Food and drinks were great, my steak that was meant to be medium rare was closer to medium well but it still tasted good. Our waitress was lovely and super friendly. The outdoor space is nice and even while being on Walnut it wasn't that noise which may have been luck who know but made it a great place to sit.
Heather E.
Pros: The patio is nice, the cocktails were good. Cons: The broccoli was undercooked, and the dish was bland overall. No seasoning, no interesting textures. The food was meh, for the price, I expect a bit more than "meh".
Chelsea B.
Sadly I can say this probably the worst the restaurant in Bloomington. The nacho cheese they charge a million dollars for comes from a jar, same with the salsa. The food was horrible and super pricey... we avoid this place like the plaque (to soon?)
Syogod
Super bland, softball shaped burger would warrant 3 stars, but the food is crazy overpriced.
dan waugh
We enjoyed the outdoor dining very much. Service was exceptional. We both enjoyed the our meals very much. My wife loved the grilled tuna salad...said it was the best tuna she has ever had. I liked the Thai grilled chicken sandwich. The cocktails were good as well.
Alex Ryan
The people and venue are lovely. We had a big party, 11 of us, and everyone agreed the food was mediocre. If they dumped the whole menu, got a real chef, and started over with more carefully selected specialty dishes, I think this place could really shine. As-is, I prob won't go back just bc the food was so humdrum. Dessert too.
ryan jones
They did my wedding reception and everyone there went well above and beyond anything i could have expected anything we needed there was always someone there to get it for us . Food was fabulous and fresh would recommend it to anyone for private events or even a nice dinner. They are working things in the right direction to be a thriving business.
erica metcalf
I WOULD GIVE 10 STARS IF I COULD!!! UPSCALE DINING WITH OUTSTANDING SERVICEThis restaurant may look like just another place to eat; however, the standard grain is anything but! My fiancé and I decided to have our intimate wedding reception at a restaurant, and we decided on The Standard Grain. Brooke (events manager) & Mike (Chef/owner) made us feel welcome and catered to throughout the entire experience from the initial food tasting to the execution of the event. The entire staff went above and beyond anything we could have imagined; no request was too much. Our menu was completely customized to our group, and the Chef took the time to sit with us and put it together. Brooke was always willing to work with our schedule anytime we needed to be there to go over reception details and was always a phone call away. The food was absolutely fabulous and cooked to perfection, the attention to detail with the plated food and hors d’oeuvres was outstanding and elegantly done as was the table arrangement and the decor. The service was above and beyond! Our salads and dinner were served right on time and no one ever had an empty drink the staff anticipated the needs of all my guests effortlessly. I also wanted to mention Ryne who served us the day of our menu tasting and was our bartender for the event, his skill has grown so much over the last few months and he did an excellent job behind the bar with a larger group. He made the best amaretto sour I have ever had. If you can request him for dinner or as your bartender, you will not be disappointed. We could not have asked for better hosts for our wedding reception. Every single staff member gave 110% and they made our event perfect. If you are looking for a venue to host an event or party that is unique and upscale this is the place to do it. Every dish made is made from scratch and expertly prepared, the décor is eclectic and interesting, something is always catching your eye so, whether you are planning an event or just having dinner this restaurant provides an excellent experience all around and has quickly become a favorite for us.
Karin D.
One of the best restaurants for outdoor seating downtown Bloomington. Good wine selection. Limited menu. Great service.
Compass273098
We ordered carry out due to Covid-19, for 4 of us. We did not receive our side dishes and received the wrong salad dressing. When we contacted management, they said we could come back to pick up our sides. We were already home and didn’t want to drive all the way back. We ordered Bleu Cheese dressing and received Ranch. We were told to read the labels because those dressings look alike. Are you kidding me? I am a highly educated adult that mastered reading many many years ago. When I asked them via private message on FB for some compensation such as a free dessert or appetizer for not receiving what we ordered, they didn’t reply and I was blocked from sending them messages or writing a review on their FB page! My fiancée wrote a review on their page and they replied that it wasn’t his review and to stop the masquerade! This can be seen on The Standard Grains Facebook page under reviews. There was 4 of us that ordered the family dinner and we were all highly disappointed. The food was just ok, nothing special. It’s the management response and actions that will keep us from never eating at this establishment again. So very unprofessional! We DO NOT recommend!!
