakfast tastes are different than most people's, because this is the 2nd place that everyone has told me is great and I have been less than impressed. When breakfast was all said and done, I just wasn't wowed. Their menu isn't huge and they have a nice selection of healthy options, but what I ordered lacked flavor. What I saw on everyone else's plates looked generic. Also, like most breakfast places, they make a big deal about giving you way too much food so you either have to be uncomfortably full in order to not be wasteful, or throw away half your plate. It just doesn't seem worth it. I ordered the Village Veggie Omelet. Like I said, it was okay. I appreciated that it wasn't greasy and the vegetables were crisp, but I needed some serious salt and pepper, and it seemed like others did too. I did enjoy that one of the cheese options was feta. I probably won't be back.
(3)Andrew C.
I'm not generally compelled to review poor experiences -- I don't want to spend any more time on a negative note than necessary. That said, Village Deli might be the most overrated "staple" in Bloomington. With a slogan like "EAT AND GET OUT", they make it awfully hard for a customer to do just that. We went today for lunch -- it was slow on our boothed side of the restaurant, maybe 6-7 tables in total plus a couple outside. We sat ourselves at a clear booth, but there were potatoes in the seat and crumbs on the tabletop. Fair enough, someone could have just left. The waitress kindly came by to wipe of the table, but she used a soaking wet towel and left standing water where she threw the menus down. We ordered drinks -- I got my coffee, but had to ask twice for water. No silverware was ever set on the table, so 7-8 minutes later I finally got the waitress's attention for place settings and was able to stir and drink my coffee. By this time, the coffee had cooled and I drank it quickly. I was never offered a refill during the remainder of my (unnecessarily long) stay. We ordered, waited 30+ minutes for simple breakfast food (their menu so poignantly states that "We don't serve fast food, you may have to wait a while for food during busy hours. If you want fast food go across the street." Unfortunately it was not busy, and we still waited..and waited. Alas, it did finally arrive. When it did, the waitress sat down my "Village Special" with a pancake (I ordered dry wheat toast). They left before I could correct the mis-order, and given the time I had already been there I was inclined to just eat part of the pancake and ignore the mistake. A couple of minutes later they returned and said "I gave you an extra pancake, sorry", took it, and returned it to another tray in the kitchen to be delivered elsewhere. It's common courtesy in a restaurant that anything that touches the table does not go to another customer -- especially if as a server you leave the table. I could have done anything to the pancake during your absence. Not sanitary, to say the least. Our toast was the last item to arrive roughly 5 minutes after the rest of the food (how ironic, the easiest to prepare comes last). The food was fine (we had breakfast, tough to screw up eggs and bacon), but hardly anything special, which is the only reason this review gets 2 stars instead of 1. I've been multiple times and never been impressed, but needless to say this will be our last visit for a while.
(2)Stacey N.
I wish I could say lots of nice things about Village Deli. I don't know how they keep getting voted 'best' anything. The place was pretty empty, three tables on our side, and yet we were there for over an hour. FOR BREAKFAST. It was ridiculous. The food was plentiful and acceptable, although they didn't have a huge selection. My biggest complaint, the waitress took my credit card, and the cash from the other table and then WALKED AROUND THE RESTAURANT WITH THEM FOR LIKE 10 MINUTES!!!! I wish that was an exaggeration. I mean, what the heck?? How is that acceptable? I tried to mention that to the guy up front who asked how it was as we were leaving, but I don't think he wanted to actually hear the answer. I'm not going back. I don't see the point. It's just another case of downtown restaurants being popular for no good reason. I don't know why I keep trying new ones because I have yet to be impressed by anything but the extremely poor service they seem to think is acceptable.
(2)Steven M.
Busy on weekends - or after an event which calls for drinking. All in all though, not a bad joint. It wont wow you, but it will satisfy you. I never have had a bad experience here, and found the food to be a couple notches above par.
(4)SJ H.
"Eat and get out" is an inappropriate slogan. Tried to have eggs there and waited 30 minutes before giving up waiting on the food we ordered. Nothing complicated, but horrible service considering the simplicity of our order.
(2)James C.
I used to love this place but this last trip it seemed like they phoned it in. The heuvos rancheros was bland and with scrambled eggs instead of fried (they changed this and it isn't an improvement). Perhaps they've gotten too big to keep their quality level up?
(3)Christopher R.
Very good upscale Denny's type breakfast. Spinach scramble is a must get. Pancakes are huge and very good but I am not a big pancake person. Non-college types need to get here before 9AM on the weekends or face the huge crowds. Uptown, Runcible Spoon and Bloomington Bagels all close by other (better?) options
(4)Jarrod R.
In my undergraduate days (when the dinosaurs roamed the earth and we were still fighting with the Soviet Union), The Village Deli was on my "rotation" for lunches and when Mom and Dad and other honored guests came to town. Now I'm a parent and while I don't have an IU student, my cousin is down finishing up her Doctorate, so we took our two little ones to visit and take her out to dinner. First off, it was fun to step back in time a little bit and experience the quirky decor and be around IU students again. The service was great and they were patient and kind to our little blond spitfires. I ordered the Bird for the Wise, a delicious combo of turkey, cranberry sauce and lettuce - like Thanksgiving dinner in sammitch form. And those hot potato chips -brought back those sense memories. My eldest had the pancakes and was going to pull a Man v. Food and try to finish them ("I can do it!") but out parenting clicked in thankfully. So, I was able to sample them and they are quite good. All in all, a very solid dining experience - in Bloomington - which is always a great time!
(4)Katie B.
Pretty good breakfast, though definitely not the best in town. It's usually packed to the gills on the weekends, mostly with students and/or tourists who don't know any better. The servers are okay, but don't really go out of their way to be nice or helpful. This place gets a ton of business because of its location and portion sizes. It's good once in a while, but not great.
(3)MsAnthro P.
I used to love the Deli about 20 years ago, now I'll only go there if forced. I remember the Sandwich on the Brink once involving an actual breaded breast of chicken and the last time I was there I instead got some weird processed chicken patty that tasted like cardboard. (And even if I would've liked it, the sandwich came with the wrong toppings and the slow-as-hell waitperson was annoyed rather than apologetic about it.) I'm sure my other old-school fave the Deli Melt is probably still good because how can you screw up a grilled cheese with spinach and mushrooms and Thousand Island dressing? What perplexes me the most are all the rave reviews from friends and strangers alike re: the breakfasts here. Yeah, the pancakes are big, but they're as basic as ever. They don't even put most of the fruit in the batter, they just throw it on top of the pancakes. Zzzzzz. And the omelets are bland as hell, even when I've specifically chosen the more seemingly flavorful ingredients. I've had better omelets at pretty much every other Bloomington restaurant that serves omelets. The home fries? Chunky, mealy and undercooked. They're like mini steak fries... and not good ones. And, oh god, the coffee is bile. Seriously, the Sysco Deli would be a better name for this place. Add to all of this the utterly sophomoric conversations you're likely to overhear at the Deli on a busy day, and I'd pretty much eat anywhere else on Kirkwood. Even, god forbid, Kilroy's.
(2)Tim W.
The Paxton potatoes are really great. I don't generally like gravy but these tasty taters with gravy and cheese were pretty wonderful. It was a 30-minute wait for the giant pancake but with some toast and Paxton potatoes to help me limp through my hunger, I managed to be able to wait without fussing so much as to disturb the other guests. I recommend adding blueberries to the batter. Hardly needed syrup (not to say I forewent the syrup)
(4)Michelle L.
This place is surprising. it doesn't look like it will be good from the outside, but happily it is cheap and informal, and large groups of students gather there consistently.
(4)Josh B.
I don't know why people love this place. Food is OK at best. But nothing I would stand around for and wait for a long time on a Saturday or Sunday. That's another big problem, the wait and slow service! To me it seems like the servers have too many tables to take care of or they are lazy and like to hang out and chat with the other servers rather than take care of the patrons. The wife and I have had service that is quick and friendly to slow and rude. In my opinion find another place that won't be run by annoying IU students who are trying to work on a Sunday morning hungover from the night before.
(2)Adam N.
The Village Deli is exactly what it appears to be: an inexpensive, clean and simple breakfast diner. The food is fine (it's difficult to mess up eggs, toast and homefries), though it's nothing to write home about. Their coffee needs work. The pancakes, on the other hand, are amazing. If you're planning on going over the weekend, avoid the madness of brunch... you'll be up to your eyebrows in hung-over college students. Simple, tasty, and easy. That's the Village Deli.
(3)Wes M.
Village Deli is a Kirkwood classic for breakfast in Bloomington. It's abundant portions are bound to fill you up and the prices won't hurt your wallet. You're not getting anything fancy, we're talking your breakfast standards but they do have a few tricks up their sleeves. The Power breakfast - more food than most people can handle. The pancake alone will fill the average patron. This thing hangs over the edges of your plate! If you're going to order pancakes, they give you the option of several fillers or toppings, such as fruit or chocolate chips. This is some serious "I need something to soak up all the alcohol I consumed last night" food. Village Deli does the trick. Steer clear on the weekends due to long wait times unless you get there early [before 10am]. This place gets packed quick!
(3)John M.
