Scholars Inn Bakehouse

It’s alright – I’ll go here when other people want to but not on my own. The ownership recently changed as with some of the menu items. I ordered a chicken Caesar wrap which for some reason came with tomatoes. Edible, but not better than the chicken Caesar wrap I just ordered from my hotel café. The wrap left something to be desired beyond the weird inclusion of tomatoes. It was pretty dry, and instead of croutons appeared to contain crumbled bits of bread. Three stars instead of two because the service was quite good upon my last visit versus other times. Overall, step it up, Bakehouse!

The Scholar’s inn bakehouse was one of my favorite places in Bloomington to hag out and work have good food and good coffee. The CHANGE in MANAGEMENT ruined it. They serve old bread and cookies and are understaffed. They also reduced their hours without any explanation but some sort of collusion with other coffee places in town… I am extremely disappointed and clearly stop going there.

Stopped in to get some brunch on Sunday, miraculously it didn’t seem busy (no lines)! However, once we ordered we were informed that it would be about a 30 minute wait for our food, sad! But it Was worth it. I got the Very Veggie Scrambler. It was delicious! It comes with a lot, be warned! It would be great to share. It is eggs scrambled with spinach, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes with this amazing sun dried tomato pesto sauce on top! The sauce was a little like marinara but really yummy with the eggs, veggies and potatoes. The scramble is served on top of the Scholar’s home fries, seriously get these – get many many orders of these. They are awesome! Perfectly fried and seasoned! Lastly, the scramble was served with a piece of toast, which was delicious! I love toast, even though it is very simple. I wish there would have been one more piece. Pair this scramble with a nice iced coffee and you will be ready to take on the day (or take a nap)! Enjoy, just remember the wait is worth it!

got food poisoning here and was puking for 36 hours. next day my best friend (who i ate with) got food poisoning here too. we got burritos and they were cold (egg and sausage and veggies) and i could only eat half, so he ate his entire burrito AND my half. also a different time they messed up our order and told us we ordered at the wrong restaurant, then checked the phone # and it was the right #. but yes thanks for two hospital visits and 36 hours of puking for two people. much fun!!!

Went in for dessert. Of the two available we had the chocolate cake. Horribly disappointing. Service was completely indifferent as well. Won’t be returning.

Usually very good selection of food and great staff. Very busy dining area and usually mostly occupied with Internet users.
Diet Mountain Dew ‘on tap’ is uncommonly good and deeply appreciated.
Daily specials are also a good choice.

25 minutes just for to go order of bagel and cream cheese!!! Don’t know if they were making cream cheese from scratch or what. Slow and not so friendly service.

My family and I went here for brunch. It took over 45 minutes to get our food. Breakfast food should not take this long, 15 minutes tops. The food was mediocre at best. My wife’s eggs were way over cooked and mine were ice cold. The home fries my eggs were served over were half raw. I would not recommend this place. The service is bad and the food is worse.

There is a reason this establishment has been on the square as long as I can remember. Consistency! Good coffee, good service and consistent food. And then there is the bread.
I often pop in for a loaf of something special. If there is another artisan baker in Bloomington I want to know. The ground pepper parmesan baguette which appears at Farmers’ Market is a perennial delight to my table. And I love their cinnamon rolls. My mother made heavenly cinnamon rolls so I am not easy to please with this item. Whether for bread, breakfast, snack, coffee or lunch, you won’t go far wrong here.

Do not eat here, service is terrible and food is less than subpar. We waited about 45 minutes for our food and watched two tables who ordered after us get their food first. When we asked about it, they told us that the food doesn’t necessarily come in the same order that people ordered them, but ours was super simple and they obviously forgot about it.
In regards to the food, I’ve had better breakfast from my high school cafeteria.
Don’t eat here unless you want to waste some time and money

When I think of Bloomington, there are a few places that come to mind. Scholar Inn Bakehouse is one of those places.
It’s not fancy, but it’s big and the food is great. Homemade jam sits in jars on the tables, and the bread is the best you’ll get. I went for the BLT sandwich which was kicked up a notch with spicy cheese on a Saturday evening recently. I was able to relax, grab some free wifi, and chill out. What’s not to love about that?

