The Players Pub

Ivan. Thank you for the entertaining evening at this amazing jazz club. We never expected to come from out of town and have such a welcoming experience with free cover, free wine and free massage. You guys rock!!!

This is a very fun place to go with good food and lively entertainment. Be sure to check in with the band playing October 29 and have some dinner!

Have you ever tried their version of French Fries? So good. They’re like potato ridged slices. Delicious! I did go there once for a show at 5pm to support a friend of a friend. Once 7pm rolled around, a bouncer walked around and asked for cover (even though I had already been there for two hours) and let me know I had to pay for cover or it was time for me to go. So I left.

We heard the owner bad mouthing Max’s right after they closed to a customer there… Way to support fellow local business… The food at Max’s blew the food out of the water here and the service in my opinion. When we were there, there was only one waitress and about 15 tables… a little short staffed I think. One should look in the mirror before they bad mouth another local business for closing due to the parking meters not for bad food or customer service! I know that me food and service sucked that night here!

We are moving to Bloomington from NY and were recently in town house hunting. Players was recommended to us by a local, and we stopped in on a Saturday night and had a blast dancing the night away! We loved the warm, down home atmosphere, and the live music was a treat! Coming back next weekend to look at more houses, and we know where we’ll be hanging out at night! BTW, loved the water urn at the corner of the bar! Great place!

the bloomington songwriter showcase introduced me to this joint a few years back. i’ve come back regularly ever since — both for the showcase and for other shows. i saw the great Chris Duarte here several years ago and the sound was excellent. i’ve never had the food, so my review will be decidedly lacking in that arena… but i am quite well versed in the beer. i can attest to its excellence — a oft rotated list of mostly craft stuff. for my money, this is the best bar in town for having a craft beer and catching some live music!

Excellent cozy music venue. They get a wide variety of musical styles for every taste. They also have open mic nights & song writer’s night. Good, reasonably priced food. Many beers on draft, including local selections. They also have a good choice of wine, but no liquor.

We went to hear Run Boy Run tonight. Nice crowd good music. Beer selection is decent, service is great. The food is a mix of good and bad: gaspacho was horrible; fruit and chocolate dessert was nice. My big complaint is the sound system. This is a music venue. The sound system should not make the musicians sound bad, but it did. I am listening to the groups cd right now. They deserved a better venue than Player’s.

Our chips were old, sauce was gross, food and service not so great. My sons «pizza» was not edible and we had to send it back. They offered to make another or something else but we declined that offer. I might go back for music, drink and pool but not the food.

I’ve been to the Player’s Pub a few times, the first two were both weeknights when there was live music after work, and the most recent was on a weekend in the early evening. During the weeknights, I saw a jazz band, as a coworker played in the band, but I understand the Player’s Pub brings in talent from a wide range of music genres. A big draw is that they often (or always?) have live music.
I’m giving the Player’s Pub 5 starts, but understand that it may not be for you. It’s a very old bar — think wood paneled walls — and it attracts mostly locals. There’s good food and a laid back vibe from the attentive, tatooed waitresses. I love that you get pretzels brought to the table, though that did not happen on the weekend visit. The food is a good value, and specials are always highlighted on a chalkboard on the wall. A few local brews are on tap and many more types of beer are offered in bottles. The musicians play in front of a brightly painted mural on the wall and occasionally people dance, if they are feeling the vibe.
For my friend who has a son, the Player’s Pub is a good venue because people under 21 can sit in a back section. I love that inclusivity. In that section there are more lounge type chairs and billiards as compared to the dining room and bar area closer to the stage. You could be in a grandparents’ basement.
Note that if you come in the evening, you may have to pay cover. It’s been $ 3 or $ 5, and they will add it to your tab.

Player’s Pub! Every time I go to the Player’s Pub, I have a good time. I usually like to go when there are blues or funk bands playing. I think they have music almost every day of the week, and there is cover most nights. The crowd here is probably older than any other downtown Bloomington bar, which isn’t a bad thing. The dance floor always fills up with dancers, but no one’s here to put on a show (other than the band). BBC, Upland, and a few other beers are on tap. The food is surprisingly pretty good for a divey place, and there are also several vegetarian options.

If you haven’t been to the Players Pub recently try it now. Joe & Vickie the new owners are doing a great job on improving service. The music & food have always been good so it’s great to see the service improving too.

I went here to see a rockabilly group play. The place was already pretty full by the time we arrived (the only table seating still available was way at the back in the family-​friendly area). Next time, I’ll definitely get here a bit earlier to snag a table. The dance space is right in front of where the bands play — it’s on the small side, but still comfortable. The mix of people was very comfortable; while this place is close to downtown, the clientele was predominantly 30+ years old (I suspect this varies depending on the band playing).
The menu options were very pleasing — much better than what I normally expect from a bar. I had already eaten dinner, so I passed on trying the entrees. I did split an order of their sweet potato fries, though — and they were really tasty!
I have two complaints… the first is that they only serve beer and wine. I hate both of those options, so I had to stick to soda (which, I suppose, made for a much cheaper bill!). The second is that the service was very slow and often non-​existent. This wasn’t the fault of the individual servers (who were running around like crazy) — there just simply weren’t enough servers to handle the crowd size.
I will definitely be back here in the future for more of their live music, and I look forward to sampling more off the menu (which is pretty veg-​friendly).

