Fat Jacks

Service was a little slow when we arrived @ 6 on a Friday. Only one server on the floor. Another one came on and it was fine afterwards. The three of us in our party all had something different and were all pleased with our choices. I had the blackened chicken panini, the other two had the shrimp po’ boy and pork bbq. We all commented that it had a little kick which was a nice surprise. Everything was well cooked and the beer chips in a bag a spear pickle were awesome. Prices were reasonable but a 30% cash tip couldn’t get a ‘thank you’ from the server that was late for work.

We popped into Fat Jack’s as we were bar-​hopping around town and we had a good time.
There really isn’t too much to say, actually. It’s a college bar, it’s pretty damn huge, and the back room is straight club/​dancing. We started with drinks, a lot of drinks, at the bar and then moved into the club area. All-​in-​all we had a good time, from what I remember, and I would certainly return again in the future (at which point I’d write a better review as I’d hopefully be less drunk and remember more haha).

If I could give zero I would. I get it-​some drunk people are obnoxious, but when you’re just hanging out with your friends and the bouncer immediately starts ripping through your pockets (because of a pack of cigarettes) it’s a little much. The staff is just a nasty group of people and the rules are blatantly racist. Plus– if you’re an international student, good luck getting in. They’ll make it as difficult as possible and be extremely rude to you. I’ve seen it happen on multiple occasions.

Best bar, bar none (pun intended). Great for Trivia Night on Thursdays with friends and incredible drink specials on the weekend. Get a tsunami and dance like there’s no tomorrow!

One of my favorite bars to go out on weekends. They have really good drink specials. My fav are Tsunamis. I also like the different room genres (love top hits section), fav bartender is Courtney always gives me drink recommendations. Fun party place!

Usually a good place, just went in there, 1 customer 2 employees (assume 1 was a bartender) at end of the bar on their phones, after waiting 5 min I left, not going to beg for a beer, Elroy’s is open… Too bad, always liked fat jacks

Every time I’ve been here, I haven’t had a problem with the drink specials, so last Saturday I ordered two Tsunami. The server came back and demanded $ 9 (instead of $ 6). Turns out they weren’t having specials for that day.
You’re supposed to let me know ahead of time if you’re not having specials… It wasn’t stated anywhere either. (This is my reason for giving 1 star).
I’m not a big fan of the cocktails here either. I’ve always found them too sweet or found the alcohol to taste bad. If you like really sweet drinks, though, you’ll like what they have to offer.
The atmosphere is definitely fun, even if a bit crowded at times (I usually go Friday/​Saturday nights). The place is huge so there are plenty of areas to hang out. The dance floor is fun but always way too warm for me to stay.
Overall, it’s a fun place to go with friends that’s worth checking out, but make sure you ask for the price of your drinks ahead of time.

The floors and bar top need refinishing and a coat of paint and some deep-​cleaning couldn’t hurt these days but this place is still the best beer snob bar in town, their bar food is different in a good way, the bartenders and waitresses are generally fantastic and there’s always a decent, lively crowd before 9 and a loud, raucous crowd after 9.

Only times I’ve been here were on the weekends and I was a college kid that liked to drink. Beyond that it’s mostly been a good time. I like how it’s three bars in one and when I went the atmosphere wasn’t too bad, that was almost 2 years ago though. The atmosphere is real nice though. The fat jack drink is actually pretty good and I’m not ashamed that I’ve ordered it.

If you are looking for a good craft brew in B/​N, this is your spot. The staff is friendly and know what they are serving. They always have a fantastic selection of IPA’s and stouts. Thursday’s special is $ 3 pints which most of the beers quality for. Some high octane beers are not on special.
The issue is I cannot get my wife, female friends or female family members to go back as barfly Mark creeps all of them out. From ages 21 to 59 he doesn’t seem to discriminate. Since he’s there pretty much all of the time, they all refuse to go. It’s a shame because as much as they all love craft beer, they would rather not feel uncomfortable. One of them said it felt like they were being stalked from the north wall by Jack and Mark.

Fat Jacks is probably the most popular bar in Bloomington for college students. I get tired of it, but it’s always a safe bet. I prefer to visit Fat Jacks on weekdays; good drink prices for a wide variety, good times with your friends.

