<p>I plan on bringing my D to visit IU this summer. Can anyone recommend 1) a reasonably priced hotel near campus and 2) some good lunch and dinner locations near campus (that are not part of a chain). Thanks.</p>
<p>The best location would be the hotel attached to the union. It’s right on campus and I’m not sure of your budget but the prices are fairly reasonable. As for restaurants, 4th street. You’ll find incredible ethnic restaurants from all over the world. My personal favorite is Mandalay Restaurant. It’s got great reviews, service, and amazing Burnese cooking.</p>
<p>We stayed at the Hampton Inn on Walnut St many times while son was at IU. Convenient if you have a car, but not really walking distance to most of campus. Also, the Grant Street Inn B&B was nice. Very close to campus. [Bed</a> and Breakfast in Bloomington Indiana | Grant Street Inn](<a href=“http://www.grantstinn.com/]Bed”>http://www.grantstinn.com/)</p>
<p>Mother Bear’s is a great place for pizza located on 3rd Street. Very popular and not a chain.</p>
<p>The Hilton Garden Inn is really nice and not overly expensive. It’s also located downtown, so there’s lots to see and do in that area and it’s reasonably close (definitely walking distance) to campus. </p>
<p>As far as good local eateries, you can’t go wrong with Mother Bear’s, Scotty’s, Nick’s, Uptown Cafe, or Yogi’s.</p>
<p>The first time we went up to Bloomington, there were three of us and we stayed in one room at Homewood Suites. It is not the cheapest place but has pleanty of room and complimentary breakfast. It was, however, not the closest to the campus and also not the easiest to find.
The second time we went, it was just me and my mom, and we stayed at the Mariott Courtyard. It was less pricey and had breakfast. It was also only about five minutes to campus and (I believe) near the bus route.<br>
As for restaurants, everything you need is on Kirkwood Ave.</p>
<p>I have stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn and the hotel in the student union. I would recommend them all. My family really enjoyed Farm. Malibu Grill is also good.</p>
<p>We were just there for graduation. Spent the first few nights in Indianapolis because Bloomington hotel prices are ridiculous at that time. We then ended up at Comfort Suites, which I’d stayed at before for orientation. It was comfortable and in a good location for us (close to daughter’s house). Memorable meals included elk burgers at Bub’s which were delicious and an awesome dinner at Finch’s on Kirkwood.</p>
<p>The Hilton Garden Inn, the Courtyard Mariott, and the hotel in the union are all great options that are close to campus (ie, reachable without a car/by walking)</p>
<p>In terms of restaurants, almost everything here is great, but it depends on what price range you’re looking at. Definitely get breakfast at Village Deli or Scholar’s Inn Bakehouse if you can</p>
<p>More casual restaurants: Mother Bears, Bub’s, Yogi’s, Nick’s, Opie Taylors (some of the best burgers in town), Scotty’s (an Indiana-based chain), Buffalouies, Dagwoods (sandwiches…a good quicker lunch choice)</p>
<p>Middle of the road, great for dinner: Trojan Horse (Greek), Siam House (Thai, and seriously the best I’ve ever had in any city), Samira (Afghan), Uptown Cafe (Cajun and creole), El Norteno (Mexican), Finch’s (French food…rabbit cacciatore is great), Irish Lion (Irish/UK), Upland Brewery</p>
<p>More expensive options: Farm…and if you go, get the Farm Fries, you won’t regret it; Malibu Grill (your typical fancier American fare…steaks, chicken, etc.), Janko’s Little Zagreb (steaks and Croatian food)</p>
<p>If you stay at the Mariott, definitely make the short walk to Chocolate Moose. It’s still doable from the Hilton, but maybe 3 blocks further.</p>
<p>Best choice to highlight beauty of the campus would be The Union. I would rate it 4 star. We were very fortunate to win in lottery the graduation weekend.Lots of restaurant choices.For lunch/brunch check out Runcible Spoon. It captures the vibe of the area well. A new place a bit south of campus is nice called Feast.</p>
<p>Thanks for your responses.</p>
<p>Any additional posts would be appreciated!</p>
<p>Last chance to give recommendations. Thanks!</p>
<p>Great lunch or dinner place: Nick’s “English” hut on the main drag of Kirkwood. It’s not really English – that’s the old name; it is most famous for its stromboli (kind of a pizza sandwich) and all the neat IU decor. They even have IU glasses for sale.<br>
My D also loves to shop at the Urban Outfitters (chain, but no store in our town!) on Kirkwood near the Sample Gates on campus and the Cactus Flower indie shop (new & vintage) around the middle of Kirkwood, near the Purple Planet restaurant (which I do NOT recommend…) Enjoy!</p>
<p>Campus is pretty dead now since it’s summer, so you shouldn’t find long lines at any restaurants! If you’ll be here on Saturday, Taste of Bloomington is going on and it’s a great way to sample all the local fare</p>