Stopped by Brightside Cafe for a business meeting with my friend Tom Roznowski to discuss authentic AI. What a great spot for it! Tom ordered the grilled cheese and wow, just look at that thing. Golden, crispy, and oozing with melty cheese. He even shared some of his salty potato chips with me (super generous guy). I went with the tomato basil soup and it had great flavor, creamy and perfectly seasoned. The gluten-free bread paired really well with it. A perfect place for a business meeting or to catch up with old friends. Highly recommend!
Vegan Restaurant
Brightside Cafe
· $$$$ · bloomington · Strict-vegan verified
Fully vegan
Editor synopsis · 0 reviews
Diners overwhelmingly call out the signature dish as the must-order. The vibe reads as vegan restaurant — service is consistently described as warm and unhurried. Common gotcha: queues form at peak times — go early or late.
Excerpts
Stopped by Brightside Cafe for a business meeting with my friend Tom Roznowski to discuss authentic AI. What a great spot for it! Tom ordered the grilled cheese and wow, just look at that thing. Golden, crispy, and oozing with melty cheese. He even shared some of his salty potato chips with me (super generous guy). I went with the tomato basil soup and it had great flavor, creamy and perfectly seasoned. The gluten-free bread paired really well with it. A perfect place for a business meeting or to catch up with old friends. Highly recommend!
Absolutely love the food here. Came here randomly for breakfast (take away) and I was not disappointed. Coffee (Had a Iced Dirty Chai - $6) was excellent, Quiche was very rich (Chicken + Pesto) and tasted great. But price was bit too steep for the size. ($14) Somewhere around $10 would have made more sense. Pumpkin Cake 🎃 slice was excellent. ($7) I will be back for more.
Absolutely love the food here. Came here randomly for breakfast (take away) and I was not disappointed. Coffee (Had a Iced Dirty Chai - $6) was excellent, Quiche was very rich (Chicken + Pesto) and tasted great. But price was bit too steep for the size. ($14) Somewhere around $10 would have made more sense. Pumpkin Cake 🎃 slice was excellent. ($7) I will be back for more.
I had a very disappointing experience at this place and unfortunately cannot recommend it. First, the menu does not specify that lunch is only served Monday through Friday and not on weekends. I had originally wanted to order the Cuban Blonde Sandwich (with pulled chicken, not pork) but was told this was not available on the weekend. I then tried to choose something healthier and went with the option of fruit with spinach quiche instead. The cashier told me I could sit wherever I liked while waiting for my order to be packed to-go. I sat right in front of the counter and waited for over 30 minutes, watching as multiple people who arrived after me (both dine-in and carry-out) received their orders before mine. Finally, I had to ask one of the servers how much longer my food would take. She asked me to repeat my order, then said it would be ready in two minutes. A few minutes later, they brought me the cinnamon roll I had ordered correctly—but instead of the fruit with quiche, they gave me biscuits and gravy, something I did not order and cannot eat. At that point, after already waiting half an hour, I was not going to wait another 15 minutes or more for them to fix the mistake.