New to Bloomington: Which restaurants opened in 2023 and what's coming in 2024
For its size, Bloomington has an abundance of restaurants, from franchise to independent eateries with a variety of cuisine for all tastes. More than 20 new restaurants opened their doors in 2023 and several others changed ownership. Even more restaurants are planned for 2024.
Here's a look at what's coming and what's new this past year in the Bloomington area:
Restaurants coming to Bloomington, Indiana, in 2024
Bru Burger restaurant, a part of the Cunningham Restaurant Group, is expected to open at 229 Grant St., Suite 101. The burger chain has restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.
Cold Stone Creamery is expected to open at 288 S. Grant St. The creamery offers ice cream, cakes, shakes, smoothies and more.
Coffee Beanery is expected to open at 321 E. Third St. It, along with the Bru Burger and Cold Stone Creamery, will be located on the first floor of The Annex of Bloomington apartment complex at East Third and South Grant streets.
Lincoln Square Pancake House is expected to open in the former Denny's location at 2160 N. Walnut St. There is no announcement about when the opening will happen. Lincoln Square Pancake House is a family-run business founded in 1989 by George Katris. It has a dozen restaurants in Indianapolis, Greenfield, Greenwood and Westfield.
Rita's Italian Ice and Frozen Custard opened its Bloomington shop at 430 E. Kirkwood Ave., for a short time in 2023. Located in the former Falafel's Middle Eastern Grill site in Dunkirk Square, it is now closed for the season and will open in 2024.
Burma Garden, Joella's: These Bloomington restaurants closed for good in 2023
Restaurants that opened in Bloomington, Indiana, in 2023
Chicken Salad Chick, at 115 Ind. 46 Bypass Suite K, opened in the former Burgers, Wings & Things location. Of course, chicken salad of many varieties is the focus.
Dave’s Hot Chicken opened at 314-316 E. Kirkwood Ave. Chicken tenders and fries are the mainstay with various sauces with a range of heat levels.
Toppers Pizza, at 212 S. Indiana Ave., opened in April. The chain restaurant is known for its unusual toppings for pizzas as well as its wings.
Kung Fu Tea, at 3287 W. Third St. in Whitehall Plaza shopping center, opened in April as well. Drinks, from tea and punch to slushes, are available with or without bubbles and milk caps.
Just in time for food truck season, Fried Hoosier Food Truck opened in May offering chicken tenders, tenderloins, fries, funnel cake fries and more.
Mama Dukes Hawaiian Barbeque opened in May for catering, pick up and as a booth at the Bloomington Food Truck Fridays and the People's Market on Saturdays. Hawaiian fare includes Spam and teriyaki Spam musubi and Shoyu chicken with white rice and mac salad.
JS Thai Food, a food booth, opened in June at the Bloomington Food Truck Fridays.
Peach Cobbler Factory opened at 113 N. College Ave. in July. The dessert-centric shop offers many varieties of cobbler with ice cream as well as banana puddings, cinnamon rolls, shakes and cookies.
The seventh Pizza X location opened at 312 E. Third St. in July. The downtown location took over some of the deliveries from the campus and southside stores to allow more efficient and faster service.
August was a busy month for new restaurants. Mr. Tokyo opened at 530 E. Kirkwood Ave., Suite 105.
Maru Products Artisanal Bakery & More opened at 120 E. Seventh St., the former location of Butch’s Grillacatessen and Eateria. The Venezuelan bakery offers savory and sweet options.
Little Bowl Thai, operated by the owners of BloomingThai, opened in August at the Food Truck Fridays in Bloomington as well as other locations and events in the area.
Piccoli Dolci opened its market and cafe at 223 Pete Ellis Drive, Suite 27, where breakfast, lunch and brunch food and drinks are available as well as curated Italian imports.
Planted Bloomington food truck, serving seasonal plant-based fare, opened in September. The food truck also offers catering and is often outside the Bloomington Winter Farmers' Market.
The eastside Pizza Hut at 250 S. Pete Ellis Drive, reopened after being closed for several months.
The Vault Pub, a new pub-style restaurant, opened in September on the lobby level of the Indiana Memorial Union. It serves pub grub appetizers, entrees and desserts.
Phat Daddy’s BBQ opened at 4747 W. Ind. 46 in Ellettsville in September. Barbecue, burgers, wings and desserts are on the menu.
Vivencia Latin Flavors opened at 2800 E. Buick Cadillac Blvd., in the former Bowl location, in September. The restaurant offers American and Latin American fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Cafe K-Bap, a new Korean restaurant, opened in September at 340 S. Walnut St., Suite 4.
Everbowl, at 518 E. Kirkwood Ave., opened in September, offering bowls of fruits, nuts and healthful ingredients as well as smoothies and coffee.
Heartwork Brewing opened at 1703 N. College Ave. in November as a veteran-owned craft brewery with a production facility and taproom that has indoor and outdoor seating.
Go inside: New brewery, Heartwork Brewing, anticipates opening this fall on North College Avenue
Marco and Polo Restaurant at 209 S. Grant St. offers Eurasian cuisine of the Uyghur people located in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region within China. The restaurant opened in November.
Ale’s Ice Cream Shop, at 309 S. Hickory Drive, opened in December and serves ice cream, popsicles, flan, crepes and more.
Chipotle opened its third Bloomington location at 3151 W. Third St. in December. This location has a special lane for people who order online to pick up their orders without leaving their vehicles.
Kimu Restaurant opened at 413 E. Fourth St., in December. The restaurant serves traditional Burmese and other Pan-Asian plates.
For that winter chill: Savor some soup at one of Bloomington's many restaurants
Restaurants that changed names, ownership or location in 2023
Swing-In Pizza at 1280 N. College Ave., Suite 3, became Hank’s Pizza Mac on Jan. 14 and updated its menu to include mac bowls as well as the pizza and strombolis already offered.
Porthole Inn at 8939 E. South Shore Drive, Unionville, on the south side of Lake Lemon, reopened its restaurant and bar under new ownership in February after an extensive renovation.
In May, BB’s Market became Chop Shop Market & Table, 1915 S. Walnut St. It was formerly Wagon Wheel Custom Meats and restaurant.
In August, Olive Leaf and Bloomington Chocolate Company moved to a new location in Eastland Plaza between Petco and the new Rally House, at 3534 E. Third St.
Also in August, Hilltop Family Restaurant in Spencer, 2434 U.S. 231, changed ownership, with Rick and Zachary Carter taking the reins. The Carters closed their downtown Spencer Pizza Town USA location and eventually moved pizza to Hilltop.
La Bonita Mexican Restaurant, 1709 N. College Ave., moved into a new area of its location, to the right of where the current grocery/market is located.
Chocolate Moose opened a kiosk inside College Mall in December. The location is expected to remain open at least through the winter months.
Contact Carol Kugler at ckugler@heraldt.com or 812-331-4359.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington, Indiana, restaurants that will open in 2024