Had Village Deli for breakfast on our way out of town as it seemed like one of those places you're supposed to go in Bloomington. Every time we walked by later in the morning/early in the afternoons it was packed, so we figured they must have been doing something right. We stopped in early to miss the crowds and service was a bit on the slow side as it appeared that they only had two people working the whole place. Our server was good though, so it didn't really hurt anything in that regard. The coffee was mediocre at best, and my wife really didn't like it at all. I thought it was passable, but for a place that serves that much breakfast, they should probably have better. We both got Paxton's potatoes and got a cinnamon pancake for the kid - the Paxton's are supposed to be this super famous thing they've got, but it was just a lot of potatoes with some gravy and cheese - nothing to it and too many taters vs. the other ingredients. The pancake was enormous, and was tasty but a bit sweet as it had a frosting/glaze on it as well, so it was basically a huge flat cinnamon roll. Not a bad thing per se, but a bit much for breakfast - I guess it is the midwest after all. Overrated based on the Food Network etc. type hype.
(3)MJ W.
Big warning, they are extremely slow during winter break! The slogan is "eat and get out". We tried, but it took 45 minutes to get our order for two. With that being said (CYE anyone?), the food is good. It's nothing over the top, but it's a great value. The coffee is good. I'm sure we will go back, but it is not as good as I remember it in college.
(3)NotTelling P.
Food: Very good food. Price: Good bargin Service: VERY SLOW. Atmosphere: OK. A quality meal at reasonable prices. I keep coming back.
(4)Jenny B.
Giant pancakes! That's all I remember about Village Deli. If you love pancakes, never go to IHOP, this place is da BOMB! It's a great place for breakfast/brunch on weekend mornings and service was great, again I didn't usually order other breakfast food, always come here for pancakes... Yeah, lots of crowds though, so better be there early buddies!
(4)Emily S.
Everyone loves this place, but I don't get it. There is always an outrageous wait time for food that I could have made in my own kitchen. I've tried it a few times and will definitely not be going back.
(2)Matt H.
Bleh. Everything here is from Sysco. The omlettes are merely plain. The breakfast potatoes are the worst--cube-cut, freeze-dried, undercooked. They serve all their fountain drinks with crushed ice. People seem to like the pancakes, but that's ridiculous: it's just pre-mixed batter from Sysco that they pour right out of the carton on to a skillet. Even the atmosphere of the place is institutional. What makes it worse is that it is a mad house on the weekends when undergrads take their parents there because they don't know where else to go for breakfast and alums take their families their because it was where they went for breakfast as undergrads. A sad cycle which is the only reason the place stays in business. Seriously, go around the block to Runcible Spoon. I give them an extra * for frequently feeding the old schizophrenic homeless woman and allowing her to push her shopping cart into the restaurant on weekday mornings.
(2)Timothy Y.
If you love to breath...you'll live village deli!:-) Back in basic training I was on a road march early one morning. It was cold and had no brakfast. I started telling the other guys about these huge pancakes at this place where I live. I described them in great detail. I even had the drill sergeants drooling.
(5)Irene A.
Horrible service!!! We sat down, ordered, then proceeded to wait for about an hour for our food. We asked our server about our food and he replied, "it's coming, the kitchen is running really slow right now.". HOWEVER, the table directly across from us got our food before we did despite having five people compared to just the two of us and arriving about 10-15 minutes after we did. It seems like our order was forgotten about. Once they got their food, we slapped a few bucks on our table for the drinks and left. Will not be going back. Maybe if our server spent some time checking on our order instead of chatting in the lobby, we would have gotten to eat a nice breakfast.
(1)Leigh H.
Service was fast even though the restaurant was packed. The food was good. I didn't give 5 stars b/c the atmosphere is not so great. And we were stuck in the tiny west room that is cramped and awkward. But if you want a fast, no frills, diner-type experience...The VD delivers.
(4)Andrew K.
Folks, it's the pancakes. Oh god, the pancakes. I have honestly never had 'cakes like them, and God knows I have tried. I don't know what it is. Scratch that, I do know what it is, and it's the peanut butter and chocolate chips. But even if you don't want dessert for breakfast, get them without the chips. Just get them. Or get one, rather, because they're beyond massive. All else can be forgiven at the Deli for the pancakes. Though I've had plenty of the other food here. Breakfast is the meal of choice of course. Another favorite is Breakfast on a Bagel. Service can be variable as the place employs a rotating cast of college students, locals and other lovable ne'er-do-wells. Oh, the pancakes.
(5)Tamara M.
The Village Deli is our go-to place for weekday lunches, since it's a short walk from campus. Unfortunately, for the same reason, it gets CRAZY on weekend mornings, so we can only enjoy leisurely breakfasts during summer break, when most of Bloomington's population empties out. Pros: The food is wonderful. They offer figure-friendly options as well as your basic fried fare; I'm a fan of the veggie burgers or the Skinny Turkey with seasonal fruit on the side. The portions can be outrageous, though, especially those flying-saucer-sized pancakes (just order ONE). Cons: The service, while friendly, is very, very slow. That's understandable when it's busy, but during breaks when the place is completely empty but for a couple high schoolers it can still take half an hour to prep a simple sandwich and fries. They must only keep one cook back there. So if you have a lot of time on your hands and don't mind the wait, it's an excellent option for a casual or mildly celebratory meal.
(4)Christine V.
I've never had the pancakes. Something about eating cake for breakfast is really gross to me. HOWEVER, their breakfast burrito is huge and reallllllly good. It's like a big burrito with a pound of beef and eggs, sour cream, melty cheese. Nothing you couldn't make at home, but it's nice to go out. Fun place to people watch, good coffee, I like the crushed ice. Their home fries are great. I think people love this place because that's where a lot of the piecing together of the night before happens. It's good stuff. Parent friendly too. Which is rare in Bloomington :)
(4)Meghan L.
completely decent breakfast place with generally decent prices. pros: -amazing belgian waffles, amazing anything with eggs -endless drinkable if not amazing coffee -tasty home fries -just enough grease to soak up the hangover you probably have -delicious homemade granola cons: -that damn granola is so expensive! -honestly...the coffee does kind of suck -gets crowded on weekends oh hmm i wonder why
(4)Jason F.
This is a disappointing restaurant to be the best breakfast in Bloomington. I got the spinach scramble, which was just eh. Of particular concern were the terrible homefries/potatos, which were really the same potato cubes that come in airport breakfasts. There wasn't too much bacon mixed into my scramble either. I probably should have just gone with the pancakes (I'm just not a pancake person).
(3)Fred O.
Exactly what you would expect for a college town breakfast join!
(4)Purvi R.
Delicious morning-after-big-night food. VERY fast service!! I got some type of bagel (maybe egg and cheese with butter?? MMM) and a side of the potatoes with all that yummy crap on it. That yummy crap (some type or variation of salsa??) was DELIcious. As you may know from my previous reviews I am a potato-lover and this mix was very unique. Had sour cream dolluped on top too :) A lot of food. We were full til dinner, perfect since we had a wedding later that day anyways.
(3)Philippe F.
After a night of drankin at the Blue Bird, a greasy breakfast is what I crave. Their power breakfast will do just that. Eggs and homefries were good. Their sausage patties were delicious. It also comes with one pancake, it even says so on their menu. I'm glad, because this pancake had to be cooked on a griddle the size of my kitchen. It's gynormous and tasty all at the same time. I like the diner feel to this place as well.....along with the classic black and white checkered floors. The only thing I didn't care for was the unisex bathroom. Those damn women never put the seat back up!
(4)Jonathan F.
The burgers *suck*. it was bland and smelled funny--and it didn't have the consistency of a normal beef patty. By which I mean it had more in common with wonder bread than meat. Also the tomatoes were ice cold and the bun was untoasted and slightly stale. I've had breakfast here a few times and that was acceptable for diner food. Just don't have the burger here.
(3)Kevin W.
I love this place. It's a great spot to go to on a weekend for breakfast all day. The best hang over cure is a plate full of the pancakes. The service is pretty quick and they follow their motto pretty close "get in & get out!" It's kind of like a diner setting. Sometimes during the weekends of big games, there can be a while of a wait, but it's worth it. It's cheap, quick and decent. Kind of like an upgraded version of Dennys.
(4)Berrius B.
Village Special with whole wheat toast and sausage patties. Can't beat it! Decent price and quick. As an added bonus, if you eat there in the summer you don't have to put up with nearly as many hung-over frat idiots and sorrostitutes. Their coffee needs to get better. If it does, my rating goes up to 5 stars. Only a few other restaurants in town can compete with the VD for breakfast. Plus you can always ask your fellow diners if they want some VD this morning. You can even say it's your treat.
(4)Meagan B.
Village Deli is subpar food at best. I was starving one morning and went there and had an omelette that was pretty tasteless. I didn't even finish it. My boyfriend had the eggs and potatoes and pancakes. The only thing that was good was the pancake. I would not go there again, but if you are an IU undergraduate who is hungover at least the portions are good.
(2)M M.
Great menu, consistent food in my experience...I would totally give them 5 stars if the coffee was better! Why, oh WHY the owner uses cheap coffee is beyond me...brings what could be a great experience every time to a mere mediocre one!
(3)Rachael S.
HUGE breakfasts! I mean HUGE!!! Pretty solid quality too, at a decent price. I'm a big fan of their huevos rancheros and pancakes. The only thing I've ever had there that I didn't really like was the coffee cake: it was too dry and pretty expensive. It's crowded on weekend mornings, and service can be very slow if you sit outside. Otherwise, I'm a fan!
(4)Colleen M.
I loveeee the VD, so much food for sooo cheap! My ex loves the sorry charlie, and thinks everything else is gross... whatever I love it all, especially their potato salad (they use some spice that people generally either love or hate in their potato salad). The fries are good too and the breakfast can't be beat. OFten there is a line, but the service staff here seems to always be top notch. Working quickly and effeciently. I'm always shocked when the bill comes with how cheap this place is... totally great! and really close to campus, makes it nice and easy.
