Highest-rated restaurants with outdoor seating in Bloomington by diners

Written by:
August 27, 2025
George Dolgikh // Shutterstock

Highest-rated restaurants with outdoor seating in Bloomington by diners

The average person spends over 74 minutes eating and drinking on any given weekday. On weekends and holidays, that goes up to over 81 minutes. Where is a better place to spend that time than a restaurant?

Consumers agree. The National Restaurant Association states that 9 in 10 adults enjoy eating out at restaurants, which give people access to a world of great-tasting food that's often difficult to reproduce at home.

People choose restaurants to scope out the latest food trends, including deeper dives into Southeast Asian cuisines from Korea, Vietnam, and the Philippines, without trying to master these complex dishes at home. Chefs also have the resources to experiment with ingredients and bring new favorites like hot honey, spicy maple, matcha, and pickled foods to the table.

Dining out also offers unique, hyperlocal experiences featuring local farmers, food producers, brewers, winemakers, and distillers in a way that connects diners to the area.

When the weather's nice, diners flock to al fresco seating. At least 2 in 5 diners like eating outdoors and look for great ambience like skyline views, rooftop settings, and waterfront seating to enhance their dining experience.

Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated restaurants in the Bloomington area using data from Yelp. Data is as of Aug. 4, 2025. Only businesses marked as having outdoor seating on the Yelp website were included. Yelp's ranking system calculates an adjusted rating value that considers the number of ratings and the rating score itself. Only businesses with at least 20 reviews within a 10-kilometer radius of Bloomington were considered. Also, in an effort to highlight independent businesses and local chains, those with more than 10 locations nationally, based on our Yelp data, were not included. Read on to see if your favorite spot made the list.

1 / 29
Chubbies Diner

#29. Chubbies Diner

- Rating: 4.1/5 (30 reviews)
- Address: 118 East Kirkwood Ave. Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Mexican
- Read more on Yelp

2 / 29
Mother Bear's Pizza West

#28. Mother Bear's Pizza West

- Rating: 4.1/5 (226 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2980 West Whitehall Crossing Blvd. Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Pizza, Italian
- Read more on Yelp

3 / 29
My Thai Cafe & Sushi Bar - West Side

#27. My Thai Cafe & Sushi Bar - West Side

- Rating: 4.1/5 (178 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3316 West 3rd St. Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Thai
- Read more on Yelp

4 / 29
Feta Kitchen + Cafe

#26. Feta Kitchen + Cafe

- Rating: 4.1/5 (106 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 600 East Hillside Drive Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Cafes, Juice Bars & Smoothies, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt
- Read more on Yelp

5 / 29
Da Vinci

#25. Da Vinci

- Rating: 4.1/5 (180 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 250 South Washington St. Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Pizza, Italian, Salad
- Read more on Yelp

6 / 29
The Inkwell

#24. The Inkwell

- Rating: 4.1/5 (155 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 105 North College Ave. Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Coffee & Tea, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

7 / 29
Blooming Thai

#23. Blooming Thai

- Rating: 4.2/5 (70 reviews)
- Address: 405 East 4th St. Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Thai, Asian Fusion, Bubble Tea
- Read more on Yelp

8 / 29
Lennie's

#22. Lennie's

- Rating: 4.2/5 (307 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 514 East Kirkwood Ave. Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Pizza, Sandwiches, Beer Bar
- Read more on Yelp

9 / 29
C3 Bar

#21. C3 Bar

- Rating: 4.2/5 (130 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1505 South Piazza Drive Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Cocktail Bars, Tapas/Small Plates
- Read more on Yelp

10 / 29
Vivencia Latin Flavors

#20. Vivencia Latin Flavors

- Rating: 4.2/5 (71 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2800 East Buick Cadillac Blvd. Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Venezuelan
- Read more on Yelp

