Buffa Louie's

I've eaten in a few times, and have ordered delivery a few times from Buffa Louie's, so here goes--a review from both sides of the fence!

I love the decor of Buffa Louie's. Walking in, you just feel...well, it's not exactly homie, I wouldn't say, but it's certainly welcoming. I don't go for the game, and maybe I'm just a long time Bloomingtonite at this point, but it didn't feel OVERLY sports bar to me. I mean, it still gave off the feeling of being a sports bar, but it came across in the sort of way that that one relative everyone has who is obsessed with sports's house comes across--homie, just with a particular passion.

Anyway, I've gone back and forth on the food at Buffa Louie's as I ate here over the years. I could never decide if I really liked it or not, yet I always came back.  I tried nearly every single type of sauce they had, and I liked the wings (boneless, because I'm a pansy), I liked some of the sauces, but nothing ever wowed me. Then we get to about four months ago, when I finally ordered the sweet bbq for the first time and ordered the loaded curly fries.

And, well, something finally clicked, as if I'd finally picked out the right things for me. The sweet barbecue is, as it says on the tin, a sweet barbecue, and it's delightful. The loaded curly fries come with bacon, ranch, and barbecue sauce--and it's amazing. I've gotten both things delivered and in person, and they're delicious either way. And I want to note too that my earlier comment doesn't mean the food is bad, because it was delicious; it just wasn't the thing that I particularly wanted at the location. It's like going to a restaurant, and having your favorite food you love above all else, or choosing to try something else which is good but not your favorite. It's that.

Delivery from the location has always been prompt for me, even on busy nights. I ordered last week, for example, during the Michigan game where it was impossible to get most anything, and then suddenly...thirty minutes after I ordered, bam, at my door. Amazing speed for the night.

So, Buffa Louie's, you've won me over. At first I wasn't too sure about you, but now I love everything you do, what can I say?

This was really hard, because I have been an avid supporter of Buffa Louie's for a very very long time. We used to have one back in northwest Indiana, but now the only one left that I can go to is here at IU while I'm going to school. Anyways, the wings here are top-notch. The best I've ever had in my life, I'd say. The wings are perfectly cooked every time and always taste fresh, like they've never been frozen for shipment or storing. The outer skin is always crispy and crackles when you bite into the wing, but the meat inside is tender and juicy always. I love the Hot BBQ and the Medium sauces, but if you like something more mild or hotter, they have a wide range of sauce. Now, the reason I gave three stars instead of four or five was that (just tonight) I ordered delivery from them and tried the Buffalo Chicken Salad with the Fat Free Ranch and a side of curly fries. I've ordered delivery from Louie's before, and never had a problem with soggy or yucky food. The delivery tonight was speedy, arriving in less than 30 minutes on a Thursday night, which is a pretty busy night for this campus where they are located in the heart of the downtown bar scene. I was excited to have this salad, as I've ordered it before and was wowed with the size and flavor of the chicken and fries. Tonight I was not impressed.
The salad was just romaine lettuce, chopped into strips and washed. I could have done this at home. There was no spinach, iceberg or other lettuce to give the salad more oomph. Then, I looked at the chicken and thought I had the wrong food. I asked for the breaded chicken strips, coated with the buffalo sauce. What I got resembled pulled pork (although it was chicken, thankfully). It was overseasoned with black pepper and did not have the appearance or taste of being cooked in or coated with buffalo sauce. The meat was dry and looked dark brown like it had been smoked. The flavor was very weird, almost like a peppercorn seasoning with a little bit of smoky barbecue flavor. The dressing was gross and jiggly like overly processed dressings seem to always be. Maybe they've changed vendors? But I remember their ranch being the best ranch I've ever had at a wings joint. And tonight I was disappointed.
Maybe they were having an off night, but I'd say skip the salad or sandwiches and just get wings if you want a great meal at Buffa Louie's.

The wings are good, but you're going to have to try one of their signature sauces for it to be worth the visit.  Its definitely a great place to watch the game if you want a decent meal and lots of TVs though.