(4)Chris R.
The go-to breakfast spot in Bloomington. Since I moved to DC, we have often woken up in the morning and reminisced about plate-sized pancakes and breakfast burritos that leave you feeling unable to walk. We miss seeing the mix of folks - neighbors, professors, co-workers, classmates - particularly on farmer's market Saturday mornings. While we did rotate occasionally with Wee Willie's and even the Indiana version of Waffle House, this was our favorite and we will always go back when in Bloomington.
(4)Wendy S.
You've gotta love this place...it's sooooo Bloomington. Great breakfasts, but would love to see them start offering a healthy side to their menu.
(4)Ann M.
Just can't get into this place - only go when my friends insist on it, which is several times a year. So clearly it had appeal to some people, but I don't get it. I find the front service borderline rude more often than not, particularly if you go on a Sunday morning and you are waiting for a table. I don't think there is much distinguishing the menu other than the enormous pancakes. The booth seating is pretty uncomfortable. I guess it's decent and not too expensive? So's Wee Willies.
(3)Lisa F.
I have always wanted to like their food. Partly because it's a local diner that has less grease filled options partly because it seems like they really are trying. I have however never found their food to be appetizing and usually only WANT to go there when I have a cold and can't taste food anyway. They don't use seasonings they don't put anything on the food that makes it taste like anything and somehow even their red meat options taste as bland as broiled chicken.
(2)Nan M.
I can't understand the popularity of Village Deli. I guess that it has something to do with the scarcity of breakfast places and the possibility that some people are weirded out by Runcible Spoon. The truth about Village Deli is that while some of the specials are good, the food isn't amazing. To me, it tastes like plain ol' breakfast food. (Not like that's necessarily a problem, because breakfast food is awesome.) However, for price I go to Wee Willie's and for taste I go to Runcible Spoon.
(3)Mara S.
An old favorite from my IU days... I went back this weekend and it wasn't as good as I remember - maybe I hyped it up too much in my head. Everything is still just as greasy and the service is still good -- the food is only ok (though I highly recommend the french fries). The diner is pretty laid back, though the valley girls surrounding our table talking about last night's frat party definitely didn't help with the ambiance.
(3)Josh R.
The Village Deli is the only place in town that can satisfy my diner needs. While the Runcible Spoon is a great boho breakfast, sometimes I just have to eat something more inorganic and less rustic. The ambience, though occasionally marred by a flood of college students, has an appropriate low-brow and functional, but still slightly hip, feel. People-watching opportunities are ideal; you will likely see one of several classic scenes unfold: sorority girls discussing last night at shameless volumes; parents visiting their obviously hung-over student; and a pair, one of whom answered 'yes' to the obligatory breakfast after offer that should never be accepted. The food is diner food. It is thankfully done efficiently with a minimum of frills. Bacon, eggs, sausage, omelets, and sandwiches are all hammered out with comforting, unornamented precision. Some of the braver offerings are my kind of madness; one of the paxton's something-er-others is made by dumping sausage cream gravy and cheese on homefries. The result might be called comfort food if it didn't conjure deeply uncomforting images of my untimely end at the hands of cardiovascular disease with each abrosial bite. Pancakes are unreasonably large as is the consternating fashion of our times, but their texture and flavor do not suffer from this trespass, so I will readily forgive it. The breakfast burrito occasionally sounds appealing, but always disappoints; it's too much food, the salsa is watery and ill-suited to its purpose and the tortilla is starchy and adds nothing to the dish. The home-fries are small, crispy fried squares that are nothing like any home-fries I've ever had, if for no other reason than that they're good. The coffee is coffee; I can explain it little beyond this tautology. If you want coffee that requires adjectives, then go to Soma. I've had little in the way of other drinks, but they use crushed ice, which is a nice touch and handy when playing with your straw (I advise you do so and also fidget with your straw wrapper and empty sugar packets while waiting on your food). My only serious complaint is that the village deli should be open all night because sometimes breakfast can't be bothered to wait until morning.
(4)Heather K.
Pax II, I miss you.
(4)Kat F.
Back in my IU days I used to practically live here. I was all about the Paxtons part II - the South of the Border home fries. It's a bowl of homefries, mixed with peppers and onions, topped with salsa, sour cream and cheddar cheese and green onions. It's ridiculously cheap and fills you up. My heart is happy that I don't eat this 4+ times a week anymore. My soul, however, still mourns.
(4)Louis O.
Best place in B-Town for breakfast. You'll probably have to wait a while with a big party, but it's usually worth the wait. The Omlettes are amazing.
(5)Eric M.
As far as brunch places go, The Village Deli is ok. Our wait was exactly what they quoted, which was 20 minutes for a Sunday morning, and our server was very nice. The coffee needed sugar or cream as it had no flavor. I ordered the biscuits and sausage gravy, which contained very little sausage. It came with a side of eggs, which I ordered over hard, and they were ok. One of my friends ordered the pancakes which I realize should've been my decision. It contained both chocolate and peanut butter chips and was the size of a manhole cover. The few bites I had caused a small tear to run down my cheek.
(3)Jenna W.
I personally don't think this place is much good for anything but their breakfast food, but luckily, they serve the breakfast menu all day! I love eggs, and unfortunately theirs are slightly bland, but nothing salt can't help. Their pancakes however, not only are they HUGE, so big they barely fit on the plate...but they are literally "melt-in-your-mouth" and you won't even know that definition until you try them! They are simply devine, melt with first bite, and you can taste the sugar in them!
(4)Justin W.
Best Saturday morning breakfast place in town. I love those pancakes and omelets.
(4)Laura D.
The food at the Village Deli is really great. I'm a sucker for their spinach scramble for breakfast food and the falafel filled pita sandwich can't be beat. The pancakes are huge and the coffee has always been strong and hot. Service can get a bit slow when it's really busy, but it's also obvious that the servers do try their best to keep up with their customers despite the crowds.
(4)Aaron B.
Great place for weekend breakfast. I wouldn't recommend anything but breakfast food from here, but their breakfast is fantastic. Granola pancakes are a favorite of mine. The service is good and the place is generally crowded on the weekends.
(4)Rebecca N.
So this place is definitely a good breakfast spot . The village deli is known for their pancakes, because they are HUGE and fantastic . . They really do taste great but eating pancakes isn't satisfying to me, I personally always go for the Hoosier scramble *nom nom* (I'm always on the hunt for the best version of biscuits and gravy). The only reason I give four instead of five stars is the service ... HIT & MISS every time ! It's dead even on how many times I've had a great experience, to how many times I've dealt with immature, inexperienced service . (Eye rolls and all). The hit & miss service wouldn't stop me from coming back though, with students coming and going, the staff turnover is constant . *side note- service this morning was great ! For breakfast on the weekends, go right at opening to beat the morning rush . Or you will be waiting.
(4)Trish S.
Village Deli is one of those places that everyone RAVES about, but I haven't had that experience there. While I do think the pancakes are delicious and giant, I can find great pancakes other places in town. Service is generally very slow. Today was the slowest yet, waiting for our bill, waiting for change... we spent 20 minutes waiting to leave - new employees, I get it, but this has been recurring. Avocado was brown and so hard that I couldn't break through it with the side of my fork. I would have asked for fresh avocado, but we didn't see our waitress for the majority of the meal. Worth checking out and judging for yourself based on my numerous friends that swear by it. my recommendations are: go for breakfast or brunch and be prepared to wait for a table and slow service.
(2)Maria A.
Never ever disappoints. The food is consistently delicious and fresh. Both breakfast and lunch are awesome. I think it's the only place in town where we've never had a bad experience. The blueberry lemon poppy seed pancakes are amazing! They have the best homefries. The Soma cold brew coffee they serve is tops too. My family and I LOVE the Village Deli!
(5)Betsy L.
Went to this place only for once in 2013, and their brunch cannot compete with other brunch places even with Spoon/Uptown in town. But this place is still popular and the waiting lines are so long when I pass by, they have renovated after the fire
(3)T. C.
Nice little breakfast place for Bloomington standards. The first time I came here I ate the Garden Scrambler which tasted bland. The second time I ate here I had the cinnamon roll pancake. The pancake was delicious and was so big it covered the entire plate. They give you one pancake but the size is more than enough. I'd definitely come back here next time in in town.
(4)Iris T.
I'm beginning to think I'll never have potatoes in Bloomington for breakfast. All of these "home fries" and I can't get a taste! Anyway, in accordance with my attempt to eat at as many Bloomington establishments during my one week stay - or at least as many as I can eat at due to my wonderful vegetarian status... with no onion or garlic (even in powder form) - I decided to stop by. Breakfast joints tend to have something I can try out at the very least. I hoped. I came in a little after 8 AM and was the first one in; I needed to work so I needed to make sure my stomach was satiated first. You seat yourself - the right side is set up more like a diner and the left side has booths reminiscent of the ones I see at chain breakfast places like IHOP or Denny's. I decided I wanted a nice bench all to myself so I went to the left. Within a minute or two of settling myself on a bench, I was greeted by my waiter who was friendly and all smiles. Perhaps a little too happy for such an early hour of the morning, but it was a good thing. Smiles and happiness are contagious so I quite like that attribute. I personally was happy despite the early hour because I was excited to see what I could have... and if I could finally get potatoes for breakfast. I can't. I ended up getting the Run Through the Garden Scrambler (because I want color and veggies in my first meal of the day) with two slices of lightly buttered and halved toasts and a "monkey" of plain yogurt (according to the receipt). The monkey is essentially a small bowl. It would be awesome if an actual monkey came with my yogurt. Is it local lingo for "small bowl"? I didn't take advantage of the meal deal of the day (Monday) and essentially had the scrambler and add-ons since they don't do substitutions and I couldn't enjoy the home fries. It was pretty good, but I was once again spudless. Maybe I'll just make my own french fries when I get back into my kitchen. I may make another trip back for these huge pancakes I keep on hearing about, but all in all, the place was nice and clean (or maybe it was because I was the first one in). Service was really helpful and I didn't feel like I was too much trouble even with all my questions. Location was great and business is good (I may have been the first one in, but there were more shortly after me and it only got busier). Food was breakfast food and how can you do that wrong? You can only do it better. The portion was good for one person, but I ended up taking home the remaining toast because it was too many carbs in the morning. PLEASE, SOMEONE MAKE AMAZING VEGETARIAN FOOD HERE WITHOUT ONION OR GARLIC. UPDATE: Came back again to get their pancakes. I heard about how crazy huge they were. I ended up getting their summer special (Lemon Blueberry Poppy Seed). It wasn't their signature but it was pretty large and were fluffy. I couldn't really taste any lemon (was it named for the lemon it was topped with?) and the blueberries weren't even, but they were still good.