We’ve come here for years and the service and management is now pathetic-​have they hired nothing but idiots? A 16 year old could run it better. We will never come back-​there are too many BETTER places at IU who offer better food and much better service. We ordered three sandwiches for lunch and it took over 30 minutes. We asked twice what he deal was and they said we just missed a rush-​this Rush had to be at least 45 min ago b/​c we never saw more than 10 people in here. This is how so many businesses go out of businesses and this one deserves to. Pathetic!!!
The ONLY decent human working here was he shift supervisor. The others had major attitude and were rude-​sounds like other reviews said he same!!! Do NOT go here. It’s not worth it.

Went here for takeout lunch. Only one girl working the register, and she advised us it was going to be 30+ minutes for anything from the kitchen. Okay, so we’ll order soup. She took my coworker’s order, filled it, and then took mine. When she heard me order soup, she seemed surprised and said she would have gotten my soup at the same time as my coworker’s. Then she asked if she could help the people behind us first. 10 minutes later, I interrupted her on customer #4 to ask for my soup. She put it together and handed it to me with a dirty look and ALL of the attitude. She clearly had zero ability to manage any kind of line. I’d hate to see her when it’s busy there.
Soup was good, bread was great. Service sucked.

Terrible service. Rude employees. Waited FOREVER for food. Food received was poorly prepared. Will NEVER be back!!!

I was a little iffy to come here, since the reviews weren’t very good. However, this was on the list of places that accepted that downtown gift certificate I have so I decided to try it out for breakfast. I was even tempted to ask about their more savory items, but decided I didn’t want too much trouble in the morning so I opted for the safe Challah French Toast.
Walking in, the place already had customers. I wasn’t even late. I think I got in a bit before 8. It was easy to find and the interior was like a cozy diner of sorts. I went up to the counter, glanced at the menu, and ordered my French Toast with a Cappuccino before my mind could begin to contemplate what else they offered.
Looking around, I spotted a nice little booth table by the corner — along the wall with the photographs of cyclists and the TV that was showing something on ESPN. The tables seemed clean, but the actual fabric seats still had crumbs on them. It was in the morning. WHY ARE MY SEATS DIRTY?! I believe they open at 7:30 AM. Again: why is there food on them??? Does no one clean up before closing or at least clean up before opening? Including the seats? PLEASE WIPE YOUR SEATS.
Other than that, the service wasn’t bad. When I ordered, they asked for my name. I gave it without a thought. Then, when my food came, it turns out that they also use your name as well. «The French Toast for Iris.» I liked that personal touch… and to make sure they’re giving it to the right person.
However, here comes the food. I’ve had my fair share of French Toast so I knew what to expect. I even make my own on occasion if I’m feeling particularly indulgent. French Toast is supposed to have a custardy inside (usually slightly sweet) and a lightly crisped outside. My Challah French Toast had that crisp on the outside. However, the inside was essentially like bread. It was even a little on the dry side. Where are the custardy innards? The syrup they gave in a little plastic cup on the side helped, but then it was still somewhat one-​dimensional. There was the dry «French Toast», then the sweetness from the syrup that helped it go down easier, but that was it. My cappuccino helped wash everything down better and gave it that slightly bitter angle, but I felt like something was missing (other than that custard center). Perhaps some jam or fruit was needed, but there was definitely something lacking. It wasn’t bad… it was just… meh. Average. Just okay. Could be a lot better. Someone, please tell me if this is the Midwest’s version of French Toast and this is normal. At least the portions were decent.
The cappuccino itself was fine. I drank it after I ate the second piece of toast and I took the rest home. It didn’t take me long to finish the toast, but even with the foam (the foam is supposed to keep the drink insulated in addition to making it look pretty), it was perfect drinking temperature for me. Which is weird, because I hate hot drinks. I only drink hot drinks once they’ve cooled down, but this foamy cappuccino was cool enough for me to finish in several long, deep sips as I pondered why it wasn’t burning my tongue or making me sweat. It only sat there for a total of 15 to 20 minutes or so (I had it brought out to me shortly after I ordered and I didn’t drink from it until I got my French Toast). Did it mean that it wasn’t piping hot when it first came out? Either way, to some people, it may have been a bad thing, but for me, nice drinking temperature. Take it as you will.
Despite the lackluster reviews, the place was pretty busy. Maybe this location’s regulars need to let their voices be heard on Unilocal…
In the end:
1. Decent, friendly service
2. Dirty seats — please work on this
3. Improve the French Toast, please (unless this is the norm here; in that case… keep at it?)
4. Nice cappuccino temperature, but it may be too cool for others
5. Had a ton of other offerings (I imagine my mind would have wanted a fluffy croissant if I gave it enough time to think) that looked rather promising