11 / 29
Anyetsang Little Tibet Restaurant

#19. Anyetsang Little Tibet Restaurant

- Rating: 4.2/5 (219 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 415 East 4th St. Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Himalayan/Nepalese, Thai, Indian
- Read more on Yelp

12 / 29
Siam House

#18. Siam House

- Rating: 4.2/5 (250 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 430 East 4th St. Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Thai
- Read more on Yelp

13 / 29
Uptown Cafe

#17. Uptown Cafe

- Rating: 4.2/5 (769 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 102 East Kirkwood Ave. Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Cajun/Creole, American
- Read more on Yelp

14 / 29
Longfei

#16. Longfei

- Rating: 4.3/5 (153 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 113 South Grant St. Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Chinese, Seafood, Noodles
- Read more on Yelp

15 / 29
Mother Bear's Pizza Campus

#15. Mother Bear's Pizza Campus

- Rating: 4.3/5 (899 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1428 East 3rd St. Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Pizza, Salad, Bars
- Read more on Yelp

16 / 29
The Chocolate Moose

#14. The Chocolate Moose

- Rating: 4.3/5 (228 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 405 South Walnut St. Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Desserts, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

17 / 29
Korea Restaurant

#13. Korea Restaurant

- Rating: 4.3/5 (114 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 409 East 4th St. Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Korean
- Read more on Yelp

18 / 29
Bloomington Brewing Company

#12. Bloomington Brewing Company

- Rating: 4.3/5 (32 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 514 East Kirkwood Ave. Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Breweries, American
- Read more on Yelp

19 / 29
Samira Restaurant

#11. Samira Restaurant

- Rating: 4.4/5 (259 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 100 West 6th St. Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Afghan, Salad, Soup
- Read more on Yelp

20 / 29
The Elm

#10. The Elm

- Rating: 4.4/5 (95 reviews)
- Address: 614 East 2nd St. Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: New American
- Read more on Yelp

21 / 29
Happy Thai Restaurant

#9. Happy Thai Restaurant

- Rating: 4.5/5 (60 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 519 South Walnut St. Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Thai
- Read more on Yelp

22 / 29
Cardinal Spirits

#8. Cardinal Spirits

- Rating: 4.5/5 (243 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 922 South Morton St. Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Cocktail Bars, Distilleries, New American
- Read more on Yelp

23 / 29
Turkuaz Cafe

#7. Turkuaz Cafe

- Rating: 4.5/5 (453 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 301 East 3rd St. Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Mediterranean, Cafes, Kebab
- Read more on Yelp

24 / 29
Parlor Doughnuts

#6. Parlor Doughnuts

- Rating: 4.5/5 (57 reviews)
- Address: 322 East Kirkwood Ave. Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Donuts, Coffee & Tea, Breakfast & Brunch
- Read more on Yelp

25 / 29
Rainbow Bakery

#5. Rainbow Bakery

- Rating: 4.5/5 (153 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 201 South Rogers I Fell Building I Fell Building Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Bakeries, Vegan, Gluten-Free
- Read more on Yelp

26 / 29
BRU Burger Bar

#4. BRU Burger Bar

- Rating: 4.6/5 (42 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 229 South Grant St. Ste 1 Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Salad, Burgers, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp

27 / 29
Toto's Uncle Cafe

#3. Toto's Uncle Cafe

- Rating: 4.7/5 (111 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 3297 East Covenanter Drive Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Korean, Noodles
- Read more on Yelp

28 / 29
Gables Bagels

#2. Gables Bagels

- Rating: 4.7/5 (117 reviews)
- Address: 421 East 3rd St. Ste 10 Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Bagels, Sandwiches, Coffee & Tea
- Read more on Yelp

29 / 29
Morgenstern's Books

#1. Morgenstern's Books

- Rating: 5.0/5 (20 reviews)
- Address: 849 South Auto Mall Road Bloomington, Indiana
- Categories: Bookstores, Cafes
- Read more on Yelp

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 327 metros.

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