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. Â 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.
I heard great things about this place and ordered for delivery at 8:18pm on a Monday through brown menus. I realize delivery can take a little while and I am rarely one to complain but at 9:28pm I decided to call and make sure my order was processed. They gave me the usual "it just left five minutes ago" which was clearly a lie so that I wouldn't cancel the order. I was very polite but they seemed annoyed that I even called. It is now 10:16 andit just got here and is not warm. I am very disappointed in the quality of service... I mean waiting 2 hours for food from a restaurant that is a ten minute walk from my house
Review Source:I am a creature of habit, and my husband and I have had a habit for the last several months of going to Buffa Louie's every Wednesday night so he can get the 50 cent boneless wings in the volcanic sauce. Its just shy of the blazing sauce at Buffalo Wild Wings as the hottest sauce you can find in town - or so he tells me. I'm not touching that stuff! (Occasionally they have a hotter sauce in the back that they are trying out - just ask.)
I switch back and forth between their salads (the full size ones are almost too large for me), their chicken sandwiches (I like the chicken oriental and the teriyaki, both of which are sweet) and their really fantastic Buffalo-style burger. In my very learned opinion (lived here 9 years and tried every burger in town at least once), Buffa Louie's has the best burger in town. Yep, I'll debate anyone. Sure, Bub's are big and tasty and Opie Taylor's has everyone beat on sheer diversity. Five Guys are indulgently greasy and comforting. But no burger in town comes close to the ones at Buffa Louie's. Their meat is tasty and freshly ground, their buns are always fresh and high quality, and they come out perfect every time I've had them. My only wish for something they could do differently is to offer a 1/2 burger - theirs are really big! I'm guessing a half pound? I don't think burgers make great leftovers and a full size burger is just WAY too much for me to contemplate for lunch, ever.
I love the "make it a meal" options with the fries, onion rings, or salad and a drink. On Wednesdays we usually have a combined tab of about $22 with tip, and we lave stuffed. Â I also like their tomoto cheese bread, but I don't get to order it much when I get a burger, as it would just be way too much food.
We've been there when there were three other diners and when there were 50 others. You might wait for a bit, but Ed and his management staff hire friendly people who move orders through as fast and as efficiently as possible. We've eve gotten to know a couple. I love to bring people from out of town here for a Bloomington experience.
The food's standard (except the wings, which are great), but what's really impressive to me is the amount of culture built up in here. The church-like ambience, the layers and layers of different phases the gables have gone though, the rowdy people ringing the bells, the strange hyper-religious people who come by, and the athletic history lesson on your way to the bathroom. Cool place. Probably one of a kind.
Review Source:Went on a Saturday, not a game day. Â Was in town to visit a friend and she said this place was good. Â It was very good actually! Â It's order at the counter, bring food to table type place.
We ordered 50 wings since we had 5 of us and just wanted a bunch of wings, the owner? Ed?, suggested Honey Garlic and TnT. Â We also go onion rings and fries. Â Â I also ordered some Sweet BBQ.
The wings are very good, really crispy! I love it! Â The Honey Garlic and the Sweet BBQ were both very good. Â I could use a touch more garlic taste in the Honey Garlic. Â Be prepared for a mess, there is a TON of sauce on the bottom haha. Â You can dip stuff in it though :) Â
The onion rings are also very good. Â The fries are curly and have no seasoning on them but are cooked very well.
There are a bunch of tv's and the staff are VERY friendly. Â Food took about 10 ish minutes to get ready but it's fresh which was great. Â I would def come back.
Noise level is between normal and loud, but it's not so loud you can't hear people talking.
The service was so terrible I was totally shocked. The caucasian female cashier was soooooo rude. She didn't put our order in so after all of our friends got our food and we didn't we checked on it. She said your burgers will be the next ones out. 15 more minutes still no burgers so we asked her again. This time she said oh your orders weren't put in so it hasn't even been started yet. Then offers us a cookie as if that would fix anything. So she offers us a refund and goes to talk to her manager about it. Then she comes back and feverishly types on her little touch screen not saying a word. So we ask if they are still going to be making our food and she SNAPS at us saying I just got yelled at by manager about this so if you want you can go talk to him!
First of all it isn't our fault you suck at your job, you deserve to be yelled at by your manager if you can't take and put in orders at a restaurant.
Secondly I think it is disgusting that you guys spit all over our food as you run around yelling our names. Seriously get a better system for getting food to your customers without the side of spit.
Our group of seven is definitely not ever going back after that fiasco.