(3)Jennifer M.
Breakfast served all day. Pancakes bigger than the plate ( with 5+ mix in options). Diner style layout, good spot to eat on Kirkwood, especially after a late night on the town. They get very crowded, especially on the weekends, so come early. The service hasn't been bad, hasn't been exceptional. Very average. I've never when lunch here, but the breakfast options are great, despite no oatmeal. I love the pancakes. Omlets and the scramblers. The biscuits and gravy are just ok. Single bathrooms, no place to park, and small booths (or tables). But come on, you can't beat a local joint on Kirkwood Ave.
(4)Chris S.
If you went to IU or you come to Bloomington with friends and its breakfast time you'll likely end up here. This place has been a landmark for the community as long as Ive been alive. You'll find a laid back atmosphere, friendly service and a family friendly scene. The food is one grade up from a Dennys or IHOP. Its slightly above average but not by much. Still you cant go wrong for breakfast here. They do a good job cooking normal breakfast dishes and a few they put a twist on but nothing ground breaking. This is the kind of place friends and families come to eat and enjoy time together, not a spot for foodies. The biggest challenge is there's no free parking in the vicinity which makes the average food tougher to swallow but when in Bloomington this is what you come to expect.
(3)John W.
So we went to this place this morning Friday August 14th and it was our first visit, there were a couple other places on here that had better reviews but it was the pancakes that called to me. So we get here and luckily we got there early enough that you didn't have to pay for parking so that was a bonus. We go in and it is a seat yourself place. We sat about 5 minutes before being greeted and that was about 4.5 minutes too long for me especially since I could see about 5 girls hanging around the beverage station doing nothing but socializing. Finally a server comes over and she was pretty friendly, took our beverage order, I would have ordered coffee but they had no flavored creamers so I went with Pepsi. YAY!! A place with Pepsi products. And even better large glasses with that really good crushed ice. I was in heaven. Well there was so much we wanted to try so we kinda ordered a few different things and just put it in the center of the table family style. We ordered the Cinnamon Roll pancake and it was fabulous!! We then ordered Paxton's potatoes and those were really good too, I don't usually like home fries but these were good and they were topped with cheese and sausauge gravy!! Then we ordered a large order of the biscuits and gravy. Biscuits were horrible and we loved the gravy although the gravy on our biscuits was kinda cold but we overlooked that. It took over 20 minutes to get our food and I was getting concerned because two other tables who came in much later than us had already gotten their food, I can't help but wonder if the server didn't forget to put in our order. I would have given this place 4 stars if the biscuits wasn't the pre-made brown and serve and if service had been better. They really should get flavored creamers, even chain restaurants like ihop has those. We will probably go back for the pancakes and home fries. I will pass on the biscuits and gravy until they can do a better job with the biscuits.
(3)Chad B.
Great place, great good, great staff! I love their pancakes. The wait can be a little long, but it's not fast food so I wouldn't expect to get in and out in two minutes.
(5)Robin K.
The wait time is really ridiculous. It's such a staple for Bloomington and I would absolutely go more often, but I can't stand waiting for SOOO long. You wait for a table then you wait for your food then you wait for your check. They should consider getting the app Dash to get things moving!
(2)Danny K.
Im never disappointed by the quality of breakfast here. Norwegian eggs Benedict is on the menu this morning. Pumpkin pancakes, Benedict specials and traditional fare are also here. Cafe atmosphere and friendly staff... Get here early!
(4)James K.
If you come to Bloomington you have to go to the Village Deli for breakfast. Awesome pancakes, you won't be able to eat two. Spinach scramble is another awesome selection as is the breakfast burrito. The real start is the Paxton potatoes; they come 2 ways 1) with gravy cheese and chives and my favorite with salsa and cheese. The negatives? If you come on Sunday you are gonna wait for a table and it's noisy. It's well worth both of these. Service is fast as they want to turn tables as quickly as possible.
(5)Franklin D.
Never been, so I gave it a try. 20 minute wait for a table for 4 people on a Sunday. OK that kinda sucks, but maybe the food is worth it? After another 40 minute wait we finally get our food. Typical of this area, everything is "Bloomington bland" tasting, freshly delivered by freezer-truck. One thing that really got me, the toast, wasn't. It was like they put it in the toaster long enough to get a hint of a tan on one side and that was the best they could manage. Didn't want to risk another 30 minute wait asking for a replacement. So why's this place so crowded if the food isn't outstanding, you snidely ask? Simple numbers folks. It's a small town, lots of students and their families looking for somewhere to eat, but with few choices for places to go for weekend breakfast.
(2)Kathryn W.
When I ran into a group of friends who were already there the staff got me seated and food quickly. Deserve credit for that. Also, handled almost a dozen individual checks quickly and nicely.
(3)Pushkar N.
Power breakfast !! When I was in Bloomington I was a regular. I love the chocolate chips walnut pancakes. Eveything on the menu is awesome. Now that i am not in Bloomington, i miss this place. FYI try the home fries...you would love them
(5)John L.
Could be a four star but 1) no oatmeal & worse 2) English muffin was served hardly toasted. Had high expectations for steel cut oats, fruit and a crisp muffin. Had a vegi omelet which was good and that waste of a good muffin muffin. The "best in B'ton" bacon was good but not exceptional. Great service and good ambiance. Prices were reasonable but heard on weekend prices go up. What's with that?
(3)Ariana S.
AVOID!! I can't explain how terrible our experience was at Village Deli. During my undergrad days, there was nothing better than an order of pancakes from this place. I went today and had a piss poor experience. We waited so long for our food. I mean FOREVER. Their kitchen is very inefficient. The veggies in my omelette were chopped hugely. Like inedible. It was an all around terrible experience. The manager took off 50%. We shouldn't have had to pay anything for horrible food. We paid because our waitress was so nice.
(1)Tony K.
Good food. Decent service. Worth checking out. Avoid this place on weekends because they get crowded and wait times can be long.
(3)Mister M.
I've been here more times than I should have. I like their breakfast, which is nothing amazing but it does the job. For lunch I've been there on at least three occasions where the food simply didn't come and servers blamed the cooks. I don't want to blame anyone just get me my food and some curtesy for wasting my time. If anyone is to blame it's the servers who probably forgot to put in the order. Go for the breakfast if you want to check it out. Their lunch menu is very blaaahhh anyway. The servers are better in the morning also.
(2)Jeffrey B.
Definitely a college town deli. But the is food is good. I had the "BLT revisited". Always my favorite sandwich, this one had good amount of bacon and added avocado made for a creamy bite. Yummy.
(4)Miranda B.
I love going to village deli. For the longest time, I always ordered from the breakfast menu. Recently I ordered from the lunch menu and my sandwich was so delicious. The service could have been a little faster, but overall, it is after restaurant with delicious food.
(4)Heather E.
This place has been hit or miss lately to be honest. I've placed to-go orders when it was dead, heard the kitchen ring the bell and say "order up for heather" and proceeded to wait 20+ minutes after that before actually receiving my food. All the while watching three servers stand around the wait area rolling flatware. Seriously?? My food was ice cold by the time I got it home. I was there this past weekend with my family. Tables were very slow to be cleared. If the turn around were better the wait wouldn't be as long. Some tables sat 15+ minutes before being bussed. The worst part was the front of house manager was just STaNDING in the kitchen/lobby door and talking. He should be helping out his crew when they are that busy. Why is he not bussing tables. I literally watched him do nothing for 30 minutes and I'm sure he does plenty of that when I'm not there. The food is generally good. Paxtonize your home fries. Breakfast is always well done. Avoid this place on the weekends unless you don't mind waiting for up to an hour for a table. Protip: they serve breakfast all day.
(3)Sonya A.
It was so packed when we went on a Sunday. The service was as quick as it could be with the crowd but the food itself was bland. We had the country fried steak, potatoes and the banana nutella pancakes. Great place for a hungover breakfast for sure since the portions were huge, but not the brunch place of my dreams. Food: 3/5 Service: 4/5 Location: 4/5
(3)Jordann W.
This place is a go to for comfort breakfast food! I love their Paxton's potatoes! So yummy! And they have decent coffee! The only downfall is if you don't get there early on the weekends you may be waiting a while for a table... With it being so close to the IU campus the hungover students make their way out for breakfast usually later in the mornings. So get there early and you'll be seated right away!
(4)Michael C.
