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✔️Brunch ✔️Lunch ✔️Dinner ✔️Dine in ✔️Take out
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Sophisticated tapas spot with global small plates & a full bar offering specialty martinis.
Address and Contact Information
Address: 414 N Main St, Bloomington, IL 61701
Phone: (309) 828-1300
Website: http://www.realitybitesblm.com/
Menu Photos
Order and Reservations
Reservations: toasttab.com
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Reality Bites – Bloomington
Downtown Bloomington IL’s most cherished restaurant. Cooking up non-traditional tapas and delicious entrees like no one else in Central Illinois.
Reality Bites Bloomington (@realitybitesbloomington) – Instagram
857 followers · 614 posts · Small Bites + Cocktails + Restaurant in #DowntownBloomington ☎️ (309)828-1300.
Reality Bites | Explore | Downtown Bloomington, IL
Reality Bites · Category:Dine – American, Dine – Tapas/Small Plates, Work – Accounting, Dine (all) · Address:414 N. Main Bloomington, IL 61701 · Phone:(309) 828 …
Reviews
Shawn Gusciora
Lovely outdoor seating and delightful cocktails await you at Reality Bites. We enjoyed the Seared Tuna and Pork Potstickers appetizers. The Harvest Salad from the seasonal menu was also very tasty. The chicken on the El Bandido salad was tough- won’t order that again.
… moreCats J
The only thing that bit during our first (and last!) visit was the reality that this was one of the worst dining experiences we’ve ever had (and we eat out a lot).
We waited over 30 minutes for a burger (ordered medium) and farfalle pasta with vodka sauce –we were the only table that had placed a dinner order at that time. No check-ins, no updates. When I finally asked, we were told the kitchen was “plating” and needed five more minutes – they took more than 5.
My burger came out first and was beyond well-done. It was dry and smothered in sloppy sauce. The pasta was completely wrong: linguini with basic marinara instead of the farfalle with vodka sauce that was on the menu. The sauce tasted straight from a jar. We were hungry and almost let it go, until my husband took a bite and the pasta was raw. Not al dente. Crunchy. Oh, and they also forgot the bread. No explanation!
We sent both dishes back because they were simply not edible. (Btw, food wasn’t cheap either: pasta was $29 and burger was $20)
Between the long wait, lack of communication, incorrect dishes, overcooked burger, jar-tasting sauce, and raw pasta, it felt careless, even insulting. Like the menu is banking on diners not knowing the difference. It was unbelievable!
If the movie Reality Bites was about the harsh wake-up call of adulthood, this place is the harsh wake-up call of overpromising and underdelivering.
I’ve never left a restaurant this frustrated. Would never recommend.
… moreWe waited over 30 minutes for a burger (ordered medium) and farfalle pasta with vodka sauce –we were the only table that had placed a dinner order at that time. No check-ins, no updates. When I finally asked, we were told the kitchen was “plating” and needed five more minutes – they took more than 5.
My burger came out first and was beyond well-done. It was dry and smothered in sloppy sauce. The pasta was completely wrong: linguini with basic marinara instead of the farfalle with vodka sauce that was on the menu. The sauce tasted straight from a jar. We were hungry and almost let it go, until my husband took a bite and the pasta was raw. Not al dente. Crunchy. Oh, and they also forgot the bread. No explanation!
We sent both dishes back because they were simply not edible. (Btw, food wasn’t cheap either: pasta was $29 and burger was $20)
Between the long wait, lack of communication, incorrect dishes, overcooked burger, jar-tasting sauce, and raw pasta, it felt careless, even insulting. Like the menu is banking on diners not knowing the difference. It was unbelievable!
If the movie Reality Bites was about the harsh wake-up call of adulthood, this place is the harsh wake-up call of overpromising and underdelivering.
I’ve never left a restaurant this frustrated. Would never recommend.
Lealand Randel
18 dollars for three tacos store bought salsa and chips two pieces of shrimp and overcooked as well on each taco no worth 18 dollars. I can makeore than that for the price of buying a bag of shrimp, tortillas, salsa, chips, tomato, avocado would come to 18 bucks. Don’t recommend. The waitress only stopped by 3 times only do bring drinks the first time then apps and then the tacos which 45 minutes for the other food to come out.
… moreDraconis _Margot
Wonderful place! This was my first time here, and the food was amazing. I had the Ex Boyfriend (the drink in the picture) it’s a perfect light drink if you like drinks on the sweeter side. The party I was with shared many of the menu appetizers, and all were a HIT! Especially the spinach and artichoke dip, along with the bacon wrapped dates.
… moreSamantha Hansen
My boyfriend and I decided to try some place new for dinner and landed on Reality Bites. The owner greeted us right away. They were busy, so we sat at the bar while we waited for a table. It was worth the wait for sure! We ordered the Bang Bang Shrimp and bacon wrapped dates for appetizers. I’m still thinking about how good both of those were. My boyfriend ordered the New York Strip and I ordered “the Funks Grove Burger”. I can’t say enough good things about the food and environment there. We were raving to our family and friends about it!