LOVE the atmosphere, have only ever eaten out on the patio. This is 1 of my FAVORITE places to go. The sangria with the candy shish-ka-bob is AWESOME
Lyric
I’ve seen lots of hype about this restaurant so I was really looking forward to giving it a try, however we did not enjoy our experience. Firstly, the eclectic/tribal decor really clashed with the historic & classic beauty of the building. Not to mention, a lot of the decor has price tags on it making you feel as if you’re dining in the middle of someone’s yard sale (yes, this includes the patio). Our server greeted us with complimentary chips then explained dips could be purchased for an additional fee, which we took her up on because who eats just plain tortilla chips? We tried the “spicy cheese” expecting something similar to a Mexican queso, but instead got nacho cheese straight out of the can... gross is an understatement. And to think we paid $5 for that!? The drink menu certainly lacked creativity, but I ordered a classic cosmo & it was tasty. Our crab cake app was good & the scallops w/garlic butter pasta was definitely the best thing we ate all night. Steer clear of the stacked tofu salad. It had so much potential, but unfortunately appeared as if they did nothing more than plop the package of tofu right out of the square shaped container onto the grill then served it up. Our server was fine, but she trimmed the bushes on the patio during our time there which felt a little odd? Definitely a first for us at a “fine dining” restaurant. The menu is rather large & the concept is super confusing-Italian, seafood, Asian? Would love to see them master a few good dishes rather than do such variety @ a poor/mediocre level. Just had higher expectations for a $100 dinner. Glad others like it, but we likely won’t return.
Daniel Devane
Went to the restaurant for my wife and her girlfriend’s birthdays. Let the wait staff know we were celebrating. Overall food was OK. However, my burger was raw, literally - inedible. Everyone finished while they re-fired my burger. It was OK, but for the prices not worth it. Only ate 1/2. Got 4 overcooked fries ’extra’ for my inconvenience. Wow, thanks.
Chris E.
It's a restaurant slightly below Applebee's in quality that is trying to be a higher end local hotspot. Overcooked steak, grocery store salsa, salad served with dressing packets. I'm fine paying these prices for a good meal but this was bad. Go to Farm or Feast
Leah M.
No complaints. Food was tasty. A bit of a smaller menu maybe due to Covid. Good though!
Food and drinks were great, my steak that was meant to be medium rare was closer to medium well but it still tasted good. Our waitress was lovely and super friendly. The outdoor space is nice and even while being on Walnut it wasn't that noise which may have been luck who know but made it a great place to sit.
Pros: The patio is nice, the cocktails were good. Cons: The broccoli was undercooked, and the dish was bland overall. No seasoning, no interesting textures. The food was meh, for the price, I expect a bit more than "meh".
Sadly I can say this probably the worst the restaurant in Bloomington. The nacho cheese they charge a million dollars for comes from a jar, same with the salsa. The food was horrible and super pricey... we avoid this place like the plaque (to soon?)
Super bland, softball shaped burger would warrant 3 stars, but the food is crazy overpriced.
We enjoyed the outdoor dining very much. Service was exceptional. We both enjoyed the our meals very much. My wife loved the grilled tuna salad...said it was the best tuna she has ever had. I liked the Thai grilled chicken sandwich. The cocktails were good as well.
The people and venue are lovely. We had a big party, 11 of us, and everyone agreed the food was mediocre. If they dumped the whole menu, got a real chef, and started over with more carefully selected specialty dishes, I think this place could really shine. As-is, I prob won't go back just bc the food was so humdrum. Dessert too.
They did my wedding reception and everyone there went well above and beyond anything i could have expected anything we needed there was always someone there to get it for us . Food was fabulous and fresh would recommend it to anyone for private events or even a nice dinner. They are working things in the right direction to be a thriving business.