After 6 years since my last visit, The Village Deli is pretty much the same as it was when I was a grad student in Bloomington. The same cannot be said for the wait staff, who were probably graduating from Middle School at the same time. Despite my high triglycerides, I ordered the chicken fried steak and eggs. I figured, if I can't indulge on a weekend trip down memory lane, when can I, heart disease be damned. As expected the meal was tasty and filling and probably more food than I needed. Hopefully I'll be able to make it back to Bloomington for breakfast before another 6 years pass.
(4)Melissa K.
Eh. This place was okay but I won't come back as I suspect there's other places that are better. The coffee was weak and the omelet, although reasonably priced, was really bland.
(3)Allie B.
Why does this place have 3 stars instead of 2? Because it's a Bloomington tradition and you can't just dismiss them. The ambience is what you need for a college diner. It's not exactly a nice looking joint. The seats are uncomfortable, it gets crowded and loud, and don't even try to get a table on game days. The service has always been very hit or miss - depends on your server. The food... The egg dishes and scramblers are not good at all. They're dry and the veggies are always undercooked. Things worth your time - the massive pancakes, specialty pancakes (pumpkin in the fall is pretty good), and the french toast has redeeming qualities. If it weren't for the tradition and the good memories I've had there, I'd say avoid if you're looking for a nice meal. If you're a student in the area, you'll probably end up here at least once in your school career.
(3)Anish A.
Had the make your own omelet with feta, onion, green peppers and tomato and I have to say it was very average. The add one were not consistently spread out the omelet and lacked flavor. They do have some good food but this time was a disappointment.
(3)Tim S.
I went back to Village Deli because it was a place I loved when I was in college. I'd say my tastes have changed quite a bit. Village Deli is a great place to go if you're looking for a BIG breakfast or brunch on a budget. Most items are right around $8. The service is pretty good, though on weekends you'll always end up waiting, but the food is just decent. None of the tastes are mind-blowing; they're good and there is a lot of them. The home fries are tasty and the coffee's pretty decent (watch out for the cream, though... occasionally you'll get a spoiled one), but you know what you're going to get at Village Deli. It's consistent and consistently a big portion.
(3)Julia W.
My favorite are the Cajun cheese fries! Their food is delicious. Sure it's a little wait from being a little busy. But I'm not impatient. I like it here quite a bit! Also blt's are yummy!
(5)L M.
Waited at least 45 minutes for my takeout, because clearly they forgot my order. When the food finally came, they forgot the coffee. I've been here so many times during the past years, but THIS should be my last time.
(3)Liz K.
Despite my lengthy Bloomington days, I only visited the Village Deli twice (and the second time was as an alum on a visit back). The first time was just underwhelming enough that I didn't particularly care to try it again - if I want a quick breakfast meal, I'll stop in at Bloomington Bagel Company or Scholar's Inn Bakehouse. This time around I ordered the Southwest Omelette, which was stuffed with cheese and sour cream and enough salsa to fill me up for the next 8 hours. Despite all those supposedly wonderful flavors, it was lacking some spice or at least powerful flavor. The coffee was the same - nothing special. For the price, it was reasonable, but I'd rather increase my budget a little bit to have a less-rushed, more flavorful meal at one of Bloomington's many other fine breakfast locales.
(3)Katie B.
The banana nutella pancakes are amazing. I mean, why wouldn't they be - they have nutella! What I love even more though is the Potatoes Part Two - potatoes plus cheese, salsa, sour cream, and chives. I ordered these to share and ended up eating at least 75% of them. I almost stabbed my hubby to fend him off. I'm glad to have a no frills breakfast place downtown for classics or something with a little bit of a twist. Plus, they serve breakfast all day, and breakfast for dinner might be one of the best inventions ever.
(4)Andrew L.
Village Deli is a Bloomington classic. When it comes to breakfast, I think most would agree Village Deli is second to none. Nestled in the heart of Kirkwood, this restaurant is centrally located between downtown Bloomington and the IU campus, making it an ideal destination for both students and locals alike. I've been to Village Deli numerous times during my three years in Bloomington and I can honestly say I've never left disappointed. They serve great food at reasonable prices in a welcoming atmosphere. I would even recommend visiting for lunch sometime. My personal favorite non-breakfast item on the menu is the "Croissant of My Dreams" - a grilled ham and swiss croissant sandwich. Village Deli is most well known for their pancakes though, appropriately dubbed "Our Famous, Colossal, Huge, Ginormous, Fresh Buttermilk Pancakes." During my last visit to Village Deli I ordered the "Jimmy the Greek" scrambler. It was a late Saturday morning and I was accompanied by four colleagues of mine from the business school. The scrambler was very good. It was a mixture of spinach, tomatoes, onions, feta cheese, and olives mixed with scrambled eggs. I am not particularly fond of olives, so I plucked them out, but that's a matter of personal preference. The scrambler was served with home fries and whole wheat toast. Toast is toast in my opinion, but the home fries were particularly noteworthy. They were seasoned well and had a good potato-to-potato skin ratio. I would recommend the fries with ketchup, but they are good enough to be eaten by themselves too. I think the rest of the group enjoyed their food as much as I did. It's been a few weeks since this particular visit, so I can't remember exactly what everyone ordered, but I do know we all left satisfied (as I always do at Village Deli). If you're looking for a great breakfast/brunch destination, look no further than Village Deli. If the weather is nice out, consider dining at the picnic tables located just outside the front of the restaurant. You can watch the activity of all the people on Kirkwood while enjoying your breakfast. I recommend the pancakes, the Hoosier Scramble, or anything on the menu really! Bon Appétit!
(5)Nancy Q.
Pancake here is my favorite. Good for breakfast. But you guys need waiting for a long time on weekend morning.
(4)Marie P.
I've gone there for breakfast/brunch a few times and I'm addicted to their breakfast croissant--and I know about croissants. The staff is always friendly and efficient, even though it does get pretty crazy crowded there on weekend mornings--but hey, there's a reason why everyone wants to go there! Even when crowded, the staff managed to refill my coffee and water. The space itself is pretty great--lots of tables, but enough air in between for it not to feel like a high school cafeteria. The art is cool and colorful, and there a big windows to sit next to. They have a big selection of food, the portions are generous, and it's not pricey. Overwell, what's not to like?
(5)Mckenzie E.
This is my go-to breakfast place in town. Perks: * You can substitute / add-on almost any ingredient to an order * Typically fast service * Unique specials * Surprisingly really good salads for a breakfast place Debatable Downsides: * Portion size can be overwhelmingly large, pancakes don't even fit on the plate-- pretty wasteful as many people take a few bites and then don't take food home * Somewhat long wait on weekends * Finishing everything on your plate will give you a food baby
(4)B C.
Were you ever in a fraternity or a sorority? Do you think sports are more important than academics? If so, try breakfast at the Village Deli. You're going to love it! If not, go to the Runcible Spoon.
(2)David R.
After waiting 10 minutes and being told our server would be right with us, it was another 5 minutes before he appeared. We never saw him again for a coffee refill, ask how the food was, or to collect the money which I had to take to one of the other waiters. This used to be an excellent place in town for breakfast. Save your money and go elsewhere.
(1)Thomas C.
The Village Deli seems to be a popular spot for students, townies, and churchgoers. It meets the needs of the non food-conscientious general public. Cozy, unpretentious decor, good service, and great location. It reminds me of the kind of place I'd go to back in my undergrad days after a long night of partying: greasy and buttery breakfasts and sandwiches, fried potatoes, and good prices; the type of place that you go into with low expectations and come out pleasantly satisfied. However, there really isn't much for the food-lover who is looking for locally grown products, higher quality ingredients, and imaginative preparations. Once I ordered biscuits and gravy, envisioning two fluffy biscuits with a cream-based thick sausage gravy, and instead got a tiny biscuit with a cold, mostly flour and milk-based gravy. I tried the huevos rancheros on my next visit, and to my chagrin, they were served on a huge burrito-sized four tortilla - a complete faux pas for anyone familiar with true Mexican cooking. All in all, this is a place that has made a great name for itself, and will always have a following. However, if you are the type of person who wouldn't set foot in a Cracker Barrel, Applebees, or Perkins, you might want to avoid the Village Deli and instead head to Runcible Spoon, Uptown, or Feast.
(2)Jeff L.
"Eat and Get Out!" - that's their motto! The Village Deli is one of the best breakfast spots in Bloomington with decent lunch and dinner options. To be fair, I always order from the breakfast menu even later in the day, so I'm not the best person to comment on other offerings! The Deli is known for its pancakes - GIANT pancakes! They offer a comprehensive list of add-ins (I prefer banana walnut) and one is usually more than enough. If you're a big eater, the short stack (2) would feed an elephant! Egg creations as well as potatoes (try the Paxton's Potatoes) are also among the favorite dishes for many. If you're looking for a great breakfast option, the Deli should be high on your list. Beware, Sunday mornings often see a line developing as the nearby churches finish morning services - but it's worth the wait!!
(4)Lyndsey C.
We always loved this place. Great food. We always went here for breakfast when my parents were in town. The place is always packed on a Sunday morning but it is worth the wait. Great prices and fantastic menu.
(5)Mary V.
We had a group of 7 last weekend that was accommodated very well. I always order the special eggs (scrambled with fresh mushrooms with topping of fresh chives and cheddar) and they didn't disappoint. The waiter was excellent and kept our coffee cups refilled. Someday I will order another item from the menu -- after 30 years it probably is about time but I do love those special eggs!
(4)Tom H.
