Stopped in for a Valentine’s Day dinner. Cardinal spirits has been my go to date spot for years but the last couple times I’ve been in for a dinner I’ve had a pretty lackluster experience. The quality of the food has gotten pretty meh and isn’t worth the price tag. I’ve heard they lost their previous chef that made the food so special.More importantly, I learned they use Israeli mint as a prominent ingredient in one of their gins, so that has convinced me to not support this place.
Shelly M.
We tried this and made a reservation. Not required! This is more of a tasting room than a full menu resteraunt. One enters at the end of a long narrow beautifully decorated rustic distillery vibed room with a handful of 4-seated tables on one side and a gorgeous bar area with bar seating to the other side. At the end of this narrow seating area a larger roomed area opens for another 20-30 seats at tables and booths. The menu is geared around pairings of the spirits with hopefully some food . Plan an Uber or Lyft if you plan to partake of their lovely liquors and mixed drinks. The food in my opinion and only my opinion which should not deter from trying this venue but, the food is an afterthought. Though lauded as having been made and menu designed by a known local chef, I'm not sure this Chef is being afforded their time to shine from the back of the house through their menu between the focal marketing of this distilleries spirits! I'd loved to have been offered more opportunity to imbibe within the culinary creativity of the Chef behind the walls. I was disappointed in the menu. As for alcohol, this was a unique and well marketed service! Merchandise littered around for purchase & carry, and offers to tour the distillery as well. Try it out! Local distillery! 3/5 only because we were lured in regards as a resteraunt and made reservations. I don't think this was accurate marketing. This is a tasting room of a refined spirit distillery! And, a beautifully crafted spirit at that!
Jennifer Perry
I used to love Cardinal Spirits, but I won’t be going back again after tonight. The cocktails are interesting, though very sweet. The problem was with the food. I ordered a portobello mushroom sandwich that was shockingly disappointing. The basic roll was small and inside were three tiny strips of mushroom, a little bit of melted cheese and a couple pieces of pickled vegetables. I think I’ve had sushi rolls with more filling than this. My husband’s steak sandwich was a decent size and pretty good but he paid $4 extra for just a few French fries instead of the chips. With the automatic 20% tip (which was fine since we didn’t have issues with our service), we were charged over $80 for our two drinks and two sandwiches and I left hungry.
April Kleber
Perfect cocktails and relaxing atmosphere. Went here for after dinner drinks not realizing they also had food.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Josh Jackaway
This place is amazing!! It’s a “must stop” every time my wife and I are in Bloomington. She loves the Flora and we always get at least one bottle of one of their unique or limited offerings to take with us as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jennifer L.
Intimate interior with twinkle lights & chill vibes. Servers & bartenders appear to be passionate and creative about their craft. I've met more than one who took a job here because they loved coming here and the quality of the product. That reminds me of Trader Joe's. I've been here alone, with friends and with my husband about four or five times. The food menu is limited, but the kitchen is small. Everything I've had so far, which is about everything, is well-made and delicious. *The everything deviled eggs are salty but delicious. The cheese and charcuterie board is probably the best choice to pair with the delicious cocktails. I highly recommend checking out the high proof laughs Comedy series in the spring. All of the proceeds go to good causes at local nonprofits. I also very much enjoyed the drink making classes. We have also recently invested (summer 2023) as Angel Investors! Whoo hoo! #staylocal #drinklocal
Thomas Gerson
The atmosphere was great, drinks were great. Food was ok, but the service was not good. After being ignored for most of the night, we were charged extra for a sauce that we never ended up getting.Will probably return just for drinks. Will absolutely avoid the server we were sat with tonight.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 2
Marty Semrau
Beautiful venue with great drinks. The staff was attentive.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Greer Gerni
This used to be my favorite place anywhere. The only thing better than the amazing perfectly balanced cocktails was chef Abel Garcia's food. There were so many delicious and creative gluten free options, so we chose Cardinal for every special occasion. After a year away, we visited last night. There was a strange smell throughout the distillery tasting room, but we did our best to ignore it knowing we were moments away from a flavor experience. The new menu has comparitively fewer gluten free options. And simple sandwiches have replaced the previously creative entree options. We opted for OMG fries and the charcuterie board --- hangovers from the previous menu. Much to our disappointment, the fries now come with bottled ketchup instead of the flavorful homemade sauces. The charcuterie board was made with low quality cheese cubes and salami served with ordinary mustard and honey. The gluten free sub for the bread was stale rice crackers. I tried not to be bothered because we were there for the cocktails...but they were also underwhelming. The terra gin cocktail I ordered tasted like spicey watermelon juice, not at all like the handcrafted spirits I came in for. $75 later we left quite disappointed. We spent our meal googling Abel Garcia -- he's at the Elks Club, by the way. We really miss his food...and we really miss the spirits in Cardinal Spirits.Dietary restrictions: A few gluten free options, but not as many as 2022 and earlier
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Matt Adams
Drinks were wonderful. The outdoor patio seating is relaxing. Service was good, and they were well staffed.