I WOULD GIVE 10 STARS IF I COULD!!! UPSCALE DINING WITH OUTSTANDING SERVICEThis restaurant may look like just another place to eat; however, the standard grain is anything but! My fiancé and I decided to have our intimate wedding reception at a restaurant, and we decided on The Standard Grain. Brooke (events manager) & Mike (Chef/owner) made us feel welcome and catered to throughout the entire experience from the initial food tasting to the execution of the event. The entire staff went above and beyond anything we could have imagined; no request was too much. Our menu was completely customized to our group, and the Chef took the time to sit with us and put it together. Brooke was always willing to work with our schedule anytime we needed to be there to go over reception details and was always a phone call away. The food was absolutely fabulous and cooked to perfection, the attention to detail with the plated food and hors d’oeuvres was outstanding and elegantly done as was the table arrangement and the decor. The service was above and beyond! Our salads and dinner were served right on time and no one ever had an empty drink the staff anticipated the needs of all my guests effortlessly. I also wanted to mention Ryne who served us the day of our menu tasting and was our bartender for the event, his skill has grown so much over the last few months and he did an excellent job behind the bar with a larger group. He made the best amaretto sour I have ever had. If you can request him for dinner or as your bartender, you will not be disappointed. We could not have asked for better hosts for our wedding reception. Every single staff member gave 110% and they made our event perfect. If you are looking for a venue to host an event or party that is unique and upscale this is the place to do it. Every dish made is made from scratch and expertly prepared, the décor is eclectic and interesting, something is always catching your eye so, whether you are planning an event or just having dinner this restaurant provides an excellent experience all around and has quickly become a favorite for us.
One of the best restaurants for outdoor seating downtown Bloomington. Good wine selection. Limited menu. Great service.
We ordered carry out due to Covid-19, for 4 of us. We did not receive our side dishes and received the wrong salad dressing. When we contacted management, they said we could come back to pick up our sides. We were already home and didn’t want to drive all the way back. We ordered Bleu Cheese dressing and received Ranch. We were told to read the labels because those dressings look alike. Are you kidding me? I am a highly educated adult that mastered reading many many years ago. When I asked them via private message on FB for some compensation such as a free dessert or appetizer for not receiving what we ordered, they didn’t reply and I was blocked from sending them messages or writing a review on their FB page! My fiancée wrote a review on their page and they replied that it wasn’t his review and to stop the masquerade! This can be seen on The Standard Grains Facebook page under reviews. There was 4 of us that ordered the family dinner and we were all highly disappointed. The food was just ok, nothing special. It’s the management response and actions that will keep us from never eating at this establishment again. So very unprofessional! We DO NOT recommend!!
Restaurantji Recommends
LOVE the atmosphere, have only ever eaten out on the patio. This is 1 of my FAVORITE places to go. The sangria with the candy shish-ka-bob is AWESOME
I’ve seen lots of hype about this restaurant so I was really looking forward to giving it a try, however we did not enjoy our experience. Firstly, the eclectic/tribal decor really clashed with the historic & classic beauty of the building. Not to mention, a lot of the decor has price tags on it making you feel as if you’re dining in the middle of someone’s yard sale (yes, this includes the patio). Our server greeted us with complimentary chips then explained dips could be purchased for an additional fee, which we took her up on because who eats just plain tortilla chips? We tried the “spicy cheese” expecting something similar to a Mexican queso, but instead got nacho cheese straight out of the can... gross is an understatement. And to think we paid $5 for that!? The drink menu certainly lacked creativity, but I ordered a classic cosmo & it was tasty. Our crab cake app was good & the scallops w/garlic butter pasta was definitely the best thing we ate all night. Steer clear of the stacked tofu salad. It had so much potential, but unfortunately appeared as if they did nothing more than plop the package of tofu right out of the square shaped container onto the grill then served it up. Our server was fine, but she trimmed the bushes on the patio during our time there which felt a little odd? Definitely a first for us at a “fine dining” restaurant. The menu is rather large & the concept is super confusing-Italian, seafood, Asian? Would love to see them master a few good dishes rather than do such variety @ a poor/mediocre level. Just had higher expectations for a $100 dinner. Glad others like it, but we likely won’t return.
Went to the restaurant for my wife and her girlfriend’s birthdays. Let the wait staff know we were celebrating. Overall food was OK. However, my burger was raw, literally - inedible. Everyone finished while they re-fired my burger. It was OK, but for the prices not worth it. Only ate 1/2. Got 4 overcooked fries ’extra’ for my inconvenience. Wow, thanks.
It's a restaurant slightly below Applebee's in quality that is trying to be a higher end local hotspot. Overcooked steak, grocery store salsa, salad served with dressing packets. I'm fine paying these prices for a good meal but this was bad. Go to Farm or Feast
No complaints. Food was tasty. A bit of a smaller menu maybe due to Covid. Good though!