The Village Deli Review

Really just OK, nothing spectacular. It s pretty pricey for a diner and their breakfast menu is set up weird - everything has to be ordered separately and can t be changed. Just average.

The food is always delicious. Sometimes the wait can be crazy, especially with students around.

The pancakes are HUGE! The food was remarkably delicious and the coffee was fantastic. Parking is terrible, but the struggle is totally worth it for the food.

Yes I hated it. Absolutely worst experience I've ever had. Service was horrible. Thought our waitress went home after we placed our order. Finally 40 mins after watching people come order and eat their food and leave I went to manager to find out where our order was the issue was poorly addressed and excuses were made. They made me feel as though this is the way things always are here. At that time the order was then cooked. So after an hour of waiting food arrived and they tried to charge us full price. I had to address that as well. Customers are not important to this business and the poorest management I've ever witnessed. Needless to say I will never return to this business again if you want to call it that. Stay away from this place. Wish it would have burned completely to the ground when it caught fire. Worst place in bloomington. Hope it catches fire again.

Good selection of breakfast food. Friendly waiters.

Best place for breakfast. Great service. Mackenzie was awesome

Good food, great service, and very few people. Go out and support this local restaurant.

Really good breakfast food. Does get busy so plan ahead

Solid Breakfast/Brunch place. A lot of different options as well. Be aware their pancakes are delicious but HUMONGOUS. Highly recommend as a Bloomington classic!

We really like the food at this little restaurant. We visit every time we are in Bloomington.

Good, quick breakfast. Open early, typical local haunt for townies and visitors alike.

Great food, friendly staff, not long wait for food despite semi busy morning

No seating system,average food and long waits for both. I would only consider coming back because an alumi remembers the place from his time at the University.

They are true to their motto: "Eat and get out." Great no frills breakfast.

I had the breakfast burrito home fries and orange juice. Honestly cant say which I liked more. 20 minute wait on Sunday was more then worth it.

Went over the summer and food was amazing! Pancake was huge and glorious!

Food is yummy! Place is crowded as usual, but that's part of the experience. Servers know what they're doing, and they do kind of rush you to "eat and get out." A delicious Bloomington classic I was happy to introduce my friends to.

This place has usually provided good food at an affordable rate, but the last couple months has been a bad spell for them. Nearly everytime I have ordered latly the food has been prepared poorly and the taste has gone bland. I'm assuming they hired new employees because previously this was not as issue. Sad to see a good place go downhill on their food quality.

Classic Bloomington eatery that has stood the test of time because of it's great food and friendly service. There will probably be a line out the door on most weekends but they keep things moving quickly and it's worth the wait for Paxton's potatoes, hot coffee, and giant pancakes.

Very impressed with the steps they are taking to keep everyone safe during COVID. I hope Bloomington keeps Kirkwood pedestrian-only; it was a delight to sit under an umbrella and enjoy a nice morning brunch.

Some of the food felt rushed but I do understand, since we had a group of 10 or so, but that doesn't mean you should skip corners to make more food.

Other than that, it's amazing service and I'm sure if we said something we'd have gotten another plate or something. But we didn't have a lot of time and didn't wanna be rude either.

That's not to take away how great this place is when they're fully committed.

These pancakes surprise me every time! PLATE sized.

Mediocre overall. Service was great, especially from this morning's hostesses, but the food has seriously gone downhill from my memory of it. I got the croissant breakfast sandwich--the eggs were just okay, the ham was just okay, and the croissant was... just okay. I remember this place having an incredible turkey sandwich when I was younger, and some of the mainstays like pancakes seem to be pretty good still, but overall... not what it used to be. Two of the people at our table had items with "salsa," which is actually just seasoned mixed vegetables. Seriously, don't call it salsa if your veggies are cut in 1-inch squares.