I’ve been going here off and on since they opened in the late 1990s. Sadly, this place has definitely gone downhill. We waited over 20 minutes for a couple sandwiches. The food quantity and quality has diminished. Prices are outrageous. $ 4.00 for a cup of coffee? Even Starbucks doesn’t charge that (for the same quantity). My sandwich was utterly ridiculous. $ 5.50 for a mini baguette with 2T of mozzarella, 5 specs of basil, and diced tomatoes which seemed to come out of a can (see photo). After complaining they DID refund my money. They offered to make it again and I said no because we didn’t have time to wait around another 20 minutes. They made it anyway and brought it out when we were walking out-​what a waste. Bathrooms are a mess. This will be my last visit.
Please don’t confuse with east side bakehouse which is actually very well run.

I’ve eaten here for breakfast a handful of times, and my experience has been consistently disappointing. I’m surprised the place is as busy as it is. Here’s my problem: if you are eating with another person or two, even if you are on the same ticket, your food will not be brought to you at the same time. And the wait times are insane for easy to prepare breakfast items (~15 min). Last time I went in for breakfast, one of my friends and I had completely finished our breakfast burritos before the third member of our party was even served. The server said he accidentally gave the order to someone else… Normally, I would wait, but after it became clear that her order wasn’t coming anytime soon (despite it being expedited) I had to dig in to my meal.
The food isn’t bad, but it’s nothing to write home about. I might come back more often if the service/​ambiance were more appealing. The restaurant is dirty, you bus your own table, and the coffee is mediocre. I really can’t find a reason to come here. Plenty of other good options in town.

The quality on this place has been deteriorating constantly. Great location (downtown store), friendly staff but the quality control of the food served needs improvement. They often serve items that should have been tossed. If you complain they are nice about it and will redo order with fresher items, but it should not get to that. Also very annoying is that the Wi-​Fi rarely works. The place is also often pretty dirty; if you don’t wipe the seats before sitting, you’re likely to get food stains on your clothes, and cushions are pretty stained in both stores.
Coffee still very good, bread really good, pastries look good but are pretty lame.

A friend of mine and I wanted to stop by somewhere for breakfast and we settled on Scholar’s. This place reminds me of a café where you can do your work while eating and they have self service. With the holidays around the corner they decorated the interior with cute ornaments; which gave this place a nice touch.
I have to say this place is a ³⁄₅ with a potential of being a ⁴⁄₅. Let’s break it down:
The menu is posted on a board and you order at the register, then you take the number they give you, and wait for your food to be brought to the table.
I ordered the Florentine omelette and coffee.
Drinks are self served, so you can get your fountain drink at the soda machine or coffee.
Florentine omelette (⁴⁄₅): The omelette was simple and filling! The plate comes with an omelette with toast and butter. Inside the omelette there’s mushroom, spinach, tomatoes, and feta. Nothing really cheesy which was a bit of a disappointment. However, It was nice and healthy. I had to sprinkle black pepper and pour tabasco on my omelette for more flavor, but it was decent. The toast was so good! It was toasted with a slight crunch but I wished for it to be served a bit warm. *The omelette isn’t rolled like a burrito. It was folded into half so that was different. The eggs were delicious!
As for their coffee (²⁄₅), I was not a huge fan. I love coffee and I didn’t really like their selection nor their milk/​cream: skim milk, 2% milk and half&half. The skim milk tasted a bit sour. I wish they offered coffee drinks with flavoring. Most places serve different kinds of coffee beverages but the selection here was really small.

The Scholars Inn Bakehouse is a Bloomington institution. That is, it is to me! It’s been on the square since I can remember… and we arrived in Btown twenty years ago. While I was home, I met up with my friend RM for breakfast at this great little bakery/​restaurant.
There are a wide variety of breads and pastries, but there’s also an all-​day breakfast menu! You can order lunch (sandwiches, etc.) too. You order at the counter, then take your number to your seat to wait for the deliciousness.
I ordered the Bakehouse Oatmeal and a side of scrambled eggs. I like to have protein for breakfast to keep me feeling full. I was pleasantly surprised by the slice of toast included, because the Bakehouse has amazing breads. The oatmeal could have used a little more water, but the strawberries were incredibly fresh and perfect. The granola was so good, I may add it to my oatmeal in the future!
If you’re in Bloomington for a visit, I’d say that coffee/​breakfast here is a must-​do. It’s what the locals like! It’s perfectly located to enjoy festivals downtown and even the Farmer’s Market too.