My husband and I went to Cardinal Spirits this past week to meet college friends. We did the tour, which I booked online. It ends up being $16.50 each for the tour, tasting, and 1 drink. It's a pretty good deal. It did seem like you could book the tour onsite and the day we went it wasn't very busy, but with the hour drive we may not have risked it anyway. The Tour/tasting was really just about 40 min. And 75% of the experience is the tasting. Next time we would eat first. It was a lot of alcohol. It can change on season, but there were 16 kids to try. My husband and I have had Cardinal Spirts before, bit it was knew for our 3 friends. We definitely found some favorites. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and fun. It was just our small group. I did think it would be more tour and then a tasting after. Our lunch reservation was after the tour. The menu is very limited. My friend who is a local also thought they would soon have any less. I had looked at the menu a few months ago when making the plans and it was larger. I now wish we had eaten elsewhere then done the tasting/tour. The food just wasn't good and it was pricey. 3 of my friends got the OMG fries, which were $15. I looked at those, but with the sandwich. All of us wanted burgers after all the alcohol. My sandwich came with chips. I opted to not get the OMG fries, because it came with BBQ. All 3 of my friends ordered the $15 fries, because all 3 of them thought it was topped with BBQ. But it turns out it was just BBQ sauce. So fries with 3 sauces and they only used the ketchup. They really need to update the misleading menu. I was really excited about checking out Cardinal Spirits and I really talked it up when we made the plans. But overall it was mostly disappointing. We did like our drinks. The bramble mule was very good. My friend also liked the coffee. My husband and I got ice cream and it was excellent. I got the coffee to go with it, but it could have used sugar. There was none on the table. I should have gotten a 2nd ice cream. There were 5 of us and they added a 20% tip, which wasn't pointed out. I also think our waiter could have been better about the menu. People should know that it's not BBQ meat on the fries.
Josh Wright
Had a VIP tour from Nan and it was amazing! She was such an incredible guide and we learnt a lot tasting all the different drinks. We also got food afterwards which was delicious. Amazing time all around!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
James C.
Good drinks with good light fare. Their cocktails are the real highlight and the space is nice.
Marcia P.
I went here for the first time with a friend last week for dinner & drinks. Despite an extremely limited menu, the food was fine & the cocktails were interesting. However, what would have been an acceptable, if not extraordinary, experience was ruined when we were each paying our bills. I had already signed mine & added a 20+% tip when my friend said, "Oh my gosh: They've already added a 20% tip to our bills!" I was furious! I have been in other restaurants where a gratuity was added ahead of time, even for individual diners, but the server always points it out when presenting the check. It is disgustingly unprofessional & sleezy to try to trick guests into tipping on top of a 20% tip. This may not seem like a big deal to some folks, but it is to me. I will not be returning!
