Everything was amazing here! It was the nicest restaurant I've been to in a while. I made a reservation with my parents for Friday evening which I would recommend doing because it was very busy. We loved the atmosphere though - the building is kind of interesting and the decoration was very classy. Maybe the main area was a little loud, but we ended up seated in a semi-private room with one other table, so we had relative quiet. It was dim but not in a bad way. All of the staff was very friendly. Our waiter was attentive and enthusiastic but didn't come across as trying to upsell us.
Drinks were excellent. I usually just go for beer, but the cocktail menu looked really interesting, so I got a cocktail was very glad I did. I got the rye-based "boss fight", which was very strong with unique, complex flavours. I also had many sips of my dad's earl grey cocktail - also very interesting and delicious - and my mom's "problem child" with non-alcoholic gin. They have a really nice non-alcoholic drink menu with different NA spirits too.
Food was equally excellent. We got the muhammara appetizer, I had the butternut agnolotti for my entreee, and we shared a chocolate and a vanilla-cranberry bread pudding for dessert. My dad said the muhammara was one of the best dips he's ever had. The middle eastern flavour was a little different from stuff you usually get at American restaurants, and it was presented very nicely with different garnishes. The blue cheese cream sauce on the agnolotti was also a little different and really complimented the flavour of the squash. The bread pudding may have been the best bread pudding I've had in a restaurant - it was very moist but wasn't too sweet or too rich. The chocolate cake was kind of like an oreo cake with the thick vanilla frosting and cookie crumbs - not your generic chocolate cake with white frosting, but conventional enough that I think it would make anyone happy.
Maybe the portions of the entrees alone are a little small, but I think they were the right size to enjoy along with a shared appetizer and dessert. Considering that, the prices are okay for upscale dining.
Jan 27th, 2026: My second visit and food remains to be great. Had the fish (Great combination), Brussels Sprout (App) was bit too salty but good taste, Winter Scarlet Treeline Cocktail was okay but not memorable, Bread Pudding was fine.
2 months ago: I was hard set to give this place 4 stars, dispite the excellent food due to extremely loud setting. Then I remembered it's supposed to be a bar. But given the price point, I would except a much more refined space and a lot lower volume. Service was good. (Not excellent) Not upto the standards you'd expect for the price point. But the food was excellent. We had Chef's Special (Chicken - Excellent), Agnolotti (Extremely small portion - Excellent) and Risotto (Good). And all three mains had very very small portions. (Even compared to other higher end places in Bloomington - and all three were supposed to be mains. Not small plates) Cocktails were good. Desert was the highlight, specially the Puff Pastry Apple Rose. Absolutely delightful. So was the Carrot Cake. Specially better with the Spiced Rum Pecans. Mocha Budino was not my cup of tea. But given it's heavy nature, filled the rest of out stomach. All in all, good food, small portions, loud.
C3 may be Bloomington’s most exciting hotspot for drinks and dinner. The mixed drinks were contemporary and delicious. Frites and Muhammara for appetizers. Salad, fish tacos, sirloin, and gnudi for main courses. Drinks included the painted warrior and blindside punch.
The sirloin with chimichurri was out of this world. The sauce was so savory and it is by far the best sirloin I’ve ever had, and I generally do not like sirloin. The chef, however, changed my mind. I loved this Chef’s Special and would order it again and again.
Updated March, 2026.
Service was exceptional and the burger is always the best!!
Updated April, 2025. We had reservations for four well in advance and had a last minute 5th wanting to join however we were told that they were unable to add an additional seat. We were left with the option of waiting for an hour with no guarantee or canceling. Sad that it felt a bit haughty.
Had a delightful time meeting my family at the C3 Bar during my visit to Bloomington. To my pleasant surprise, the establishment was exceptionally clean and exuded an upscale ambiance. The service staff demonstrated utmost friendliness and professionalism, while the culinary offerings were simply exquisite. Every dish we tried was remarkable, but the C3 burger stood out as an extraordinary creation. The entire table was unanimous in their high praise for the establishment. I highly recommend C3 Bar and eagerly anticipate my next visit.
A little gem of a restaurant in East Bloomington. The service was good and the food was delicious. Our server made sure to time each of our courses so that we didn't feel rushed to eat as new food arrived. Drink selection was great and offered a number of special offerings both hard and alcohol free. Will be back!