I completely agree with everything Ken K said, and i dont think i have much to add, it is the best bar i bloominton that you have never been to, and if you love live music from real local bands, this is your place, I am only sad that i didnt discover this place earlier.

Great beer selection, good food (fairly vegetarian friendly) and a «locals» ambiance. Its a great place to fill up your belly before a night on the town.
For full disclosure, I haven’t been here for any live music events.

I’ll admit that I was a little nervous as I rounded the corner from behind the building, but it was a totally different world when I stepped inside.
They had a great band playing (Sad Sam Blues Jam) which was a real treat and a great compliment to the chill atmosphere. The food was great, even if the service was a bit slow.

The entertainment was cool, but the food wasn’t too good at all. I got a burger and fries and they both had some kind of spice all over them that was really overpowering. Good beer selection. OK prices. Not too great service. I’m sure I’ll go back, but will probably just drink.

I’ve gone here twice and have unfortunately had bad experiences both times. The actual bar is great, it has nice lighting and there is plenty of room to stretch out. The food is typical pub food and maybe a bit overpriced but good. The wait staff was loudly arguing in the back for part of our meal, which was annoying.
However we got the same waitress (who during one meal was screaming at a co-​worker in the kitchen between visits to our table) who was a complete jerk for no reason. I suspect she was angry at all her co-​workers or was having personal issues or something.
Anyway the service soured out attitude on the place and we haven’t been back.

The Players Pub website quotes a local guy named Steve who feels the bar is like «A little slice of heaven». I’ll be honest Steve, I think you’re selling yourself a little bit short.
I was in Indiana on business and was keen on having my first full on «Midwestern Experience.» A dive with a live country blues band, middle aged couples properly partner dancing, a pool table and a décor characterized by simple tables, framed pictures of dead rock stars and colored Christmas lights seemed to fit the bill.
Then, once we got seated in the back section of the bar, the romance went sour. Our drinks took twenty minutes (and they only serve beer and wine!), our waitress had a breakdown at the table (after being hostile to a co-​worker who inquired where her water was) and the charm of the kitschy decorations was diminished when we realized that bar that smelled like someone’s moldy basement. I’m not a snob, but I expect more out of a bathroom than a door held together by taped up cardboard.
Maybe we came on an off night, but a few drinks later we were definitely ready to head out the door. The extra star is for the band and the decent selection of beer. If you do choose to go here, I’d advise to try to get a table in the front.

I can’t believe nobody has reviewed the Players Pub! Okay, so I can believe it, since I’ve been in Bloomington for almost two years and last night was the first time I’ve been there. But it’s right next to downtown in a charming building that’s had interior walls knocked down to incorporate a side building. Nothing fancy here, just good people, good music, and good food.
The Players Pub specializes in live music, especially jazz. You’ll be hard pressed to find a night, even during the summer, when there isn’t live music after 8:00 p.m. When nobody is playing, they offer a free pool table and a large television in a lounge area to relax and enjoy some local company.
The beer’s are decently priced. They have a wide selection of bottles but only four beers on tap. When I visited those were Guinness, Amber Bock, BBC Quarryman, and Upland Wheat. No surprises there. Maybe it’s better on a weekend, but somebody needs to teach the bartender how to pour a draught. My Guinness had a little over 3-​fingers of head on it, and I have big fingers.
The food was excellent. A sampler platter of appetizers included incredibly heavy fried food, my favorite. Jalapeño poppers, mozzerella sticks, chicken wings, onion rings, fries and sweet potato fries were all included with your choices of dipping sauces. The jalapeño poppers were especially good. I didn’t care for the hot wings, the sauce was had too much vinegar for my tastes.
The salads were simple mixes from a bag with a few added veggies, croutons and cheese thrown on top. The entrees were excellent, though. The ribs my co-​conspirators enjoyed were large and well-​cooked. Although I still say Smokin’ Jack’s Rib Shack on 17^th has the best ribs, these weren’t bad. The filet another friend had was a perfectly cooked hunk of beef from the Butcher’s Block. They served A1 sauce with it, but it certainly wasn’t needed.
On to my entrée, a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich, a Hoosier classic. Perfectly fried in a crunch, slightly fluffy beer batter. Well seasoned, it didn’t need any sort of sauce to accompany it, although I did add a touch of ketchup. The best part of my meal, however, were the sweet potato fries. Dark brown, perfeclty done, crispy, sweet… these are by far the best sweet potato fries in Bloomington. I would come back for these alone.