Akanksha Kohli
Great spot for cocktails and food. The menu is limited but everything on it is worth it. Work an appetite and enjoy great cocktails here.
Stopped in for a Valentine’s Day dinner. Cardinal spirits has been my go to date spot for years but the last couple times I’ve been in for a dinner I’ve had a pretty lackluster experience. The quality of the food has gotten pretty meh and isn’t worth the price tag. I’ve heard they lost their previous chef that made the food so special.More importantly, I learned they use Israeli mint as a prominent ingredient in one of their gins, so that has convinced me to not support this place.
We tried this and made a reservation. Not required! This is more of a tasting room than a full menu resteraunt. One enters at the end of a long narrow beautifully decorated rustic distillery vibed room with a handful of 4-seated tables on one side and a gorgeous bar area with bar seating to the other side. At the end of this narrow seating area a larger roomed area opens for another 20-30 seats at tables and booths. The menu is geared around pairings of the spirits with hopefully some food . Plan an Uber or Lyft if you plan to partake of their lovely liquors and mixed drinks. The food in my opinion and only my opinion which should not deter from trying this venue but, the food is an afterthought. Though lauded as having been made and menu designed by a known local chef, I'm not sure this Chef is being afforded their time to shine from the back of the house through their menu between the focal marketing of this distilleries spirits! I'd loved to have been offered more opportunity to imbibe within the culinary creativity of the Chef behind the walls. I was disappointed in the menu. As for alcohol, this was a unique and well marketed service! Merchandise littered around for purchase & carry, and offers to tour the distillery as well. Try it out! Local distillery! 3/5 only because we were lured in regards as a resteraunt and made reservations. I don't think this was accurate marketing. This is a tasting room of a refined spirit distillery! And, a beautifully crafted spirit at that!
I used to love Cardinal Spirits, but I won’t be going back again after tonight. The cocktails are interesting, though very sweet. The problem was with the food. I ordered a portobello mushroom sandwich that was shockingly disappointing. The basic roll was small and inside were three tiny strips of mushroom, a little bit of melted cheese and a couple pieces of pickled vegetables. I think I’ve had sushi rolls with more filling than this. My husband’s steak sandwich was a decent size and pretty good but he paid $4 extra for just a few French fries instead of the chips. With the automatic 20% tip (which was fine since we didn’t have issues with our service), we were charged over $80 for our two drinks and two sandwiches and I left hungry.
Perfect cocktails and relaxing atmosphere. Went here for after dinner drinks not realizing they also had food.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
This place is amazing!! It’s a “must stop” every time my wife and I are in Bloomington. She loves the Flora and we always get at least one bottle of one of their unique or limited offerings to take with us as well.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Intimate interior with twinkle lights & chill vibes. Servers & bartenders appear to be passionate and creative about their craft. I've met more than one who took a job here because they loved coming here and the quality of the product. That reminds me of Trader Joe's. I've been here alone, with friends and with my husband about four or five times. The food menu is limited, but the kitchen is small. Everything I've had so far, which is about everything, is well-made and delicious. *The everything deviled eggs are salty but delicious. The cheese and charcuterie board is probably the best choice to pair with the delicious cocktails. I highly recommend checking out the high proof laughs Comedy series in the spring. All of the proceeds go to good causes at local nonprofits. I also very much enjoyed the drink making classes. We have also recently invested (summer 2023) as Angel Investors! Whoo hoo! #staylocal #drinklocal
The atmosphere was great, drinks were great. Food was ok, but the service was not good. After being ignored for most of the night, we were charged extra for a sauce that we never ended up getting.Will probably return just for drinks. Will absolutely avoid the server we were sat with tonight.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 2
Beautiful venue with great drinks. The staff was attentive.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