Classic bloomington experience. If you want to know what it's like to be an IU student come to this place. I got the breakfast burrito and it was A+

I really like this place. Great diner breakfast fair that is creative without being pretentious. If you go on a weekend or IU event week though, be prepared for lines literally out of the door and a very loud and hectic atmosphere. I prefer to go on weekdays to avoid the crowds. I recommend Paxton's Potatoes (home fries with sausage gravy, cheddar cheese and scallions on top) and the Cinnamon Roll pancake. Pancakes are huge and they are always doing interesting daily and seasonal specials.

Came here during busy parent weekend, but it was worth it. We had to wait a bit for our table but the staff was correct on the wait time. Food was very good and plentiful. Will be back here for sure. Had pancakes, eggs, and a burrito all were delicious.

The PANCAKES, my God. You must have them at least once. Huge! Delicious! Your life will be complete!

Good food. And the first Friday of the month the DWC meets for breakfast at 7;30AM

This place is simply the best. The giant pancakes both regular and gluten free are amazing. And, always get an order of the Paxton potatoes. The only negative is the coffee is just so so.

Over priced. Not very yummy. Service was very good

Always great to go to a restaurant that serves breakfast all day! Love sitting at a picnic table on Kirkwood watching the people go by.

The Village Deli is is one of my favorite breakfast places in Bloomington. The place is clean, the food is great, and there's a wide variety of options for different dietary restrictions (i.e. gluten free, vegetarian). There are some spaces for larger groups, but most of the larger tables are outside. It's also aa goo place for families as almost all of the food is kid friendly. The service is good, but during the school year it can take a bit to get your food. This isn't a huge inconvenience as it's like that most places in Bloomington. It's also street only parking, so be aware of that. It's one of a handful of breakfast places in Bloomington that I recommend consistently and will continue to do so.

Good, relatively inexpensive breakfast. I had a spinach, bacon, and onion scramble that came with so many fried hashbrowns that the plate was a sea of browned potatoes with an island of scrambled eggs. Son had the French toast, which was large enough that his mom and I both received a quarter slice ourselves. Wife had an omelette that she couldn't finish. Two coffees, and total without tip was under $30.

The food is amazing! Everytime I go I have a good time. Great staff too!

I love this place.....great memories w both my children while they were on campus and a favorite now that they are grown and gone! Great food and energy! Enjoyed the pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin butter...

Visited on a beautiful Saturday morning so naturally it was crowded. We were seated within 15 minutes and everything from the food to the service was great despite it being super busy and us ordering a large amount of food.

I enjoy their pancakes; however, after my last visit my boyfriend, family, and I will NOT be going back. Every time I've gone to Village Deli I have horrible service, and the wait for my food is up to an hour and a half. I used to go quite often to give them the benefit of the doubt, but not anymore. Every time I've gone, the people who get sat 2 tables after me get their food first no matter the size of the table. Plus, the other tables get the same exact thing I order; so there is no excuse for other tables that came in later than I to get served first. Every time it's an hour and a half wait before I get my food after the 2 or 3 tables that sat down after me. My food is always cold by the time it gets to the table, and when I try to get a drink refill on my water no one helps me. I look up and see all the waiters and waitresses and managers just standing around in the drink area talking. I've worked in the food industry for many years and most of that time in this setting; but this is the worst business I've ever gotten.

The place had decent food but the service was awful! Kept being over looked/ignored (hard to do during covid) and had terrible service the rest of the visit. Will not repeat

Best breakfast food hands down! My wife loves the eggs Benedict. Pancakes bigger than the plate and delicious!

To-Die-For breakfasts! Excellent food. Dine outside for the college atmosphere. Just great, and people also!

The food was delicious and the service was great! You get a lot of food for what you pay for! I highly recommend this restaurant.

Coffee a little strong but great place to go and have a quick bite to eat

good food, quick friendly service. not very expensive, but portions are on the small side. I don't go to IU but I think it's the popular spot for good hangover food.

I felt the food was mediocre and so was the service. My family and I waited 30 minutes for our food with no explanation. Food should have been HOT when it came out but was warm at best. The server clearly forgot to put our order in and tried to play it off. I would not recommend this establishment nor will I be back.

This place is awesome. Great food. Local staple, a must try.