Buffa Louie's is conveniently located on Indiana Avenue near the Sample Gates. Â It's downtown, but not on the main drag, Kirkwood Avenue, which is nice. Â It's also right around the corner from where I work, which is even nicer. My husband and I stopped in for lunch today expecting a sports bar and grill with sports bar type food. Â Guess what we got? That! I had the 6" philly cheese, which was really good. Â Not too greasy, but not dry. The bread was nice and flaky and had been lightly toasted and the onions and cheese were good, but not over abundant. Â It also came with lettuce and tomato, which had been seasoned with oregano. Husband had the Wednesday special, half off boneless wings. Â He got hot sauce and boy was it hot! Both of us can typically handle hot things, but I didn't want more than a bite of his and he ended up eating only half, taking the rest home to try later. :) Â The sauce was good, though, and the meat was tender. Â We split an order of fries, which were good, but nothing amazing.
The seating in this joint is a little sparce, but we were able to get a table upstairs. Â That is not to say that the place was packed or overly busy, though not dead either. Â But there's just not a ton of seats. Â
The staff was friendly and told us about all their specials and that they deliver.
So... all in all, it was as we expected. Â We'd go there again.
I frequent this place for two reasons:
1) It is a great place to watch NFL football on Sundays if you are looking for a low-alcohol scene.
2) The owner Ed is a terrific guy from NY who works his butt off, sometimes with his baby girl strapped snug to his chest as he takes orders. Â Makes you want him to succeed.
As for the food, it isn't bad, isn't great. Â Kind of on the boring "Indiana food" side, meaning your standard Sysco products arranged to please the average everyday American. Â This means chicken wings (pretty good ones, at that), sandwiches, salads, ranch dressing, burgers, and other fried stuff, much like Nick's, Yogi's, and Scotty's nearby. Â Prices seem just a wee bit high considering no sides are served with sandwiches.
Buffa Louie's is awesome!!! Great place to come and get a buffalo chicken sandwich and their burgers are great too. People watching is a must if you sit down on the lower level and by the big window. Not to mention the owner is a great guy and is always on your side trying to help out by any means to make sure your experience is great.
There is also live performances by the IU students which is a cool thing to check out. Buffa Louie's is by far one of the best philanthropic restaurants in Bloomington and is always apart of some sort of charity event. Just a great atmosphere and a B-TOWN MUST! Don't miss out on this place for a quick bite to eat!
The wings are superb, as has been noted before. Most of the rest of the experience is very average --- the food, the waitstaff, the seating arrangements. As a lunch experience, it ranks below most of the places in the Indiana/Kirkwood corridor. And as a nighttime location, I can't imagine choosing to go here over Nick's, Kilroy's, Upstairs, or any of the other usual suspects.
It almost feels like they've tried to recreate the Macri's feeling with their seating and overall presentation, but it falls short at this point. It's not a bad place by any means, just very average.
Buffa Louie's is great for delivery, and I've never had a problem with them.
Because their stuff is so hot, it tends to have moisture condense while they're getting delivered. Â For the wings this doesn't matter in the least ... they're still crispy, covered in sauce, and delicious. Â Sadly, for fries or sandwiches it kills some of the joy, so when I'm wanting my Sweet BBQ sandwich, I usually go and eat in.
I'd recommend the Sweet Garlic or Sweet BBQ sauce on the wings. Â It's like eating a caramelized candy but chicken wings! Â If you're wanting a chicken sandwich and fries, go into the place. Â Salads are a bit meh ... wish they used the sauces as dressing base for salads.
I was so addicted to this place while I was living in Bloomington (which was up until four months ago.) I used to get their wings take-out and eat them in my dorm at least once a week.  My only complaint would be they can be short with customers when they get busy, which is often. Good customer service  for the most part, however, and stellar wings - I would argue better than BWW, but my boyfriend disagrees - AND they deliver. A wonderful Bloomington tradition.
Review Source:Along with Yogi's wings, these are the two best in town. Â Buffalouie's sauces are much better than Yogi's, but on some occasions they serve you really scrawny wings.
Their chicken parm sandwich is killer and I wish they would bring back the pot roast sandwich with the tomato-horseradish sauce as it was a favorite.
I am not sure if they still deliver, but expect to wait at least an hour if can't pick it up.
They took over the old gables building which thankfully survived the university's demolition spree on this block. Â The table layout has multiple levels which is unusual. Â I like the new location's interior much better, but the old place had plenty of parking so we dined there more.
