Best Thing I Ever Ate: Pizza Edition
Mother Bear’s: The Illinois Central Pizza
No list of the top pizzerias in Bloomington would be complete without our beloved Mother Bear’s, the classic Third Street establishment that has been serving up pies for years to hungry collegiettes, their visiting parents, and locals. Even back in the 80’s when my parents were attending graduate school at IU, they fondly remember nights spent splitting a pizza at the local joint with a few cold beers to wash it down. Since I myself became a student here, Mother Bear’s has been voted the best pizza in Indiana by USA Today, as well as being honored by the IDS and People Magazine. Among the many gourmet pizza offerings, my personal favorite is the Illinois Central which features Indiana-grown ham and bacon, Mother Bears’ own BBQ sauce, and three types of cheese. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
Café Pizzaria: Vegetable Supreme Pizza
Just down the block from Nick’s English Hut is Bloomington’s first official pizzeria known as, of course, Café Pizzaria. Using secret family recipes for both its pizza dough and pizza sauce along with the freshest vegetables and hormone-free beef, Café Pizzaria ensures that its hungry customers can enjoy not just quantity, but also quality. Thus, it is no surprise that Visit Bloomington chose this pizzeria as the Best Restaurant or Bar in Bloomington this past year. As a huge fan of all veggies, I highly recommend the Vegetable Supreme Pizza; a pizza I believe would make anyone happy to eat their vegetables for the day.
Nick’s English Hut: Create-Your-Own-Pizza
Before Kirkwood Avenue became lined with a seemingly endless array of quirky shops, unique restaurants, and wildly popular bars, a little restaurant by the name of Nick’s English Hut was there serving up good food and drinks to IU patrons. Today, the restaurant welcomes a diverse clientele from retired professors to law school students to undergrads, all coming together to watch a game at the bar with some pizza and beer. Many customers create their own pizza creation, choosing from a variety of fresh, local meat and produce with Nick’s original tomato sauce recipe.
Honorable Mention: Pizza X
I couldn’t resist giving a shout-out to the place that continues to satisfy 3 a.m. cravings all around campus. I do not even know how many times my friends and I wandered into this 10th Street hot spot for pizza and breadsticks when I was a freshman living in Eigenmann. This Bloomington-based small pizza chain prides itself on its hand-crafted pizzas made with fresh, local ingredients, all for a price that fits in your average college student’s budget. In their opinion, college kids deserve good food too! While I can never leave Pizza X without its “Little 5 Deal”: a bag of breadsticks with a choice of two dipping sauces, I also love the Dixie Chicken Pizza which has BBQ sauce, grilled chicken, onions, and cheddar cheese. Just try and not become addicted to this place!
Sources:
http://linnyskitchen.blogspot….
http://www.monroehumane.org/ru…
http://thepizzafan.com/nicks_e…
http://www.pizzaxbloomington.com/