Red

Today is one of the colder days of the year and snowing outside so I was pleasantly awakened by the warmth of the restaurant, both in literal temperature and the friendly smiles from staff. This place is special because their lunch special includes soup, which soothed my soul on a day like today. The fried rice was unexpectedly not greasy and instead perfectly golden fluffy. I quickly chomped down on their orange chicken that sampled an orange rind addition to their sauce rather than the typical store-​bought orange juice. Parking can be limited if it busy, but I believe there is parking across the street by the park if completely necessary.

Not only is this the most authentic Chinese food in Bloomington, it’s absolutely authentic and delicious. [Definitely not American-​style steam table fair!] The seasonings are much more complex than others. We began with S1 Hot and Sour Soup. This was delicious, with strong vinegar and pepper flavors. The peppers were very assertive, and we guessed that maybe white pepper was used, as there was a lingering mouth burn. For our main dishes, we had M7. Stir-​fried crispy chicken in chungking style. This consisted of small cubes of chicken seared in a stir fry with cut up dried red chile peppers and white sesame seeds. Not at all oily. Excellent! We also had M28 Mu Shu Pork w. egg wood-​ear mushroom and cucumber. This dish is not at all what you would get at an ordinary place! The pork is good quality in slices, with sliced cucumber, scrambled egg, and a generous quantity of whole wood-​ear mushrooms. The flavoring is delicate. I can’t tell if it had fish sauce in it, but it may have. It was not a sickly sweet sauce, but light and subtle. No shredded cabbage, no plum sauce and pancakes. This is an elegant dish. And, we had V13 Chinese green stir fried with garlic. This, too, was delicious. The greens are slender and leafy. While there is a large quantity of chopped garlic, the sauce has other flavors mixed in, lightly.
For 3 people, we had soup, 2 meat dishes and one vegetable dish. The portions were very generous and we were unable to finish everything. The food was most definitely not greasy! The prices were more than fair for such wonderful preparation and ingredients. Our server was very helpful and eager to explain anything. Service was prompt. I would absolutely recommend this restaurant. One warning: if you don’t like spiciness, be sure to speak to your server about this. «Moderate» heat is very assertive according to the three experienced palates at our table!

Exceptional and authentic Chinese food. The hot pot I shared with my friend/​lunch companion was wonderful.
My friend had never had hot pot, so I selected the original stock base and added in a nice variety of ingredients from the list on the menu. She was curious and a bit nervous at the start. By the end of the meal, she had decided that this was going to be her new favorite restaurant. I couldn’t agree more.
The staff were very professional and appropriately attentive. This restaurant location has seen its share of restaurants and I really hope Red Restaurant succeeds. It was great!

Very solid Chinese food. It’s authentic flavors though, so you must appreciate it for what it is; and it’s really good! So don’t be shy, try it! Ma po tofu, spicy boild fish, chunking chicken, kung pao chicken, szechuan double cooked pork. It’s all quality, and the portions are great, especially for the soups which are very cheap for the amount you get. The staff are very friendly too.

This place has some of the best food in town. I recommend the Beef with cumin sauce.

OMG Doesn’t quite say how good everything was, the stir fried crispy chicken in chungking style (hot) — it’s in a basket, 2-General’s Chicken, 3-​Spicy fried crispy pig’s intestines — they are wicked good!, 4 Beef w. hot and spicy cumin sauce, 5 Stir fried hot and sour cabbage (Chinese Napa cabbage) 6 the best hot and sour soup I’ve ever had! A few appetizers aren’t on the menu yet, spring rolls and dumpings. The spring rolls are very good. Didn’t try the dumpllings yet. The quality and quantity of the dishes are very reasonably piced! Top notch! Highly recommended, and the most authentic dishes I ever had!

Excellent authentic chinese food with a friendly staff. Dont judge place by location or appearance. Its very good!

Very authentic Chinese restaurant, I really like their spicy spare ribs and their soups! Order them every time I eat there! Deserve to try if you want to eat authentic Chinese foods

Most AUTHENTIC Chinese food you will find in Bloomington! Low-​key location hides some of the best chicken, beef, lo mein, rice dishes and more. Extremely diverse menu of intricate spice complimented dishes. The fresh, tender Orange Chicken is sweet however not too rich. The chicken/​beef & broccoli is another flavorful + healthier option. I cannot wait to get back and try something else on the unlimited menu!
Quality– 9.5÷10
Atmosphere– ⁹⁄₁₀
Creativity– 9.5÷10
–A&R

Red is now the best Chinese restaurant in Bloomington! The décor is simple but elegant. There have been several restaurants at this location and Red is by far the most attractive and with the best food. The service is friendly and efficient. In our party of three, each dish was excellent. We can highly recommend each of these dishes: stir fried lamb w. hot and spicy cumin sauce, prawns with black curdled bean, griddle cooked chicken w. taro and eggplant in garlic sauce. Each dish was beautifully served, portions were very adequate, and prices reasonable.

I wanted to try something new while in the area, and this place was trending on Unilocal so why not give it a try? I was the first one in the dining room today shortly after it opened. It was clear they have a booming carryout & delivery business as the phones were ringing off the hook already! I was seated promptly and ordered the General Tso’s lunch option with egg & tomato soup and fried rice.
The dining room was clean and bright. Service was good even though I was out of Diet Coke before they offered to refill it. Soon after I arrived other patrons started to fill the dining area. It was a very tasty meal, and I took home a menu so I can spread the word!

My stomach was not very comfortable today thus I ordered few not spicy plates, which amazed me! Very decent Chinese food! Love this place!

Servers are not that professional. The price is comparatively high for me. Food is okay. Decoration is good!!!

I came here with my gf last week, waiters were very nice and sweet to us. Food are impressive.

fantastic authentic Chinese restaurant!!! Also the servers are so friendly. My recommendations of red restaurant are Hot and spicy fish in spicy soup, crab yolk& meat thick soup w. Bean curd hot pot, and griddle cooked squid and prawn.