This used to be my favorite place anywhere. The only thing better than the amazing perfectly balanced cocktails was chef Abel Garcia's food. There were so many delicious and creative gluten free options, so we chose Cardinal for every special occasion. After a year away, we visited last night. There was a strange smell throughout the distillery tasting room, but we did our best to ignore it knowing we were moments away from a flavor experience. The new menu has comparitively fewer gluten free options. And simple sandwiches have replaced the previously creative entree options. We opted for OMG fries and the charcuterie board --- hangovers from the previous menu. Much to our disappointment, the fries now come with bottled ketchup instead of the flavorful homemade sauces. The charcuterie board was made with low quality cheese cubes and salami served with ordinary mustard and honey. The gluten free sub for the bread was stale rice crackers. I tried not to be bothered because we were there for the cocktails...but they were also underwhelming. The terra gin cocktail I ordered tasted like spicey watermelon juice, not at all like the handcrafted spirits I came in for. $75 later we left quite disappointed. We spent our meal googling Abel Garcia -- he's at the Elks Club, by the way. We really miss his food...and we really miss the spirits in Cardinal Spirits.Dietary restrictions: A few gluten free options, but not as many as 2022 and earlier
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Drinks were wonderful. The outdoor patio seating is relaxing. Service was good, and they were well staffed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
My husband and I went to Cardinal Spirits this past week to meet college friends. We did the tour, which I booked online. It ends up being $16.50 each for the tour, tasting, and 1 drink. It's a pretty good deal. It did seem like you could book the tour onsite and the day we went it wasn't very busy, but with the hour drive we may not have risked it anyway. The Tour/tasting was really just about 40 min. And 75% of the experience is the tasting. Next time we would eat first. It was a lot of alcohol. It can change on season, but there were 16 kids to try. My husband and I have had Cardinal Spirts before, bit it was knew for our 3 friends. We definitely found some favorites. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and fun. It was just our small group. I did think it would be more tour and then a tasting after. Our lunch reservation was after the tour. The menu is very limited. My friend who is a local also thought they would soon have any less. I had looked at the menu a few months ago when making the plans and it was larger. I now wish we had eaten elsewhere then done the tasting/tour. The food just wasn't good and it was pricey. 3 of my friends got the OMG fries, which were $15. I looked at those, but with the sandwich. All of us wanted burgers after all the alcohol. My sandwich came with chips. I opted to not get the OMG fries, because it came with BBQ. All 3 of my friends ordered the $15 fries, because all 3 of them thought it was topped with BBQ. But it turns out it was just BBQ sauce. So fries with 3 sauces and they only used the ketchup. They really need to update the misleading menu. I was really excited about checking out Cardinal Spirits and I really talked it up when we made the plans. But overall it was mostly disappointing. We did like our drinks. The bramble mule was very good. My friend also liked the coffee. My husband and I got ice cream and it was excellent. I got the coffee to go with it, but it could have used sugar. There was none on the table. I should have gotten a 2nd ice cream. There were 5 of us and they added a 20% tip, which wasn't pointed out. I also think our waiter could have been better about the menu. People should know that it's not BBQ meat on the fries.
Had a VIP tour from Nan and it was amazing! She was such an incredible guide and we learnt a lot tasting all the different drinks. We also got food afterwards which was delicious. Amazing time all around!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Good drinks with good light fare. Their cocktails are the real highlight and the space is nice.
I went here for the first time with a friend last week for dinner & drinks. Despite an extremely limited menu, the food was fine & the cocktails were interesting. However, what would have been an acceptable, if not extraordinary, experience was ruined when we were each paying our bills. I had already signed mine & added a 20+% tip when my friend said, "Oh my gosh: They've already added a 20% tip to our bills!" I was furious! I have been in other restaurants where a gratuity was added ahead of time, even for individual diners, but the server always points it out when presenting the check. It is disgustingly unprofessional & sleezy to try to trick guests into tipping on top of a 20% tip. This may not seem like a big deal to some folks, but it is to me. I will not be returning!
Great spot for cocktails and food. The menu is limited but everything on it is worth it. Work an appetite and enjoy great cocktails here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Deviled Eggs