There are long lines. The coffee is only passable. But the omelets are pretty good, and they serve traditional lox & bagels. There serve a HUGE pancake, but I'm not a carb loader. Season stuff yourself; they don't salt and pepper much but they have both and Tabasco, and on a good day Sriracha. Their ingredients are of good quality. They're also consistent in their preparation, which is very good. The booths aren't particularly comfortable, and as mentioned elsewhere here, their coffee isn't good, but that might be to flip tables. If the coffee were really good, everyone would stay. But, as their motto goes, they eat and get out. I do this frequently, as budgets allow.
(3)David V.
I've had several different dishes here. None of them were great. Mediocre at best.
(2)Kellie M.
We normally like to go to the VD just about every other weekend. My better half gets breakfast and I get lunch. We were really disappointed today to find out the new "abbreviated weekend lunch menu" is really limited and disappointing. I don't think we will be going back until they have their full non-breakfast menu on the weekends again. Until then, there are plenty of other options nearby.
(3)Patricia N.
Super busy on Saturdays. I'm not sure if it's worth the long wait, no to mention it's hard to find parking nearby. I had the breakfast burrito. It was pretty darn tasty with the eggs and chorizo. I also had it topped with guacamole and sour cream at an additional cost. If you ever plan on getting this...split it with another person, unless you're super hungry. It's pretty big.
(2)Jon A.
Exquisitely serviceable. They set their expectations and they nail them. Then, at times they knock it out of football arena and create such goodness mixed metaphors don't matter anymore. Oddly, in Indy lox isn't on that many breakfast menus. I said yes to coming here thinking I'd get a manageable omelet Then, lox is on the menu. Done. $7 and I'm transported to the perfect cocktail of offerings I've ever come to know (see my last supper on my profile, I'm not kidding). They nailed the classic lox. Because of that, I will always be on our side. Other reasons I'll be on your side: *the odd domed ceiling. *the sterling staff: fast, happy, accommodating *the humble nature of what you do: you slang brunch.
(3)Bill S.
Being local residents, my wife and I used to frequent Village Deli on a regular basis. It's been a few months since we've gone there, so we decided to give it a shot tonight. Parking was plentiful tonight and the restaurant didn't look busy at all. Good omen, or bad? At that point we weren't sure. It was about 6:30 pm, but we were both in the mood for breakfast. My wife ordered a half order of biscuits and gravy with a side of corned beef hash, while I ordered Paxton's Potatoes and the lemon poppyseed pancakes. When our orders arrived, we immediately had misgivings. First, the sodas that we ordered were almost completely flat. Second, the biscuits were stale (absolutely rock-hard) on my wife's half order of biscuits and gravy. Third, the potatoes on my order weren't the hot and crisp ones that normally nestle under the sausage gravy, but instead seemed like they had been sitting around the kitchen for a while. Come to think of it, the sausage gravy had almost no sausage in it whatsoever. The waitress did offer to get my wife another biscuit to replace the remaining stale biscuit on her dish, but at that point we didn't really want to bother. No offer was made to deduct the cost of the biscuits and gravy. (Also isn't $4.75 a bit steep for a half order of biscuits and gravy? I'm pretty sure it is.) Long story-short: we spent $27 (not including a decent tip) for a breakfast that could easily have been outclassed by our soon-to-be gone Waffle House. Come on, Village Deli! You used to be much better than this.
(2)Adam H.
Some of the best breakfast in Bloomington. Honestly I think some of the other places people recommend for breakfast are a little overrated. The service here is great, plenty of staff and the prices are fair. I think they only serve it one day of the week but chorizo scrambler is great.
(4)Anna W.
I get the feeling my breakfast tastes are different than most people's, because this is the 2nd place that everyone has told me is great and I have been less than impressed. When breakfast was all said and done, I just wasn't wowed. Their menu isn't huge and they have a nice selection of healthy options, but what I ordered lacked flavor. What I saw on everyone else's plates looked generic. Also, like most breakfast places, they make a big deal about giving you way too much food so you either have to be uncomfortably full in order to not be wasteful, or throw away half your plate. It just doesn't seem worth it. I ordered the Village Veggie Omelet. Like I said, it was okay. I appreciated that it wasn't greasy and the vegetables were crisp, but I needed some serious salt and pepper, and it seemed like others did too. I did enjoy that one of the cheese options was feta. I probably won't be back.
(3)Andrew C.
I'm not generally compelled to review poor experiences -- I don't want to spend any more time on a negative note than necessary. That said, Village Deli might be the most overrated "staple" in Bloomington. With a slogan like "EAT AND GET OUT", they make it awfully hard for a customer to do just that. We went today for lunch -- it was slow on our boothed side of the restaurant, maybe 6-7 tables in total plus a couple outside. We sat ourselves at a clear booth, but there were potatoes in the seat and crumbs on the tabletop. Fair enough, someone could have just left. The waitress kindly came by to wipe of the table, but she used a soaking wet towel and left standing water where she threw the menus down. We ordered drinks -- I got my coffee, but had to ask twice for water. No silverware was ever set on the table, so 7-8 minutes later I finally got the waitress's attention for place settings and was able to stir and drink my coffee. By this time, the coffee had cooled and I drank it quickly. I was never offered a refill during the remainder of my (unnecessarily long) stay. We ordered, waited 30+ minutes for simple breakfast food (their menu so poignantly states that "We don't serve fast food, you may have to wait a while for food during busy hours. If you want fast food go across the street." Unfortunately it was not busy, and we still waited..and waited. Alas, it did finally arrive. When it did, the waitress sat down my "Village Special" with a pancake (I ordered dry wheat toast). They left before I could correct the mis-order, and given the time I had already been there I was inclined to just eat part of the pancake and ignore the mistake. A couple of minutes later they returned and said "I gave you an extra pancake, sorry", took it, and returned it to another tray in the kitchen to be delivered elsewhere. It's common courtesy in a restaurant that anything that touches the table does not go to another customer -- especially if as a server you leave the table. I could have done anything to the pancake during your absence. Not sanitary, to say the least. Our toast was the last item to arrive roughly 5 minutes after the rest of the food (how ironic, the easiest to prepare comes last). The food was fine (we had breakfast, tough to screw up eggs and bacon), but hardly anything special, which is the only reason this review gets 2 stars instead of 1. I've been multiple times and never been impressed, but needless to say this will be our last visit for a while.
(2)Stacey N.
I wish I could say lots of nice things about Village Deli. I don't know how they keep getting voted 'best' anything. The place was pretty empty, three tables on our side, and yet we were there for over an hour. FOR BREAKFAST. It was ridiculous. The food was plentiful and acceptable, although they didn't have a huge selection. My biggest complaint, the waitress took my credit card, and the cash from the other table and then WALKED AROUND THE RESTAURANT WITH THEM FOR LIKE 10 MINUTES!!!! I wish that was an exaggeration. I mean, what the heck?? How is that acceptable? I tried to mention that to the guy up front who asked how it was as we were leaving, but I don't think he wanted to actually hear the answer. I'm not going back. I don't see the point. It's just another case of downtown restaurants being popular for no good reason. I don't know why I keep trying new ones because I have yet to be impressed by anything but the extremely poor service they seem to think is acceptable.
(2)Steven M.
Busy on weekends - or after an event which calls for drinking. All in all though, not a bad joint. It wont wow you, but it will satisfy you. I never have had a bad experience here, and found the food to be a couple notches above par.
(4)SJ H.
"Eat and get out" is an inappropriate slogan. Tried to have eggs there and waited 30 minutes before giving up waiting on the food we ordered. Nothing complicated, but horrible service considering the simplicity of our order.
(2)James C.
I used to love this place but this last trip it seemed like they phoned it in. The heuvos rancheros was bland and with scrambled eggs instead of fried (they changed this and it isn't an improvement). Perhaps they've gotten too big to keep their quality level up?
(3)Christopher R.
Very good upscale Denny's type breakfast. Spinach scramble is a must get. Pancakes are huge and very good but I am not a big pancake person. Non-college types need to get here before 9AM on the weekends or face the huge crowds. Uptown, Runcible Spoon and Bloomington Bagels all close by other (better?) options
(4)Jarrod R.
In my undergraduate days (when the dinosaurs roamed the earth and we were still fighting with the Soviet Union), The Village Deli was on my "rotation" for lunches and when Mom and Dad and other honored guests came to town. Now I'm a parent and while I don't have an IU student, my cousin is down finishing up her Doctorate, so we took our two little ones to visit and take her out to dinner. First off, it was fun to step back in time a little bit and experience the quirky decor and be around IU students again. The service was great and they were patient and kind to our little blond spitfires. I ordered the Bird for the Wise, a delicious combo of turkey, cranberry sauce and lettuce - like Thanksgiving dinner in sammitch form. And those hot potato chips -brought back those sense memories. My eldest had the pancakes and was going to pull a Man v. Food and try to finish them ("I can do it!") but out parenting clicked in thankfully. So, I was able to sample them and they are quite good. All in all, a very solid dining experience - in Bloomington - which is always a great time!
(4)Katie B.
Pretty good breakfast, though definitely not the best in town. It's usually packed to the gills on the weekends, mostly with students and/or tourists who don't know any better. The servers are okay, but don't really go out of their way to be nice or helpful. This place gets a ton of business because of its location and portion sizes. It's good once in a while, but not great.
(3)MsAnthro P.