Last night I was dancing at this bar, and two of my female friends were dancing on a little stage that they have. They called me up to join them, so I did. Not even 2 minutes later a bouncer came over and told me to get down, I asked why, he responded by yelling «Get down, faggot!» at which point I left the bar because I was so angry. My friend, Kate, asked the bouncer why I was made to get down, and he would not answer, but instead made her leave.
If you are ever in Bloomington, Illinois, please please please do not ever patronize a bar called Fat Jacks. The bouncers there are homophobic and they do not deserve your money.

THE quintessential college bar. Big main bar with a ton of great beers on tap and a rotating selection. No cheap domestics on tap, just imports and micros. Great back bar and liquor selection and excellent specials. Three different spaces. Main bar, for a great hangout. Looking for something cooler, try the Blue Room for a more loungey feel. Wanna dance your face off, wander back to room 4.

Every person I tell that I like this place always asks what day and time I go because apparently their later night Thur/​Fri/​Sat crowd is much different than when I go (Mon/​Tue/​Wed after dinner).
Fat Jacks at that time is great. They have the most unique beers on draft in town and usually have some sort of amazing beer special going on. Early in the week is quieter and the bartenders I’ve encountered like talking about beer and make great recommendations.
I haven’t checked out the crazy party atmosphere on the weekends, so you’ll have to see the other reviews by ISU students to get a better idea what those nights are like.
See you soon!

Hands down my favorite Bar in Bloomington. I am going to write this review with a disclaimer: I am 21 year old male. I don’t mind crowded spaces, especially when they are crowded with 21 and 22 year old women. That is all.
Fat Jacks is the place to be on a weekend night. I completely understand college bars not having the best service during peak hours like 10pm till 2am. The staff at Fat Jacks makes it happen. Every interaction I’ve had with the staff there has been extremely positive. Bouncers are friendly enough. Bartender’s are great. I think Garret (pretty sure that his name) in particular does a great job.
The bar is split into 4 areas for the most part. When you walk in the door there is a large (the main) bar in the middle with 4 or 5 dart boards in the back. Off to the side is a room with a pool table and a couple of couches as well. There is another smaller bar in the room after that. Then there is also the dance floor. Not always my thing, but I’ll admit it’s pretty cool. Light up squares on the floor, cat walks, etc. There is also another decent sized bar in that room.
Don’t go here on the weekends if you’re looking for a place to have a great well thought out cocktail. You won’t like it.
Anyone else, Go here.

came here after dinner with a friend and enjoyed playing some pool and shooting darts. The staff was cool and I enjoyed conversing with some of the locals.
had a good time.

So this is where we ended up when Reality Bites turned us away because we didn’t have reservations. Lucky us!
The beer selection is fantastic. The ambiance is interesting. The place at first looks like a complete dive, but there are many, many redeeming qualities.
They serve food. That’s a good thing. We only had chips, chili and cheese, but hey… it was good and it went good with the beer.
I can see this place hopping later in the evening. We sat in the bar area, but there are several other rooms. Billiards and darts… all sorts of things to keep folks entertained.
I know the menu at Reality Bites is much more inviting, but Fat Jacks is the place to be. I was shocked at how empty it was. I think this is a good thing. If we hadn’t had a concert to go to we would have easily spent the evening sampling different brews, enjoying the music and perhaps throwing some darts.
If I was a local I believe I would be a regular.

In order to have a successful Fat Jack experience you need to know what you’re getting into and the equation to achieve your desired results:
1. To avoid «Frat» Jacks: From Sept 1 — April 30^th avoid going here on Fri and Sat nights from 10pm and on.
2. To avoid State Farmers: Do not go here during traditional «happy hour» time over the summer while students are gone. The average age and creepy factor increase exponentially.
3. If you want to play darts or pool: Optimal time is post happy hour and pre frat time
4. Follow them on Twitter to see daily drink specials. This is critical to optimize your hard earned dollars.
5. If you like Guinness there is one female bartender who rocks it. She is typically there between happy hour and frat time.
6. Multiple rooms help you pick the experience you prefer… games, relaxing or dancing.
7. Light up dance floors are cool. So are catwalks behind a bar.
8. To avoid pointless cover charges arrive before 9pm and chill on a couch with friends until the fun begins.

Now serving food. The only veg option was a cheese dip… which was just a jar of Tostitos Salsa con Queso warmed up, served with crumbled chips, and sold to us for double the price that we could get at the convenience store up the street.
Eat before you go.

FRAT jacks.
Sick.
Only good thing is the dance floor if you can stay away from the creeps.