Good for what you get, but not the best bar-ish food around town, there's so many to compete with it makes it hard. Â But its good for delivery late when you don't want chinese or pizza, and they have some good wing sauce and sandwiches. Â I remember some girls on our floor would get salads from there, like the buff chicken salad, but by the time it got to the dorms the lettuce would be all wilted from the hott chicken. Â Also wasnt too big of a fan of their grilled chicken.
Review Source:The place is pretty nice a very well done space for hanging out with friend and nice TVs. The big skylight is also a nice touch.
I came in sat evening before going out. The people were very nice and cheerful. However they were not as impressive with service speed.
Food was ok. I came in because I saw the sign for wings... needless to say besides the low price I was let down. This is not to say I won't be back, but their bold advertising strategy was def. misleading. As another reviewer mentioned, the wings have wayyy to much sauce. It was hard to find the last couple in the pool at the bottom of my pan. The fries were also stale and cold to boot.
Overall the place works well as a friendly campus dine in/out with free wireless too. However it's a bit short on quality. I will be back, but this time no more wings or fries. They weren't worth it.
I don't eat wings, but I eat Buffa Louie's wings.
Yes, I'm not a wing fan. Â Not even a BBQ sauce fan, but I LOVE Buffa Louie's sweet wings, and I must have them every time I go to Bloomington.
I also love the Hurryin' Hoosier. Â Can't say that I've made note of others, because I had the Hoosier, and it has remained my go-to.
I had heard that something has been "off" lately from my mother-in-law. Â I hope she just had a few misses, because it would just be heart breaking if I head back there in August and it's not what I'm expecting...
The boyfriend took me to Buffa Louie's because he loved the place as a kid. Unfortunately, it is no longer the place he remembered. Buffa Louie's has morphed from a family-friendly restaurant to a loud, obnoxious sports bar. They installed an enormous television for the young men to swarm around--we had to go upstairs and hide in a corner in order to hear each other.
But I must give the place four stars regardless, because the food was fantastic. I ordered a basic chiken sandwich, not expecting much, but it was so moist and flavorful! I snagged a few fries too, and they were delicious--not the dry over-salted type you find in most Bloomington restaurants. I would definitely vote for Buffa Louie's again, as long as we picked a time when there weren't any major games on TV.
"Notice how the reviews went completely south after 2008?"
Yeah that's sounds about right for Buffa Louies. Its kinda hard to not go while you're in Bloomington, because they have this huge neon sign and it's so well decorated. They honestly spent more time on their decor than on their menu. I feel like this is a Bloomington legend that went south as other people took over. The wings are totally forgettable so then you move on to a chicken sandwich or a hot dog and they are worse than fast food. Drink specials aren't great either so you wonder why you would waste your time at this place to watch the game. I spent 5 years living in Bloomington, and I can tell you first hand, Buffa Louie's is one to ignore, totally overrated.
I went here while visiting family. I got 10 "hot" and 5 "sweet BBQ" wings with an order of fries. The fries were average. The wings had a really good flavor, especially the BBQ. I also tired the "TNT" sauce which was indeed hotter, but also had a nice flavor.
I enjoyed my meal, but I will say that I have had much better wings elsewhere. Also, the wings were totally drowned, I mean soaked in sauce. It was like a soup in the bottom of the basket. I love sauce, but this just bummed me out big time.
This place was great, it served me real well while I attended Biz Sch. Every Tuesday is 25cents wings, who can beat that??? As Asian, we always sneaked in our rice and eat those wings with rice :P. Oh... talking about it makes me missing it so badly, especially those teriyaki sauce and the hot ones, yummm... You gotta come here when you visit Bloomington and remember, come on Tuesday, I hope they still have that 25cents wing offer :)
Review Source:Hands down, the best large order take out operation in Bloomington.
I've used Buffalouies at least 10 times for catering events at the Business School. Â They're always on time and there's never any issues w/the order.
Prices are reasonable when catering and they're willing to host AYCE functions in the restaurant. Â Jamie, the manager, is great to work with and really helpful. Â
For individual meals, I think the salads are the best in Bloomington: Â cheap, fresh (no bagged iceburg mix here), large, and always the same. Wings are great and there's plenty of TV's to watch games, though you might have to stare uncomfortably high.
I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by my recent visit to Buffa Louis. Since it's in a historical Bloomington building (the Gables has been around since the 1930's at least) the interior is extremely cool and unique, sporting three levels of seating and Bloomington history and lore, as well as multiple plasma screen TV's to watch sporting events.
And my food was even good. The side salad was crisp and fresh and my Chicken Louie sandwich was juicy, smothered in provolone, and topped by an excellent sweet BBQ sauce. I shall definately return.
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