I used to love the Deli about 20 years ago, now I'll only go there if forced. I remember the Sandwich on the Brink once involving an actual breaded breast of chicken and the last time I was there I instead got some weird processed chicken patty that tasted like cardboard. (And even if I would've liked it, the sandwich came with the wrong toppings and the slow-as-hell waitperson was annoyed rather than apologetic about it.) I'm sure my other old-school fave the Deli Melt is probably still good because how can you screw up a grilled cheese with spinach and mushrooms and Thousand Island dressing? What perplexes me the most are all the rave reviews from friends and strangers alike re: the breakfasts here. Yeah, the pancakes are big, but they're as basic as ever. They don't even put most of the fruit in the batter, they just throw it on top of the pancakes. Zzzzzz. And the omelets are bland as hell, even when I've specifically chosen the more seemingly flavorful ingredients. I've had better omelets at pretty much every other Bloomington restaurant that serves omelets. The home fries? Chunky, mealy and undercooked. They're like mini steak fries... and not good ones. And, oh god, the coffee is bile. Seriously, the Sysco Deli would be a better name for this place. Add to all of this the utterly sophomoric conversations you're likely to overhear at the Deli on a busy day, and I'd pretty much eat anywhere else on Kirkwood. Even, god forbid, Kilroy's.
(2)Tim W.
The Paxton potatoes are really great. I don't generally like gravy but these tasty taters with gravy and cheese were pretty wonderful. It was a 30-minute wait for the giant pancake but with some toast and Paxton potatoes to help me limp through my hunger, I managed to be able to wait without fussing so much as to disturb the other guests. I recommend adding blueberries to the batter. Hardly needed syrup (not to say I forewent the syrup)
(4)Michelle L.
This place is surprising. it doesn't look like it will be good from the outside, but happily it is cheap and informal, and large groups of students gather there consistently.
(4)Josh B.
I don't know why people love this place. Food is OK at best. But nothing I would stand around for and wait for a long time on a Saturday or Sunday. That's another big problem, the wait and slow service! To me it seems like the servers have too many tables to take care of or they are lazy and like to hang out and chat with the other servers rather than take care of the patrons. The wife and I have had service that is quick and friendly to slow and rude. In my opinion find another place that won't be run by annoying IU students who are trying to work on a Sunday morning hungover from the night before.
(2)Jenny B.
Giant pancakes! That's all I remember about Village Deli. If you love pancakes, never go to IHOP, this place is da BOMB! It's a great place for breakfast/brunch on weekend mornings and service was great, again I didn't usually order other breakfast food, always come here for pancakes... Yeah, lots of crowds though, so better be there early buddies!
(4)Emily S.
Everyone loves this place, but I don't get it. There is always an outrageous wait time for food that I could have made in my own kitchen. I've tried it a few times and will definitely not be going back.
(2)Wes M.
Village Deli is a Kirkwood classic for breakfast in Bloomington. It's abundant portions are bound to fill you up and the prices won't hurt your wallet. You're not getting anything fancy, we're talking your breakfast standards but they do have a few tricks up their sleeves. The Power breakfast - more food than most people can handle. The pancake alone will fill the average patron. This thing hangs over the edges of your plate! If you're going to order pancakes, they give you the option of several fillers or toppings, such as fruit or chocolate chips. This is some serious "I need something to soak up all the alcohol I consumed last night" food. Village Deli does the trick. Steer clear on the weekends due to long wait times unless you get there early [before 10am]. This place gets packed quick!
(3)John M.
Had Village Deli for breakfast on our way out of town as it seemed like one of those places you're supposed to go in Bloomington. Every time we walked by later in the morning/early in the afternoons it was packed, so we figured they must have been doing something right. We stopped in early to miss the crowds and service was a bit on the slow side as it appeared that they only had two people working the whole place. Our server was good though, so it didn't really hurt anything in that regard. The coffee was mediocre at best, and my wife really didn't like it at all. I thought it was passable, but for a place that serves that much breakfast, they should probably have better. We both got Paxton's potatoes and got a cinnamon pancake for the kid - the Paxton's are supposed to be this super famous thing they've got, but it was just a lot of potatoes with some gravy and cheese - nothing to it and too many taters vs. the other ingredients. The pancake was enormous, and was tasty but a bit sweet as it had a frosting/glaze on it as well, so it was basically a huge flat cinnamon roll. Not a bad thing per se, but a bit much for breakfast - I guess it is the midwest after all. Overrated based on the Food Network etc. type hype.
(3)MJ W.
Big warning, they are extremely slow during winter break! The slogan is "eat and get out". We tried, but it took 45 minutes to get our order for two. With that being said (CYE anyone?), the food is good. It's nothing over the top, but it's a great value. The coffee is good. I'm sure we will go back, but it is not as good as I remember it in college.
(3)NotTelling P.
Food: Very good food. Price: Good bargin Service: VERY SLOW. Atmosphere: OK. A quality meal at reasonable prices. I keep coming back.
(4)Adam N.
The Village Deli is exactly what it appears to be: an inexpensive, clean and simple breakfast diner. The food is fine (it's difficult to mess up eggs, toast and homefries), though it's nothing to write home about. Their coffee needs work. The pancakes, on the other hand, are amazing. If you're planning on going over the weekend, avoid the madness of brunch... you'll be up to your eyebrows in hung-over college students. Simple, tasty, and easy. That's the Village Deli.
(3)Matt H.
Bleh. Everything here is from Sysco. The omlettes are merely plain. The breakfast potatoes are the worst--cube-cut, freeze-dried, undercooked. They serve all their fountain drinks with crushed ice. People seem to like the pancakes, but that's ridiculous: it's just pre-mixed batter from Sysco that they pour right out of the carton on to a skillet. Even the atmosphere of the place is institutional. What makes it worse is that it is a mad house on the weekends when undergrads take their parents there because they don't know where else to go for breakfast and alums take their families their because it was where they went for breakfast as undergrads. A sad cycle which is the only reason the place stays in business. Seriously, go around the block to Runcible Spoon. I give them an extra * for frequently feeding the old schizophrenic homeless woman and allowing her to push her shopping cart into the restaurant on weekday mornings.
(2)Timothy Y.
If you love to breath...you'll live village deli!:-) Back in basic training I was on a road march early one morning. It was cold and had no brakfast. I started telling the other guys about these huge pancakes at this place where I live. I described them in great detail. I even had the drill sergeants drooling.
(5)Irene A.
Horrible service!!! We sat down, ordered, then proceeded to wait for about an hour for our food. We asked our server about our food and he replied, "it's coming, the kitchen is running really slow right now.". HOWEVER, the table directly across from us got our food before we did despite having five people compared to just the two of us and arriving about 10-15 minutes after we did. It seems like our order was forgotten about. Once they got their food, we slapped a few bucks on our table for the drinks and left. Will not be going back. Maybe if our server spent some time checking on our order instead of chatting in the lobby, we would have gotten to eat a nice breakfast.
(1)Leigh H.
Service was fast even though the restaurant was packed. The food was good. I didn't give 5 stars b/c the atmosphere is not so great. And we were stuck in the tiny west room that is cramped and awkward. But if you want a fast, no frills, diner-type experience...The VD delivers.
(4)Andrew K.
Folks, it's the pancakes. Oh god, the pancakes. I have honestly never had 'cakes like them, and God knows I have tried. I don't know what it is. Scratch that, I do know what it is, and it's the peanut butter and chocolate chips. But even if you don't want dessert for breakfast, get them without the chips. Just get them. Or get one, rather, because they're beyond massive. All else can be forgiven at the Deli for the pancakes. Though I've had plenty of the other food here. Breakfast is the meal of choice of course. Another favorite is Breakfast on a Bagel. Service can be variable as the place employs a rotating cast of college students, locals and other lovable ne'er-do-wells. Oh, the pancakes.
(5)Tamara M.
The Village Deli is our go-to place for weekday lunches, since it's a short walk from campus. Unfortunately, for the same reason, it gets CRAZY on weekend mornings, so we can only enjoy leisurely breakfasts during summer break, when most of Bloomington's population empties out. Pros: The food is wonderful. They offer figure-friendly options as well as your basic fried fare; I'm a fan of the veggie burgers or the Skinny Turkey with seasonal fruit on the side. The portions can be outrageous, though, especially those flying-saucer-sized pancakes (just order ONE). Cons: The service, while friendly, is very, very slow. That's understandable when it's busy, but during breaks when the place is completely empty but for a couple high schoolers it can still take half an hour to prep a simple sandwich and fries. They must only keep one cook back there. So if you have a lot of time on your hands and don't mind the wait, it's an excellent option for a casual or mildly celebratory meal.
(4)Christine V.
I've never had the pancakes. Something about eating cake for breakfast is really gross to me. HOWEVER, their breakfast burrito is huge and reallllllly good. It's like a big burrito with a pound of beef and eggs, sour cream, melty cheese. Nothing you couldn't make at home, but it's nice to go out. Fun place to people watch, good coffee, I like the crushed ice. Their home fries are great. I think people love this place because that's where a lot of the piecing together of the night before happens. It's good stuff. Parent friendly too. Which is rare in Bloomington :)
(4)Meghan L.
completely decent breakfast place with generally decent prices. pros: -amazing belgian waffles, amazing anything with eggs -endless drinkable if not amazing coffee -tasty home fries -just enough grease to soak up the hangover you probably have -delicious homemade granola cons: -that damn granola is so expensive! -honestly...the coffee does kind of suck -gets crowded on weekends oh hmm i wonder why
(4)Jason F.
This is a disappointing restaurant to be the best breakfast in Bloomington. I got the spinach scramble, which was just eh. Of particular concern were the terrible homefries/potatos, which were really the same potato cubes that come in airport breakfasts. There wasn't too much bacon mixed into my scramble either. I probably should have just gone with the pancakes (I'm just not a pancake person).
(3)Fred O.