I love this place its so good, pretty great service even on super busy days, not bad pricing either! You must try it! Its my favorite breakfast place!

Owner is not the greatest at running his business under pressure. I haven't been back to this place since being asked to leave 12 years ago for merely reading the HT in a booth after my meal. Not being able to substitute items and thus allowing food waste also seems a little wrong. This time he flipped out because we were "in the line of fire" while waiting for a table in the waiting area.

The Cinnamon Roll Pumpkin Pancakes are amazing! They'll fill you up until lunch.

I visit this restaurant almost every time I am in Bloomington. Good food, fun staff.

Went there today while visiting my son at IU and the server suggested the cinnamon roll pancake. It was the best thing I ve ever eaten. Very dog friendly with my golden sitting outside with us. It was such a great experience. Will definitely go back!

French toast wasn't cooked enough, soggy. Service took a while, a little negligent.

Awesome food and service, don't pass by this great place.

It was great and the pancakes are definitely worth a try, but it's about 5 dollars for orange juice so be careful

Great pancakes and Paxton's potatoes are a classic!

good food, friendly staff, great location just one block to IU

Great late lunch! Excellent service, WiFi & the food is always AWESOME! Bird for the Wise sandwich was very tasty... Could've used a little less mayo & chunky/fruity cranberry instead of just a spread. Side of fruit salad was*real* cut fruit, like you have at home---THANK YOU!!! Banana Nutella pancakes taste like banana bread with powdered sugar & Nutella drizzle...ohhhhh, so good!!!

Decent spot for a simple breakfast, the smoked salmon is good.

For a vegetarian this place is GREAT. I Love their subs. Their customer service is a little lacking - I came in at night to order something to go. I shouted and yelled but I had to walk INTO THE KITCHEN to get someone's attention. When they finally finshed my order I wasn't sure where to go to get it since they have two booths and the guy went back into the kitchen so I had to wait for him to come back out.

What a pathetic excuse for a restaurant. Frozen potatoes with room temp cheese and an over very hard egg. What a nightmare. The service was slow and not helpful. The waitress literally lost our bill, cleared it with the plates and it took 10 extra minutes to print a new one and pay. Wasnt worth a dime. Dont waste your money here.

First time for breakfast and it was really good. Service was excellent, coffee came quickly and the spinach scramble was tasty.

Lots of great menu choices. Well prepared food. Super staff. The breakfast tacos were excellent!

Great potato chips, but really you can't go wrong with any item on the menu. I have been eating here almost 20 years and it's just a consistently good choice for breakfast or lunch.

The ONLY reason for two stars are the servers that work here. Truly phenomenal young folks! Pleasant, on the ball, really this review is in no way a reflection on the service. The silverware was dirty, wrapped in the napkin with the paper band on it. The coffee cups are despicable, they need to be bleached then washed in the dish washer. When I first moved to Btown this was my favorite place to go. Now it no longer is. The cooks really need to check the menu and what ingredients go in what. When the menu says an ingredient I expect to see it on my plate..I have no idea what is going on there but I won't be back..

Huge breakfast for a fair Price! Try the breakfast burrito!!

Best French toast in town and the portions are filling. The staff is very attentive, polite, and fun to talk to.

Very, very good. My family goes there whenever we are in Bloomington. When my parents lived there for a while it was their favorite. The gluten free pancakes taste just like regular pancakes, just watch out because there may be cross contamination. The potatoes are amazing. Just home fries without gravy (but cheese!!!) are gluten free! They are great also! We had no wait, we just ate and got out [their motto]. Despite having a slightly aggressive motto, the staff was amazing and very accommodating to the gluten free issues. Very helpful! Happy busy cafe-like environment. Definitely a place college kids go to for breakfast a lot!

The food here is pretty good overall, but the service, the smiles and the neat atmosphere make it what it is. I have witnessed some pretty awesome random acts of kindness in here. Well worth the trip.

Don't miss the cinnamon roll pancake!!! Share with the entire table!

This breakfast only deli is just what you'd expect in a booming college town