… moreAyriona Hanks
Went there for dinner because we are in town for the week and wanted to try something new, and It really was not worth the price online we must have been looking at the wrong menu that they use to have so when we went in we got kind of blind sided with prices and what was available, we ordered the shrimp tacos that are $18 dollars and 3 small tacos only come with 2 shrimp each and our shrimp was very very over cooked we also waited over 30 minutes for them but our fried apps came out within like 5 minutes we also were served cheep chips and salsa with our tacos, so really not worth the pricing, the bang bang shrimp was pretty good, and the goat cheese balls weren’t bad but looked bigger in the pictures we were looking at before going in. Our waitress was pretty nice but the entire time we were there we only got checked on a couple times. Sorry to say I am very disappointed with everything from here. We also paid 60 dollars for 3 items and 1 beer.
… moreTommy Mac
It’s a very popular place, even during the week, so be sure to make reservations.
It’s a fine dining spot with a laid back vibe. The food is top notch. I had the red snapper which was excellent. They even got the skin cooked perfectly.
The cocktail menu features some fun concoctions. Their standard old fashioned is yummy and they don’t skimp on the liquor.
I love how friendly the staff is here. Our waitress was very pleasant and accommodating.
It’s a pricey place, but worth every penny.
… moreIt’s a fine dining spot with a laid back vibe. The food is top notch. I had the red snapper which was excellent. They even got the skin cooked perfectly.
The cocktail menu features some fun concoctions. Their standard old fashioned is yummy and they don’t skimp on the liquor.
I love how friendly the staff is here. Our waitress was very pleasant and accommodating.
It’s a pricey place, but worth every penny.
Brian J
4/8/22
So I’m going to start with the good part first. The bartenders were nice and the drinks (old fashioned) we’re very good and made to perfection! I ordered the goat cheese balls as an appetizer and they were absolutely amazing!
So I ordered the filet which came with vegetables and mashed potatoes. The fillet was fine and nicely prepared and the vegetables were piping hot. Then, I take a bite of the mashed potatoes and they were literally refrigerator temperature cold. Like you could not achieve this level of cold just by leaving food sit out. I don’t think I’ve ever had this happen before at a restaurant as it was like they literally forgot to warm them.
So I’m sitting at the end of the bar where all of the servers are coming and going getting drinks including the person who brought my food. Not one single person ever asked me if everything was okay or if the food was right. Not even the person who appeared to be the manager said anything while he stood next to me on two occasions.
I ate my steak and vegetables and left this pile of stone cold potatoes untouched thinking that an observant manager or staff person might see this and inquire, but no one did. Eventually a hand came from nowhere and just grab the plate and whisked it away!
I will also add that this was near closing time for the kitchen, but like I always say, it doesn’t matter whether the restaurant just opened or whether it’s getting ready to close, the food should come out the same. Most of the let down with this experience was about the lack of communication customer interaction. This was the first experience so I will definitely give them a try again in the future.
… moreSo I’m going to start with the good part first. The bartenders were nice and the drinks (old fashioned) we’re very good and made to perfection! I ordered the goat cheese balls as an appetizer and they were absolutely amazing!
So I ordered the filet which came with vegetables and mashed potatoes. The fillet was fine and nicely prepared and the vegetables were piping hot. Then, I take a bite of the mashed potatoes and they were literally refrigerator temperature cold. Like you could not achieve this level of cold just by leaving food sit out. I don’t think I’ve ever had this happen before at a restaurant as it was like they literally forgot to warm them.
So I’m sitting at the end of the bar where all of the servers are coming and going getting drinks including the person who brought my food. Not one single person ever asked me if everything was okay or if the food was right. Not even the person who appeared to be the manager said anything while he stood next to me on two occasions.
I ate my steak and vegetables and left this pile of stone cold potatoes untouched thinking that an observant manager or staff person might see this and inquire, but no one did. Eventually a hand came from nowhere and just grab the plate and whisked it away!
I will also add that this was near closing time for the kitchen, but like I always say, it doesn’t matter whether the restaurant just opened or whether it’s getting ready to close, the food should come out the same. Most of the let down with this experience was about the lack of communication customer interaction. This was the first experience so I will definitely give them a try again in the future.
Alex Pokorny
Food Allergy Warning!!! I hate leaving bad reviews, but last night was kind of a dangerous experience. I ordered an autumn special – sweet potato gnocchi – which very clearly stated its ingredients were gnocchi, browned butter, crispy sage, and Parmesan. When it came, it was regular gnocchi, with sausage and shrimp. When I asked, the waitress had to check with the kitchen. Apparently the menu is wrong and they are working on replacement menus. I was comped the dish, but the staff seemed a little less concerned than I think they should’ve been. I just honestly worry about someone with a shell fish allergy. I wanted people to be aware. Sorry Reality Bites! But that’s an immediate “never again” from us.
… moreKendra Scott
Used to be one of my favorite restaurants years ago and the food quality has gone down significantly. Have talked to others about my experience and found they have all had similar experiences. No thank you.
… more