Exactly what you would expect for a college town breakfast join!
(4)Purvi R.
Delicious morning-after-big-night food. VERY fast service!! I got some type of bagel (maybe egg and cheese with butter?? MMM) and a side of the potatoes with all that yummy crap on it. That yummy crap (some type or variation of salsa??) was DELIcious. As you may know from my previous reviews I am a potato-lover and this mix was very unique. Had sour cream dolluped on top too :) A lot of food. We were full til dinner, perfect since we had a wedding later that day anyways.
(3)Philippe F.
After a night of drankin at the Blue Bird, a greasy breakfast is what I crave. Their power breakfast will do just that. Eggs and homefries were good. Their sausage patties were delicious. It also comes with one pancake, it even says so on their menu. I'm glad, because this pancake had to be cooked on a griddle the size of my kitchen. It's gynormous and tasty all at the same time. I like the diner feel to this place as well.....along with the classic black and white checkered floors. The only thing I didn't care for was the unisex bathroom. Those damn women never put the seat back up!
(4)Jonathan F.
The burgers *suck*. it was bland and smelled funny--and it didn't have the consistency of a normal beef patty. By which I mean it had more in common with wonder bread than meat. Also the tomatoes were ice cold and the bun was untoasted and slightly stale. I've had breakfast here a few times and that was acceptable for diner food. Just don't have the burger here.
(3)Kevin W.
I love this place. It's a great spot to go to on a weekend for breakfast all day. The best hang over cure is a plate full of the pancakes. The service is pretty quick and they follow their motto pretty close "get in & get out!" It's kind of like a diner setting. Sometimes during the weekends of big games, there can be a while of a wait, but it's worth it. It's cheap, quick and decent. Kind of like an upgraded version of Dennys.
(4)Berrius B.
Village Special with whole wheat toast and sausage patties. Can't beat it! Decent price and quick. As an added bonus, if you eat there in the summer you don't have to put up with nearly as many hung-over frat idiots and sorrostitutes. Their coffee needs to get better. If it does, my rating goes up to 5 stars. Only a few other restaurants in town can compete with the VD for breakfast. Plus you can always ask your fellow diners if they want some VD this morning. You can even say it's your treat.
(4)Meagan B.
Village Deli is subpar food at best. I was starving one morning and went there and had an omelette that was pretty tasteless. I didn't even finish it. My boyfriend had the eggs and potatoes and pancakes. The only thing that was good was the pancake. I would not go there again, but if you are an IU undergraduate who is hungover at least the portions are good.
(2)M M.
Great menu, consistent food in my experience...I would totally give them 5 stars if the coffee was better! Why, oh WHY the owner uses cheap coffee is beyond me...brings what could be a great experience every time to a mere mediocre one!
(3)Rachael S.
HUGE breakfasts! I mean HUGE!!! Pretty solid quality too, at a decent price. I'm a big fan of their huevos rancheros and pancakes. The only thing I've ever had there that I didn't really like was the coffee cake: it was too dry and pretty expensive. It's crowded on weekend mornings, and service can be very slow if you sit outside. Otherwise, I'm a fan!
(4)Colleen M.
I loveeee the VD, so much food for sooo cheap! My ex loves the sorry charlie, and thinks everything else is gross... whatever I love it all, especially their potato salad (they use some spice that people generally either love or hate in their potato salad). The fries are good too and the breakfast can't be beat. OFten there is a line, but the service staff here seems to always be top notch. Working quickly and effeciently. I'm always shocked when the bill comes with how cheap this place is... totally great! and really close to campus, makes it nice and easy.
(4)Chris R.
The go-to breakfast spot in Bloomington. Since I moved to DC, we have often woken up in the morning and reminisced about plate-sized pancakes and breakfast burritos that leave you feeling unable to walk. We miss seeing the mix of folks - neighbors, professors, co-workers, classmates - particularly on farmer's market Saturday mornings. While we did rotate occasionally with Wee Willie's and even the Indiana version of Waffle House, this was our favorite and we will always go back when in Bloomington.
(4)Wendy S.
You've gotta love this place...it's sooooo Bloomington. Great breakfasts, but would love to see them start offering a healthy side to their menu.
(4)Ann M.
Just can't get into this place - only go when my friends insist on it, which is several times a year. So clearly it had appeal to some people, but I don't get it. I find the front service borderline rude more often than not, particularly if you go on a Sunday morning and you are waiting for a table. I don't think there is much distinguishing the menu other than the enormous pancakes. The booth seating is pretty uncomfortable. I guess it's decent and not too expensive? So's Wee Willies.
(3)Lisa F.
I have always wanted to like their food. Partly because it's a local diner that has less grease filled options partly because it seems like they really are trying. I have however never found their food to be appetizing and usually only WANT to go there when I have a cold and can't taste food anyway. They don't use seasonings they don't put anything on the food that makes it taste like anything and somehow even their red meat options taste as bland as broiled chicken.
(2)Nan M.
I can't understand the popularity of Village Deli. I guess that it has something to do with the scarcity of breakfast places and the possibility that some people are weirded out by Runcible Spoon. The truth about Village Deli is that while some of the specials are good, the food isn't amazing. To me, it tastes like plain ol' breakfast food. (Not like that's necessarily a problem, because breakfast food is awesome.) However, for price I go to Wee Willie's and for taste I go to Runcible Spoon.
(3)Mara S.
An old favorite from my IU days... I went back this weekend and it wasn't as good as I remember - maybe I hyped it up too much in my head. Everything is still just as greasy and the service is still good -- the food is only ok (though I highly recommend the french fries). The diner is pretty laid back, though the valley girls surrounding our table talking about last night's frat party definitely didn't help with the ambiance.
(3)Josh R.
The Village Deli is the only place in town that can satisfy my diner needs. While the Runcible Spoon is a great boho breakfast, sometimes I just have to eat something more inorganic and less rustic. The ambience, though occasionally marred by a flood of college students, has an appropriate low-brow and functional, but still slightly hip, feel. People-watching opportunities are ideal; you will likely see one of several classic scenes unfold: sorority girls discussing last night at shameless volumes; parents visiting their obviously hung-over student; and a pair, one of whom answered 'yes' to the obligatory breakfast after offer that should never be accepted. The food is diner food. It is thankfully done efficiently with a minimum of frills. Bacon, eggs, sausage, omelets, and sandwiches are all hammered out with comforting, unornamented precision. Some of the braver offerings are my kind of madness; one of the paxton's something-er-others is made by dumping sausage cream gravy and cheese on homefries. The result might be called comfort food if it didn't conjure deeply uncomforting images of my untimely end at the hands of cardiovascular disease with each abrosial bite. Pancakes are unreasonably large as is the consternating fashion of our times, but their texture and flavor do not suffer from this trespass, so I will readily forgive it. The breakfast burrito occasionally sounds appealing, but always disappoints; it's too much food, the salsa is watery and ill-suited to its purpose and the tortilla is starchy and adds nothing to the dish. The home-fries are small, crispy fried squares that are nothing like any home-fries I've ever had, if for no other reason than that they're good. The coffee is coffee; I can explain it little beyond this tautology. If you want coffee that requires adjectives, then go to Soma. I've had little in the way of other drinks, but they use crushed ice, which is a nice touch and handy when playing with your straw (I advise you do so and also fidget with your straw wrapper and empty sugar packets while waiting on your food). My only serious complaint is that the village deli should be open all night because sometimes breakfast can't be bothered to wait until morning.
(4)Heather K.
Pax II, I miss you.
(4)Kat F.
Back in my IU days I used to practically live here. I was all about the Paxtons part II - the South of the Border home fries. It's a bowl of homefries, mixed with peppers and onions, topped with salsa, sour cream and cheddar cheese and green onions. It's ridiculously cheap and fills you up. My heart is happy that I don't eat this 4+ times a week anymore. My soul, however, still mourns.
(4)Louis O.
Best place in B-Town for breakfast. You'll probably have to wait a while with a big party, but it's usually worth the wait. The Omlettes are amazing.
(5)Eric M.
As far as brunch places go, The Village Deli is ok. Our wait was exactly what they quoted, which was 20 minutes for a Sunday morning, and our server was very nice. The coffee needed sugar or cream as it had no flavor. I ordered the biscuits and sausage gravy, which contained very little sausage. It came with a side of eggs, which I ordered over hard, and they were ok. One of my friends ordered the pancakes which I realize should've been my decision. It contained both chocolate and peanut butter chips and was the size of a manhole cover. The few bites I had caused a small tear to run down my cheek.
(3)Jenna W.
I personally don't think this place is much good for anything but their breakfast food, but luckily, they serve the breakfast menu all day! I love eggs, and unfortunately theirs are slightly bland, but nothing salt can't help. Their pancakes however, not only are they HUGE, so big they barely fit on the plate...but they are literally "melt-in-your-mouth" and you won't even know that definition until you try them! They are simply devine, melt with first bite, and you can taste the sugar in them!
(4)Justin W.
Best Saturday morning breakfast place in town. I love those pancakes and omelets.
(4)Laura D.
The food at the Village Deli is really great. I'm a sucker for their spinach scramble for breakfast food and the falafel filled pita sandwich can't be beat. The pancakes are huge and the coffee has always been strong and hot. Service can get a bit slow when it's really busy, but it's also obvious that the servers do try their best to keep up with their customers despite the crowds.
(4)Aaron B.
Great place for weekend breakfast. I wouldn't recommend anything but breakfast food from here, but their breakfast is fantastic. Granola pancakes are a favorite of mine. The service is good and the place is generally crowded on the weekends.
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