Janko's Little Zagreb — Restaurant in Bloomington

I reserved a table at this cute little restaurant on Valentine's day with another couple. I ordered an 11oz prime fillet with the hopes of receiving the most amazing food in all of Bloomington. I have never been to Janko's or heard of it, but my fiancé urged me this will be a memorable experience for the holiday. I took my first bite and my taste buds were filled with an experience of their own. My stomach filled with an oily sensation that nearly made me so nauseated my face turned red with embarrassment to my friends and future husband. The cook didn't care to remove the fat from my fillet and instead charred it to flavor it?? Perhaps that is how they cook their meats, but I read fillet and assumed there would be no fat. Upon inspecting the meat, I noticed almost the entire fillet covered in fat that was not removed, but charred instead. I also ordered steamed broccoli and it was the worst broccoli I've ever had. I didn't know anyone could cook broccoli wrong. So, there, my review of the worst meal I've ever had. Not only does every restaurant I've ever been to have better food, I was shocked this place can get away with charging $40 for a steak with more fat than meat. I understand why the servers seemed so apologetic about the entire meal. I also received a tablespoon of ranch dressing on my salad and had to ask for more and got a tiny bowl with a few more tablespoons of ranch for my fiancé, our friends, and me to share. My order came to only $111. I tipped my server $25. It wasn't her fault that she serves up the most awful dish in the country. I'm still taken aback by how sick eating the charred fat made me feel. I ordered well-done and I expected a flavorful char to my meal, but I also expected a nonfat, meat char to complete my entreé. I had super high expectations for this place and I promise I will never recommend it to anyone. As a matter-of-fact, I am going to post this review. As a streak lover, I want all steak enthusiasts to take this to heart! Read my review thoroughly. The only edible item I received was my coca cola. Thank you, Janko's, for showing me how to properly rip off the steak loving community with its false pretenses of the best dinner in Bloomington. If there were such a thing as negative stars, Janko's would get them...

I lived in Bloomington for 7 yrs so I know Zagrebs and have eaten here many times but never officially reviewed. I wanted to give the place more stars but it is really to overcome the atmosphere at times, hence 3 stars.

On our last visit I made reservations for 2. We arrived on time and were seated relatively quickly to a small 2 seater table in between 2 other couples at 4 seater tables. They really need to just remove 2 seater tables. It makes it crowded for everyone. Nobody wants to pay $50+ for a meal and sit cramped next to other people. There isn't even enough room at the table for all the food, but we were close enough to the other tables to eat off their plates (I didn't but that's how awkwardly close it was making eating and dinner conversation difficult). I would have refused the table if I had seen another option open, but there wasn't and I was hoping it wouldn't be that bad, it was. I will forever request a booth at reservations in the future.

The other difficult thing about the setting was the ac not working properly. Made it extra uncomfortable so close to other people and the smell of body odor was noticeable. This could have been just an unfortunate issue on the day we went, it was our first time eating there in the summer so I don't know if this is a regular problem.

Our service has always been good at the restaurant. We have also had good food every time. We've noticed the steaks are usually a bit over cooked (if you order med well, you get well for example) so we tend to order less done than we typically do. I'm not picky about my steak so it's never been an issue. I think with the open flame and thick cuts it's hard to judge. Flavor is always good as well as portions. We've always just had steak, I think you're going out on a limb if you get something else.

Definitely a Bloomington icon and a place to go and get a good steak dinner. Just be aware it's not fine dining despite the prices. It is a casual hole in the wall restaurant and not a romantic dinner type place. I'd definitely recommend eating there...

This place is a local legend. It already has over 700 reviews, but I did want to share a few thoughts with you all. Every other time I have been here, I have always gotten steak. This time, however, I had a craving for meatballs, so that is what I got. They were excellent! Definitely spicy. My wife and I were trying to figure out what they used to spice the sauce up. It almost tasted like Tabasco or some other type of hot sauce. Delicious! The entree comes with 14 meatballs. I forgot to take a pic when our server brought them to us, so there are a few missing in the pic. :-)

Servers are very friendly. In spite of us getting there after the first wave of dinner customers, we were seated rather quickly without reservations. We went on a Wednesday night and it was completely full, even with students still not back!

The Bakehouse rolls were wonderful and I love how they put a little char on them on the grill. The salad is a nice blend of greens and I always get the blue cheese dressing. We didn't get any sides or dessert because we are always full. Had plenty to take home to enjoy the next night.

They do not have any beer on tap. It is all in bottles and the Upland beers are in cans. I got the Yuengling, which was $5 a bottle. I know I pay a premium for alcohol at restaurants, but I must say that the menu items are very reasonably priced, especially considering how much meat costs in the stores these days.

It's always fun to go here and look at all of the IU sports memorabilia on the walls. It literally hasn't changed in decades! Very cool. If you are in Bloomington it is worth it for you to check out this local...